Iconic Lakefront Cottage-Country Resort Is Only Two Hours’ Drive From Toronto

Preferred Residences™, a hospitality branded membership and exchange program for luxury shared ownership resorts offered by a subsidiary of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG), today announced that The Cottages at Windermere House has joined its exchange network. The historic Windermere House Resort, located on Ontario’s renowned Lake Rosseau in Canada’s Muskoka Region, has been welcoming visitors for 140 years. 

Now, it is being transformed into a mixed-use property with a fractional component comprising new waterfront cottages.  A wealth of on-site amenities, including three restaurants, fitness center, beach, boat slips, spa, and golf at the adjacent Windermere Golf Course, completes the upscale experience.        
The Cottages at Windermere House will feature two- and three-bedroom units with living space ranging from 1,500 to 1,900 square feet. Residences will be furnished with an eye toward maintaining the high-end lake-house experience, with hardwood flooring, heritage-style lantern lighting, beamed ceilings, and stone-façade gas fireplaces. Fully equipped, state-of-the-art kitchens are planned to complement the over-sized dining room tables, which are designed for entertaining. The Cottages also will have screened-in three-season Muskoka rooms and large, open-air lakeview decks to maximize enjoyment of Lake Rosseau, where noted celebrities have vacation homes.

“This luxury resort is an impressive property and wonderful addition to the Preferred Residences network,” said David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Preferred Residences. “Its discerning owners and guests will appreciate the high-quality accommodations, first-class services and amenities, and spectacular setting.”

 “Muskoka is an incredibly beautiful and scenic part of Canada that reminds visitors of the gracious vacation styles of another era. Our iconic resort is very much a part of that tradition and now, with the addition of The Cottages at Windermere House, a
broader clientele also can take ownership in this special experience,” said Paul Jeffrey, chairman of Windermere House Resort. “We’re excited to be affiliating with the exclusive Preferred Residences program, so that our owners can enjoy additional vacation experiences and leisure and lifestyle benefits.”

In addition to the sales and marketing opportunities for developers, Preferred Residences offers owners “high-touch” exchange services and year-round leisure and lifestyle benefits tailored especially for sophisticated, affluent travelers. These include preferential pricing at participating Preferred Hotel Group affiliated properties worldwide, complimentary Prestige membership in Priority Pass™ airport VIP lounge program, personal concierge services accessible 24/7 online and via phone, discounts on the Delta AirElite private jet program, and complimentary annual membership in Hertz #1 Club Gold®.

Date: 14-16 October 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Website: CRDAConference.com

Group RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, today announced new affiliations with multiple properties.

The new affiliates include the Whitewater Village resort in Ontario, Canada, The Mimosa hotel in Miami Beach, Florida; Betsie River Club and Lodge in Traverse City, Michigan; Gull Lake Residence Club in Nisswa, Minnesota and Salmon Falls Resort in Ketichikan, Alaska.

“Each of these resorts is a great addition to the RCI exchange program,” commented Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO, Group RCI.  “These new additions are all great examples of the wide range of vacation experiences our more than 3.7 million subscribing members can enjoy in over 4,000 locations across the globe, from mountains to seashore and everything in between.”

The Whitewater Village Resort in Ontario, Canada is environmentally-friendly, one of the first resorts in Eastern Ontario designed and built using a fully-sustainable development model. The buildings are 40 – 50 percent more energy-efficient than typical cottages, and are built using FSC wood. The resort provides geothermal heating, solar water heaters, Energy Star appliances, solar-powered golf carts, and electric vehicles for transportation in the car-free village. There are currently three cottages completed; 34 cottages will be available by the spring of 2010. Both pet-free and pet-friendly cottages are available to RCI members. Members can enjoy outdoor dining and scenic views from their private screened-in porch, as well as energizing water activities at the resort’s beach house, including canoeing and kayaking.

The Mimosa in Miami Beach, one of Florida’s most popular vacation spots, boasts ten units that offer accommodations ranging from studios to spacious two-room apartments. All rooms have whirlpool baths or Jacuzzis, and give access to a health club and spa. There is also a beach bar and pool, a game and well-equipped fitness center and a café bistro on site. With easy access to the nightlife of Miami’s South Beach and great shopping in nearby Bal Harbour, The Mimosa is a great place for RCI subscribing members to experience all that Miami has to offer.

The Betsie River Lodge and Club in Traverse City, Michigan is currently under construction and will eventually include 135 units. All cabins will enjoy luxury furnishings and sleep up to ten guests. They will have two full baths, custom kitchens, and two beautiful porches. The luxury resort features an all-season pool, basketball court, frisbee golf course, and off-road snowmobile trails. The high-end accommodations give the Betsie River Lodge and Club RCI Gold Crown Resort® status.

Gull Lake Residence Club in Nisswa, Minnesota, currently under construction with five units completed, features a beautiful blend of Mother Nature and resort living. The club features three-bedroom, four-bathroom luxury townhomes that are fully furnished with four fireplaces, five flat-screen high-definition televisions, jetted tubs, wireless Internet and an outdoor grill. The high-end resort is nestled on the beautiful Gull Lake in the Brainerd Lakes area, a popular Midwest vacation destination. Gull Lake has 38 miles of wooded shoreline with a variety of hiking trails, and each townhouse has its own boat slip in the full-service marina. This spectacular resort has RCI Gold Crown Resort status.

Salmon Falls Resort in Ketichikan, Alaska, a breathtaking resort featuring 20 units, offers an array of exciting tours and fishing excursions to help ensure visitors get the adventure vacation they’re looking for. For the fishermen, the resort gives guided Halibut, Salmon and freshwater fishing trips. Other adventure tours include bear watching along the waterways of the Tongass National Forest, glacier viewing near the Canadian border, and sightseeing at the Misty Fjord National Monument. The main hotel building is constructed of rustic Montana Pine and offers guests the feeling of the wilderness with all of the creature comforts. The large and comfortable rooms found in all units have wireless internet services and private baths. Salmon Falls Resort offers RCI subscribing members unique vacations where they can create memories that will last a lifetime.

For additional information on the value-added services offered to leisure real estate developers by Group RCI visit www.grouprci.com.

About Group RCI
Group RCI, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, (NYSE: WYN) is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with exclusive access for specified periods to more than 67,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. The company is comprised of vacation exchange, including RCI®, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers and The Registry Collection, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Endless Vacation RentalsSM , Landal GreenParks®, Novasol®, and more than 30 other vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse®, Leisure Real Estate Solutions, an international leader in providing a full spectrum of advisory, research, and asset management services. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit www.grouprci.com or the media center of www.wyndhamworldwide.com.