Bert Hurstfield left Original Resorts to focus his time and energy on growing the H10 Premium vacation club in the Caribbean. American-born Bert Hurstfield grew up in Vancouver, Canada. But he relocated to Mexico
in 1995, and today he calls Cancun, Mexico home. From his base there, he is busy producing vacation homes in Mexico and elsewhere for people throughout North America and Europe.

An Impressive History
Hurstfield started his career with the Mayan Group in 2001 and quickly rose to the top there. Then, in 2004, he began a five-year term as president of the vacation club for Original Resorts. While at Original Resorts, Hurstfield and his team sold more than US$60 million of inventory. It was during that time that he was approached by executives at H10 Resorts who were interested in creating a vacation club. Together they began H10 Premium. For the next three years, Hurstfield pulled double duty, acting as president of both Original Resorts and the H10 vacation club.

In 2009, Hurstfield decided to leave his position at Original Resorts and concentrate solely on H10. He
says it was a tough decision, but Hurstfield felt it was time to give all of his energy to the H10 group.
H10 Premium currently operates three sales rooms, two in the Riviera Maya and one in the Dominican Republic. “We are looking at the possibility and viability of opening up the European markets in the future,” Hurstfield says. “We have more than 40 hotels in the group, and most of them are based in Europe, with more opening every year.” To date the H10 vacation club has made more than US$40 million in sales, and that number is expected to double in the next two years. “I believe our success can be attributed to a few different things,” Hurstfield explains. “We have a fantastic program which puts the emphasis on giving the customer more value for their money, while still taking care of the hotels’ interests and bottom lines. In addition, we put a lot of emphasis on training our staff. Not only are they required to pass a test before they can begin speaking with clients, but they are also given ongoing training and updates.

“It’s our goal to constantly look for new ways to make the experience of the H10 guest more enjoyable and
memorable,” he continues. “We believe that special treatment is what keeps members coming back year after year.”

Another big reason for the vacation club’s success is the great support and back up of hotel operations.
Hurstfield says that “all the issues that hotels and vacation clubs have had in the past don’t exist with us. We are all working together for the common good of the client and for the future.”

H10 Premium
The H10 Premium vacation club features upscale ocean-front resorts in the Riviera Maya and Dominican
Republic, as well as the Canary Islands in Spain. The program is supported by the almost 30 years of experience of H10 Hotels, a company with locations in strategic destinations around the world. H10 Hotels has developed an internal quality assurance program named H10 Quality, which also holds external certifications of quality, such as the Q of Tourist Quality, the ISO/9001-2000 granted by AENOR and the
membership of UNESCO’s Biosphere Hotels.

The H10 Premium membership has many benefits, including:
- Internal international H10 Premium exchange at no cost
- Discounts and exclusive rates for reservations at H10 Hotels establishments located in vacation
destinations and major cities in Europe
- H10 Premium discounts in hotel stores, spa, restaurants and activities
- Guest certificates without cost
- External exchange through RCI

H10 Premium members also automatically receive membership in Club H10 – H10’s affinity program – and
acquire the Grand Class category, which is the highest category inside the Club. Club H10 benefits include
welcome presents at the resort, priority booking, turndown service, bathrobe and newspaper in room, a lunch or dinner invitation during each stay, courtesy minibar on the arrival day, express check-in and late
check-out, and exclusive and special discounts around the world in H10 Hotels. Club H10 members also earn points for hotel stays that may redeemed for services and future stays.

H10 properties associated with H10 Premium include Ocean Maya and Ocean Coral & Turquesa in Mexico;
the Dominican Republic’s Ocean Blue & Sand in the Dominican Republic; and H10 Rubicón Palace, H10 Lanzarote Gardens, H10 Las Palmeras, H10 Costa Adeje Palace, H10 Tindaya, H10 Playa Esmeralda and
H10 Costa Salinas in the Canary Islands.

For more information on H10 Premium, contact: Sarah Boeckmann, tel. +52 998 734 8322, e-mail sboeckmann@grupohp.com.mx Vianey Archer, tel. +52 998 734 8319, e-mail varcher@grupohp.com.mx

Q & A with Bert Hurstfield, President of Operations and Marketing for H10 Premium

When and why was H10 Premium created?
H10 premium was created in 2006. It was created as a way to increase loyalty to our Caribbean hotels.

How many members do you currently have?
To date we have close to 3,000 members, and adding over 1,000 members a year.

