INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL ADDS VILLA DEL PALMAR LORETO TO ITS GLOBAL VACATION EXCHANGE NETWORK
MIAMI, FL, April 10, 2008 – Interval International, a leading provider of vacation services, announced the addition of Villa del Palmar Loreto, a vacation ownership property in Baja California Sur, Mexico, to its global vacation exchange network. The resort, which will be part of an 1800-acre master planned resort complex being developed by The Villa Group, is currently under construction.
“The Villa Group is respected in the industry for its consistently high-quality products and services, as well as for developing resorts in emerging destinations,” said David C. Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International. “The newest addition to its resort portfolio is the first vacation ownership property in Loreto, and as a result, will provide our members with a unique vacation experience.”
"We are delighted to affiliate Villa del Palmar Loreto with Interval. Over the past 24 years, the company has provided us with invaluable support to meet our owners’ worldwide vacation needs and has allowed us to offer them outstanding programs and benefits,” said Owen Perry, partner of The Villa Group. “With the success of our Villa del Palmar brand in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, our next step is to expand to other markets in Mexico, including Loreto, which has the potential to become a world-class vacation destination.”
Villa del Palmar Loreto will feature 161 one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, all with views of the Sea of Cortez. The first phase, which has 100 villas, is slated to open in 2009 and phase two, with an additional 61 villas, will be completed in 2010. Each villa will be decorated with elegant furniture crafted from specially selected woods and will include a living room, dining room, full kitchen with granite countertops, modern appliances and electronic equipment, and a spacious terrace.
Guests and owners will have access to a wide selection of amenities, services, and activities onsite or nearby, including restaurants, bars, convenience stores, full-service health spa, fitness center, swimming pools, expansive beach areas, tennis courts, golf, water sports, and horseback riding.
Located 250 miles north of Cabo San Lucas on the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula facing the Sea of Cortez, Loreto is one of five beach resort areas that was slated for development as a tourism destination by Mexico’s national trust for the promotion of tourism (FONATUR) 30 years ago. Today, it attracts U.S. and Canadian residents living on the west coastwho usually travel to Cabo San Lucas or Hawaii and is rapidly becoming one of the country’s prime vacation destinations.
A culturally rich, historic village that sits on a protected bay, tucked away in the shadow of the Sierra de La Giganta Mountains, Loreto is the ideal place for either an adventure-filled or laid back getaway. The surrounding desert, rich with unique plant and animal life, and the sea water, teeming with aquatic life, offer unique eco-tourism opportunities.
Further reinforcing the value of ownership, all new purchasers at Villa del Palmar Loreto will become individual members of Interval International, as well as Interval Gold®, its premier membership program. This gives them the opportunity to exchange their accommodations for those at other resorts in Interval’s worldwide network, as well as the ability to relinquish their resort weeks toward the purchase of cruise, golf, and spa vacations. They also will enjoy an extensive menu of benefits, including discounts on resort Getaways, access to a personal concierge service available 24 hours a day via phone and e-mail, complimentary Hertz #1 Gold® membership, and worldwide hotel and dining discounts.
About Interval International
Interval International is a leading provider of exchange, travel, and leisure services to resort developers and vacationers worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market for more than 30 years. Today, Interval has a network of over 2,300 resorts in excess of 75 countries and offers its clients and nearly 2 million member families high-quality products and programs through its 28 offices in 17 countries. Interval is part of IAC, which owns and operates more than 60 diversified brands in sectors being transformed by the Internet, online and offline. Other IAC companies include Ask.com, HSN, LendingTree, Match.com, and Ticketmaster.
About The Villa Group
Founded in 1984, The Villa Group is one of Mexico's leading privately owned real estate development companies. Its portfolio features beachfront timeshare resorts located in Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Los Cabos, as well as fractional, full-ownership luxury real estate developments, and hotels. A new timeshare property is currently under construction in Cancun and is expected to be completed in 2010.
