Homestead Preserve: Historic Luxury In The Heart Of Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains

Homestead Preserve, the resort residential community adjacent to The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, now offers Charter Home Club membership.

Situated in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains in the historic resort town of Hot Springs, Homestead Preserve is a unique, conservation-based community designed to reflect the architectural heritage and preserve the natural landscape of Bath County, Virginia. This region, long known for its healing warm springs, is located on one of the last extensive pristine areas of southern Appalachian landscape in the U.S. Homestead Preserve borders both The Nature Conservancy’s Warm Springs Mountain Preserve and the George Washington National Forest.

Adjacent to The Homestead, the landmark resort established in 1766, Homestead Preserve offers all of its owners membership in The Homestead Golf and Tennis Club, giving them access to three championship golf courses, tennis, equestrian activities, spa treatments, skeet shooting, and a host of other amenities.

Homestead Preserve is located on 2,300 acres of rolling pasture, quiet woods, and wide-open vistas along the western slope of Warm Springs Mountain and in the Warm Springs Valley. The community will consist of a maximum of 450 homes at build-out on home sites ranging in size from ½ to 13 acres.

More than 150 home sites have been sold since the community launched in 2005, and to date, 19 homes have been built with more under construction. Some of these homes will be available for fractional ownership through Homestead Preserve’s newly established Charter Home Club. The Charter Home Club provides the opportunity for owners to have shared use of a newly built, fully furnished second-home residence with the purchase of a home site.

Membership in The Homestead’s Golf & Tennis Club is available to all owners. It also includes use of Homestead Preserve’s many owner amenities, among them the Old Dairy Community Center, a restored 1920s agricultural complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places that now houses a pool, spa facilities, fitness center, meeting space, and local market. Homestead Preserve recently completed construction on the first phase of its equestrian center where owners can board their horses. There are
miles of riding and hiking trails throughout the Preserve and on adjacent Homestead and Nature Conservancy land.

“Last year we conducted surveys of our prospective buyers,” says Homestead Preserve’s Director of Sales Ian McIlvaine, “and we found that over 40% of respondents didn’t plan to build at Homestead Preserve for at least five years.” Only a handful indicated they’d be ready to build immediately. Nevertheless, many of those who said they weren’t ready to build their second or retirement home right away still wanted the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the Homestead Preserve lifestyle in the interim.

“That’s how we conceived the Charter Home Club,” explains Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “We wanted to give our buyers what they were asking for—the opportunity to own at Homestead Preserve and experience the life here without the immediate expense and challenges of building.” Many prospective buyers also said they were looking to spend less than $1.5 million. The Charter Home program offers ownership at Homestead Preserve for as little as $500,000.

The Charter Home Club is unique in the respect that it not only offers families fractional ownership in a fully furnished home and access to luxury resort amenities but also gives them a home site of their own choosing in an award-winning resort community.

Last year Homestead Preserve was named one of the Top 100 Real Estate Developments in the World by Travel & Leisure magazine. “Those who want to buy at Homestead Preserve but aren’t ready to build can get into the community now at today’s market prices, enjoy its amenities, and build later,” explains McIlvaine. “It’s an excellent opportunity.”

Charter Home Club members will enjoy the same architecturally historic residences that other Homestead Preserve owners do. Among these residences are the community’s new antique log cabin series, the first two of which were completed this summer. Both are antique log cabins built to emulate the historic mountain style so common to Bath County, Virginia. Constructed of more than 100-year-old, reclaimed oak logs from cabins in West Virginia and Canada, these rustic cabins are rich with history.

John Airgood, who supervised construction of the two cabins, says, “They strike a chord. The houses just fit here, and they have a story.”

He couldn’t have put things more accurately. When visitors approach the first cabin near the fieldstone pumphouse at the entrance to Homestead Preserve’s Sheep Meadow neighborhood, it’s hardly noticeable. It looks as if it has always been there with its sturdy, worn logs and solid stone foundation and chimney. The home also features reclaimed oak floors, a native fieldstone fireplace and foundation, as well as a shake and standing seam metal roof.

Both antique log cabins reflect one of the primary commitments of Homestead Preserve—to build homes that blend into the landscape and history of this special region. They also remind visitors of the importance of good design, design that considers not just the people living in a home, but the environment that surrounds it.

“The antique log cabin style gives us the opportunity to pay homage to the pioneers who first settled Bath County,” says Airgood, “while also allowing us to continue our environmental commitment through reusing already existing lumber and native materials.”

Homestead Preserve began exhibiting its environmental commitment long before a single home was built in the community, however. The community’s developers, Celebration Associates based out of Charlottesville, Virginia, elected to preserve the natural landscape of the area right from the start. Of their original 11,500-acre purchase in 2002, they elected to sell 9,250 acres on and around Warm Springs Mountain to The Nature Conservancy and, in October 2004, placed an additional 935 acres into permanent conservation easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.

The developers have also established a “building envelope” on each individual home site to further protect the integrity of the landscape. These actions will insure that no more than 325 acres, or less than 3% of the original 11,500-acres purchased, will ever be affected by development.

While many developers make cursory nods to conservation by putting a few dozen acres in “green space,” Celebration Associates has a long history of developing communities that demonstrate a real and lasting commitment to environmental stewardship. Celebration Associates founding partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren both made their mark on conservation development and New Urbanism, helping spawn a nationwide trend, when they led planning and design of the town of Celebration, Florida in the mid 1990s.

Currently, the partners are at work on new conservation communities up and down the East Coast, including Bundoran Farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. A 2,300-acre working farm, Bundoran will remain largely intact with over 90% of its acreage protected from development for perpetuity. Bundoran Farm is one of only 47 members worldwide of Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Program.

Celebration Associates is also involved in the development of a mixed-use, master-planned community adjacent to the landmark Mount ashington Resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where 600 acres of a 922-acre landscape will be left to the course of nature.

“We hope our communities will set an example,” says Adams, “and show that when developers emphasize preservation, they actually enhance the value of their property. We’re not only preserving natural landscapes for future generations, we’re satisfying a desire that families have to be in a place where natural heritage still has meaning.”

The historic style of the antique log cabins available through Homestead Preserve’s Charter Home Club is part of that larger picture of environmental stewardship and respect for local heritage. All of the house patterns available to Homestead Preserve property owners reflect more than four years of extensive architectural research into the design elements and styles of homes historically found in western Virginia and are outlined in Homestead Preserve’s unique Pattern Book for use by building architects, landscape architects, and contractors.

Homes of this region were typically designed with the constraints and benefits of their sites in mind, and Homestead Preserve homes demonstrate that same kind of attention to the natural landscape. They are built with materials that reflect both the native products of this region and the historic building materials of Bath County, including wood siding, stone, brick, stucco, cedar shake, and slate as well as approved composite materials that emulate the look of these natural building products. Landscaping around Homestead
Preserve homes also reflects the natural heritage of Bath County by minimizing disturbance of the existing environment and featuring mainly native flora and fauna.

Four main architectural styles are visible in Homestead Preserve—Highlands Classical, Highlands Arts and Crafts, English Romantic, and Highlands Farmhouse. The antique log cabins are part of the Highlands Farmhouse portfolio.

Each time someone purchases a home or home site at Homestead Preserve, including purchase of a Charter Home Club membership, a portion of the purchase price goes to funding Homestead Preserve’s nonprofit foundation, the Virginia Hot Springs Preservation Trust. The trust provides grants for area environmental educational programs, preservation of local historic structures, and a variety of local conservation, research, and management efforts.

For more information on Homestead Preserve’s Charter Home Club or to schedule a tour, please call 877-224- 9477, or visit the community online at www.homesteadpreserve.com.

Riding Out The Storm With The Karma Royal Group

When entrepreneurial Chairman John Spence founded what is now the Karma Royal Group, 15 years ago, he made 2 vows to himself.

Firstly that the company should remain independent and secondly it would not rely on outside finance.

KRG operates a thriving timeshare, real estate development business and Resort management operations with 16 Resort projects under its belt across the Asia region. To the amazement of bankers and those who move in financial circles, this has all been achieved without debt.

