FARROW Commercial Construction, a nationwide commercial construction company based in Santa Rosa, CA has files filled with Customer Care Questionnaires.

Westin Kierland

According to Rick Cratty, Director of Operations for FARROW, “we never leave a job site without getting some feedback.  At the close of 2011 we went through our files and were pleased to find an overwhelming amount of “Atta boys!”

With numerous construction projects completed this year, FARROW reports that 100% were rated as “outstanding in all categories.”  For instance, from the General Manager of the Hilton in Fort Wayne, IN comes this review:  “Overall best renovation process I have every experienced!”  Scott Caldwell, Resort General Manager at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale says FARROW exhibited “Great leadership, Quality and Customer Care.”  In Branson the client was “very pleased with the overall communication, flexibility and cleanliness” for a project at Branson Suites at Fall Creek.  Mark Sedillo, Resort General Manager at the Ridge Resort in Sedona put it honestly when he said FARROW made the process as “painless as possible.”

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The vacation fulfillment service provider will provide a four-year, full scholarship to Arizona State University for one Christel House student interested in pursuing a career in the tourism industry.

International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE), a worldwide travel and leisure organization with a global network of innovative travel alliances has established a scholarship program; providing a four-year scholarship to Arizona State University for one Christel House student interested in pursuing a career in the travel and tourism industry. Christel House builds and operates learning centers in impoverished neighborhoods with the goal of creating sustainable social and educational impact. ICE has supported Christel House as its charity of choice for more than 10 years.

The ICE scholarship will include tuition, room and board in campus housing, books and a stipend for incidental expenses and travel for home visits. ICE will also provide the scholarship recipient with an internship of 10 hours per week at its headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ.

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About Christel House

Christel House International is a 501(c)3 public charity helping children around the world to break the cycle of poverty, realize their hopes and dreams and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. Christel House learning centers — located in India, Mexico, South Africa, the United States and Venezuela — provide education, nutrition, health care and character and life-skills development for children. For additional information, please visit www.christelhouse.org.

Fermin Cruz, VP of North American Business, DAE

Dial An Exchange (DAE), internationally known for providing exceptional customer service, has identified a need within the family of timeshare owners for a program that will enable them to become more knowledgeable about their purchase, the timeshare industry and their owner benefits. They plan to share that information with Orlando area timeshare owners on January 28.

Two years ago, DAE hosted their first Vacation Education Seminars for timeshare owners in Arizona with each program attended by about 150 owners. “The owners loved them,” said Fermin Cruz, VP of North American Business for DAE. “They asked tons of questions ranging from how their maintenance fees are spent to how they can rent their week out to the public.”

The event was so successful, that the DAE executive team decided to continue the series in other U.S. regions. To be credible, they felt the seminars should be given by a company not attempting to sell any product. DAE’s third Vacation Ownership Seminar is scheduled for January 28 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center at the Florida Mall near downtown Orlando. More than one hundred timeshare owners who live and own in the Orlando metropolitan area are expected to be in attendance. The seminar will be about two hours in length and will feature a lengthy Q&A session for attendees to obtain the most benefits from each session. Each guest will receive a free gift for attending.  No sales presentations will be given. For information on the seminar, call 800-468-1799.

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SPI Software is pleased to announce that Sedona Pines Resorts has selected SPI Orange timeshare enterprise software suite as its technology platform for the future to replace the RCC software and other applications that have been in use for many years. SPI Orange is the new generation of software applications for timeshare companies. Sedona Pines will utilize SPI Orange timeshare software for marketing, sales, owner servicing, finance, reporting, and business analytics.

According to Greg Penrod, chief operating officer of Sedona Pines, “The decision to go with SPI Orange was an easy one; we found a huge difference between Orange and other available systems, in terms of features, ease-of-use and flexibility. Plus several developers we know and respect run SPI Orange. We are happy to be joining the SPI family.”

Matt Brosious, vice-president for sales and marketing at SPI, adds, “Sedona Pines provides an excellent value to their customers. We are pleased to be providing tools that will help Sedona Pines improve efficiency, enhance productivity and reduce costs while providing owners with a high quality vacation experience.”

