Eli Weinkle, NXT AV, Los Angeles, CA

The ability for the client to interact with their lighting through the Savant Pro app and see a virtual representation of their room with Savants Trueimage always makes their jaws just drop. The first question we always get is if there is a camera in the roomthey simply cant believe a system can virtualize their environment is such a life-like manner. Combined with tunable or DMX lighting, its a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

What customers love and what I love to give them in their homes are features such as smart lighting, where one button can turn off the whole house or the kids rooms from the kitchen. Also, they love events happening in an automated way, such as window shades dropping as the sun sets to keep the sun out of their eyes.

There are two features that clients really appreciate in our installs. The main would be the single interface for anything related to technology in their home. The other would be stable, consistent, Wi-Fi. They are so used to Wi-Fi being unstable that when we put in Ruckus they are blown away that it just works every day.

We are finding that our clients are loving the way that video displays can be hidden when not in use. From TV lifts in cabinets, art lifts like Media Decor, panel back rise systems, and The Frame and Seura mirror displays are all in high demand. We had a client who saw these products in action, and they ended up with three lifts, two display mirrors, and one hidden door mount system. I believe that once a client sees these technologies in action that they want them in their homes.

As of late, we have found that voice control, motorization, and big beautiful displays have been big in the dazzling department. Amazing blended and hidden outdoor technology has also been a big wow factor this past year as well. Being able to totally hide and disguise amazing sounding audio paired with the ability to hide a big display in the ground with motorization has been jaw dropping for our clients.

Most clients are still blown away by the simple fact of an RF or IR repeating system controlling their gear in another room or behind closed cabinetry. When you hand them the smart remote and they can press a single button that fires up the entire systemremoving all complexitythey are always impressed by that.

We love to experience the first time a client hears a well-designed landscape/pool audio system, complete with buried subwoofer, in their new outdoor entertainment space. Their excitement is quite fulfilling to our entire team!

I think the feature that dazzles our customers the most are the one-app solutions from our integrated control systems. The specific feature that our clients appreciate is off-site remote control of their house environmental systems, including monitoring of security systems, cameras, lights, and temperatures..

Nothing seems to bring a smile to clients faces like a properly designed and installed audio system. At times it feels like a low bar: a proper music source, a good amplifier, and decent speakers (and subwoofers) that all consider the room. We always hear initial feedback of, Im not an audiophile, but no one ever regrets having great sound in their favorite room.

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What Performance Features in Your Installs Tend to Dazzle Your Clients? - Residential Tech Today

After the apocalypse comes a little scavenger, moving over the broken landscape, searching for life. But this scavenger does not move like a scavenger - they do not move furtively, tentatively. Doomsday Vault has a control scheme based around swiping and holding in one of four directions to move. It makes your little on-screen avatar feel rather truck-like. Forward, backwards, turn, reverse. After the apocalypse who is left to ask them to be more elegant?

Doomsday Vault is at least two games, I think, but I haven't spent enough time with it to understand the second. The first sees you venturing out across various shattered locations, finding a path forward, dropping a box into a river to provide a stepping stone across a gap, climbing a ladder, braving a prolonged dip in a toxic pool. Your mission is to search for missing plants. Once you've found them you can take them back to the Doomsday Vault itself and grow them. This is the part of the game I have merely tinkered with. I have grown a few things and felt pretty good about it, but I don't really know where it's all leading.

Out there in the apocalypse, though, Doomsday Vault is admirably direct. You move across the landscape picking up fertiliser, topping up your energy and solving simple puzzles as you look for the plants you're after. The music drives you forward - insistent and perhaps slightly addled - but so does the stoical blankness of your little person on the screen. A space suit? A robot? Something else?

The sense for now is of being well taken care of while also not knowing what lies ahead. It's an enviable position to be in twenty or thirty minutes into a game. Doomsday Vault's fiction gives it a sense of weight and consequence - but also a welcome mystery.

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Apple Arcade: Doomsday Vault is a plucky exploration game about the end of the world - Eurogamer.net

A trip to Iceland promises spectacular landscapes, wildlife adventures and maximum hygge

Arugged and green country filled with spectacular glaciers, waterfalls and volcanoes, Iceland consistently tops lists of the Worlds Happiest Countriesin fact its exactly the sort of place you might choose to visit to seek refuge from the endless news cycle which is currently stressing us all out.