Over the years, various companies have approached KRG with a view to using it as their platform into the Asia Pacific region but John Spence has resolutely held out against the Group being swallowed by one of the big brands.

When we met John Spence in Singapore recently he was brimming over with confidence and enthusiasm. Quite a contrast to most CEOs in our industry who on the contrary are fearful of what the future holds given the worldwide economic downturn.

“I see recession as being an opportunity for the group” said John Spence, “a lot of companies have come into our business believing that Sales and Marketing is easier and less expensive than they had found it to be, their original high hopes have been dashed by their performance on the ground and to add to their plight, we now have recession and economic downturn. Likewise in the real estate field, there are lots of people who have great lands and big plans but now don’t have the access to the funds that they were hoping for to
develop the properties.”

John has earned a reputation for being someone ahead of the times and whereas other companies are planning to scale down, Karma Royal Group is expanding!

John takes up the story, “In the last couple of months, we have received more approaches for Joint venture partnership than I can hitherto remember. Some of these are really exciting. We are currently looking at opportunities in the Maldives, Philippines, Fiji and Thailand. All of these deals represent opportunities for us that would not have come along in the bull market.”

Such is John’s confidence that he has recently announced high level appointments promoting from within his ranks a new Sales Director and bringing in a Group wide Marketing Director.

A further sign of this confidence is the appointment to the newly created position of Acquisition Manager of Colin Purchase. Colin is a South African with many years of experience heading up mergers and acquisition teams in the corporate world.

A typical opportunity for collaboration is the following scenario. The Developer (usually private individuals) own the land. They have the permits to allow them to develop. Their plan had been to raise a bank loan to fund the construction and they would makes sales themselves or through estate agents. However the economic down turn has eroded their confidence as to their ability to make the sales and secondly the credit crisis means that the bank is not willing to support the project.

Karma Developments can help this developer in various ways. First is Karma’s model of making sales. With its sales expertise, it’s huge databases, its established and proven practice of hosting “Karma Awareness Parties” worldwide, its international network of Ambassadors (typically leading sports figures from the world of Rugby – (Karma sponsors several of England’s finest 15 Rugby players). Karma can give the Developer comfort in that his product is being marketed professionally.

Karma would in this scenario take over the sales and marketing process and its contribution in the JV would be to develop the project. A headache solved for the developer.

Plus Karma offers one further comfort for the would be Developer – Management. All Karma Resorts are luxury 5 star standard and all resorts are associated with Leading Hotels of the World. Karma has the expertise to manage the property after the construction is complete. Again Karma provides an answer to the question the Developer faces – who will manage my resort.

On the Timeshare front the typical arrangement John Spence is comfortable with is entirely into what is termed A Strategic Alliance. Under such an arrangement it’s normal for Royal Resorts (Karma’s Royal Group’s timeshare division) and the Developer to form a new Points Club and both put their products into it. Royal has vast experience, software and resources to manage the club.Royal’s database is used to supply leads
to the Resort and Royal establishes a high powered In House sales division. This formula has already been highly successful with several companies.

Karma Royal Group
If any land owners or timeshare developers are struggling then this is definitely the time to contact Karma Royal Group at info@karmadevelopments.com Karma is also recruiting at all levels and if you are interested in a career with Karma Royal Group, contact Mark Attwood, Group Sales and Marketing Director on royalmark01@hotmail.com

Lote Joins The Club … Just In Time For A Walk In The Park

Accor Vacation Club is proud to announce the addition of Lote Tuqiri as an Official Club Ambassador, sharing this pivotal promotional role with current Ambassador Ernie Dingo.

Lote’s signing means that Accor Vacation Club now has two of Australia’s most recognisable faces promoting membership in their holiday ownership Club.

Ernie Dingo AM is a household name in Australia thanks to his work as an actor, television host, reporter and comedian. His popularity assured his role as narrator for the indigenous segment of Sydney’s Olympic Games opening ceremony in 2000. Known for his passionate support for the Australian Football League’s West Coast Eagles (having been the #1 ticket holder), a devoted basketball supporter and armchair sports
lover, he’s welcomed the rugby playing Lote into the team with open arms.

The Fijian born Tuqiri rose to fame playing rugby league for the Brisbane Broncos, and has cemented his place as one of rugby union’s true superstars having amassed 250 points in Super and Test Rugby since his debut in 2003. Lote notched up his 50th try in the Wallabies quarter final loss to England at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he fulfilled his childhood dream of playing in a World Cup.His next dream is to go one step further and be in the winning team in 2011.

The use of celebrity Ambassadors such as Ernie and Lote is not new to the marketing community, as they help to quickly establish brand credibility, thanks to the association customers make with well-known figures. Both Ernie and Lote were carefully selected as they share a number of personal traits that make them perfect matches with Accor Vacation Club, including their love of family and respect for personal values.

These two ethos are central to the first hotel-branded holiday ownership club in the Asia Pacific, with families making up the majority of the Club’s 25,000 plus membership base.

With 20 Club Properties across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, members of the points-based Accor Vacation Club are able to take their families to a wide variety of experiential destinations: from snow to surf, tropical to cellar door, city heart to wilderness.

The newest addition to the portfolio, opened in July 2008, is the Grand Mercure Apartments Heritage Park, Bowral, constructed within a residential community development in the Southern Highlands district of New South Wales; a mere 126 kilometres from Sydney.

The newly constructed two-storey building consist of studio, one and two bedroom apartments, all of which are fitted out with full kitchen facilities (studios feature kitchenettes), wireless internet, a private balcony and a gas fireplace.

The family friendly design of Accor Vacation Club’s apartments are a well known feature, and are quite often a surprise to travellers Lote joins the Club … just in time for a walk in the Park discovering the Club for the first time. Members are especially surprised at the size of the accommodation and wide open spaces in
the Grand Mercure Apartments Flinders Lane – something you don’t expect in the heart of a cosmopolitan city like Melbourne.

A surprise for many international timeshare industry workers is that the Club’s operator is part of the Accor Hospitality Group, which is the European leader and a major global group in hotels, as well as the global leader in services to corporate clients and public institutions, which operates in nearly 100 countries with 150,000 employees.

Accor Hospitality’s brands include Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6, representing 4,000 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenôtre. In fact, the Accor Hospitality Group is the largest and fastest growing hotel management group in the Pacific Region.

Owners Look To Leffler & Heaney To Perform Quality And Timely Renovations

Snapshot of Leffler & Heaney, Inc.

Founded: 1986
Owners: Sean Heaney & Tim Leffler
Headquartered: Orlando, Florida
Industries Serviced: Vacation Ownership, Hospitality, Apartments and Condominiums
Geographic Coverage: National
Employees: 30
Business: General contractors specializing in multifamily and hospitality renovations
Clients: Starwood Resorts, Hilton, AIMCO, Hospitality, Apartments and Condominiums Northwestern Mutual, Camden Residential and many more

Background of Leffler & Heaney, Inc.
Beginning as a Tampa-based painting and waterproofing company in 1986, the company worked closely with multifamily management companies, general contractors and subcontractors on many of Central Florida’s apartment and condominium renovations. With different facets of construction all taking place on a building in the same time frame, there became an obvious need for a construction manager with multifamily renovation experience to oversee and streamline the renovation process so that projects could be completed in a cost effective, efficient and professional manner. Identifying this need, the company grew into a general contracting firm managing multimillion dollar multifamily renovations for the nation’s leading owners and managers.

With a thorough understanding of multifamily construction and renovation, the company quickly grew in size and began expanding beyond the Central Florida region, delivering unparallel customer service and quality construction nationwide. Through the years, the company has established a credible reputation as the industry’s leading multifamily renovation contractor, providing timely and sound construction solutions on a wide range of projects with many different requirements.

Leffler & Heaney, Inc. also has become widely recognized for their water intrusion and construction defect experience. With many of their projects revealing rot and water intrusion underneath the buildings’ exterior, the company began working in conjunction with architects and waterproofing consultants to develop numerous customized solutions for properties that not only tackle existing structural water intrusion problems but also ensure that damages do not recur.

