Strategic Affilation Offers the Rich Culture and Natural Beauty of St. Kitts to Program Members

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Kittitian Hill, a contemporary Caribbean community for sustainable luxury living that is currently under construction on St. Kitts, has been added to the Preferred Residences® exchange network.  Preferred residences is a hospitality branded membership and exchange program for luxury shared ownership resorts offered by an operating business of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq:IILG).

Speaking at the 13th Annual Shared Ownership Investment Conference hosted by Interval International in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday morning, Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport, welcomed the good news for St Kitts tourism.  The Minister congratulated Interval International and Kittitian Hill for forging this important partnership which he said, “should serve our destination well in the future.”

Located on a stunning 400-acre hillside site in the northern part of St. Kitts, Kittitian Hill, which was founded on the principles of holistic development, will feature a mix of whole and fractional ownership villas, cottages, and townhomes with panoramic views of the neighboring islands of St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Barth’s and St. Maarten.  One of its distinctive elements will be an artists’ village designed to celebrate the art and culture of Kittitian living while offering guests the opportunity to interact with the community by participating in local activities and events.  Situated at the heart of the property, the village will include an array of fine dining and entertainment options, gourmet and duty-free shops and a creative arts center comprised of an amphitheater, cinema, artisan shops, and artists’ studios where visitors can purchase handmade jewelry and art.

Kittitian Hill will also offer upscale amenities and personalized services including concierge, in-room, and pre-arrival services; child care, a 20,000 square-foot destination spa featuring treatments indigenous to the region, a beach club with valet service, signature swimming pools with multi-level decks and outdoor hot tubs, a state-of-the-art fitness center, tennis courts, and an 18-hole Ian Woosnam designed championship golf course and clubhouse. Bill Bensley, founder of the prestigious Bill Bensley Design Studios, is responsible for the architecture, interior and landscape design of the property.  The Bangkok-based firm is renowned for integrating the environment and cultural art forms into its projects and has worked on award-winning lifestyle resorts for hospitality brands around the world, such as the Four Seasons tented camps at Chang Mai.

The first phase of construction is slated for completion in November 2012 and features hotel cottages, villas, the golf course and clubhouse, the beach club, pools, restaurants, bars, and shops.  Phase two is scheduled to begin the following year and will include the village, spa and spa cottages. All components of Kittitian Hill will be managed by Sedona Resorts International, a division of Sedona Resorts. Sedona Resorts has developed and operated the award- winning Enchantment Resort, Mi Amo Spa, the Tides Inn, and a number of other highly acclaimed properties.

In addition to the sales and marketing opportunities for developers, Preferred Residences offers owners “high-touch” exchange services and year-round leisure and lifestyle benefits tailored especially for sophisticated, affluent travelers. These include preferential pricing at participating Preferred Hotel Group affiliated properties worldwide, complimentary Prestige membership in Priority Pass™ airport VIP lounge program, personal concierge services accessible 24/7 online and via phone, and complimentary annual membership in Hertz #1 Club Gold®.

St. Kitts was named a top destination for 2011 by both AOL Travel and British Airways.  It also ranked #1 (along with Nevis) in a in a list of the 16 Best Caribbean Vacations by US News & World Report.  Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, it offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history.  The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island’s former sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and more traditional vacation pastimes such as watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, gaming at St. Kitts’ exclusive casino or simply relaxing on one of the island’s sandy beaches.  Accommodations range from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels and resorts.

For more information about St. Kitts, please contact the St. Kitts Tourism Authority toll free from the US at 1-800-582-6208 or from Canada 1-888-395-4887, e-mail info@stkittstourism.kn, visit www.stkittstourism.kn, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube.
 

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