Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club (LHVC), located in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, has announced the opening of Jazz, a French Fusion restaurant and Bourbon Street, an outdoor café and bar, exclusively for members and guests staying in the Presidential Suites by Lifestyle and Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle, located adjacent to Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort.  The restaurant serves upscale French cuisine with an authentic Cajun and Creole flair, making for some fine down home flavor. This totally new concept, called French Fusion, was created by the combined creative talent of LHVC’s Food & Beverage director and Executive Chef, Manny Slomovits. The restaurant provides the charm and ambiance of Old New Orleans for guests to enjoy along with the food.

“Our goal is to make dining at Jazz at unforgettable experience,” says Fadi Hamad, Director of Food and Beverage at Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort.  “We ensure the highest quality of seafood by flying in products from around the globe at their seasonal peak.  That commitment to freshness and our quest for unique variety are two of many reasons we carefully hand select our products.”

Featured entrees at Jazz include fresh imported Louisiana seafood and steak and signature dishes such as Cajun Dusted Caribbean Sea Bass with southern slaw, white rice and topped with Creole butter, and NOLA Seafood Étouffée with bok choy and saffron infused rice.  The restaurant’s Bourbon Street Café and Bar serves signature Bourbon drinks, of course, and New Orleans inspired drinks with names from Jazz singers and songs.

“At Jazz, we define glamour with ease,” added Hamad.  “The simple, yet stunning art deco surroundings are soft and sublime, punctuated with elegant service and soul food.”

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club encompasses the following resorts: The Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort with four distinct developments; The Tropical, The Crown Suites, The Crown Villas, and The Residence Suites; as well as Dream Suites by Lifestyle; The Presidential Suites by Lifestyle, Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle, Costa Esmeralda by Lifestyle, The Level by Lifestyle, and Lifestyle Samana.

From hotel accommodations to stand alone villas, all guests have access to five swimming pools, multiple restaurants, nightly entertainment, spa, fitness center, beaches, tennis courts and more, plus the exclusive Lifestyle Caribissmo Night festivities.  Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club V.I.P. Members have access to “members only” facilities such as restaurants, bars, swimming pools, exclusive beach areas, as well as golf carts, limousine transfers and helicopter tours.

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club members, guests and families have a wide variety of activities available in the Dominican Republic’s North Coast such as a cable car ride to the peak of Mount Isabella de Torres, white water rafting, horseback riding, deep sea fishing, boating, snorkeling, monster truck safaris and city tours of Puerto Plata, named one of the 53 best destinations in the world by The New York Times.  For more Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club info., go to www.lifestyleholidaysvc.com or call (809) 970-7777.

Global fractional ownership brand and fractional real estate conference organiser, Fractional Life, is delighted to announce that The Registry Collection exchange program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program,  is the Gold sponsor for Fractional Summit USA to be held at the prestigious InterContinental Hotel in Miami, Fla., August 31–September 1, 2010.

This inaugural event has been devised to attract the brightest and most dynamic minds in the fractional real estate industry to help define the ‘new rules’ and future opportunity within an ever changing market landscape.
The conference theme ‘new world, global landscape’ is designed to stimulate the sharing of knowledge and fresh new ideas from within the fractional real estate markets around the world, with speakers and delegates converging in one location.

“After positive discussions with the leading fractional industry professionals in the US, we strongly believe that conducting a fractional conference in the United States with a similar format to our European event http://www.fractionalsummit.com is in the best interest of growing the fractional resort real estate marketplace,” said Tracey Carter, conference and event manager.  “We look forward to welcoming speakers and delegates from around the world.”

Pre-promotional conference ticket sales activity will also attract attendance from developers and service providers considering entry into the fractional ownership sector as a result of the falling off of the whole ownership market.

“The Registry Collection exchange program is proud to support such a dynamic new market initiative,” said Gregg Anderson, vice president, The Registry Collection exchange program. “We’re delighted to be inaugural sponsors at Fractional Summit USA.”

“Fractional real estate now operates in a completely new market paradigm where many of the ‘old rules’ no longer apply.  We’re very pleased to have the support of The Registry Collection exchange program for our inaugural US conference – an event which our delegates, speakers and sponsors will be truly proud of,” said Piers Brown, Founder of Fractional Life.

Fractional Summit USA http://www.fractionalsummitusa.com will be the ideal place to get up-to date with the current market. With its global appeal, the conference is held over two days and packed with renowned speakers, group panels and presentations from worldwide experts. The event offers the perfect platform to network, learn and exchange information and ideas.

For Press, Speaker and Sponsorship enquiries please contact Piers Brown in the first instance,  piers@fractionallife.com +44 (0)20 8340 7989

About Fractional Life
From a fractional jet to fractional real estate, Fractional Life http://www.fractionallife.com is the number one consumer lifestyle brand dedicated to growing the fractional ownership marketplace. The company has 3 divisions: interactive, fractional B2B conferences

About The Registry Collection
The Registry Collection program is a global network comprising over 30,000 members and more than 130 affiliates on five continents. More than 175 properties are available through The Registry Collection® program and are either accessible for exchange or under development. As the world’s largest luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection program provides members with access to an elite global network of the very finest vacation properties at some of the world’s premier destinations, as well as personal concierge services that are available 24-hours a day. From condo hotels and high-end fractional resorts to private residence clubs and fractional yachts, The Registry Collection program facilitates exchanges around the world and redefines the vacation experience for owners and developers. The Registry Collection program is offered by Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN). For additional information, visit the media center at www.wyndhamer.com.
For additional information on the services offered to developers and members by The Registry Collection program and to learn how it can add value and distinction to leisure real estate projects, visit www.theregistrycollection.com.

Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN) today announced that its Exchange & Rentals business unit, the European leader in exclusive marketing of independent holiday accommodation, has agreed to acquire Hoseasons Holdings Ltd, one of the UK’s most renowned holiday brands, from HgCapital and a number of individual parties.

