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ultimate costs, according to Craycraft. “They look at the price of
the overall park, of course, but the overall value proposition makes
sense to them,” he explains.
Indeed, in addition to the aforementioned timeshare-specific
business benefits, Extreme Engineering’s structures provide
myriad other value propositions. Insurance costs are far from
exorbitant. “The largest adventure park we have in the world
only costs the resort $89 per day in additional property and
casualty insurance,” Craycraft continues. “At that location, the
entry fee for the first two people who walk through the gate each
day pays for it.”
Additionally, adventure park staff members do not need to
be as specialized as, say, water park employees who need to be
trained in life-saving techniques. And these activity features
provide an extended outdoor play season. “Even in the north-
east, we are, at minimum, a nine-month attraction,” Craycraft
says. In milder climates, it’s easily year-round — “without any
additional heating costs.”
A New Identity
Understanding the actual costs, in terms of construction, insur-
ance, and staffing, are crucial when it comes to making what
could be in the neighborhood of a quarter-million-dollar decision.
But perhaps one of the coolest things Extreme Engineering’s
products offer is an updated — or even brand-new — identity,
and that is very hard to quantify monetarily.
“We have a whole theming concept,” Craycraft says. “We’ve
done themed parks that range from pirates to the Wild West to
Polynesia. We have one in development right now based on the
American Revolution, and a proposal to convert an underutilized
indoor tennis center — which does nothing but cost the resort
money — into an adventure park that’s themed after an aban-
doned steel mill. For example, the climbing wall will be painted
glossy black so it seems as though the participants are going up
a wall of coal, and there will be different lighting effects and such.”
This particular example wonderfully summarizes what
seems to be the next big property trend for developers to get
ahead of. Because at one point, that indoor tennis center was
most likely at the forefront of the latest and greatest on-site
timeshare facilities. Times change, though, and right now, at the
beginning of vacation ownership’s extreme amenities phase, it
appears that a simulated-coal climbing wall holds more appeal
than an outdated all-weather hard court.
See page 2 for currency conversions.
21
Swim-Up Aquarium In
Cabo San Lucas
No matter what sort of cutting edge amenities are in vogue
at the moment, a swimming pool is always a safe bet. Kids
love to splash the afternoon away, and adults are often
quite happy diving into a good book beneath an umbrella —
even if they never actually dive into the water. And since
swimming pools are often the centerpiece of the resort,
they’re also the perfect place to ratchet up owner appeal
and generate positive guest buzz.
“We always try to come up with a new concept for our
pools,” says Owen Perry, a partner at Villa Group Resorts.
“At Villa del Arco in Cabo San Lucas, we put in a big pirate
ship. In Loreto, at the Villa del Palmar, we made the pool
look like a giant turtle.”
The company’s latest concept will be its most ambi-
tious. At the Villa la Valencia, which is scheduled to open
within two years in the famous Los Cabos corridor, “We will
have five to six acrylic aquariums of different depths
installed inside the pool. They will be saltwater, and the
entire pool, including the color of the tiles, will be designed
to look like a reef. The aquariums will have various species
of fish from the area, and there will be snorkeling masks
next to the towel stand for clients to use so they can have
a snorkeling experience right in the pool.”