PerspectiveForums.com reports more than 2,000 friend requests served in first two weeks.

Perspective Magazine, the shared ownership industry’s leading trade publication recently launched the first standalone social networking platform dedicated to the timeshare and fractional ownership industry, combining the most popular features of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all on one website.

From initial promotion only, the site has already attracted in excess of 600 registered users, who have generated more than 75,000 page views and issued more than 2,000 friend requests over the past fortnight, with word of mouth now growing the site exponentially each day.

The site was created to encourage timeshare and fractional developers, marketers and suppliers to network more efficiently, thereby creating opportunities for new collaborations, strategic partnerships and extending client portfolios.

What makes this site standout, apart from its vast array of features, is its leverage of Perspective Magazine’s readership which exceeds 22,000 registered industry professionals around the globe who are currently being invited to register free on the website.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from users of the website, all of it positive and it has started well, but there are still quite a few additional features to roll out yet – such as an iPhone App, but due to the complexity of the site we have a few weeks still to wait for this. The marketing for the site has only just started – by the end of March we expect to have the largest social media group of industry professionals available online, and then we’ll only be at about 10% of the expected number of registered users for the coming months.” Said Paul Mattimoe, President & CEO of Perspective International.

To join Perspective Forums simply visit www.perspectiveforums.com

For more information about Perspective Magazine (Trade), Owners Perspective Magazine (Consumer) and advertising and editorial opportunities visit www.perspectiverates.com

A website dedicated to the recruiting of professional sales executives for the purpose of fractional property sales was launched in test mode back in August 2009, and now after detailed scrutiny of the quality of applications received via the website and after reaching the No.1 spot on Google.com for the search term “fractional jobs”, www.fractionalstaff.com will officially launch next week aimed at providing a reliable service with high returns for advertisers of fractional job vacancies.

Recent months have shown that fractional property developers are increasing but their success with property agents is not producing the results originally hoped for, and so many are enquiring about the availability of dedicated sales teams – something that FractionalStaff.com has concentrating on for the past 7 months.

Fractional Staff is another service from the Perspective group of companies who publish the leading shared ownership industry magazines for both the trade and consumers and so its widest reach both online and offline ensures that it will attract the most suitable candidates that are new to the industry as well as the best sales professionals from within the industry worldwide.

Introductory advertising rates start from as little as £199 per month with added value across the network of Perspective websites and titles available on selected packages.

For more information email advertising@perspectiveinternational.com or call +44 191 250 3501 (UK) or  +1 407 792 2343

Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG), is proud to welcome Porto Vacation Club to its exchange network. The vacation club initially will consist of units at Porto Marina, an exclusive, multi-use resort on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, with two additional resorts, Golf Porto Marina and Porto Sokhna, to follow.

Porto Vacation Club is the latest venture of the Amer Group, a leader in Egypt’s tourism, entertainment, and real estate industries for more than 20 years. One of its signature achievements is the creation of the “Porto World” concept that has evolved into a brand synonymous with gracious family lifestyle experiences and is evident in all aspects of its newly launched vacation club.

“The Amer Group is committed to showcasing Egypt’s global appeal, while pursuing excellence in all its endeavours,” noted Craig M. Nash, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Interval Leisure Group, parent company of Interval International. “We look forward to working with the well-respected Amer family as they enter the shared ownership industry with these outstanding resorts.”

“We are very pleased with the opportunities offered by our move into vacation ownership,” said Mansour Amer, chairman of the Amer Group. “Our emphasis on quality, which mirrors that of Interval International, is one of the primary reasons we selected their company to be our strategic partner.”

The Porto Marina complex is built on a truly grand scale featuring a broad, palm-lined promenade with 180 designer shops, 11 restaurants and al fresco cafes, and ending with a stunning white-sand beach. The mixed-use property has a total of 1,200 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and includes a 378-room luxury hotel with stunning views of the Mediterranean. Located in El Alamein, it is easily accessed by road from Cairo and Alexandria.

Porto Marina’s state-of-the-art 1,200-berth marina can accommodate crafts up to 100 metres in length and was the site of the 2007 World Powerboat Championship. Its spa is one of the largest and best-equipped wellness centres in the country, offering a range of therapies and treatments. Other resort amenities include five pools (four outdoor and one indoor) with water jets, slides and waterfalls, and activities ranging from tennis to parasailing. The Grand Canal (with gondolas) and Piazza de Espana, where plays and concerts are staged in a setting reminiscent of Rome’s Spanish Steps, give Porto Marina an international ambience.

