2010 was a difficult year for the fractional and private residence club industry, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the market is rebounding in 2011 according to executives attending the Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference in San Francisco, CA, earlier this week.

Nearly 200 attendees heard information from speakers that, while the market continued to struggle last year, resorts are seeing an uptick in activity during the first quarter of this year.

Dr. Richard Ragatz revealed the results of his report, “The Shared Ownership Resort Real Estate Industry In North America: 2011” which highlighted the status of the fractional and private residence club market.

According to the report, there were 104 projects in active sales in 2010 – 68 fractionals and 36 PRCs – with 55% of the projects located in the U.S. 

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Bench Events announces that the Shared Ownership Summit uncovered significant opportunities to unlock growth in the Middle East and North Africa.

Leading hospitality companies and real estate developers from across MENA and around the globe gathered in Dubai for the Shared Ownership Summit on Saturday to discuss the significant potential for leisure real estate development in the Middle East and North Africa. The Shared Ownership Summit was held in association with the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference. The Summit was made possible through the collaboration of Bench Events, MEED and RCI who co-hosted the event.

Shared Ownership refers to a category of leisure real estate and hospitality products which includes vacation ownership, fractional, private residence clubs and a category of second homes which enables purchasers to earn rental income when not making personal use of their residence. Leaders from each of these sectors discussed strategic issues and considered alternative approaches through which new entrants can establish sales and marketing capabilities. Representatives from Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, LuxuryBranding and The Registry Collection® explored key success factors in the luxury segment.

The session began with an industry update, which was provided by Jeff Tisdall, managing director for RCI MENA. Claude Attala, managing director of Wyndham Exchange & Rental’s consulting arm NorthCourse, then presented his firm’s latest shared ownership consumer research findings for the Middle East and North Africa. Highlights of the research findings included:

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), today announced the addition of two affiliated resorts to its worldwide exchange network – The Viking Club Hotel in Egypt and The Jdoudna Hotel in Syria.

The Viking Club Hotel in Sharm el Sheikh is situated within walking distance of the famous Na’ama Bay district and offers a spectacular view of the bay. Na’ama Bay features world-class shopping, a wide array of restaurants and an energetic night scene. The resort has two swimming pools, a restaurant, dive centre and a private beach accessed by a regular shuttle bus service. The resort currently operates 180 units with a further 80 under construction as part of phase 2 of its development.

“RCI invented the exchange business over 35 years ago and has been the innovator and leader ever since. Their diverse selection of compelling resorts the world over deliver high quality vacations to their members. Being associated with RCI was important to The Viking Club Hotel, “said Eng. Ramadan Abdel Rehim Haggag, CEO of the Viking Group. “RCI offers an exciting mix of technological and market access, greatly enhancing the distribution of our resort by making it available to millions of RCI Members worldwide.”

The Jdoudna Hotel is located on the top of Syria’s Bloudan mountains, 1,800 metres above sea level, offering a magnificent view of the Bloudan Valley. The town, 65 km northwest of Damascus and 85 km from the Mediterranean, is surrounded by lush plantations of fruit trees during the summer and a covering of snow during the winter. All vacation homes feature beautiful views. The resort offers an indoor swimming pool, hot tub and the famous Jdoudna restaurant, offering delicious, traditional Syrian food.

“We are very excited to partner with RCI as doing so adds significant value to our offering,” said Mr. George Mansour, CEO of Jdoudna Company. “RCI offers our owners access to over 4,000 terrific resorts around the world, enabling them to travel extensively throughout MENA and around the globe. We’re glad we could provide this service to our community.”

The announcement was made during the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai, UAE, attended by more than 600 senior executives from the hospitality, developer and real estate sectors from across the region and around the globe. A Shared Ownership Summit was held during the event and was co-hosted by RCI. The summit brought together leaders from the vacation ownership, fractional and private residence club industries. Discussions focused on the increasing relevance of shared ownership products to the continued growth and development of leisure products in the Middle East and North Africa. Industry leaders shared insights that will assist new entrants and discussed strategies that could lead to significant sales growth over the coming years.

