Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG), welcomes The Village Coconut Island, the latest Absolute World Group resort to join its global vacation exchange network. The private residence club is part of an exclusive mixed-use development on a private island off the east coast of the popular holiday island of Phuket, Thailand.

“The Village Coconut Island has been developed to create the ideal vacation residence for owners and Interval International members,” said Bryan Lunt, chairman of Absolute World Group. “With staggering views of Phang-Nga Bay, endless amenities, and a high level of service, it is the perfect paradise island escape. To find such a quality all-villa resort right on the beach is rare.”

In fact, the resort was recently named Best Shared Ownership Development in the inaugural South East Asia Property Awards created by Property Report South East Asia. The magazine received more than 1,500 nominations and recognised winners as “the crème de la crème of the industry.”

Absolute’s private residence club is part of the 192-unit Coconut Island resort community with 500 metres (1,640 feet) of unspoiled beachfront. Amenities include a spa and state-of-the-art fitness centre offering yoga classes and Thai boxing lessons, two lighted tennis courts, and a children’s club.

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FractionalExchange.com has announced that Namaste Oasis Private Residence Club has selected FractionalExchange.com for the vacation exchange requirements of its residences in Playa Guiones, Nosara, Costa Rica.

Located in the Pacific northwest area of Costa Rica, Nosara is widely known for its surfing and its yoga retreats. It is well-protected in the environmental sense, and currently remains one of the most pristine and authentic parts of Costa Rica. According to developer Jeff Grosshandler, Nosara is an area that remains closest to “small-town Costa Rica.”

“We’re excited about our affiliation with FractionalExchange.com,” says Jeff. “From day one, our goal has been to offer our fractional members the best experience. FractionalExchange.com fits nicely with our plan, as they offer boutique, high quality properties for exchange, and strive to keep things simple. It’s very apparent their standards are in line with ours. We are anxious for other FractionalExchange.com members to see our properties, and know they will want to arrange an exchange as soon as possible.”

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Strengthened by the Sales & Marketing of Peter Kempf International, The Reefs Welcomes More Than 40 New Owners in June

Supporting the resurgence of the private residence club market, The Reefs Club is proud to announce the sale of more than 40 memberships of its luxurious fractional resort real estate product in just two weeks.  With these sales The Club welcomes 37 new members and 3 existing owners who have purchased an additional interest in The Club.

Spurred by the marketing and sales expertise of private residence club consulting team Peter Kempf International (“PKI”), the recent sales activity underscores the notion that consumers are once again turning to fractional vacation home ownership as a smart legacy investment at a fraction of the cost of traditional vacation home ownership.

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Tom Goetschius, RRP, consultant, sales and training expert for over 60 fractional and private residence Club projects and an equal number of timeshare projects, in the Western Hemisphere and Europe, will address delegates during Perspective Magazine’s timeshare and fractional ownership industry networking event.

Perspective Magazine, the leading independent multi-media information provider for the timeshare and fractional industry, announces that Tom Goetschius, president of Tom Goetschius Associates, will provide insights from his 25 year career in the resort industry at the Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2011.

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International Private Residence Club Consultancy Brings Sales & Marketing Expertise to Exclusive Costa Rica Property

Leading Private Residence Club consultancy, Peter Kempf International (PKI), announced it has been awarded the exclusive sales and marketing contract for The Palms Private Residence Club, located on renowned Flamingo Beach on Costa Rica’s coveted Gold Coast.

Steps from the sand and with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, The Palms is a luxury getaway and the only beachfront private residence club in all of Costa Rica. PKI President & CEO Peter Kempf noted, “We have earned a reputation for being highly selective, and our portfolio includes some of the most iconic clubs ever created,” said Kempf.  “As soon as we arrived at The Palms, we looked at each other and knew that this was the equal of any club anywhere in the world.”

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SPI Software’s VP of Client Services Gordon McClendon Asked to Serve on Federal Issues Committee of American Resort Development Association (ARDA)

SPI Software, creators of timeshare software used for marketing, sales, mortgage and maintenance fee servicing, central reservations, property management and operations, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gordon McClendon, vice president of client services, to serve on the Federal Issues Committee of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

“SPI has been providing timeshare resorts with software for more than 25 years,” says McClendon. “We have been strong supporters of ARDA throughout our history and feel part of our responsibility in giving back to the timeshare community is serving on ARDA committees.”