The acquisition price is approximately $60 million, net of estimated cash acquired.  The transaction is subject to the consent of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which the companies hope to obtain before the end of the first quarter.  Wyndham Worldwide expects this acquisition to be accretive in 2011.

Hoseasons, with a proud and distinguished 65-year heritage, is one of the best-known brand names in UK tourism.  The company provides a wide range of holiday offerings in over 15,000 lodges, cottages, villas, caravans and boats across seven European countries.

Wyndham’s European rentals business is the leading provider in exclusive marketing of independent holiday accommodation across the continent and has many of Europe’s best-known holiday brands including English Country Cottages, Scottish Country Cottages, cottages4you, Welcome Cottages, Chez Nous and Canvas Holidays in the UK, and Landal GreenParks, Novasol, Dansommer and Cuendet across Northern, Central and Southern Europe. These iconic brands have a combined portfolio of over 60,000 holiday properties located in over 20 European countries.

“The purchase of Hoseasons is a great example of how we are deploying a portion of our free cash flow to supplement organic growth with opportunistic acquisitions” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO, Wyndham Worldwide.  “Hoseasons offers a strong strategic fit with our European rentals business and an attractively-priced opportunity to continue to grow our fee-for-service businesses.”

“We are delighted that Hoseasons is joining the Wyndham Exchange & Rentals family,” said Geoff Ballotti, CEO, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals.  “Hoseasons has been providing exceptional holidays at affordable prices for 65 years.  Hoseasons is a highly successful business and a consumer icon in the UK, complementing Wyndham’s existing rentals brands in terms of product offering, customer service and values.  This acquisition enables us to provide European vacationers with a great selection of inventory, all backed by Wyndham Worldwide, one of the most trusted names in vacation rentals.”

Ian Ailles, Managing Director, European Rentals, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals said: “The addition of Hoseasons to our existing portfolio of independent holiday accommodation brands means we can offer customers the complete range of holiday experiences in Europe. The addition of the UK holiday parks completes our suite of holiday offerings; from caravans to castles, we now have it all!”

Wyndham Worldwide retained Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP for corporate legal services related to this transaction.

About Wyndham European Rentals
Wyndham’s European Rentals business, part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), has the largest and most diverse collection of vacation rental properties in the UK and Continental Europe. A combined portfolio of over 60,000 vacation homes – cottages, farmhouses, apartments, villas and even lighthouses and castles – are available to rent in geographic regions ranging from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea.

Wyndham’s European Rentals also offer customers a complete range of vacation experiences, including beach holidays, country cottages, Tuscan farmhouses, family lodges set in forests, boating holidays, ski lodges and camping holidays with traditional gypsy roulottes.

Wyndham’s European Rentals has some of the most iconic brands in the European vacation market, including Landal GreenParks, with more than 60 holiday villages offering 11,000 bungalows and chalets in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Novasol, which includes specialist brands Cuendet and Dansommer, is the largest provider of holiday homes for Continental Europe, both in number of properties offered and in geographic spread. The Holiday Cottages Group is the number one provider of holiday homes in the UK and to UK travelers going abroad, with leading brands including cottages4you, English Country Cottages, Welcome Cottages, easycottages.com and a portfolio of Southern European homes with Villas4you. Completing the portfolio, Canvas Holidays provides a unique outdoor holiday experience for families with nearly 100 campsites in nine European countries.

About Wyndham Worldwide
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad suite of hospitality products and services across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses approximately 7,110 franchised hotels and approximately 597,700 hotel rooms worldwide. Wyndham Exchange & Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million members, access to over 65,000 vacation properties located in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its network of over 155 vacation ownership resorts serving over 820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs approximately 25,000 employees globally.

For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s web site at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

A subsidiary of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. assumed ownership of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas today.

Harrah’s expects its customer-loyalty program, Total Rewards, to be fully integrated into the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in April 2010, enabling guests to earn and redeem Reward and Tier Credits. Planet Hollywood A-List points will automatically convert into Total Rewards credits at the time of the Total Rewards integration.

Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. is the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah’s has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now operates casinos on four continents. The company’s properties operate primarily under the Harrah’s®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand names; Harrah’s also owns the World Series of Poker® and a majority interest in the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah’s Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Harrah’s is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.harrahs.com.

Walt Disney World Resort hotels are working with Clean the World to recycle all the partially used amenities from their nearly 28,000 Central Florida hotel rooms. Clean the World sanitizes the soap and shampoo that would be discarded and distributes these amenities to people in need around the world.

“With the support of Walt Disney World, even more supplies will reach those in desperate need,” said Paul Till, co-founder and managing director of Clean the World, who is responsible for recruiting new hotels to join the “Clean the World Hospitality Recycling Program.” Through this program, hotels financially contribute a tax-deductible recycling fee in exchange for collection, recycling and free redistribution of partially-used amenities to those suffering due to a lack of available hygiene products. In 2009, Clean the World distributed more than 230 tons of hygiene products to countries worldwide including Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Uganda, Mali, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mongolia and Romania.

By participating in this program, Walt Disney World Resort hotels are showing a commitment to saving lives and protecting the environment.

Clean the World in Haiti
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Clean the World has stepped up its commitment to provide basic necessities to the impoverished people of the island nation, and has included medical supplies, food, water and other essentials as well. Since January 2010, Clean the World has delivered over 150 tons of supplies directly to Haiti.

In 2009, Clean the World delivered 200,000 bars of soap to schools, orphanages, clinics and churches in Cap Haitien, Haiti. Though its Haitian partnerships and distribution network, Clean the World is providing free soap to people in desperate need for proper hygiene. In Haiti alone, 8,000 children die annually from diarrheal disease, which is preventable by up to 62% with proper hand washing.