“We are very pleased to expand our portfolio in the Middle East by welcoming The Viking Club Hotel and Jdoudna Hotel into the RCI network,” said Jonathan Back, managing director, RCI Europe, Middle East, Africa & India. “These beautiful resorts are tremendous additions to the collection of vacations resorts we offer our RCI ® Weeks members.”

“We are continually seeking new vacation destinations and experiences to offer RCI members in the Middle East and around the globe. The addition of The Viking Cub Hotel is very timely as we see tremendous demand from our 3.8 million members for Sharm el Sheikh”, added Jeff Tisdall, managing director, RCI Middle East. “The Jdoudna Hotel will enable our members to explore the natural beauty and rich history of Syria firsthand.”

A recent 2010 report published by RCI’s consulting arm NorthCourse found that Sharm el Sheikh was second only to Dubai as the preferred destination in which to own a vacation ownership interest.

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 our media center at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

Viking Club Hotel
The Viking Club Hotel is part of the Viking Group, a leading hospitality specialist in Egypt for 15 years. The Viking Group comprises of Viking Travel which offers a wide range of travel and hospitality services, Viking Air offering hot air balloon tours over the Pyramids, Viking Transport for coach and land cruiser tours and Viking Fleet offering a range of Nile cruises.
For more information, visit www.viking-egypt.net.

Jdoudna Hotel
Jdoudna Hotel is part of Jdoudna Company, which was formed to develop touristic projects in Syria. The CEO, George Mansour, comes from a background of more than
20 years in food and beverage outlet management and real estate development. The Jdoudna Hotel is the company’s first touristic project and is a new property, which opened in late 2009.

A special Shared Ownership Summit is being offered in association with this year’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), co-hosted by RCI on 1st May 2010, 1:00 – 5:30 p.m., at Madinat Jumeirah, Conference Centre, Dubai. Perspective Magazine will be a sponsor of this essential forum for developers, investors and hospitality firms who are recognising the renewed importance of timeshare, fractional and private residence clubs as integral components of mixed-use developments.

“Perspective Magazine is playing a key role in the shared ownership industry by highlighting trends, opportunities and generally driving awareness of vacation ownership, fractional and private residence club models,” says Jeff Tisdall, Managing Director, RCI Middle East and North Africa. “We are extremely appreciative of their continued support of both RCI and the upcoming Shared Ownership Summit in Dubai.”

The Summit will offer real, executable solutions that fully leverage today’s market conditions and will feature an unprecedented gathering of global and regional industry leaders. Participants can either register for the Summit directly, or upgrade their AHIC conference package to include the optional session.

“We are delighted to be a part of the Shared Ownership Summit,” says Perspective CEO Paul Mattimoe. “Perspective Magazine is all about disseminating useful, important information to the shared-ownership industry, and that is exactly what this event will accomplish as well.”

The Shared Ownership Summit will offer participants:

•The Perspective of Global Industry Leaders – Hear their views on the future direction of timeshare, fractional, private residence and destination club businesses.

•    Market Opportunities – Today’s new market conditions have significantly enhanced the prospects for shared ownership in MENA; find out why.

•    Sales, Marketing and Operating Solutions – Hear everything from support in developing in-house capabilities to turnkey operating models designed for developers and asset managers.

•    The Luxury Segment – Brand experts and leaders in branded residential will discuss future opportunities.

•    The CEO Shared Ownership Handbook – An essential tool kit for senior business leaders.

•    2010 Shared Ownership Survey – NorthCourse, RCI’s shared ownership consulting arm, will present its latest market research.

Registration fees are $500 for those attending the Shared Ownership Summit only, with a preferred rate of $350 for AHIC attendees.

To register for the Summit or for more information, please call +971 (0)4 390 0049, e-mail ahic@meed-dubai.com or visit www.registrationline.org.uk/ahic/event303/reg.asp. Information on the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference is available at www.arabianconference.com.

Star Resort Group (Scottsdale, AZ), a leading developer, marketer and seller of resort real estate in North America, has reacted to the business climate with a “cautious optimism” when it comes to fractional ownership.

Carl Berry, CEO of Star Resort Group and pioneer in the shared ownership resort industry, notes that there are key hard steps and soft steps to success in making the product work in 2010-2011.