And Iceland will welcome you at any timewhile the tourist season peaks in the summer, it still holds open an invitation in the winter months, attracting visitors eager to see the Aurora Borealis or experience maximum hygge, the trendy Scandinavian concept of the sort of cosy contentment one finds from being under a blanket inside when its cold outside.

Whenever you plan to visit, weve compiled all our top travel tips for this magical land of waterfalls, volcanoes and thermal pools.

For a short break, Reykjavk, the colourful capital city with a distinct small-town feel is ideal. You can enjoy the striking architecture of the geometric Harpa concert hall and the dramatic and austere Hallgrimskirkja church. For a bite to eat, drop by Forrettabarrin, where you can dine of parade of creative small plates featuring dishes like locally sourced hot smoked salmon and plump blue mussels.

For such a small city, Reykjavk has a surprisingly rich art scene. Head to the i8 gallery, which regularly hosts exhibitions of major international and Icelandic artists. Its also worth checking out Hafnarhus, the home of the Reykjavk Art Museums contemporary collections.

If youre still around in the morning, have breakfast at Mokka-Kaffi, a quiet coffee shop famous for its homemade waffles. The space doubles as an art gallery with exhibitions rotating every few weeks, if youre looking to enjoy more Icelandic art.

After a day taking in Reykjavk, its time to hit the roador even the sky.

See Also: The New Luxury Cruises for 2020

On a longer break we recommend getting into a single-engine plane to take in as much of the Icelandic landscape as possible. Leaving from Reykjavk Domestic Airport, you can see volcanic mountaintops, coastline, geysers and cyan thermal pools all within an hour.

If you venture by car, take a 4X4 on the famous Ring Road around the island and see almost all of Icelands top landmarks including Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skgafoss (another famous and spectacular waterfall) and ingvellir National Park, which lies on the geographic divide between the North American and European plates.

For a different experience entirely, sign up for a Northern Lights tour by boat. Available from September through April, this leaves from Reykjavks Old Harbour and takes you through the open waters of Faxafli Bay, where you quickly escape the lights of the city and can experience the dancing display of the Aurora Borealis in all its splendour. In the summer months, when darkness is harder to come by, sign up for a whale-watching tour instead.

For bird-watchers, Puffin Central is the Ltrabjarg cliffs, the most westerly point of Iceland; 14k long and over 400m high, they are home to colonies of puffins, guillemots, Northern gannets, auks and razorbills, best seen in summerbut be careful not to disturb the legendary local cliff troll.

See Also: Permanent Art Exhibition Captures the Legacy of Iceland

A trip to Iceland wouldnt be complete without a visit to the hot springs and pools. Iceland sits on a geothermal hotspot, which means warm water bubbles up out of the ground everywhere. This has instilled a deep love of swimming and bathing in the culturefor centuries, Icelanders have enjoyed the warm mineral water in public baths, pools and springs. In fact, swimming pools are considered one of the main spaces to socialise in Icelandic society, something further compounded by the nationwide alcohol prohibition that lasted until 1989.

The Blue Lagoon, the most famous pool in Iceland, was named as one of the 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic and attracts an astonishing 700,000 people a yeartwice the population of Iceland. Other hot spots include Mvatn Nature Baths, a stunning hot spring in the north of Iceland, and the Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool, one of the oldest swimming pools in the country that lies in a valley beneath the Eyjafjallajkull Glacier.

Icelanders themselves also enjoy more contemporary pools, so for a more local scene its worth checking out the Laugardalur Swimming Pool in Reykjavk, which attracts families and tourists alike to its large water-park-esque amenities. And of course, the beauty of all the geothermal energy heating Icelands many hot springs means that its enjoyable to visit them in the summer or winter.

At the moment, if you book a flight from Europe to North America with Icelandair, you have the option to add a stopover in Iceland at no extra airfarejust another incentive to visit one of the worlds coldest countries with the warmest welcome.

This feature was originally published in the latest edition of Arts & Collections, which you can read here

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Visit Iceland: The Land of Wildlife and Tranquility - Arts and Collections International

Research analysts at Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) in a research report issued on Monday, The Fly reports. The brokerage set a hold rating on the specialty retailers stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on POOL. Stephens upped their target price on Pool from $187.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Zacks Investment Research lowered Pool from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $228.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, October 21st. ValuEngine lowered Pool from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Pool from $192.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, BidaskClub raised Pool from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $217.25.