Later this year, Golf Porto Marina will be added to the vacation club. Only five minutes from Porto Marina and also located on the Mediterranean, the resort will bring the first 18-hole championship golf course to the coast, along with Olympic City, a training facility for sports professionals. The mixed-use property covers 370 acres (150 hectares) and includes 5,100 apartments offering concierge and housekeeping services, as well as around-the-clock room service. In addition, the resort will ultimately have a luxury hotel, mega-mall with 200 shops, 12 restaurants, and a water park with Las Vegas-style dancing fountain.

Porto Sokhna, which overlooks the Red Sea, will add another range of two-bedroom apartments at the Group’s third mixed-use resort next year. Following Amer’s successful blueprint, this complex is being designed to blend 1,600 apartments housed in a pyramid-style building into a resort setting. Facilities are planned to include a 42-unit suite hotel, 18-hole championship golf course, spa, and mall with 150 shops. One of the 12 on-site restaurants — accessible only by cable car — will feature stunning views from an 886-foot (270 metre) mountaintop.

Ultimately, plans call for at least 200 units at each of the three resorts to participate in the vacation club programme, the majority of which will be two-bedroom units. Interval will provide exchange and membership services to members of the vacation club, as well as to full-time member residents owning whole units at the three Porto Vacation Club resorts who participate in the rental programme. This will include Interval Gold®, Interval’s upgraded membership tier with enhanced benefits.

“To have Porto Vacation Club affiliated with us is the first step in what we know will be a long-term relationship,” added David Clifton, managing director of Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia for Interval International. “We are excited about the Amer Group’s vision for ‘Creating Lifestyle Landmarks’ with world-class facilities for holidaymakers of all ages. Its flagship resort, Porto Marina, is already a favourite international gathering spot.”

About Interval International
Interval International operates membership programmes for vacation owners and provides value-added services to its developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market for more than 33 years. Today, Interval has an exchange network of more than 2,500 resorts in over 75 countries and offers its resort clients and approximately 2 million member families high-quality products and programmes through offices in 26 cities in 16 countries. Interval is an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IILG), a leading global provider of membership and leisure services to the vacation industry.

About The Amer Group
For over 20 years, the Amer Group has been leading the way in developing innovative entertainment and vacation gateways. Their vision is to create landmark destinations that put Egyptian resorts on the global tourist map, and create new job opportunities in the process. Among Amer’s many achievements is the creation of the successful “Porto World” concept that has evolved into a brand that they plan to grow both locally and regionally. In the entertainment sector, Amer launched the first full-service casual dining establishment in the Middle East in 1993 with the opening of the Chili’s chain. This has since been developed with successful franchises throughout the region.

IFA Hotels and Resorts, an international leader in the development of premier mixed-use hotel and tourism projects, announces the appointment of Merlin as software provider for its fractional residence clubs. IFA Hotels and Resorts, with its main operating office in Dubai, is listed on the Kuwait and Johannesburg stock exchanges and provides world-class facilities through a network of hotels, vacation and private residence club destinations.

Merlin Software will be used to run IFA’s new high-end fractional residence clubs based in various locations around the world and its internal inter-residence exchange programme.

Announcing the appointment of Merlin Software Mr Piaras Moriarty, VP Vacation Ownership IFA Hotels & Resorts, said “when we looked for a software provider we needed a company with wide industry knowledge and expertise in managing products like ours.  With Merlin’s pedigree, which dates back to the start of clubs 25 years ago, making the appointment based on their stellar track record and experience was a logical choice”.

The IFA team was keen to partner with a software business that offered “simple to implement” software that could manage and adapt to their evolving product needs.  Mr Moriarty explained “it was important for us that our partner could advise us on how to formulate and manage these products now and in the future”. The team was particularly impressed that Merlin Software is easy to set up with no lengthy installations and training is straightforward and logical. Resorts can be in business immediately.

Chief software developer Mike Pnematicatos explains “On a daily basis IFA will use all of Merlin’s resort management, marketing and accounting functionality for activities such as maintenance fee collections and owner reservations. What really sets Merlin apart though is its dynamic sales and ownership tracking. IFA has complex occupation rosters and rules which Merlin handles with ease” he continued.

Merlin will also handle IFA’s internal exchange facility which takes place between the managed residence clubs. Mr Moriarty explained “inter-residence exchange can now be provided internally using Merlin Software without relying on a third party”.

From single site fractional resorts to multi-destination residence clubs, Merlin’s software functionality provides a single software solution. Developed as state of the art Business Application Software, Merlin is served across the internet. Users simply access it securely via a web browser from anywhere at any time without the need of expensive link lines and hardware installations.