About Sedona Pines Resort
Sedona Pines Resort, a Gold Crown RCI points resort, is located in Sedona, a world-class vacation destination in the red rock country of northern Arizona. Local attractions include Oak Creek Canyon, art galleries, shopping, mountain biking, golf, hiking, Red Rock and Slide Rock State Parks, horseback riding, jeep, helicopter, ATV and hot air balloon rides. The Grand Canyon (110 miles), Lake Powell (169 miles), Flagstaff (40 miles), Jerome Ghost Town (20 miles), Verde River Canyon Railroad (25 miles), and American-Indian archaeological sites are easy day trips.

About SPI
SPI Software provides developers and operators of vacation ownership (timeshare, fractional, private residence club and others using either traditional or points-based usage strategies) with its .NET-based software as either an enterprise suite of software called Orange Systems, or in specific modules to handle marketing, sales, property management, finance, maintenance fee and receivables servicing, centralized reservations or Website access operations. Founded in 1978 and based in Miami, FL, SPI can be reached at 305-858-9505, sales@spiinc.com or www.spisoftware.com.

Robb & Stucky Interiors, one of North America’s largest home furnishings and interior design companies, is preparing for the installation of furnishings for Bluegreen Corporation’s Harbour Lights Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Nancy Woodhouse, IDS

Robb & Stucky Senior Designer Nancy Woodhouse, IDS, selected a coastal design embracing an easy living lifestyle for the new furniture packages, inspired by the South Carolina shoreline including furniture pieces for dining, living and bedroom. Campaign-style furniture was created for the living areas, reflecting the resort’s existing nautical decor. Each bedroom is anchored with a custom-designed Sea Captain’s headboard with complementing nightstands and dresser for the 48 two-bedroom lockout villas in four of the buildings on the property. The larger units feature king-sized beds with living room, dining, full-sized kitchens and patios. Robb & Stucky provided the design and manufacturing of all furniture pieces used in the newly designed villas.

“Since the building’s exteriors feature pastel colors, we wanted to ensure that the new interiors reflected the feeling of this seaside community,” said Nancy. “We used warm wood tones, neutral backgrounds and added a few nautical fabric accents to ensure that the design remains contemporary and timeless.”

Added Woodhouse, “We applied a great deal of the Value Engineering concept to this project, creating several pieces of top-quality furniture keeping the intended function and fulfilling the client’s needs, while at the same time reducing overall costs. This was accomplished without sacrificing the appearance or function of each piece of furniture.  Utilizing the Value Engineering process can have a significant impact on overall costs, especially in the hospitality industry, when designing for multiple units.”

A major challenge was accomplished in the lock off bedroom, which required seating for dining in a smaller area as well as a custom-designed piece to hold a TV, DVD player, a set of drawers, a small refrigerator and microwave for a designated alcove. The custom piece was designed to have all appliances hidden behind shutter detailed door fronts. Robb & Stucky also designed and manufactured a game table that serves multiple functions including ottomans for additional seating. The custom table serves as: dining, family game area and desk for a computer.

Commented Dan Lubner, President of the Resort Division of Robb & Stucky Interiors, “Because of our vertical integration, we were able to custom design and manufacture the perfect product for this resort. We are honored to continue to provide our unique services to Bluegreen Resorts.”

Kathleen Palmer, General Manager of Harbour Lights Resorts adds, “During the entire design process, the Robb & Stucky team has been extremely well organized and flexible in adjusting to our changing needs. The staff was most conscientious and easy to work with.”

About Robb & Stucky Interiors
Founded in 1915 in Fort Myers, Florida, Robb & Stucky Interiors is a nationally respected interior design and premier furnishings retailer with showrooms in Florida, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Costa Rica and 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

About Bluegreen Corporation
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is the leader in providing Colorful Places to Live and Play through its vacation ownership resort and residential real estate business segments. Our more than 3,100 employees are passionate about delivering extraordinary experiences for our owners, travelers and business partners. Since 1996, Bluegreen has managed, marketed and sold a flexible, real estate-based vacation ownership plan with more than 208,000 owners, over 45 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 3,700 resorts worldwide. Since 1985, Bluegreen Communities has developed master-planned residential and golf communities primarily in the southern and southeastern U.S., and has sold over 55,000 homesites. We also offer a portfolio of comprehensive, turnkey, fee-for-service resort management, financial services, customer generation and sales solutions to third-party developers and lenders. For more information, visit www.bluegreencorp.com.

