BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino is expecting an influx of visitors following the launch of its Vacation for Life programme – a unique timeshare initiative that delivers quality service at a reasonable price.
The programme was launched in grand style Saturday (Apr. 25) with an opening ceremony, sumptuous buffet and tour of the new facilities. The event was attended by the Governor-General Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor, Minister of Finance Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris and Minister of State with Responsibility for tourism Hon. Richard Skerritt.
Vacation for Life is an innovative time share programme which offers a high-end, unique Kittitian experience with low maintenance fees and attractive prices. When you purchase a Vacation for Life unit, you will receive legal title to one of the resort’s rooms for one week and the right to use its wide array of amenities. Since you hold title to your unit in perpetuity with no expiration date, you are also free to transfer your unit through resale, gift or by will.
The new programme features two styles of Kittitian luxury. There are 85 high-end living quarters, dubbed ‘Kittitian Escape’, which scope over 500 square feet of local art and interior design that is second to none on the island.
The timeshare owner will also have full access to the hotel’s golf course, lake and casino. For the more frugal traveller, one of 220 ‘Sugar Haven’ suites invites you to own a simple yet exquisite lakeside property.
During the official launch, Director and Legal Counsel Natalia Bitton explained that the timeshare programme is based on a “floating system”, which affords owners a particular unit type during a particular season. She added that it was necessary for the pricing to be reasonable and attractive.
“The majority of the hesitation from travellers today is related to pricing and maintenance charges, which is precisely why we made it affordable. We plan to deliver a five-star quality of service with a 3-star price,” Bitton said.
Starting from prices as low as US $5000, you can own a piece of the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino for life. The Sugar Haven suites range from US $5000-7000, while the top-notch Kittitian Escape rooms range from US $ 10 000-13 000. Additionally, owners benefit from a low maintenance fee of US $190 per season. These reasonable prices are expected to significantly boost occupancy rates.
According to Bitton, the unique twist is that you not only own the title to the unit, but also a proportionate share in the entire property, lending access to some of the hotels finest amenities.
Owners’ proportionate share of the operational net profits is annually credited to his/her account in the form of points equal to the dollar value of the share. This is determined by independently audited financial statements. Owners can apply this credit against their annual maintenance expenses and potentially have no annual carrying costs.
General Manager Dimitris Cosvogiannis described the new timeshare programme as “pioneering and innovative”, and noted that the launch marks a historic point in the hotel’s years of operation.
“We are treading new horizons and we are making history! It’s not just a timeshare, but you get to own a piece of luxury at an affordable price. The rooms are made of the true Kittitian concept. What we represent is St. Kitts; we export the Federation to the world. This will be truly a project the world around would be attracted to,” Cosvogiannis opined.
Skerritt said he was proud to a part of what he deemed a “history-making session”. He urged management to continue being consistent, courteous and courageous in creating innovate ways to weather the ongoing financial crisis.
“I wish this project the best and I wish it many sales, because the sales of these units would be a success for us in St. Kitts. It is a difficult time in this industry. Some deal with it well and some not so well, but you can be assured that the Zuliani family [owners of the hotel] will continue to do this innovatively,” Skerritt said.
Many patrons to the opening ceremony remarked that the Vacation for Life Offer offers a much-needed escape of affordable, easy living to the tourism landscape in St. Kitts.
