$300m development for Ritz Resort and Timeshare in Lake Tahoe

By Barbra Murray. CPN

A groundbreaking today kicked off development of the Ritz-Carlton Highlands, an upscale hotel and residential destination at Lake Tahoe, Calif.'s Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort. East West Partners of Lake Tahoe is teaming with Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. on the $300 million project, which will mark The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.'s entree into the Northern California ski resort market.

Located on an on-mountain site, Ritz-Carlton Highlands (pictured) is a multifaceted ski-in/ski-out project that will bring the first five-star hotel to the town. The lodging segment will feature 174 guestrooms, as well as 11,000 square feet of meeting space and a 14,000-square-foot spa.

The full-ownership residential portion of the development, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, will offer 82 condominiums, while The Ritz-Carlton Club, the deeded fractional ownership or timeshare segment, will consist of 78 units. A bevy of other developments will surround the property, including East West's and Crescent's new Highlands condominium and townhome community and the mixed-use Village at Northstar, to which Ritz-Carlton Highlands will be linked via gondola.

East West and Crescent designed the new project to fill what they see as a gap in the local market. "Lake Tahoe is a very unique market in the sense that 12.5 million people are within a three-and-a-half hour drive, and as of today there's not a five-star full-service resort community in the area," Ritz-Carlton Highlands project manager Tom Dunlap shared with CPN. "The three facets of the project will create a fantastic critical mass and wonderful synergies."

Ground Breaks on $300M Ritz Resort in Lake Tahoe

technorati tags:timeshare, Ritz, Resort, Lake, Tahoe, Ritz-Carlton, Highlands, Northstar-at-Tahoe, ski, resort, EastWest, Cresent, development, $300million

Baby Boomers and Empty Nesters Lead in Vacation Ownership

The study of 938 recent timeshare buyers was conducted by Ragatz Associates and will be officially released in August.

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) International Foundation has released preliminary results of the new 2006 Timeshare Resort Owners: Who They Are Why They Buy study. The study of 938 recent timeshare buyers was conducted by Ragatz Associates and will be officially released in August.

Of recent buyers, only 18.5 percent are under 40, whereas 30.4 percent are 60 and over (and 8.8 percent are 70 and over), according to the study. Another 23.0 percent are in their 40’s, and 28.1 percent are in their 50’s. By comparison, among all owners, 9.3 percent are under 40, 40.2 percent are 60 or over (15.5 percent are 70 or over), 21.0 percent are in their 40’s, and 29.5 percent are in their 50’s.

Only 31.4 percent of recent buyers have children under 18 years of age living at home. For all owners, this proportion is even lower at 24.9 percent. This figure is down from 36.4 percent for those purchasing in 1996 and 34.3 percent of those purchasing in 2002, in accord with the aging baby boom generation.

The study showed a dramatic increase in the number of single females as recent buyers with the proportion of single females increasing from 8 percent in 1996 to 12.7 percent in 2005, a 58.5% increase. At the same time, the percentage of single male buyers has remained fairly consistent, with 4.1 comprising new buyers in 1996 compared with 4.3 percent in 2005. Overall, nearly one in five new buyers is single (17%).

The study also showed:
• 83.0 percent are couples, whereas 17.0 percent are singles;
• 31.4 percent have children under 18 living at home; and,
• 41.5 percent are in their 40’s or younger, whereas 30.4 percent are in their 60’s or over.

“With the profile of the average timeshare buyer becoming increasingly diverse across population segments, this study underscores the flexibility and value of vacation ownership products for a broad range of consumers and lifestyles,” said Howard C. Nusbaum, ARDA’s president and CEO. “This study will be of great interest to those in the industry in terms of how timeshare is marketed and to whom. The owner base is shifting in accordance with the general population with an increasing number of empty nest couples and single women.”

...these timesharing trends are very interesting survey...

Study: Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters Lead in Vacation Ownership

technorati tags:vacation, ownership, timeshare, baby, boomers, empty, nesters, single, women, American, Resport, Development, Association, ARDA, timeshare, buyers, survey

Alton Towers Gives Away Beach Hut Timeshare

Beach huts are prime real estate these days - communities of beach-hutters jealously guard their property, and huge sums of money change hands on their sale! But here's a chance to grab your own share of this idyllic, very British past-time, as Alton Towers launch the first ever timeshare opportunity to own a beach hut for a day for free during its great Bucket and Spade Event from 22nd July - 3rd September.

