By Carolyn Spencer Brown
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 29, 2001; Page E01
One morning last summer on the Caribbean island of St. John, I spotted an ad in the local newspaper offering anyone
who attended a sales presentation at the Westin St. John Resort Villas a $50 gift certificate and a free lunch.
I had no intention of buying a time share, but the perks sounded nice – and I was intrigued by the well-regarded
Westin's affiliation with what I'd thought of as a scummy industry. So I went to the presentation.
When I walked out, I had very nearly bought myself a one-bedroom unit.
The saleswoman was lively, well dressed, intelligent. She asked me questions aimed as much at divining my lifestyle
preferences as my financial suitability. We toured the resort, adjacent to the Westin hotel, checking out the tastefully
decorated studio and one-bedroom condos.
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