“The Federal Issues Committee works with ARDA’s Federal Legislative team in Washington, D.C, to monitor legislative and regulatory policies that enable the vacation ownership industry to continue to provide high quality vacation products that remain accessible and affordable to all customers,” says ARDA Vice President of Federal Relations, ARDA-ROC/PAC Sandra “Sam” DePoy, RRP. “They work together to engage government officials at the federal level of government in constructive, ongoing dialogues and to participate in policy decisions affecting their ability to enhance the vision of vacation ownership. Our industry’s most prominent leaders play an integral role in shaping the agenda for the Federal Issues Committee and work to create a finely honed strategy for interacting with Congress, federal agencies and others to advance policies that strengthen our industry.”

About SPI Software
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 Microsoft .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@SPISoftware.com or www.SPISoftware.com. Gordon can be reached at Gordon@SPISoftware.com.

The Élan Collection, a collection of luxury vacation shared interest residences, has added a sprawling 19,500-square-foot mountain retreat at The Big EZ Lodge in Big Sky, Montana to its growing portfolio of properties.

Set on more than 60 acres, The Big EZ Lodge boasts 13 bedroom suites and 15 bathrooms, as well as a great room in the main lodge, elegant western furnishings, a game room with a billiards table, exercise room, wrap-around decks, caretaker’s quarters, a large garage and a western-style barn. The property also features two stocked trout ponds, an 18-hole championship putting course, a grotto-style hot tub, wine cellar, fire pit, Bocce ball and croquet courts, as well as numerous hiking trails.

“The Big EZ Lodge is an award-winning luxury mountain lodge, and it is the perfect location for a corporate retreat center, large family gatherings, reunions and weddings,” said Stan Tonkin, vice president of international marketing and sales for The Élan Collection. “A mountain retreat center of this size and caliber is extremely rare. Adding The Big EZ Lodge to our growing portfolio is just another example of how we are redefining the private residence club experience.”

Only 13 shared interest deeded ownership opportunities will be offered in The Big EZ Lodge. Priority sales reservation pricing starts at $1.5 million per deeded interest, but only on a limited basis. Ownership interests in The Big EZ Lodge will provide Élan owner-members with four weeks of exclusive use per year, and include a variety of A-list appointments and personal touches, such as a dedicated 24-hour concierge staff, travel accommodations, daily housekeeping, personal chef, limousine services, included private jet service, luxury vehicle to use when in residence, ski memberships, personal item placement inside the home and much more.

Located just minutes from Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana, The Big EZ Lodge overlooks the stunning Gallatin Mountain Range. The lodge offers world-class skiing—both downhill and cross country, as well as fly fishing, dog sledding, ice climbing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, rafting, kayaking and golfing. Yellowstone National Park is also about 30 miles away.

The Élan Collection currently offers a growing, yet grand portfolio of properties ranging from a 12,000-square-foot beachfront getaway in the Turks and Caicos Islands to a 6,200 square-foot classic Mediterranean estate on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. Ownership interests in an Élan property include four weeks of exclusive use per year, the option to exchange their usage rights for another property within The Élan Collection and an array of A-list appointments and personal touches, ranging from a dedicated concierge staff to limousine services and personal item placement inside the home. A map of current properties can be found here.

About The Élan Collection
The Élan Collection (www.elanPRC.com), a private residence club of distinctive shared ownership properties, combines the benefits of shared vacation home ownership with the advantages of a network of luxury destination resort properties across the United States as well as abroad. Owner-members at The Élan Collection can select their “home resort” based upon lifestyle interests and preferences, but can also enjoy other Élan destinations within the collection through an exclusive Club Exchange Network. Owner-members will experience unparalleled amenities and personal touches at each Élan property, such as 24/7 concierge services, daily housekeeping, travel accommodations, private jet service, onsite luxury SUV and placement of personal items upon each visit.

RCI to co-host Shared Ownership Summit at the Middle East’s leading hotel investment event

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), will partner with Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) and Bench Events, organizers of AHIC, to host industry leaders at the 2010 Middle East Shared Ownership Summit.