Trident Business Management has recently announced the launch of its new website to serve the needs of its existing and prospective clients and has named the first two members of its prestigious Advisory Board.
The Trident website (www.tridentbusinessmanagement.com) was created to help companies in the lodging and timeshare sectors of the leisure industry. It features information about the company, services provided, and professional credentials of the Managing Partners, James (Jimmy) Danz RRP and William (Bill) Tsao, two of the timeshare industry’s most respected senior level operating executives.

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Trident Business Management is an implementation-based business solutions organization created to aid companies in need of highly specialized operational expertise and management services. Trident clients generally require corporate, financial, or operational improvement, which may include short-term crisis management, longer-term stabilization, repositioning and growth management.

Adds Bill Tsao, “We formed Trident Business Management to help bring positive change to our industry at this critical time. To help us accomplish this ambitious objective, we assembled a best-in-class group of professionals to serve as our Advisory Partners.”

“Our Advisory Partners are widely acknowledged as successful business executives and respected authorities in their respective areas of expertise within the lodging and timeshare sectors of the leisure industry,” adds Danz. “Since every client has a unique set of challenges, these Advisory Partners will provide us with strategic guidance and support, working with us as a collaborative team to customize solutions as we match them with each client’s individual needs.”

Sunil Aluvila

The first two Advisory Partners named by Danz and Tsao are Sunil Aluvila and Steven C. Hicks.
Sunil Aluvila is an innovator in marketing, product development, and the application of emerging technology for the vacation rental and ownership industry. He will assist Trident Business Management clients in these highly specialized areas. For the past 19 years he has amassed extensive experience in strategic planning, interactive marketing, vacation club product development, e-business development, and online distribution of vacation products. He served in a senior management capacity with Shell Vacations Club, heading market research, vacation club product and loyalty development and development of interactive sales systems. He founded Vibes Interactive in 2005 to build and support a customer acquisition, retention and value maximization platform that connects vacation ownership and vacation rental companies with customers in creative ways to deliver measurable results. Under Sunil’s leadership, Vibes has developed a suite of innovative interactive sales and marketing products for the vacation rental and ownership industry. In 2007, a joint venture was forged with Interval International (NASDAQ: ILG) to use Vibes’ interactive marketing platform to develop and support VacationSource.com, an aggregate tour generation and vacation rental portal for Interval International’s affiliate resorts. www.vibesinteractive.com

Steven C. Hicks

As founding president of Resort Management Advisors, Steve Hicks is one of the vacation ownership industry’s most respected senior property management professionals. He will assist Trident clients requiring his expertise in his highly specialized field. During his professional career spanning 28 years, Hicks has property management leadership encompassing more than 50 resorts, 60 owner associations with 300 board members and over 3,000 employees, responsible for developer and owner association assets in excess of $1 billion. Prior to the formation of RMA, Hicks served for more than 25 years, as President of Shell Vacations Hospitality, building that company from three properties to more than 20 resorts in the US and Canada with over one thousand hospitality employees serving under his leadership. Hicks also served as Vice President for all 23 North American resorts for Diamond Resorts International and in the same capacity for ResortCom International, a resort management company located in San Diego. Hicks is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and ARDA Registered Resort Professional (RRP). www.resortmanagementadvisors.com

About Trident Business Management
Trident Business Management is a leading business solutions firm focused on serving the lodging and timeshare sectors of the leisure industry. The firm’s expertise is in its industry-specific and operationally-centric knowledge and experience.  The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company is led by Managing Partners Jim Danz and Bill Tsao, who bring more than 40 combined years of senior management experience to the aid of their clients.  The firm specializes in delivering results in these critical disciplines:  restructuring and turnarounds, asset management, merger & acquisition advisory, financial advisory, and performance improvement. Trident is highly differentiated from consultant and advisory companies by its implementation and performance-based orientation.  For more information, visit www.TridentBusinessManagement.com

Operating Mantra – “Performance, Not Plans”

Two of the timeshare and lodging industry’s most respected senior level operating executives have collaborated to launch a new business management organization, created to aide companies in need of highly specialized operational expertise and management services.

Utilizing their four decades of combined operations management expertise, Managing Partners James (Jimmy) Danz RRP and William (Bill) Tsao, founded Trident Business Management, an implementation-based business solutions group, based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Trident Business Management was created to provide management services for companies in need of corporate, financial, or operational improvement. This includes short-term crisis management, longer-term stabilization, repositioning and growth management.

