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MARKETING
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2015
Courting an Upscale Market
Hyatt Vacation Ownership moved in with its highly anticipated
debut of Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach, A Hyatt Residence Club, on the
island of Maui in December 2014.
“This is our first foray into the Hawaiian market,” says John
Burlingame, president of HVO, which operates 16 upscale Hyatt
Residence Clubs across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico. “We cater to a
pretty high-end customer,” he explains, noting that the average price
per week at Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach is approximately US$75,000.
Designed to wow, the resort also immerses owners and guests in
its magical surroundings. The 131 residences are set within a 40-acre
(16 hectares) tropical paradise, which includes a 1,800-foot (548
meters) beach. Owners and guests share the services and amenities of
the adjacent Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, home to Maui’s only
oceanfront spa.
“We did have a solid reception during the construction sales,”
Burlingame says, “and sales have grown as we’ve benefited from more
dynamic lead generation and an increase in tour flow.”
The Residence Club’s open-air lobby is designed to make a powerful
first impression. “When you arrive, you can look straight through the
lobby and see the island of Lanai perfectly framed in the distance,”
Burlingame says.
Luxuriously appointed residences have expansive ocean-facing
lanais with panda doors that slide back to merge the interior and exte-
rior living space. “I think that’s the neatest feature of the project,”
Burlingame says. “It’s surprising how many of our customers and
guests are sleeping the night out on the lanai.”
The Only-in-Hawaii Advantage
It’s those kinds of only-in-Hawaii experiences that keep vacation own-
ers coming back year after year.
“Our owners have been here for many years. Now, Hawaii has
become a part of them, an extension of their home,” says Angela
Nolan, general manager of The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
on the island of Maui.
According to the Hawaii
Tourism Authority (HTA),
the number of people
vacationing in a timeshare
rose 4.9 percent in the first
three months of 2015.
HYATT KA’ANAPALI BEACH, MAUI