BOCA RATON, Fla., Jul 6, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:
BXG), a leading developer and marketer of vacation ownership resorts, golf
communities and residential land, announced today that its Bluegreen Vacation
Rentals division has formed commission-based alliances with several major hotel
and resort management companies to book reservations for consumers, travel
agents and other outside organizations at more than 300 hotels and resorts
throughout the United States, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. The Company's
alliances include those with MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, the largest independent
hotel management company in the country, Adams Mark Hotels and Resorts(TM),
Provident Suites and Resorts(TM) and Estero Island Beach Resorts(TM).
Rates will be comparable to those offered directly by the individual hotels and
resorts. "We needed additional inventory to accommodate our current customers,"
said Lani Liber, Vice President of Bluegreen Resort Services. Liber adds, "These
strategic alliances place us ahead of our competition in terms of locations,
flexibility and the diversity of our product." Bluegreen Vacation Rentals
already provides resort and hotel accommodations at more than 50 locations
throughout the United States, St. Croix, St. Maarten and Grand Bahama Island in
the Bahamas.
Initially, the many allocations and re-seller agreements designated for
Bluegreen will include hotel and resort facilities nationwide, including such
popular destinations as California, Nevada (Las Vegas), New Jersey (Atlantic
City), Mexico, Puerto Rico and several other domestic and international
destinations. Additional allocations to the Company covering the entire country
and expanding into Europe will be rolled out over the next six months to a year,
according to Liber.
Shawn Ericson, Bluegreen Senior Vice President of Resort Management, said, "By
entering into these alliances, we are preparing ourselves for much larger
initiatives, assuming a predominant role in the accommodations and travel
industry, servicing family vacationers, business travelers and tour operators
worldwide with the most diverse group of accommodations."
Ericson elaborates, "This program will offer consumers the advantage of one-stop
shopping. This growing division of Bluegreen with 15 years of vacation planning
experience will offer consumers the very best in hotel and resort condo values,
airfare, cruises and car rentals with one call, utilizing mass customization
standards when planning travel. Future plans to add discount air and cruise
packages will offer consumers even greater value and present significant
opportunities for the members of the Bluegreen Vacation Club."
Daniel Whitehead, Bluegreen Resort Services Developer of Sales and Marketing,
said that with the formation of these alliances, "The Bluegreen resort services
management team has laid the groundwork for growth within this division of
Bluegreen Corp. Through these relationships, we are beginning the process of
branding an industry giant."
Whitehead said Bluegreen would continue to explore similar relationships with
other hotel and travel providers.
These alliances were welcomed by companies such as MeriStar Hotels & Resorts.
According to Pam Streeter, Vice President of Electronic Distribution for
MeriStar, "In today's electronic world, traditional travel is being booked in
very untraditional ways. Since Bluegreen has built a reputation over the years
in the resort destination market, we are excited about having our resorts and
hotels become a part of this new distribution channel."
MeriStar, headquartered in Washington, DC, manages hotels in more than 35
states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, operating under the
Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton, Doral, Doubletree, Westin, Hampton Inns, Embassy
Suites, Radisson, Sheraton, Renaissance, Comfort Inns and other brand names.
Many Bluegreen Vacation Rentals resorts and hotels may be found on such services
as HRN and on the Company's own online reservations website at
www.bluegreenrentals.com. Industry professionals should also take note of
Bluegreen's front cover presence on the Official Hotel Guide, a leading source
of information for travel agents published by Cahners Travel Group, a division
of Reed Elsevier Inc.(TM).
Bluegreen is one of the leading companies engaged in the acquisition,
development, marketing and sale of timeshare resorts, golf communities and
residential land. The Company's timeshare resorts are located in a variety of
popular vacation destinations including Orlando, Florida; the Smoky Mountains of
Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Branson,
Missouri; Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Gordonsville, Virginia; Ridgedale,
Missouri; and Aruba, while its land operations are predominantly located in the
Southeastern and Southwestern United States.
This press release contains forward-looking statements and the Company desires
to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in connection with these statements. Statements
made by Company executives and any other statements contained herein that are
not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. The
words "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "project," "may," "should,"
"estimate," "plan" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements,
which speak only as of the date the statement was made. The Company does not
undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are based on current
expectations and assumptions and are inherently subject to risks and
uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and many of which
are beyond the Company's control. Future events, industry trends and actual
results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or
underlying such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which
forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, actual
results for future periods may differ from those estimated, consumer demand may
be less than anticipated, regulatory changes, changes in national or regional
economic conditions that can affect the real estate market, risks associated
with a large investment in real estate, shortages of available inventory and
other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on
Form 10-K with respect to fiscal 2001. Given these risks and uncertainties,
investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking
statements and no assurances can be given that such statements will be achieved.
CONTACT: Bluegreen Corporation
John Chiste, 561/912-8010
john.chiste@bxgcorp.com
or
INVESTOR RELATIONS COUNSEL:
The Equity Group Inc.
Devin Sullivan, 212/836-9608
www.theequitygroup.com