Applications have been made to the UK High Court in relation to the proposed mergers of Diamond Resorts (Europe) Limited with three of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Diamond Resorts Spanish Sales S.L., Diamond Resorts Tenerife Sales S.L., and Diamond Resorts Balearic Sales S.L. in accordance with The Companies (Cross-Border Mergers) Regulations 2007 (“Merger Regulations“).

Pursuant to regulations 10 and 12  of the Merger Regulations the merger plan and directors’ report in relation to each of the three mergers are available to download on the Diamond Resorts’ website by clicking here.

Having acquired a stunning location in south-west Turkey for its 2^nd Turkish resort, Club La Costa is creating a flagship property by giving it the ‘California’ branding, the hallmark of its top quality resorts in Spain.

Named Kusadasi Village, the resort, atop a treed hill with sweeping views across national park land to the shoreline and the Greek island of Samos, is Club La Costa’s first to feature an 18-hole golf course; the course is also the first for the popular tourist destination of Kusadasi.

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Online voting will end on April 29^th for timeshare and fractional industry professionals looking to assist in deciding the winners for the inaugural Perspective Magazine Awards Program.

Nearly 2,000 votes have already been cast online for nominees in the Perspective Magazine Awards program. However, timeshare and fractional industry professionals who have not yet cast their ballots only have until the end of this week to participate in the selection process.[membe]

April 29^th is the deadline for online voters to help choose between nearly 150 entries submitted for the awards program, with winners to be announced the evening of May 12^th, 2011 during a Gala dinner at the conclusion of global networking expo GNEX 2011.

Online voting is being conducted through the Perspective Magazine website at http://perspectivemagazine.com/awards, with voters asked to go to the website and follow the links for instructions on how to vote for their favorite individual or company. Once online voting is concluded, the votes will be added to the decisions of a select panel of industry experts in a process to decide the award winners.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the industry so far during the voting process,” said Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Magazine. “With nominations coming in from around the world, we set up the website to make it as easy as possible for the industry to vote and they have exceeded our expectations. We are the only shared ownership industry awards program that includes this level of public involvement and look forward to expanding upon its success year on year.”

GNEX 2011 and the Perspective Magazine Awards will be held May 11^th-12^th, 2011 at the spectacular Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and will take a comprehensive look at the industry from a global viewpoint. Industry associations from five continents have given their support to the event as attendees from the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Australia will be examining creative new ways to grow their businesses.

Workshops discussing international best practices and new strategies to gain and maintain customers will provide outstanding value for delegates. The expo will also incorporate an exhibitor hall, networking sessions, a welcome reception, open networking time and areas for individual business meetings in addition to the Perspective Magazine Awards Gala dinner.

For more information and to find out how you can attend GNEX 2011, please visit http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex

Sponsors and supporters of GNEX 2011 include:

The Absolute World Group, Dial an Exchange, Resort Television, Yucatan Holidays, Citadel Trustees Limited, Connex, First American Title Insurance Company, ICE, Interval International, LeisureLink, Max Generation, RCI, First National Trustee Company, Lloydshare, Alternative Ownership Conference Asia Pacific (AOCAP), Australian Timeshare & Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC), Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA), Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (CARE), La Asociación Mexicana de Desarrolladores Turísticos (AMDETUR), Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference, Resort Development Organisation (RDO), Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA), American Airlines, Avis Rent A Car and Christel House International as Charity of Choice.

About Perspective Magazine

Perspective Magazine publishes four regional brands: industry publications Perspective Magazine North America, Perspective Magazine Europe & Middle East, Perspective Magazine South Africa and Perspective Magazine Asia Pacific. Together, the industry magazines are the most read independent trade publications globally for the shared ownership industry and the company is a media sponsor of 30 major industry events around the world. The company’s consumer magazine, Owners Perspective Magazine, is the only independent consumer publication that specializes in promoting the benefits of buying shared ownership products to the general public.  Distribution is via a variety of high-profile consumer channels including, but not limited to, more than 150 first class airport lounges worldwide with over a dozen airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta as well as hundreds of luxury hotels, resorts, spas and golf clubs.

For more information, please visit http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex or email Steve Luba, Director of Public Relations, at steveluba(at)perspectivemagazine.com. For information on advertising and editorial opportunities visit http://perspectivemagazine.com/advertise. [/member]

The Hideaways Club, a property investment company specialising in the management of a collection of international luxury property Funds, picked up two prestigious awards in the first two months of 2011. Destination Club News awarded the company Best International Destination Club 2010 for the second year running and Fractional Life presented the company with the Best Destination Club 2010 award.

