Areas of Specialization

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Donita, I also offer my welcome to TS4Ms.

Those of us that have been around for a while understand that in order to be happy with any exchange company it is in your best interest to understand where they get the most inventory.

Could you give an overview of what you expect to have?

TIA

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Hi there Lawrence

First of all know, that if I do not have what you are looking I will go to my trading partners and try to find what you want. After 32 years in the exchange business I have friends all over the world.

Most of the weeks that I have and will be receiving are deposits from timeshare owners all of which are cleared with the resorts in question and are ready to be offered out on exchange. I also work with trading partners and they are people that are in the busines that I have worked with over many years, have good inventory and are reliable.

I charge a $25 a year membership, $125 for US and Canada, and $150 for International. I do not charge an extra fee for a guest certiicate or name change. I do not charge for size or season upgrades, I try to accommodate your vacation needs. I want my program to be simple and affordable. If you deposit Hawaii anytime, Southern CA beach in the summer at least 6 months or more in advance you will get 2 exchange credits for the week. Other areas as well can be deposited this way but at my discretion.

I hope this answers your questions. If you need more info, feel free to call me. My number is on my website Donita's Vacations Unlimited my site is underconstruction. Have a great weekend Donita

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Donita,

The fees are certainly reasonable and I know your reputation ( second hand) but you have not answered my question. An exchange company will have certain developer deposits to seed it's inventory. That is the way to get exchange deposits. I would like to know where that inventory will be.

I do not use Trading Places, SFX and others for things they historically do not get.

Thanks

PS It's Lawren. Odd spelling yes and a common mistake to assume Lawrence and male.

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Hi Lawren (sorry for spelling your very pretty name incorrectly)

That is not the way I have worked in my 32 years in the business, I am totally independent. I take deposits from owners all over the world and my trading partners fill out the rest on a as needed basis.

I will take that back, many years ago I took block space from several developers only to have them pull it back even after it had guests confirmed into it. That did not sit well with me as I had to pull in a lot of favors to cover those reservations. When I confirm I feel it is final unless the member needs to cancel. This is why I like to be independent.

I am getting bankings from all over the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe and French Polynesia -- this is so far. I am very pleased with the way things are progressing as my noncomplete ended on June 13, 2011 at noon and this is the 29th of July.

Have a good weekend

Donita

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Donita,

I am sorry I am pressing so hard. It is my job, as a guardian here, to make sure people are happy with the independents they choose. Ask SFX how hard I've hit them in the past.

I will watch and certainly hope that you will show availability on line so we can recommend you to our members for exchanges.

Good Luck and welcome back to the industry.

Hi Lawren (sorry for spelling your very pretty name incorrectly)

That is not the way I have worked in my 32 years in the business, I am totally independent. I take deposits from owners all over the world and my trading partners fill out the rest on a as needed basis.

I will take that back, many years ago I took block space from several developers only to have them pull it back even after it had guests confirmed into it. That did not sit well with me as I had to pull in a lot of favors to cover those reservations. When I confirm I feel it is final unless the member needs to cancel. This is why I like to be independent.

I am getting bankings from all over the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe and French Polynesia -- this is so far. I am very pleased with the way things are progressing as my noncomplete ended on June 13, 2011 at noon and this is the 29th of July.

Have a good weekend

Donita

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Thank you, I hope to have my website completed soon.



Donita

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Donita,

Ask SFX how hard I've hit them in the past.

OUCH !!

Mark @sfx
Member Communications

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Hi Mark

I take it was a little painful. After 32 years in this business I will not feel the pain.

How are Mel and June? They are so nice. Do say hello for me.

Let me know if you need anything that I can assist with.

Have a good weekend

Donita

[flexible Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flexible]

Donita,

I am sorry I am pressing so hard. It is my job, as a guardian here, to make sure people are happy with the independents they choose. Ask SFX how hard I've hit them in the past.

