A True, New Sanctuary: Vallarta Gardens

“This is a completely different economic climate, and therefore a completely different marketing, sales and PR climate as well, “says Luca Franco, President of Luxury Leisure Properties International (LLPI). “We have already created many successful mixed-use products in the past, and now we are moving creatively forward with our newest project, Vallarta Gardens, on Banderas Bay near Puerto Vallarta.”

It is no wonder Luca is proud. Even in this capricious economic climate, the Vallarta Garden’s launch in mid December 2009 has created major buzz. Its location is on Banderas Bay, a peaceful body of water that spans about 40 miles, and is protected by the Sierra Madre mountains. This area is known as the Nayarit Riviera, located on the Pacific, non-Hurricane side of Mexico, midway between Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita, near a picturesque town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

“And this beachfront getaway is much more than the phrase implies..” Luca comments, “It is a boutique resort, with many luxury amenities. A few minutes away from the residences owners have access to Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf signature golf courses. There is also is a yacht on the property for owners and members to use. Sportfishing and pleasure cruising are just two of the great amenities here. And then there is the spa… on the beach!”

Vallarta Gardens combines fractional, full ownership and basic vacation rental structures. The homes themselves are between 3,500 and 5,000sf, four and five bedrooms respectively. Pricing starts at $80,000 for 1/13 share.

Luca is one of the few people in the luxury fractional industry whose international reputation is widely known and respected. Multilingual, multicultural, and of European descent, he has been involved in finding and creating successful fractional projects for the past decade. He puts teams together that define the who’s who of the fractional interest industry. Jim Marmorstone, Lisa Manley, Sarah Rezak, Andrew Berry, Daned Kirkham, Eric Pierce and others who are very well-known as the best of the best when it comes to negotiating, sales, and marketing, now consult for the various LLPI projects.“ We have hand picked the best in the fractional field, and can call on them anytime to create new strategies for each of our projects.”

LLPI is an international advisory and management company servicing developers and investors in luxury mixed-use hotels & resorts. Luca said: “Our aim is to maximize value for the hospitality real estate asset,” said Luca, "and this is done by applying creative strategies toward the leisure real estate product. In turn, we can drive significant synergies between the different hotel and resort components.”

LLPI is working in partnership with Valhalla group, with its visionary president Preben Vestdam, in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) to deliver a consistent global product line -- sharing resources, know-how and operating processes & procedures.

LLPI has also established a preferred alliance with Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a leading owner, developer and asset manager of luxury hotels in North America and Europe. SHR is viewed as the pioneer and “blue chip” of hotel and resort asset management with its leading edge systems -- setting the standard for operators and owners alike.

One of the more fascinating aspects of Vallarta Gardens is the marketing decision to include a major emphasis on the Mexican market. As Luca says, “We are, of course, vitally connected to the American and pan-Asian market as well, but we know that Vallarta Gardens is only three hours away from Guadalajara, Mexico, with nearly 5 million people, and we believe that many of them want and need a beachfront getaway.”

Luca pauses, then says, “Actually, we all need a beachfront getaway, and Vallarta Gardens combines the best of both. It is a true sanctuary.”

www.llpi.us