Spanish golf resort chooses leading shared ownership publication to promote its fractional ownership offerings.

“Arcos Gardens is an upmarket luxury golf resort based in the south of Spain which is now offering some of its luxury properties for sale on a fractional basis.  It is important that the media where we advertise directly targets the market we are aiming to attract.  We identified Owners Perspective as a publication that precisely suited our purpose in this respect.  It focuses on the shared ownership market and possesses strong distribution in key areas.  We look forward to building a long term partnership with them.” Said Regan Berger, Director of Sales, Arcos Gardens.

Owners Perspective Magazine (http://www.ownersperspective.com) specifically focuses on the shared ownership industry and includes resort and product reviews relating to resort real estate, fractional ownership and high end timeshare / vacation ownership products and has been selected for distribution in all first class British Airways airport lounges globally and on selected main routes for many other airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Emirates Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and more, in addition to its print and online circulation.

“We are delighted to have Arcos Gardens select our publication to promote their luxurious properties in Spain.” Said Paul Mattimoe, CEO, OP Media LLC. “The attraction to our consumer publication is that it offers complete print and online marketing campaigns rather than standard advertising, so premium packages not only include print advertising, but also complimentary online banner advertising, direct enquiry forms, email advertising, press release syndication and targeted social media marketing all designed to attract the right kind of prospective purchaser for each development.”

About Arcos Gardens

Located among the rolling hills of Andalusia and next to the famed white village of Arcos de la Frontera in the province of Cadiz, the Arcos Gardens Golf Club & Country Estate is an exclusive low density golf resort designed for upscale luxury living. The 440 acre property was a former olive grove that was transformed through the transplanting of over 2,000 olive trees into a leading golf destination featuring a championship 18-hole course that was recently named one of Europe’s Top 100. Among the project’s facilities are a brand new club house with day spa and a restored 17th century cortijo, reflecting the goal to combine top quality service and world-class amenities with the area’s natural beauty and traditional Spanish charm.

In order to provide its homeowners with a truly superior lifestyle experience, Arcos Gardens places an emphasis on providing the highest level of build quality and offering large, open spaces created through careful landscaping and integration into the surrounding environment. The architectural designs have been influenced by the region’s rustic style and feature spacious open plan living areas with high-spec state-of-the-art fittings. Also noteworthy are the development’s first-class ‘green’ credentials that incorporate several eco-friendly initiatives including solar panels for water heating and the use of recycled water from a plant built by the project.

For more information, visit www.arcosgardens.com or call +34 956 701 694

About Owners Perspective Magazine

Published by OP Media LLC, Owners Perspective Magazine is the most read consumer publication for the shared ownership industry globally and is available to the general public by paid for print subscription or free of charge online subscription. Additionally it is distributed via first class and business class airport lounges worldwide, selected hotel and resort accommodation, supermarkets and other outlets.

For more information on advertising and editorial opportunities visit www.perspectiverates.com

European Seminar Included Timeshare Professionals and Owners for Frank Discussions

Late September 2009 saw Dial An Exchange host a controversial seminar titled Timeshare Stripped Bare. The venue was the picturesque Barnsdale Hotel & Country Club timeshare resort, located in the middle of England’s smallest county and nestled on the banks of Rutland Water – and arguably one of the most popular resorts in the UK.

The seminar saw a unique combination, with timeshare industry professionals and timeshare owners invited to attend. Some industry insiders even expressed nervousness at involving owners in sensitive discussions on some of the industry’s biggest challenges and most controversial subjects.

As the conference proceedings unfolded though, it became clear that there were no grounds for such concerns. The event attracted an intimate but engaged group, consisting of some of the major players within the timeshare industry, resort committee members and individual timeshare owners who were keen to hear what the experts predicted for the future of timeshare.

The seminar was organized and moderated by David Lilley of Dial An Exchange and supported by parent DAE Live, representatives of which had journeyed from Australia to support the event.

Given the provocative title to the seminar, independent observers could have been forgiven for thinking the event was being staged to attack and undermine the timeshare industry. This was definitely not the case.

Lilley made a point of drawing out the many positive experiences that timeshare extends to its customers, and despite the fact that there were many disgruntled owners in the audience, when Lilley asked his ritual question about the levels of satisfaction that owners get from the product, many hands were raised in acceptance of the undisputed fact – that when timeshare is sold and serviced correctly, it is a wonderful product.

Lilley kicked off the seminar with a typically forthright appraisal of the challenges the timeshare industry in Europe faces. The concerns raised in Lilley’s opening address were emphasized and quickly justified by the opinions expressed by three of the business delegates in attendance.

When Lilley asked the question What percentage of timeshare owners in Europe wish to exit?, however, the weighted answer from the three knowledgeable people in their opinion was a remarkable 50%.

