CarterBlog

Carter and Starwood Vacation Ownership Celebrate Seven Years and Counting

By Sarah Peddar, business development manager, Carter

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2011) -Carter associates Amy Hunt and Nan Loudon of the Interior Project Team recently hosted a group of 15 at Ocean Prime in Orlando, Fla., to celebrate the seven-year relationship between Carter and the Starwood Vacation Ownership facilities group. The get-together also recognized the recent completion of the Sheraton Vistana Resort project. 

Guests enjoyed cocktails on the terrace, followed by a delicious meal of steak and seafood. Conversation centered around a timeline displayed on the wall of the Carter/SVO relationship history. Highlights included completed projects and memorable moments, one of the most entertaining being the story of a wild chicken attacking one of the team members while on location in St. John!

One of Hunt’s primary focuses over the past few years was the Sheraton Vistana Resort project. SVR’s renovations spanned from September 2007 through September 2011 and encompassed 1,682 renovated units benefiting 85,782 owners. Since the completion, SVR has become one of the top five ranked vacation ownership properties in the SVO portfolio. They have seen a 23 percent decrease in energy consumption and most recently received an award for leadership in energy efficiency, making it the most energy efficient property in the Starwood Hotel group.

The longstanding relationship between these two organizations began in 2004, when Carter was hired to manage SVO’s corporate campus build-out and relocation. This evolved into work with their vacation ownership properties and now the relationship continues with several new projects forecasted for 2012 and 2013. As evidence of how in-sync Carter and SVO are, both teams covertly planned to present each other with a commemorative memento honoring the SVR completion – both were small Lucite blocks with the project dates and team logos! 

Hunt acknowledges how much she likes working with this group, “It is a fun departure from interior commercial renovations, and I enjoy being part of the team that enhances so many vacation experiences through the improvements at resorts like SVR,” she said.

 

Carter Makes Starwood's Vision a Realty

By: Amy Hunt, senior project manager at Carter

Carter provides project management support for Starwood Vacation Ownership for both corporate and resort end-users. We strategize with the facilities management team to balance multiple projects running concurrently at several properties covering a footprint from Hawaii to the US Virgin Islands.

Carter’s relationship with Starwood Vacation Ownership began in 2004 when we were hired to manage the design and construction of SVO’s regional office in Orlando, Fla. In 2007, Carter segued into the hospitality market by providing project management services to the Starwood team with a renovation project in Orlando at their original vacation ownership property, Sheraton Vistana Resort. This property contains 1,682 vacation ownership units ranging from 450 square foot studio villas to 1,200 square foot two-bedroom town homes.

The Sheraton Vistana Resort project includes nine phases of renovation including exterior painting, replacing HVAC systems, complete interior renovation, and design, fabrication and installation of custom interior furnishings. On average, the renovation team completes more than 42 units per month.

The Sheraton Vistana Resort project will be complete in August 2011. To date at this resort, approximately 84,100 vacationers have had an enhanced experience as a result of these recent improvements.

Although the technical expertise and vendor resources in the hospitality market differ from commercial office projects, Carter has demonstrated that their process management and strategic approach is customizable for successful results across different markets.

Carter has established a consistent and important partnership with Starwood Vacation Ownership and we look forward to strengthening this relationship as we continue to work with the company’s various properties in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Amy Hunt joined Carter in 2005 with an extensive background in managing and coordinating interior construction projects. She has experience in managing a wide range of projects including Class-A corporate office, warehouse, medical facilities and hospitality resorts.