NASDAQ:POOL traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $215.08. 130,067 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 159,689. The company has a fifty day moving average of $209.68 and a 200 day moving average of $199.44. Pool has a twelve month low of $147.61 and a twelve month high of $228.19. The company has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.68.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The specialty retailer reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.17. Pool had a return on equity of 82.52% and a net margin of 8.24%. The company had revenue of $898.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $883.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Pool will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, Vice Chairman De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 15,274 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.53, for a total transaction of $3,230,909.22. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 63,038 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,334,428.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Joslin sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.84, for a total value of $1,074,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 120,920 shares in the company, valued at $25,978,452.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,274 shares of company stock worth $6,456,309 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the companys stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of POOL. CX Institutional grew its holdings in Pool by 45.5% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 176 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth about $36,000. NumerixS Investment Technologies Inc acquired a new stake in Pool during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Squar Milner Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 273.6% during the third quarter. Squar Milner Financial Services LLC now owns 198 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. 93.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Company Profile

Pool Corp. engages in the wholesale distribution of swimming pool supplies, equipment and related leisure products. It also provides irrigation and landscape products. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Covington, LA.

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Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Loop Capital - Riverton Roll

SINGAPORE - Things are heating up in Sembawang once again, with the reopening of Singapore's only hot spring.

The Sembawang Hot Spring Park reopened on Saturday (Jan 4) after a $4.3 million redevelopment, expanding from its original 0.1 hectare to 1.1 hectare now.

The park, which was closed in Aug 2018 for the development works, now features a new cascading pool and a water collection point, with enhanced accessibility for wheelchair users.

There are also educational panels for visitors to learn more about the history and geology of the hot spring park, which is accessible along Gambas Avenue.

Ms Kartini Omar, group director of parks development at the National Parks Board (NParks), said that in designing the park, "NParks incorporated feedback and suggestions from the community from a public consultation in end-2017".

Among the suggestions were having a food and beverage outlet, an activity lawn and toilets, and ensuring the park remains "rustic and natural", said Ms Kartini.

At the launch, Sembawang GRC MPs Khaw Boon Wan, Ong Ye Kung, Amrin Amin and Lim Wee Kiak, with Nee Soon GRC MPs Lee Bee Wah and Faishal Ibrahim, planted Island Lychee and Hairless Rambutan trees to mark the occasion in front of over 450 residents.

The new features of the park, such as the cascading pool at the heart of the park, aim to bring the geothermally heated groundwater closer to visitors.

The cascading pool sees the water cool naturally as it flows down four tiers of pools, with visitors able to dip in.

The park is also more inclusive, with wheelchair-friendly ramps and a specially designed tap at the main water collection point for the disabled.

The water collection point allows visitors of all ages to use pails and scoops to collect water readily. Visitors may also cook eggs at this station.

The water collection point allows visitors to use pails and scoops to collect water readily. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

Visitors may also cook eggs at this station. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

NParks said in a media release that plants have been planted in the park to recreate kampung life, including fruit trees and edible plants commonly found in kampungs, and flowers commonly seen in the 1960s and 1990s.

Mr Khaw, who is Transport Minister and Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, shared in a Facebook post on Saturday that he had contributed several rose apple seeds which he brought from Penang three years ago to the park.

There are also unpaved paths and naturalised streams flowing from the hot spring, to mimic the freshwater swamp forest landscape.

Mr Rakunathan Narayanan, 60, who has lived in Yishun for over 30 years, is glad that the rustic nature of the location is being preserved.

They should have done this long ago. You wont find this anywhere else in Singapore, said the security officer.

He has fond memories of cycling to the hot spring from about 30 years ago, when the area was still a kampung.

Jalan Mata Ayer resident Matthew Tan, 46, who works in the paint industry, said the different temperatures in each level of the cascade pool is a cool concept.

Mr Tan, who was at the park with his wife and two sons, added that he lives just a 10-minute walk away, and looks forward to patronising the cafe at the park often.

There are also unpaved paths and naturalised streams flowing from the hot spring, to mimic the freshwater swamp forest landscape. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

A young visitor enjoys a soak at the Sembawang Hot Spring Park Jan 4, 2020. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

The hot spring was first discovered in 1908. During the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1944, the Japanese built thermal baths around the spring, and the site became recreational grounds for their officers.

In 1985, the Singapore government acquired the land for military use, with plans to expand Sembawang Air Base and cover the hot spring. Appeals by the local community saw the creation of a small concrete base with standpipes to channel the hot water in 2002.

The Sembawang Hot Spring Park is open from 7am to 7pm daily, and visitors can enter for free.