Steps to Success

1. Know the market. Are people ready to buy? Star Resort Group’s SMART assessment program surveyed customers to determine this factor. Surprisingly, in late 2009 and early 2010 the results have been surprisingly positive.

2. Know new media and new media lead generation. There’s lots of talk about web sites on steroids, social media, blogging, search engine marketing, EDM marketing, pairing with industry websites, with real estate broker websites and the like. There’s lots of talk out there. But, how does one make it work?

3. Get a CRM program (such as SalesForce.com) to capture all these new media leads in a format that works for 24/7 and gives permitted users access 24/7 to track prospects and sales.

4. Get the right project. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But, the core adage of location still holds true, quality building is still important, stylish furnishings are still necessary, and the correct size for the bulk of the market is paramount.

5. Determine the right share size to sell. Offer multiple share sizes. Be innovative in the use plan. Have a common sense reservation plan. All this sounds simple, but this is the area where success or failure will largely be defined.

6. Build the HOA budget with a combination of ‘built-in’ services and other a la carte services. The balance in this task is to meet the expectations of the owner for carefree vacations with an annual fee that makes sense as it’s applied to their use. At Star we’ve done a full 180 going from all-inclusive to a combination of included services and extras. Naturally, there’s no fooling with the maintenance and reserves for replacement part of the budget.

7. Deliver a level of hospitality management that will fulfill the owner’s expectations.

8. Educate and train the selling staff in the science of how to sell fractions. There’s no ‘art’ here; just the science of knowing the product and documents; to be unconsciously conscious in the presentation; and to fully understand the decision making process of the buyer who are concerned first with personal use and second with ongoing costs. Lastly the staff should understand that maybe one of the buying ‘unit’ will want the fraction more than the other, so if there is an ‘art’ it’s bringing along the trailing buyer.

9. Sales of documentation and registration in selling jurisdictions are necessary and must be accomplished before hard sales begin.

10. Marketing from Branding to EDMs, from Old to New Media must be skillfully planned and executed to first fill the customer pipeline with qualified leads; and secondly, to keep the pipeline full for the selling staff.

11. Administration and escrow management is vital for this process and translates the product into cash in the final analysis. Does the title and escrow company accept credit card down payments? Can a documented sale be closed within 30-days?

12. Purchase financing is mandatory. At this time there is no third-party financing available due the financial collapse of September 2008. Therefore, developers have to make the loans and warehouse the loans until they can be sold. Star estimates that will be mid-2011.

The twelve steps above are all ‘soft’ steps.

The ‘hard’ steps involve product:

Product to Sell

1. The ideal situation is to have completed product, completely furnished, with all amenities in and ready to use. However, presales are sometimes necessary and provide an advantage in that, last minute configurations to the product can be made based on customer response. If presales have commenced, a firm construction loan needs to be in place, subject to the presale requirement, so the buyer can expect a semi-firm date for construction to begin and occupancy to occur. At Star we’ve sold in all situations. In a recovering market like there is today, the more certainty the better.

2. Before there can be new product to sell there’s the total lack of development and construction financing, and also buyer financing. These markets are still frozen save for a very few isolated cases of local banks continuing to work with their developers. The vise banks find themselves in is that on one hand the Federal government says to, ‘Get the money out’, and on the other hand the FDIC auditors say, ‘Don’t you dare make any loans’. This is a nationwide situation.

3. The current end loan options out there are:

A. The developer makes and holds the balloon loans for the 3, 5 or 7 year period.
B. Some brokers are working with developers to ‘package’ their developer-made loans in the right form to be sold, if and when the market opens up.
C. Lastly, some developers are just stuck as they don’t have the capacity to get releases from their lender, save for all cash sales or huge down payments, and to then carry the paper themselves.

4. There’s been talk of private money coming in for the loans, but there’s also the consensus that private money will flow first to timeshare loans as they yield is much higher than for fractions.

The real question is how will fractional developers move beyond potential stumbling blocks to successfully bring in those who want quality, vacation home living at an affordable price?

Star Resorts is a leading developer, marketer and seller of luxury fractional ownership real estate, private residence clubs, timeshares, and whole ownership resort real estate products in The Americas and soon in Europe.  Star Resorts provides sales and marketing, development and management expertise to developers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. The Company also develops resort projects for its own account, and is unique in that aspect.

