Kettering, UK (May 29, 2014) — RCI , the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, today announced the affiliation of The Crown Hotel Baku in Azerbaijan.
The country of Azerbaijan is a relatively new destination for timeshare. The rapid growth in the strength of the consumer sector, driven by wealth generated from its natural energy industry, gives this ex-Soviet country great potential as a timeshare market. The World Bank Indicators reveal the country enjoys year-on-year increases in international tourism arrivals and visitor spending.
Baku is the largest city on the Caspian Sea. From its cosmopolitan high-end boutiques and music scene, to the city’s distinct culture and historic sites, it’s an emerging hot spot popular with holidaymakers looking for a new holiday destination.
Sean Lowe, managing director, RCI Europe, Middle East, Africa & India, said: “The Crown Hotel Baku is our first affiliation in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region. It is especially exciting for RCI to be able to add this unusual and largely undiscovered destination to our exchange portfolio, as it 100 percent supports our priority to provide fresh, upcoming holiday destinations and unique experiences to our members.”
The Crown Hotel benefits from a prime location in the heart of Baku giving it instant tourist appeal. Its 93 rooms have mountain or sea views, and the RCI Gold Crown resort accommodations include a range of hotel rooms, studios and one-bedroom apartments.
The resort is close to shopping and sightseeing attractions, while onsite facilities include an indoor pool, fitness centre, massage treatments, sauna, bar and lounge, and live entertainment. Guests can dine at one of three on-resort restaurants serving international, fusion, and Azeri cuisine.
Developer Mushfig Vakilov said: “Timeshare has proven to be a popular holiday product in our region, in countries such as Russia. We are confident it will prove popular with the increasingly aspirational Azerbaijan nationals. And as our country is set to grow its international tourism sector, that brings additional marketing and sales opportunities. We are happy to have secured RCI, the world’s most experienced exchange holiday services provider, as our exchange company. RCI will bring the advantage of expert knowledge to our business operation and the widest choice of exchange holiday options currently on the market to our owners.”
About RCI RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with nearly 4,500 affiliated resorts in more than 100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. Today, through the RCI Weeks ® program, the week-for-week exchange system, and the RCI Points ® program, the industry’s first global points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation options to its approximately 3.7 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI’s luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection ® ,is the world’s largest program of its kind with approximately 200 affiliated properties either accessible for exchange or under development on six continents.RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information visit our media center , rciaffiliates.com or The RCI Blog . RCI also can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
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RCI Media Contact: Helen Foster + 44 (0)1536 314266 helen.foster@rci.com