Peppers Rundells Alpine Lodge at Dinner Plain, Victoria has been wholly purchased by Wyndham Vacation Resorts South Pacific.
The company said it also plans to purchase up to 30 chalets in the village.
Once complete, the considerable investment by Wyndham will combine into one operation and the properties will all form part of Ramada Resort Dinner Plain, Mt Hotham for use by timeshare owners in the WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham and Wyndham Hotel Group guests.
“This acquisition is part of our continued strategy to enhance the experiences and accommodation offerings for our growing number of timeshare owners and hotel guests,” said Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and Pacific Rim.
“We currently have more than 53,000 timeshare owners in the WorldMark South Pacific Club, and that number is on the increase. As more people favour timeshare as an affordable way to take regular, quality holidays, we will continue to grow the club’s accommodation offering to meet that demand.”
Located 10-minutes’ drive from Mount Hotham, the village of Dinner Plain features unique Australian alpine architecture. Inspired by the cattlemen’s huts of the Victorian high country, each chalet is different but all feature stone and wood finishes with pitched corrugated iron roofs.
The lodge has an alpine bar, an open fire place, restaurant and a small lounge. The chalets range in size and layout from one, two, three and four-bedroom properties including a luxurious free-standing four-bedroom presidential chalet.
This new acquisition follows the recent announcement of the industry defining expansion of the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program across all of Wyndham Worldwide’s business arms, starting with the immediate addition of more than 17,000 apartments and homes to its nearly 8,000 hotel redemption portfolio.
“This is a game changer for the hospitality industry on an unprecedented scale. We’re complementing our hotel portfolio by giving Wyndham Rewards members access to some of our most desirable vacation ownership and vacation rental properties. Conversely, our timeshare club owners can also access thousands of additional properties through Wyndham Rewards,” Robinson said.
He said Ramada Resort Dinner Plain, Mt Hotham would offer an abundance of activities all year round.
The warmer months are a great time to explore the surrounding Alpine National Park with a range of iconic alpine trails with spectacular views. Visitors can encounter unique flora and fauna and visit historical alpine huts. They can choose to take a scenic drive, go horse riding, or experience some of Australia’s best mountain biking and road cycling trails.
In winter, snow blankets the village. Guests can enjoy cross country skiing or snowshoeing along bush trails that leave right from their doorstep, or head over to the famed downhill ski runs of Mount Hotham, with a regular shuttle bus that takes just 10 minutes.
Dinner Plain’s own Snow Park has Australia’s most affordable family lift pass. It is considered a great place to learn to ski, toboggan or snow tube. The village offers sensational dining and a unique day spa experience with hot pools at the Japanese-inspired Onsen Retreat & Spa.
Dog sled tours with a team of huskies are a unique offering, while Australia’s highest brewery is also located at Dinner Plain. Blizzard Brewing Company crafts its beer using water from pure snow melt.
“We see Ramada Resort Dinner Plain, Mt Hotham as a ground-breaking acquisition and a natural fit for our vacation club, WorldMark South Pacific Club, which strives to offer a diverse selection of dream holiday destinations for our club owners to choose from. This will be the club’s 28th destination and will join our collection of club resorts across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Thailand,” Robinson said.
Ramada Resort Dinner Plain, Mt Hotham is set to open in stages, commencing with the lodge, slated to open on November 30.
The chalets will be available following refurbishment of each, which is scheduled for early 2017.