About Clean the World, Inc.
An Orlando-based charitable organization, Clean the World, Inc. is committed to the prevention of illness and death caused by acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease in countries across the globe. In an effort to prevent these needless deaths from occurring, Clean the World collects discarded soap and shampoo from hotels to be recycled and distributes these soap products along with appropriate educational materials to domestic homeless shelters and impoverished people worldwide. In 2009, Clean the World collected, recycled and distributed over 230 tons of soap and other bathroom amenities to impoverished people worldwide. With the donations of these discarded soap and shampoo products, Clean the World is a step closer to reaching their goal of preventing the millions of lives lost each year — and they’re doing it one bar of soap at a time. Clean the World Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization.

Grosvenor House Dubai Offers Panoramic Sea Views, 12 World Class Restaurants and Lounges and Two Michelin Starred Chefs in one of the World’s Most Unique and Exceptional Destinations

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. today announced the debut of its renowned Luxury Collection brand in the United Arab Emirates with the addition of Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai. Located on the exclusive Dubai Marina, the prestigious 45-story Grosvenor House hotel first opened its doors in 2005 and quickly became one of the world’s most acclaimed hotels.

Custom-designed to celebrate the essence of Dubai, the hotel seamlessly blends exquisite Arabian décor with contemporary sophistication. Offering the latest innovations in technology and design, Grosvenor House features 422 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, suites and apartment suites, world class cuisine, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and spa, business areas equipped with cutting-edge technology and unparalleled premium service with butlers on call 24 hours a day.

“The Luxury Collection is a portal to the world’s most enriching and desirable destinations, where nothing less than an exceptional level of service, perfect location and indigenous personal offerings will do,” said Paul James, Global Brand Leader, The Luxury Collection and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. “Celebrated for its exceptional location, luxury amenities and breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf, Grosvenor House adds another jewel to The Luxury Collection portfolio.”

Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe’s most iconic hotels, today The Luxury Collection is a glittering ensemble of more than 75 of the world’s finest hotels and resorts in more than 30 countries across the globe including Hotel Danieli, Venice; Hotel Imperial, Vienna; Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens; Patios de Cafayate, Argentina; SLS at Beverly Hills and The Phoenician, Scottsdale.

“We are excited to bring the promise of The Luxury Collection brand to the United Arab Emirates with the debut of Grosvenor House, Dubai. This hotel is a true expression of its destination, making it the perfect addition to The Luxury Collection,” says Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East. “The property’s sought-after location, impeccable service and sumptuous interior will ensure a unique and enriching experience for all our guests.”

Grosvenor House, Dubai also provides guests with an exceptional choice of dining experiences with 12 different world-class restaurants and bars to choose from. These include Rhodes Mezzanine, which offers signature modern British cuisine with French flair from Michelin starred celebrity chef Gary Rhodes. The menu includes dishes such as White Tomato Soup and the British favourite Bread and Butter Pudding. The hotel also offers the equally esteemed modern Indian restaurant Indego by Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia, who is renowned for his Home-smoked Tandoori Salmon. In addition, Grosvenor House is home to Dubai’s only Buddha Bar, the world famous bar and restaurant with outlets in Paris, London and New York, which is known for its unique food and eclectic atmosphere.

The number of rooms at Grosvenor House, Dubai will almost double next year when a second, identical tower opens. The second tower will add a total of 323 rooms, suites and apartment suites to the hotel’s inventory providing even more style and unparalleled service for global explorers to discover.

About The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts
The Luxury Collection(R) is an ensemble of hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world’s most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination’s indigenous charms and treasures. Magnificent décor, spectacular settings, impeccable service and the latest modern conveniences combine to provide a uniquely enriching experience. Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe’s most celebrated and iconic properties, today The Luxury Collection brand is a glittering ensemble of more than 75 of the world’s finest hotels and resorts in more than 30 countries in bustling cities and spectacular destinations around the world. The Luxury Collection includes award-winning properties that continuously exceed guest expectations by offering unparalleled service, style and class while celebrating each hotel’s distinctive heritage and unique character. All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized as being among the world’s finest. For more information, please visit www.luxurycollection.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 982 properties in more than 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Méridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft(R), and ElementSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Ultimate Escapes, Inc. (OTCBB: ULEI and ULEI-W) (the “Company”), one of the world’s largest luxury destination clubs, today announced that the Company is now trading on the OTC Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”) with the ticker symbols ULEI for its common shares and ULEI-W for its warrants. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) cleared the request of the Company for trading on the OTCBB for the Company’s common stock and warrants earlier today.

Ultimate Escapes continues to offer the full transparency, financial accountability, market exposure and credibility inherent in being a publicly-traded company, making the Company the only pure-play, public destination club in the world with full financial disclosure.

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 club 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.

About the OTCBB
The OTCBB is a regulated quotation service operated by FINRA that displays real-time quotes, last-sale prices, and volume information in OTC equity securities. It is a quotation medium for subscribing members, not an issuer listing service. An OTC equity security generally is any equity that is not listed or traded on a national securities exchange. OTCBB securities include national, regional, and foreign equity issues, warrants, units, ADRs, and Direct Participation Programs. More information is available at http://www.otcbb.com.

About Pink OTC Markets Inc.
Pink OTC Markets Inc. is a financial information and technology services company that operates an inter-dealer electronic quotation and trading system in the Over-the-Counter, or OTC, securities market. It is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a stock exchange or a broker-dealer firm. Investors should contact a broker-dealer firm to trade in a security quoted on the Pink Sheets. More information is available at http://www.pinksheets.com.

Tienor Named To Smart CEO Magazine’s List, Reflecting Leadership, Strategic Vision And Character

Telkonet, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TKOI), a leading Clean Technology company focusing on proprietary energy management and SmartGrid networking technology, today announced that its President and CEO, Jason Tienor, has been named one of SmartCEO magazine’s 2010 Smart100 CEOs in the Greater Washington area. This exclusive group of the region’s top executives, selected by an independent selection committee, was chosen on the basis of their leadership qualities, strategic vision and character, in addition to their clear ability to grow their organizations.