Developed by Mike Pnematicatos with over 25 years’ experience in the timeshare and property development industry, Merlin is the most complete business software around. It is highly interactive meaning that businesses can integrate the software with their current websites to offer a range of services such as online bookings and payments. With such industry experience, that no other software company can offer, businesses need look no further for a safe pair of hands to provide the latest technological solutions.

Merlin is the leading industry software provider using the new technology of Cloud Computing to deliver software directly to your internet browser. According to chief software developer Mike Pnematicatos “Merlin is resource light, incredibly intuitive and allows unlimited users and multiple locations to access the software securely in real time from anywhere in the world. It enables resorts and hotels to benefit from time and cost savings – yet still be at the cutting edge of internet technology”.

For more information on Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership contact Mike Ashton on, email at mikea@quickmerlin.com  or visit www.quickmerlin.com to arrange a full demo.

For more information on IFA contact Mr Piaras Moriarty on Tel: + 971 4 404 3424 or Email: info@ifahotelsresorts.com

Using the latest web technology, Merlin is the complete software package for today’s hospitality industry and can handle all types of timeshare and holiday product.

Merlin Software incorporates modules for sales, marketing and front and back office. Its inherent flexibility means it can operate all types of sales activity and holiday product.  As Merlin is served over the Internet there is no requirement for any expensive communication links or set up fees and can be accessed from wherever there is an Internet connection.

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE:WYN), today announced the renewal of its affiliation with Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited, Inc. and Bluegreen Corporation, who are amongst the largest vacation ownership companies in the industry. This new agreement grants Bluegreen Club Members continued access to a broad array of exciting vacation experiences utilizing the RCI exchange networks.

Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Long Creek

“We are extremely pleased to renew our partnership with the Bluegreen family and their fantastic owners,” said Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI. “By building on our great relationship with Bluegreen, we can continue to offer RCI members around the world the opportunity to experience the wonderful collection of resorts that Bluegreen has to offer.”

As part of the multi-year agreement, RCI’s more than 3.7 million members will enjoy the opportunity to exchange into Bluegreen resorts across the globe. Similarly, Bluegreen Club Members will have access to vacations at a variety of destinations at RCI’s more than 4,000 affiliated properties worldwide in over 100 countries.

“By extending our existing relationship, we are continuing to give our owners the chance to enjoy all the opportunities that RCI offers,” said David L. Pontius, president of Bluegreen Management Services, Bluegreen Corporation. “RCI offers our Bluegreen Club Members access to terrific vacation resorts around the world and we’re glad to continue providing this service to our valued owners.”

About RCI
RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with exclusive access for specified periods to more than 73,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Exchange and Rentals is comprised of vacation exchange, including RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers and The Registry Collection program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Endless Vacation Rentals, Landal GreenParks®, Novasol®, and other renowned vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse® Leisure Real Estate Solutions, an international leader in providing a full spectrum of advisory, research, and asset management services. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit www.grouprci.com or the media center of www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

For additional information on the services offered to developers by RCI and how they can add potential value to leisure real estate projects, visit www.grouprci.com.

About Bluegreen Corporation
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is the leader in providing Colorful Places to Live and Play through its vacation ownership resort and residential real estate business segments. Our more than 3,100 employees are passionate about delivering extraordinary experiences for our owners, travelers and business partners. Since 1996, Bluegreen has managed, marketed and sold a flexible, real estate-based vacation ownership plan with more than 208,000 owners, over 45 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 4,000 resorts worldwide. Since 1985, Bluegreen Communities has developed master-planned residential and golf communities primarily in the southern and southeastern U.S., and has sold over 55,000 home sites. We also offer a portfolio of comprehensive, turnkey, fee-for-service resort management, financial services, customer generation and sales solutions to third-party developers and lenders. For more information, visit http://www.bluegreencorp.com.

Two of the largest property investment funds join forces to provide members access to more than 30 holiday homes

The Hideaways Club, a leading international property investment fund that offers its members the opportunity to invest in and exclusively enjoy an entire portfolio of luxury villas and chalets, announced this week that it has formed a strategic alliance with US based Equity Estates, the largest residence fund in North America. This alliance will offer members of both clubs the opportunity to access more than 30 magnificent properties in 24 of the world’s most spectacular destinations.

Commenting on the alliance Mike Balfour, Chairman and co-founder of The Hideaways Club, said, ”We are thrilled with this latest development in the exciting growth of The Hideaways Club. Both our companies have a common model and a common goal – to provide unparalleled holidays coupled with a sound investment, so it was a logical step to create this alliance for the benefit of our individual companies and our respective owner members. This relationship further endorses our commitment to offering the widest range of holiday options available to members of the Club.”