Legislative Issues
Following on from the opening introduction, Geoff Chapman, a director of TATOC, delivered an interesting and precise summary of TATOC’s work to support timeshare owners. Chapman presented a variety of statistics sourced from the existence of the TATOC help line. The most pertinent parts of Chapman’s presentation centered on where consumer issues originate from, with bogus resale companies and holiday clubs being the biggest issues.

Simon Jackson, managing director of Macdonald Resorts, shared his views on the subject of product repositioning and new product development. Jackson has already developed a reputation as an executive who would happily engage in a united alliance to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges, but with the seeming absence of such initiatives, he is clearly prepared to pioneer new activities. This was evidenced by the Macdonald 5 Year Holiday Product, which was very well received, commended by all members of the audience and described as the product of the future.

One of the most memorable presentations of the seminar came from Ramy Filo, chairman of DAE Live and CEO of Classic Holidays. Filo revealed that the Australian timeshare market is somewhat ahead of Europe in many areas.

Australia already has a sales certification platform and a clear appetite to create products that have appeal to the customer. One of the most poignant messages that emerged from all the speakers on display was Filo’s simple but powerful statement: “The way I see it, we have products and we have customers. If the products are not appealing, we need to change the products because we cannot keep changing the customers.”

Phil Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, gave a lively and frank discourse on the subject of resales. Watson encouraged owners to be less clumsy in handing over money to companies that make unsolicited cold calls and stated that members wishing to relinquish their ownership needed to be realistic about the value of their timeshare.

Watson shared some examples of his company’s media work and his personal attempts to change the perception of timeshare by embracing some of the more expensive but higher impact advertising vehicles, such as television.

New timeshare legislation is set to have a profound impact on the timeshare industry in Europe. Alex Radford, a solicitor from leading law firm Irwin Mitchell, gave a condensed and layman’s term summary of the EU legislation that becomes active in 2010.

In the audience debate that followed Radford’s speech, it became clear that whilst there are some commendable elements to the new legislation, other parts of it could be described only as a suppressant to reasonable and honest business. The total ban on any form of deposit, for example, is a restriction that is not placed on too many other industries around Europe.

Maintenance-Fee Defaults
The subject of increasing maintenance fees and the growing trend toward court action for defaulting owners was expected to create fierce debate. The reality, however, was that there was quite a degree of empathy and understanding toward those developers who now see it as necessary to take defaulters to court.

Martin Beesley is one of the few respected timeshare resort developers in Europe. He boldly took to the floor to explain why his two resorts (Fairways Club in Tenerife and Pueblo Evita on the Costa del Sol) had this year started to take court action against defaulters. Beesley explained that those owners who were choosing to default were simply placing an increased liability on the remaining members of the club, and this served only to compound the challenge of suppressing maintenance fee increases.

Beesley also pointed out that the bogus holiday pack companies seem to regard the owners at resorts where court action was not being taken as easy prey for their fraudulent products.

In summarizing the maintenance fee session, Lilley drew out a diagram to explain the consequences of taking court action versus those of doing nothing.

Whilst Lilley made the point that he personally had very mixed views on the subject of taking owners to court, the audience offered little resistance to the suggestion that court action, when thoroughly considered from a holistic viewpoint, was not necessarily as negative as some owners would suggest.

Other Noteworthy Presentations
One of the more eagerly anticipated speeches was delivered by Matthew Moody, former head of Revenue Management at RCI Europe. Moody covered the subject of trading power and had the business delegates transfixed at the complexity of the subject.

Paul Mattimoe of Perspective International took the delegates through a chronological summary of his company’s evolution, his survey on timeshare owners and general attitudes toward timeshare. He also shared the objectives of their two magazines. Mattimoe has broken many perception barriers with his new consumer magazine, Owners Perspective, arranging distribution deals that include the likes of British Airways’ First Class Lounges worldwide, more than a dozen similar airline, hotel and resort agreements, and respected UK supermarket chains such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s.

Consistently growing at a rapid rate and currently reaching more than 50,000 consumers a month, the magazine is attracting advertising support from many major hospitality brands and leading developers around the world.

TATOC Chief Executive Harry Taylor concluded his short interview with David Lilley to publicly recognize the work that David had done to support TATOC over the past few years with the award of six bottles of fine wine.

Veteran Sutton Hall resort chairman Neville Greenwood, with 18 years on his resort’s committee behind him, shared some insight into the trends that he has observed over the years, particularly in relation to  repossessed weeks and the methods his resort use to get them back into ownership.

The concluding session of the seminar was on the subject of sales certification.

The panel of the speakers and other business delegates all agreed that a sales certification platform would benefit European timeshare but this really needed to be backed by the authorities and enforced, for it to have any major impact and sustained value.

