Australian Timeshare

The $7.3 million refurbishment of Wyndham’s Ramada Resort at Port Douglas has been officially unveiled. Located in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, the Ramada Port Douglas is a mixed-use property developed through a partnership with Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and the Wyndham Hotel Group. Included in the refurbishment were the resort’s reception area, heated pool and lush grounds. Inside spaces saw the conversion of 194 hotel rooms to 15 studios, 34 one-bedroom and 37 two-bedroom apartments.

CEO and Managing Director of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and Managing Director of Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific, Barry Robinson, explains, “We are very proud to showcase the new look Ramada Port Douglas as a premier resort in our South Pacific resort portfolio. Through the refurbishment and service-focused management of this resort we aim to further enhance the experience of guests who visit this very special part of the world.”

Robinson hosted the cocktail function at which the refurbishments were unveiled. Guests at the event toured the resort including the Tree Bar Grill, which is set among ancient fig tree trunks, the swimming pool, waterfall, and swim-up bar, as well as the resort’s wedding and conference spaces and the day spa.

The Hon. David Kempton, Member for Cook praised the Wyndham Hotel Group for its contribution to the local region, saying, “I am thrilled to see Wyndham and its international brand, Ramada establish its presence in Port Douglas. The resort has already established itself as a premier resort for the region and has made great contributions to the community, the tourism industry, and regional employment.”

More fun news about the new Australia timeshare from Wyndham timeshare that we wrote about yesterday here on The Timeshare Authority blog. (See: Australia Timeshare Expands with Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific Resort.) The Ramada Phillip Island, a mixed-use property is managed by the Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific group and includes both hotel units and timeshare villas.

Committed to the ‘Wyndham Green’ initiatives in many ways, including in-room recycling and water saving measures, the Ramada Phillip Island Resort Wyndham timeshare also includes among its team members an adopted penguin. Part of the Penguin Foundation’s Adopt-a-Penguin program, the little fellow exemplifies Wyndham’s Green initiative. The resort is asking for help in naming the adopted penguin.

Dawn Gleeson, Business Development Manager of Ramada Phillip Island, explains, “Ramada Phillip Island is delighted to become a corporate sponsor with the Penguin Foundation through the Adopt-a-Penguin program and it’s fantastic to be able to get our guests involved with this naming competition.”

The competition to Name-the-Penguin is open to guests and timeshare owners at the Ramada Phillip Island Wyndham resort and to vacation owners in the WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham. Three contest winners will be announced; two who are current timeshare owner/members in the WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham, and one who has been a guest at the Ramada Phillip Island between March 8, 2013 and May 31, 2013, and who then completes the entry application.

The two winners in the first category will receive WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham One-Time Credits for first and second prize. The winner in the resort guest category will receive a two-night stay for two adults and two children in a two-bedroom cottage at Ramada Phillip Island, including breakfast daily, a three-park pass to Phillip Island Nature Parks and a choice of a mountain biking, surfing, body board, kayak, or snorkeling experience with OutThere Outdoor, valued at $719.

The entry form and complete rules are available at: www.worldmarksp.com/nameapenguin.

This week, The Hon. Ken Smith MLA, Member for Bass and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly along with other key Tourism and Local Government representatives officially announced the opening of a new Australia timeshare, the Ramada Resort Phillip Island.

The Australia timeshare is a mixed use property that was developed by the partnership efforts of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific (Wyndham timeshare) and Wyndham Hotel Group. Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific is the largest vacation ownership company in the Asia Pacific region.

The Honorable Ken Smith, a long-time resident of Phillip Island, said, “I am thrilled to see the international brand, Ramada establish its presence on the island. The resort has already taken many positive steps in helping to promote and preserve a region that so many Victorians are passionate about.”

CEO and Managing Director of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and Managing Director of Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific, Barry Robinson, adds, “Ramada Phillip Island is a fantastic addition to Wyndham Hotel Group’s resort portfolio, providing visitors to the region with a unique natural setting to enjoy its abundance of wildlife attractions including the popular Penguin Parade.”

Located at 2128 Phillip Island Road, Cowes, Victoria, the Australian timeshare resort and hotel property includes 211 self-contained cottages, found across 65-acres of beautiful countryside. The property includes refurbished cottages, a restaurant and bar, conference and wedding areas, swimming pool, children’s playground, tennis court, walking  trails, and barbeque areas. The resort offers both studio rooms and two- and three-bedroom cottages.

Wyndham timeshare offers four other vacation ownership resorts in the Victoria region of Australia. These include:

• WorldMark Resort Ballarat
• Wyndham Resort Torquay
• WorldMark Resort Lakes Entrance
• and Ramada Encore Dandenong

In the wake of the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand this past week it is still difficult to gather precise information about the situation at New Zealand timeshares and hotels. Here is a summary of what we believe to be an accurate, although not comprehensive, report:

At the time this post on The Timeshare Authority blog is being written, the historic Hotel grand Chancellor, one of Christchurch’s tallest buildings, has not yet collapsed but undoubtedly will, unless it is not deliberately brought down by safety officials first. Officials have evacuated a two-block radius around this perilous property.

Leigh Stock, a general manager of the Edgewater Resort- Wanaka timeshare was in Christchurch for a board meeting at the time of the earthquake. Although he escaped to safety, he witnessed the façade of a building as it collapsed, flattening a car with a passenger inside, along with other devastation. Stock told the Otago Daily News, after hearing the initial destruction and going outside to check on things he attempted to return to building he had been in to collect his cell phone. He explained, “From the outside, the building looked relatively unscathed. It was just a war zone in there. The ceiling had collapsed internally and a big ceiling fan was on the table where we had been sitting.”

The three Accor hotels in Christchurch were evacuated, and no guests or staff were injured. Two of these hotels are in the Cathedral Square, which is in lock-down under a State of Emergency.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has evacuated three of its hotels, the Crowne Plaza Christchurch, Holiday Inn City Centre Christchurch and Holiday Inn on Avon Christchurch after identifying structural damage. The three hotels are reportedly closed until further notice.

Peppers Clearwater Resort in Christchurch is open, with the following statement on its website, “Preliminary inspections show no major structural damage to the property. The kitchen is fully operational with the use of generators and drinking water has been supplied to all guests. Water is available for toilet usage and there is no damage to the property’s sewerage system.”

The Heritage Christchurch has posted a notice on its website that it has been evacuated and no entry to the property is permitted.

International travelers scheduled to visit New Zealand are advised that all regions outside of the Canterbury area remain operational. As a precaution, travelers are urged to check with their airline and confirm that their flight is still scheduled. International travelers already in Christchurch and who need assistance should call 0800 779 997.