The U.S. timeshare industry has consolidated behind a few major brands: Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Travel + Leisure. The industry has evolved significantly from its notoriously scammy origins, having much higher standards and using more flexible points-based systems. Executives say the bait-and-switch days are behind timeshares and have rebranded them as “vacation clubs,” offering a wide range of accommodations and experiences. But there are still issues and scams to look out for when getting into a timeshare.

WSJ explores how timeshares became a $35.7 billion dollar industry, how they work and how issues still persist in the industry.

Chapters:
0:00 The timeshare industry
0:36 Timeshares, explained
2:42 Issues with the industry
3:49 Exit scams

The Economics Of
How do the world's most successful companies generate revenue? In this explainer series, we'll dive into the surprising stories behind how businesses work--exploring everything from Costco's "treasure-hunt" model to the economics behind Amazon's AWS.

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