What benefits will someone who joins H10 Premium have?
We offer our members a combination of benefits. First, the ability to travel around the world using RCI Points, or All Inclusive weeks which can be used at any of our H10 Premium locations, including those in the Canary Islands. In addition to this, we offer extra benefits inside our H10 Premium hotels, such as, VIP check in, upgraded drinks, special amenities, etc. We are constantly looking for new ways to make H10 Premium members more comfortable and content during their stay with us.

Your membership seems to be offer a lot of extras to the client. Do you see this as a trend in the business?
Absolutely. I believe that most hotels are listening to the concerns and needs of their clients, and that vacation clubs will continue to get better as competition increases.

Are there any benefits that you hope to have in the future?
We are currently working on upgrading our members overall vacation experience. Simply put this means, we want their time with us to be an experience and not just a vacation. Part of this plan we hope to achieve with the use of personal concierges, whose job it will be to pamper our members from the time they get off the plane until the time they get back on.

What are your goals for the future of H10 Premium?
Two things. First, we would like to improve our program and our benefits whenever and wherever possible. Second, we expect to open more resorts in the future, giving our members more travel options inside the H10 family of hotels.

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On December 8, 2009 a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro will begin. While countless other teams have ascended Kilimanjaro, this trek may be one of the most important ever.

The “Kilimanjaro Climb” aims to raise muchneeded funds for the building of a village for homeless children in the Durban area of South Africa, in particular for those orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

The first phase of the village, to be named Ingane Yami (or “My Child” in Zulu, the local language) will consist of 25 individual houses, each of which will be home to 6 children of varying ages. A “house mother” in each will help to recreate a stable family unit and enable these vulnerable children to be brought up in a
loving environment.

The village ultimately will benefit from a community hall, crèche, clinic, recreational building and a sports field, thus enabling the individual talents and strengths of each child to be nurtured and developed before they eventually move on to lead independent adult lives.

This life-saving project is part of the Restoration of Hope Ministry, a charity organization. The land for the complex was purchased in 2008 and final planning approval for the village is expected to be granted soon.

Pearly Grey and Others Involved
Taking part in the climb will be James and Karen Beckley, the developers of Tenerife’s Pearly Grey Ocean Club, and Dougie Kirkwood, sales manager at Pearly Grey. They will be joined by, among others, Ward Woods, developer of the Regency Group, also based in Tenerife, and Troy Gerrity, a Tenerife wine distributor. The climb is expected to take up to five days and the team is hoping to raise substantial funds for this vital project.

Any sponsorship or donations will be very gratefully received. On behalf of the children, Pearly Grey Ocean Club asks that you help in any way that you can. For more information and/or to donate to this worthy cause, go to www.pearlygrey.com/en/kilimanjaro.asp

Additional information on Ingane Yami can be found on the Web at:
www.facebook.com/pages/Ingane-Yami/158647944443
www.twitter.com/inganeyami
www.flickr.com/photos/inganeyami/

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George Sell explains how Turkey’s attractions and natural beauty put it in a strong position to go beyond a traditional reliance on domestic business and fully exploit the international vacation ownership market.

Turkey has all the ingredients – including history, culture and scenery – to be a top vacation destination, and the country’s government is aiming to take advantage by making a concerted effort to boost its tourism offering.

It hopes to increase overseas tourist numbers via a concerted marketing campaign and investing in infrastructure to support private investment in tourist facilities, with a long-term plan – the Tourism Strategy of Turkey 2023 – to create a more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly tourism sector.

It’s not all talk – government assistance is set to go further than simply marketing campaigns and infrastructure, according to Behzat Aksaray, general manager of Club Dedeman, one of Turkey’s best-known hospitality brands based in Bodrum and an RCI affiliate. “There are certain government incentives when it
comes to tourism investments in Turkey,” Aksaray says, “such as land allocation to tourism investors on a 49-year lease basis, tax exemption on local machinery and equipment, tax duties and charges exemption on local purchases, reduced corporate tax rates, subsidies on the employer’s share of social security and employment tax, and interest rate subsidies.”

Vassilis Themelidis, an RCI regional director, adds: “The main advantage for developers is the establishment of Turkey as a major tourist destination and the attraction of tourists from various source markets.

“A Turkish developer has the ability to market the product domestically, to Europeans who are travelling to Turkey, as well as to visitors from Asian countries such as Iran who consider Turkey an ideal vacation destination. “Labor costs are relatively low compared to the European average and, as a result, Turkish developers are able to offer high levels of hospitality services.”

