Resorts

Beginning in the 1860s, the first vestiges of the resorts of Lake County appeared around the sparkling pools of the region's many hot springs and upon the shores of Clear Lake. Lured by the supposed medicinal qualities of the water, people flocked to rustic campgrounds and cabins to "take the cure" for their ailments, drink, and bathe, staying for long periods each summer. Within a few years, ambitious entrepreneurs bottled the springs' mineral waters and built more luxurious accommodations and amenities. Although the claims of curative waters lost sway over time, resorts equipped with extensive recreational facilities, dance floors, live music, bountiful food, hunting, fishing, and children's entertainment continued to draw visitors in droves. Families filled the resorts in summers, and by the 1940s, large group and society meetings as well as conventions began to utilize the resorts on spring and fall weekends. Though few original resorts remain, today, in 2007, the region's business directory lists 51 Lake County resorts.

This book aims to develop a global perspective on the management issues facing coastal resorts. It does so bydrawing on examples from a range of economies and environments written by key experts. The majormanagement themes highlighted include the processes of restructuring, attempts to develop sustainableagendas and environmental issues of developing resorts in sensitive areas.

This work studies tropical island resorts, the people who live and work there and the tourists who visit them. The author includes, but goes beyond the more commonly encountered marketing and economic analyses of resort destinations, by examining social, cultural, mythical, environmental, organizational and political dimensions.

Eco-Resorts is a design guide for low impact, environmentally friendly tourist resorts in the tropics. The book is the first to offer architects practical, detailed guidance in developing resort buildings that work with a tropical climate and meet the needs and expectations of the client and building inhabitants. The book includes both architectural design and material solutions, supported by theoretical principles, to present a sustainable approach to resort design. It demonstrates that tropical resort buildings do not necessarily require large energy input, in compliance with green building standards. Case studies show how principles of sustainable design have been successfully applied in tropical environments. * Written by an industry insider with practical design experience, knowledge and expertise. * Demonstrates design practices related to site planning and layout, and re-assesses best practices for a tropical environment, allowing architects to apply design principles to their own projects. * Includes international case studies from several countries to illustrate best practice from a variety of tropical climate destinations around the world. Z (Zbigniew) Bromberek, PhD, is an architect educated and registered in Poland, and postgraduate-educated and residing in Australia. Z has been practising and teaching architecture for nearly 30 years. He has been involved and associated with various educational institutions and professional organizations in a number of countries around the world. Before the current appointment as Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Tasmania, Z spent three years as Lecturer in Environmental Design at the University of Queensland, and two years as Guest Professor in Architectural Design in Nanjing, PR China. He was also the President of the Architectural Science Association ANZAScA for three consecutive terms in 2000–05. Z’s major research interests include design–environment interaction, low-impact architecture and re-integration of architecture as an expression of a multi-disciplinary approach to design.

From the bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky comes a gripping novel about marriage, loyalty, and the deadly secrets that unravel over the course of a two-week couples’ therapy retreat in Mexico. We all have thirteen secrets. Five stay buried forever, but the rest will be revealed. Miles Markell is missing, and everyone is a suspect. To the guests at The Harmony Resort, Doctors Miles and Grace Markell appear to be a perfect power couple. They run a couples’ therapy retreat in a luxurious resort in the Mayan Riviera where they help spouses deal with their marriage struggles. Johanna and Ben’s relationship looks great on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly—Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second—but what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony’s intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all that it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out their secrets? As a powerful hurricane descends on the coast, trapping both the hosts and their guests, confidences are revealed, loyalties are tested, and not one single person—or marriage—will ever be the same. A gripping exploration of relationships and trust, The Last Resort is a propulsive read about all the big truths we hide, even from ourselves.

Eco-Resorts is a design guide for low impact, environmentally friendly tourist resorts in the tropics. The book is the first to offer architects practical, detailed guidance in developing resort buildings that work with a tropical climate and meet the needs and expectations of the client and building inhabitants. The book includes both architectural design and material solutions, supported by theoretical principles, to present a sustainable approach to resort design. It demonstrates that tropical resort buildings do not necessarily require large energy input, in compliance with green building standards. Case studies show how principles of sustainable design have been successfully applied in tropical environments. * Written by an industry insider with practical design experience, knowledge and expertise. * Demonstrates design practices related to site planning and layout, and re-assesses best practices for a tropical environment, allowing architects to apply design principles to their own projects. * Includes international case studies from several countries to illustrate best practice from a variety of tropical climate destinations around the world. Z (Zbigniew) Bromberek, PhD, is an architect educated and registered in Poland, and postgraduate-educated and residing in Australia. Z has been practising and teaching architecture for nearly 30 years. He has been involved and associated with various educational institutions and professional organizations in a number of countries around the world. Before the current appointment as Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Tasmania, Z spent three years as Lecturer in Environmental Design at the University of Queensland, and two years as Guest Professor in Architectural Design in Nanjing, PR China. He was also the President of the Architectural Science Association ANZAScA for three consecutive terms in 2000–05. Z’s major research interests include design–environment interaction, low-impact architecture and re-integration of architecture as an expression of a multi-disciplinary approach to design.

How can owners and managers ensure that their considerable capital investments will return a competitive return on their investments? How can users and owners be sure they enjoy the promises of tantalizing marketing and real estate claims? Managing Sustainable Resorts Profitably combines business management principles with environmental and social concerns to offer development solutions to these questions. By taking an holistic and contemporary approach to the problem of developing sustainable tourism operations, this book provides a comprehensive assessment of the strategies that need to be considered by various governments, developers and, in particular, the customer-investor. The major features of resort development covered by this book include: • Environmental scanning of principal external and internal influential factors • The curse and blessings of seasonality • Competition for people’s recreation and retirement dollars • Guest activity programming • Environmental issues • Cruise ships as mobile resorts • Staffing issues in isolated areas • Financial challenges for owners and operators alike • Risk Management • Mutually beneficial options for various stakeholders Based on an analysis of global resort opportunities and trends, the book focuses on those generic features that differentiate regional resort management from urban-centric management needs and priorities. Using comparative case studies the author emphases best case/benchmark examples of a range of resorts – large and small, urban and rural - to illustrate what can be achieved.