In the past 22 years, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. has completed more than 500 renovation projects in the multifamily and hospitality industries. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the company has 30 employees and has the ability to provide its renowned renovation solutions to companies throughout the United States. As a company dedicated to its customers, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. always stays focused on helping their clients achieve their property renovation goals. In turn, their company focus along with their guiding principle of “Understanding Needs, Providing Solutions” has led to their success.

L & H’s Principle Guideline: Understanding Needs, Providing Solutions

Understanding Needs: Performing multimillion dollar renovations takes expertise, experience and understanding. With more than 20 years of experience, we pride ourselves in our ability to identify, understand and respond to the needs of our clients.

Providing Solutions: We recognize that every project is unique. As a result, we provide our clients with customized turnkey solutions tailor made to the individual project requirements. Our thorough analysis and deep understanding of each project results in a soundproof and cost effective solution designed to meet your property’s needs.

Behind the Scenes
Privately owned and operated by Sean Heaney and Tim Leffler, the company’s strong reputation and growth can be contributed to their team based management style and operational expertise. With each new project, an experienced team of project managers and superintendents are assembled to oversee day-to-day activities at the job site and ensure quality work is performed. While these management level employees are all capable and encouraged to make decisions on their projects, Mr. Heaney and Mr. Leffler stay in
contact with each client and institute an open door communication policy to offer employees guidance and input. This approach has trickled down and continues to keep the company’s renovation projects running smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, hiring experienced employees and subcontractors on all levels has also supported the company’s growth efforts.

Beyond their management style, Mr. Heaney and Mr. Leffler are at the forefront of their respective fields in the construction industry. With a B.S. degree in Construction Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Mr. Heaney has more than 20 years of construction experience and is a licensed general contractor in multiple states. Prior to forming Leffler & Heaney, Inc., he most recently served as Vice President of Blazer Builders. Also possessing more than 20 years of construction experience, Mr. Leffler has
owned and operated numerous successful painting and waterproofing companies in Ohio and Florida that have serviced the multifamily industry through the years.

Because of their established reputation as a leading general contractor, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. has developed long term relationships with some of the industries most well regarded subcontractors. As such, the company takes pride in hiring the industry’s best to ensure all construction projects have been completed adhering to the highest standards of quality.

Timeshares, Apartments and More
Since their inception, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. has always focused on multifamily renovations. With their streamlined renovation procedures, they have become nationally recognized as the general contractor the industry trusts to performcomplex renovations in record time with minimal disruption to residents. “Combined with solution driven methods, top-of-the-line customer service and quality construction, the benefit Leffler & Heaney offers to our communities is clearly unparalleled,” says Chuck Russell, Senior Director of Construction for AIMCO. Long term customer satisfaction has provided the company with continued success, a strong referral base and an outstanding reputation that the company has used to grow and expand their client base into the hospitality industry.

In the past two years, the company began offering its renovation services to hotels and timeshare communities. Like the multifamily industry, the hospitality industry also values performing property upgrades in a time sensitive manner without interrupting their guests’ experience. In addition, timeshare and hotel renovations require the same attention to detail and organization. Leffler & Heaney’s long history in the multifamily industry has allowed them to apply their same high standards and approach to the area’s resorts – providing the company with an opportunity to play on their competitive edge, grow their clientele and develop a reputation in the hospitality world.

Most recently, Starwood Hotels and Resorts hired Leffler & Heaney, Inc. to provide construction management services at their Sheraton Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The company is completing a complete interior renovation as well as an exterior repaint. Once the project is complete, the resort will boast all new cabinets, flooring, fixtures, furnishings and paint. Leffler & Heaney, Inc. is currently on the third phase with nearly 600 units of the resort’s 1,500 complete. With a tight schedule in place, all vacation ownership
units are being turned over in a timely manner to maximize their rentals and keep the resort running at targeted occupancy levels.

The general contractor began expanding into the hospitality industry in 2006, with a full renovation to the Hilton Garden Inn at SeaWorld International Center. The project included an exterior repaint, interior finishes, framing and a new drainage system in addition to other cosmetic exterior improvements. Since their recent expansion into the hospitality industry, the company has grown steadily in revenue and employees. With a
strong management team in place, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. believes their hospitality division will continue to develop and support their expansion plans.

Project Examples
Leffler & Heaney, Inc. recognizes that maintaining a community’s curb appeal and upgrading units are one of the most important ways to maximize the value of a property and achieve long term and short term success.

Whether it’s a major exterior and interior rehab or a property repaint and re-roof, property improvements, add value to communities and result in higher resident and guest satisfaction, higher occupancies and happy investors and owners.

Through the years, Leffler & Heaney, Inc. has offered a wide range of full service turnkey renovation solutions, working one-on-one with owners and owner representatives to meet their Renovation, Reconstruction and Reposition goals. Below are a few examples of our work.

PROJECT: RENOVATION TO STERLING CREST
Location: Orlando, Florida
Size: 18 Buildings, 360 Units
Timeframe: 12 months

PROBLEM
As a result of natural aging, Sterling Crest apartments required a complete exterior renovation to upgrade the appearance and condition of the 14-year-old property.

SOLUTION
The scope of the one-year project covered structural repairs and site improvements to increase the overall curb appeal of the apartment community. Specific renovations included the following:

- Structural repairs
- Window replacement
- Concrete deck waterproofing
- New architectural elements at entries
- New foam band design
- New exterior paint scheme
- New waterproofing and sealant package

PROJECT RESULTS
The renovation was a success. The property received anenhanced look that attracted prospective residents while maintaining its existing occupancy levels throughout the project.

TESTIMONIAL
“L & H Renovations performed an extensive exterior renovation to Sterling Crest apartments. Their attention to detail and high standards of quality was evident through every step of the project. It’s truly a pleasure to work with such an experienced and reputable contractor.” – Tommy Sasser, Royal American Management

PROJECT: REPOSITION TO SHERATON VISTANA RESORT
Location: Orlando, Florida
Size: Approximately 600 Units
Timeframe: 18 months

PROJECT
The goal of this project was to upgrade the interiors and exterior of the resort to offer guests a more upscale experience.

WORK PERFORMED
Interior Renovations

- Kitchens were upgraded by installing new cabinets, granite countertops, ceramic tile and appliances
- Bathrooms received new vanities, granite countertops, ceramic tile, shower doors and accessories
- New carpet, light fixtures and ceiling fans were installed in the bedrooms and living areas
- Walls and ceilings were textured and painted throughout the units
- Crown molding and trim was installed
- Interior and exterior doors were replaced
- A/C grills and filters were removed and replaced

Exterior Renovations
Exterior received a more contemporary paint scheme

RESULT
Interiors were completed ahead of schedule, averaging three weeks per building containing 26-30 units. In addition, the newly renovated resort received raving reviewsfrom guests, vacation owners and management.

TESTIMONIAL
“Our Owners and Guests are enjoying the fruits of your labor today and for years to come. The feedback and comments were very positive. When you have Owners opening the door saying WOW! – they are off to a great start to their vacation!” -Mark Dunham, Starwood Hotels & Resorts

PROJECT: RECONSTRUCTION TO GATES OF HARBORTOWN
Location: Orlando, Florida
Size: 29 Buildings, 428 Units
Timeframe: 24 months

PROBLEM
Original construction defects led to long term water intrusion resulting in major structural damage.

SOLUTION
Our goal was to remediate existing damages and reconstruct the exterior to ensure future protection from water penetration. The reconstruction included the removal and replacement of the following:

- All deteriorated exterior building materials
- Exterior windows
- Structural framing members
- Balcony lightweight concrete and waterproofing
- Tile roof and valley metals
- Vinyl soffit, gutters and screens
- Railings, stairs and fiberglass columns
- Exterior paint

The property also received an enhanced look with the installation coralized foam bands and shutters.