Each Smart100 CEO will be profiled in the 100-plus-page annual Smart100 Book, which SmartCEO will publish as its 13th issue in May. The Smart100 will also be listed on SmartCEO’swebsite, www.smartceo.com. The Smart100 companies represent a variety of industries including government contracting, information technology, consulting, travel services, financial services and video production.

“No other publication in the Greater Washington area has produced a publication of this magnitude with such high-caliber CEOs. The Smart100 CEOs have incredible business minds and have successfully grown their companies to be the best in Washington,” says Washington SmartCEO publisher Jaime Park.

“It is an honor to be included in the Smart100 CEO list, and clearly reinforces our success in delivering innovative, eco-friendly Clean Technology solutions that help companies decrease their energy consumption and contribute to a cleaner environment,” said Jason Tienor, President and CEO of Telkonet. “This follows Telkonet’s recent listing as a 2010 EcoCEO Award finalist in the Innovator category, where SmartCEO magazine recognizes environmental excellence in business. This is a clear recognition of how our new generation of energy management and SmartGrid products is enabling businesses, utilities and their residential customers to monitor and control their energy consumption.”

About Washington SmartCEO Magazine
Washington SmartCEO magazine is a regional “growing company” publication. SmartCEO believes that a “growing company” is really determined by the spirit, drive and dynamics of a company’s owners and managers, rather than by the size of its building, the number of its employees, or its sales volume. Each month, a variety of businesses in the greater Washingtonand greater Baltimore areas turn to the pages of SmartCEO for features, case-study advice and trend analysis, all with a uniquely local flavor. SmartCEO is read by more than 34,000 business owners in Baltimore and Washington.

About Telkonet
Telkonet is one of the market-leading Clean Technology companies providing integrated, centrally-managed energy management and SmartGrid networking solutions to the emerging $50 billion SmartGrid and Energy Efficiency markets. As a provider of “negawatts,” Telkonet’s products improve energy consumption and reduce the demand for new energy generation. Telkonet is one of the top three occupancy-based energy management control providers in each of the hospitality, commercial, military, healthcare and education markets. The Company’s in-room energy management systems are lowering heating and cooling costs in over 180,000 rooms and are an integral part of various utilities’ green energy efficiency and rebate programs.

Primarily targeting SmartGrid and utility applications, Telkonet’s patented powerline communications (PLC) platform delivers cost-effective, robust networking, with real-time online monitoring and maintenance capabilities, increasing the reliability and energy efficiency across the entire utility grid. www.telkonet.com.

FractionalExchange.com has announced that the Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa in Vail, Colorado has selected FractionalExchange.com for the vacation exchange requirements of its members. The Vail Mountain Lodge joins Rocky Mountain resorts The Hemingways, The Deer Valley Club and The Teton Club in affiliating with  FractionalExchange.com

Paul Nabor, Director of Sales at FractionalExchange.com states, “Affiliation with The Vail Mountain Lodge provides our members with exchange opportunities into a premier luxury resort located in the heart of Vail Village. These residences are a personal favorite of mine, as I’m sure they will become for many of our members.”

Through a group enrollment arrangement, all Homeowners Association members at Vail Mountain Lodge are now part of the FractionalExchange.com Gold level membership network. In addition to access to the global exchange network of FractionalExchange.com, owners at Vail Mountain Lodge now have a convenient method of exchanging use internally to solve fractional rotation needs.

Frank Johnson, General Manager of Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa says “We’ve looked for five years or more for a way for our owners to interact with other owners and trade vacation time. This is really the first opportunity we have found to work with a first-class organization in a very user-friendly manner.”

Located directly on Gore Creek and just steps from world-famous skiing on Vail Mountain, the Vail Mountain Lodge is a boutique property featuring 28 hotel rooms, family suites, and two- and three-bedroom condominiums. Amenities at this premier resort include the Vail Athletic Club, The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, and Terra Bistro. Also debuting in January, 2010 is the Vitality Center™ at The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, which offers a new approach to comprehensive wellness in the Vail Valley.

“We are thrilled to launch this new affiliate relationship with Vail Mountain Lodge,” said Evan Julber,  FractionalExchange.com CEO. “We welcome the members of Vail Mountain Lodge to the FractionalExchange.com exchange network. We are excited that this agreement now provides our members an incredible vacation option within walking distance of one of the finest ski mountains in North America.”

About FractionalExchange.com
FractionalExchange.com is a global online owner-to-owner exchange network for owners of upscale vacation  residences and fractional properties. The company was established in 2008 by parent company Sierra Holdings, Incorporated, an Oregon Corporation with offices in Bend, Oregon, USA. Servers are located in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

About the Vail Mountain Lodge
The Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa features hotel rooms, family suites and condominiums in Vail Village, Colorado. Information about the Club may be obtained at http://www.vailmountainlodge or by calling (888) 794-0410.

John Farrow, President of Farrow Commercial Construction has recently become a member of the prestigious Chairman’s League of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

Chairman’s League members are called upon to provide insight into current industry issues and to help develop and guide association programs. Membership indicates a high level of commitment to the vacation ownership industry and provides direct contact with the ARDA Chairman and association president. Through an additional involvement with the industry trade association, John Farrow was recently named lead for the Regulatory sub-content group within ARDA’s Construction and Design Council, helping to advise members on construction and regulatory issues.

As part of his Chairman’s League involvement, Farrow Commercial will also be a sponsor of the March 14-18 annual convention in Las Vegas at The Venetian Hotel as well as a sponsor of RCI/AIF Golf Tournament held in conjunction with the same event.