Under the spotlight of scrutiny and some heavy criticism for daring to cover such sensitive subjects in such a public way, Dial An Exchange emerged with strong credibility after tackling such thorny subjects. The comments made on timeshare owner forums has already justified and confirmed the value in such events. Timeshare owners want to see their issues discussed and debated with a solution-focused attitude.

With such a positive response and some useful networking sessions for the business delegates, you can expect that the next event will have at least a few more attendees – and draw even more attention.

David Lilley chooses to leave Dial An Exchange
While no announcement was made at the event, it transpires that the Timeshare Stripped Bare event was Lilley’s last public performance as Managing Director of Dial An Exchange Europe.

While working for DAE, Lilley had continued to operate his own marketing company (www.marketinginnovations. co.uk) since 2007.

When asked about his reasons for leaving DAE he commented: “Philip Green (the owner of DAE) and I decided we did not want to make an announcement about my departure at the seminar because we did not want to take the focus away from the objectives of the seminar.

I’ve had an enjoyable two years at DAE. I think they are a terrific, customer-focused company and Philip and I part as friends. Indeed, I will still be doing some work for DAE in 2010 at two of their members Roadshows, as well as organizing and moderating another business seminar. I will also continue to be editor of their
Holiday Access Magazine.

My decision to leave DAE was purely that I wanted to explore other business opportunities and dedicate more time to some of my personal business projects. These projects include a specific rental service for owners at independent resorts called Rent Your Week and a rescue package called Resort Rescue for resorts that find themselves in financial difficulties.”

David Lilley can be reached at +44 (0)7872 13 13 14 or visit www.marketinginnovations.co.uk

Perspective magazine Editor Matt McDaniel represented Perspective International at the 2009 World Travel Awards’ North and Central America regional ceremony, held September 21, 2009 at Hacienda Tres Rios, an all-inclusive luxury resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

The World Travel Awards (WTA), described as the Oscars of the global travel and tourism industry, acknowledge the “best of the best” out of more than 500 nominees. The event was held in partnership with Hacienda Tres Rios, Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau, Yucatan Holidays, Yucatan Travel, RCI and Vive Mexico. Luminaries attending the event included Mexico Secretary of Tourism Sara Latife Ruiz Chavez, who also serves as governor of the state of Quintana Roo.

The host resort had been nominated for recognition in several categories and proved its world-class status, taking the top nod as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Green Hotel and Mexico and Central America’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort.

Opened in November 2008, Hacienda Tres Ríos is the first resort of five at Tres Ríos. Hacienda Tres Ríos Resort boasts 273 suites featuring native materials and offering breathtaking views of the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

While it is easy to see why Hacienda Tres Rios was named top all-inclusive, the elements that make an exceptional green operation blend seamlessly into the guest experience, striking a delicate balance of luxury holidays and conservation. This eco-luxury resort, located in a  nature preserve, was constructed as part of a master plan that included more than two years of comprehensive environmental studies. The architectural design was based on rigorous environmental criteria and the buildings were placed on areas of lower environmental value. What’s more, in 2006 the Mexican government recognized Hacienda Tres Rios as a “regional and national model for sustainable tourism development.”

Feature-length articles appearing in the October editions of Perspective International Ltd’s publications, Perspective and Owners Perspective, further describe eco-luxury master plan at Tres Rios resort, detail the criteria for recognition by the WTA and how it benefits the traveling public, and provide a list of additional winners.

The new consumer magazine for existing owners and prospective buyers / renters of leisure property appeared for the first time in print this month and was well received by visitors to the holiday and travel show confirming the growing interest in fractional property and luxury timeshare vacations.

A few thousand copies were distributed during the event and many visitors stopped to chat about the topics the magazine covered which range from overseas property, through fractional ownership, private residence clubs, destination clubs and timeshare as well as boutique hotels and luxury travel.

“It was encouraging to see the number of people who passed our exhibition booth who stopped and enquired about the leisure property products featured in the magazine; and although we do not represent or sell any of the properties or products we feature, it was a good indication of the level and quality of enquiries our advertisers could expect to receive as we move forward.” Said Paul Mattimoe, CEO, Perspective International Ltd.

Available free online and providing hundreds of destination and travel guides, Owners Perspective has attracted more than 10,700 subscribers in its first few months, but now it is available in print too the circulation has risen to 24,000 to incorporate property and travel shows, distribution through selected resorts and individual subscriptions.

Other exciting distribution channels are expected to be announced later this week, but with a further six travel and property shows already confirmed for 2009 and a rapidly growing subscription base it is quite clear that there is a new place for independent information on property and travel for consumers, as well as a new organic, highly targeted advertising platform for developers, marketers and suppliers.

For more information visit www.ownersperspective.com

For advertising and editorial opportunities visit www.perspectiverates.com