CLIENT: MARRIOTT

Marriott ‘s vacation ownership division, then known as Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) had already developed a portfolio of vacation ownership resorts in North America and the Caribbean and the decision was taken in 1995 to expand into Europe.

MVCI had chosen southern Spain as the location for its first European Resort and had identified a superb beachfront site at Elviria, some 11 kilometres to the east of Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, immediately in front of the well-known 5 star Don Carlos Hotel, as the site for its first Europen Vacation Ownership Resort.

PROJECT: MARRIOTT’S MARBELLA BEACH CLUB

The Marriott Marbella Beach Club was the first purpose-built, luxury vacation ownership resort to be established in Europe by a major Global hospitality brand, comprising:

• 288 Luxury seaside apartments of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms
• Dedicated Owners’ Clubhouse
• Restaurants, Village Store and Deli,  indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, massage rooms, a variety of activities, golf access
• Representing an investment of 10,500 million pesetas

THE BRIEF:

Dean & Associates were retained by MVCI Europe, on a full-time basis, to undertake work on the following aspects of the project:

• The design of the vacation ownership product underlying legal structure for MVCI’s first European resort
• Securing of an Independent trustee
• Drafting of all product documents
• Consultation regarding the manner in which an Owners’ Association could be created under the applicable regulations in place in Europe
• The sourcing of consumer-end financing for British, German, French and Spanish nationals
• Consultation regarding marketing approaches and methodologies which were being examined by MVCI’s European Start-up team

THE RESULT:

• Creation of a legal structure which was to become the basis for Marriott’s other European resorts as well as being adapted to underpin the Marriott Vacation Club Asia-Pacific
• Marriott developed and built out a superb vacation ownership resort which significantly raised the bar in terms of product quality within the European industry
• This first project provided an excellent blueprint for further vacation ownership resort developments within Spain
• Consumer financing was put in plavce for four separate European nationalities.