These fundamentals certainly make investment attractive for the shared-vacation ownership sector, but a significant issue is attracting more overseas visitors to a market that has traditionally been largely domestic.

As well as concentrating on more traditional beach resorts, forward thinking firms are looking to new trends such as spa resorts and conference tourism to boost visitor numbers.

One example is recent RCI affiliate Salutaris Thermal Resort, due for completion in 2010. Set in the mountainous province of Afyon, it will consist of a hotel plus 204 two-bedroom timeshare units, with amenities including a Turkish bath, saunas, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, thermal pools, a fitness
center and spa.

As the global economic downturn continues to impact both the tourism and real estate markets, there is also an increasing openness to moving to new models such as condo-hotels and fractional ownership
vacation properties.

“Due to the ongoing global economic crisis,” says RCI’s Themelidis, “developers are seeking alternative ways to offer their unsold properties. There is major potential for fractional and condo-hotel opportunities across Turkey.”

Nick Turner, head and vice president of business development for Europe at luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection, adds: “The Turkish market has all of the key fundamentals to make it a very good market for shared ownership. Turkey provides an attractive consumer proposition with a pleasant climate for up to 40 weeks of the year and improving tourism infrastructure has made key destinations more desirable for repeat visits.”

RCI is playing an increasing role in developing the shared-vacation ownership market sector and has affiliated seven new resorts in Turkey in the past 18 months, bringing its total to 42. “RCI has introduced customized trial packs specifically for the Turkish market which act as an entry program and a lead generation tool for Turkish affiliates, and provide the ability for members to test the affiliate’s product and RCI’s member services,” explains Themelidis.

“RCI also facilitates the introduction of international organizations to Turkish affiliates in order for them to initiate sales to major source markets such as Germany, the UK and Russia.”

Aksaray identified two major benefits of being an RCI affiliate. “Firstly, it enables our customers to go to different resorts and countries for their vacations,” he said. “The second is in helping low season sales – some customers are willing to buy low season in order to use it for exchange.  We specifically chose RCI because it’s the largest company in this field and it gives us a positive response rate to exchange requests.”

Tayfun Sarman of Club Armonia Bodrum Evleri in Bodrum also acknowledges the economic benefits of affiliation, saying that in an average year up to 30% of his resort’s business comes through RCI. Club Armonia Bodrum Evleri was completely refurbished in 2008 to bring its accommodation and amenities up to the standard RCI members expect.

Aksaray is convinced the timeshare model is ideal for the Turkish market. “I believe that timeshare and shared vacation, in a country where four seasons can be sold, is a very suitable and necessary product,” he says. “In Turkey people buy summer houses, but only use them for one, or in a few cases, two months. For the remaining 10 or 11 months the house stays empty and gets damaged due to lack of use and  maintenance.

“As a result, national wealth stays unused at the beachside. By putting this national wealth to use, timeshare not only helps the country, but helps people enjoy less expensive vacation home purchase and maintenance costs.”

To learn more about RCI, please contact Amanda White on +44 (0)1536 31 4651 or by email at amanda.white@rci.com, or visit www.rciventures.com.

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Wellington Financial Reveals Details About Liberty Bank’s Loan to Vermont Timeshare Resort Developer

Wellington Financial, the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Bank, is pleased to announce the bank has closed a $10 million receivables hypothecation facility with Smugglers’ Notch (www.smuggs.com) in Vermont.

“The facility will be used to finance future timeshare sales,” says Bill Stritzler, owner and managing director of ‘Smuggs.’ “We found the team from Liberty Bank and Wellington Financial to be first-rate when it came to understanding our needs. It’s refreshing to deal with a lender who understands timeshare so well. We’re looking forward to a long-term relationship.”

Liberty Bank Vice President, David Brede observes, “Smugglers’ Notch has been an important timeshare and ski resort developer for many years. We are very impressed with their management team and their consistently high standards.”

Shawn Brydge, senior vice president at Wellington Financial, noted that, “The resort is a terrific four-season destination and management has done a great job of creating a staff that feels more like a family.  The entire operation is run with a passion and excitement directed at creating the best vacation experience possible for each guest; it’s easy to see why they have such successful resort and timeshare operations.”

