Vacation Innovations’ Expands Award-Winning Maintenance Fee Protection Program Amid Growing Demand

As timeshare homeowners’ associations (HOAs) seek to maintain and enhance the quality of their resorts, unpaid maintenance fees remain a persistent challenge. These essential fees fund the operation and upkeep of properties, but when owners can no longer use their intervals or points—whether due to shifting travel preferences, life changes, or financial constraints—they may also stop paying. The result is a ripple effect of financial strain that can impact an entire ownership community and force resorts to reallocate costs to paying owners.

Vacation Innovations, a trusted software and services provider to both developers and timeshare owners, has addressed this longstanding industry challenge with a customer-first innovation: the Maintenance Fee Protection program. Launched in late 2022, Maintenance Fee Protection is quickly becoming a valuable tool for preserving financial stability and owner confidence. In 2025, the program is on pace to deliver more than $10 million in reimbursements to owners—following 800% year-over-year growth in 2024.

The Resale Challenge

As one of the largest providers of resale and rental solutions—operating a leading online marketplace, a licensed timeshare brokerage, and comprehensive title transfer services—Vacation Innovations has long understood the friction points that timeshare owners face, particularly when they are unable to use their ownership. These insights positioned the company to create a program that not only alleviates consumer stress but also supports resort financial health.

At its core, Maintenance Fee Protection offers a simple yet powerful benefit: timeshare owners who have paid their maintenance fees but are unable to use their intervals or points can deposit them with Vacation Innovations and receive a cash reimbursement. These deposits are then used to meet demand in other areas of Vacation Innovations’ business, such as its travel and loyalty platforms.

This innovative structure not only reduces financial pressure on the owner but also preserves the value of their timeshare investment by allowing them to hold out for a better resale offer, rather than rushing into a loss-driven sale or defaulting on fees.

The program’s results speak volumes. In 2023, the program distributed $600,000 in reimbursements. By 2024, that number soared to over $5.4 million. Submission volume mirrored this trajectory, climbing from 500 deposits in 2023 to more than 3,300 in 2024. Vacation Innovations forecasts that reimbursements will reach $10 million in 2025, signaling continued adoption of the program. The rising participation suggests that many owners are looking for ways to offset maintenance costs when they are unable to use their timeshare. For resorts and HOAs, the program offers a potential solution to maintaining steady maintenance fee payments and reducing delinquencies. And by bridging the gap between unused ownership and ongoing obligations, it fosters long-term trust in the vacation ownership product and the industry.

A Strategic Tool for Developers and HOAs

While the Maintenance Fee Protection program directly supports owners, its broader value lies in its strategic utility for developers and HOAs. For resort operators and developers, this program offers a compelling tool to bolster new owner sales, improve owner retention, reduce maintenance fee delinquencies, and maintain the financial integrity of owners’ associations.  

Vacation Innovations envisions Maintenance Fee Protection as a cornerstone benefit for new and existing developer partnerships. Whether integrated as a frontline feature to boost new owner sales, or incorporated into retention, loyalty, or exit strategies, Maintenance Fee Protection delivers measurable advantages. Already operating at scale, the program is supported by robust infrastructure, capital resources, and streamlined fulfillment capabilities—ensuring it is poised for rapid and broad expansion. Importantly, the program has undergone rigorous legal and compliance review to ensure it aligns with industry standards and partner requirements. This strong foundational framework helps eliminate uncertainty and reduces barriers to adoption, allowing for seamless integration across a range of operational models. Vacation Innovations is positioned to support larger developers without disrupting existing systems or the owner experience, offering a practical, ready-to-deploy solution. As more developers seek to offer responsible exit pathways and support long-term owner satisfaction, this program stands out as a turnkey solution with built-in demand.

Industry Partner

“Because we offer services directly to timeshare owners, as well as myriad solutions for our resort and developer partners, we have unmatched visibility into the concerns and attitudes of today’s timeshare owner,” says Chad Newbold, CEO of Vacation Innovations. “This insider knowledge uniquely positions us to serve both as a champion for the consumer and an ally to the industry. Our focus has and always will be designing products and services that align with the needs of timeshare owners and the industry alike.”

Beyond Maintenance Fee Protection, Vacation Innovations continues to support the vacation ownership industry with a robust suite of services tailored to developers’ operational and marketing needs, including:

• Tour Generation Services – Helping developers attract and convert qualified prospects.
• Loyalty Solutions – Designed to increase retention and deepen owner engagement.
• Sales Tools & Incentives – Customized to reflect each developer’s sales process and audience insights.
• Resale & Brokerage Solutions – Facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers to maintain the health and perception of properties, while avoiding the negative optics of foreclosures or distressed sales.

Together, these services—and the innovation behind them—demonstrate Vacation Innovations’ unique ability to understand, anticipate, and solve the industry’s most pressing challenges. With Maintenance Fee Protection leading the way, the company continues to demonstrate what thoughtful, results-driven solutions can achieve in vacation ownership.