Find out how Star Resorts can assist in the development of your project. www.starresortgroup.com

Dirk Wilson of fractionalownership.co.za has just produced a series of educational Q&A videos featuring a panel of key leaders from all sectors of the fractional and vacation ownership industry, and posted them on the fractionalownership.co.za website. He says: “There are over 24 billion websites floating out there in cyberspace, with a staggering 4 million websites being added to this number each month. You Tube alone has 24 hours of video being uploaded to it every 60 Seconds. As time-starved consumers, we are increasingly seeking ways to avoid the clutter and cut to the chase, and to find niche content platforms which assist us with our decision-making.

“As a dynamic online marketing company that specialises in fractional ownership, we are assisting buyers, owners, property professionals and researchers by continually providing a variety of free and interactive content. This assists our visitors to fully understand the concept of fractional property ownership in Southern Africa, and the ownership and usage differences between timeshare, fractional ownership and private residence clubs. We believe that online video is the most convenient way to deliver this educational content.”

The first series of informative Q&A videos features a panel which includes Alex Bosch, Executive Director of the Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA); Deon Viljoen, Director of Operations of Southern Sun Lifestyle Resorts; David Clifton and Darren Ettridge from Interval International (which is based in the UK but moving into Africa with their global exchange programme); and Henry Greyling, CEO of Seeff Fractional Ownership. The sessions are debate-style, and the viewer is a fly on the wall. Each clip is under 11 minutes long.

This series addresses the broad question of ‘What is shared vacation ownership?’, and includes topics such as ‘How has the shared vacation ownership market evolved over the past 5 years? Do we have a new generation of consumers that are dictating future products based on their usage requirements?’, ‘What makes conventional fractional ownership and private residence clubs different from conventional timeshare products?’ and ‘What is happening in the South African fractional ownership resales market, and what channels and methods can fractional owners use to resell their fractions privately?’

Wilson says anybody who wants to know why fractional ownership is revolutionising the way people own leisure use property should watch the videos – “Here they will hear all about it from our experienced panel of experts. Using the internet as a dynamic resource, we will help people to become better informed in order to make the right purchase decisions which fit in with their lifestyle, family and financial objectives.

“We encourage property marketers and sales professionals to embrace the fact that the power has shifted – consumers now have countless channels to research, compare, and find the facts before making a purchase decision. Companies that embrace this change, use technology and communicate are the ones that will increase market share.”

View the videos at http://www.fractionalownership.co.za/videos/listings

Contact Dirk Wilson on +27 (0) 72 591 8582; +27 (0) 21 556 5064; email dirk@fractionaladvertising.com.

Luxury Hospitality Management Company Serves Four-, Five-Star Properties Worldwide

Veteran hotelier Tom LaTour has announced the newly rebranded LaTour Hotels & Resorts, previously known as ResortCom Elite, which offers personalized, luxury hospitality management services for four- and five-star properties. A joint venture between LaTour and ResortCom International, LaTour Hotels & Resorts specializes in managing new and existing luxury fractional, private residence club, hotel, mixed-use and condo resort developments, including golf, ski, urban and oceanfront locations worldwide. LaTour will also continue overseeing LaTour Signature Group, providing exclusive ser vices to select five-star properties, as an elite brand of LaTour Hotels & Resorts.

Currently, LaTour Hotels & Resorts operates seven developments, representing nearly 500 units, with nearly 400 more units at multiple properties planned in the near future. For every client, the company’s goal is transform the ownership experience through superior service, distinctive amenities, imaginative activities and an obsessive attention-to-detail.

LaTour Hotels & Resorts works in partnership with Tapestry Resorts, the recently consolidated, full-service hospitality division of ResortCom International, to provide its clients with established infrastructure for service delivery. The company then focuses on customizing extraordinary guest experiences with its specialized LaTour Brand Pillars, featuring at least three pillars at LaTour Hotels and Resorts properties and all five at LaTour Signature Group properties: culinary, wine, wellness/health, entertaining and concierge.

