Log houses are perfect for timeshare or rental resorts

08.08.2017 by Sanna Huovinen

Co-owned holiday properties are in increasing demand. They fit perfectly with the needs of today’s consumers: people want quality and ease-of-management from their holiday homes. This is why various types of timeshare villas and lodges are an interesting option for investors, too. Timeshare premises can help secure the success and profitability of a holiday resort, small or large.

People value the possibility of optimising the time and money spent on their holiday homes. There are always individuals who want to own their second home 100%, but a growing number of people prefer different kinds of shared ownership models, as they provide flexibility, ease and the desired services in the area where people wish to regularly spend their free time.

Set in the Braunton countryside in UK, just 5 minutes drive from the beach, these high-quality Honka cabins built for Great Field Lodges are perfect for romantic getaways.

Timesharing provides security for investors

Co-ownership can take many forms, for example between family members, friends or complete strangers. The solution often allows access to a well-equipped lodge, villa or cottage – with remarkably lower costs per owner than if one person or family fully owned the building.

The stylish Villa Merengue was built by a housing cooperative in Kalajoki, Finland. As the costs are split between several shareholders, it was possible to invest in quality. 

From an investor’s perspective, co-ownership means that the premises are in full use around the year, delivering regular income and profit. Building a resort with a diverse offering of attractions, services and living options means sustainable business: when you are able to offer timesharing or fractional co-ownership and long-term renting options, you can achieve a better return on investment.

Sell co-ownership with sustainable quality

What, then, are the requirements for an attractive timeshare lodge? Of course, the location and ease of access play an important role. However, even a remote location can be appealing when the quality of living, hobby options, additional services and scenery fit the target audience’s expectations.

In the planning phase, the selected resort concept is crucial: who are the potential customers (co-owners), what are they interested in doing during their stays and what kind of services are they interested in. All these factors also influence the design of the villas and other resort buildings, which may include restaurants, spas and so on.

Consider the following aspects when planning a resort

• Differentiation – potential customers and their interests
• Location and logistics
• Existing and to-be-created attractions
• Style, equipment and interior decoration of individual buildings

The Levi Spirit villas are high-quality lodges targeted towards customers who enjoy the peace and serenity of Arctic nature.

When planning the buildings, the look and feel are important, but there are more aspects to consider. The materials should be durable and easy to clean and maintain. In co-owned options, special attention should be placed on storage: people often want to leave their own sports equipment or other personal items at the lodge so that they are readily  available during their next stay. Lockable closets or lockers are useful for this purpose, for example, and space needs to be made for them in the design.

Some examples of differentiating concepts and services are:

• Skiing opportunities and services
• Hiking possibilities, e.g., in natural parks
• Spotting northern lights, wildlife etc.
• Sightseeing options
• Cultural or sports-related service offering

Invest in attractive, eco-friendly lodging

Today, people are also ready to pay for eco-friendly lodging. This has been an important factor of differentiation for many holiday resorts, but modern consumers have come to expect eco-friendliness almost as a standard. Modern log buildings provide an excellent opportunity for building and marketing truly sustainable holiday buildings. They offer many benefits which can also help to secure sustainable business:

• Modern look and feel with a variety of style options
• Natural, eco-friendly materials
• Cosy, relaxed atmosphere and positive impacts on the health of the users
• Durable and tested structures
• Short and controlled building time

The Ivalo rental lodge in Sankt Andreasberg, Germany, is designed for customers who enjoy hiking and skiing in the Hartz national park.

Log house resorts with international experience

When considering building partners for a holiday resort project, choosing an experienced resort building supplier such as Honkarakenne brings specific benefits. With decades of experience in delivering healthy log houses for holiday resorts around the world we can put forward great success stories. Honka log houses are always built to meet the local building standards.

The Honka Utsu villas are located in the middle of the Levi skiing center activities, still peacefully located for quiet relaxation in harmony with nature.

Attractive log villas at a nice resort are easy to market and sell to co-owners. As an investment they are secure, enabling long-term profitability. Take a look at some of our resort and timesharing cases!