Timeshare Trends Blog

ILX Resorts, based in Arizona, may be purchased by Diamond Resorts International. Sedona’s Los Abrigados Resort and Spa may soon be under new management if an acquisition offer for ILX Resorts by Diamond Resorts Corp. is approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Diamond Resorts will assume all of ILX’s debt in exchange for acquiring all of its property, including three Sedona area resorts. ILX filed for Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in March 2009, and its representatives appeared in the District of Arizona’s US Bankruptcy Court in November.

When the acquisition is completed, Diamond Resorts International will assume control of all of ILX’s assets, including its 10 resorts, all its sales and marketing centers, its real estate holdings including five acres in Bullhead City and 2.1 acres in Puerto Peñasco in Mexico. Based in North Las Vegas, Nev., Diamond Resorts is one of the largest timeshare and vacation resort companies in the United States.

It owns or manages more than 150 resorts in Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe and North America, including the Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort, Sedona Summit in Sedona. Sedona Springs, the Villas of Sedona and the Villas at Poco Diablo, all in Sedona. ILX Resorts currently owns Los Abrigados and the Inn at Los Abrigados, both in Sedona, and the Premiere Vacation Clubs with four located in Arizona, as well as Las Vegas, Colorado, Indiana, and San Carlos in Mexico.

Bookmark To:

A 100-acre Michael Jackson entertainment complex is expected to begin construction this year in Gary, Indiana. The Michael Jackson theme park will include a museum, performing arts center, hotel, golf course, and theme park inspired by the artist’s Neverland Ranch. According to a recent newspaper article, the park will include rides from or like the Neverland Ranch, and it will be built over 10 years starting with a museum, arts center and hotel, then golf course and theme park.

Bookmark To:

The Los Altos Club in La Romana, Dominican Republic has joined Preferred Residences; a hospitality branded membership and exchange program for luxury whole and shared ownership resorts offered by a subsidiary Interval Leisure Group. Through this affiliation, owners participating in the rental program at Los Altos resort become members of the Los Altos Club and have access to the membership and exchange privileges of Preferred Residences. Los Altos resort is comprised of 116 luxury villas and lofts.

The residences are beautifully appointed with upscale finishes, elegant contemporary furniture, and set in lush gardens. They feature 10-foot vaulted ceilings, custom solid oak doors, travertine marble flooring, spacious living and dining areas, European-style kitchens with granite surfaces and stainless steel appliances, and oversized terraces.

Amenities also include a private beach, multiple international restaurants and bars, championship-level golf courses, the Cygalle Healing Spa, fitness center, numerous tennis courts, an equestrian center, a polo field, a dude ranch, a shooting center for skeet and trap, a full-service marina, a day camp for children, and babysitting services.

Bookmark To:

Legoland will open a new park in Florida in 2011 on the site of the old Cypress Gardens attraction, which closed last fall. Merlin Entertainments, the owner and operator of Legoland, said Legoland Florida would include resort facilities with accommodations, along with more than 50 rides, shows and other attractions, including Lego models and interactive programs.

The company’s first U.S. Legoland is located in Carlsbad, Calif., and three more are located in Europe, in Denmark, Germany, and near London. Merlin said in a statement that the park in Florida would be its largest. A sixth park is also being developed in Malaysia. Legoland parks are geared to families with children ages 2 to 12. Merlin Entertainments Group is the second largest attractions company in the world. Only the Walt Disney Company is larger.

Bookmark To:

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide is adding two new resort hotels in China. Starwood has recently announced that its Luxury Collection brand has signed two new deals to open the brand’s first hotels in China. The Astor Hotel is scheduled to open as a Luxury Collection Hotel in May 2010 after renovation, and the Malus Sanya is a new resort set to open in late 2012. This adds significantly to the Luxury Collection brand’s overall global growth that includes five new hotel openings in 2009.

The Astor Hotel Tianjin features 152 luxury guest rooms and suites, a large meeting space, five world class restaurants and bars, an indoor swimming pool, and state-of-the-art fitness and business center. The Malus Sanya is part of the integrated Haitang Bay Beach Resort with plenty of beachfront, lush landscapes, sea views, 160 luxury guest rooms and villas, two signature restaurant and bars, a 24-hour business center; state-of-the-art health club and fitness center, spa, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts; specialty shopping, and a recreational center shared with the Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort.

Bookmark To:

The Welk Resorts Cabo Sirena Del Mar is now open and is one of the newest members of Interval International. Overlooking the Sea of Cortez near Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California peninsula, this property is the first international location in the Welk Resorts portfolio. It is the Welk Resorts sixth property and is set on a 65-foot bluff on the tip of the peninsula.

The resort property is being built in tiers to maximize its panoramic views of the Sea of Cortez and El Arco, the landmark stone arch. There are two pools on the seven-acre property and cascading decks have wet wall water features, a vanishing edge waterfall and spa, thatched palapas, and a fire pit. At the rim of the seaside cliff is a spiral staircase leads to a cove beach. Sixteen of the 20 two-bedroom villas in phase one of Welk Resorts Cabo Sirena del Mar are lock-off units, and the remaining four units are two-bedroom penthouses.

The build out is scheduled to progress in five phases for a total of 222 units with a range of configurations, including one-bedroom junior suites. All units will include luxury amenities such as whirlpool tubs, stainless appliances, multiple flat screen TVs, complimentary Internet access, and pillow-top king-sized beds. Phase one owners and guests will be able to enjoy a range of on-site amenities including two outdoor pools (one with a swim-up bar), a fitness center, game room, an owner’s lounge and shop selling beverages and sundries. Just five minutes from the property is Cabo San Lucas, with a full spectrum of shopping, dining, golf and water sports.

Bookmark To:

The Sol Melia Vacation Club at Gran Melia Palacio de Isora has won RCI’s Developer Innovation Award. The Developer Innovation Award recognizes a resort with new vacation ownership projects that are eco-friendly, have unique features, are family friendly, provide a high level of service, starting with the point of arrival.

The Gran Melia Palacio de Isora is a new property located in Tenerife of the Canary Islands that features 200 one and two-bedroom oceanfront suites with lavish amenities such as plasma televisions, fully equipped kitchens, and upscale wood and granite accents. The resort also includes five restaurants, six bars, room service, wine cellar, golf simulator, two tennis courts, a world class Yhi Spa, four adult swimming pools, two children’s pools, including one of the largest swimming pools in Europe.

Bookmark To:

The Disney Doorway to Dreams is a new store now open in the Roosevelt Fields Shopping Center in New York. It is a new and convenient way to discover the excitement of the Disney Vacation Club. The Disney Doorway to Dreams showcases the spacious, family-friendly accommodations featured at the vacation club resorts.

Through the Disney Doorway to Dreams, clients may purchase Disney Vacation Club ownership for anyone of the Disney Resorts located at the Disney parks in Florida and California, as well as separate resorts in South Carolina, Florida and Hawaii. Disney Vacation Club ownership also allows you to utilize more than 500 vacation locations around the world. Also included is the Disney Cruise Line and family-friendly interactive adventures by Disney Trips.

Bookmark To: