Take a look through your old travel documents from a timeshare presentation back in 1997, 2003 or even 2008.
You may discover something surprisingly valuable.

Perhaps an old voucher, promotional certificate or guarantee letter offering:

·      a complimentary week in the Canary Islands,

·      a resort stay in Turkey,

·      a holiday apartment in France,

·      or accommodation at a 4★ or 5★ holiday resort.

And yes — in some cases these offers may still have value today.

 

Why Were These Free Holiday Weeks Given Away?

Today we are used to:

·      cashback offers,

·      loyalty programmes,

·      free upgrades,

·      promotional stays,

·      discounted holidays.

 

But 25–30 years ago, these offers felt unusual and even suspicious.

 

Back then, people in post-Soviet countries were still getting used to Western-style marketing. Suddenly, at a resort presentation, couples were being offered a free week in Tenerife or the Mediterranean simply for attending.

Naturally, many people wondered:

“What’s the catch?”

The answer was actually quite straightforward.

 

Resort developers were not trying to sell a single holiday week.
They were trying to sell long-term holiday ownership — often for decades.

And that required people to:

·      experience the resort,

·      see the apartments,

·      understand the lifestyle,

·      and emotionally connect with the product.

The free week was designed to let potential buyers “try before they buy”.

 

Were These Holidays Really Free?

In most cases — yes.

Accommodation itself was typically provided free of charge, subject to availability.

Guests usually only needed to arrange:

·      flights,

·      travel insurance,

·      visas (where required).

Some companies encouraged guests to book flights through their own travel department, partly to coordinate arrivals and partly to generate a little additional income.

 

But the accommodation itself was genuinely promotional.

Marketing companies often purchased blocks of weeks from resorts specifically for these campaigns.

 

Why?

Because historically the conversion rates were extremely strong.

Industry statistics in the 1990s and early 2000s suggested that:

around one in three guests who later visited the resort after receiving a promotional stay eventually purchased a timeshare.

For the resorts, it was simply a marketing investment.

 

Were the Resorts Actually Good?

Usually — very good.

Most promotional stays were offered by ambitious resort groups trying to showcase high-quality accommodation and attract long-term owners.

In many cases guests stayed in:

·      spacious apartments,

·      one-bedroom or two-bedroom suites,

·      resorts with pools, restaurants and entertainment,

·      accommodation far larger than a standard hotel room.

And this remains one of the major advantages of timeshare accommodation today:

·      more space,

·      kitchen facilities,

·      separate living areas,

·      better comfort for families.

 

Of course, not every company operated perfectly.

 

Some presentation companies occasionally used older “guest apartments” for promotional stays while showcasing newer premium units during sales presentations.

But generally speaking, the accommodation still remained perfectly respectable holiday property — not poor-quality lodging.

 

Why Didn’t More People Use These Certificates?

Surprisingly, only a small percentage of recipients ever redeemed them.

Many people:

·      forgot about them,

·      distrusted the offer,

·      assumed hidden costs existed,

·      or simply never found the time.

As a result, countless certificates ended up sitting in drawers for years.

 

So What Happens If The Certificate Expired Years Ago?

This is where things become interesting.

 

In some situations, expired promotional weeks may still potentially be used — or partially honoured — depending on:

·      the original resort group,

·      the type of promotional campaign,

·      the destination involved,

·      and the current resort partner network.

 

We cannot guarantee availability, but in many cases there are still realistic possibilities.

 

Depending on the circumstances, you or members of your family may be able to obtain:

·      complimentary accommodation,

·      heavily discounted resort weeks,

·      or access to special promotional travel offers.

 

Who Can Use These Promotional Weeks?

Normally the original named recipients listed on the:

·      voucher,

·      certificate,

·      or guarantee letter

are eligible.

 

In some situations adult children and immediate family members may also qualify, subject to approval.

 

These promotional stays are generally unrelated to whether you:

·      purchased a timeshare,

·      still own one,

·      or even remember the original presentation.

However, most promotional certificates cannot simply be resold to third parties.

 

What Type of Holidays Are Available?

Depending on the current availability and promotional programmes, destinations may include:

Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and other popular holiday regions

Accommodation is typically suitable for up to four guests in spacious resort apartments.

Additional discounted weeks may also sometimes be available.

 

Why Are We Offering This Service?

We specialise in niche timeshare-related travel solutions that are often difficult to arrange independently.

 

Our role includes:

·      checking the validity and potential usability of old promotional certificates,

·      communicating with resorts and partner networks,

·      arranging reservations,

·      and assisting with travel logistics.

We charge for our booking and coordination services, and we can also help arrange suitable flights at competitive prices.

 

How To Check Your Certificate

If you still have the document - send us a copy or photo.

If you cannot find it, do not worry — in many cases we may still be able to help identify the original programme from the details you remember.

 

Simply contact our travel department with:

·      the approximate year,

·      the company name (if known),

·      the destination offered,

·      and why the promotional week was never used.