Mr Ong, who is Minister for Education,said he was grateful to the Ministry of Defence for carving out a part of Chong Pang Camp to be developed into a park, and thanked NParks for sharing and fulfiling the unique vision of having Singapores one and only hot spring park.

He added that the hot spring park is part of the wider development of Sembawang.

There is a lot of development going on - a new MRT station, we are building Bukit Canberra community hub, we are seeing new BTO (build-to-order) projects, viaducts, he said.

What we want to ensure is as we develop, dont forget to sayang Sembawang. It is a place with history, with nature, with its own character. Its through projects like this that we bring out the unique character of Sembawang.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, who had suggested in Parliament in 2016 that the area be developed into a national hot spring park, said he was glad that the government took up the idea and developed it even better.

He said some residents have shared with him about the hot spring waters supposed medicinal properties, using the water when they have skin problems.

Link:
Sembawang Hot Spring Park reopens with new cascading pool and wheelchair ramps - The Straits Times

Equities analysts expect that Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) will report sales of $572.65 million for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Four analysts have provided estimates for Pools earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $579.79 million and the lowest estimate coming in at $559.00 million. Pool posted sales of $543.08 million during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 5.4%. The business is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, February 13th.

On average, analysts expect that Pool will report full year sales of $3.19 billion for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $3.18 billion to $3.20 billion. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the firm will post sales of $3.41 billion, with estimates ranging from $3.39 billion to $3.42 billion. Zacks Investment Researchs sales calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that follow Pool.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The specialty retailer reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $898.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $883.54 million. Pool had a return on equity of 82.52% and a net margin of 8.24%. The businesss revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS.

NASDAQ POOL traded up $1.23 on Thursday, hitting $215.04. 190,423 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 152,480. The businesss fifty day moving average is $209.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $199.44. Pool has a 12 month low of $145.09 and a 12 month high of $228.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.26, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.68.

In other Pool news, Vice Chairman De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 15,274 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.53, for a total value of $3,230,909.22. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,334,428.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.12, for a total transaction of $2,151,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 69,738 shares in the company, valued at $15,002,038.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,274 shares of company stock worth $6,456,309. Corporate insiders own 6.00% of the companys stock.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in POOL. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 2.3% during the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,529 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Flinton Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Pool by 9.7% during the second quarter. Flinton Capital Management LLC now owns 8,840 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $1,688,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Pool by 3.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 35,167 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $7,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund raised its stake in Pool by 0.7% during the third quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund now owns 27,172 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $5,481,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in Pool by 1.5% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 7,498 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.38% of the companys stock.

About Pool

Pool Corp. engages in the wholesale distribution of swimming pool supplies, equipment and related leisure products. It also provides irrigation and landscape products. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Covington, LA.

Further Reading: How to build a Fibonacci channel

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Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $572.65 Million - Slater Sentinel

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the opening of HyattRegency Hengqin in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. With 493 rooms, sixdining outlets, and 40,440 square feet (3,757 square meters) of event space,the hotelis designed for business and leisure guests alike seeking aseamless, intuitive experience in the city.

Situated in the heart of the dynamic and fast-growing Greater Bay Area ofsouthern China, Hyatt Regency Hengqin is part of the vibrant Novotown complex,which features an impressive array of attractions including LionsgateEntertainment World, Natinoal Geographic Explorer and more.The hotel isalso within easy reach of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge, offeringconvenient access for guests traveling throughout the region.

We are thrilled to announce the opening of Hyatt Regency Hengqin, saidWilliam Yuen, general manager of Hyatt Regency Hengqin. As a new,international branded hotel in Hengqin, Zhuhai, we are excited to offersuperior comfort and excellent service at a convenient location.

Guestrooms

Hyatt Regency Hengqin has a total of 493 guestrooms, including 55 suites,ranging from and from 430 to 2,583 square feet (40 to 240 square meters).Subtle design touches include soft warm timber blinds, giving an overallfeeling of natural comfort. Regency Club guests enjoy exclusive access to ourclub lounge offering a range of complimentary amenities including conciergeservice, private check-in and check-out, delicious bites served daily, and adedicated meeting room.

Drinking and Dining

Boasting six restaurants and bars, the hotel offers a wide range of globalcuisine. Market Cafis a self-service, market-style restaurantwhere diners can watch their food being prepared by expert chefs at livecooking stations. La Cucina is an extension of Market Caf, bringing thedelicious flavors of Italy to Hengqin, with a variety of popular Europeandishes. The Lounge provides a relaxed atmosphere to decompress andfeatures a vast selection of specialty teas, coffees, cocktails and snacks.