William "Bill" Tsao

Explains Bill Tsao, “We recognize that the timeshare industry is in the midst of an evolutionary phase. The sudden vanishing of capital can be both destructive and cathartic. After hundreds of hours of discussions with top developers, lenders, strategists, lawyers, and respected industry-operating executives, we have identified a huge void in terms of a solid solution to the crisis. We formed Trident Business Management to help bring positive change to our industry at this critical time. Our past experiences, our contacts and strategic resources have positioned us well to participate in some much-needed change to the outdated and under-performing 30-year-old business model of timeshare.”

How will this be accomplished? “Instead of just focusing on cost containment and expense renegotiation,” adds Jimmy Danz, “we provide the operational experience and intimate understanding of a business that is critical in knowing how to open new revenue channels from existing assets that have not been properly leveraged. For some consulting companies or global rescue firms, it’s all about business plans. For us, it’s all about execution and differentiation from past practices. We back this philosophy by scaling our compensation toward performance and execution … without the cost of global overhead. While many companies espouse theory, at Trident, we believe in the principal of performance, not plans and stake the majority of our compensation on a success model with performance-based success fees instead of guaranteed fees with no guarantee of success.”

Trident Business Management is an operationally centric “all-inclusive” business solution company that has assembled a best-in-class group of professionals (the Trident Advisory Partners) who are widely respected authorities in their areas of expertise within the lodging and timeshare sectors of the leisure industry. Since every client has a unique set of challenges, these Advisory Partners will work with Trident leadership as a collaborative team to customize solutions, matching the right experts and specific talent to each client’s needs.

The two managing partners have spent their careers as senior operating executives, not as consultants, and have a solid reputation for integrity, ethics and sound business practices. In their previous executive positions as senior strategists and tacticians, the programming and implementation guidance provided by Danz and Tsao were key drivers in the procurement of nearly $1.5 billion dollars in net sales volume for some of the country’s largest vacation ownership companies.

James "Jimmy" Danz

Danz is internationally recognized as an expert in partnering corporate alliances with enterprise strategies, initiatives and objectives. His professional experience has also included equity partnerships, senior-level executive and consultancy roles for Diamond Resorts International®, Princeton Resorts Group, Starwood Hotels, Conrad Hilton International, Vistana Resorts, ACCOR Vacation Club and Success Marketing. The five-time Gold ARDY winner has held Board of Director seats for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and is the current Chairman of the ARDA Meetings Council and the ARDA Sales and Marketing Forum. He also sits on the Board of the American Tele-Services Association (ATA) and is the current Chairman of the ATA Political Action Committee.

Bill Tsao is a results-driven executive with a broad range of senior-level experience encompassing both domestic and international business operations. His background features a successful track record in driving revenue growth and winning market share, primarily in turnaround, start-up and high growth situations. His 18-year industry experience includes equity partnerships, senior-level executive and consultancy roles for Casablanca Express, Sunterra Resorts, Pacific Resorts International Inc., International Cruise & Excursions, Vacation Marketing Systems Inc., Raintree Resorts International and Diamond Resorts International®. Tsao has a proven career track record in driving multi-national and multi-site projects. He has been a frequent guest speaker at the ARDA National Convention and is a past board member for the Arizona Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Annual Golf Tournament, which was the largest MDA Golf Tournament in the nation.

About Trident Business Management
Trident Business Management is a leading business solutions firm focused on serving the lodging and timeshare sectors of the leisure industry. The firm’s expertise is in its industry-specific and operationally-centric knowledge and experience.  The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company is led by Managing Partners Jim Danz and Bill Tsao, who bring more than 40 combined years of senior management experience to the aid of their clients.  The firm specializes in delivering results in these critical disciplines:  restructuring and turnarounds, asset management, merger & acquisition advisory, financial advisory, and performance improvement.   Trident is highly differentiated from consultant and advisory companies by its implementation and performance-based orientation.  For more information, visit www.TridentBusinessManagement.com

by Marge Lennon

In considering the status of your resort property, do any of these design challenges sound familiar?

• Your resort or hotel rooms are “tired” or “dated” and in need of a total renovation.
• Your budget can cover only a small portion of what is actually required.
• Your refurbishments may need to be spread out over several years.
• You do not want the finished work to look like it was completed in stages.
• You need to replace only a single item – while retaining the majority of your furnishings.
• You are cautious about making that purchase from a local vendor.
• You need to refurbish a single room or area, but want it to blend with the rest of your unit.
• You have a new property and want ONE organization to guide you through the entire design and installation process, avoiding multiple “middle men” who add commissions during each step.