Commenting on the awards Nick Bettany, CEO of The Hideaways Club said, “Receiving these two awards is a great way to start the year and is a further endorsement of our unique proposals – the Classic and City Collections.  Both our Funds offer a great combination of lifestyle experiences and investment potential. The extremely positive testimonials we have received from our members underlines our belief that membership of The Hideaways Club is the logical way forward to owning international properties.”

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Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG), is again proud to be a Platinum sponsor of the Resort Development Organisation (RDO) Conference. The event will be held from the 26th to 28th September at the Don Carlos Resort and Spa in Marbella, Spain.

“Last year’s RDO Conference was a tremendous success and it is our pleasure to support this year’s event,” said Darren Ettridge, Interval’s vice president of resort sales and service for Europe, Middle East, and Africa and its representative on the RDO Board. “We look forward to playing our usual full part in the organisation of the conference and also in taking an active role during the event.”

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Citadel is proud to announce that it will be attending the Fractional Summit in Abu Dhabi as a Ruby Sponsor. The decision by Citadel to support this event which is to be held at the spectacular Yas Hotel on the 23rd and 24th of November 2010, reflects the increasing importance of the Middle East region and the potential it offers the shared leisure market. The Abu Dhabi Fractional Summit is to focus on all the main aspects of the shared leisure industry from traditional timeshare through to all the different types of fractional products.

Christopher Allen, Director, commented “This is an exciting decision for Citadel and we firmly believe that the event will provide us with the ideal platform from which we can launch our bespoke services in the region. Citadel already has many years of experience in Europe, Asia and the Far East, so we see it as a natural progression for us to now look towards the Middle East and the business opportunities it can offer”.

Piers Brown, founder of event organizer Fractional Life, said: “We´re delighted to have Citadel on board for our first event in the Middle East. This sponsorship demonstrates Citadel’s true foresight and commitment to growing the shared ownership marketplace and we look forward to welcoming delegates and sponsors from around the world to network and discover the opportunities in this exciting region”.

Further to the success of the UK Fractional Summit held earlier this year at the Marriott Grovesnor, London, Citadel is also proud to confirm that it will be attending the 2011 event and, for the fourth year running, it will be supporting the Summit as a Gold Sponsor.

Citadel, which also specializes in emerging products, such as green energy and biomass products, requiring stakeholder, trustee and escrow services, as well as Hotel buy-to-let schemes and other leisure related investment products. Citadel has grown rapidly over since its inception and is authorized by the UK Financial Services Authority to set-up, operate and wind-up Unregulated Collective Investments Schemes, an area of business which has seen very strong growth in recent years and one which will be of particular focus for the company in the future. The Group now boasts offices in the UK, Spain, India, Thailand and China and is involved with projects valued at over $2.5 billion.

For further information about Citadel, please contact Christopher Allen, Director, Client Services and Business Development, by email chrisallen@citadeltrustees.com or, call the company’s UK Head Office +44 (0) 1276 482015/16

Newly-flagged resort is first vacation club in Punta Cana for Lifestyle Holidays

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club (LHVC), with corporate offices in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, announces its third property launch as part of a strategic alliance with Spain-based Globalia Corporation, opening sales at Grand Oasis Punta Cana. The new joint product will be called Dream Suites by Lifestyle at Grand Oasis Resort Punta Cana, and will feature 46 studios and standard rooms.

The Dream Suites by Lifestyle Punta Cana property is located next to Cabeza de Toro Beach and includes six restaurants, six bars, adult and children’s swimming pools, fitness center and spa, casino, daily activities, nightly shows and nearby golf at the 18-hole Catalonia Caribe Golf Club.

“We are thrilled about our growing partnership with Globalia, which brings us our first product offering in Punta Cana,” said Hans Larcher, Managing Director of Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club.  “Not only are we continuing to diversify in the types of accommodations we provide but now in different locations within the Dominican Republic, building from the success of our core location in Puerto Plata.”

Globalia Corporation is a leading travel and leisure conglomerate in Spain, owning and operating leading travel companies such as Air Europa, Oasis Hotels & Resorts, Travelplan, Iberrail, and call centers, technology and graphic art businesses.

