History of Timeshare

For more than 35 years, RCI has been at the forefront of the industry, transforming the holiday experience for shared holiday owners. As the global leader in holiday exchange, RCI is known industry-wide for being a trusted associate as well as a full-service, single source service provider for our clients’ needs. We strive to make dream holidays a reality for our subscribing members, and to work with developers to help enhance their sales and profits by expanding the use and enjoyment of their leisure real estate products. We help affiliates to move their business forward, and together, we continue to advance the timeshare industry as a whole.

Since timeshare started in 1963, the concept of owning your holiday has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of holidaymakers. The original concept was based on a fixed-week product: the purchaser would buy one week of holidays at a particular resort and return to that resort and unit the same time each year. As the consumer demanded more flexibility, the floating week was introduced, allowing owners to request to use their week during the season they purchased.

Many potential and current owners felt their holiday opportunities were restricted by having to return to the same resort every year. In 1974, RCI revolutionised the timeshare industry, becoming the first company to offer an exchange program that allowed owners to deposit their week of holiday for the opportunity to experience a new destination.

As the timeshare industry continued to grow, so did the needs of the consumer. Many timeshare companies created holiday clubs, which utilise points systems in place of the traditional week, to fulfill the need for more flexibility. With a points system, owners can buy the amount of points they want, which can be applied to resort stays within their vacation club. Depending on the number of points they own, they will be able to apply those points to their resort stay at a time convenient for them.

RCI recognised the value of offering more than the traditional week timeshare system and became the first to provide a global points-based exchange programme to affiliated resorts and their members who desired the ultimate flexibility. After 10 years, RCI became the largest global-points based exchange program in the world.

RCI was also the first company to offer an exchange program that caters to luxury resorts. In 2002 The Registry Collection^® exchange program was launched, offering the opportunity for members of The Registry Collection^® program to exchange at the world’s most luxurious resort destinations.

As the industry leader in exchange, RCI works tirelessly to accommodate the changing needs of affiliates and members. There from the beginning, RCI will continue to be a resource in the future.