One of the world?s most famous hotel brand names is coming to Bermuda to replace the Ariel Sands resort with a five-star vacation club.

And it has the blessing of Bermuda?s own Hollywood star Michael Douglas ? a member of the Dill family dynasty that has owned and operated the South Shore resort for the past 50 years. The double Oscar winner has played a part in securing a partnership with the Hilton group that could see as many as 50,000 prospective vacation club owners visit the Island during the next four years.

A scheme to create ?one of the premier tourism products anywhere on the planet? is now in motion having attracted the backing of the Hilton Grand Vacation Club and Florida-based developer Bruce Sonneborn.

Within two years the Ariel Sands hotel and cottage colony properties will be demolished and replaced by a $170m development featuring vacation villas, a world-class spa and fitness centre and restaurant and conference centre. It will allow Bermuda to tap into an expanding community of 100,000 vacation club owners who already holiday in Hilton clubs in Scotland, Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas and elsewhere.

?We have 18,000 club members in the geographical region around New York. I can see those people would want to travel to Bermuda for short vacations, which increases the tourism flow into that location. It?s a group that likes to experience different things,? said Kris Kreiger, senior vice-president and chief club officer of Hilton Grand Vacation Company, who was in Bermuda earlier in the week to discuss the plans.

Mr. Kreiger was not at the press conference to announce the project yesterday, but Deputy Premier Ewart Brown was flanked by Mr. Douglas and Mr. Sonneborn.

Mr. Douglas said: ?As you know the cottage colony tourism business has been pretty rough for the last 20 years. I?m proud to announce a partnership that we have created with the Hilton Grand Vacation Club.

?We think we have presented to Cabinet a well thought-out plan, not only for tourism, but also what is best for Bermuda. It encompasses additional rooms and beyond that training for Bermudians, employer housing and a number of issues that I think will be very positive. I appreciate very much the response from Cabinet.?

The concept is presently at the design and planning stage although construction may begin before the end of 2006, according to Mr. Sonneborn, who is project director of Sunset Cove on Marco Island in Florida, another Hilton Grand Vacations Club affiliate.

He was instrumental in bringing Hilton to Bermuda to consider the potential for a rebuilt Ariel Sands enticing vacation club owners to buy a fractional ownership and then, as a result, be able to not only holiday in Bermuda but also at other Hilton clubs and affiliated resorts world-wide.

It is intended to de-construct Ariel Sands and build the new development in phases to ensure the resort remains open at all times.

The number of holiday properties will increase from the present 48 rooms to 214, however there will be more green space and a reduction from 17 buildings to 11 on the site with a maximum height of three-storeys.

Mr. Sonneborn said the resort would be at the top end of the scale, rated at a five-star level for hotel facilities, adding: ?We would like a product like Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton and take it two steps above it.?

For Bermuda one big bonus is the transiency of the club-owning community who like to move around the world to sample different locations.

Because they have already paid for their accommodation by buying into the club they will have up to 50 percent more ?vacation dollars? to spend on the Island, said Mr. Sonneborn.

The club is expected to attract 9,000 new visitors to Bermuda per year with all-year round occupancy the norm.

Mr. Sonneborn explained: ?One of the things we are talking about featuring is elements of the Sargasso sea and its endemic seaweed ? unique biological product to use in the spa to bring people to Bermuda with a Hilton product and a world class spa.

He added: ?We plan to make this one of the premier tourism products anywhere on the planet.?

Jobs for up to 60 Bermudians will be created and it is intended to use Bermudian skills and resources wherever possibly to make the resort a 100 percent Bermudian experience.

Paying tribute to Mr. Douglas, Dr. Brown said: ?He has done more than a few things to help Bermuda. Obviously he is a mega star in his line of work and wherever he goes he says good things about Bermuda.

?This gentleman assisted us in getting JetBlue over the line. He always says positive things about Bermuda. When he called about this issue I was totally impressed.?

Bermuda is also set to reap the benefit of being featured in all Hilton group literature for the foreseeable future, including the Internet website which receives 1.5 million visitors every day.

Hilton Grand Vacation Company senior vice-president Mr. Kreiger, told the : ?Ariel Sands is a great location! The plans are very positive ? it meets our criteria for high quality destination.?

He said Dr. Brown had spoken of a clear vision for Bermuda and its tourism future and said he found Mr. Douglas to be an astute businessman whose personal attachment to Ariel Sands: ?Will ensure the property turns out to be a top notch five star property.?

Six separate condominiums within the Ariel Sands location are expected to remain as their own entity.