If you responded, “Yep, that’s me” to any of these comments, read on …

Although they have handled some of the largest total furnishing assignments and renovations to hotels and resorts around the world, Robb & Stucky Interiors is equally proud of their ability to help clients with smaller challenges. Similar to your personal residence, it isn’t always financially feasible to replace everything at one time. The design professionals at Robb & Stucky Interiors understand this and are well positioned to help you with the very important strategic planning process.

“Much like a large department store, where you can purchase everything needed for a bedroom or just a pillow, we can help with the largest and smallest furnishing item for a resort,” explained Dan Lubner, President of the Resort Division of Robb & Stucky Interiors. “After specializing in furnishing resort properties for over two decades, we enjoy the challenge of understanding and implementing the multi-step process. We recognize that some refurbishments are so large that budgetary constraints require them to be spread out over several years. While in other cases, a developer or management company has an urgent need to replace couches in 50 units … and wants them tomorrow! We also know that there may be times when a property will have to retain many items in a room but replace others. This presents additional challenges. Using our professional guidance will ensure that existing elements are gracefully integrated with all new items.”

Frequently, a developer or management firm may decide to shop locally for a replacement chair or lamp. This can often lead to problems down the road because the retailer does not have the “complete picture” of your resort. “We recognize that every item should be a reflection of your entire resort or hotel,” added Lubner.

Robb & Stucky Design Services
Until recently, the process that involves the selection, manufacturing, purchasing and installation of furnishings for hospitality properties has been accomplished through the use of many specialists with major portions of the budget going toward commissions for various coordination fees. Robb & Stucky helps its hotel, timeshare and fractional clients make wise interior and refurbishing decisions by providing all of these services with just one phone call. This eliminates the need for outsourcing or paying the middleman’s markup or designers’ commissions and allows for the maximum percentage of the developers’ furniture, fixture and equipment budget to actually be spent on FF&E.

About five years ago, Robb & Stucky decided to increase their service capabilities by manufacturing what they design, creating customized product lines for each commercial and hospitality application, often at a surprisingly affordable cost. The company also manufactures its own line of high-end bedding and related accessories and supplies appliances and televisions at competitive prices. Another specialty is the creation of custom-designed furnishings to fit tight spaces at affordable prices, as well as the selection of flooring and window treatments. Robb & Stucky’s size and buying power and their bundling of services enables them to provide furnishings and design work at highly competitive prices, whether the client is in Denver or Dubai. With one of North America’s largest teams of licensed interior designers, these professionals can be mobilized from any part of the globe.

As a testament to their service to hoteliers, Robb & Stucky was recently named the newest Alliance Partner
for the internationally respected Preferred Hotel Group. Under the arrangement, Robb & Stucky provides interior design services for Preferred Hotel Group’s more than 700 member hotels, resorts and fractional ownership properties located in over 70 countries.

Since their beginnings in 1915 in Fort Myers, Florida, Robb & Stucky has evolved to become one of the largest high-end furniture retailers in North America. Today, there are 15 interior showrooms and eight patio stores located in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Costa Rica.

For Perspective readers seeking advice on refurbishments or total new furnishings, Robb & Stucky Interiors is well positioned to assist with all of your interior design needs. To reach Dan Lubner, call 239-292-3717 or write to him at Dan.Lubner@RobbStucky.net www.RobbStucky.com

During the last few months, Robb & Stucky has successfully contracted for or delivered the following projects, listed below by type of property and work that was completed. Please note the wide scope and variety of assignments provided to meet each client’s specific needs.

TIMESHARE & FRACTIONAL PROPERTIES

• Casa Del Mar, Daytona, FL – This project included the total custom design renovation of 27 units for Bluegreen Resorts. The property was originally built as a hotel; the goal was to transform it to modern day standards with a sophisticated, timeless look. The work involved total design for four different room types, requiring entirely different sized furnishings for each room. The design team is scheduled to install custom-designed and manufactured headboards, desks, armoire/wardrobes, tables and chairs.