PROJECT RESULTS
The exterior reconstruction resulted in resounding praises from onsite management and residents. All construction defects were mitigated and the property received a more contemporary exterior. This successful job was finished under budget and ahead of schedule.

TESTIMONIAL
“Working with L & H is always a pleasure. They continuously meet our renovation needs and deliver superior customer service. Leffler & Heaney consistently exceeds our expectations.” – Patti Jourdin, The Altman Companies

Celebrity Resorts Invites Owners To Return To The Days Of The Great Vacation

The history of Celebrity Resorts dates back nearly 30 years to the start of the vacation ownership industry – back to a time when vacations were annual events that were cherished as opportunities to spend valuable time with loved ones.

Through the years Celebrity Resorts has owned, developed, and managed numerous successful resorts across the nation and in the Caribbean. Its founders are considered pioneers of the vacation ownership industry because they were among the first to develop condominium resorts in what is today the capital of timeshare, Orlando, Florida. They were also on the forefront of creating lavish amenity packages and
introducing vacation options that allowed timeshare owners to get more vacation from their purchase.

“What began as a family investment so many years ago, quickly turned into a passion for providing families great vacation experiences,” said Jared Meyers, president and CEO of Celebrity Resorts. “Today the business has grown to include 19 resorts in six states and we continually strive to add resort destinations, new and improved services, and programs that give families the flexibility to travel to exciting new locations in
the timeframes that meet their schedules.”

From the beginning, Celebrity Resorts recognized that vacations were becoming more work than play for people burdened with the logistics of researching and planning a trip. By providing a collection of first-class resort destinations featuring consistent quality, premium amenities and personalized service, the company offers a carefree way to celebrate well-deserved time off.

Celebrity Resorts’ mission is to help families return to the days of the great vacation – to recapture the fun, excitement and romance of the nostalgic family vacation, but with all the flexibility to accommodate the busy schedules of the modern family. Today, more than 80,000 families enjoy the true essence of vacation in sought-after locales like Hawaii, Colorado and Florida.

Timeshare Today
Destination and flexibility are on the minds of today’s travel-savvy timeshare owners and Celebrity Resorts provides an internal exchange program so that owners can visit all the resorts within the network. The company is also developing a points-based vacation club to add even more flexibility to their product offerings.

“The benefits of a points-based vacation club are vast – members can use their points in ways that are unique to traditional timeshare protocol,” said C. Craig Lewis, Celebrity Resorts’ chief operating officer.The new vacation club will allow Celebrity Resorts’ members to not only travel to the destinations within the club, but also split their points for multiple vacation opportunities, save or borrow points for greater vacation planning options, and even use their points to purchase cruise certificates, airfare, and many other partnerbased offerings.

Building a Resort Portfolio
To ensure that owners are engaged and excited about their vacation ownership experience, Celebrity Resorts began adding properties to its resort portfolio. They started in 2003 by nearly doubling the size of the company with the acquisition of seven resorts from Leisure Resorts, a publicly traded company, and then four more properties from American Vacation Resorts in 2004. In less than a year, Celebrity Resorts
became one of the country’s fastest-growing vacation ownership companies.

This year Celebrity Resorts announced more growth, adding a resort in Kauai, Hawaii to its offerings and has significant growth plans for the near future.

“Our team remains focused on acquiring resort destinations for our collection that appeal to our owners and guests. We are thrilled to welcome Hanalei Bay Resort to our family,” said Meyers. “Our plan is to continue to expand our resort portfolio within the U.S., and we expect more growth in the near future.”

Currently, Celebrity Resorts’ portfolio includes resorts in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Meyers explained that Celebrity Resorts’ vacation destinations were chosen with the family in mind. “We offer members vacation experiences – whether they want to ski on the slopes of the Rockies, visit the Hawaiian Islands, enjoy a summer vacation on Jersey shore, or take the family for some theme park
adventure in Florida – Celebrity Resorts offers all this with affordable accommodations that give members all the comforts of home.”

Destinations across the U.S.
Diversity is instrumental in providing one-of-a-kind vacation experiences. Celebrity Resorts’ collection of destinations offers diverse selection year after year, and each resort has consistent, family-friendly accommodations and amenities. Typical resort accommodations may include one, two or three bedroom villas that are fully furnished and complete with full kitchens. Celebrity Resorts chooses destinations that are close to attractions such as beaches, mountains, casinos, and theme parks. Each resort is just minutes from area attractions and entertainment.

Southeast: Florida
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the company’s flagship resort is located in the vicinity – near all the theme park fun including Walt Disney World Resort® and Universal Orlando® just to name a few. In addition to great location, Celebrity Resorts Orlando offers guests four pools, two whirlpools, a sauna, tennis courts, a bar and grille and many other amenities.

Additional Florida resort destinations include Celebrity Resorts Lake Buena Vista located just minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort area, Celebrity Resorts Daytona Beach Shores on the beach of the east coast, Celebrity Resorts Palm Coast near golf courses and the Intracoastal Waterway, and Celebrity Resorts Indian Shores set right across the street from the Gulf of Mexico in the Clearwater Beach area.

Pacific: Hawaii
Celebrity Resorts members enjoy two resorts in the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Kauai. Both offer an escape to the tropics of the Pacific with spectacular scenery and area activities to keep guests busy from the moment they arrive, but each resort has a unique locale that sets it apart from the rest.

Celebrity Resorts Waikiki, located on the island of Oahu, is situated amongst the hustle and bustle of metropolis Waikiki. Despite the city surroundings, the resort maintains the ambiance of Hawaii 40 years ago, with the spirit of Aloha permeating through the property and the staff. Guests enjoy the resort’s proximity to area attractions such as Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, and Pearl Harbor.

Celebrity Resorts Kauai – Hanalei Bay Resort is a luxury, beachfront resort that overlooks Hanalei Bay on the north shore of the beautiful island of Kauai. The resort provides only the best sights of Hawaii with breathtaking sunsets, exquisite ocean and mountain views, and lush Hawaiian gardens. Resort amenities include two swimming pools, eight tennis courts, a secluded white sand beach, and an on-site restaurant. This tropical paradise retreat is perfect for those searching for a peaceful haven to enjoy the natural beauty of the islands.

Northeast: Pennsylvania & New Jersey
In the northeast, Celebrity Resorts offers resorts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and just minutes from Atlantic City in Brigantine Beach, New Jersey. These two properties present charming experiences as both are registered as historic buildings and have been preserved as such.

Celebrity Resorts Poconos was built in 1890 as a glass cutting factory that was converted into a hotel in 1987. It is set along the Wallenpaupack Creek and overlooks the creek’s gentle waterfalls. The area offers exciting activities for the outdoor enthusiast and shopping excursions for those that love antiques. The resort maintains a peaceful atmosphere that promotes relaxation.

Celebrity Resorts Brigantine Beach is the destination for Jersey shore vacations as it is close to all of Atlantic City’s casinos and famous boardwalk fun. Built in 1927, the recently renovated resort has the décor of the roaring twenties and a history that includes tales of luxurious balls, famous mobster guests, and rumors of ghosts and eerieechoes of times-past.

West: Colorado & Nevada
Out west Celebrity Resorts chose resort destinations close to some of the best areas for year round outdoor activities and exciting nightlife.

With two resorts in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Celebrity Resorts offers cozy accommodations in an all-seasons destination for those who wish to hit the slopes in the winter, or enjoy rafting, hiking or fishing during the warmer months.

Both Celebrity Resorts Steamboat Springs Suites and Celebrity Resorts Steamboat Springs Hilltop provide shuttle service to the area’s best slopes, and they share amenities such as a miniature golf course, tennis courts, indoor swimming pool, and hot tubs and a sauna. For a panoramic view of the entire Steamboat Springs’ area, try Hilltop’s observation deck – guests love the view and return each year to this exceptional area in Colorado.

Celebrity Resorts Reno is an urban retreat where guests enjoy glittering nightlife and famous casinos. Nearby golf courses and tennis courts provide another opportunity to “swing.” For the outdoor enthusiast, Lake Tahoe is only a short drive from the resort and offers boating and water skiing in the summer, while winter snows usher in world-renown skiing to the area.

