INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES THE INN AT WHITTIER
MIAMI, FL, March 24, 2006 — Interval International, a leading global vacation exchange company, announced the affiliation of the Alaskan Vacation Club at the Inn at Whittier in Whittier, Alaska. The resort is set on the pristine Prince William Sound, with glacier-capped mountains, cascading waterfalls, and ocean views. It is located one hour southeast of Anchorage using the Anton Anderson Memorial tunnel, which is the longest highway tunnel in North America measuring two-and-a-half-miles.
"We welcome the Inn at Whittier, our only affiliate in the state of Alaska, to our global network," said David C. Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International. "Our members can now look forward to exploring one of the world's great remaining frontiers while enjoying beautiful accommodations and a full range of activities during their stay in Whittier."
"We're delighted to affiliate our resort with Interval and provide our owners with a wide array of benefits that they can use all year, including access to hundreds of leisure properties around the world," said Manuel Hernandez, managing partner of Alaskan Vacation Club.
The resort features 23 studios and two one-bedroom townhouse suites surrounded by bicycle and hiking trails and a marina. There is also a train station within walking distance of the resort, offering scheduled service between Whittier and Anchorage. On-site amenities consist of a hot tub, laundry facility, auto and bicycle rentals, boat rentals, and a full-service restaurant that serves a variety of menu selections specializing in seafood fresh from the 1,500 foot deep Prince William Sound waters. Future plans for the property include additional condominiums, an exercise room, convenience store, and coffee house.
Outdoor activities are widely available year-round in Whittier. Fall through spring seasons offer visitors the chance to see the Northern Light displays, commonly known as Aurora Borealis, when glowing curtains of colored lights dance through the skies. During the summer months, visitors can enjoy glacier and wildlife viewing tours, whale and sea otter watching, sea kayaking, and white water rafting. The winter season provides ideal conditions to climb the ice fields and glaciers, enjoy snow excursions, salmon-shark fishing, dog sledding, cross country and backcountry skiing, hiking, bear and deer hunting. Less than 30 miles away, Alyeska, an internationally known ski resort that averages 700 - 1,000 inches of snow per year, provides downhill skiing, snowboarding, and heli-skiing. Because there is an average of 5.5 hours of daylight in the winter, the ski slopes are lighted to maximize outdoor recreation. Alyeska's Spring skiing is known for its' "corn snow," granular snow formed by alternate thawing and freezing.
"We are proud to pioneer Alaska's first ever vacation club, a milestone for the timeshare industry. It is now among the world-class vacation destinations offered by Interval International," said Guy W. Olsen, project director of the Alaskan Vacation Club.
Alaskan Vacation Club offers a 25-year right-to-use membership, which can be purchased 1 week-per-year or 1 week every-other-year. Accelerated use is acceptable.
Further reinforcing the value of ownership, all new purchasers will become individual members of Interval International as well as of Interval Gold® - the industry's first and foremost value-added, membership upgrade program. This entitles them to enjoy an extensive array of discounts and services, including access to a personal concierge service available 24 hours a day - seven days a week, and worldwide hotel and dining discounts provided by best-in-class hospitality and travel industry vendors. Interval Gold members have 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. In addition, members receive quarterly travel magazines and newsletters, printed and electronic international resort directories, and a host of other privileges.
Interval International, a leading vacation ownership exchange company, is celebrating 30 years of quality and innovation. Interval has a global network of more than 2,000 affiliated resorts in over 75 countries, and serves its developer clients and nearly 1.8 million member families through 28 offices in 19 countries. The company provides a variety of services and year-round travel-related benefits to enhance members' vacation experiences. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Interval International is part of IAC, which operates leading and diversified businesses in sectors being transformed by the Internet, online and offline. Other IAC companies include Ask.com, Citysearch, Entertainment Publications, HSN, LendingTree, and Ticketmaster.
