Timber Lodge opens at Heavenly Village

Marriott Vacation Club, a subsidiary of Marriott International, will open its second phase of Timber Lodge at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe on Friday.

The new phase on the back side of the development close to the swimming pool will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom villas ranging from 835 to 1,635 square feet. The units include private balconies with views of the Village and Heavenly gondola.

In adding the second phase, the resort will have 192 time share villas. The villas feature a fully equipped kitchen with an oven, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator. Living rooms come with fireplaces, and overall the units have Wi-Fi access. There's a soaking tub in the master bath and washer and dryer.

Prices begin at $14,650 per deeded week, depending on floor plan and season selected. The three-bedroom villas start at $27,000.

Occupancy for owners and renter in the first phase of Timber Lodge stands at 94 percent. The Grand Residence Club has 75 percent occupancy in its half- to whole-ownership timeshare units.

"In the world of traditional timeshare, we're always pre-selling the product," Marketing Director Ed Kinney said.

When the third phase of Timber Lodge is completed, the resort will have 264 villas to manage.

"This addition builds on already-established interest in our unique resort," said Tom Cox, project director for both Marriott timeshare hotels.

The two timeshare hotels represent a large part of a $250 million public-private redevelopment project with the city at the corner of Park Avenue and Highway 50. The development - which includes Heavenly Mountain Resort's $25 million gondola - transformed the south side of Highway 50 on the east end of town near Stateline.

"We're glad they finished up and on schedule," city Redevelopment Manager Gene Palazzo said.

It's part of the 173-acre redevelopment zone that begins at Herbert Avenue to the state line, encompassing Ski Run Boulevard's Embassy Vacation Resort planned expansion on both sides of Highway 50 and the $410 million proposed convention center complex across the highway from Heavenly Village. That project includes two condominium hotels, a greenbelt and retail space.

Marriott International manages 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries. Its franchise products include The Ritz-Carlton, which has a 5-star hotel designed into Northstar-at-Tahoe's mid-mountain.