Fairfield Announces Vacation Planning Website; Company to Offer Travel Services to Owners and General Public

Business Wire, Jan 21, 2000

Business/Travel Editors

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2000

Fairfield Communities, Inc. (NYSE:FFD), one of the largest vacation ownership companies in the U.S., today announced plans to launch a comprehensive Web-based vacation planning site. Fairfield will launch the first phase of the robust new site by April 1, 2000 and plans a second phase that will allow owners to make reservations and exchanges online.

&uot;Fairfield is committed to creating the ultimate vacation ownership Internet site,&uot; said Jim Berk, Fairfield's President and Chief Executive Officer. &uot;More than half our 260,000 owners are active on-line. Through our new Web site, we can enhance customer loyalty and fulfill our goal of being their primary source for vacation information and planning on the Web.&uot;

Full-service travel planning

The depth of information available on the Fairfield site promises to be impressive. Visitors to the site will be able to:

- Use the site's sophisticated search function to select resorts by

destination, features and amenities

- Access photos, maps, directions, resort activity calendars, local

attractions, and even virtual tours of the Company's nearly 60

affiliated resorts

- Look up point requirements to stay at any of the 28 Fairfield

resorts and 29 Affiliate and Associate resorts in the U.S.,

Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean

- Make airline, hotel and car rental reservations

- Take advantage of special cruise and package deals through

Fairfield's Vacation Break Travel

- Obtain door-to-door directions and current weather reports for

all Fairfield resorts

- Purchase travel guides

&uot;We own and operate a full-service travel agency for the benefit of our owners and members,&uot; explained Berk. &uot;That allows us to offer unique travel features that will broaden the appeal of our site for non-owners as well.&uot;

Exclusive Members-Only Services

After a secure log-in to the members-only section of the site, Fairfield owners will be able to:

- Access personal account data and full-service travel planning

functions

- Consider exclusive offers such as discounted resort condo rentals

available only to owners and other loyal customer segments

- Check their allocated and used FairShare Plus(R) points for the

current year and learn when points will expire

- Use the site's interactive Points Calculator to obtain instant

information on the number of points they will have available on a

given travel date, even several years into the future

- Confirm reservations

- Obtain payment history on their loan(s)

- Update addresses and phone numbers

- Research program requirements

- View current and past issues of Fairfield's Adventures newsletter

&uot;FairShare Plus(R) members have told us that the ability to check point balances and expiration dates online, 24 hours a day, is one of the most valuable benefits we can offer them,&uot; explained Berk. &uot;We are taking that one step further with our interactive Points Calculator. We are very excited to be able to bring this level of on-line service to our owners and members and are even more excited about our second phase of expanded functionality, which will allow owners to make resort reservations and exchanges online.&uot;

Fairfield Communities, Inc., is one of the largest vacation ownership companies in the United States. The Company markets vacation products and manages resort properties that provide quality recreational experiences at 28 locations in eleven states and the Bahamas, to more than 250,000 Fairfield property owners. Fairfield currently has five new resorts under development.

Except for historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, general industry and economic conditions; interest rate trends; regulatory changes; availability of real estate properties; competition from national hospitality companies and other competitive factors and pricing pressures; shifts in customer demands; the continued availability of financing in the amounts and at the terms necessary to support the Company's future business as well as other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report and report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998.