Power Tools for Resort Property Specialists

Its name evokes an era of style and elegance – you can almost picture Cary Grant walking through the stately lobby. The landmark Plaza Hotel on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park in Manhattan is undergoing major renovations and will re-open as a condo-hotel. Starting at $1.6-million and climbing to $9-million, you can purchase a room to which you have access 120 days per year. The room will be used as a hotel room the remainder of the year. While this arrangement is appealing to corporate clients, those wishing to call the Plaza home on a full-time basis may buy a room for $2.5-million and up (not outrageous by New York standards). There are disadvantages including hefty maintenance fees and you must book your own room well in advance (60-90 days). Still the cache and location of this historic building may make this a worthwhile investment.

Posted on September 26 at 10:32 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Vail Resorts, Inc. is truly one with nature – or at least with the wind. They have announced that 100% of their electricity needs (152,000 megawatts per year) will be supplied by wind power. This covers their five ski resort properties, 125 retail locations and corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. No, windmills will not be making an appearance on the slopes - Renewable Choice Energy will be Vail Resort’s wind power provider. This move makes Vail Resorts the second largest buyer of wind power in the country. Their commitment to this project extends to their resort guests as well. Vail Resorts is offering a free lift ticket to anyone who purchases wind power for their own home.

Posted on September 15 at 08:50 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

With 14 developers and 130 resorts, South Carolina has one of the biggest timeshare industries in the United States (second only to Florida), along with 32 pages of laws to regulate them. But "South Carolina's system of consumer protections is failing aggrieved buyers -- people who thought they were buying a product, rather than paying their way into a tricky system of bidding and swapping and scrapping for service," reports the Charleston Post & Courier. Although the Department of Consumer Affairs receives at least one complaint each week, the state has cut the budget for timeshare oversight and has left only one employee in place to investigate the industry. South Carolina stopped screening timeshare promoters in 2003 and gives consumers only a 5-day window in which to cancel timeshare contracts. "Most of what state regulators do now is broker peace accords between disgruntled buyers and the companies they bought their units from," the Post & Courier says. "Developers sometimes relent to commission pressure, although many are unyielding to complaints from buyers."

Posted on September 6 at 10:55 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)