Corporate Responsibility
In addition to providing its members unique destinations to vacation, Celebrity Resorts works hard to establish positive community relations and do its part to improve the environment.

“As responsible corporate citizens, it is important that we give back to the community in which we work and live. For that reason, we devote time and money to community organizations. We are also now concentrating on becoming a green company as well, in order to give back to the environment,” Lewis explained.

As part of their community outreach efforts, Celebrity Resorts hosts a Halloween-themed golf tournament each year to benefit Give Kids The World Village®, a resort in Central Florida that provides vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses. Participation in the “Golf Spooktacular” is open to Celebrity Resorts’
members, business partners, employees, and the general public.

To do their part to positively impact the environment, Celebrity Resorts is rolling out environmental policies, energy-efficient procedures, and educational collateral designed to reduce waste. The company invites its employees, business partners, and members and guests to “Get Down to Earth” by becoming environmentally educated and responsible.

Some of their green strategies include working in a paperless environment, using environmentally responsible vendors to purchase green products, conserving energy with energy-efficient electronics and lighting, and reducing employee gas consumption byoffering employees the opportunity to carpool and work from home where appropriate.

The Big Picture
Celebrity Resorts growth is the product of remaining focused on the owners and guests that they provide vacation services to year-after-year.

According to Jared Meyers, “Times have changed and vacation destinations have become more glamorous since my family began investing in timeshare resorts, but one thing remains the same – families need to get away to spend time together each  year and Celebrity Resorts provides that opportunity with family-friendly accommodations, flexible vacation options, and desirable destinations.”

Throughout the company’s 30 years in the vacation ownership industry, Celebrity Resorts’  company-wide goal has never changed. Meyers concluded, “We help families rediscover what it means to experience a great vacation – this is our passion and what has kept and will continue to keep Celebrity Resorts moving forward.”

More Information
Founded in 1979, Celebrity Resorts has developed and managed numerous successful timeshare projects throughout the nation and in the Caribbean. The company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and currently has 19 resorts in six states, conducts business in more than 30 states, provides vacation services for more than 80,000 families on an annual basis, and has an extensive growth plan that includes adding resorts and project management properties to its portfolio in the near future. For more information about Celebrity Resorts, please visit www.celebrityresorts.com.

Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership National Awards 2008 – Gold Coast Australia

What a terrific year for nominees with over 60 nominations received for the 16 awards run under five different categories for the 17th Annual National Timeshare Industry Awards in Australia.

This year is the first year that the awards have run on a National basis. In the past they have only covered the northern region of Australia. We are very pleased to say that a number of the winners this year were judged over the phone which shows that a face to face interview is not essential. With this change it was agreed that there would be six categories including Resort, Sales, Marketing, corporate and Whole of Industry. This helped open up the opportunities for a lot more staff to be suitable for nomination.

There are different judges for each award from the local business community who donate their time to work through the hard process of short listing the candidates to determine their winner. Many of the judges have been involved for a number of years and find that each year it just gets harder and harder to decide. It is a great way for the industry to display their talents amongst the mover and shakers of our business environment.

The night arrives and everyone is dressed in their finest, with champagne and wine flowing, photographer zipping around getting everyone at their best angle… The show begins.

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific had an excellent run taking out 6 of the 16 awards presented with representation across all categories. The cheers from their team deafened the room and certainly created a huge amount of excitement, particularly when they had a hat trick in the Marketing Category collecting the Marketing Performer, Marketing Team and Marketing Manager of the year. One would have to say that Barry
Robinson, President and CEO Asia Pacific was more than excited.

The Classic Holiday Group who manage a number of resorts across Australia were extremely pleased to have also gathered a number of the awards on offer with a special mention going to Caroline Scott of Classic Holidays winning the Corporate Manager of the Year.

Accor Vacation Club also took out a number of awards with Mike Winlaw claiming the Industry Innovation Award with the new Accor Corporate Uni. Accor Vacation Club established the Corporate Uni in August 2005 as an innovative approach to achieving company strategic directions. In particular, the innovation is designed to reduce sales staff turnover, increase potential customers’ positive experiences at the sales presentation and build professionalism in the industry. Ongoing monitoring and tracking evidence collected by AVC in 2008, demonstrates that the innovation has had a very positive impact on staff retention, employee satisfaction and customer experience. By taking an education approach to developing sales staff through the Corporate Uni concept, Accor has demonstrated a conceptually sound innovation that benefits the company as well as the image of the timeshare industry.

We were all very proud when one of our smaller sold out resorts Korora Bay Village Resort in Coffs Harbour run by Stephanie and Tim Kewming claimed the title of Resort Managers of the Year. This is a terrific effort when competing against the larger companies. Their judge advised us that their strong commitment to excellence in all facets has shown results in overcoming the stigma of a “tired” property coupled with innovative planning on refurbishment, funding and facilities has allowed them to continually refresh and reinvent their services and offerings to all stakeholders. They are team driven operators with a focus on training, maintenance and environmental systems along with a solid contribution to their local community – a credit to their industry and worthy candidates for this prestigious award.

Group RCI Management team were absolutely thrilled to take out the Industry Award for the Corporate Team of the Year. What set this team aside from the other great two teams was the fact that it would have been easy to come to the meeting table with only their own departmental interests in mind. However, this was not the case. This team epitomises what great teamwork is all about – a group of people committed to working together towards a common goal and with the interests of the team put above their own.

The outstanding contribution to the Industry was presented this year to Federal MP Margaret May. Margaret May MP has always been extremely supportive of the Timeshare Industry, which goes back many years. However, in this particular instance he industry was experiencing a number of issues directly related to ASIC and their new policy statement 160. When this was raised, Margaret saw the serious nature of our problems and immediately organised for us to meet with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Mr Chris Pearce who was sympathetic to our issues. In turn he organised meetings with the industry, Margaret and ASIC which resulted in the cooling off period remaining at 7 working days, and not extended to 14 days which was their plan.

Margaret is also the Patron of the ATHOC Foundation and proudly supports the industry at any opportunity.

Ramy Filo President of ATHOC said that “he was extremely impressed with the standard of candidates and that the industry should be proud to have the level of commitment and expertise that all have shown”.

With the serious business over, more than 250 leading lights of the timeshare industry boogied the night away. The dance floor was full from the moment the presentations were finished with some rather funky moves and hilarious moments.

The theme of the evening was Casino – with the ladies especially keeping to the theme by dragging out their boas and feathers to add a splash of colour to the proceedings. A number of the men in true timeshare style turned up in their black shirts, white ties and gold neck wear.

The casino tables were full and the challenge was once again on for the person who would win the most from the tables. This was funny money of course even though the challenge was taken quite seriously. With seven games ranging from poker, roulette, the spinning wheel and more offered everyone a chance to play something that took their interest, or just the opportunity to try something new when you were well aware that end the end of the night you would have the same amount of money in your pocket. The type of gambling we all quite enjoy!

The bumper industry raffles this year raised over $2000 for the ATHOC Foundation which was formed over 2 years ago. The Foundation is the opportunity for the timeshare industry in Australia to give back to the community. The aim of the Foundation is to help families in need have an opportunity to go on a holiday that they would have never been able to have done.

The Foundation also works with Variety by purchasing special equipment, from wheel chair swings to appropriately adapted sports equipment for the special schools.