Farrow Commercial Construction, Inc. of Santa Rosa, California, is a premier construction company, specializing in the hospitality and vacation ownership industries. In conjunction with its affiliate companies, Farrow has specialized in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance within its ADA Division for more than 15 years. The company is also highly respected for their commercial refurbishment, remodeling, and addition projects. Although 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 their newly designed website at www.FarrowCommercial.com

Robb & Stucky Interiors has been awarded a Silver award in the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Awards Program.  Selected from a field of international entries, Robb & Stucky’s design work at Bluegreen Corporation’s Casa Del Mar vacation ownership resort in Ormond Beach, Florida and the fractional Resort at MarinaVillage in Cape Coral, Florida were selected as finalists in the Resort Architecture and Interior Design categories. The top award winner will be announced at a Gala held in conjunction with ARDA’s annual convention in Las Vegas on March 17.

Robb & Stucky is one of North America’s largest home furnishings and interior design companies and highly respected for its design work with hospitality properties.

The Casa Del Mar Resort was a finalist in the Refurbishment category. Robb & Stucky’s senior designer Ron Nowfel, IDS, directed design work on a portion of the 118-unit high-rise property. Explains Nowfel, “We are understandably delighted to learn that we had been selected for this prestigious award. The Casa Del Mar Beach Resort was originally built as a hotel in the 70s. Our goal was to transform it to modern standards adding a sophisticated, timeless look. We accomplished this by custom designing and manufacturing a major portion of the furnishings to fit the differing unit sizes.”

A 30-year veteran designer, Nowfel has been designing hospitality properties for Robb & Stucky for the past decade and has worked on resorts from Scotland to Scottsdale. Amy Coslet, ASID, was also a designer on the Casa Del Mar project.

Robb & Stucky’s additional ARDA design prize was awarded in the Common Area category for their work at the Resort at MarinaVillage, a 19-story fractional and whole ownership property located within a $150 million waterfront resort complex. Led by Design Consultant Jan Wallace, the design team was responsible for all common resort areas including the lobby, with a unique two-story water feature and sweeping staircase as well as the check-in area, hallways, ballrooms lobby area, owners’ lounge, gym, and outdoor pool bar.  Wallace has been an award-winning designer with Robb & Stucky for nearly three decades.

Commented Dan Lubner, President Resort Division for Robb & Stucky Interiors,  “This was our first year to enter this competition; we are extremely pleased and honored by this important recognition from ARDA.”

Founded in 1915 in Fort Myers, Florida, Robb & Stucky Interiors is an internationally respected interior design and premier furnishings retailer with one of the nation’s largest team of licensed interior designers. In 2009, the company was named an Alliance Partner for the internationally respected Preferred Hotel Group, providing interior design services for Preferred Hotel Group’s 700+ member hotels, resorts and fractional properties in more than 70 countries. The Interval International vacation exchange company recently named Robb & Stucky to its prestigious Interval Affiliate Advantage program, making its design services available to Interval International member resorts.  For more information, visit www.RobbStucky.com

Luxury Fractional Property Joins The Quality Exchange Network

Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq:IILG), welcomes Firstlight The K Club in Ireland to its exchange network. On the grounds of The K Club Golf and Spa Resort in the beautiful County Kildare countryside 22 miles (35 km) from Dublin, Firstlight The K Club owners will benefit from full family membership of the K Club, including its two championship golf courses, venue of the 2006 Ryder Cup and host to the European Open from 1995 to 2007. The resort’s 550 acres (223 hectares) of parkland are laced with walking and cycling paths and also include a luxury AA Five Red Star hotel, country club amenities, and full service spa.

“Firstlight The K Club is a tremendous addition to Interval’s worldwide resort network,” said Darren Ettridge, vice president of resort sales and service for Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Interval International. “The K Club Golf and Spa Resort is world renowned for its spectacular setting and luxury amenities, including a pair of golf courses designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer that rank among Ireland’s finest. It sets a high standard as the first European fractional project launched under the Firstlight brand.”

The resort is set on a one mile (1.6 km) stretch of the River Liffey with an elegantly restored 19th century Georgian mansion, originally modelled after a French chateau, as its centrepiece. In 1991, the historic property was converted into a 36-room hotel and country club surrounded by the original Palmer golf course. Since then, a second course – the Palmer Smurfit course, was developed, along with an additional 33 rooms and suites, a second clubhouse, and full-service spa and leisure centre. Plans call for the acquisition of approximately 30 ready-to-occupy luxury apartments and detached homes in a residential development called Ladycastle.

“As we believe we are destined to become one of the most exclusive and successful private residence clubs of its kind in Europe, it was important for Firstlight The K Club to be able to offer an unparalleled exchange programme for our owners,” said Matthew Spence, managing director of Firstlight International (Europe). “We chose Interval International, as its platform provides immediate access to a unique portfolio of quality resorts worldwide, within a completely managed and user-friendly programme. At Firstlight, we are committed to providing only the best for our owners and we have found that Interval very much reflects this standard.”

Members purchasing six-week shares of spacious and stylishly appointed two- and three-bedroom apartments (from 1,215 to 1,980 square feet or 113 to 184 square metres) and three- and four-bedroom houses (from 2,200 to 3,800 square feet or 204 to 353 square metres) will have full access to the amenities offered by The K Club Golf and Spa Resort. In addition to world-class golf, there is a spa with eight treatment rooms, a 54 foot (16.5 metre) pool, Pilates studio, gym with personal trainers, poolside Jacuzzi, and outdoor hot tub.

There are three restaurants on site in the hotel and the Palmer clubhouse. The clubhouse for the second (Smurfit) golf course is to form the central hub of Firstlight The K Club’s private residence club with food, beverage, and guest services. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, clay pigeon shooting, and horseback riding on resort grounds.

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.

FractionalExchange.com has announced that the Teton Club of Jackson Hole, Wyoming has selected FractionalExchange.com for its member to member exchange requirements.” The Teton Club joins Rocky Mountain resorts The Hemingways, The Deer Valley Club and Vail Mountain Lodge in affiliating with FractionalExchange.com.

