Attorney David Sudeck recently joined JMBM's Global Hospitality Group as head of vacation ownership practice and has provided a thorough overview of the world of timeshare on Hotel Law Blog.

Echoing other experts, Sudeck writes that once the credit crunch eases, the traditionally resilient timeshare and vacation ownership options will rebound quickly.

In his view, factors that are going to contribute to that are manifold and include active selling process, favorable demographic trends (baby boomers are entering retirement and they value flexible vacation options) as well as a diverse buyer base.

The latter, according to the American Resort Development Association, include not only baby boomers, but also singles (17 percent) and families with children under the age of 18 (almost 25 percent).

Better value offered by timeshares relative to vacation home ownership or comparable quality resorts and hotels also plays a big part, he states.

Sudeck moreover points out that unlike in the case of other projects, local communities and local governments typically welcome timeshare developments because of their social and economic benefits.

Finally, according to Howard C. Nusbaum, former president of ARDA, very few loans in the vacation ownership financing market were of the risky sub-prime type, another reason why the rebound should be swifter than for many others.