The Awards and Their Winners for 2008

Resort Performer of the Year – Derek Howe Seven Mile Beach – Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific

Resort Team of the Year – Surfers Royale
Resort Team – Classic Holidays

Resort Manager of the Year – Stephanie and Tim Kewming – Korora Bay Village Resort

Sales Performer of the Year – Jackie Peterson Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific

Sales Team of the Year – The Vines – Perth – Accor Vacation Club

Sales Manager of the Year – Orkun Ankara – Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific

Marketing Manager of the Year – Anita Armstrong – Corporate Referral
Program - Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific

Marketing Performer of the Year – Carly Betts Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific
Marketing Team of the Year – Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific Campaign Management Team

Newcomer of the Year - Bianca Rakitovszky – Classic Holidays

Industry Innovation of the Year - Industry Innovation Award – Accor
Vacation Club - Corporate University

Excellence in Service – Marinette Duncan – Classic Holidays

Outstanding Contribution to the Timeshare Industry – Margaret May – Federal Member for McPherson

Now on to the next year … hmmmm venue, committee, judges, categories…

Developer Thrives Without NQing Any Prospects

By Matthew McDaniel

By all accounts, InnSeason Resorts is your typical vacation ownership success story. The growing company, which has seven resorts in the United States’ New England region – as well as agreements with several others to create a wider-area mini exchange network – currently has about 30,000 member families. The company has kept pace with industry trends, originally selling weeks but now pitching membership packages. But while InnSeason’s sales have been surging, there’s one thing you won’t see in their sales center: someone being NQ’ed (timeshare speak for disqualifying a sales prospect).

Billy Curran won’t allow it.

William E. “Billy” Curran is chief executive officer of InnSeason Resorts, and he knows a thing or two about timeshare sales. He got his start in 1978 at Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, where his brother was working in sales. “I was in the automobile business at the time and purchased some timeshare. Back then, they used to give you a free weekend if you sent a referral. I sent them eight or 10 referrals. The
sales manager called me one day and said he wanted to talk to me about my referrals. I said, ‘what about my referrals?’ and he said, ‘well, they’re all great – every one of them has bought.’ I just said I tell them not to go if they’re not going to buy. I explain it to them, and if they don’t like it or if they can’t afford it, I tell them not to go up there and waste anyone’s time.” The sales manager offered Curran his first timeshare job.

Curran did well in vacation ownership sales, and spent some time in Orlando and before returning to the New England area in 1986 with an 18-month plan to start a timeshare marketing business. “All I did was provide clients to local resorts,” Curran remembers. “By 1995-1996, we were selling 75,000 to 80,000 tours all over New England and up and down the East Coast.” Curran moved into development in 1997, opening Surfside Resort in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

His company recently signed a contract on an eighth resort in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, that they will close on in the fall. And all this success has come without NQing.

What is NQing?
“NQing is a thing that’s gone on in our business for a very long time.” Curran explains. “When I originally got into the business, there was no such thing as a non-qualified tour. Everyone who came through the door was taken on tour – because the developer had already paid for it.”

Curran goes on to explain that as the vacation ownership business began to flourish in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many industry veterans found it highly profitable to form marketing companies to provide a steady tour flow to developers who were new to the business. Because developers wanted a safeguard against marketing companies providing worthless prospects, a system of qualifying tours evolved. Salespeople were mandated to decide within the first 30 minutes whether a sales prospect was qualified to
make a purchase, and to dismiss those tours deemed non-qualified. After 30 minutes had passed, developers were required to pay the marketer for the sales lead.

“This drove me crazy,” Curran says. “I came from an automobile sales background; if you ever prejudge anyone in that business you’re nothing but a fool. A guy could come walking in and he could be covered in painters clothes and looked like the biggest bum in the world and you find out later that he owned the largest painting company in the city of Boston,” he notes. “I couldn’t stand it and didn’t follow that rule. I took any tour that they gave me.”

When Curran later was a marketer selling tours, he decided to insist his customers not NQ any of his tours. He told them, “you will tour all of them that show up at your property, you will gift all of them, and I will give you a five percent rebate off your bill every week.”

He did lose a few developer clients. “I said fine,” Curran recounts, “we have no problem selling the tours.”

Most of the customers agreed to do it on a trial basis, though, and the results were good. Curran says the sales percentages and VPGs (value per guest) on his tours were better than for tours from other sources that could be NQ’ed. “They’d produce US$75,000 worth of business on mine, and they’d produce US$40,000 of tours from the source that they’d let them NQ,” he says.

Today, Curran doesn’t even give the five percent rebate anymore.

Curran says that getting rid of NQing has a profound effect on staff. “You find a much more calm sales environment, you find less fighting between the customers and sales team, you find less hassles between the marketing entities and sales teams. There’s a mutual respect between the marketing and
sales divisions.”

Customer Service
But Curran insists one of the greatest effects is on customer service. NQing is “all about the salesperson prejudging. It absolutely goes against every sales philosophy and book we have ever read,” he says. “The customer-service side of it is common sense. NQ is insulting and degrading. If you have the audacity to say to tell somebody, ‘you seem like nice people, but we’re not showing you around today,’ that’s just ridiculous, especially today with blogs. To me it’s a customer service issue.”

Curran draws broad implications for the vacation ownership industry. He notes that Orlando, which is the timeshare capital of the world, NQs at a rate of 20 to 25 percent, which he blames on the use of expensive-to-developer mini-vacs. “That’s one of the reasons we have such a crummy reputation sometimes – because we’ve earned it. If the industry didn’t NQ it’d sell more people and be better received by the general public,” he says.

Change. – Adapt and Evolve; vs Reject and Expire?

Change is a strange thing sometimes isn’t it? You wake up one day and realise something is different, something is not as it used to be – a new building has gone up where there wasn’t one before, that air route you used to fly is no longer operating, your spouse or friend changed their hairstyle and you didn’t notice.

Truth is, we’re not programmed to notice these things – they just happen around us and one day we either notice ourselves or someone else points them out to us. Take a moment now to look around you and consider what has changed in the past week. Now think about what has changed in your environment in the past month, the past year, and even the last five years. Notice anything different?

Well change happens at all levels – micro, macro, it doesn’t matter, it happens all around us. Sometimes we notice, sometimes we don’t. BUT, the smart ones among us in society see these changes, adapt, respond, and gain a competitive edge over the rest of us. Those with real foresight see change that hasn’t even happened yet and prepare themselves to take advantage when it does.

So what’s this got to do with vacation ownership? Well, let’s look at what’s changed in our world. Average tour prices have risen inexorably over the past 5-10 years, the whole industry has become more professional (costs money), the brands have risen to a position of prominence, marketing has become harder and harder, new independents have become a rarity implying that barriers to entry are high.

Society has changed enormously during this same 5-10 year time period. Cheap air travel has opened up legion possibilities; global terrorism, global warming and global disasters have paradoxically spawned a new family oriented and caring society; work, work, work has turned to work-life balance; we crave more for life experiences rather than materialism around us; and technology has quietly been transforming the world.

Let’s look at technology then. I would venture that we are now into the second phase of the global technological revolution.

The first phase was to do with provision of the basic building blocks – cell phones, computers on every desk, the internet, the shift from booking things over the telephone to doing these things online, email, digital TV, music downloads, blackberries. We all use these things and take them for granted.

The second phase is where these things get even more integrated into daily lives, and move to more human areas of society. Look at how the younger generation spends more time on social networking sites than they do watching TV, look at how you now check in for a flight, think about how medical science now depends on technology, think about how technology has revolutionised movie-making and your enjoyment of a movie – who doesn’t have digital home entertainment these days? The I-Phone 2 is a great example – music,
youtube, GPS/Satnav, an office interface that feels anything but that. And look at how style is now becoming as, if not more, important as the technology itself. – We want beauty, we want emotional qualities, we want wonderful experiences, but we want all these wrapped around technology that is so simple to use, but so powerful in what it does.

So back to timeshare. And the good old pencil pitch. And writing upside down. And wild flailing of arms to describe a magnificent sunset over an exotic beach. And anything but subtle “incentives” to buy today. And clumsy T/O handovers. And verification officers who neatly undo nicely sold deals.

So let’s think about it. On the one hand tour generation has more than tripled the average tour cost in the past ten years, and on the other, we’re going to then use the very same yesterday techniques to convince them to buy from us? Is your TV still black and white? Do bugs develop immunity to medicines? Do you still handwrite letters and post them?

Now please don’t imagine that we’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The sound principles of the timeshare sale still prevail. Win the prospect’s trust, create real need and desire, show how timeshare satisfies that newly realised need, create some urgency to stimulate a buy decision today, and close the deal. Only we’re suggesting that you recognise just how society has changed, and how they now want to be sold to.

