Background to the offer ...
My name is George Scott. I've been running hotels and restaurants for 18 years. During that time, my family company has been blessed with international success. These ten properties have been my second hotel for the last two years, but my doctor now has suggested I cut down, semi-retire, so I'm letting them go.
After making that decision, I first gave the properties to property sales agents in three countries. It was a washout. They sent us pathetic penurious wannabes, self-deluded no-hopers, con artists, time wasters. After three months I fired the agents.
So then I thought I'd sell the ten properties to a major hotel chain that had expressed interest in our original hotel. Their rep came, looked, admired, made positive noises, and chatted about my reasons for selling. Health reasons? Looking for a quick sale?
He offered about half what the property is worth.
He was perfectly nice about it, but it seems it's just policy for the big chains to put the blocks to us small fry hoteliers if they think we're vulnerable or under pressure to sell. As he told me, "Don't take it personally, we do it to everybody."
We were even approached by money launderers. They were prepared to pay our full asking price, but only in filthy criminal cash. Yuck. (Did you know that a million euros weighs about 20 pounds? They put the "down payment" in my hand.)
In the end I thought, why not hold a raffle? What happened next changed the story and opened the door for you to own one of these sweet properties without it actually costing you anything.
How the US Congress got involved:
It all started easy as pie. I went to see our lawyers and got organized to sell tickets. Setting up a raffle in Spain is simple.
But then Congressman Jim Leach of Iowa (defeated last 7 November) got a bee in his bonnet about Internet gambling and pushed a bill through to make transferring money abroad for "gambling" purposes difficult, if not illegal.
Predictably, there was a flurry of protest. Many of the 35 million Americans who take the occasional online flutter found themselves inconvenienced. But still, it became law and until the new Congress changes it we're stuck with it.
Our lawyers creased their foreheads. The new act was aimed at the big online casinos and sports betting operations on the London Stock Exchange, not a small family raffle like ours, but it was a blunderbuss bill that might end up aimed in our direction and you know how cautious lawyers are.
So we had to kill our raffle idea. At least in the form of a straightforward buy-a-ticket-win-a-prize raffle.
What to do?
We didn't want to give up our project, so we looked for an alternative way to solve the puzzle. What could we do that would be completely legal, but accomplish the same end?
|
George Scott has been the CEO of Scott Properties Inc. since its inception in 1988. Previously, from 1976 until 1988 he was a Director of The Carr Foundation, a charitable institution devoted to stress alleviation education. Mr. Scott has published two novels in recent years, one of which was chosen as “Book of the Month” by Germany’s biggest book club. He and his younger family live in Binissalem, Mallorca, and his eldest daughter lives in Dorset.
I looked at this as a lawyer and read all the fine print in the offer and on the legal page. I also looked you up in the company register for Delaware. I am satisfied with your offer which is why I bought two vouchers. Good luck.
Tom Donnelly, Bethesda, MD
Thank you for this chance. As teachers we could never afford to buy one of these villas, but now we can hope to win one ... and we'll see you in your beautiful hotel next month.
Amanda Fletcher, Bradford, Yorks
Scott Properties, Inc.
We are a Delaware, USA company that has been operating hotels and restaurants since 1987. You aren't dealing with an unknown company hiding somewhere in never-never land on the Internet - we're hotels you can look up in all the good guidebooks, visit and stay in, check us out as people, share a drink, pet the hotel cat.
Or you can go online to www.amazon.co.uk and look up The Chewed Caucasian or The Bloody Bokhara, two of my mystery novels set in the hotels.
I only mention them to point out that we live our lives in the full light of public scrutiny.
We've spent many years living ordinary but fruitful lives running our businesses and raising our family. We'd like to think that gives us some dimension of credibility. |