In early spring of 2020, the hotel will open three additional food &beverage outlets. Xiang Yue Chinese restaurant will specialize in thedelicate flavors of Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant will feature an open kitchen,reminiscent of a hawker-style eatery, allowing diners to watch chefs preparedishes to order. With a series of fish tanks showcased throughout the diningspace, the menu highlights fresh seafood and top-quality ingredients. PoolPavilion will be a relaxing, al fresco dining venue delivering sumptuousbarbecue and craft cocktails. The180 rooftop bar, will be locatedon the 23rd floor, offering with a 180 outdoor landscape and stunning views.Here, visitors can enjoy the charm of Hengqin under the stars with wine, cigarsand music.

Meetings & Events

Whether hosting a wedding, product launch, large-scale conference, or anintimate meeting, event planners will find their every need catered for atHyatt Regency Hengqin. The hotel boasts a total of 40,440 square feet (3,757square meters) of event space, including the 17,437 square foot (1,620 squaremeter) Regency Ballroom, which features an outdoor garden, floor-to-ceilingwindows, natural lighting, and can accommodate up to 1,300 guests. The RegencySalon, a premium event venue with 10,258 square feet (953 square meters) ofspace, offers two open kitchen display areas. Threeadditionalmultipurpose rooms provide an ideal space for small groups andmeetings.

Wellbeing Amenities, set to launch in early spring of 2020

Guests can reenergize in the modern 24-hour fitness center featuring a widevariety of state-of-the-art workout equipment in a bright and airy space. Inaddition, there will be a 1,076 square foot (100 square meter) members lounge,as well as an indoor and outdoor swimming pool.

Flo Spa has six separate treatment rooms, with services design around the use ofwater. Top of the line spa facilities paired with organic products allow gueststo fully enjoy physical and mental relaxation.

Camp Hyatt, set to open in early spring of 2020

Children are invited to discouver Camp Hyatt an interactive play world ofcreative discovery zones that will include spaces for learning, creating,socializing and, most importantly, having fun.

Related

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AC Hotels by Marriott Announces the Opening of Its First Hotel in Chile - Modern Diplomacy

You see these big turns Im doing? Its because I like to feel the mountain. Otherwise you could be anywhere.

Its one of countless pieces of ski wisdom imparted by instructor Pedro, all sweeping silver-streaked hair, nut-brown ski tan and infectious, deep-bellied laughter.

Skiing is about so much more than going down fast. Its about the air on your skin, the sun on your face, the landscape.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Itsironic to hear Pedro, a former downhill racer who competed in the Winter Olympics in Japan, preaching about slowing down. But hes quite insistent.

He asks if Im up for an exercise I prepare for technique drills and inwardly sigh.

The indoor swimming pool at Chalet Le Coquelicot

The Firefly Collection

The "adult swings" at Chalet Joux Plane

The Firefly Collection

The spacious master bedroom at Chalet Mont Tremblant

The Firefly Collection

The outdoor pool at Chalet Couttet

The Firefly Collection

Curl up and enjoy the view at Chalet Le Grenier

The Firefly Collection

The pool at Chalet Marco Polo

The Firefly Collection

One of the bedrooms at Chalet Quezac

The Firefly Collection

A dining area at Chalet Zermatt

The Firefly Collection

The view from the terrace at Chalet Le Grenier

The Firefly Collection

The Petit Palais party room

The Firefly Collection

The indoor swimming pool at Chalet Le Coquelicot

The Firefly Collection

The "adult swings" at Chalet Joux Plane

The Firefly Collection

The spacious master bedroom at Chalet Mont Tremblant

The Firefly Collection

The outdoor pool at Chalet Couttet

The Firefly Collection

Curl up and enjoy the view at Chalet Le Grenier

The Firefly Collection

The pool at Chalet Marco Polo

The Firefly Collection

One of the bedrooms at Chalet Quezac

The Firefly Collection

A dining area at Chalet Zermatt

The Firefly Collection

The view from the terrace at Chalet Le Grenier

The Firefly Collection

The Petit Palais party room

The Firefly Collection

Look up at the landscape while you ski, not down at the slope, not at the next turn, he says. Then tell me how you feel.

This is more like it. I do as instructed and it turns out to be revelatory I cant remember the last time I properly looked around me while skiing. Part of what makes it such a heady experience is the surroundings: its not the French Alps nor even the rose-tinted splendour of the Italian Dolomites that I see. Instead, Im staring out from the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Granada. Here, the whole of southern Spain seems poured out before me, sun-scorched browns and greens stretching to the horizon from this snowy cloud.

