American Resort Development Association (ARDA)

What American Resort Development Association (ARDA) does

ARDA (American Resort Development Association) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit trade association founded in 1969 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a secondary office in Orlando, Florida. It represents over 300 member companies operating in the U.S. vacation ownership and timeshare industry, collectively accounting for roughly 95% of U.S. timeshare professionals and 1,500 member resorts. The association serves as the industry's unified advocacy body at the federal, state, and local levels, and operates through four affiliated entities: ARDA itself (core trade association), the ARDA International Foundation (AIF) for research, ARDA-ROC (a 501(c)(4) owner advocacy arm), and the Coalition for Responsible Exit (CoRE) for owner exit education.

The association's core products and services fall into three pillars: (1) Research & Insights, anchored by the AIF and produced in partnership with Ernst & Young and Deloitte, including the State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, Financial Performance report, U.S. Shared Vacation Ownership Owners Report, monthly Vacation Ownership Sentiment Index, an EY-built interactive Research Dashboard, and an AI-powered research assistant called ARDA Intelligence launched in March 2026; (2) Awards & Events, including the ARDA Awards Program with its ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) tier, the Spring Conference (1,200-1,500 attendees), ARDAventure VIP retreat, the Legal Symposium co-presented with the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and the Leadership & Policy Forum; and (3) Advocacy & Membership, including ARDA-ROC legislative advocacy, Bill Tracking, the ARDA-WIN professional development committee, Code of Ethics, and member directories.

ARDA's revenue is generated through tiered annual membership dues, VIP individual memberships, event sponsorships, event registration fees, and digital advertising. Core corporate dues are revenue-tiered from $7,000 to $132,000 annually; Property Management dues range from $3,350 to $20,000 based on units; Associate and Affiliate tiers are $3,000 and $300 respectively. VIP memberships (Chairman's League, Trustee) range from $4,000 to $12,500 per individual. Event sponsorship tiers span $3,000 to $100,000. Distribution is direct (membership and sponsorship sales teams), supported by a self-service member portal (my.arda.org) and the ARDA.org public website.

Name

American Resort Development Association (ARDA)

Legal name

American Resort Development Association

Website

https://arda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1969 representing over 300 member companies and 1,500 resorts in the U.S. vacation ownership industry through advocacy, research, and major industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort/Second-Home Community Association Management (BPAJAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Resort Convention Hotels (THAGALAC)

Keywords

• Vacation ownership association
• Timeshare industry advocacy
• Resort development research
• Hospitality trade group
• Shared ownership industry

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Dues: Annual dues from corporate members based on revenue tiers or unit counts. Core members pay $7,000-$132,000 annually depending on gross revenues; Property Management members pay $3,350-$20,000 based on units managed; Associate members pay $3,000; Affiliate members pay $300.
2. VIP Individual Membership Dues: Annual dues from individual VIP members including Chairman's League ($5,000 first individual, $4,000 each additional) and Trustee members ($10,000 per individual), with combination packages available at $12,500.
3. Event Sponsorships: Revenue from event sponsorship packages at ARDA conferences and events. Sponsorship levels range from $3,000-$5,000 for smaller events (ARDA-WIN) to $5,000-$100,000 for the Spring Conference. All sponsors receive electronic attendee lists for business development purposes.
4. Event Registration Fees: Registration fees for industry events including Spring Conference ($1,650 members/$2,200 non-members), Leadership & Policy Forum ($900 members/$1,100 non-members), Legal Symposium ($900-$1,400 depending on membership tier), and complimentary registration for VIP members and HOA board members at certain events.
5. Digital Advertising & Marketing: Digital marketing and advertising opportunities through ARDA's media channels, including website advertising and branded content placements available to members and sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

ARDA is a nonprofit trade association that serves the vacation ownership and resort development industries. It provides advocacy, research, education, networking events, and member services to companies and individuals involved in timeshare, resort, and shared-ownership businesses.

Product overview

ARDA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan trade association and governing body for the vacation ownership industry representing over 300 member companies. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of services organized into three core pillars: Research & Insights (including the AI-powered ARDA Intelligence assistant, the interactive Research Dashboard with Ernst & Young, State of Industry reports, Financial Performance reports, Owners reports, and monthly Vacation Ownership Sentiment Index), Awards & Events (the prestigious ARDA Awards Program and four major annual conferences: Spring Conference, ARDAventure VIP retreat, Legal Symposium with University of Florida, and Leadership & Policy Forum), and Advocacy & Membership (ARDA-ROC for owner advocacy, Coalition for Responsible Exit for exit education, ARDA-WIN for professional development, Bill Tracking for legislative monitoring, and Member Directories). The portfolio is supported by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF) which partners with EY and Deloitte for research production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARDA-ROC (Resort Owners Coalition): 501(c)(4) nonprofit serving as the unified voice of timeshare owners, promoting their legislative interests at federal, state, and local levels.
• ARDA International Foundation (AIF)
• Coalition for Responsible Exit (CoRE)

Products and services

• ARDA Membership Annual membership tiers for timeshare developers, resort management companies, exchange companies, HOAs, and industry suppliers, providing access to advocacy, research, networking events, and educational resources.
• ARDA Research & Insights

Quantifiable outcome

• Timeshare industry generates $35.7B total economic output and $10.7B in annual sales
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered support, champion and core.

