Press Release
March 2, 2001
BELLA VISTA, AR -- CooperShare Resorts, Inc., one of the nation's leading and oldest independent timeshare resort
development companies, announced an aggressive rebranding and strategic growth plan yesterday with the renaming
of its resorts to the Escapes! brand and a significant expansion of its resort portfolio.
``The new Escapes! brand reflects the variety of fun, carefree vacation opportunities to which travelers can ''escape``
at our resorts,'' said T.L. Spencer, president/CEO of Escapes!. ``Escapes! is exciting; it's action. It fits the
wide variety of vacation experiences we offer today and the many new membership benefits and travel and leisure
opportunities we'll be introducing.''
The company's three existing resorts were renamed under the Escapes! banner: Escapes! to Bella Vista Village and
Escapes! to Hot Springs Village, both in Arkansas, and Escapes! to StoneBridge Village in Branson, Mo.
Building Timeshare Resorts Where Vacationers Need Them Most
The addition of four new resorts announced yesterday more than doubles the Escapes! brand portfolio to seven resorts.
The first, Escapes! to Cherokee Village, is a re-acquisition of the original CooperShare timeshare resort first
opened in the 1980s. It is located in Cherokee Village, Ark., one of the residential communities developed and
managed by Cooper Communities, Inc., the parent company of Escapes!
Representing many ``firsts'' for the company, the three new Escapes! resorts will widely expand the vacation experiences
available to Escapes! members. They are the first of the company's timeshare properties not located within a Cooper
Communities development, and two are the company's first resorts located in Alabama and Texas and its first two
beachfront properties.
All three will be newly constructed resorts.
Construction will commence soon on the company's second lakeside property, Escapes! to Branson Yacht Club, located
on picturesque Lake Table Rock, within walking distance of the popular tourist attractions of Branson, Mo. Vacation
sales will commence later this year.
Escapes! to the Gulf at Orange Beach is the brand's first beachfront property. Located on the white sand beaches
of the Gulf Coast of Alabama, it comprises 27 units of a new mixed-use condominium resort. Construction is underway,
and vacation sales will commence in April.
Escapes! to the Gulf at Galveston is a seven-acre property on the shores of the Gulf in Texas. Construction and
vacation sales will commence later this year. Located in a popular port, the new resort will enable Escapes! members
to enjoy a luxurious cruise through the company's Escapes! to the Seas CruiseClub combined with a relaxing vacation
on the beaches of Galveston.
``The Escapes! strategy for growth mirrors the original Wal*Mart strategy. At this point, we don't see value developing
in areas considered hot growth markets for timeshare, such as Orlando or Las Vegas. We are focusing instead on
popular yet underserved tourist destinations,'' explained Spencer. ``However, our goal is not to grow a regional
company. We will consider stepping into larger markets when the time is right and it's a valid growth strategy
for Escapes!.''
The company expects to grow its staff by almost 30 percent, up 100 employees from the 350 employed today.
For nearly two decades, Escapes!, formerly CooperShare Resorts, Inc., has offered exciting and flexible vacation
ownership products backed by almost five decades of successful community and resort development. Headquartered
in Bella Vista, Ark., the company currently has close to 9,000 vacation owners.
Its parent company, Cooper Communities, Inc., which was founded in 1954, pioneered the recreational community concept
through the development of six such communities across four states. Today, 120,000 families are members of Cooper
Communities.
Timeshare was introduced to its mixed-use developments in the early 1980s in Cherokee Village; sales were first
limited to existing Cooper Communities property owners and extended to the general public in the mid-90s.
www.EscapesVacations.com
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Contact:
Escapes!, Bella Vista
by
Yui+Co.
Ellen Yui, 301/270-8571
ellenyui@starpower.net
or
Rae Hostetler, 317/541-0244
hostetlerpr@iquest.net
or
Elizabeth Kelley Grace, 561/989-9855
lizkgrace@aol.com