• The Soundings Seaside Resort, Cape Cod, MA – Robb & Stucky recently completed the first phase of construction/ design out of more 100 condominiums to be renovated for Bluegreen Resorts. (The
remaining phases are expected next year.) The project began with a complete renovation and refurbishment of a beachfront structure working out from the original framing. Only the building’s footprint and roof remained. This meant that all plumbing – sinks, bathtubs, tiles – had to be reconfigured, all appliances and electronics installed and total new furnishings were custom designed for the three separate unit sizes. The work was completed after a collaborative effort between the design team, contractors and architects.

According to Leon Narbonne, owner of The Soundings Seaside Resort, “Robb & Stucky delivered everything on time. They did an excellent job of selecting and installing the high quality furnishings and accessories. We were very pleased with their service and look forward to working with them again in the future.”

• Tarpon Point Marina, Cape Coral, FL – Robb & Stucky has been working with Grosse Pointe Development to complete the interior design, manufacture and installation of furnishings for The Resort At Marina Village Residence Club. The 184-unit high-rise resort is a combination of two and three-bedroom resident suites to be sold as both fractional and whole ownership and located within Tarpon Pointe Marina, a master-planned waterfront community. Robb & Stucky is also directing and providing complete turn-key furnishings, including bedding, window coverings, artwork accessories and kitchen ware. The design professionals were also asked to assist in the design of the lobby and common areas for this luxury mixed-use community.

Commented Lauren Hagan, Director of Sales for Grosse Pointe Development, “Designing fully-furnished upscale interiors that accommodate the needs and desires of demanding homeowners of both fractional and whole ownership residences, which will also be used as resort rooms, was a challenge that we felt Robb & Stucky was up to handling. Their ability to create customdesigned furnishings specifically for our property, when coupled with their extensive experience provided us with a peace of mind and a stylish look that will be accompanied by designer accessories and furnishings. Not only are they creating a custom look for the resort, but they are also coordinating every aspect of the design, manufacturing, shipping and installation process. As a result, the finished product will be beautiful and worry-free.”

Since both the fractional and whole ownership units will be sold completely furnished and to an upscale market, having the right company to handle the interior design work is an integral element to our success. We selected Robb & Stucky because of their impressive credentials, their experience with fractionals, their understanding of the share-use concept and the expectations of this special market. Also, they will be providing custom-designed furnishings specifically for our property, creating a type of ‘Florida chic’ along with designer accessories and finishes. We are very pleased that they were able to create a new line of custom furnishings, specifically for our property. They are also coordinating every facet of the design, manufacturing, shipping, and installation process taking away many potential headaches.”

HOTELS/RESORTS

• The Hyatt Ganey Ranch, Scottsdale, AZ – Extensive outdoor furnishings were custom designed to deliver a trendy resort living ambience for three distinct upscale outdoor areas, to include a sophisticated adult side, a family sports playground and colorful kids sandy beach. Robb & Stucky also created specially designed daybeds and custom cabanas that generated additional revenueproducing areas.

• Hotel Indigo, Fort Myers, FL - Custom-designed furnishings and public spaces were completed for this nationally branded 67-room boutique hotel, a franchise of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Since franchised brands must have a uniformity and consistency of style, Robb & Stucky designers collaborated closely with the hotel company to ensure that corporate design standards as well as budgets were met down to the very last detail. Every single piece of furniture, including luggage racks, chairs and bathroom vanities, required corporate approval.

Added Bob Haury, President of DOC Hospitality, “Robb & Stucky designed, manufactured, shipped and inspected high-end furnishings that not only met, but far exceeded brand standards for Hotel Indigo. They provided us with unparalleled logistical and customer services. It was a superb fit.”

• The Marco Beach Resort, Marco Island, FL – This Preferred Hotel Group affiliate requested a complete redesign and installation of 98 guest vacation suites for an existing property. The work included selecting new items to blend with furnishings and accessories that were to remain in the units. A “facelift” included new carpeting, custom bedding, and window treatments. The majority of the newly installed furnishings were custom designed specifically for this resort and included sofas, chairs and lamps.

“Our guests have discerning tastes and expect a certain level of quality and style while vacationing,” said Ron Albeit, Marco Beach Ocean Resort Hotel Advisor. “We selected Robb & Stucky for this project based on their expertise, capabilities for a fast installation and ability to work within the allocated budget.”

• The Wort Hotel, Jackson Hole, WY – Robb & Stucky sourced outdoor dining furnishings for the Wort Hotel’s famed Silver Dollar Bar & Grill. The experimental project has proven wildly successful filling a niche in downtown Jackson Hole, WY. A dual branded member of Preferred Hotel Group, The Wort Hotel was recently named one of the nation’s top ten historic hotels.

