Following the general trend of timeshares, the Marriott Vacation Club has recently laid off more than 170 employees.

The lay-offs began during early December at the Orlando timeshare call center where the second round of recent pink slips were issued. Last November, approximately 80 timeshare employees were laid off in lieu of the credit crunch. However, Marriott claims that it will be posting as many as 31 job vacancies as soon as the Horizons project closes and moves to a new location.

According to a Marriott official, the timeshare finances were not being squeezed “tightly” by the international credit market and this slowed down consumer spending. 

Marriott VP Ed Kinney says that the layoffs will be completed by January 2009. Other timeshares that are cutting back include Wyndham Vacation Club, Westgate Resorts, and Bluegreen Resorts.