Timeshare Trends Blog

The Hotel Jerome is Aspen is now an Auberge Resort. The Jerome will join a collection of award-winning Auberge properties including Napa Valley resorts, such as Auberge du Soleil, Calistoga Ranch and Solage Calistoga; Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, California; Encantado in Santa Fe, New Mexico; The Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, and the Auberge Residences at Element 52 in Telluride, Colorado. Among the amenities at the Hotel Jerome, there’s exclusive access to the Aspen Club and Spa, a fitness studio, heated pool and jacuzzis, picnic baskets for day trips, 24-hour concierge, valet parking, and more.

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Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar was presented with the City of Branson’s 2011 Green Initiative award for its eco-friendly practices. While Bluegreen Wilderness Club is decidedly focused on rustic luxury, with 18 Concierge and Presidential villas, slate and hardwood floors, flat-screen TVs, exquisite fireplaces, stainless steel appliances and soft, comfortable and inviting furniture and bedding; it is also diligent about remaining energy conscious and eco-friendly. The resort is eco-friendly in its landscaping practices to reduce use of water and fertilizer to guard against runoff into Table Rock Lake, and to recycle organic materials into the soil by composting and mulching. The resort’s recycling programs divert and transport an estimated 128.5 tons of recyclable material that would otherwise be sent to a landfill.

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Auberge Resorts is expanding into ski country. The 80/50 Mammoth located in Mammoth Lakes, California will be rebranded as the Auberge Residences at Mammoth. This newest addition to Auberge’s portfolio of exceptional resorts and residences includes 28 one, two, and three-bedroom luxury residences that will be available as both fractional ownership and rental units. Ideally situated just steps away from the Village gondola that provides direct access to skiing, the property is surrounded by majestic pines and framed by the towering Sierra Nevada mountain range, offering world-class skiing and year-round outdoor activities, eclectic shopping and dining, spa services and entertainment venues. The residences echo the beauty of their natural surroundings through the use of rustic mountain elements of flagstone, burnished wood, copper, leather, granite and slate, and expansive windows. Additional amenities include rooftop pools, fitness and treatment rooms, a private roof top clubroom, media room, and game room. .

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Timeshare fee recovery companies are sparking complaints. According to a recent article in Orlando Sentinel newspaper, timeshare owners have lost millions to scam companies falsely claiming to line up buyers for their properties. Now the new worry is fee recovery companies that promise to help recover their losses. The Florida Attorney General has received more than 600 complaints in the past year about so-called “timeshare recovery operations”. Independently, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is looking into telemarketing law violations related to several outfits.

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The Westgate Planet Hollywood Towers Resort will be rebranded as a Hilton Grand Vacations Resort. Resort Finance America (RFA) has acquired controlling interest in the resort and has appointed Hilton Grand Vacations to rebrand the property and provide vacation ownership sales and marketing services. The property was developed by Westgate and opened in late 2009. As the largest single vacation ownership building in the world, the Planet Hollywood Towers has 52-stories and 1,201-units offering adjoining access to the Miracle Mile shops and is adjacent to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino complex.

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The Inn at St. Ives is the newest RCI property in Michigan. Situated in Mecosta County in the heart of Michigan, the resort is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and includes golfing, biking, hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, snowmobiling and snow shoeing. The resort features a full health club, health spa, fireplace, restaurant and snack bar, and conference facilities right on site.

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Salem, Massachusetts is the perfect place for a Halloween vacation. Salem is one of the most haunted cities in America and is an iconic witch-filled, ghost-filled town. The most haunted spot in Salem is now known as Gallows Hill Park. This is the site where the majority of accused “witches” were hung during the witch hysteria that gripped the town in 1692. Salem has been forced to embrace its tragic past, and today has turned its history of witches into its main industry. Police cars are adorned with witch logos, a local public school is known as the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, and the Salem High School football team is called the Witches. Salem is definitely a hot spot for Halloween celebrations. From October 1 through November 1 you can join the Halloween festival in everything from parades to psychic fairs to tours of haunted houses.

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Silverleaf Resorts, Inc. has been acquired by SL Resort Holdings Inc., an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. The transaction was approved by Silverleaf’s Board of Directors. Under the agreement, Silverleaf shareholders will receive cash for each share of Silverleaf common stock they own, and Cerberus has agreed to provide equity financing for the full amount of the merger. Upon completion of the transaction, Silverleaf, based in Dallas, Texas, will become a private company, wholly owned by Cerberus, and its common stock will no longer be traded. Silverleaf consists of 14 resorts located throughout Texas, Missouri, Massachusetts, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Colorado.

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LaSalle Hotel Properties have expanded by acquiring the Chamberlain West Hollywood Hotel in California. Situated in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the 113-key all-suite property was purchased for $38.5 million. The hotel’s neighborhood offers upscale shopping, dining, and vibrant nightlife. Originally constructed in 1970, the building used to be an apartment property, which was converted into an all-suite hotel that opened in 2005 as the Chamberlain West Hollywood. The hotel recently underwent a meticulous $4.5 million renovation that included a refurbishment of the rooms, bathrooms, rooftop, corridors, lobby, and the pool area. In addition to 113 luxury suites, each with a private balcony and a gad-log fireplace, the Bistro at Chamberlain, the hotel’s restaurant, offers seating for 52 guests and presents mouthwatering American and California cuisine. Other amenities include a business center and a heated rooftop pool.

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Shell Vacations Club has recently announced the opening of a new offsite sales gallery in Anaheim, California, for the sales of its Shell Vacations Club (SVC) points program. The sales gallery is a 5,000 square foot preview center located within the Shops at Anaheim Garden Walk, which features an oasis of outdoor shopping, entertainment and dining. The Garden Walk is located one block from Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention. The new sales site is also about a block from the Peacock Suites resort, which features 139 one, two, and three-bedroom vacation suites.

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