Trendwest snaps up top spots

Barry Robinson

The world's biggest real estate franchiser and hotel operator is poised to open four new tourist resorts here after taking over part of a Rotorua resort two months ago.

Timeshare operator Trendwest South Pacific, part of the New York Stock Exchange-listed Cendant Corp, is planning to build resorts at Waipu Cove in Northland, Pauanui on the Coromandel and at Queenstown. It hopes they will open within 18 months.

In a fourth deal, it has a management agreement with The Residence at Lake Tekapo, a resort under construction and due to open later this year.

On February 1, Trendwest took over managing 20 of the 70 units at Marama Resort near Rotorua. The property is on the Ohau Channel between Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. Trendwest spent $25,000 refurbishing each suite there. Marama Resort was dogged by lease and rental guarantee issues in 2003, after the collapse of a chain of leisure resorts developed by Auckland's Taradale Properties.

Cendant is the world's biggest hotel franchiser and its brands include Ramada and Travelodge. It also owns the Century 21 real estate sales agency franchise worldwide.

Trendwest hopes to decide soon about a Queenstown site which it has an option to buy and develop a $30 million 115-suite resort.

It plans to develop a $20 million Coromandel resort of 70 units but is still looking for land for the Northland complex.

It plans to open at Lake Tekapo in September.

Barry Robinson, president and chief executive of Trendwest South Pacific, is based in Queensland but was in Auckland yesterday to complete property deals.

Robinson said he already had an option to develop land alongside the golf course at Pauanui.

Trendwest Resorts uses its WorldMark tag to operate its timeshare resorts.

It claims more than 200,000 WorldMark owners who it says have access to resorts across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Fiji, Australia and now New Zealand.

Cendant is a Fortune 500 company specialising in the travel and real estate industries.

Timely trends

* The US-based Cendant Corp is one of the world's largest hotel franchisers, holiday ownership organisations and car rental operators.
* It employs 90,000 people.
* Its brands include Avis, Budget, Century 21, Ramada, Travelodge.
* Its Trendwest timeshare operator hopes to open four new resorts here within the next 18 months.
* Planning is under way for resorts in Northland, the Coromandel, Lake Tekapo in the South Island and Queenstown.