Under the terms of the alliance, The Hideaways Club and Equity Estates have agreed to make a specified number of non-peak nights available for reciprocal use. Exchange reservations can be made for travel beginning in 2010. Both companies have experienced impressive recent growth, a testament to their common unique model of shared ownership of a portfolio of holiday homes.

The Hideaways Club has 18 magnificent properties in 12 locations throughout Europe, Africa, and Mauritius that will be part of the exchange available to Equity Estates members. In return Hideaways Club members will have access to 11 properties in 11 beautiful destinations currently offered in the Equity Estates portfolio which include spectacular homes in the Turks & Caicos Islands; Telluride, Colorado; Los Cabos, Mexico and Naples, Florida.

“This alliance between Equity Estates and The Hideaways Club is ideal as it facilitates international growth for both companies and enhances the already excellent value proposition for owner members of both funds,“ said Adam Capes, co-founder of Equity Estates. “We cannot imagine a better way to begin 2010 than by doubling our portfolio of accessible properties.”

The properties of both Clubs are serviced by their own concierge operation who will handle all reservations and requests thereby removing all the hassles, unforeseen financial pitfalls and headaches associated with sole ownership and ensuring a relaxed and memorable holiday experience.

The Hideaways Club
The Hideaways Club is Europe’s leading property investment fund, offering its members exclusive usage and ownership of an entire portfolio of luxurious properties for a fraction of the cost of buying a single home overseas. Launched in 2007 the Club has a wide selection of beautiful properties throughout Europe, Africa, Mauritius and South East Asia that not only offer its members a luxurious and prestigious holiday experience but the strong possibility of considerable growth of their investment in the medium to long term.
www.thehideawaysclub.com

Equity Estates
Equity Estates is a luxury residence fund designed to offer spectacular holidays in addition to a real estate investment opportunity. Membership is structured as an equity interest in the real estate owned by the fund and offers the use of the fund’s residences, in addition to any appreciation when the properties are sold. The company was founded in 2006 by managing members wanting to offer all the benefits of second home ownership with none of the hassles.
www.equityestatesfund.com

Escapia Releases National 2010 Vacation Rental Industry Report Providing Most Comprehensive Look at the Current State of the Vacation Rental Business

Escapia, Inc. (www.escapia.com) today announced the immediate release of the National 2010 Vacation Rental Industry Report. This complimentary report analyzes data from over $300 million of bookings at tens of thousands of vacation rental homes in 2009, providing unprecedented insights into national industry trends.

While 2009 was a tough year for vacation rental managers, Escapia’s latest report shows that the actual results were not as dismal as many perceived. Early year booking declines of over 25% largely reversed direction by mid-year, with fourth quarter bookings rebounding by 17% compared to a year earlier. The industry also saw notable improvement in key metrics including the average booking size, lead times and length of stay during the fourth quarter of 2009. Topics addressed in the report include:

–  How travelers responded to the ‘Great Recession’
–  Year-to-Year Booking Dollars by Quarter
–  Booking Dollars by Month
–  Booking Dollars by Region
–  Average Length of Stay and Lead Times
–  Average Booking Size by Quarter
–  Bookings by Day of the Week
–  Bookings by Month: When they happened and when they were made

The National 2010 Vacation Rental Industry report offers the most thorough analysis of 2009 vacation rental data to date. “We are thrilled to release our annual report for the industry,” said Bill Furlong, CEO of Escapia. “This report is by far the most comprehensive analysis on the state of the vacation rental business. We hope that giving vacation rental managers this type of information will help them learn from 2009 and make themselves stronger for 2010.” A summary of the report is provided on the Escapia Blog at www.escapiablog.com. The full report is available for free download at Escapia’s web site at www.escapia.com/market_trends.html. 2010 Vacation Rental Reports by Region for select regions are also available upon request by contacting research@escapia.com.

About Escapia
Escapia, Inc., founded in 2000, is leading the Internet revolution in the $24 billion vacation rental industry with a comprehensive Internet business platform and breakthrough online marketing and booking services. Escapia empowers professional vacation rental management companies to reach new customers, manage guest and owner relationships, and perform trust-based accounting, housekeeping, maintenance and other mission critical aspects of their businesses. Seattle-based Escapia can be reached at 1-800-ESCAPIA, info@escapia.com or via the web at www.escapia.com.

The Hideaways Club, a leading international property investment Fund that offers its members the opportunity to invest in and exclusively enjoy an entire portfolio of luxury villas and chalets, announced this week that it has formed an exciting alliance with Banyan Tree Private Collection, Asia’s first and most luxurious global destination club.