Doesnt it feel like youre flying? asks Pedro. Yes, yes it does.

Sierra Nevada has views across southern Spain (Getty/iStockphoto)

From the top point of the ski area, which has 110km of pistes (it somehow feels like much more), you can see all the way to the sea on a clear day its one of the very few resorts where you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon. Not that I can see me tearing myself away from this white-painted paradise for the beaches of Malaga, some two hours away by car, anytime soon.

The sun beats down, the sky that untouchable cornflower blue that only seems possible in the mountains but somehow the snow is the best Ive ever experienced late season. It feels like witchcraft: the super high altitude (all runs are between 2,100 and 3,300m) means slopes are still smooth and powdery even in April. Id expected to be waterskiing by lunchtime, but if anything conditions are even more enjoyable as morning drifts into afternoon.

Nearby hiking comes courtesy of Los Cahorros (Getty/iStockphoto)

Feel that? Its like butter; like cream, Pedro grins.

We take our time exploring the three sections of Sierra Nevadas ski area its as close to ambling as you can get on skis winding our way down nice and slow. As soon as we get away from the central thoroughfare, all is quiet, all is calm. Pedro stops us often, instructing me to take it all in: the landscape, the silence, the feel of the mountain beneath my feet. Its like Im on an unofficial mindfulness course.

Skiing is all about enjoying yourself, not racing down, he adds for good measure, perhaps sensing a slight impatience from me to get going. Message received.

Another instructor, Borja, teaches my partner (who has only skied once in his entire life), and does such a fine job of it that by 12pm Im getting a flurry of delighted texts about how much he now loves skiing. The next morning we foray to the nursery slopes minus the instructor, where we boil in our thermals and he shows off his smooth, controlled snowplough turns while I look on like a proud mother hen. The beginner area is extensive and ideal for learning, with three chair lifts that go up to a clutch of all-green runs from the main hub at the top of the gondola. Its the perfect first-time-back ski experience, especially when combined with a stay in our superior digs, El Lodge, where effortless ski and boot fitting from the inhouse equipment hire shop and on-call transfers to the gondolas serve to complement Sierra Nevadas warm temperatures and clear skies.

The pool at Sierra Nevadas El Lodge (El Lodge)

Our hard work earns us a San Miguel and a massive Greek salad with truffle fries on El Lodges sun deck come lunchtime. Then its time to swap skis for hiking boots Sierra Nevadas enviable position means we can nip down the mountain to Los Cahorros in under 30 minutes. Its a completely different world, as we trade in snow-covered slopes for eye-poppingly green fields, bright, jewel-like leaves and clear-as-can-be waterfalls cascading from on high. Guides Manu and Santos lead the way as we take on the trail, which feels like a mix of Lord of the Rings (very Rivendell meets the Shire) and Indiana Jones: we make our way over swinging rope bridges, cut under a giant fallen rock, and scramble around thin passes using metal hand-holds driven into the stone. It makes for a thrilling route. Bird song peppers our journey; climbers can be seen scaling the sheer rock faces.

All this used to be under the sea, Manu translates for Santos, who keeps pressing unnecessary (but welcome) snacks into my hands as we go. Its chilling to imagine where were standing was once a deep underwater cave, but the fossils found here dont lie.

All that walking earns me a sleep-inducing ritual at the spa back at El Lodge, 80 minutes where Im gently rubbed and stroked with warm oils until rendered rubber-legged and jelly-headed. Its all I can do to pour myself into the private hot tub on our balcony.

Cosy ski style at El Lodge (El Lodge)

That night we decide to fully indulge in some mountain food, ordering a raclette to share and taking it in turns to scoop thick, melted cheese onto plates brimming with raw mushrooms, broccoli, roasted tomatoes, bread, crisp cornichons and capers. I finish up with a chunky brownie webbed with salted caramel, and fall into bed on the edge of bliss. (Or gout. Who can tell?)

I dont know whether its the skiing, the hike, the spa or the meal but I really do sleep like a baby that night. And when I wake, Im just as convinced: Sierra Nevada is as close as Ive ever come to ski resort perfection. You heard it here first.

Ryanair, Jet2, EasyJet, Norwegian, Iberia and British Airways all fly direct from London to Malaga from 20 return.

