Resort Development Consulting

As a full-service company, LuxuryForSale.Properties International, is a specialist in a variety of consulting programs, most which are purpose built around a client’s needs. Financing any project requires many disciplines all which are available through LuxuryForSale.Properties, in house. Marketing and feasibility studies, land planning, concept architecture and engineering, estimating development costs, selecting unit pricing, developing developer guidelines, and assembling all of this into a financial or board presentation covers the creative and economic aspects of pre-financial activities.

General Consulting

LuxuryForSale.Properties receives requests weekly for consulting and active roles in development. Past assignments include: Guiding Governments in their promotional and developmental activities, developing an entire mortgage system for a country, using both Western and Sharia methodology, analysis of existing and two be built properties, assessments and work out plans for troubled properties.

Work Outs

A workout is a situation emerging from an unfortunate problem where a lender or owner has a property that is under performing, has not been completed or has been foreclosed on.  For a variety of reasons, a professional is required to handle refinancing, add bridge capital, adjust operationally, complete development, create new promotional programs and a host of other challenges that are undertaken to bring a property back into profitability.  LuxuryForSale.Properties is called on to accomplish this activity and assemble purpose-built teams to accomplish specific goals in accords with a plan that is devised.

Financing

LuxuryForSale.Properties Funding is the LuxuryForSale.Properties International Division that undertakes financial placement assignments and prepared a project or project concept for financing as well as places the financing itself.

A secret to securing of financing is to present it perfectly. There are some 23 major items on the “punchlist” that have to be addressed in any development. These items have to be presented without error, so that a financier can be assured that a development can be produced on time and on budget.

LuxuryForSale.Properties has accrued a stable of equity investors, and long-term debt investors secured by a mortgage, that have been cultivated in their 60 years in business.

LuxuryForSale.Properties looks at out of the box solutions and employs the right product for the occasion. Consideration of wrap mortgages, financial guarantees, and debt with an equity bonus, but many other creative financing tools are examined and packaged to have the most desirable investment for an investor, at the lowest cost to the borrower.

The financing presentations include:

• Debt Placements: Permanent financing or development financing secured by a first mortgage or other collateral.
• Equity investments: Equity is the difference between the cost of a project and the debt that can be raised against a project. The equity can be composed of land and services, but also must have some cash. If the owner or developer does not have all of the cash, investors are brought in to make up the difference. The investor owns a percentage of the project.
• Seed capital: Often a development requires the initial capital requirements to prepare the development for financing and to receive entitlements.
• Guarantees: Financial guarantees can be used in a variety of situations, but most often in increasing leverage, and reducing interest costs.

Hospitality and Resort Consulting.

LuxuryForSale.Properties Hospitality Consulting specializes in the operation of world-class international luxury hotels. LuxuryForSale.Properties’s Best in Class performance is rooted in our philosophy that a lean approach to a profitable business management model. We achieve this through a shared responsibility between the hotel owner and the operator of the hotel to create an atmosphere of success.

The hallmarks of LuxuryForSale.Properties Hospitality Consulting are developing and implementing successful business plans, launching aggressive sales and marketing efforts, establishing a management culture of excellence, creating exceptional guest experiences and developing training programs that produce employees with a passion to provide exceptional guest experiences.

Our clients’ needs dictate the level of our involvement, ranging from initial design consultation to complete operations, budgeting, sales and marketing, revenue management, staff recruiting and training.

Hospitality and Resort Consulting is focused on operational consulting and concentrates on:

• Operational Analysis, to determine if management is doing all it can do to produce the maximum profit for a venture.
• Brand selection and recommendations.
• Operator suggestions and recommendations.
• Asset Management for Passive ownership.
• Special Circumstances which require highly skilled specialists to correct management and still not offend them.

Marketing Management.

Because of demand from developers to appeal to a number of international consumer markets at one time, LuxuryForSale.Properties formed a unique marketing management company. Under experienced leadership this company will create an entire marketing plan specific to each project and then coordinate all aspects of the marketing plan on a daily basis. The scope of the plan is designed to launch a product internationally — offering the product through an international network of brokers specializing in international products that is matched with a strong on-site sales and closing expertise. In addition, all collateral material, brochures, advertising and public relations is created by experts selected by LuxuryForSale.Properties for the exact offering and then managed by LuxuryForSale.Properties to ensure maximum impact at minimal cost.

