Beyond Legacy Systems: The Great Resort Technology Reckoning

Resorts must move beyond legacy technology systems

The vacation ownership industry has long been defined by face-to-face interactions, paper forms, and systems that—at one point—worked beautifully for their time. But those times are ending.

ARDA’s 2025 report makes the point clearly: while timeshare resorts continue to outperform traditional hotels in occupancy and owner satisfaction, a deeper story is unfolding beneath the surface. Guests are changing faster than many systems can keep up.

And with that, a truth is emerging that no one in hospitality can afford to ignore:

Resorts must move beyond legacy technology systems and adopt tools that enable automation, personalization, and AI-driven efficiency.

This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about empowering teams. It’s about freeing talented resort staff from repetitive admin work so they can focus on what they do best — creating extraordinary guest experiences.

The Legacy Problem

For decades, timeshare operations were built around the human connection. Sales relied on eye contact and conversation. Check-ins required signatures. Reports were built from spreadsheets — often by hand.

But as ARDA’s Navigating the Future of Timeshare whitepaper notes, the industry’s greatest challenge now is “the reliance on legacy technology systems.” These systems were never designed for today’s digital-first guest who books, communicates, and makes decisions in seconds.

The whitepaper goes further: companies that fail to modernize may not survive the next decade. That’s not alarmism; it’s a call to leadership.

The Shift Already Underway

Across the industry, we’re seeing resorts re-imagine what “guest engagement” really means.

• Automation replaces friction.

• Data replaces assumption.

• AI enhances—not replaces—human judgment.

When these elements work together, resorts gain something priceless: operational clarity. That clarity becomes the foundation for personalizing every guest journey, optimizing every touchpoint, and understanding, at scale, what owners truly value.

The early adopters are already proving the model. Their results are not just in numbers — they’re in reviews, referrals, and retention.

The Vision Forward

Modern consumers expect to handle their needs digitally

Hospitality has always been a people business. That will never change. But the way we support those people — the tools we give them, the data they rely on, the systems that guide their decisions — is changing fast.

ARDA’s findings echo what many in the industry already sense: modernization isn’t optional anymore; it’s the cost of staying relevant.

The resorts that thrive over the next decade will be the ones that make technology invisible — where automation and analytics quietly power every exceptional moment, and where innovation feels natural, not forced.

Because in the end, modernization isn’t about technology. It’s about time — giving it back to the teams, owners, and guests who matter most.

References:

• ARDA, Navigating the Future of Timeshare: Trends, Opportunities, and Insights for the Vacation Ownership Industry (2025)

• ARDA, State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: 2025 Report