Jim Waldrop, General Manager of the Wort Hotel shared, “Robb & Stucky’s timely follow-up and actual implementation of work was outstanding. We were on an extremely tight timeline and they were able to deliver weeks before anyone else. Their turnover time was incredible. I received a return phone call on the very first day that I contacted them for information. We hope to use them in the future for other projects.”

CONDOMINIUMS

• Fairway Point at Boca West Country Club, Boca Raton, FL – In the redesign of two 8-story towers, all interior spaces, lobbies and common areas were transformed into a contemporary transitional style. New carpeting, wall coverings, lighting and furnishings were installed on all 16 floors, corridors and fitness centers.

• The Georgian, South Beach, FL – A complete makeover was completed for two lobbies in this luxury high-rise condominium. Work involved flooring, wall finishes, and a custom reception desk, created to reflect the shape of the building and its architecture.

• The Strada at Mercato, Naples, FL – Robb & Stucky completed two luxury condominium models and one “spec” residential unit for this upscale urban condominium development with mixed-use elements. They also provided space planning and interior design for the clubhouse, hallways, lobbies and public spaces on the residential side of the buildings and exterior furnishings for the pool area.

• Venetian Isles, Boynton Beach, FL – Design work here involved the total renovation of a 28,000 sf clubhouse, to include the replacement of all furnishings, accessories, window treatments, and flooring for grand lobby, corridors, cardrooms, theater, kitchen and café.

Marge Lennon, of Lennon Communications, is celebrating 31 years as a writer for the vacation ownership industry. She can be reached by calling 239-482-3891 or via email at Marge@LennonCommunications.com.

Cibola Vista Resort and Spa Now Available to Bluegreen Vacation Club® Members

Bluegreen Corporation, a leading provider of Colorful Places to Live and Play®, today announced that it has entered into agreements to manage the operations, sales and marketing, and loan servicing activities for Cibola Vista Resort and Spa, beginning in October 2009. As part of the relationship between Cibola and Bluegreen, the Cibola Vista Resort and Spa, located in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria, Arizona, will become part of Bluegreen’s portfolio of vacation destinations.

Cibola Vista Resort and Spa is a luxury vacation ownership resort located between the popular Lake Pleasant recreational area and the city of Phoenix, and is in close proximity to the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium and numerous Major League Baseball spring training venues. The resort boasts amenities including a spa, fitness center, two pools, meeting rooms and equestrian programs, in a western village-themed environment. A total of 204 units, including studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse accommodations, are offered in Spanish Colonial-designed buildings.

“Our property was designed to appeal to travelers looking for an Old West vacation experience with the comforts and amenities of today,” said Neil Cumsky, President and CEO of Princeton Resorts Group, the developer of Cibola Vista. “Combining Bluegreen service with this unique resort experience will further establish Cibola Vista as one of the premier destination resorts in the Southwest, while at the same time provide our owners with the breadth of services offered by Bluegreen.”

“This turnkey relationship extends the Bluegreen Vacation Club® footprint into another new, high-demand vacation destination,” said Bluegreen’s President and CEO John M. Maloney, Jr. “Resort options in the Southwest, especially in popular golf and outdoor destinations like Phoenix, are an attractive alternative for our vacation club owners.”

Mr. Maloney continued, “We remain focused on expanding our business and introducing new experiences to our owners and guests, while at the same time conserving our capital. We believe our fee-based service initiatives, such as our agreement with Cibola Vista, demonstrates our continuing success in these endeavors.”

ABOUT BLUEGREEN CORPORATION
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is the leader in providing Colorful Places to Live and Play® through its vacation ownership resort and residential real estate business segments. Our more than 3,100 employees are passionate about delivering extraordinary experiences for our owners, travelers and business partners. Since 1996, Bluegreen has managed, marketed and sold a flexible, real estate-based vacation ownership plan with more than 208,000 owners, over 45 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 3,700 resorts worldwide. Since 1985, Bluegreen Communities has developed master-planned residential and golf communities primarily in the southern and southeastern U.S., and has sold over 55,000 homesites. We also offer a portfolio of comprehensive, turnkey, fee-for-service resort management, financial services, customer generation and sales solutions to third-party developers and lenders. For more information, visit www.bluegreencorp.com.