About Smugglers’ Notch Resort
Smugglers’ Notch Resort is located in northern Vermont’s Green Mountains with skiing and snowboarding for all abilities on 78 trails and 1000 acres of terrain on three mountains. The Resort’s extensive family programs have been recognized by SKI Magazine, the Family Travel Forum, FamilyFun Magazine, and Condé Nast Traveler magazine, among others. Lodging includes more than 600 privately owned and timeshare condominiums. Smugglers’ has received awards from SKI Magazine, the Vermont governor’s office, and other state environmental stewardship agencies for its innovative approach to environmental stewardship. The resort is privately owned by the Smugglers’ Notch Management Co., Ltd.

About Liberty Bank
Established in 1825, Liberty Bank (www.liberty-bank.com), based in Middletown, Connecticut, is that state’s oldest mutual bank, with more than $3.0 billion in assets. Liberty Bank has been actively lending to the timeshare industry throughout the U.S. for over 30 years. The bank’s commitment to superior service has resulted in lending relationships with some of the industry’s largest and most successful developers. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

About Wellington Financial
Wellington Financial (www.wellington-financial.com) is the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Bank and specializes in lending to developers of timeshare resorts, fractional resorts and retail land. Founded in 1981, the finance and service company offers a full range of products, including receivables hypothecation, purchase and conduit facilities; pre-sale and working capital lines of credit; acquisition, construction and renovation financing, as well as mezzanine and equity debt financing. President Ron Goldberg serves on the Board of Directors for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

John Farrow

John Farrow, President of Farrow Commercial, has recently been named Lead for the Regulatory sub-content group within the Construction and Design Committee for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Farrow will guide the Regulatory sub-content group as it advises ARDA members not only on construction issues but also on changing regulatory issues and national construction guidelines affecting them. Farrow will also direct committee members in both ADA and FHA building guidelines, along with fellow ARDA members from the legal profession.

Commented Farrow, “I am honored to accept this important position within ARDA. Many members do not recognize that there is an ongoing legal battle in some states whether or not a timeshare resort has ‘transient’ guests. When a resort property is impacted by ADA or FHA legislation, this issue can have a significant affect on a host of construction and design directives. We are currently working with several attorneys who specialize in this field and share their knowledge with our members.”

According to attorney Rosemary O’Shea of Baker Hostetler, “As a fellow team member, we are lucky to have John Farrow as our lead. He brings a great deal of energy, together with his expertise on renovations and other construction issues to the group.”

Added Margit Whitlock AIA, Chairman of the Design and Construction Committee, “John has the unique ability to offer solutions that work aesthetically as well as functionally, benefiting both the developer client and the ultimate guest. We are honored to have him on our committee.”

Farrow Commercial, Inc. of Santa Rosa, California, in conjunction with its affiliate companies, has specialized in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance within its ADA Division for more than 15 years. The company provides a complete ADA analysis, consultation, design, permitting and construction package to bring a property up to date and into compliance and is also highly respected for their commercial refurbishment, remodeling, and addition projects.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990-91 (ADA) is a civil rights law, requiring compliance from all public facilities. Since timeshares, hotels and resorts are public facilities with transient lodging guest rooms, they are required to comply with the ADA. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no grandfathering of existing properties; a facility is either in compliance or not in compliance. While “grandfathering” is a common belief within the industry, this is not correct.

For the past several years, Farrow Commercial has worked with timeshare resorts across the country, helping them to bring their properties into Federal and local compliance. Although they are based in California, Farrow works nationally and either has or obtains the appropriate general contracting licenses and insurance requirements for every state in which they work.

For more information, contact John Farrow at 707-591-0225 or visit www.FarrowCommercial.com

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“This is a completely different economic climate, and therefore a completely different marketing, sales and PR climate as well,” says Luca Franco, President of Luxury Leisure Properties International (LLPI) “We have already created many successful mixed use products in the past, and now we are moving creatively forward with our newest project, Vallarta Gardens, on Banderas Bay near Puerto Vallarta.”

It is no wonder Luca is proud. Even in this capricious economic climate, the Vallarta Garden’s launch in
mid December 2009 has created major buzz. Its location is on Banderas Bay, a peaceful body of water that
spans about 40 miles, and is protected by the Sierra Madre Mountains. This area is known as the Nayarit
Riviera, located on the Pacific, non-Hurricane side of Mexico, midway between Puerto Vallarta and Punta
Mita, near a picturesque town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

“And this beachfront getaway is much more than the phrase implies.” Luca comments, “It is a boutique resort, with endless luxury amenities. A few minutes away from the residences owners have access to Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf signature golf courses. There is also is a yacht on the property for owners and members to use. Sportfishing and pleasure cruising are just two of the great amenities here. And then there is the spa… on the beach!”

