resort news

 

Renaissance Hotel Group, the luxury brand of Marriott International, has announced the building of a new resort in Chile.

The new hotel will have almost 200 rooms and be located on Avenida Kennedy in Vitacura district, Santiago. It will feature a restaurant affiliated with one of Chile’s most prominent chefs and a coffee bar and lounge. As expected with the renaissance brand, there will be a gym, a pool, conference rooms, a gift shop and a ballroom.

Renaissance brands are tailored to the local markets in which they are located. In Chile, authentic Chilean beef will be served in the restaurant, and the rooms will be appointed with classic Chilean décor. “We are thrilled to be bringing the Renaissance lifestyle brand to Santiago,” said Julio Salvador, President of Altamira Grupo Inmobiliario, the group entrusted with developing the property. “With its prime location in the prestigious Vitacura district and proximity to major businesses and attractions, we know that it will be a very successful property.”

Marriott expects the Renaissance Santiago location to rival the luxury found at other famous Renaissance hotels, such as the St. Pancras Renaissance in London and the Renaissance Sao Paulo. If timeshares are sold at this resort, Transfer Smart can get you out of your contract.

The DoubleTree Hotel in Maine’s biggest city will offer timeshare suites as part of their renovations. While Maine isn’t usually looked at as a hotbed of tourist activity, and therefore usually passed over by timeshare shelling resorts, the head of Hilton sees potential in the market.

“DoubleTree by Hilton now welcomes our loyal business and leisure customers to stay with us in Maine, with the opening of the newly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Portland Maine. This newest New England DoubleTree by Hilton hotel location extends our commitment to welcoming the world’s travelers in key destinations and providing a comfortable, amenity-rich hotel experience for visitors and residents alike to work and play,” says Rob Palleschi, spokesman for DoubleTree by Hilton.

The New England DoubleTree has upgraded its restaurants, amount of rooms, and expanded its offered services in order to make the place more of a resort and less of a hotel. It already had a premium location, two miles from the Portland Airport and directly across the street from the Maine Mall.

The world’s largest Legoland, LEGOLAND Florida, is offering new deals and promotions to entice people to visit them this summer. At 150 acres, it is the world’s largest Legoland, and since it opened in October of last year it’s also the newest. As 2012 will be their first full summer, they want to make a big splash for their inaugural busy season.

Much like a G-rated movie, the park is marketed to kids and their families. On May 26th they will open their Water Park, and new rollercoasters will also open over the summer. There are 50 rides already, with different ones aimed at adults, big kids and small children. The Duplo brand is obviously aimed at the smallest children.

Adults will like the “Island in the Sky” ride, where a rotating platform rises 150 feet into the air and gives you a view of central Florida from 15 stories up. They should also enjoy much of Florida’s first theme park, Cypress Gardens, as many acres of it were preserved. The teenage crowd may enjoy videogames at home however, as very few rides are aimed towards them. Of course the big draw for all is all the inspired ideas one can do with Legos. The Studio City store has a life-sized Lego Darth Vader in front of it, and there are Lego recreations of Tampa and New York’s skylines. There aren’t any plans for a Legoland Resort or Timeshare business yet but we’ll keep you updated.

One-Day adult passes are $75 and kids/seniors are $65, but buying online will take $7 off those prices. Further discounts can be found by buying in groups of 15 or annually.

Legoland Florida‎
1 Legoland Way,
Winter Haven, Florida 33884

Kirkwood Mountain Resort, one of the largest ski resorts in California, was purchased by Vail Resorts of Colorado for $18 million.

Vail Resorts already owns the Northstar California and Heavenly Mountain Resorts. They are looking at numerous other properties around the western United States in order to further expand their business. Effective immediately, pass holders at Northstar and Heavenly Mountain will be able to use the Kirkwood facilities. It will be the smallest of Vail Resort’s ski resort properties. A limited number of rooms at Kirkwood are dedicated to timeshares. Kirkwood is about 35 miles south of Lake Tahoe.

The Sunshine State offers exciting things to do that can’t be found elsewhere. Here I outline five of the must-see attractions of Florida.

Visit South Beach

This is the most obvious choice, and for good reason. South Beach attracts visitors from all over the world, the bold and the beautiful, and in a down economy can be cheaper than ever. Stay at a hostel two blocks from the beach for as low as $30/night during the offseason.

Attend a Florida State Vs. University of Miami football game

The official date for 2012 has yet to be set, but this year it will be in November in Miami Gardens at Sun Life Stadium. Florida is a state where college football rules, and despite national rankings the football rivalry never gets better or more passionate than this. For tickets call 305-623-6100 or visit sunlifestadium.com.

Relax at Wakulla Springs

Just south of Tallahassee are the famous Wakulla County Springs. The water stays at 70F year round, and has provided millions of visitors with relaxation and enjoyment since the Wakulla Springs Lodge was built in 1937.

Caladesi Island

For the opposite of the South Beach experience, visit Caladesi Island. Accessible only by boat, this jewel of the Gulf Coast has remained a local favorite for decades because of its white-sand beaches and unspoiled beauty. You can get there in under an hour from Tampa, and under four hours from Orlando.