The alliance takes the form of an exchange partnership, offering members of both clubs a new and unique holiday experience allowing them the opportunity to enjoy reciprocal usage of each other’s properties.

Launched in 2007, The Hideaways Club is one of the largest clubs of its kind with over 25 multi-million dollar properties throughout Europe, Africa, Mauritius and South East Asia. Banyan Tree Private Collection owns premium villas within Banyan Tree resorts in Thailand, Bali, China and Seychelles as well as standalone private villas and luxury apartments in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Japan. This alliance allows members of both clubs the opportunity to substantially broaden their holiday horizons at no extra cost to their initial membership or yearly fees. Members of each club will be able to use the spare capacity of the other club which will greatly increase property availability for all members.

Commenting on the alliance Mike Balfour, Chairman and co-founder of The Hideaways Club said,” We are thrilled to have formed this partnership with such a prestigious and internationally recognised company. This is a very exciting time in the growth of The Hideaways Club, and with nine additional properties from which to choose the alliance opens up a whole new area for our members to discover and enjoy. This relationship further endorses our commitment to offering the widest range of holiday options available to members of the Club.”

Marina Kleiman, Managing Director of Banyan Tree Private Collection commented, “The Hideaways Club is a perfect fit for us and totally reflects the luxury, quality and service that our members have come to expect. This will give them the opportunity to visit some of the most exotic and exciting locations around the world in the comfort and style for which the Banyan Tree Private Collection is renowned.”

The properties of both clubs are serviced by their own concierge operation who will handle all reservations and requests thereby removing all the hassles, unforeseen financial pitfalls and headaches associated with booking a holiday in order to ensure a relaxed and memorable experience.

Membership of The Hideaways Club is rapidly becoming recognised as the most financially astute way of investing in overseas property that combines a unique investment with a luxurious lifestyle, offering members a wide variety of holiday options while at the same time benefiting from medium to long term growth on their investment.

The post-bubble housing market for second homes has yet to recover, but there is a new twist on a concept that could make second home purchases more appealing in the coming decade: access to prime “third homes” worldwide.

PrivateCommunities.com has partnered with The 3rd Home LLC, an international second home exchange firm, affording owners of second homes the opportunity to exchange their properties with other second home owners from Paris to Costa Rica to Palm Beach. The modest fee of $495 for a two year membership allows second home owners to place their second home in the program to give them access to vacation homes around the globe.

“Second homes have plenty of advantages, but this new service changes the game,” said Elisabeth Miller-Fox, co-founder of PrivateCommunities.com, an internet portal that has showcased privately developed communities throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean since 1996. “People who have second homes can leverage one of their least utilized assets to get a 3rd home. This makes buying a second home more appealing to Americans and Europeans who may not want to limit themselves to one location.”

Although large timeshare exchange companies have developed a conduit for owners to access other locations, luxury second homes have not been made available this way. The partnership lets new members begin vacationing immediately through http://www.privatecommunities.3rdhome.com.

3rd Home is the first international second home program of its kind. The company touts the highest standards in the industry, is fully automated, simple to use and a trusted source for second home owners. It offers inviting homes on magnificent beaches, in vibrant cities and mountain resorts in the portfolio of residences.

The world’s most read independent trade publication for the shared ownership industry has now launched a test version of its new online social media business forum at http://www.theperspectivemagazine.com/forum/

Described as a cross between the discussion attributes of LinkedIn and the functionality of Twitter, this innovative “live update” site is another industry first from Perspective International Ltd and backed by their B2B publication, is expected to grow rapidly into a useful resource and communication platform for timeshare and fractional ownership professionals to discuss anything related to their industry, share thoughts and ideas with others and learn from each other’s expertise, knowledge, successes and failures.

This online forum is the first in a series of social media products and services set to be released in 2010 by Perspective International Ltd specifically designed for the shared ownership industry and mark the beginning of another year of accelerated growth.

Perspective International Ltd first published their trade publication in 2005 and since then has grown to be the industry’s most read independent monthly publication globally with more than 21,400 print and online subscribers. February 2010 will see an additional version of the award winning publication launched – Perspective Magazine North America; specifically focusing on the USA, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean regions.

2009 also saw the launch of the first globally recognized consumer publication focused on the purchasing and ownership of timeshare, fractional ownership and resort real estate, which is now available in selected hotels, resorts, supermarkets and first class airport lounges around the world and is now generating direct sales enquiries for developers from its print and online components and strategic brand alignments.

For more information on advertising and editorial opportunities visit www.perspectiverates.com