New Service Links Up Timeshare Vacation Rentals

A local company unveiled a method of finding potential timeshare customers at a trade show this week in Las Vegas. Altadena-based LeisureLink Inc. introduced the Mini Vacation Tracker, or MiniVac, a Web-based leads and tracking system, at the American Resort Developers Association trade show, which concludes today.

"The reception we're getting is extremely good," said Kelly Tompkins, founder and president of LeisureLink. "People are really very interested in our distribution of vacation rentals for the timeshare industry."

The LeisureLink reservation platform connects property management companies through the Internet with travel agents and Web sites such as orbitz.com and travelocity.com.

MiniVac gives online travelers the tools to book their own vacation rentals, then provides the option of getting a discounted rental if they agree to listen to a formal timeshare presentation.

This provides a cost-effective lead generator for property management companies, said Tompkins.

"We're on track to sign up most of the timeshare industry," he said. "We've either signed up or are in final negotiations with all the leading property managers."

Online travelers take a survey that evaluates their potential as a timeshare owner. If they don't qualify, they can still book their vacation at the regular price.

MiniVac will provide companies with vacationers who come pre-qualified as potential timeshare owners, said Tuzy Snyder-Wall, general manager of RMC Resort Management, which has used LeisureLink for more than a year.

LeisureLink's methods are preferable to costly mailers, she said.

"You're ending up with a lot of expense a lot of times for a shot in the dark," Snyder-Wall said. "A lot of people throw it away."

Also, LeisureLink helps travel agents understand and book vacation timeshare rentals, which have different parameters than hotels, she said.

"Everybody is looking to have as many distribution channels as possible to get their timeshare out to the marketplace," Snyder-Wall said.

LeisureLink brings qualified leads into resorts who have a higher probability to convert to timeshare ownership, said Tompkins, who founded the company in May 2002.

LeisureLink is completing the acquisition of $5 million in venture capital funding to expand and grow, he said, and the launch of MiniVac has accelerated the sales cycle in signing up many big property managers.