Tuesday, August 3, 2010

“Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals Launches a New Site” plus 3 more

“Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals Launches a New Site” plus 3 more

Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals Launches a New Site

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 12:00 AM PDT

During a time of uncertainty with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, business continues to expand as Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals launches a new web site dedicated solely to their vacation properties in Panama City Beach, Florida.

(Vocus) August 3, 2010 -- Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals launched their new web site, SouthernResortsPanamaCityBeach.com, devoted solely to promoting their Panama City Beach vacation rentals.

Wanting to focus on the uniqueness of specific beach communities where Southern Resorts operates along the Beaches of Northwest Florida, the marketing team at Southern Resorts, working with Travel Storm, Inc., began developing this micro-site before the Deep Horizon oil spill occurred. Even though plans were put on hold for similar sites for their other locations, Southern Resorts chose to move forward with the launch. "We knew with the ongoing concern about our Gulf Coast beaches related to the BP oil spill, that launching this site now was imperative. We hope this will help in getting the message to the world that our region as a whole, including Panama City Beach, continues to be a wonderful vacation destination," states Patricia Hardiman, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer with Southern Resorts. With the reality of having experienced very little impact from the spill through only intermittent tar chips and balls washing ashore, that sentiment echoes throughout the community.

Choosing just one inaugural location out of the seven where Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals operates was not an easy choice. (Currently, they represent approximately 680 vacation homes, cottages, condos and resorts over a 150 mile stretch of beautiful Gulf Coast beach). A new office location and steady growth of inventory to 140 Panama City Beach vacation rentals, were deciding factors in choosing to start there.

On this new site, visitors will easily navigate through availability searches, vacation specials, descriptive content, beautiful photography, current videos, helpful reviews, competitive rates and more. Rounding out the guests experience on-line are area highlights including their Southern Perks added value plan for guests, local events, news and blog.

Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals together with RE/MAX Southern Realty, Southern Coastal Management (Residential Leasing) and Southern Association Management is part of the Southern Management Group owned and operated by the Shoults and Veach brothers. The vacation condos, homes and cottages represented by Southern Resorts can be found in these Florida Gulf Coast beach communities: Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Beaches of South Walton, Panama City Beach, Mexico Beach, WindMark Beach and Port St. Joe. For more on these areas and vacation opportunities, visit SouthernResorts.com.

###

Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals
Patricia Hardiman
850-269-5611
E-mail Information

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

County prepares limits on vacation rentals

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 02:44 AM PDT

Number of occupants, revocation of permit remain key issues

SONOMA COUNTY – The Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department has retooled its proposed vacation rentals guidelines in unincorporated parts of the county yet again after receiving feedback from the public on changes that would permit such rentals but step up enforcement.

In its most recent staff report based on feedback heard in June, the PRMD took into account some of the more unpopular provisions while maintaining the line on others, among them the proposed amount of persons allowed in a vacation rental per night.

The county said one of the primary issues being debated is the overnight occupancy limit, which is based on the number of bedrooms. The new rules would cap the amount of visitors, based on the number of rooms, at two people per room, with the allowance of an additional two people outside of a room – for example no more than 12 people at a five-bedroom vacation rental.

A distinction was made for septic and sewer properties – with septic properties not permitted the additional two people out of concern for not exceeding limits of the building, property and "neighborhood compatibility." However, an exception would be granted if the homeowner obtained a special-use permit from the county.

Those in favor of less restrictive rules on vacation rentals said the standard, known as "2+2," should be the same for sewer or septic, pointing out that properties on septic are used primarily in the dry season. The county maintained its original position.

"While there continues to be concern over the possibility of exceeding the local design load of the system and causing degradation of water quality or septic failures … vacation rentals have operated without limits for many years and the reduced occupancy limits … would be a substantial improvement over existing conditions," the latest report said.

Complaints about vacation rentals reached a peak in January of this year, when a deck in Guerneville collapsed due to overcrowding.

The initial proposed changes also included enforcement measures that would permit the county to revoke a permit should a homeowner be found in violation of the new policies. But after hearing concern from vacation rental proponents that they could be unfairly targeted by neighbors or arbitrarily singled out for minor violations, the county dropped the revocation provisions and instead referred to the County Code, which allows for a hearing on code enforcement.

According to the county, vacation rentals account for about 20 percent of the Transient Occupancy Tax revenue at about $2 million annually.

Any proposed changes to vacation rentals would not include homes in the coastal region of the county.

The revised standards will be forwarded to the county Board of Supervisors after more discussion sometime in the fall.

Napa County, meanwhile, recently voted to uphold a ban on vacation rentals in unincorporated parts of the county.