We are a society that loves to buy, but hates to be sold to. So how do you sell them? Answer – you don’t, you persuade them to buy. And you do it using the tools at your disposal today. And you do it in a way that your prospect’s expect – you entertain them, you transport them into their own tomorrow’s, you inspire them, and then show them clearly and precisely how your product will give them what they want.

Technology has now reached the sales deck. Why then is it a good thing, and how can it work for you?
Your sales people come in all different shapes and sizes, the ability to deliver a first class sale varies from one salesperson to another, from one week to another. Some people are consistently good – only problem is, there aren’t very many of these. How about if you could put something on every sales table that would deliver the perfect pitch every time, if you could then tailor that pitch automatically to match the very needs and desires of the prospect in front of you, if you could turn every salesperson into a super-salesperson
every tour, every day? Something that would confidently lift your VPG by 20% plus?

How about if you could log in to your sales stats, through the web, from anywhere you happen to be, and see and compare individual, line, deck and whole company sales performances and see why some succeed and some don’t?
How about if you could ensure that for the clarity challenged amongst your sales force, you could give them an entertaining, highly visual tool that would deliver vacation explanations with crystal clear, memorable, lucidity?

How about if your tours finished up saying “that was the most enjoyable presentation I’ve seen in ages – I’m going to buy today”? And even “I’ve got to tell my friends about this”?
Interactive sales systems are now, powerful technology on the sales table. The better of those systems do it in a way that it looks and feels like entertainment rather than an office. Your highly expensive tours now expect to see things on a screen, they expect to see video if you’re selling them dreams, they expect to see graphical explanations. They think in pictures, they use the internet for everything, they have multi-channel digital TV, they want to spend time with their loved ones and families, they want experiences and they want you to paint their dreams for them and show them how you will deliver.

A good interactive sales system will enable your sales force, it will work harmoniously with them, they will trust in it. A good system will deliver graphical explanations as powerfully as your best sales person, every tour, every time. A good system will ignite the flames of desire and inspire emotion beyond belief. A good system will personalise every presentation to the desires and needs of each and every tour, changing imagery and video to match. A good system will give back end management reporting that your exec team
will drool over. A good system will deliver both results and a highly lucrative ROI.

Do make sure though that you work with someone who knows the territory, knows what it takes to implement such a system, and knows what it takes to keep it performing for you. – Horse to water and make
it drink?

So change? – Yes. But not change that throws the baby out. Change that builds on the well honed and refined structure of a successful vacation ownership sales pitch, and repackages it in today’s highly entertaining and fulfilling clothes. Change that integrates technology, not replaces what you’ve worked hard at. Change that protects your brand, change that delivers new power into your hands, change that consumers want to see. Change for the twenty first century sales environment. Change that will deliver refreshed and desirable results right into your hands.

Change. Adapt and evolve; or reject and expire? – Time to change?

STEVE PENTLAND
CEO, Generator Systems
After six initial years learning the art of accountancy, Steve made a switch into the IT industry where he  spent ten years in various senior roles during the 1980’s. In 1990 he formed the company that would eventually lead to the creation of Generator Systems. Over the last 15 years Steve has gained a broad and detailed knowledge of the global timeshare industry and has been closely associated with many successful projects. Strategic vision, creative business thinking, strong sales and marketing background, change management experience, and an entrepreneurial attitude give Generator the platform to help companies improve their results.

Annual Fractional Ownership Conference Gives Pointers To The Future Face Of Fractional Ownership

The 3rd Annual Fractional Ownership Conference has just been held in Cape Town, attended by over 130 key delegates from the vacation ownership sectors. Dirk Wilson, co-founder of fractionalownership.co.za and organiser of the conference, said he was pleased to see the optimism shown by the major payers “who are firmly focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, with an upturn in the property market foreseen for the
beginning of 2009”. A major component of the conference was the introduction of new end user fractional ownership finance together with global exchange platforms that will undoubtedly boost the market in South Africa by providing something previously lacking.

Says Wilson: “Jack Trevena of Fractional Finance reported that they are on the cusp of launching end-user fractional finance, but only for specific developments which meet very strict criteria. This will obviously give the assurance of longterm sustainable security and top quality to both lender and consumer.”

Troy Bingham of Platinum Exchange Australia gave feedback to delegates on the progress of the global fractional ownership market. He indicated that he was impressed at the sophistication of the South African market, and how close it is in terms of development to the US market (the leading fractional ownership market in the world at 12 years old). Says Wilson: “The fractional ownership market in South Africa is only 4 years old, but over this time the pioneers here have used a lot of initiative to really shape up the industry in terms of marketing approach, quality of resorts coming on-line, industry regulation and consumer protection. The markets in Dubai and Australasia as well as parts of Asia are looking at South Africa and at what we are doing right here, and using the infrastructure that is currently in the market here to their benefit in terms of the projects that they are rolling out. That is also quite encouraging to the market here.”

Interestingly, two economists at the conference gave differing views on the outlook for the property market in general. John Loos, property strategist at First National Bank, said now was “probably as good as it gets” as an optimal time to buy property before prices begin to recover.

However, Erwin Rode of property research company Rode and Associates forecast a long period of house price increases lagging behind inflation, that could last as long as 5 years. Says Wilson: “While the difference in outlook of Rode and Loos were very interesting, should the predictions of Loos prevail, his statements will affirm my current outlook that the fractional ownership market will regain itself going into the second quarter of 2009, as fractional ownership purchases are underpinned by property values and the performance of these properties in the general market, presuming interest rates stabilize (if not already falling) by the second quarter of 2009, fractional sales volumes will naturally get back on track and continue the upward trend experienced over 2007 and early 2008. In essence, the longer purchasers wait to buy into residences currently available in the market, the cost of shares in the next residence are likely to be higher, as increased building costs determine the final price per share entering the market in the future. In the interim, there are some major international companies entering the market with some truly magnificent products that will attract the global fractional consumers as well as the South African market.”

An example was outlined by Joop Demes of Golding Hotel Investment Consultants, who said they were in talks for development of a huge mixeduse resort in KZN which includes two theme parks and 20 hotels and one of the biggest shopping centres in the country. This development will feature a major vacation ownership component that will undoubtedly compete on the global platform. Wilson said that top end private residence clubs (PRCs) such as IFA Fairmont Zimbali and the Zorgvliet group are on track for roll- out
over 2008 and 2009, but outlined how he sees the market developing: “If you divide the South African market into three sub-sectors, classic fractions (typically priced between R200,000 to R400,000) are set to grow in market share. Also, there will be an emergence of more top-end PRCs, but there will also be a larger entry-level market at under R150,000 a fraction. Growth in each of these sub-sectors will create a spectrum of products that will suit all pockets and levels of lifestyle usages – it is truly an exciting time ahead.”

Wilson says the two major aspects set to shape and boost the fractional ownership market in South Africa over the next few years are fractional ownership finance, and the emergence of top-class global exchange platforms. “The products on offer are becoming even more attractive, and coupled with the recovery in the property market, I am very optimistic about the not so distant future – it’s apparent that the major industry players all share this vision too!”

He reported that the number of fractional ownership companies active and selling had fallen from 64 companies 6 months ago to 34 companies today, and explained why. “The fractional market is now correcting itself. There may have been something of a ‘gold rush’ to the market, whereby many developers and individuals had unrealistic visions of creating increased margin on their residences by offering the asset on a fractional scheme, or seeing fractional as an innovative way to sell off a residence not selling on a whole- ownership basis. These promoters and sellers have been faced with the harsh reality that the post-sale and sustainability of the secondary market only caters for serious players with a minimum commitment of 20 years or more. These are the real players that will drive this market forward.”

For more information please contact Dirk Wilson on 021 556 5032 or dirk@ fractionalownership.co.za; see www. fractionalownership.co.za.