Vallarta Gardens combines fractional, full ownership and basic vacation rental structures. The homes
themselves are between 3,500 and 5,000sf, four and five bedrooms respectively. Pricing starts at $80,000
for 1/13th share.

Luca is one of the few people in the luxury fractional industry whose international reputation is widely
known and respected. Multilingual, multicultural, and of European descent, he has been involved in finding
and creating successful fractional projects for the past decade. He puts teams together that define the who’s
who of the fractional interest industry. Jim Marmorstone, Lisa Manley, Sarah Rezak, Andrew Berry, Daned
Kirkham, Eric Pierce and others who are very well-known as the best of the best when it comes to
negotiating, sales, marketing, now consult for the various LLPI projects.“ We have hand picked the best in
the fractional field, and can call on them anytime to create new strategies for each of our projects.”

LLPI is an international advisory and management company servicing developers and investors in luxury
mixed-use hotels & resorts. Luca said: “Our aim is to maximize value for the hospitality real estate asset
by applying creative strategies towards leisure real estate product and drive significant synergies between
the different hotel and resort components.

LLPI is working in partnership with Valhalla group, with its visionary president Preben Vestdam, in EMEA
to deliver a consistent global product line sharing resources, know-how and operating processes &
procedures.

LLPI has also established a preferred alliance with Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a leading owner, developer
and asset manager of luxury hotels in North America and Europe. SHR is viewed as the pioneer and “blue
chip” of hotel and resort asset management today with its leading edge systems setting the standards for
operators and owners alike.

One of the more fascinating aspects of Vallarta Gardens is the marketing decision to include a major
emphasis on the Mexican market. As Luca says, “We are, of course vitally connected to the American and
pan-Asian market as well, but we know that Vallarta Gardens is only three hours away from Guadalajara,
Mexico, with nearly 5 million people, and we believe that many of them want and need a beachfront
getaway.”

Luca pauses, then says, “Actually, we all need a beachfront getaway, and Vallarta Gardens, combines the
best of both. It is a true sanctuary.” – By Susan Kime.

Members Offered Access to Dominican Republic’s Most Beautiful, Private Beachfront Villa

Ultimate Escapes, one of the world’s largest destination clubs, has finalized a reciprocity partnership agreement with Villa Castellamonte del Mare, an exclusive five-star ultra-luxury villa in the Dominican Republic. Through this strategic partnership, Ultimate Escapes members will have exclusive reciprocity access to this magnificent 15,000 sq. ft., fully-staffed villa located high atop a sea cliff in Cabrera, within the prestigious gated community of Orchid Bay Estates, on the Dominican Republic’s beautiful North Coast. Villa Castellamonte owners will also have reciprocal privileges to enjoy Ultimate Escapes’ fabulous residences in 45 resort destinations.

Villa Castellamonte del Mare, or “little castle on the hill by the sea,” has a unique beachfront location with sweeping 220-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean and access to every luxury service and amenity the North Coast of the Dominican Republic has to offer. Villa Castellamonte is the most recent partner to participate in the Ultimate Escapes Reciprocity Program, which permits affiliated developers and owners in participating five-star resorts to commit weeks of use of their luxury residence in return for similar access to Ultimate Escapes’ destinations.

“We are excited to add yet another spectacular partner resort to the Ultimate Escapes Reciprocity Program,” states Jim Tousignant, CEO of Ultimate Escapes. “Partnerships such as Villa Castellamonte enhance the choice of destinations and residences available to our members, and additionally provide our partners with a great benefit for their owners.”

Designed to evoke “Tuscany in the Caribbean,” Villa Castellamonte provides the ideal setting for romantic destination weddings, large family gatherings or corporate retreats. A full-time staff of butlers, chef, maids, laundresses, gardeners and security and maintenance professionals ensure every detail is handled. The expansive property accommodates up to 16 adults and features eight air-conditioned suites with en suite bathrooms, hand-painted frescos and murals, state-of-the-art audio-video systems, custom-designed gaming tables (billiards, poker, shuffleboard, foosball and more) and a fully equipped fitness center. Spacious terraces directly overlook the private pool, the manicured tropical gardens and the Atlantic Ocean.
Outside, the “zero-entry” swimming pool has a sunning peninsula, swim-through tunnel and diving rock.