Located at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, this true ski-in, ski-out resort offers twoand three-bedroom residences. While in residence, members also enjoy access to Teton Pines Resort and Country Club.

Due to a lack of developable land in the Jackson Hole area, prices for quality real estate remain high even in today’s economic climate. Fractional ownership at the Teton Club Private Residences provides a prime solution for part-time vacation residence in the area and now, through FractionalExchange.com, allows its members to enjoy the flexibility of member-tomember exchange with other exclusive resorts throughout the United States and beyond.

“All of us at the Teton Club are looking forward to providing this exciting benefit to our members. We anticipate it will greatly enhance their vacation experience,” said Steven Michel, General Manager of Teton Club.

Paul Nabor, Director of Sales for FractionalExchange.com, states “Having the Teton Club partner with FractionalExchange.com opens exchange options to a Premier Residence Club in a location that is second to none. I am delighted to be able to assist these owners with their exchanges as I have in the past.”

FractionalExchange.com Gold membership services will be extended to all 400 of the Teton Club’s Premier Residence Club members. Evan Julber, FractionalExchange.com CEO says “This new relationship with the Teton Club allows our members access to one of the most prestigious fractional properties in the West, and conversely, the Teton Club members now have access to all properties on FractionalExchange.com. We are very pleased to have them as an affiliate.”

For additional information regarding this release and the services of FractionalExchange.com, visit http://www.fractionalexchange.com or contact Evan Julber at 541.306.3180.

About FractionalExchange.com
FractionalExchange.com is an online owner-to-owner exchange network for owners of vacation residences and fractional properties. The company was established in 2008 by parent company Sierra Holdings, Incorporated, an Oregon Corporation with offices in Bend, Oregon, USA. Servers are located in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

About Teton Club
The Teton Club is a private residence club located at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, offering from two to twelve weeks fractional interest purchase. Information about the Club may be obtained at http://www.tetonclub.com or by calling (307) 734-9777.

Massanutten Resort, one of the largest resorts in the Mid-Atlantic with over 2,400 units (and growing), and TimeShareWare, the industry leader in providing technology solutions to the shared-ownership, mixed-use resort industry, are pleased to announce the selection of the TimeShareWare Enterprise solution at Massanutten Resort. TimeShareWare Enterprise will replace a custom software system at Massanutten Resort and will manage the owner contracts, accounts receivable, property management, and web services for the Resort. Massanutten Resort also contracted for multiple hospitality interfaces such as credit card, call posting, PBX, POS, key card, and video billing. In addition, they are installing the TimeShareWare RCI interface to seamlessly manage exchange reservations and the RCI membership status of their owners.

Mak Koebig, VP of Massanutten Resort, says every department was involved in selecting the new software. “We did extensive due diligence before choosing a software system for Massanutten Resort. We weren’t just looking for software; we were looking for a company that could partner with us for a long-term relationship. We needed a company that understood our business and matched our culture of providing the highest quality products backed by outstanding customer service.”

Koebig continued, “We narrowed down the available vendors and spent weeks in user experiences, allowing our users to test TimeShareWare’s software against our requirements. TimeShareWare was the clear technology winner, not only in features and functionality, but in ease-of-use and reporting capabilities as well. Our visit to the TimeShareWare corporate office in Utah confirmed that TimeShareWare is the right choice for Massanutten Resort. We’ve begun the implementation process and we couldn’t be happier!”

Bill Ochs, Information Systems Manager, says Massanutten Resort studied TimeShareWare carefully before making a decision. “Massanutten Resort is a large resort with over 2,400 timeshare sides. We found that we needed more features in our property management system than our current software could offer in the foreseeable future. However, due to our highly complex business needs, we didn’t believe that any third-party software could possibly replace the system we have been building in-house for the last 10 years. So we investigated the available systems very carefully – even tediously – among all of our various departments. We found that TimeShareWare not only addresses our needs, but does so in such a robust fashion that our staff has unanimously and adamantly chosen TimeShareWare over all the other vendors to be our new property management system.”

Candace Vigil, Business Development Manager at TimeShareWare, said working with Massanutten Resort has been an exhilarating experience. “They really put us through our paces as we analyzed their requirements. We are especially pleased to be able to offer Massanutten Resort the advanced maintenance and housekeeping features they need. They will also capture tremendous value from the point-of-sale interfaces with the ski resort, restaurants, and WaterPark.”

Allen Rice, Chief Marketing Officer of TimeShareWare, said TimeShareWare is pleased to be working with such a prestigious organization as Massanutten Resort. “This project gives us the opportunity to showcase how well our platform and products can accommodate all types of resorts. Massanutten Resort chose TimeShareWare to meet their sophisticated requirements, validating the superior technology provided by our platform.”

About Massanutten Resort
Great Eastern Resort Associates and Great Eastern Resort Corporation (parent companies of Massanutten Resort) were created in 1984 by industry leaders C. Dice Hammer and the late Jim Lambert. For more than 30 years, Massanutten Resort has welcomed vacationers as they experience the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. From Massanutten Peak, you can gaze out over panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounding valley.

If you enjoy skiing, golfing, swimming, hiking or just relaxing, Massanutten Resort is the perfect family vacation location. Being a four-season resort means there are things to do all year.

For more information about Massanutten Resort, please visit their website at www.massresort.com.

About TimeShareWare
TimeShareWare provides the most advanced resort technology in the industry and has created a state-of-the-art software platform to provide best-of-breed, superior software solutions to shared-ownership, mixed use resorts around the world. Since 1993, TimeShareWare serves all sizes and types of vacation ownership associations, fractional ownership properties, and timeshare resorts including multi-site, single-site, and points-based clubs. The advanced technology provides critical functionality to the Vacation Ownership, Vacation Club, and Vacation Rentals industries. The TimeShareWare software platform includes solutions for lead and tour management, contract processing, sales and marketing, owner accounting, loan servicing, property management, reservations, and web-based owner servicing.