The result is truly a well managed, disciplined marketing program that can involve markets in every corner of the globe.

Marketing management takes into consideration:

• The marketing of a property, consists of press activities, a strong internet promotional service, special promotional programs, coordinated familiarization trips, brochures and printed material, direct mail programs, signage, and advertising – all designed to create a volume of leads and prospective clients that must be managed.
• Sales, which is divided into:

-Off-site sales, which consist of a brokerage network, and finders in a network that have been developed over the years.

-On site sales, where a select and well-trained sales staff handles local sales, as well as meets incoming clients to show them the property. Non aggressive

sales programs are designed to encourage desire and confidence. The sales person is responsible for closing the client.

-Sales Management which is handled by one sales manager responsible for the sales and the staff on site.

Marketing Management manages both marketing and sales, coordinating both and delivering reports to the owner/developer. The reports are rendered through a program that will give an accounting on where each client is in the process, monies paid into a sale, closing dates, etc. Leads developed are assigned out and followed up on by marketing management.

Pre-Finance and Pre-Development Services

LuxuryForSale.Properties maintains a complete concept through operations division for providing all services to a development that has not had any planning accomplished. These “greenfield projects are challenging as the market, product, transportation, design, planning, management – all in all some 23 items have to be created and managed efficiently in order to prepare a concise, complete and in-depth document to present for financing both debt and equity, and also to act as a developers guideline document. This packaging of activities draws from LuxuryForSale.Properties’s other specialists and activities so there are no redundancies, and a seamless transition to LuxuryForSale.Propertiess Finance group for financing, and after that is accomplished (optionally) to International Resort Communities, Inc, LuxuryForSale.Properties’s development arm for development management.

A few considerations are:

Perfecting the Original Concept 

The owner or sponsor of a project usually has an advanced idea of what is possible and what he feels would be acceptable for development on a selected property.  LuxuryForSale.Properties either accepts this original concept or creates a concept that it instinctively feels would be appropriate for the location and market.  This is done as an initial guide for all concerned in the thought process which then must be proven out in detail and conclusively. The concept is then updated, as the market studies, design, costs etc. proves or disproves the original concept for each component.

Feasibility: 

There are several forms of feasibility, all which are carefully investigated by LuxuryForSale.Properties’s experts.

• Market Feasibility: The competitive market is reviewed to determine price, market, occupancy, drivers and competitive amenities.  This is done not just in the immediate market, but in the larger region, as any guest can climb a plane can go anywhere in the world to get the desired product.
• Physical Feasibility:  Is it physically feasible to develop the desired product on the selected property, access, terrain, and governmental restrictions may make this difficult.
• Economic Feasibility:   Each component is studied for profitability and its contribution to the overall project feasibility.  Amenities are selected not just for profit but their historically proven contribution to occupancy of hotels or sales of residential properties.  Examples of what not to do are numerous, but with the desired product, built for specific markets, and assisted by contributing or necessary amenities, a well thought out development under good management should return a satisfactory, high, and expected return that is within reason predictable.

Components and amenities: 

A well thought out resort or leisure project should have multiple, non-competing and synergistic components including amenities.  An example of these might include:

• Hotels: Depending on the size of the resort or project, there might be one or several hotels developed for the market.  Generally, these are in different price ranges, although some very successful developments have been built catering only to one price bracket for marketing.  The hotels generally rely on common amenities developed for the project.
• Marinas:  Where sufficient water exists, a marina is a very attractive product and can be thought of as a driver in itself.  LuxuryForSale.Properties has pioneered the use of Marina’s as focal points for social centers, where fine dining, shopping, night life all in a park like setting exists overlooking a marina.
• Residential products in various configurations and types:  Second Homes, retirement homes and depending on the location full time homes are a vital and profitable part of a resort development.  The modern resort depends on a balance of products, that sometimes include time sharing, fractional products, but always a variety of single-family home types from high rise condos, to patio homes, and goof course frontage homes. The retirement market for certain areas has become even more important than ever, with many retirees or pre-retirees wishing at least part time residence in a resort area that has the amenities and activities that they prefer.
• Casino:  The gaming world although less of a driver than in the past is still an important amenity for a resort.  The casino is generally sized to the greater resort area, as volumes of people ae require to use a successful casino. The entire process is generally contracted out to a third party as it is a specialty that requires great attention to security, operations, and packaging.
• Private Clubs:  The private club has lost much of its panache in recent years except when serving a special focused audience.  Golf club houses, tennis club facilities, and a Yacht club are all examples of this special facility appealing to special interests.
• Conference Center:  Most hotels have their own conference facilities appealing to smaller groups.  A larger conference center to serve larger groups can be introduces as an amenity to several hotels to allow acceptance of trade groups and lager company product launches and employee training and conferencing. These must be carefully balanced to demand.
• Fitness Center:  Most hotels have their own fitness facilities, but a larger fitness center is often associated with a spa, depending on the spa audience.  Fitness and lifestyle training are a tailored part of an activity program that depends on these facilities.
• Spa:  A spa can be built as a separate project relying on hotels for hosing their guests, or to draw guests from, or they can be combined with a hotel with the hotel facilities and spa packaged together.  Often an up-market hotel will have a spa as an amenity, but a very profitable amenity.
• Water Sports: In areas where there is sufficient water, every element of water sports and entertainment should be explored.  Much of this depends on the age groups appealed to.
• Equestrian Centers:  Depending on location and market, a quality equestrian center and area to board horses, and for riding instruction could be an important amenity.
• Sports Learning Facilities:  Wherever there is a sporting facility built, instruction and the facilities for instruction should be built.  This can be packaged with hotel rooms for maximum effectiveness and greater occupancy.
• Golf:  In many areas of the world golf has waned in popularity.  It remains not only an important driver of resort occupancy, but a great setting for hotels and housing.
• Tennis:  Has lost much popularity in many parts of the world, but in many other areas, tennis is as popular if not more so than ever.  The market and potential must be carefully studied to assure the right size facility is developed.
• Fishing: Fishing can be artificially developed, but can take place as fly fishing, deep sea fishing, or lake fishing, all which are easy to organize and market.
• Hunting and shooting:  Hunting may be offensive in some markets, and difficult to package, however shooting instruction and Sporting Clays have become a popular amenity in recent years.
• Swimming:  Most hotels and many residences will have their own pools, but in areas where there are larger expanses of water, or beaches, beach life with the appropriate amenities and facilities can be a feature draw and a signature t=for a resort.
• Shopping:  Shopping has become the number one driver of vacations.  Quality shopping for unique products that are made in the country of the resort are very popular together with the name brand shopping usually featured.  Volume must be assessed to assure profitability.
• Walking/Jogging Trails:  Nature is the buzz word today.  A natural setting, with good walking trails is an essential part of resort life.
• Farm to Table Markets:  Many modern communities are featuring farm fresh products grown on or near the property, with an open-air market.  Restaurants often feature fresh produce.
• Independent featured name restaurants: A larger resort property often features a name restaurant of sponsors a name chef.  Fine food and beverage have taken one of the two leading positions as the drivers of tourism.
• Cruise ships:  If deep water is available, and demand can be proven from cruise lines, a cruise ship port can be a vital component as it can flush such a volume of people through a resort in a given day.  This is virtually free promotion for the resort or product.
• Commercial:  Two types of commercial activity are usually included if the market and timing can be proven.  Support shopping for permanent residents of the area, which would include groceries, drugs, gasoline and the staples needed for everyday life.  Tourist shopping is also a must as a driver of tourism and as an attraction to guests.  These areas are usually centered on an area of great beauty, with a fine view. A park, a marina or even a goof course are examples of a setting, but with quality shopping and finance dining and entertainment, the facility must be sized to volume as all businesses have to be profitable.
• Health Support:  In remote resorts it is essential to have a clinic to treat emergency health problems, and a plan to evacuate more serious situations.
• Activities: Thought is sometimes given to a central concierge desk to facilitate the daily plans of guests and residents.  Tours, excursions, and return travel can all be accommodated as well as special equipment which can be bought or rented.
• Other:  Each area deserves the focused attention as to developing the natural attractions inherent in every area.

The thought process for development is very important, but of equal importance is the professional expertise to assure that every element of the resort encompasses the very best of every vital element.