Doubles at El Lodge from 339, B&B

ellodge.com

More:
Sierra Nevada: Why Spain should be top of your ski holiday wishlist - The Independent

The nation is in the grip of an affordable-housing crisis.

A severe shortage of homes for working-class and low-income families is pushing up house prices and rents across the country, putting homeownership increasingly out of reach for many Americans and making rents so high that it is all but impossible for renters to save. With the presidential election fast approaching, the candidates should explain what they plan to do about it.

Half of families who rent and nearly one-fourth of homeowners pay more than 30% of their monthly income toward their housing costs, a level widely considered unsustainable.

After purchasing essentials, including food, clothing and utilities, the families have little left to cover the cost of health care, bridge the gap during a change in jobs or bear an unforeseen bill of any amount. And forget about saving for retirement or a childs education.

Fueling the rapid rise in rent and house prices is a severe lack of housing supply.

Nationwide, the percent of houses that are vacant has fallen to a more than 35-year low, translating into a shortfall of an estimated 1.6 million new houses.

This gap is increasing by about 300,000 units each year, as builders are putting up close to 1.4 million new dwellings yearly, including single-family houses, apartments and manufactured housing. But the yearly demand for new housing, largely from new households and dwellings needed to replace those lost in natural disasters and to old age, is consistently near 1.7 million units.

The entirety of this shortfall is for low- and middle-priced housing. The cost of constructing houses has risen significantly since the financial crisis and builders have struggled to make the economics work to construct housing that most Americans can afford.

Soaring construction costs have been driven in part by a rise in local government fees and stiffer local zoning restrictions. During the real-estate bust a decade ago, real-estate prices and property-tax revenues evaporated, forcing many local governments to jack up permitting fees to make up the difference.

Add to that often-tight local constraints on where and what one can build, and many of the communities that most desperately need affordable housing have rules in place making that housing almost impossible to provide.

The Trump administrations immigration policies arent helping, as builders cant find the immigrant workers they need, driving up labor costs in the construction trades, particularly in the South and West, where demand for affordable houses is especially strong. Labor shortages in the transportation, distribution and manufacturing industries are also making home building more costly. And the cost of homebuilding materials has risen sharply, driven in significant part by the trade war and higher tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and other building materials.

To cover these costs, builders have been focused on putting up houses in the top end of the market where they can still make a profit. The country has a glut of luxury apartments, high-end condos and large residences, and a dearth of workforce and affordable housing.

As a result, in recent years prices for the lowest-priced houses have grown consistently twice as fast as prices for the highest-priced houses and exceed what many families of modest means can pay.

This wouldnt be such a problem if wages kept up. But they havent. Recent census data show that while the median cost of rent and utilities is up 13% over the past nearly 20 years, median income is up less than 1 percent (both inflation-adjusted).

The widening gap between the growth of wages and the cost of housing has put homeownership out of reach for more and more families, particularly families of color. The home-ownership rate for African Americans has fallen to a half-century low.

This in turn is exacerbating the growing wealth gap. In generations past, the primary way lower- and middle-income households were able to build wealth was by owning a home.

More than investing in the stock market, more even than investing in their 401(k) and other retirement accounts, the middle class built wealth through the simple act of paying their monthly mortgage. But with fewer families able to buy a house, and more renters spending so much of their income just to keep a roof over their heads, housing is increasingly more of a drain than a source of wealth building.

The affordability crisis is also undermining labor mobility, another pillar of the American economy. Unlike in much of the rest of the world, Americans have historically been willing and able to move where there is economic opportunity. In todays economy, the best job opportunities are often in the nations big urban areas, but this is also where housing is least affordable.

Many are thus faced with the Hobsons choice of long commutes, unaffordable housing or forgoing good jobs altogether. Paralyzed by this, Americans arent moving as much, and our economy is diminished as a result.

And then it isnt hard to connect the dots between the affordability crisis and the mounting problem of homelessness. Homelessness is a complex problem with many causes, but it isnt surprising that the big cities in California and the Northeast have among the least-affordable housing markets and the largest number of homeless.

An increasing number of communities, including ones in California, Oregon and New York, are responding to the affordability crisis by imposing rent controls. At best this is a short-term financial salve for struggling renters. At worst it may exacerbate the problem, by limiting the returns to builders and their incentive to construct more dwellings.

What is needed instead are policies that reduce the cost of building houses more Americans can afford. Most obvious is beefing up the tried-and-true programs dedicated to reducing the cost of development, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the New Market Tax Credit. These tax breaks have proved effective in addressing precisely the supply problem at issue. But instead of expanding them, last years tax cut reduced their value to developers.