The Shared Ownership Summit is part of the three-day AHIC programme which will take place 1 -3 May at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE, with the half-day Summit taking place on Saturday, 1 May. For a complete list of regional and international leaders who will be speaking at the Summit, please visit www.arabianconference.com.

Shared ownership refers to a set of leisure oriented real estate and hospitality products that include timeshare, fractional, private residence club and destination clubs. Timeshare, or vacation ownership as it is often called, is very well established in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets like Egypt with industry observers more recently noting the tremendous potential for both vacation ownership and fractional development in Dubai and other key Arabian Gulf leisure destinations.

Attendees will hear firsthand from the leaders of some of the most successful regional and global vacation ownership companies, whose experience will help highlight opportunities for growth in MENA. Similarly, leaders from companies who helped pioneer the luxury branded residential and private residence club concepts will serve as trend spotters as they consider how luxury brands will unlock value from real estate products in the future.

The Summit will offer significant value to timeshare and fractional developers as they share best practices, receive industry updates and explore new opportunities.

“The Shared Ownership Summit offers hospitality companies and mixed-use developers an efficient forum in which to better understand the immediate benefits and long-term value that vacation ownership can infuse in their overall business strategy,” said Jeff Tisdall, managing director, RCI MENA. “We are encouraged by the continued strong interest international vacation ownership companies are expressing in the Dubai market.

The Summit offers international companies a venue to explore opportunities to enter the regional market via partnership or through outright asset acquisition.”

“We are honoured to have such an experienced set of business leaders confirmed as Shared Ownership Summit speakers,” said Jonathan Worsley of Bench Events. “This really is an unprecedented gathering of vacation ownership, fractional and luxury residential development leaders.”

Summit attendees will not only receive a copy of the 2010 Shared Ownership Study including important global and regional industry updates, but also experience three essential panel discussions. The first panel will aim to provide attendees with the tools and insights they need to determine if now is the right time to add Shared Ownership to their business strategy. A second panel discussion focuses on the latest sales and marketing insights, solutions and alternative approaches to developing sales capabilities. The luxury segment discussion considers recent innovations in the category and takes a look forward to consider how luxury brands will unlock value from real estate products in the future.

“This is a very timely discussion as the Middle East and North Africa region has seen significant innovations in the luxury segment,” said Gregg Anderson, vice president, The Registry Collection program. “This is a great opportunity for firms to consider how they will position themselves to capture new opportunities in the future.”

In addition, Jeff Tisdall, managing director, RCI MENA, will offer a sneak preview of the Summit when he hosts a free webinar on 7 April. The webinar will share an advance look at trends and opportunities in hotel shared ownership and reveal the potential of timeshare, fractional and private residence club concepts to the real estate development and hospitality industry. Those interested in attending the free webinar can register at www.arabianconference.com/webinar.

About The Shared Ownership Summit
The Shared Ownership Summit is offered as an optional upgrade to attendees of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference. It will also be possible to register directly in the Shared Ownership Summit. The Summit begins at 1:00pm on Saturday, May 1, 2010 and is immediately followed by a reception and networking event. For registration details please call 00971 (0)4 390 0049, email ahic@meed-dubai.com or visit www.arabianconference.com.

About RCI
RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with exclusive access for specified periods to more than 65,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Exchange and Rentals 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® program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Endless Vacation Rentals®, Landal GreenParks®, Novasol®, and other renowned vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse® Leisure Real Estate Solutions, a research and consultancy firm providing advisory services to the global leisure real estate industry. 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.wyndhamer.com or the media center of www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

Bench Events
Bench Events has a long track record of hosting the premier hotel investment events in the world. Bench Events’ Chairman, Jonathan Worsley, is one of the organisers and founders of the highly successful International Hotel Investment Forum now in its thirteenth year (www.berlinconference.com). In 2005, he was responsible for launching the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai and in 2008 launched the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference which was a sell out success (www.russia-cisconference.com). Bench Event’s sister company, JW Bench, is a benchmarking company that has successfully launched the Conference Bench and the Productivity Bench. An industry first, the Conference Bench, measures performance data for conference and banqueting space in hotels in Stockholm, Oslo, London, Brussels with other capital cities contributing shortly. www.benchevents.com

