The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News

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(TRUCKEE, NV) -- To round out Martis Camp's one-of-a-kind amenities, the development team of this highly successful private golf and ski community located in North Lake Tahoe will open the Martis Camp Club's signature amenity this July:  the Camp Lodge, an impressive and iconic architectural masterpiece.

From its site atop a 70-foot rock outcropping overlooking the 18th hole of the Tom Fazio-designed golf course, the Camp Lodge features dramatic 270-degree views of the Carson Range, Lookout Mountain and the Sierra Crest.

Influenced by great National Park lodges and established clubs of the 1900s, the goal was to create a building that will have a lifetime of 100 years or more.

"We searched beyond the development world and went into 100-year-old buildings to understand and create great spaces," said architect John Sather, of Swaback Partners based in Scottsdale, Ariz.  "This was an opportunity that couldn't be squandered as we had a chance to design a building to stand the test of time.   Our team worked hard to create an architectural design that takes full advantage of its dramatic location, embraces the surrounding views and makes a definitive statement of grandeur and scale."

Sather's idea was to develop a building that conveyed heritage, rather than rely on trends and the latest design style.  Given Tahoe's amazing weather with abundant sunshine in the summer and winter months, the intent was to create a real indoor/outdoor feeling through a floor plan that began with the site itself.  The west side of the Camp Lodge hangs right over the edge of a spectacular natural rock outcropping and many of the indoor spaces open themselves to bring the outdoors in.

"To capitalize on Mother Nature's landscape design, we created terraces that cantilever over the cliffs to give you a sensation that you are one with the view," said Sather.

And because there is life after golf, the Camp Lodge will feature a full-service day spa with a delightful menu of massage and therapeutic treatments, outdoor lap and vitality pools, men's and ladies' locker rooms, fitness area, golf shop and community post office.

With four indoor dining rooms and five patio areas, Club members will have their choice of casual and formal dining areas that accommodate small intimate gatherings or large celebrations. The hallway leading to the dining spaces is an accommodating art gallery.  The Gallery Hallway will be full of original artwork of the Sierras in addition to other original works.  The rest of the clubhouse spaces will be filled with an eclectic mix of appropriately influenced art in the ladies' locker room and spa to more naturally themed art for the men's locker room and fitness studios.

 

Martis Camp provides families the ultimate Tahoe lifestyle through a distinctive mix of four-season amenities, unsurpassed natural beauty and a refreshing culture of family, friends and community.  The Camp Lodge is the crown jewel in an unrivaled amenity package for Martis Camp Club members, which includes a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, direct ski connection to Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, with Martis Camp Express   high speed quad lift and private Ski Lodge, 18-hole Putting Park, Family Barn with art loft, indoor basketball, soda fountain, movie theatre and a concert amphitheater, 26-mile community trail network, Lost Library, Folk School and Park Pavilion with sporting fields and fishing lake.

Named Top Second Home Community in the March 2011 issue of Barron's, Martis Camp is a collaboration of DMB Associates and Highlands Management Group of Scottsdale, Ariz., developers known for some of the most recognized and successful communities in the west.  Beyond its amenity offering, life at Martis Camp is defined by an incredible array of homes and cabins that reflect inspired mountain architecture.  Homesites are priced from $495,000 and homes from $1,795,000.

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Starwood Announces Two New Canadian Hotel Projects

(VANCOUVER, CANADA) -- From the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference (CHIC), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced this week it will add two new hotels in Canada and open its 60th hotel in the market later this year. Starwood's future growth in Canada is being fueled by robust demand for its select service brands Aloft, Element and Four Points by Sheraton, which represent 70 percent of hotels in development across the country. Starwood also announced the debut of its eco-chic boutique Element brand in Canada with the opening of Element Vancouver Metrotown in 2014.

"Our specialty select brands play to the next generation of travelers in diverse global markets. Canada is no exception," said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Starwood's Specialty Select Brands. "Not only
has Four Points proved to be a runaway hit in Canada, but Aloft is also picking up its pace of openings, and our green trailblazer Element will offer Canadians a fresh perspective on extended stay lodging."

New Starwood hotels in Canada include the recently opened Sheraton Montreal Airport, Sheraton Red Deer Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway.

"Of our new openings in Canada, two of the three hotels are conversions. The increase in conversion opportunities continues to fuel growth across North America. Owners and developers are motivated to join the powerful Starwood network in order to connect with savvy travelers who actively seek out our brands across the globe," said Paul Sacco, Senior Vice President, North America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc. "A particularly attractive conversion play is Four Points by Sheraton, which has experienced a surge in growth following its highly successful, recent revitalization."

Starwood recently signed a deal to open its first Element hotel in Canada - Element Vancouver Metrotown. The 169-room hotel scheduled to open in early 2014 will be part of a mixed-use development in the dynamic Metrotown district. Element, Starwood's newest brand, is green by design and inspiring by nature. Element's energizing, eco-chic environment offers bright public spaces, smart design, and modern touches. Every Element property is also a high-performance building where sustainable practices reduce waste and conserve resources. When it launched in 2008, Element made history by becoming the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings.

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