Hilton starts third Hawaii timeshare project
The newest one will be its second within Waikoloa Beach Resort
Hilton Hotels Corp. has begun construction of its second Grand Vacations Club timeshare property within the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island.
In recent years, Hilton, like many other hotel chains including Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Marriott International Inc., has been expanding its lucrative timeshare market in Hawaii.
The company's newest timeshare project, called Kings' Land, follows the start of construction of Hilton's 331-unit Grand Waikikian project on Oahu, slated to open in December 2008.
Kings' Land, which broke ground on Thursday, is set to open in August 2008, when the first of seven potential development phases is completed.
This project is expected to provide a platform for the long-term growth of Hilton's timeshare presence in Hawaii, said Antoine Dagot, president and chief executive officer of Hilton Grand Vacations Club.
"The Big Island continues to be a destination in high demand," Dagot said.
Timeshare sales have begun for the 198 one-, two- and three-bedroom villas in Kings' Land, which occupy 29.7 acres of the 112-acre plot Hilton bought from the Waikoloa Land Co. in 2005.
Hilton also operates the 120-unit Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort. That property opened in March, just before the groundbreaking ceremony for the Grand Waikikian in Honolulu.
The Hilton timeshare resorts now under construction in Waikoloa and Waikiki are signs that Hilton remains committed to this market, said Mark Wang, HGVC's senior vice president for Hawaii and Asia.
"Since we began sales at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 2000, we have been fortunate to have our results outpace all of our original expectations," Wang said. "It's exciting to have tremendous interest in our product from both domestic and Japanese customers."
Sales in Waikoloa have been equally strong to date, Wang said.
"The Kohala Coast is home to some of Hawaii's most prestigious resorts, and Waikoloa is clearly a destination whose time has come," he said.