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Royal Resorts Signature Club?

moonlightgraham

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Yesterday I received the below mailing from RR regarding a new Signature Club product. The wording is very vague so I dismissed it as a scam until I received the same in an email from RR today. Anyone have info on what this is?

Dear Royal Resorts Members and Friends,

Within the next few weeks, we’re going to bring you news of exciting changes that are coming to Royal Resorts. We’ll be announcing our revolutionary Royal Resorts Signature Club and inviting you to become part of this exclusive leisure and lifestyle club that will enhance your Royal Resorts membership and change the way you live and play.

As part of this new program, all of our valued members will be automatically entitled to complimentary new membership benefits. Due to the demand this new effort will place on our operations, we will introduce a new process to ensure that we provide you with the service excellence you have come to expect. All members will be required to attend a presentation so enrollment in the new program can take place. We will be providing a schedule of the available dates and times and will invite you to reserve your appointment in advance. Every sales executive has been fully briefed on the advantages of the new Royal Resorts Signature Club and each one is eager to help you determine how you can use Signature Club to maximize the ways in which it benefits you. Service is our number one priority and we want to make sure that we provide you with the best attention possible.

These forthcoming enhancements will make your vacation even better than ever and we feel certain you’ll want to take advantage of them. We can’t wait to tell you about it!

Thanks so much for your continued involvement in Royal Resorts. Here’s to many more years of wonderful vacation experiences!
 

pjrose

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I just came here to try to find out. After all, TUG is supposed to be the source of all knowledge :)
 

sstug

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I got preview on this last December since I am long time friends with one of the guys in sales. I know it's real, but honestly I didn't retain any of the details. It's supposed to allow you to use points of some kind for shopping, book travel, pay maintenance fee, etc. Since it was still in the development phase I didn't pay too much attention, but was interested to know there were new ideas in the works. My understanding is that the villas that have been returned to The Royals for any reason (default or just given back) for some reason could not be offered in the regular pool of available units. I don't remember if they could not be given to II for getaways, or could not be put into the ISCO rental pool, but they were somehow classified differently and RR could not make any money off of them (and were bringing in no maintenance fees). I think this program will somehow allow them to make these units available for rent or exchange. Please don't hold me to any of these details since they are from memory (and my memory barely works on a good day). I do hope this program offers something for members and management. I'll be back in Cancun soon and am looking forward to getting all the details then. This is definitely related to a survey some of us received last year asking about what we would be interested in (different levels, etc) which I completed but didn't put much value in (and again don't remember anything about it).
 

sdcantrn

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Hope it's better than their all-inlcusive options!

I am also an owner at the Sands. We have always gone during our week 41 in October until last year. Airfare and kids now in school has prevented us from going. The last few years we did go, I ended up splitting my unit and trading the lock off portion for the entire villa the same week. Getaways have been offered for half of the maintenance fees the last few years. It's frustrating as an owner. I haven't read anything good on their new all-inclusive plans either. We have just done another late deposit exchange for an entire villa at the end of June. Both the Sands and the Haciendas were available, but I chose the Haciendas to test it out. We have been there for a day and think the units are nicer than the Sands but I'm hoping we won't feel too remote. I'll take advantage of my owner "benefit" and opt out of their all-inclusive plan. If this Signature Club is in place by then, I'll report back. If it's another points based deal that you get by referring friends, I'm not interested.
 

jasm

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This letter was all too vague and mysterious for my liking. I'm going to be on a well deserved, much needed vacation during my two weeks. I don't appreciate being told I am 'required to attend' a presentation. The only appointments I want to have to make time for are my massages at the spa! Royal Resorts should provide all the details of this membership in an email, up front and with clarity. I'll decide if I want to spend my vacation time attending a presentation or enrolling in anything.
 

Phydeaux

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This letter was all too vague and mysterious for my liking. I'm going to be on a well deserved, much needed vacation during my two weeks. I don't appreciate being told I am 'required to attend' a presentation. The only appointments I want to have to make time for are my massages at the spa! Royal Resorts should provide all the details of this membership in an email, up front and with clarity. I'll decide if I want to spend my vacation time attending a presentation or enrolling in anything.

Couldn't have said it better myself. A rather poorly written and ill conceived 'launch' of another program. I took strong exception to the bit about "required" meeting.

Overall, a bit embarrassing. I don't know all of the details, but my intestines tell me this is yet another attempt to rescue the RR's. Sure wish they'd listen to some of the viable suggestions provided to them from their members. Reminds me too much of businesses that are directed by people behind desks that choose to never listen to their own employees or worse, customers.
 

pjrose

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This letter was all too vague and mysterious for my liking. I'm going to be on a well deserved, much needed vacation during my two weeks. I don't appreciate being told I am 'required to attend' a presentation. The only appointments I want to have to make time for are my massages at the spa! Royal Resorts should provide all the details of this membership in an email, up front and with clarity. I'll decide if I want to spend my vacation time attending a presentation or enrolling in anything.

Precisely.
 

