What's New at ResortQuest Northwest Florida?

By Michelle Tommey, ResortQuest Northwest Florida

Check out our newest vacation rental, Seawatch “A”, recently added to our Gulf Coast rental inventory on Northwest Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast. 

Seawatch "A" is the perfect place for your next family gathering.  Situated in Gulf Trace Community, Grayton Beach, Seawatch "A" is a two-story duplex home that sleeps 16.  "A" is the west side of the home.  Each floor has its own living space so this gives you plenty of space to relax and create family memories.  Enjoy the fabulous views of the Gulf of Mexico from the second floor wrap around deck.  The first floor gives you access to the spacious patio and pool area , and public beach access is located just a short walk away.

Gulf Trace Community sits on the edge of the coast, surrounded by the natural world with the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Grayton Dunes State Park to the east, north, and west. Secluded amidst sand dunes, scrub oaks, and sea oats, Gulf Trace is the perfect vacation spot to relax and enjoy the quiet surroundings and beauty.  To book this home for your next vacation, please contact ResortQuest at 888-909-6807 or visit us online. 

Destin St. Jude Celebrity Golf TournamentOctober 22-24, 2010

By Kristin Destin, ResortQuest Northwest Florida

ResortQuest loves to support great causes, and this weekend our focus is on the Destin St. Jude Celebrity Golf Tournament.  The event takes place at the Baytowne and Raven golf courses within Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.  ResortQuest employees volunteer their time to coordinate the event, help with volunteers, and gather items for the silent auction.  The outpouring of support from local companies and military is amazing, and itís wonderful to see everyone come together for such a great cause. 

The mission of the Destin St. Jude Celebrity Golf Tournament is to raise awareness and funds to support the life saving efforts of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the world's premiere research and treatment center for children with catastrophic illnesses.

           

Celebrities participating this year include Phil Niekro, Hall of Famer and winningest knuckleball pitcher of all time; Roger McDowell, pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves; Jeff Mathis, catcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Ed ìToo Tallî Jones, former player for the Dallas Cowboys; Mark ìThe Lemmerî Lemke, and many, many more. 

Play begins today at 10am with half the teams playing one course and half on the other.  Tonight is the silent auction at the Hilton Sandestin which will include a presentation by St. Judes.  Tomorrow the teams will switch courses and the awards will be announced later in the afternoon.

Wyndham Exchange & Rentals Welcomes ResortQuest, Celebrates Formation of World's Largest Vacation Rentals Business

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (October 20, 2010) — Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, part of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN), welcomed ResortQuest to its family of brands following the previously announced acquisition, which was completed on September 30, 2010.

ResortQuest, a leading provider of full-service vacation rentals in the U.S. with a diverse collection of nearly 6,000 high-quality U.S. vacation rental properties, joins Wyndham Exchange & Rentals to form the largest full-service vacation rentals business in the world with a diverse portfolio of more than 85,000 vacation properties in over 100 countries.

“We couldn’t be more excited to combine the talents, leadership and outstanding vacation rental services of both teams to deliver a superior product to our customers,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, who visited ResortQuest’s Destin, Fla., headquarters October 19-20th to celebrate with employees. “Together with ResortQuest, we now offer the greatest and best selection of vacation rentals as well as the opportunity for second homeowners to rent their properties through a trusted, well-known brand.”  

Added Park Brady, CEO, ResortQuest: “This marks the beginning of a mutually rewarding relationship between two great businesses that will benefit consumers, homeowners and employees alike. Building off of ResortQuest’s presence in North America and Wyndham’s strong market leadership position in Europe, we’re excited to work together as one team to deliver a customer service experience that is unmatched by any other global organization in the vacation rental industry.” 

Photograph caption: Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, visits the ResortQuest headquarters in Destin, Fla., to celebrate with employees.

About Wyndham Exchange & Rentals

Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with access for specified periods to more than 80,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. The vacation exchange business includes RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers, and The Registry Collection ® program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program. The vacation rentals business includes Hoseasons, cottages4you, Novasol®, Cuendet®, Landal GreenParks®, Endless Vacation Rentals®, and other renowned vacation rental brands through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit our media center.

About ResortQuest

Headquartered in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., ResortQuest is a leading provider of full-service vacation condominiums and home rentals in the U.S., with a portfolio of approximately 6,000 U.S. vacation rental properties.

Media Contacts:

Wyndham Exchange & Rentals
Leah Latour
(973) 753-6560
leah.latour@rci.com

ResortQuest

Emily Pulis

(305) 942-1663

http://www.blogger.com/

2010 Florida State HOG RallyOctober 20-23, 2010 - Destin/Ft. Walton Beach

By Kristin Destin, ResortQuest Northwest Florida

Hop on your Harley and get ready for the 2010 Florida State HOG Rally!  The rally begins Wednesday, October 20th and runs through Saturday, October 23rd at the Emerald Grande in Destin.  This is the host resort and location for all registration and on-site activities.  If you did not pre-register, the registration fee is $35 and must be completed at the Emerald Grande. ResortQuest is proud to be a sponsor of this revved-up event!

Bikers will enjoy eight self-guided rides and two guided rides during the rally.  Also, there will be not one, not two, but THREE Poker Runs!  The first two Poker Runs will be on Wednesday and Thursday, and will begin at Heritage Cycles Harley Davidson in Fort Walton Beach.  Ten members will each win $250, for a total payout of $2500!  The five stops are at McGuire’s Irish Pub, AJ’s, Hard Rock Café, Hog’s Breath, and the final stop at Helen Back Café.  On Friday there will be a walking Poker Run at the Destin Commons, also featuring a payout of $250 to ten winners.  The stops include Dave’s Dogs, Sunset Shoes, Bark Avenue, Bass Pro Shop and Belk.

Other events include the FREE pizza night at Helen Back Café on Thursday from 7-10 p.m.  There will be bike games on Friday, and Saturday will feature a bike show, more bike games, and the Parade of Flags.  Also down at the Emerald Grande, enjoy live music from Confederate Railroad on Friday night and The Guess Who on Saturday night, followed by a fireworks display at Harbor Walk Village to close the event. 

ResortQuest would like to welcome you to the beautiful Emerald Coast with a special H.O.G. Rally offer on stays of 2 nights or more between October 18 – October 25, 2010 at some of our most popular resorts near the main event site at Harborwalk Village. Visit http://www.resortquestnwfl.com/hog-rally/ for more details.

Thunder on the Gulf, Orange Beach, AlabamaOctober 13-17, 2010

By Kristin Destin, ResortQuest Northwest Florida

Orange Beach is getting ready for the races!  Thunder on the Gulf will take place this year October 13-17 at the Gulf State Park Pavilion on the beach.  Spectators can check out the massive race boats, racers, festivities and official race merchandise, while enjoying spectacular views of our beautiful coast. 

The Dry Pits will be open to the public from Wednesday through Sunday, 8am to 10pm.  They will also be splashing race boats at the Wet Pits at the Caribe Resort, which you can view from Cobalt Restaurant.  There will be racing in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday and Sunday so come and see these powerboats in motion!

The kick-off party at Florabama starts the fun the night of October 13th.  On the 14th, Happy Harbor will feature a race party.  And if you still haven’t gotten your fill of partying, come on down to Live Bait II on the 16th for another race party, following the Pleasure Island Poker Run which will be open to the public. 

Also in town during the event will be Bon Jovi on Friday night and Brad Paisley on Sunday evening!  These concerts are free but are ticketed events and ResortQuest has just a few tickets left.  Please visit our website for information on how you can get these tickets when you book one of our gorgeous condominiums!