LaTour Hotels & Resorts is led by LaTour, chairman and CEO, and John Small, vice chairman. LaTour brings more than 40 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industries, including 23 years at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, where he pioneered the concept of the boutique hotel. Small is one of the world’s most well known hospitality executives. He has worked on six continents and has held key management positions at some of the world’s leading properties. Joining the team in 2009, Business Development Director Sarah Rezak brings another 13 years of experience in the fractional interest and private residence club industries.

In addition, the company’s executive management team has proven resort industry experience in conceptual planning; expert property and HOA management; financial management support; creation of fully integrated information technology system for reservations and collections; skilled sales and marketing assistance – from developer inventory through resales; exchange and rental opportunities; property branding; staffing and more.

LaTour Hotels & Resorts clients include Tonopalo Private Residence Club in Lake Tahoe, Calif.; El Secreto and El Caracol in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; IndoChine Resort and Villas and Grove Gardens Resort in Phuket, Thailand; and Lodge at Stillwater in Deer Valley, Utah; as well as an in-construction project, Delcanto Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico scheduled to open summer 2010. LaTour Signature Group actively operates Dewa Resort in Phuket, Thailand and has two projects in various stages of construction: The Wyoming Club in Black Hills, Wyo.; and Olamar Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

About LaTour Hotels & Resorts
With headquarters in San Diego and San Francisco, LaTour Hotels & Resorts, previously known as ResortCom Elite, offers customized, luxury hospitality management services for four- and five-star properties. A joint venture between veteran hotelier Tom LaTour and ResortCom International, the company’s goal is to make the ownership experience as unique, tailored and memorable as possible through superior service, distinctive amenities, imaginative activities and an obsessive attention-to-detail.

Offering services ranging from conceptual planning through marketing, sales, staffing and operations, LaTour Hotels & Resorts specializes in managing new and existing luxury fractional, private residence club, hotel, mixed-use and condo resort developments. The global company currently operates properties in the United States, Mexico and Thailand with upcoming expansion plans throughout South America, Europe and Asia.

For more information, visit http://www.latourhotelsandresorts.com, or contact Sarah Rezak at 619-683-2470 x.1659 or e-mail srezak@latourhotelsandresorts.com.

About LaTour Signature Group
LaTour Signature Group, the elite brand of LaTour Hotels & Resorts, delivers an exceptional five-star vacation resort “lifestyle” experience to select developers and owners of new and existing luxury golf, ski, ur ban and oceanfront properties. By delivering management services that are unprecedented in the industry, LaTour Signature Group is committed to becoming the ultimate brand for extraordinary, highly personalized vacation experiences.

For each client, LaTour Signature Group manages all resort operations – including the training and supervising of staff, reservation coordination and concierge services, as well as the sales and marketing of fractional rentals. Before a property even opens, LaTour Signature Group can effectively lend its expertise and direction to the resort’s conceptual design and operational functionality and provide referrals and recommendations for other key partner alliances, such as real estate sales and marketing.

For more information, visit http://www.latourhotelsandresorts.com, or contact Sarah Rezak at 619-683-2470 x.1659 or e-mail srezak@latourhotelsandresorts.com
.

IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) today announced the company’s 1st half year results with a loss of KD 4,968,422 million (US$ 17,372,712 million). Shareholders’ equity of KD 66,129,532 million (US$ 231,230,225 million) compared to KD 66,893,521 million (US$ 244,851,834 million) for the same period last year. The company’s total assets have increased 18% to KD 393,147,155 million (US$ 1,374,688,468).

Ibrahim S. Al-Therban, Chairman of IFA HR, stated: “The new recommendations of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) that are adopted by the company have had an impact on the revenue in comparison to the previously applied methods, where the methodology of Company income is based on the percentage of project completed.”

The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) applications, might have a negative effect on the company results in the short term, however it will enhance the company’s transparency policy and enables shareholders and investors to understand and compare financial information for companies around the globe.

“The first half of this year has witnessed the launch of a selection of IFA HR luxury properties which include three Private Residence Clubs in Thailand covering Bangkok, Pattaya & Phuket as part of our expansions in the Asian market as well as the launch of the second hotel condominium ownership product in the Middle East, the Fairmont Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Further projects such a Fairmont Residence-Palm Jumeirah(Dubai) and Al-Abadiyah Hills in Lebanon  are in their final stages of development which will be completed in the second half of this year.” added Talal Jassim Al-Bahar, Vice Chairman and CEO of IFA HR. .