CondotelWare is the first full-service software solution designed specifically for condominium residences and hotels. The software helps owners and operators master all aspects of condo-hotel/residence management and administration, including owner accounting, billing, rental rotation, inventory management, reservations, owner relations, reporting, and more.

For more about TimeShareWare, please visit their website at: www.timeshareware.com

Resort Real Estate Event for the Fractional Interest Industry To Focus on Improving Business Performance in a Transitional Economy

Registration is now open for the 2010 Ragatz Associates Tenth Annual Fractional Interest Conference, a highly anticipated annual forum which will discuss recent and anticipated influences affecting this unique resort real estate industry. The conference is scheduled for March 29-31 at The Fairmont San Francisco and will be co-hosted by The Registry Collection.

“While the recent financial crisis has affected every element of the real estate market, in the long term, shared-ownership products such as fractional interests are likely to be the first to rebound,” says consulting veteran Richard Ragatz, Ph.D. and event host. “The key is for the development community to be prepared and properly positioned for the turnaround, which is certain to come.”

Like many experts in the resort real estate industry, Ragatz believes that today’s affluent consumer is becoming increasingly in sync with “green” influences – purchasing only the amount of vacation time they can personally use and financially afford.

Attending this year’s conference is critical to companies currently in the fractional interest industry along with those considering entering this highly specialized field. Conference attendees will learn how some companies continue to make sales in a transitional economy, as well as innovative marketing and sales strategies.  With many troubled whole-ownership resort real estate projects throughout the U.S. today, it is critical for developers of these projects to understand whether their project is appropriate for fractional interests. Ragatz says that his conference will respond to such concerns.

The 2010 conference will emphasize conducting business in the fractional interest industry in today’s economy.  Critical topics of discussion will include:
•    Are troubled whole-ownership resort developments appropriate for fractional interests?
•    The search for financing
•    Innovative marketing and sales strategies in a transitional economy
•    How affluent consumers make decisions in times of economic uncertainty
•    Insights and advice from industry experts

The conference should be of major interest to companies already in the fractional interest industry (including private residence clubs and destination clubs), and especially to companies considering entering the industry.  As in the past nine conferences, included will be formal presentations, panel discussions, and a series of small group break-out sessions. Last year’s conference attracted 450 participants from over 30 states and 12 countries.

The March 2010 conference will feature presentations from over 60 speakers, including representatives from the land development, hotel, finance, legal, internet and public media industries.  Speakers include representatives of Hyatt, Fairmont, Timbers Resorts, Preferred Residences, Ward Financial, Life Rich Real Estate, The Registry Collection, The Harrison Group, East West Partners, and the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).  A special luncheon speaker will be Ralph Bowden of Bowden’s Market Barometer.

Results from the 2010 Edition of Ragatz Associates State of the Fractional Interest Industry will be presented, describing current conditions of the industry in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Current research on affluent consumers also will be presented.

Some 25 companies are again supporting the conference at various sponsorship levels. Platinum sponsors include Ballard Spahr, Baker Hostetler, Timbers Resorts and Preferred Residences. Gold level sponsors include ARDA, Weinstock & Scavo, Greenberg Traurig, and Robb & Stucky Interiors.

Registration for the conference is $850. For groups of two the fee is $750 each and for three or more it is $700 each. To make hotel reservations by phone, call 1-800-441-1414, and mention that you are attending the Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference to receive the discounted rate.

For questions and registration information, visit www.ragatzassociates.com, or contact Sarah Winter at 541-686-9335 or info@ragatzassociates.com.

About Ragatz Associates
Ragatz Associates is internationally recognized as the leading consulting and market research firm in the resort real estate industry. The firm has conducted more than 2,500 studies in over 70 countries since its formation in 1974. It specializes in feasibility analysis and consumer research.

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Starwood Hotels’ Largest Brand Initiates a Strategic Worldwide Expansion Adding Roughly 50 Hotels and more than 20,000 Guestrooms in the Next Three YearsBrand will Nearly Double Footprint in China – 24 New Hotels in Pipeline

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today that its global powerhouse, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, is increasing its worldwide footprint through a strategic expansion that will add approximately 50 new hotels and over 20,000 rooms to the brand over the next three years.

Starwood and its partners are investing more than $4 billion in new hotel openings across four continents – a development effort that follows the recent three-year, multi-billion dollar revitalization of its iconic brand and guest experience. As Starwood’s largest and most global brand, Sheraton currently boasts more than 400 hotels in 70 countries with 92% global awareness among business travelers – the highest of any hotel brand in the world.

Beginning in 2010, the brand will open roughly 50 new hotels over three years in 15 countries, including the United States, Colombia, India, Russia, Slovakia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Sheraton – the largest international upper-upscale hotel brand in China – will nearly double its footprint in the country with the addition of 28 stunning new properties, including the Sheraton Shanghai Hong Kou Hotel, Sheraton Qingdao and Sheraton Huadu Resort , bringing its total number of hotels there to 50. The brand will also add 10 new resorts to its renowned portfolio, expand its footprint in New York City with new properties in Brooklyn and Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood and open several new convention hotels.

“Looking ahead, we continue to grow the Sheraton brand’s already robust presence globally by working with our proven development partners to ensure we have best-in-class properties wherever our guests want to travel,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood. “Increasingly, we are seeing demand and growth opportunities for new hotels in fast-growing international markets like China and India. In addition, as transaction activity increases in more mature markets throughout North America and Europe we expect to see a number of high quality conversion opportunities to be realized, especially in light of the successful completion of the brand’s global revitalization.”

As the economy rebounds, the hotel industry is gearing up for a significant influx of new international travelers from emerging markets. By 2015, 400 million Chinese and Indians will have sufficient incomes to travel abroad – for perspective that is seven times the number of international travelers who visited the United States last year. 1 That bodes well for Sheraton, which has a reputation as the leading hotel brand in international markets.