The new Opportunity Zone tax credit, which provides tax incentives for investments in distressed neighborhoods, could also have a meaningful impact on the construction of affordable housing. But officials at all levels of government must do more to ensure that private investors target the neighborhoods that truly need the help.

Tax incentives alone wont be enough, however. The Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund, which were established in the midst of the financial crisis to finance more affordable housing, should be scaled up. The Housing Trust Fund provides money to state housing authorities for the development of affordable rental units.

Housing authorities have flexibility in allocating these funds, because they are often in the position to assess how best to address their states affordability challenges. The Capital Magnet Fund provides financial support to Community Development Financial Institutions and other nonprofit developers for increasing the supply of affordable housing.

Both of these programs have the infrastructure and flexibility necessary to scale up and get affordable housing where its most needed.

Finally, communities should be given strong incentives to ease overly restrictive zoning and lower high fees for building houses. Critical federal funds for roads and other infrastructure should be tied to how well communities are addressing their needs for workforce and affordable housing. Community development block grants could also be tied to such metrics.

However, policies to increase the supply of housing will take time to reap benefits. In the meantime, we need to ease the financial pressure on those hit hardest by the affordability crisis.

This means fully funding the nations primary federal housing voucher program, as currently, three in four families eligible for such rental vouchers cant receive them. It would also make sense to increase the value of the vouchers to provide low-income families the chance to move to low-poverty, higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Doing so has been shown to boost lifetime earnings and open a window to escape poverty.

More than a decade after the housing market took down the economy, the nation finds itself in the throes of a different kind of housing crisis. Its effects are subtler, and perhaps for this reason it has gone largely ignored.

But the nation must address this housing crisis in earnest, lest an entire generation of families whose parents found in housing a critical path to building wealth, find it blocking the way.

Some of the presidential candidates have put forth plans to address the affordable-housing crisis. Indeed, virtually every candidate putting forward a plan has taken on the supply side with admirable muscle. But none have put housing policy at the top of their political agendas.

Given the depth of the affordable-housing crisis and the existence of good, practical ideas to address it, it is time for the candidates to give it the attention it deserves.

Jared Bernstein, chief economist to former Vice President Joe Biden, is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Jim Parrott is a nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute and owner of Falling Creek Advisors. Mark Zandi is chief economist at Moodys Analytics.

Excerpt from:
The conundrum that affordable housing poses for the nation - Seattle Times

Mobile homes appreciate at rates on par with site-built homes.

Most people think mobile homes cannot be a solid investment because they are simply too easy to acquire. They depreciate, right? In fact, as someone who has fix and flipped more than 500 units, I have had other investors tell me that they dont deal with trailer trash. Remember the adage: It is the man with a little knowledge who feels he knows everything and the man with a lot of knowledge who realizes how little he actually knows.

Long has been the belief that mobile homes depreciate. For those who think there is an appreciation, they believe it is at a drastically slower rate than the site builds. They also believe they only appreciate if they are attached to land.

In researching the up-to-date data released from the Federal Housing Finance Agency and disseminated by the Urban Institute, this assumption is finally challenged and ultimately thrown out. In fact, the opposite is true, and this could mean major changes regarding the affordable housing crisis plaguing the nation. The index for home price on manufactured and mobile homes is growing at an average rate of 3.4 percent annually. What about site-built homes? They were growing at an annual rate of 3.8 percent. However, in the last few years, the prices of manufactured homes and mobile homes increased faster than that of traditional housing/properties.

One of the reasons these trends have been so misleading is that these houses arent as present in areas of the United States where the housing market recovery on a whole was more noticeable. These houses are more likely to be found in areas where recovery from the housing crisis was diminutive. California, for example, contains more than 17 percent of the entire U.S. housing market. Yet, in looking at the number of units shipped, only four percent of the manufactured housing market is represented in California.

Headline areas those featured for having had a noteworthy boom from the housing market crash simply arent areas that mobile homes have occupied. This unintentionally excludes their rise, leaving them out of the picture to those who take news at face value and make assumptions without digging deeper.

When comparing Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama to California, these states encompass 41 percent of the market for manufactured housing, but they have seen price appreciation increase at a slower rate than it has on average nationally. This is area-based. Not home-based. And that makes a big difference. We simply arent comparing apples to apples.

To learn more about Mobile Home Millions, visit mobilehomemillions.com.

Link:
A Solid Investment - Think Realty