RCI ADDS GOLD CROWN RESORT IN ARIZONA

Source: RCI

March 19, 1999
RCI on Tuesday announced the affiliation of the Mesa Verde Sports Club & Resort, a new 33-acre, mixed-use complex that combines luxury hotel and timeshare-resort accommodations with health, recreational, entertainment and convention facilities -- all under one roof. Located in Mesa, Ariz., the project is the first of several multi-dimensional, family-oriented resorts planned by Interactive Leisure Resources Inc., a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for June 1999, with completion of the project expected in January 2001. The Mesa Verde Sports Club & Resort is being built in conjunction with the city of Mesa's plan to revitalize the downtown center.

The third largest community in Arizona, Mesa aims to capture a larger share of the convention and tourist markets and to provide world-class leisure and recreational facilities for visitors and local residents. Because the resort will contribute to the achievement of Mesa's redevelopment goals, the city assisted ILR in obtaining the land and granted tax incentives and concessions to make construction of the resort possible.

The Mesa Verde Sports Club & Resort is a new type of destination resort unique to timesharing and tourism, according to Verlin Abbott, vice president of resort sales for RCI. "I know of no other resort in North America that encompasses such a diverse range of accommodations, services and activities under one roof," he says. "The resort will provide not only a one-stop vacation package for timeshare and hotel guests, but also a much-needed recreational venue for the community. We are excited that we will be able to offer RCI members the opportunity to exchange into this one-of-kind resort in a popular tourist area where demand for quality accommodations exceeds the supply."

The resort, which is being built to RCI Gold Crown standards, includes 212 one-, two- and three-bedroom timeshare units and a 345-suite hotel and conference center. Destination guests and local residents will choose from a variety of points-based memberships. Members will use their points to acquire accommodations, make a vacation exchange through RCI, or to use any of the services and facilities offered by the resort. Amenities, facilities and services provided by the resort include:

• a 167,000-square-foot jungle-themed, indoor/outdoor aquatic center featuring six flume rides, a Flowrider surfing ride, Master Blaster water roller coaster, Lazy River tube ride, wave pool, indoor lap pool and outdoor swimming pool
• a 16,000-square-foot fitness club and spa, featuring high-tech cardio and circuit weight-training equipment; fitness trainers; numerous Jacuzzis; a 100-foot-by-40-foot climbing wall; and steam, sauna, massage and treatment rooms
• a 9,200-seat, multi-purpose arena complex that will support athletic events such as indoor soccer, figure skating and ice shows, as well as concerts and special events
• two indoor basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, four outdoor tennis courts, ten racquetball/squash courts, outdoor miniature golf, and a virtual-reality fun center with laser tag and computer golf
• Two indoor ice rinks to support family skating sessions, daily skating sessions, youth and adult hockey leagues and figure skating lessons. These rinks also can be converted to support youth and adult indoor soccer leagues and to provide conference exhibition floor space
• Five food and beverage outlets, including restaurants, lounges, bars and a 14,000-square-foot banquet facility
• Themed gift shop and other retail shops
• Nine-plex movie theater

"By combining many different recreational components, we offer family value at a venue where the whole family wants to come," says ILR President Malcolm Ross. "The resort will be an oasis in the Arizona desert."

RCI, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 1999, is the world's leading timeshare-exchange company with more than 3,400 affiliated resorts in more than 90 countries. In 1997, RCI booked more than 1.8 million exchanges, sending more than 6.5 million people on vacation. As a single-source provider of integrated timeshare solutions, the company's services include feasibility analysis, market research, technological support and lead-generation strategies along with club development and operations. RCI is a subsidiary of Cendant Corp. (NYSE:CD), one of the world's foremost providers of consumer and business services. Source: RCI