• BakerHostetlersupportOthersLaw firm serving as LPC Supporter, providing legal expertise and support for ARDA's legislative policy initiatives. BakerHostetler represents ARDA as association general counsel through partner Robert J Webb.
• Ballard Spahr LLPsupportOthersLaw firm serving as LPC Supporter, contributing legal counsel for ARDA's advocacy and regulatory affairs activities.
• Eck, Conley & Richardson PLLCchampionOthersLaw firm serving as Champion Sponsor for ARDA Legal Symposium and LPC Supporter, providing legal expertise for industry regulatory matters.
• Fidelity National TimesharesupportOthersIndustry service provider serving as LPC Supporter and Champion Sponsor of ARDA Legal Symposium, offering timeshare-related financial services.
• First American Title Insurance CompanychampionOthersTitle insurance provider and Champion Sponsor for ARDAventure 2026, providing welcome reception sponsorship. Active ARDA-WIN Champion sponsor with significant event support.
• Foley & Lardner LLPchampionOthersLaw firm serving as Champion Sponsor for ARDA Legal Symposium and LPC Supporter, contributing legal expertise for industry advocacy.
• Greenspoon Marder LLPchampionOthersLaw firm serving as Champion Sponsor for ARDA Legal Symposium and LPC Supporter, providing legal counsel for regulatory affairs.
• Lemonjuice SolutionschampionOthersIndustry solution provider and ARDA-WIN Champion sponsor, co-hosting networking events. Also serves as LPC Supporter.
• MDKchampionOthersLegal services firm and ARDA-WIN Champion sponsor, co-hosting events. Also serves as LPC Supporter providing timeshare-specific legal expertise.
• U.S. Travel AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA regularly partners with the U.S. Travel Association to ensure timeshare owners and industry interests are well represented on Capitol Hill and beyond. Joint advocacy efforts advance vacation ownership recognition within the broader hospitality industry.
• BRAND USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA partners with BRAND USA to promote and represent the vacation ownership industry in international tourism marketing efforts.
• National Real Estate Organizations (NREO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA partners with NREO to ensure timeshare owner interests are represented in national real estate policy discussions and legislative processes.
• ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA maintains long-standing membership and sponsorship in ARELLO, connecting with real estate regulators across the country to advance industry licensing standards, including securing new timeshare sales license category in Oregon.
• Ernst & Young (EY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY partners with ARDA International Foundation (AIF) to produce authoritative industry research including the annual State of the Industry reports and Economic Impact analyses. EY also developed the interactive Research Data Dashboard for ARDA.
• Deloitte & Touche LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte partners with AIF to conduct surveys and produce the Financial Performance reports, Pulse surveys, and other industry research. Deloitte has produced multiple years of quarterly pulse reports and annual financial performance studies.
• ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA-ROC is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that serves as the unified voice of timeshare owners, advocating for their legislative interests at federal, state, and local levels. Founded under ARDA umbrella, ARDA-ROC is completely funded through voluntary $3-$10 owner contributions.
• University of Florida Levin College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDA partners with University of Florida Levin College of Law to co-present the annual ARDA Legal Symposium, combining leadership, insight, and education focused on business issues facing the timeshare and hospitality industries.
• Coalition for Responsible ExitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram created by ARDA along with its developers, leading exchange companies, and ARDA-ROC that educates and provides resources to timeshare owners looking to responsibly and safely exit their timeshares.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Urban Land Institute (ULI): ULI is a global research and education nonprofit focused on real estate and land use, with tiered memberships, large annual gatherings, and influential policy research. It is structurally analogous to ARDA given the overlap between timeshare/resort real estate and ULI's land use membership, and both organizations monetize research alongside advocacy.
• U.S. Travel Association: U.S. Travel Association is the national nonprofit trade body representing all components of the U.S. travel industry. ARDA already partners with U.S. Travel on Capitol Hill advocacy, and both operate as Washington DC-based trade associations delivering research, policy advocacy, and large-scale events for travel-sector members.
• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): PCMA serves business event strategists and meeting professionals through membership, education, and the annual Convening Leaders conference. It mirrors ARDA's convention-organizing business and tiered corporate memberships, though focused on the buyer side rather than the supply side of events.
• Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International: BOMA International is the trade association for commercial real estate owners, managers, and service providers, offering tiered membership, advocacy, and industry awards. It is comparable to ARDA in serving property management/HOA-adjacent members with advocacy and standardized industry education programs.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): AHLA is the principal trade association for the U.S. lodging industry, mirroring ARDA's role as the trade body for the hotel sector. Both organizations advocate on behalf of accommodation providers, run tiered corporate memberships, and host major industry conferences. They are structurally comparable association-management businesses serving adjacent hospitality verticals.
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI): MPI is the largest trade association for the meetings and events industry, offering tiered membership, professional development, and major annual conferences. It is comparable to ARDA in running a corporate-tiered membership model with a strong events-driven revenue stream and educational programming.
• American Gaming Association: American Gaming Association is the trade association for the U.S. casino gaming industry, providing federal and state advocacy, research, and industry events. It is structurally analogous to ARDA as a Washington DC-based trade body representing a regulated consumer-facing industry with active legislative engagement.
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): IAEE is the trade association for the exhibitions and events industry, supporting organizers, suppliers, and venues with advocacy, research, and CEM certification. It is directly comparable to ARDA in being a membership-based association running multiple conferences and producing authoritative industry research.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): NAR is one of the largest U.S. trade associations, providing advocacy, research, and member services to real estate professionals. It is comparable to ARDA in operating model (tiered membership, advocacy moat, large annual conventions, premium research products) but serves a much broader residential/commercial real estate membership base.
• American Society of Association Executives (ASAE): ASAE is the umbrella professional society for the association management industry itself, providing education, research, and certification (CAE) to association professionals. It is a broader incumbent in ARDA's space as the meta-association for trade bodies, comparable in operating model but serving association executives rather than a specific industry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ardaorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARDAtimeshare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-resort-development-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/gotimesharing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Resort Development Association (ARDA)