Los Altos Resort Complex Starts Final Phase

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-A chance meeting here has led to an exclusive listing for the final phase of “Los Altos,” a beachfront vacation enclave whose units are being offered for as much as $1.4 million. Located at the renowned Casa de Campo resort, the 84-unit complex will feature a mix of flats, lofts and villas up to 4,000 sf, says broker Ralph Trionfo, president of New York City-based Upside Ventures.

“I’ve got a winner,” Trionfo proclaims to GlobeSt.com. The listing is being used to launch a new group for his firm, an operation which heretofore has focused on commercial real estate in the northeast corridor from New England to Philadelphia. The broker’s first encounter with Los Altos principal Willy Bermello of BAP Development was when the latter needed New York office space to service an assignment upgrading the region’s cruise ship terminals. The happenstance encounter came in the Caribbean when Trionfo was visiting his homeland earlier this year and ran into the apparently satisfied client.

Upside International is being created to handle the global reach of Upside Ventures, and one strategy is to encourage prospects to visit the inaugural property. But the initial encounter can occur stateside, explains Trionfo, who will host high-end marketing sessions at Upside’s offices, located in an art gallery on Madison Avenue. Materials being used in the project will be on hand, and other techniques will be employed to provide an advance vision of the development. “Buyers of this caliber are really looking for an experience, and we can provide it to them right here,” he says. “Our office is very conducive to that sort of presentation.”