Construction got underway this week for an upscale 250-unit Wyndham Vacation Resorts at National Harbor.
 
The 12-story tower will be the only vacation ownership property in the 300-acre waterfront community. It will feature street-level retail and about 250 condominium-style, fully furnished suites including 42 opulent Presidential suites.

The Wyndham property is expected to open in late 2009, and will expand the company’s presence in the D.C. market, and Wyndham officials say it will complement its existing resort on upper King Street. The resort will feature indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, an outdoor terrace and a health and fitness club.

“We are extremely excited to have begun the next phase of what will become one of our world-class resorts that is suitably situated in an urban complex with unmatched amenities and leisure activities,” said Franz Hanning, president and CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

Once completed, Hanning said that visitors to the resort will be in the heart of National Harbor’s retail, restaurant and nightlife options, including McCormick & Schmick’s, Dolce Enoteca, Ketchup, Grace’s Mandarin and Rosa Mexicano.

Orlando-based Wyndham has developed or acquired 145 vacation ownership resorts throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and the South Pacific that represent about 17,500 individual vacation ownership units and 800,000 owners of vacation ownership interests. Globally, it has about 17,700 employees.