Dive Brief:
- Westgate Resorts announced Thursday that it will acquire Bellevue, Washington-based Vacation Ownership Sales (VOS), which has the exclusive management and sales and marketing rights for VI Resorts, North America's largest owner-controlled timeshare and vacation club.
- Thanks to the acquisition, Westgate will significantly expand its resort destinations from 22 to more than 60, with new international locations in Mexico and Canada — making it the largest geographic expansion in Westgate’s history.
- This acquisition follows the news of Westgate's strategic partnership with Choice Hotels, further supporting the company’s plans to position itself as a preeminent brand in the hospitality industry.
Dive Insight:
Orlando, Florida-based Westgate Resorts announced on Thursday that it will take over management of VI Resorts' points-based Vacation Club from VOS.
VI Resorts, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, boasts more than 40 domestic and international resorts and destinations, including in Hawaii, Mexico and Canada, and has more than 41,000 owners, making it the largest owner-controlled timeshare company in North America, according to a news release.
“We are thrilled to significantly expand Westgate with this game-changing acquisition of Vacation Ownership Sales and management of VI Resorts' Vacation Club with more than 40 resort locations,” said Westgate Resorts CEO Jim Gissy in a statement.
“We look forward to working with the VI Resorts Owners to help enhance their Vacation Club, bring exciting new Westgate destinations into the VI Club and create new and diverse vacation product offerings for our existing Owners at Westgate.”
Under the agreement, existing Westgate owners will have the ability to exchange their ownership time for stays at VI Resorts locations and vice versa.
As part of the acquisition, expected to close in 2025, Westgate Resorts plans to invest more than $4 million in marketing, branding and technology improvements to enhance the VI program. This includes a rebrand of the Vacation Club to VI Resorts by Westgate and a full website redesign.
This latest agreement reinforces Westgate’s strategic plans to become a leading brand in the hospitality and timeshare industries.
In January, Choice Hotels International partnered with Westgate Resorts to bring 21 Westgate properties in nine states under its reservation system. Westgate also broke ground on River Country Water Park, a new addition to the Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in Central Florida. It’s set to open this summer.