MEED
For 50 years business leaders have been relying on MEED (Middle East Economic Digest) to give them a wealth of factual, unbiased business information that they need to be successful. The MEED brand represents an unrivalled portfolio of high calibre business information products, online services and premier networking events. MEED Conferences is part of the leading information brand in the Middle East working to provide delegates with the very latest business sensitive information. Over the past 12 years, MEED Conferences has organised events attended by senior government officials and thousands of international business people. The conference series is aimed at companies actively seeking business in the markets of the Middle East. MEED is well established as the source of strategic and accurate regional information placing it in a unique position to bring together high-calibre speakers. www.meed.com

Costa Rica-based OSA Resort Club, is the latest company to join with SPI Software as a valued customer. OSA Resort Club has licensed the SPI Orange Enterprise Vacation Ownership Suite including integrated modules for marketing, sales, mortgage and maintenance fee servicing, central reservations, property management and operations.

Matt Brosious, Vice-President of sales for SPI states, “We are very proud to have been selected by OSA Resort Club as their technology platform. Developers are making SPI their overwhelming choice as the benefits of SPI’s easy user interface, quick implementation and rich functionality is a distinct strategic and competitive advantage.”

Paula Mead, General Manager for OSA Resort Club adds” I chose SPI Orange after carefully evaluating available software. SPI has everything we needed for both now and the future, ‘out of the box,’ without additional customization.”

SPI Orange can be deployed on a modular basis for an individual department or as an integrated enterprise suite that is available as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) or as a traditional client-based package.  For companies wanting additional information, please visit SPI at ARDA Booth 343 during the ARDA national convention March 15-18th or email sales@spisoftware.com.

About OSA Resort Club
OSA is a new and exciting resort concept that combines aspects of a private club with a membership resort. The resort club is located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica near Puerto Jimenez and will feature many exciting amenities. For further information visit http://www.osaresortclub.com/osaresortclub.html.

About SPI Software
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 Microsoft .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.

Sheraton Buganvilia's Director José Luis Toca

Director José Luis Toca of Sheraton Buganvilias, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, recently commented on their implementation of SPI Orange software for managing their successful timeshare resort.

The resort occupies a prime location on a beach facing Banderas Bay, within walking distance from the downtown tourist center. The property has 478 timeshare units, which are decorated in a light, contemporary Mexican style, with full kitchens and gorgeous views of the ocean from floor-to-ceiling windows. As one of the property’s owners, José Luis has overall responsibility for the timeshare sales and marketing, plus management of the project’s 500 hotel rooms, its convention center, meeting rooms, spa, retail space and other amenities.

We asked José Luis a few questions about how the software has helped his business:

Q.        Can you tell us how SPI’s software helps you close in-house tours?
A.         “SPI’s system gives me all the information about my clients/members, such as when they purchased, what vacation ownership package they bought, who booked the tour, who was the liner and closer and which OPC location produced the original tour. My software allows me to enter comments and follow up on a non-processed deal, so we can follow up and close it.
 
“In summary, SPI’s software gives me all the information I need to follow up on a deal and to figure out what to offer a client, prior to their arrival, based on what they already own, what they earn, their vacation preferences and so on.”

Q.        Can you think of any examples of how SPI helps you save money?
A.         “Sure! In the past, my previous system didn’t show me whether a tour, or prospective member, had already attended a presentation. So, existing members or previous tours could be coming to the presentation and accepting gifts, even though they were unqualified. Using SPI’s system, that cannot happen, now.

“Plus, this system shows me which off-premises contact (OPC) location is giving me the most sales. It tracks which closer is doing better and with which type of tours. “

Q.        What is the single biggest benefit of having SPI software in your estimation? 

A.         “We have access to all the information we need in real-time. So, we can make offers and close deals immediately, plus keep all the follow up details.”

According to Matt Brosious, vice-president of sales and marketing for SPI, “With SPI Orange Software, Sheraton Buganvilias Resort now has access to important information immediately throughout their company. And the cost of supporting the SPI system is far less than the proprietary system they had developed before making the move to SPI.”

About SPI Software
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 Microsoft .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, mailto:sales@spisoftware.com or www.spisoftware.com.