Holiday Inn Club Vacations Goes Live in Brownsville, VT.

23 February 2009          
    
Holiday Inn Club Vacations Goes Live in Brownsville, VT.

Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn Club Vacations today announced that a ski-in, ski-out resort at the foot of Vermont’s Ascutney Mountain is now part of the timeshare brand’s portfolio.  Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort joins the flagship location, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Fla., and two other Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts in Lake Geneva, Wis., and Panama City, Fla.  Travelers can rent vacation villas at all four resorts at www.hiclubvacations.com.

The addition of Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort follows the recent announcement that the timeshare brand will be adding two more resorts in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., to its portfolio in April of this year.

“We’re pleased to offer our customers a memorable brand experience at the only ski-in, ski-out snow destination in the Holiday Inn U.S. portfolio,” said Christian Hempell, vice president, Holiday Inn Club Vacations.  “We’re excited to include Ascutney Mountain Resort as the fourth Holiday Inn Club Vacations property as part of our alliance with Orange Lake, with our fifth and sixth resorts joining the brand in April.”

Holiday Inn Club Vacations was announced in September 2008 as a strategic alliance between IHG, the world’s largest hotel company, and Orange Lake Resorts, a leader within the timeshare industry with more than 25 years of proven success.  This alliance is unique in that it allows IHG to enter the timeshare industry, purely through an exclusive licensing and marketing agreement with no capital investment.  Orange Lake will continue to own and operate these resorts as a privately held company.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort, the only ski resort in the Holiday Inn U.S. portfolio, offers a host of amenities for timeshare owners and guests, including a fitness center and spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, arcade, convenience store and a full service restaurant and café.  Recreational activities at the resort include downhill skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, cross-country skiing and an on-site outfitter offering guided and self-guided outdoor adventures year-round with equipment and gear rentals. 

Don Harrill, President and CEO of Orange Lake Resorts, said, “This resort at the base of Ascutney Mountain is a year-round destination for every member of the family. It’s been a popular drive-to destination for thousands of our club members living in the New England area.”
 
Through IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, guests renting villas will earn Priority Club points during their stays at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, which they can redeem for free nights at IHG properties or exchange for merchandise and special experiences.  This resort will also welcome members of the newly formed Holiday Inn Club™ exchange program, which allows members to exchange their weeks at any Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort for hotel nights at IHG’s more than 4,150 hotels worldwide.  Holiday Inn Club members will also have access to Resort Condominium International’s (RCI) network of more than 4,000 resorts.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations will continue to seek opportunities to expand in top North American destination locations, adding more vacation experiences, features and benefits. Orange Lake also plans to build a flagship Holiday Inn Resort hotel at the Orlando resort and has the potential to develop up to 2,500 more timeshare villas at this location. For more information, visit www.hiclubvacations.com.

About Holiday Inn Club Vacations
 
Holiday Inn Club Vacations was created in September 2008 as a strategic alliance between IHG, the world’s largest hotel company, and Orange Lake Resorts, a leader within the timeshare industry with more than 25 years of proven success.  Holiday Inn Club Vacation’s flagship property in Orlando, located next to Walt Disney World® Resort, was established in 1982 by Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson.  A 1,450-acre golf, water park and sports resort, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort includes 2,412 villas and plans for expansion to 4,500 villas.  Other member resort locations include Lake Geneva, Wis., Panama City, Fla. and Brownsville, Vt.  Holiday Inn Club members enjoy access to Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts and IHG’s network of more than 4,150 hotels worldwide.  Holiday Inn Club Vacations will continue to expand their Member Resorts to top North American destination locations.  For more information on Holiday Inn Club Vacations, visit www.hiclubvacations.com.
 

Horse race named after bookmaker

Horse race named after bookmaker

BBC NEWS:
2009/02/23

Online Sportsbooks

A race at Cheltenham's National Hunt Festival is to be named in honour of popular bookmaker 'Fearless' Freddie Williams who died in 2008.

The Freddie Williams Festival Plate will offer £90,000 in prize money.

It will be run as the fifth race on Thursday 12 March. The festival runs from 10 to 13 March.

Julie Williams, Freddie's daughter, said: "This is a special honour for a very special man and the whole family is touched by Cheltenham's gesture."

Making memories

Cheltenham's Managing Director Edward Gillespie said: "Freddie was one of the people who helped define the Festival in modern times.

"His friendly battle with JP McManus was the highlight of the betting ring action each year and he certainly earned his nickname 'Fearless' by being prepared to back his own opinion against those of people with bulging pockets.

"The Festival will be a poorer place without him this year and we are delighted to be renaming the Festival Plate in his honour."

Julie Williams, who will be standing in the betting ring in her own right for the first time this year, added: "Dad loved the Festival and everything it stood for and this will give us some more great memories of his favourite meeting."