Additionally the property includes a PGA-quality, four-hole putting and chipping green (a full game can be enjoyed at the nearby Playa Grande Golf Course) and a special spa kiosk where guests can enjoy top-of-the-line spa treatments. Within the town of Cabrera, Villa Castellamonte is conveniently located near popular tourist destinations such as Cabarete, Sosua, Puerto Plata and Samana Bay.

“We are confident Ultimate Escapes’ members will thoroughly enjoy access to Villa Castellamonte and our owners will love the flexibility and variety of Ultimate’s portfolio of other beautiful homes in 45 resort destinations,” states Jason Matthews, managing partner of Luxury Villa Collections, the owner of Villa Castellamonte. “We look forward to this being a very successful partnership for both parties.”

About Villa Castellamonte
Built in 2001, Villa Castellamonte is a private, 15,000 sq. ft., eight-bedroom / 10-bath, fully staffed ultra-luxury vacation villa destination located on the unspoiled, pristine north coast of the Dominican Republic near the town of Cabrera. Seen on MSNBC’s “On the Money” and cited by Fodor’s Guide as a Fodor’s Choice destination, Villa Castellamonte provides exclusive luxury vacation rentals throughout the year. Villa Castellamonte may be contacted at 866-VILLA10 (Int’l +1-610-429-9616), or found on the web at leading luxury villa rental listing sites worldwide or at www.villacastellamonte.com.

About Ultimate Escapes®
Founded in 2004, Ultimate Escapes is the largest luxury destination club as measured by number of club destinations, and the second-largest destination club as measured by number of members. Ultimate Escapes offers members flexible access to a growing collection of hundreds of multi‐million dollar private residences and luxury hotels in more than 150 global club and affiliate destinations. Locations range from chic urban apartments to charming beach cottages, spacious five-bedroom homes to an 80-foot private yacht. Each trip is coordinated by experienced, knowledgeable staff, trained to handle every
vacation detail. Additional information about Ultimate Escapes and its club and membership offerings can be found at www.ultimateescapes.com.

Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq:IILG), yesterday announced that Welk Resorts Cabo – Sirena del Mar has joined its vacation exchange network. Overlooking the Sea of Cortez near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this is the first international location in the Welk Resorts portfolio launched by legendary entertainer Lawrence Welk.

“Those familiar with the Welk history know that we strive to ensure whatever we do at our resorts is done with the highest quality standards,” said Jon Fredricks, president of Welk Resorts. “Welk Resorts Cabo – Sirena del Mar, the newest addition to our family of resorts, clearly exemplifies this commitment to excellence.”

Craig M. Nash, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Interval Leisure Group, parent company of Interval International, added, “We are very proud to welcome Welk Resorts Cabo – Sirena del Mar, Welk’s sixth property, to Interval’s worldwide network. The resort’s stunning location and full range of amenities carry on the tradition of quality that has made Welk Resorts one of the most respected independent brands in the vacation ownership industry.”

Set on a 65-foot bluff near the popular resort town of Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the Baja California peninsula, Welk Resorts Cabo – Sirena del Mar 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, a spiral staircase leads to a swimmable cove beach.

While the setting may be a world away from other resorts in the Welk Resorts portfolio — including the Welk Resort north of the San Diego suburb of Escondido, the 400-acre flagship property, and the Ozark Mountain-themed Timber Ridge Lodge in the heart of family-friendly Branson, Missouri — the quality and flexible, points-based product is very familiar to more than 43,000 owners at Welk Resorts. Sixteen of the 20 two-bedroom villas in phase one of Welk Resorts Cabo – Sirena del Mar are lock-off units, adding another layer of flexibility. (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, Cabo San Lucas offers the full spectrum of shopping, dining, golf and water sports.

Further reinforcing the value of ownership, new purchasers 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. They also will enjoy an extensive menu of benefits, including discounts on resort Getaways, ShortStay ExchangeSM, access to a personal concierge service available 24 hours a day via phone and e-mail, complimentary Hertz #1 Gold® membership, and worldwide hotel and dining discounts.

Interval International operates membership programs 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 a network of approximately 2,500 resorts in more than 75 countries and offers its resort clients and about 2 million member families high-quality products and programs 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.

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