Come check out the new blog from NAR's Information Central! "Power Tools for Resort Property Specialists" is no longer being updated, but you'll find plenty of interest in the InfoCentral Blog. The InfoCentral Blog keeps you up-to-date on new and useful information resources for the real estate industry -- websites, research reports, eBooks, news articles, services and databases from NAR's Information Central, and more. Surf on over to http://narblog1.realtors.org/mvtype/infocentral/.

Recently added to NAR's Virtual Library eBooks Collection: Buying a Second Home: Income, Getaway or Retirement, No Going Back - Buying Abroad, International Real Estate Handbook, Buying a Property in Eastern Europe For Dummies. Check out eBooks.realtor.org for these and other titles. NAR members can borrow up to 3 eBooks, digital audios and/or videos for FREE. New to NAR's digital library? Just follow the Quick Start Guide...and have your NRDS number ready!

IREM (The Institute of Real Estate Management) is now offering a new credential, the Accredited Commercial Manager certification. As the first new credential in 25 years, this IREM certification is "designed for managers of small- to mid- size commercial properties." Applicants are required to manage a commercial portfolio of at least 20,000 square feet and have a minimum of 12 months of commercial real estate management experience. In order to receive this certification applicants must complete IREM courses, adhere to the IREM Code of Professional Ethics, and pass a certification exam. For more information visit IREM.org.

Its name evokes an era of style and elegance ? you can almost picture Cary Grant walking through the stately lobby. The landmark Plaza Hotel on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park in Manhattan is undergoing major renovations and will re-open as a condo-hotel. Starting at $1.6-million and climbing to $9-million, you can purchase a room to which you have access 120 days per year. The room will be used as a hotel room the remainder of the year. While this arrangement is appealing to corporate clients, those wishing to call the Plaza home on a full-time basis may buy a room for $2.5-million and up (not outrageous by New York standards). There are disadvantages including hefty maintenance fees and you must book your own room well in advance (60-90 days). Still the cache and location of this historic building may make this a worthwhile investment.

Vail Resorts, Inc. is truly one with nature ? or at least with the wind. They have announced that 100% of their electricity needs (152,000 megawatts per year) will be supplied by wind power. This covers their five ski resort properties, 125 retail locations and corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. No, windmills will not be making an appearance on the slopes - Renewable Choice Energy will be Vail Resort?s wind power provider. This move makes Vail Resorts the second largest buyer of wind power in the country. Their commitment to this project extends to their resort guests as well. Vail Resorts is offering a free lift ticket to anyone who purchases wind power for their own home.

With 14 developers and 130 resorts, South Carolina has one of the biggest timeshare industries in the United States (second only to Florida), along with 32 pages of laws to regulate them. But "South Carolina's system of consumer protections is failing aggrieved buyers -- people who thought they were buying a product, rather than paying their way into a tricky system of bidding and swapping and scrapping for service," reports the Charleston Post & Courier. Although the Department of Consumer Affairs receives at least one complaint each week, the state has cut the budget for timeshare oversight and has left only one employee in place to investigate the industry. South Carolina stopped screening timeshare promoters in 2003 and gives consumers only a 5-day window in which to cancel timeshare contracts. "Most of what state regulators do now is broker peace accords between disgruntled buyers and the companies they bought their units from," the Post & Courier says. "Developers sometimes relent to commission pressure, although many are unyielding to complaints from buyers."

Expect the itemized bill that's slid under your hotel room door to take a hike upward! A study conducted by Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research found that hotel property taxes increased by at least 10% in eight cities, such as Miami, Charlotte, and Washington. Dallas skyrocketed to 19 percent! According to CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts,
Laurence Geller, "It's part and parcel of real estat being more valuable... You have to get more yield to justify holding the real estate." U.S. hotels are also expected to spend roughly $5 billion on improvements, as well. These costs, as well as higher taxes, will be counterbalanced by raising room rates.

More hotels are allowing four-legged family members to join in on vacation time in attempts to coax customers to their properties. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, roughly "63 percent of U.S. households have a pet, and a survey by the American Animal Hospital Association found that 67 percent" of pet owners travel with their furry pals. Dogs and cats don't just get a bed and a treat, either. Posh amenities such as dog-walking, pet-sitting, grooming, and even surfing lessons for dogs, abound. According to the creator of Petfriendlytravel.com, baby boomers have plenty of cash to spend on pets and they're more apt to stay at a hotel that allows pets even if Fido isn't along for the ride.

Did you know that NAR's Information Central offers a collection of electronic books and digital audio books just for REALTORS® through the Virtual Library eBooks Collection, at REALTOR.org? NAR members can "borrow" up to three eBooks at a time, at no cost. eBooks automatically expire after the specified loan period, so there are never any late fees! Special titles of interest include Investing in Real Estate (2005), How to Be a Successful Developer (2001), and Communicating Globally (2000), . The collection also includes eBooks on sales & marketing, business management, technology, finance, and personal growth. Visit eBooks.realtor.org to take advantage of this award-winning digital collection.

Ritz-Carlton Club's timeshare division chose San Francisco as the home of its first urban site, located in the former Chronicle Building on Market Street. According to the company, it has already sold $106 million worth of units. Individual units are priced at $1.2-$5 million each while fractional ownerships begin at $200,000 "for a one-twelveth share of une unit."

U.S. hotel profits are expected to sky-rocket to all-time highs in the next two years, according to recent projections by Smith Travel Research. Growth in sales is expected to increase to $135.8 billion and $147.9 billion in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. hotel industry has rebounded from high construction costs and a lackluster economy. According to Jan Frietag, Smith Travel's Vice President, 2006 "...is an important year, because we are back over the 2000 levels in terms of profits."

The W Hotels will soon launch a fitness partnership program with athletic brand, Puma, to insure that guests have a healthy alternative to collapsing on the couch and channel surfing during their stay. W's signature boutique shops will carry Puma training fashions, pre-loaded iPods containing indoor and outdoor running guides will be available, and Puma Bikes will give guests a chance to take a tour of a city on two wheels.

The hybrid property craze known as the condominium hotel has spawned the word condotel, which Webster's Dictionary has yet to recognize. Yet did you know that this type of investment has actually existed in various forms since the early 70's in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Regardless of how long condotels have existed, their popularity is certainly surging. According to Sunburt Marketing Group, ..."there are more than 300 condotel projects slated for 2006." Financing benefits and quick capital return are just some of the enticing incentives for developers of these hotel properties.

Welcome to the new "Power Tools for Resort Property Specialists"! NAR's Information Central will continue to provide information and resources for resort and vacation property specialists on this site, with new features such as reader comments, easier-to-use archives and RSS, and more. Previous posts from the Resort Power Tools (April 2006 and earlier) are available on Realtor.org at http://www.realtor.org/vlibrary.nsf/PubPages/resortpp