Tags , , , , | Category Hospitality and Tourism, Industry News, Law

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

RCI Welcomes 22 New Affiliated Resorts to Its Global Portfolio

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:32 AM PDT

 

Aug 03, 2010 10:22 ET

PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Marketwire - August 3, 2010) -  RCI®, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), announced that it added 22 new resorts to its vacation exchange network in the second quarter of 2010. This includes resorts added to RCI® Weeks, RCI Points® and The Registry Collection® program, the world's largest luxury exchange program, with seven of the resorts coming from existing affiliated developers and four resorts under development.

These additions bring the total number of new RCI affiliated resorts for the year to 58, further strengthening RCI's exchange network. New resorts added year to date include Branson's Nantucket Resort, a lakefront property that offers a view of the Table Rock Lake in Missouri, as well as The Village at Machrihanish Dunes located on the stunning southwest coast of the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.

"We are extremely proud to affiliate these 22 beautiful timeshare resorts with RCI -- resorts that will continue to enhance our members' vacation experiences across our industry-leading exchange network," said Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI. "These agreements reflect our commitment to offering our members access to the best vacation options around the world, and are a testament to our efforts to provide developers with valuable services to help them increase sales and lower marketing costs."

In addition to adding these new resorts in the second quarter, the company also launched its RCI Points Platinumsm membership, which offers RCI Points® subscribing members opportunities for automatic upgrades, priority exchange privileges and a myriad of exciting new travel and lifestyle benefits. This new membership was rolled out in June, with a similar program for RCI® Weeks members planned for the future, once again ensuring RCI offers the most comprehensive and innovative programs in the industry.

The second quarter also saw hugely positive reviews for RCI's technology innovations, including RCI TV, an online network of high-definition videos that showcases resorts and gives viewers information and advice on topics ranging from how timeshare works to where to eat at some of the world's most popular destinations. RCI TV took off quickly, reaching more than 1 million views in less than six months, a significant milestone showing that people are interested in learning more about timeshare. The RCI YouTube channel has also seen growth with more than 100 posted videos, many showcasing RCI affiliated resorts to show members their vacation options. The videos have received more than 100,000 views from curious timeshare members and non-members.

"Innovation is the heart of RCI, and is part of the promise we make to our members and affiliates," says Ballotti. "RCI TV and our YouTube channel are components of our continuous plan to deliver the latest and greatest technologies to our customers, and we have received wonderful feedback as a result."

About RCI

RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with access for specified periods to more than 80,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Exchange & Rentals is comprised of vacation exchange, including RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers and The Registry Collection® program, the world's largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Hoseasons, cottages4you, Novasol®, Cuendet® and Landal GreenParks®, Endless Vacation Rentals®, and other renowned vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse® Leisure Real Estate Solutions, a research and consultancy firm providing advisory services to the global leisure real estate industry. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world's largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit our media center.

Click here to see all recent news from this company

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

COLUMN: Don’t shake your responsibility, BP

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 11:16 AM PDT

I am the sole proprietor of a new vacation home rental property located just east of Destin. 

On July 23, BP rejected my claim request for supplemental aid.  BP informed me that because I made more money in 2010 than in 2009 that I would not be entitled to any help.  I was seeking compensation from BP for rental periods that were made un-rentable by the oil spill.  May 22 and June 5 represented a total loss of income of $8,000. This does not include the 11.5 percent bed tax that the state and local government lost.

In addition the cleaning company has lost $520 because of weeks that I was unable to rent.  Additional dates of June 12, June 17, June 19, July 17, July 31, and August 7 were booked after the spill, with losses due to heavily discounted rates. These rentals were approximately half off the peak rental rate. 

In addition I had to provide a money back guarantee for cancellations and a $200 gift card if the beaches were closed during the visit. This reduction in rental income represents an $8,400 loss — directly caused by BP oil spill. For these dates, I have forwarded all of the information that the BP claims office requested. I have had three claims representatives since I first put in a claim with BP in June.  All three advised me that I would be compensated by BP for lost revenue, if I provided them with the proper documentation of all e-mails, tax info, and rental agreements.

This land has been in my family since the 70s. 

Our home was completed late in the summer rental season of 2008. I rent my home out during the summer months to offset the cost of having a home on the beach.  Both me and my sister's family enjoy going and spending time at the beach in the off-season. The 2009 season was my first full season in business.  Although I did successfully rent many of the peak weeks of 2009, the devastating economy directly impacted the obtainable rental rate versus the rental value of the property. I am saying this to support the fact that, as a new business, prior rental history and last season's income should not be the sole source of the determination in responding to this claim.

It is a shame that this large corporation has damaged something that means so much too so many people.  Now this company wants to shake its responsibility. Regardless of the fact that I have indeed had a higher income this year than last year, I am still at a loss all because of the oil spill.  I felt that this was an issue that would be of great concern to you. 

Dale E. Brown is a Helena, Ala., resident.

 

 

 

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)