Creating Luxury and
Beauty
Three Resorts Score
Top Awards
By: Kathryn Mullan
At this year’s ARDA Awards Gala, three different resorts won
the ACE Project of Excellence Award, which recognize some of the front-runners
in today’s vacation ownership resorts. Broken into three distinct categories—Domestic,
International Large Developer and International Small Developer—each winning
resort is truly one of a kind.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these three winners:
Domestic Project
Winner: RiverWalk Resort on Loon Mountain (InnSeason Resorts)
RiverWalk Resort on Loon Mountain sits at the edge of a
mountain river, settled around an old New Hampshire paper mill. The land it was
developed on encompasses a rich part of the Loon Mountain community history. What has emerged on this land is a luxuriant resort with
fractional suites, a penthouse level, a full-service spa, state-of-the-art game
room, luxury owners’ club, a shuttle to Loon Mountain, and a short drive to
many of White Mountain’s natural wonders and attractions. Every unit features
spectacular mountain views. The resort also features several amenities that are
firsts in the area: a commercial winery called “7 Birches” on premises, and an indoor/outdoor
swimming pool that is engineered to convert to an ice skating rink during the
winter. RiverWalk Resort on Loon Mountain is an award-winning lodge
that blends history, natural beauty and a vacation experience into one.
International Large
Developer Winner: Marriott Vacation Club at Surfer’s Paradise—Marriott
Vacations Worldwide Corp.
Located in Queensland, on the Gold Coast of Australia,
Marriott Vacation Club at Surfer’s Paradise has quite the story to tell. To
start, the developer acquired a hotel that was not having much success and turned
the top eight floors into exquisite timeshare villas—all in only nine months (from
conception to opening day). The game plan was simple: to retain eight floors of this
beautiful, yet somewhat tired property and convert to 88 Vacation Ownership
Villas with top-notch amenities. They re-landscaped the exterior and installed
a saltwater lagoon pool that has friendly fish that hang around with the
swimmers. They put in floor-to-ceiling glass so the guests may fully
view the mountains, the Nerang River, and the Pacific Ocean. The décor throughout reflects
the history of the region, while still being simple, crisp, light and playful. They
even redesigned the lounge and made it open air. Overall, this Surfer’s Paradise is a true project home-run
and has been successful among owners, guests, and shareholders alike.
International Small
Developer Winner: Palafitos Overwater Bungalows at El Dorado Maroma, A
Beachfront Resort by Karisma
Located on one of the world’s top 10 beaches, Riviera Maya’s
Maroma Beach, Palafitos Overwater Bungalows at El Dorado Maroma offers both
beautiful accommodations and innovative touches. These bungalows are Mexico’s first
over-the-ocean suites, featuring glass floors over the bright turquoise water. With these 30 bungalows, guests create memories that feel
more like dreams. Inside each of these huts is their own private infinity pool,
indoor Jacuzzi, glass bottom floors, and a personal ladder right into the
Pacific Ocean for when they want to go for a dip. Each guest is also pampered
with an on-site spa, world class restaurant, and customized beach picnics
creating what feels like a utopia. Personalized services run the gamut from 24-hour
room service, exclusive beach beds, customized beach picnics, and full butler
service on-demand. The core beauty of this resort is also in its sustainability
and eco-friendliness. During development, they used all native materials to
construct the units, and the base of each bungalow serves also as an artificial
reef to encourage activity and growth of marine life. Overall, it is truly a
remarkably beautiful and eco-friendly resort that is well deserving of this ACE
Award. Each of these winners have truly remarkable resorts that are
bringing new innovations and ideas into the timeshare industry. May they
inspire many more great works that we will celebrate at next year’s awards
night!