In 2005 Dirk Wilson and his team created the marketing company Fractional Advertising. The flagship product of this dynamic company is the website portal www. fractionalownership.co.za.  This informative industry portal provides the latest fractional news, product listings as well as general information & events specifically for the Southern African market. Dirk’s company hosts the Annual Fractional Ownership conference each year which is attended by delegates from all over the globe, as well as facilitating and presenting a number of specialist educational workshops, seminars & courses on the topic of Fractional ownership in South Africa.

Wilson has enjoyed the past 10 years in the B2B print & internet marketing sector, holding business development & operations positions in the USA, UK as well as South Africa, Dirk has extensive experience in property, hospitality and media publishing, he shares a passion for building integrated on-line community systems that deliver value throughout the supply chain.  Fractional Advertising is a founding member of SAAFI (South African Association of Fractional Intermediaries) and is active on the working committee.

We proudly facilitate the Annual Fractional ownership conference each year, this is our third year running with the event. The conference is recognised as ‘the event’ on the Southern African fractional ownership industry calendar, each years conference provides delegates the latest insight into the progress and challenges of the industry the content is delivered by the key players from the global and Southern African Vacation ownership sector. The conference provides a fantastic networking arena, and a chance for delegates and the media to engage directly with the key players.. ‘Our business ethos is to create a world class interactive community specifically for the fractional ownership B2B sector as well as the fractional consumer around the globe, we provide the B2B platforms through our workshops & conferences, over the past 12 months 50,000 + fractional consumers utilized the Fractionalownership.co.za website to access information and access to real time product listings’.

Dirk can be contacted on +27 72 5918582 or dirk@fractionalownership.co.za

GE, Ready To Lend

The words “sub-prime” and “credit crunch” continue to worry everyone from economists to consumers across much of the Western world, but as the dust begins to settle on a year of economic upheaval GE Money Home Lending (GEMHL) reports that in the world of timeshare business continues to thrive.

The property markets of the US and Spain have no doubt been very much at the centre of events over the past 12 months with residential property prices falling up to 15% and as much as 7% respectively. The market for timeshare however remains steady with business in each of these markets remaining at the levels seen in 2007.

Jon Baker, Sales Director for GE Money Home Lending explains, “Time poor Brits continue to see holidays as
an important part of their lifestyle and expenditure and as part of this timeshare is often considered recession-resistant, if not completely recession-proof – because of this we believe there is still a real opportunity to market timeshare as a holiday ownership concept to Britons.

“In fact we’ve seen research from high street lender Abbey that indicates that for more than one in 10 of us, quality holiday time remains our biggest financial priority. The facilities and overall quality of resorts we’re seeing introduced to the timeshare market and the flexibility of locations continue to act as a draw to those considering buying into holiday ownership concepts. The feedback that we receive is that these resorts represent much higher value than your average packaged holiday and this isn’t something we see changing in the short term.”

Jon comments: “For those people who view their holiday time as a financial priority, timeshare continues to represent an effective way to guard against inflation, particularly now when we’re going through a period a real inflationary pressure.

GE’s unique lending ability
Since GE Money began offering tailored products for the holiday ownership and timeshare industry to British residents over 20 years ago, they have helped more than 200,000 customers finance in excess of £1 billion in holiday ownership products. GEMHL’s ability to finance this level of lending comes from its position as part of one of the world’s largest companies and their AAA credit rating.

Jon comments: “The second mortgage lending market has been hit hard by the credit crunch. In recent years thousands of Britons have taken second mortgages to finance lifestyle purchases such as timeshare but now that mortgage lending is more difficult to come by consumers have to look elsewhere. GEMHL has been in these markets through several economic cycles and has a long history in timeshare lending. We’re therefore
in an extremely strong position to continue providing a finance facility for our clients, whatever happens in the global markets.”

Finding a finance partner
Taking a partnership approach to lending, the way GEMHL operates has a number of very significant benefits. Whether you’re based on the Costa Del Sol or Orlando it’s important to be able to pick
up the phone to an account manager dedicated to you and your organisation.

In many cases the key to a successful sale is a close working relationship with your finance partner. Following contact on a day-to-day basis, salespeople know that when they pick up the phone their account manager will have all the experience and industry knowledge to help them offer their customers the right package for their particular needs.

By taking a partner like GEMHL salespeople are also able to undergo product training meaning that when they’re asked about the product terms and conditions which most customers are interested in they’ll
have the details to hand.

Funding at speed
One of the biggest challenges facing salespeople is time. If they are not able to close a deal quickly then the chances are that they will not be able to close it at all. For this reason it is important that your chosen finance partner is able to move just as quickly as you. Unsecured lending is far more time efficient than secured and choosing a finance partner like GEMHL who are able to offer such products means that salespeople will have a decision for customers in minutes. Today applications for finance can be processed online cutting out much of the time consuming paper work, but should an issue arise you should
be able to speak to your account manager in the UK 7days a week. Once the application has been accepted a loan agreement is printed out in your sales office for your customer to sign and following the cooling off period, payments are then processed quickly, releasing funds for your product the next day. This process has the added benefit that the risk for the loan lies solely with the lender and not with the client.

GEMHL have found speed of application processing to be the one of the single most important issues for our clients and the business is set up in such a way to be able to move this process at a pace which aids the sale.

Tailoring products to customers Choice plays a huge part in making customers feel that they’re being offered a deal that is right for them and by having a range of finance options available to you, choice is what you can give them. Loans should be flexible, offering 100% finance and a range of terms from 12 to 180 months means that customers are able to plan their finances appropriately when considering buying a timeshare product. Affordability remains the single most important issue for customers and it is crucial that they are offered a loan with a transparent minimum monthly repayment, plus the opportunity to make additional repayments when it suits them in order to reduce the outstanding balance.

Promotional products are a great tool for the client and offer the customer a period with which they can settle the loan without interest or charges. It’s vital that this type of product is designed with the client and customer in mind, ensuring that subsidies are kept to a minimum and customers are offered competitive APRs with a range of repayment terms that ensure the payments are affordable. At GEMHL our buy now pay later product does just that.

GEMHL takes the approach that it’s best to keep products simple. The client should feel comfortable that they are offering the customer a product that suits their needs now and in the future.

If timeshare is to continue to build the confidence of the UK consumer then GEMHL believes that it is important to partner with a finance provider that takes a transparent, straight-forward approach to its finance products which consumers won’t look back on as having strings attached.

The future of the timeshare market
GEMHL continues to see demand for timeshare from Brits across Florida and Europe, but believes that there is a great deal of untapped market potential from other nationalities. The UK market dominates Europe hugely, with over 500,000 of Europe’s 1.5 million plus timeshare owners coming from the UK.

Jon comments: “It’s no coincidence that the market that has the greatest access to finance for timeshare is also the market that dominates this sector. There’s an important step for our industry to take in identifying new markets where this approach will work equally as well as it currently does in the UK.

“The feedback we receive from our clients is that they’re increasingly seeing an interest in timeshare amongst Spanish, Russian, Germans, Italians and other nationalities from European countries who at present have fewer options when it comes to finance for timeshare. At GEMHL we think that there is an opportunity to provide products for people across Europe and the move into this market will be pivotal to the future success of any finance company.

With economic uncertainty and fiscal gloom dominating the headlines, it’s important to realise that some things in life – like finding the time to relax – will always prevail. As long as families continue to prioritise holidays in their budgets, timeshare will represent a cost-effective, increasingly high quality option over package deals. And with many of the promotional and flexible deals offered by GEMHL, as well as the certainty in its lending policies, there are plenty of reasons to view the timeshare market as an excellent opportunity.

About GE Money Home Lending:

With assets in excess of £15billion, GE Money Home Lending is a one of the UK’s leading specialist lenders.
Through its First National and igroup brands it offers a range specialist mortgages and flexible unsecured loans for the home improvement and holiday ownership markets.

GE Money Home Lending’s products are sold through a national network of carefully selected and accredited
intermediaries, including packagers, mortgage brokers, credit brokers and independent financial advisers.

Branded lending is a major part of GE Money Home Lending’s distribution strategy and it currently has over 17 key partnerships, which include, TMT, PINK, and Optoma.

Next Page »