Timeshare Trends Blog

RCI has announced the extension of its strategic alliance with International Cruise and Excursions, Inc. (ICE), the worldwide industry leader for integrated cruise and leisure packages to the vacation ownership and travel industries.

As part of the agreement, ICE will provide cruise fulfillment including operations and technology for RCI global programs. ICE will also provide fulfillment for member loyalty, lead generation, and purchase incentives to provide value-added benefits to RCI’s affiliated developers. RCI will also become the exclusive exchange provider for ICE.

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The Scrub Island Resort opened its doors for the first time last month, making it the first resort to debut in the British Virgin Islands in the last 15 years. The resort is the first to appear on Scrub Island and it is a 230-acre private island located one nautical mile northeast of Tortola. The island remained largely untouched until about 10 years ago, when a sailor who frequented a simple beachfront restaurant that catered to passing seafarers, made a deal with the restaurant owners to build a resort on the island.

The results is a complex featuring 26 residential-style rooms, ranging from one to two bedrooms, outfitted with full kitchens stocked with top-of-the-line appliances. Villas, containing two to five bedrooms each, are also available. Each residence affords ocean views that stretch to the neighboring island of Little Camanoe, and their own private patios.

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The Dawn Beach Club is now affiliated with Interval International. Located on St. Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles, this property is ideally situated on the island’s southeastern shore and includes three-bedroom, two-bath oceanfront condominiums with spacious floor plans. The 1,800-square foot units feature elegant contemporary furnishings and warm teak finishes.

Each has a fully appointed kitchen with stainless steel appliances, satellite television and Wi-Fi, and an oversized patio or balcony. Further reinforcing the value of ownership, new purchasers of this resort will be enrolled as individual members of Interval International, as well as Interval Gold, its upgraded membership program. This gives them the opportunity to exchange their accommodations for those at other resorts in Interval’s worldwide network, as well as the ability to relinquish their resort weeks toward the purchase of cruise, golf, and spa vacations.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Gardenia Resort in Egypt is scheduled to be completed in 2011 and will be a member of the Interval International vacation exchange program. The resort will be located in the holiday town of Hurghada on Egypt’s famed Red Sea Riviera.

It is a mixed-use property situated within easy reach of golden beaches and local nightlife. The purpose-built resort will contain 175 timeshare units with a combination of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. Facilities on site will include restaurants and bars, swimming pools, and a kid’s corner.

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The Wyndham Seven Mile Beach at a cost of over $21 million recently opened in Tasmania, Australia. Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific is part of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and the largest vacation ownership company in the Asia Pacific.

The resort at Seven-Mile Beach employs 35 people, has a total of 61 rooms, including 11 different room types. There is also a restaurant, bar, pool, outdoor spa, tennis court, playground, games room, gym, sauna and BBQ facilities. Inspired by the Wyndham Green initiative, an on site horticulturist has set up a program to restore the native habitat to the original ecosystem that would have characterized the site prior to colonial inhabitation.

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The Solluna Resort in Uttarakhand, India is now a member of the RCI Network of affiliated resorts. RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies recently announced the affiliation with the Solluna Resort. It is located in India’s largest wildlife sanctuary, Jim Corbett National Park and the affiliation brings the total number of RCI affiliated resorts in destinations across India to more than 80.

The property is a five-hour drive from Delhi on the foothills of the Himalayas and is spread over 25 acres of lush green along the banks of the Ramganga River. Nestled within the National Park, the resort offers visitors tranquility along with opportunities for adventure including river rafting, fishing, open-top jeep rides, elephant safaris, horseback riding, wildlife tours and cultural activities such as folk dances and evening bonfires.

The resort replicates the essence of nature in its interiors, and the theme revolves around wildlife with 47 elegant cottages. It is equipped with 24 hour room service, a conference hall, restaurant, bar, swimming pool, library, mini theatre and travel desk.

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