At the end of 2009, LHVC launched its strategic alliance with Globalia Corporation for The Presidential Suites at Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort in Puerto Plata.  In February this year, the company also announced its partnership with Globalia for the new Dream Suites by Lifestyle at Grand Oasis Marien in Costa Dorada, Puerto Plata. Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club also encompasses: The Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort in Puerto Plata with four distinct developments; The Tropical, The Crown Suites, The Crown Villas, and The Residence Suites; as well as Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle in Puerto Plata; and the upcoming Costa Esmeralda by Lifestyle, Center Court by Lifestyle and The Level by Lifestyle resorts in Puerto Plata.

From hotel accommodations to stand alone villas, LHVC provides all members with a unique V.I.P concept with access to “members only” facilities such as restaurants, bars, swimming pools, exclusive beach areas and entertainment, as well as golf carts, limousine transfers and helicopter tours.

Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club members, guests and families have a wide variety of activities available in the Dominican Republic.  In the North Coast, adjacent to its properties in Puerto Plata is the Ocean World Adventure Park with daily animal and aquatic shows and casino.  Other Puerto Plata activities include a cable car ride to the peak of Mount Isabel de Torres, white water rafting, horseback riding, deep sea fishing, boating, snorkeling, monster truck safaris and city tours of Puerto Plata, named one of the 53 best destinations in the world by The New York Times.  In Punta Cana, LHVC have access to some of the most beautiful beaches and golf courses in the country.  For more Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club info, go to www.lifestyleholidaysvc.com or call (809) 970-7777.

RCI affiliate recognized as top-performing partner

A select number of RCI affiliates meet RCI’s requirements for this annual honor and have earned the RCI® Pinnacle Award. As a top-performing RCI affiliate, Sol Meliá Vacation Club has received the award for its volume of business.

‘It is a pleasure and privilege for Sol Meliá Vacation Club to be recognized by RCI to receive this prestigious award.  We consider this to be an important indicator of our overall success in providing unique and high quality vacation experiences in all our destinations,” said Denis Ebrill, Executive Vice President, Sol Meliá Vacation Club.

“For over 35 years, RCI has been working with its affiliates to transform the vacation experience for owners and resort developers alike,” said Gordon Gurnik, president of RCI North America. “We pride ourselves on helping our affiliates grow their business while also making dream vacations a reality for their owners and our members. The RCI Pinnacle Award allows us to honor and recognize our top performing affiliated resorts who continue working to offer vacation experiences to our 3.8 million members worldwide.”

Sol Meliá Vacation Club is an internationally-branded membership club focusing on leisure lifestyle experiences that include exotic destinations, designer-appointed luxury suites, exclusive services and unforgettable amenities.  Each Sol Meliá Vacation Club vacation experience is different from the other, aligned with local culture and customized to fit members’ leisure lifestyle needs.

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.

Orlando, Florida based Sol Meliá Vacation Club is part of Spain-based Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, a 50-year-old international hospitality company with over 350 hotels in 30 countries on five continents.  Sol Meliá Vacation Club members have more vacation lifestyle options through global luxury accommodations in a variety of unique resort and urban destinations around the world, as well as flexibility to choose length of stay, season and size of unit.  Featured Sol Meliá Vacation Club locations include Cancun, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico; Puerto Rico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in the Caribbean; Panama in Central America; and the Canary Islands, Spain in Europe.  For more information call 866-379-5950 or visit www.smvc.com.

Former tennis ace and entrepreneur David Lloyd, Chairman of David Lloyd Resorts – the worldwide property and vacation specialists – has launched a ground-breaking alternative investment fund and ingenious vehicle designed to facilitate ownership abroad.

The David Lloyd Resorts Investment Fund – made up of 5 and 7 year closed funds operated and administered by Blue Gate Capital – will capitalise on the tremendous opportunities in the global property market and will enable investors to purchase equity within a diverse range of assets selected and managed in line with David Lloyd Resorts’ proven business model.

The fund will buy apartments, penthouses and villas located in prestigious world wide resorts with leisure facilities in the popular destinations of Barbados, Canada, Cyprus, Spain, Thailand and Turkey. Offering a target IRR of 10-14% per annum, the fund proposes to distribute 4% income per year to investors in addition to the projected capital growth of the assets over the term.

Tamlyn Stone, Director of Blue Gate Capital – the explained, “Traditional investments have come under enormous pressure in recent years so the need for alternatives has increased. This has mass market appeal for those that prefer to buy into real assets. David Lloyd’s entry into the market with the benefit of a proven track record and strong brand could not have been timed better. We already know from the amount of initial pledges that it is going to be successful.”