The launch of three new Thai-based Private Residence Clubs comes as part of IFA HR’s expansion plans in the Asian market due to its high potential for unique real estate products.  The Heights Private Residence Club in Phuket, Northpoint Private Residence Club in Pattaya and The River Private Residence Club in Bangkok are developed by luxury condominium developer Raimon Land in which IFA HR has a 41.07% stake.

IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) launched its second hotel condominium ownership product in the Middle East. Situated within the five-star Fairmont Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai, the new offering is of particular interest to investors wishing to diversify their property portfolio with a unique real estate option that combines both the business of guaranteed rental returns and strong capital growth potential with the pleasure of a hassle-free vacation property
Al-Bahar concluded: “The focus in the remaining part of the year will be on completing and delivering our existing projects according to our strategic plan. We will also continue the search for unique investment opportunities that will maximize our shareholders returns. We are looking forward for a better result in the second half of the year.”

Focus on Education and Networking Attracts Timeshare Executives from around the Country

In just six weeks the annual American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention will take place in Las Vegas. Held at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on March 14-18, attendees at this year’s event will tackle a variety of topics including finding success in difficult economic times and leveraging social media.

It is the premier opportunity for industry leaders to network, share insights and learn new things that will help them throughout the year. The convention also provides prominent exposure for sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees among a robust representation of the industry.

“Attendees will walk away from this year’s convention with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and energy for this terrific vacation product called timeshare,” said Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO. “We have dynamic speakers and sessions planned, and I encourage everyone to make the time to attend this important learning and networking event.”

This year’s keynote speaker, sponsored by RCI, is Andy Sernovitz. Mr. Sernovitz is considered the guru of the word-of-mouth marketing movement, helping companies understand the radical changes brought by blogs, MySpace and consumer-generated media. Other hot topics in convention sessions will include new sources of financing, resales, and customer care.

Those who register by February 10 will save up to $300 off the registration cost and will be included in the Attendee List, which is known as the “industry phonebook.” They will also be able to register for the popular workshop forums including Sales and Marketing, Fractional and Private Residence Clubs, Resales, and New Business Models.

Discounted group rates at The Venetian Resort for ARDA members are available through February 9 by calling 877-283-6423. ARDA members who stay at the Venetian also qualify for Stay and Play, special benefits that include slot credit and restaurant discounts.

Companies interested in participating as sponsors or exhibitors may contact Bob Craycraft at 202-371-6700, or bcraycraft@arda.org. Visit www.ARDA.org for more information.

About ARDA
The American Resort Development Association is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has over 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC). Visit ARDA’s consumer website at www.VacationBetter.org.

Solmar Hotels & resorts flagship, Playa Grande Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, has recently entered into an agreement with SPI and has deployed the SPI Orange Property Management System software. Additionally two other resorts within the group, Solmar Resort and Quinto Del Sol, have also installed the SPI Orange PMS Software. SPI Orange is the leading suite of software for resort hotels and vacation ownership properties, globally, including timeshare, fractional and private residence clubs.

According to Matt Brosious, vice-president of sales for SPI Software, “SPI Software continues to expand its market share in Mexico with this announcement. We are excited to become an important part of the hospitality operations at Playa Grande, which is one of Baja California’s most spectacular resorts. Mexico is a top destination globally and SPI is proud to be the choice of leading resorts in Mexico.”

Alejandro Gata, implementation manager, adds,”The installation and training went very smoothly and everyone was very excited at the easy-to-use and powerful software.”

For further information please contact Matt Brosious, mattb@spiinc.com or +1.305.858.9505

About Playa Grande Resort
Playa Grande Resort, part of the Solmar Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio, is an RCI Gold Crown rated resort of 260 units located in the heart of Cabo San Lucas. Nestled on the white sands of Solmar Beach, Cabo San Lucas, it is a triumphant blend of glorious landscapes and charming Mexican hacienda style architecture. Visit www.playagranderesort.com for more information.

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.