BoaterMike

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Sometimes I think it's a matter of keeping up with the Jones, I mean Marriott. :D

Mike
 

ilene13

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We got the email. During week 13 we were told that the program would allow you to buy things, make airline reservations, etc. you would then earn points based on what you bought. It sounded like the RR version of the shopping network. The points could be used for MF, expenses while at the RR, tours etc. we are not using our week 45 this year so we won't be back until next spring. So from the sounds of the email, we will not be able to enroll, if we choose to, until next year!
 

X-ring

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we were told that the program would allow you to buy things, make airline reservations, etc. you would then earn points based on what you bought. ... The points could be used for MF, expenses while at the RR, tours etc.

Pretty well the understanding that I got in February.
 

tschwa2

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From the moment the news came that the Royals were changing to RCI, I thought it was going to come in as a RCI points only resort. It seems like I might have been wrong but RCI marketing sells heavily to resorts that conversion allows the resorts to get money out of current owners basically to sell them what they already own, allowing the HOA or Developer to keep a majority of the profits. Maybe it is a slightly different program than straight out RCI points but Royals Select Club sounds very similar.
 

Phydeaux

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On further reflection, I find this letter demeaning.

For a management executive to distribute a message as ill-conceived and vague as this, and then accompany it with a "requirement" for members is downright insulting.

Are there *that* many member defaults that management feels another program is necessary to stay afloat? Or, have management salaries exceeded their budget, given reduced income from defaults? Can't swing it on the existing inflow of member maintenance fees, although many villas are vacant? Again, hotels and AI's would give anything for that luxury!

In any case, where exactly are these funds being appropriated? AI program and now this one. We can't count on our "advisory committee" to shed any light. Odds of seeing Sasquatch or an alien abduction are many times greater than hearing a word from our representatives....Nor are these monies revealed on the budget.

Can we just have our resort back when management listened to their members, and had business savvy? This is getting scary, and sad.
 
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ilene13

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I'm with you on that. Let's hope that RR actually surprises us and rolls out a favorable program.

Mike

From what we were told it will be a way for owners to spend money on stuff that they would buy anyway but it would give them points to use for RR things-- maintenance, food etc. They said that prices would be comparable or less than other places ie. Amazon. Only time will tell. I do not believe in the conspiracy theory, that others talk about, that the RR is out to " get" the owners!
 

jasm

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On further reflection, I find this letter demeaning.


In any case, where exactly are these funds being appropriated? AI program and now this one. We can't count on our "advisory committee" to shed any light. Odds of seeing Sasquatch or an alien abduction are many times greater than hearing a word from our representatives....Nor are these monies revealed on the budget.


The so-called "advisory committee" is not a board of directors. They have no power, and no legal standing to vote against or for any changes or policies of the management. There is no one who represents the interests of the owners that has any such power. For all we know they were completely against the AI program, and this new one too. Beyond having an audience in management to express their views, their opinions carry no weight.
 

Phydeaux

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The so-called "advisory committee" is not a board of directors. They have no power, and no legal standing to vote against or for any changes or policies of the management. There is no one who represents the interests of the owners that has any such power. For all we know they were completely against the AI program, and this new one too. Beyond having an audience in management to express their views, their opinions carry no weight.

I'm well aware of this. What I wrote was "We can't count on our "advisory committee" to shed any light. Thus to your point, the Advisory Committee is a useless charade.

My point being, we can't even count on RR members that attend the annual Advisory Committee meeting to shed any light, i.e. keep us informed. The Advisory Committee being comprised of RR members that are hand selected by management, and are rewarded to attend the meeting since their villa is provided at no charge. I'm sure they keep them fat and happy too.
 

Gussie

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Given the timing, I agree with the poster who suggested this is related to the RCI membership plan. We were last told that will roll out in May.
 

pjrose

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It sounds to me like they may be expanding and publicizing the points program they already have. For decades they've pushed various programs that are affiliated with Royal Resorts - Life Extension, the emergency air lift program, and others. Don't purchases of these plus whatever we spend while at the resorts add up to the points that we can already use for paying maintenance fees?
 

ilene13

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It sounds to me like they may be expanding and publicizing the points program they already have. For decades they've pushed various programs that are affiliated with Royal Resorts - Life Extension, the emergency air lift program, and others. Don't purchases of these plus whatever we spend while at the resorts add up to the points that we can already use for paying maintenance fees?

Yes, and from what we were told week 13 it is a program for owners to buy things and rack up points. I wish everyone would stop making judgements on the unknown and wait until we see a roll out! Everyone is not out to get us.
 

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Royal Resorts Signature Club

Does any one know what the royal resorts signature club is going to be in cancun. got an email last week and have not heard anything about it before. Still waiting to find out what happens with the royal mayan as well. thanks
 

buceo

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Seems to me a company could set up a timeshare trading program that trades timeshare weeks for things other than timeshare weeks, why not? Or an existing timeshare exchange like RCI could do it themselves.

Seems too a timeshare company could set up an on line web portal and be able to offer sellers a pool of people who vacation travel as a large customer base to whom they offer discounts. Said ordering then earns points toward MFs.

Seems all this could be totally optional, if it doesn't sound interesting don't even read the new program announcements, no worries.

Won't hear it first hand until next winter ourselves.
 
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