Asia’s leading luxury vacation ownership company recognized with one of the organization’s top honors: ACE International Project of Excellence Award
Bangkok, April 22, 2014 – Anantara Vacation Club, Asia’s leading luxury shared ownership concept for discerning travellers, is thrilled to announce its receipt of two prestigious awards from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Anantara Vacation Club’s Phuket Mai Khao property won the award forResort Architecture?as well as one of the organization’s highest honors, the?ACE International Project of Excellence Award: International Developer. The ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) awards recognize those that have attained the highest level of excellence in the resort industry and whose accomplishments and dedication spur the industry to new heights.
Shin Siow- Anantara Vacation Club Legal Counsel; Martin Tolan, Senior Vice President of sales and marketing for Anantara Vacation Club; June Harrison, Senior Vice President of Club operations for Anantara Vacation Club; Harold Derrah, CEO of Anantara Vacation Club and May Crowley, Executive Assistant to President/CEO of ARDA
“We are overjoyed to have won not one, but two prestigious ARDA awards this year,” said Harold Derrah, CEO of Anantara Vacation Club. “We hold the ARDA organization and awards in high distinction, and are proud that Anantara Vacation Club has received international recognition among a respected group of developments. The receipt of this honor reinforces our company’s core values of being passionate, entrepreneurial and embracing diversity, and is entirely due to our dedicated team for continuously growing and believing in the brand.”
The award-winning property is located in Mai Khao Beach on the West Coast of Thailand’s world-renowned island of Phuket, and represents Anantara Vacation Club’s first purpose-built Signature Club Resort. Situated just 15 minutes from Phuket International Airport, the property sets a new benchmark for vacation clubs across Asia. The development celebrated its grand opening in June 2013, and comprises 70 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment suites and 30 spacious one- and two-bedroom pool villas, with unprecedented resort facilities that include a 4,000-square-foot lagoon pool, kids club, 24-hour fitness centre, spa, and delectable restaurants and bars – all in a lush beach setting.
The luxurious resort was designed to reflect Thailand’s exotic culture and traditional village layouts, enhanced by a host of modern comforts. The design incorporates elements of traditional Thai rice field grid patterns, with authentic architecture and materials such as wood shingle roofs, the use of laterite stone, and distinctive landscape design. These aesthetics were coupled with careful ergonomic planning to ensure an exceptional guest experience.
The interior styling of units and public spaces blends traditional Thai features and contemporary design. High-pitched wood shingle roofs, bamboo matted ceilings, Thai fabrics, local art stone, and glass are combined with durable contemporary materials to create comfortable yet functional spaces with a cultural feel.
Anantara Vacation Club Phuket Mai Khao also stood out among contenders for the ARDA Awards due to its unprecedented sustainability features and impact on the local community. The property employs numerous eco-conscious measures including waste water management, use of local materials and labor, reduced electrical consumption through energy-efficient lighting, and reduced cooling loads resulting from broad architectural overhangs and shading devices.
The stunning resort was also recognized in Asia recently, receiving the award for “Best Shared Ownership Development” for the second year in a row from the South East Asia Property Awards, a highly prestigious annual industry recognition program. The resort was also recognized as “Best Shared Ownership Development” in Thailand two years in a row and a “Highly Recommended: Best Architectural Design” from the Thailand Property Awards.
About Anantara Vacation Club
For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment and extend a welcome to the passing traveller. Anantara is taken from an ancient Sanskrit word that means ‘without end’, symbolising this sharing of water and the heartfelt hospitality that lies at the core of every Anantara experience.
Launched in December 2010, Anantara Vacation Club (AVC) is a unique luxury Shared Ownership concept which offers a points based multiple destination flexible Shared Holiday Ownership option for discerning consumers wishing to holiday in Asia and beyond.
The Club Resort Collection currently comprises a Signature Club Resort in Phuket, a selection of luxury private villas on the islands of Koh Samui in Thailand and Bali, Indonesia, along with a selection of suites in Queenstown, New Zealand, Bangkok, Thailand and Sanya, China. Over the next five years, the Club will include up to 10 more resorts and expand its marketing reach further in China and in the Middle East. Sales preview centres can be found in Bali, Indonesia, Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand, along with Shanghai and Sanya in China.
In addition to utilising the Club Resorts, club owners enjoy the opportunity to stay at Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas worldwide under the Club Escapes Privileges Program. From lush jungles to pristine beaches and legendary deserts to cosmopolitan cities, Anantara currently boasts 30 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Bali, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Mozambique and the United Arab Emirates; with future properties to open in China, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Laos, Qatar and Oman. The Club Owners holiday options are further enhanced by an affiliation to Resort Condominiums International (RCI) which opens up access to over 4000 resorts worldwide. For more information, visit www.anantaravacationclub.com