“Over the past three years, Sheraton has successfully revitalized one of the hotel industry’s most iconic brands and now we’re sustaining the momentum with an ambitious worldwide expansion,” said Hoyt H. Harper II, Senior Vice President for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. “Sheraton has historically been one of the first Western hotels to enter developing markets and when travelers from China and other emerging markets increase their travel internationally, they will stay with hotel brands they know from home. To ensure Sheraton was poised to dominate both domestically and internationally we invested $6 billion globally – $4 billion in North America alone – to ensure a consistent, exceptional guest experience across our portfolio.”

Last year, Sheraton completed a three-year, multi-billion global brand overhaul that encompassed more than $4 billion in new hotels, renovations and signature brand initiatives in North America and another $2 billion in new hotels overseas. Highlights included:

* 70,000 new or newly renovated guestrooms — 50,000 in North America alone
* More than 300 new lobbies featuring the brand’s innovative Link@SheratonSM experienced with Microsoft(R)
* More than 100,000 brand new Sheraton Sweet Sleeper all-white, high thread count beds in 211 hotels and 83,000 guestrooms worldwide
* 98 renovated properties, nearly half of Sheraton’s North American portfolio, including high profile gateway properties like the Sheraton Denver, Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Sheraton Waikiki.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 992 properties in nearly 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Méridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft(R), and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Newly-flagged property is former Oasis Marien Vacation Club, Puerto Plata

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club (LHVC), located in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, announces its second property launch as part of its strategic alliance with Spain-based Globalia Corporation taking over sales of the former Oasis Marien Vacation Club, which was part of the Grand Oasis Marien Resort located on Costa Dorada, Puerto Plata.  The new joint product will be called Dream Suites by Lifestyle, and will feature 21 two bedroom lock-offs.

The Dream Suites by Lifestyle property includes five restaurants, three bars, two adult swimming pools, one children’s pool, a children’s Mini Club, fitness center and spa, nightly entertainment and nearby championship golf, as well as enjoying a beautiful ocean beach., and LHVC members will have access to this  resort ‘s accommodations and amenities.

“We are excited about our growing relationship with Globalia and the opportunity to expand our product offering and vacation experiences for our Members and guests,” said Markus Wischenbart, President of Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club.  “We know that, together with Globalia, this newest addition to our Resort Collection by Lifestyle will be an overwhelming success.”

Globalia Corporation is a leading travel and leisure conglomerate in Spain, owning and operating leading travel companies such as Air Europa, Oasis Hotels & Resorts, Travelplan, Iberrail, and call centers, technology and graphic art businesses.

In addition to Dream Suites by Lifestyle, the Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club encompasses the following resorts: The Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort with four distinct developments; The Tropical, The Crown Suites, The Crown Villas, and The Residence Suites; as well as Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle; The Presidential Suites by Lifestyle, Costa Esmeralda by Lifestyle, The Level by Lifestyle, and Lifestyle Samana.

From hotel accommodations to stand alone villas, LHVC provides all members with a unique V.I.P concept with access to “members only” facilities such as restaurants, bars, swimming pools, exclusive beach areas, as well as golf carts, limousine transfers and helicopter tours.

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club members, guests and families have a wide variety of activities available in the Dominican Republic’s North Coast.  Next door is the Ocean World Adventure Park with daily animal and aquatic shows plus its signature night-time Las Vegas style show, Bravissimo and Casino.  Other area activities include a cable car ride to the peak of Mount Isabella de Torres, white water rafting, horseback riding, deep sea fishing, boating, snorkeling, monster truck safaris and city tours of Puerto Plata, named one of the 53 best destinations in the world by The New York Times.  For more Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club info., go to www.lifestyleholidaysvc.com or call (809) 970-7777.

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IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) today announced the company’s 1st half year results with a loss of KD 4,968,422 million (US$ 17,372,712 million). Shareholders’ equity of KD 66,129,532 million (US$ 231,230,225 million) compared to KD 66,893,521 million (US$ 244,851,834 million) for the same period last year. The company’s total assets have increased 18% to KD 393,147,155 million (US$ 1,374,688,468).

Ibrahim S. Al-Therban, Chairman of IFA HR, stated: “The new recommendations of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) that are adopted by the company have had an impact on the revenue in comparison to the previously applied methods, where the methodology of Company income is based on the percentage of project completed.”

The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) applications, might have a negative effect on the company results in the short term, however it will enhance the company’s transparency policy and enables shareholders and investors to understand and compare financial information for companies around the globe.

“The first half of this year has witnessed the launch of a selection of IFA HR luxury properties which include three Private Residence Clubs in Thailand covering Bangkok, Pattaya & Phuket as part of our expansions in the Asian market as well as the launch of the second hotel condominium ownership product in the Middle East, the Fairmont Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Further projects such a Fairmont Residence-Palm Jumeirah(Dubai) and Al-Abadiyah Hills in Lebanon  are in their final stages of development which will be completed in the second half of this year.” added Talal Jassim Al-Bahar, Vice Chairman and CEO of IFA HR. .

The launch of three new Thai-based Private Residence Clubs comes as part of IFA HR’s expansion plans in the Asian market due to its high potential for unique real estate products.  The Heights Private Residence Club in Phuket, Northpoint Private Residence Club in Pattaya and The River Private Residence Club in Bangkok are developed by luxury condominium developer Raimon Land in which IFA HR has a 41.07% stake.

IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) launched its second hotel condominium ownership product in the Middle East. Situated within the five-star Fairmont Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai, the new offering is of particular interest to investors wishing to diversify their property portfolio with a unique real estate option that combines both the business of guaranteed rental returns and strong capital growth potential with the pleasure of a hassle-free vacation property
Al-Bahar concluded: “The focus in the remaining part of the year will be on completing and delivering our existing projects according to our strategic plan. We will also continue the search for unique investment opportunities that will maximize our shareholders returns. We are looking forward for a better result in the second half of the year.”