Key properties from David Lloyd Resorts’ worldwide portfolio are placed into a Limited Partnership structure offering capital growth over the term and secured annual interest on the original investment. This is made all the more attractive because of Lloyd’s ability to bundle discounted high quality property offering investors immediate value. Property developers have proven keen to work with Lloyd because they recognise the value of the brand and consequently the company has purchased assets at an average 16% discount off the current low market values after purchase costs.

The Investment Fund has been specifically constructed to target Individual and pension investors and together with their professional advisors Blue Gate Capital has ensured compliance with HMRC and FSA regulations. Lloyd explains, “The structure has been refined to fit in with the market conditions that are likely to prevail during the best part of the next decade. We need to assure potential investors that we have done our homework thoroughly and that the projections stack up.”

One of the key benefits of the fund structure will be the ability to use SIPP and SSAS contributions. Stone continued, “With a minimum investment of GBP20,000 and a bricks and mortar underlying asset base this fund could suit many people. We know intermediaries will welcome the chance to take something genuinely different to their clients. The potential market for this product is enormous.”

David Lloyd Resorts is also launching a lifestyle product in the form a unique and financially astute way of purchasing and owning abroad. Shared ownership in properties in exceptional global resorts with a host of sporting and leisure amenities will enable purchasers the chance to share in and enjoy ownership in properties that may have otherwise been unaffordable. Shared owners will not only hold equity in their vacation property which guarantees two weeks occupancy rights but also benefit from two additional weeks vacation elsewhere in the world through a flexible resort exchange programme.

For further information contact Melanie Hickey, +44(0)1372-824518

Visit http://www.davidlloydresorts.com

Macdonald Resorts based in Scotland is recognised as one of Europe’s leading resort developers with nine resorts located across the UK and Spain, which complement the Macdonald Group’s 43 four and five star hotels in the UK. With over 25,000 members, Macdonald Resorts has been in operation for over 20 years and is one of the UK’s leading hospitality brands.

Offering a range of products including fixed week ownership, short term lease products and the points-based vacation club “Options”, which links with its sister business Macdonald Hotels, Macdonald Resorts is unique in its make-up.

“Merlin will allow Macdonald Resorts to handle every aspect of the business including property & inventory management, sales & marketing and management fee billing so we can maximise our business potential”, explained Simon Jackson, Managing Director of Macdonald Resorts Ltd. “Obviously Merlin includes all the functionality that one comes to expect in software but Merlin has so much more to offer, to the extent that all of our technology needs are catered for in one application.  And of course website integration that allows owners to interact with their ownership accounts, including being able to pay management fees on line, will add a new dimension to our services”.

Jackson continued:  “We needed an experienced technological partner who could provide us with more than just software.  The Merlin team has hands-on vacation ownership experience. Mike Pnematicatos, Merlin’s chief software developer, has built his own resorts so he understands the challenges that innovative businesses face today”.

From fixed weeks and points club management to fractionals and private residence clubs, Merlin’s software functionality provides a single software solution for today’s resort and management business. Developed as state-of-the-art Business Application Software, Merlin is web based and served across the internet. Users can access their accounts securely via a web browser from anywhere, at any time without the need of expensive or complicated hardware installations.

Merlin’s interactive functionality allows management companies to integrate the software with their current websites for online bookings and payments. Members can transact in real time with their management company, accessing the same data and with all activities written back directly into Merlin.

Merlin, the leading industry online software provider, delivers software directly to users through the internet using the new technology of Cloud Computing. According to chief software developer Mike Pnematicatos “Merlin is resource light, incredibly intuitive and allows unlimited users and multiple locations to access the software securely in real time from anywhere in the world. It enables resorts and hotels to benefit from time and cost savings – yet still be at the cutting edge of internet technology.”

About Merlin
Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership has been developed by Mike Pnematicatos who has over 25 years experience in the timeshare industry in sales, marketing and resort management. Merlin Software is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

Using the latest web technology, Merlin is the complete software package for today’s hospitality industry and can handle all types of timeshare and holiday product.

Merlin Software incorporates modules for sales, marketing and front and back office, and its software architecture is inherently flexible. As Merlin is served over the Internet there is no requirement for any expensive communication links or set up fees and can be accessed from wherever there is an Internet connection.

Contact details
For more information on Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership contact Mike Ashton by e-mail at mikea@quickmerlin.com  or visit www.quickmerlin.com to arrange a full demonstration.