I will watch and certainly hope that you will show availability on line so we can recommend you to our members for exchanges.

Good Luck and welcome back to the industry.

Hello Lawren,

Donita is such a class act and was always a pleasure to deal with when she was associated with DAE.
.
I believe Donita can open more doors to exchanges for her clients because of her impeccable reputation

I hope this post doesn't sound commercial because it only intended to give an example of the how highly respected Donita is. While I have not been in contact with her for several years, she was a pleasure to work with when I made six deposits in 2008.

While I am not sure if Donita would be interested in taking me up on this offer, I trust Donita enough that I would be happy to give her access my VacationInternationale.com account. They have 10 resorts in Hawaii so if they have any availability one of her customers need in Hawaii or any or there 40 or so resorts she could book it directly and provide me a future credit. I've always thought it was silly to pick a random week to deposit when it would be easier for the exchange company to check their waiting lists and suggest which week to give them. We will probably add the 10 points needed to be VI Premiere which allows 13 month advance booking and avoids many fees.

We have other contracts like 3.8M El Cid points which include FOUR All Inclusive bracelets as long as my husband or I are named on the reservation. We have reservations for 26 Nov 2011-13 Feb 2012 at Mayan in the Maya Riviera for a 2 bedroom. We have some friends that want to rent some of our Mayan weeks so when they need the full 2 bedroom we expect to go to El Cid. If only my husband and I are at El Cid that means we could have included 2 other people with 2 AI bracelets. We saw arrangements for people to use all four bracelets even when they were in separate units at the same time. The El Cid resort in Puerto Moreles is incredible and the nearby resort in Cozumel has great snorkeling right off the resort. If Donita has a client that wants to stay at these same resorts at the same time we are there, she would be able to offer a situation where her clients gets an incredible deal on AI.

We have a few more resorts with unique situations with AI. Again, I hope my post is not construed as commercial. It would be much easier for me to let Donita choose possible exchanges from my inventory then to try to rent or exchange directly with strangers. While I have encountered a few nice couples I have rented to years ago, I no longer feel it is worth the time to advertise. It is easier to have an intermediary like Donita sort out the flakes or deal with indecisive people.

Donita's services are like having a personal concierge for your travel needs. Her vast knowledge of resorts allows her to help people make better exchange selections (such as child friendly resorts, adult oriented, whether the restaurants/AI have a good reputation, etc.

I wouldn't worry whether Donita has the exchanges you want on her website at this time. For the many people who need to book very far in advance, Donita's relationships can help. For example fixed week owners could let her know further in advance. We have early priority booking with several of our resorts so just letting Donita know what you are looking for could save you a lot of time searching other exchange companies.

Georgeann

[LynnW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LynnW]

I would also like to welcome Donita back. When she was at DAE I always asked to speak to her and she also gave me her private number. Three times she got me what I asked for the same day I called her.

Lynn

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Hi Georgeann

I do remember working with you and it was my pleasure. I will be happy to work with you again. My phone number and e-mail are on my website the one that is the best is the att.net as my site is under construction.

I appreciate the wonderful support I am getting from owner such as yourself. All of my past members are getting back in touch. I have worked hard to assist owers over the years and I did it for the love of the industry and sending you on vacations.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend

Donita

[flexible Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flexible]

This link to an article article written in 1997 about Donita could be helpful for others to read:
Donita's Vacations Unlimited - Largest of The Small Independent Timeshare-Exchange Companies

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita' Vacations Unlimited

Thank you Lynn

I enjoyed working with you and now that I am back on my own once again I will be happy to assist you. You can get all my info from my website even though it is under construction. Donita's Vacations Unlimited

I keep it simple and affordable

Have a great weekend

Donita

[Donita Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Donita]

Donita's Vacations Unlimited

Thank you Georgeann

That article was in the Trades Publication and it was a thrill to be included, I was written about for the issue that followed the co-founded of RCI. My company is not as large as then, but I am working on it.

Have a good weekend

Donita