However this is no ordinary beach hut! The Alton Towers' version, painted appropriately in union jack livery, will be on tour in selected cities[1] from 17th -21st July with the Beach Hutters, an appreciation society that believes that everybody should be able to spend some time in a hut. "Beach huts are traditionally associated with the sea and are hard to come by - but we want to take the beach hut into the urban environment, so that everybody can appreciate their charm, and better understand their unique appeal. This beacon of Britishness will inject a reminder of traditional summer holidays into our city centres", says James Lovell, Head Hutter. Look out for the Beach Hutters who will be erecting the hut in city centre locations where they will entertain passers-by with silly summer games (think knobbly knee competitions) and give away opportunities to win a free timeshare, with exclusive use of the hut with all its added extras (picnic, deckchairs, prime view etc) and entry to the park throughout the summer.

...some like it Hut...

Some Like it Hut!

technorati tags:timeshare, prize, giveaway, Beach, huts, Alton, Towers

Blogged with Flock

Did you know you could timeshare luxury cars?

The Otto Club is Boston's exotic car-share club.

Created by lifelong car fanatics, The Otto Club lets you drive a wide range of cars-without the burdens and costs of traditional ownership. It's a chance to spend time with the cars you love. It's a smarter alternative to ownership.

Imagine the possibilities… Take the Ferrari Spider to a spring wedding in Rhode Island. Drive the BMW Z8 to your Cape house in June. Spin up to Maine for the Fourth of July in an Aston Martin coupe. Head to Vermont this fall in Lamborghini Gallardo. Whatever car, whenever you want it.

With The Otto Club, exotics and sports cars like these become part of your life. We encourage members to try as many of the cars in the collection as possible. They're all amazing. And with The Otto Club, they're all yours-when you want them, and where you want them.

Membership in The Otto Club is offered in three levels: Black, Red and Silver. All levels of membership offer you complete access to the entire Collection. Using the Club's point system, you choose the cars, the days and the amount of time you want behind the wheel of these extraordinary machines.

contact details:
The Otto Club
Boston’s exotic car-share club
Boston, MA United StatesWebsite: http://www.theottoclub.com
Phone: 978-662-1616

...I'll look into The Otto Club and timesharing exoctic and luxury cars...

PRESS RELEASE Emerge PR Achieves Significant Growth at Mid-Year Mark

technorati tags:timeshare, The, Otto, Club, exotic, car-share, club, Bostons

Mountain Village Metro District, Colorado's tourism and timeshare rates "A"

Business Wire.

Fitch Ratings assigns an 'A-' rating to the Mountain Village Metropolitan District, Colorado (the district) $8.9 million general obligation (GO) bonds, series 2006A. The bonds will be sold through negotiation with Piper Jaffray & Co. and D.A. Davidson & Co. on or about August 2. Additionally, Fitch affirms the 'A-' rating on the district's $28.8 million in outstanding GO bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable.

The district encompasses 2,072 acres near the town of Telluride and is coterminous with the town of Mountain Village. The town was established in 1995 to gain more control over land-use issues than the district was afforded by state law. The district's luxury second-home and tourism-based economy has exhibited strong development to date. Assessed value gains have been sizable, averaging 14.4% compounded annually from 2000 through 2006.

The tax base includes the ski area and related commercial holdings, a high-end resort and spa, timeshare units and condominiums, single-family and duplex homes, and commercial and retail business. Dependence on top 10 taxpayers increased in 2005 (to 19% from 13% in 2004) as a result of sizeable investments by two large taxpayers. Nearly all infrastructure is in place to support full build-out, which could bring population to about 8,000, up from about 1,650 currently. Residential property makes up about 51% of assessed value and commercial about 11%. The remainder is vacant land, mostly zoned for residential development.

...this hotspot rocks with toursim, timeshare and the economy...

Fitch Rates Mountain Village Metro District, Colorado's $8.9MM GOs 'A-'

technorati tags:timeshare, Mountain, Village, Metro, District, Colorado, GO, bonds