Our specialists will advise whether there may still be opportunities available today.

Dear friends,
on behalf of the entire Help Line International team, please accept our warmest wishes for the New Year!

 

May 2026 bring peace, safety, prosperity, and many happy moments to you and your loved ones.
And of course, may the new year bring you more travel, successful deals, smooth sales, and unforgettable experiences!

 

As for us, we will continue to be by your side — taking care of your timeshare, helping you resolve any issues, and ensuring that timeshare ownership remains convenient, beneficial, and comfortable.

In 2026, we continue to support you in key areas:

⭐ Membership Management

• coordination and negotiation of maintenance fees, including payment deferrals
• membership status checks and negotiations with clubs
• removal of penalties and resolution of disputed situations

 

⭐ Rental and Resale

• full-service timeshare rentals
• resale listings with international agencies
• transaction control until full payment is received

 

⭐ Ownership Upgrade and Restoration

• timeshare tuning: changes of season, size, location, or membership type
• restoration of ownership within your club or transfer to another, based on your goals

 

⭐ Travel and Holidays

• selection and organization of holidays of any complexity
• bookings using all international exchange systems
• finding the weeks that are most advantageous to use right now

 

⭐ Protection of Owner’s Interests

• monitoring owners’ rights during club reorganizations or closures
• identifying violations and recovering underpaid or lost benefits

? New Year’s Gift: 5.9% discount on all services until 31.01.2026
Use promo code NEWYEAR2026

 

? +7 812 327 3222 | +39 306 588 188
? This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you need help, a consultation, or simply some guidance — we are always here for you:
? St. Petersburg: +7 812 327 32 22
? Italy: +39 306 588 188

 

 

Thank you for trusting us with the care of your timeshare.
May 2025 become a year of peace, good fortune, and positive news! ✨

Help Line International has been in business for over 25 years. It was originally created to assist timeshare buyers and owners to solve any problems related to their timeshare ownership.

In 1996, the company opened its first office in St. Petersburg to help the local residents and residents of the Leningrad region, but due to our cooperation with such international companies like RCI, Interval International, Travel & Leisure Group, Club La Costa, Nexus Leisure; RMI, Costafield Management, Heritage Resorts International, and others, we were contacted for the assistance by clients living in other cities of Russia, such as Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, as well as from small cities from all over the country up to Far East.

In 1999, we opened an office in Moscow for the convenience of moscovites and visitors to the capital and to provide valuable personal timeshare consultations.

By that time, we also had many clients from Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and we planned to open offices in Almaty, Kyiv and other cities. However, the potential of high technologies, online and telephone communications allowed us to withhold from opening new offices and concentrate on providing highly qualified services from the main office. In 2003 we even winded up out Moscow branch.

 

The Italian branch has started from our partners request to help them out with the increased volume of the Italian clients. The reason to ask for our assistance was connected to the fact that our company director for family reasons has been living in Italy since 2010.

What began as a service to support timeshare purchase and sale transactions for Italians back in 2019 has developed into a full-fledged project to help Italians with any timeshare issues in general.

Our Italian office works not only for Italian clients.

In our Italian branch also our Ukrainian clients found help and service, as well as all other Russian-speaking timeshare owners and buyers living throughout Europe, as well as in the most distant countries of the world from China, Thailand, Japan and Australia, to the USA, Mexico, Chile and South Africa.

 

The main areas of work of our Italian office are:

- assistance in choosing a timeshare sales strategy, conducting or supporting timeshare purchase and sale transactions,

- legal and administrative issues of using a timeshare.

Although tourist support and assistance in organizing timeshare travel are less popular services in our Italian office, due to the fact that Europeans have few problems with booking timeshare apartments or purchasing air travel. However

Our tourist destination in Italy has its own specialty - renting out timeshare apartments for weeks.

 

Our Legal & Admin department helps:

- to reinstate the owner’s membership in the club;

- resolve conflict situations with the management company;

- transfer the ownership to members of the family and relatives;

- deals with timeshare inheritance, etc.;

 

The Timeshare Resale Department would:

- work out and developing a strategy for promoting your timeshare on the secondary market;

- helps to list timeshares for resale in the international specialized agencies and online stores, provide the follow up assistance for the resale;

- assist with the ownership transfer of the timeshare property when the seller has already found a buyer, as would help to formalize and complete the timeshare transaction.

 

Our Tourist department:

- helps to organize a timeshare holiday of any type (booking a timeshare week in your club or resort group, assist with the exchanges, extra and bonus timeshare weeks etc.);

- help with choosing the best destinations and routs, assist with booking the flights with the regular, charter and low-cost airlines;

- assist with any requests for RCI, Interval International, 7 Across;

- rent or rent out the timeshare holidays weeks;

- book the fly-buys or any type of timeshare promotional holidays, etc.

 

You can contact the Italian department in Italian, Ukrainian or Russian by phone. + 39 030 658 8188, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.