Big game fishing in the Gulf

This one maybe my favorite. I remember sailing on a boat out of Marco Island on Florida’s west coast back in 2008, and our guide threw chum over the side to try to catch marlins and grouper. While we didn’t catch any marlins that day, we did catch barracuda and stingrays and all sorts of other large fish. The diving is great too, so make sure you get scuba certified before you go, as there are numerous reefs and shipwrecks to see all over both coasts of Florida.

Westin hotels will upgrade gyms located at all 186 of its North American locations, according to a press release put out today. This comes after months of research done by the chain through surveys of their guests. Some of the upgrades include a more natural look for their gyms, more floor space, and blue lighting. The move to a more natural look means many of their hotels will get rid of rubber flooring and install organic materials into “textural woven flooring.” Less equipment achieves two goals: it de-clutters the gym floor, a top complaint of most guests; and gives patrons room to stretch before their workout, a common practice of most active people.

The blue lighting is perhaps the most innovative and daring of the additions. Philips ActiViva Active lamps will be installed in most Westin gyms. Phillips claims that the lights “will positively influence physical performance and encourage well-being.” Each gym will also have a new water and towel station. Market research found that most travelers are happy “just to find a working treadmill,” but Westin hopes their gym upgrades go above and beyond their customers’ expectations.

Rwanda, set in middle of Africa’s sub-Saharan desert, is one of the last places you’d expect to find Western companies and investors. The site of massive genocide in 1994 and world-wide dis-renown will soon be home to a five-star Marriott and a four-star Radisson Hotel. These famous brand-names will bring jobs, money and prestige to the region. The country’s capital, Kigali, is building the Kigali International Convention Center. All three structures will open in 2012.

“There’s no denying that the past year in the Middle East and Africa has had its challenges,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International. “However, we are seeing pockets of resurgence throughout the region both in terms of new hotel development and in occupancies.”

Rwanda, with its central location on the African continent and a commitment to leaving its checkered past behind, could become a hub of tourism and industry in Africa, a much needed change for the country’s economy and image.

“This signing symbolizes the new optimism investors have in Rwanda, and further underlines our strong commitment to Africa – this emerging and promising continent is one of our key areas for future business development,” says Kurt Ritter, President and CEO or Rezidor Hotel Group, owners of the Radisson brand.

Own a timeshare in Rwanda? Mexico? Colorado? If you want to get out of your contract, contact Transfer Smart today.

Let’s say you live in perhaps the densest concrete jungle in the world, New York City. You have a small studio apartment located on the 100th floor of a high-rise building. There’s hardly enough space in there for your desk, but in your heart you wish you could throw a barbecue, complete with tiki torches and a slip-n’-slide, with all of your friends laughing and drinking around the grill.

Well now you can. At 145 Ludlow Street, New York, New York, you can throw the backyard grill party of your nature-loving dreams. Dubbed a Backyard Timeshare, a group called The Participation Agency will rent out an empty patch of land right in the heart of the city to you for the low price of $50/hour.

However, just like at a movie theatre, you can’t bring your own treats. The slip-n’-slide rental will cost you a flat $100, a grill built to serve 10 people is $150, a kiddie pool is $200, and having a live band play will cost a whopping five grand. You’re also capped to no more than thirty people total, and your party must stop at 8pm. Renters will also have to buy all food from the company.

A backyard timeshare sounds like fun, but it won’t carry a lifetime contract. Resort timeshares do, and if you want to get out of yours, Transfer Smart is here to help. Contact us today and inquire about our In-Writing Guarantee.

Starwood Hotels, the owner of Sheraton, Westin, and W Hotels, is having a “Dream Vacation” contest on Facebook.

They’re taking advantage of their world-wide reach and encouraging prospective vacationers to submit a story or a picture about what their dream vacation would be. The Grand Prize winner will receive roundtrip airfare for two to anywhere in America and a 5 night stay at a Starwood resort and $1,000 in cash. Two finalists will each win a two night stay at any Starwood hotel in North America.

The company will pick out ten finalists and put their stories or photos on Facebook. Site users will vote on which person’s dream vacation they like the best, and the story with the most votes will win the Grand Prize. According to Starwood’s Facebook site, the winner will be judged on “inventiveness and popularity.”

This weekend in Belgium enjoy the famous Ghent Light Festival. There will be an art trail, food, and of course, lights. Over forty artists from around the world will show off different creative works, such as films, music and paintings. People here speak Dutch, French, English and many dialects of those languages, which is unsurprising as Belgium is the world’s home of the United Nations.

Ghent has plenty more to offer than just art. Café’s, weekend markets, historic plazas and waterside walks are simultaneously quaint and enjoyable. Must-sees include the Patershol district, with its many restaurants; Temmerman Sweets; St. Bavo’s Cathedral; and a walk by the Grassley River. Watch the famous K.A.A. Gent football team play at the Jules Ottenstadion downtown. The club came in 2nd place in their division in 2010.

Visit Ghent’s official website for more information.