Resort fees for exchanging?!

tc · Feb 5, 2016

Has anyone noticed the tendency of some resorts to charge resort fees if you exchange into them. This seems to go against the spirit of timeshare exchanging. Am I wrong to feel this way?

For example exchanger's resort fees :
Los Abrigados (Sedona,AZ) $15/ day, $17 with tax!
Channel Islands Shores(Oxnard,CA) $13/day.
Polo Towers (Las Vegas,NV) $20+tax=$22.40/day!

:annoyed:

DeniseM · Feb 5, 2016

No one likes these fees, but it's not unusual. Many resorts now charge resorts fees, and many local and state governments now charge taxes.

jancpa · Feb 5, 2016

Manhattan Club - 38.50 per day collected at check in.

tschwa2 · Feb 5, 2016

At least some of those are DRI. Not only do they have some of the highest management fees in the industry, they also add resort fees to exchange reservations. As long as I have a choice of places to stay I try to skip DRI due to the added fees.

presley · Feb 5, 2016

tc said:
Has anyone noticed the tendency of some resorts to charge resort fees if you exchange into them. This seems to go against the spirit of timeshare exchanging. Am I wrong to feel this way?

I agree with you for the most part. Grand Pacific Resorts charges resort fees for all of their resorts. I attend the annual HOA meetings and learned at one of those that they charge exchangers to keep the MFs down for owners. So, while I don't like to pay as an exchanger, I also don't want my fees higher than they already are as an owner.

missyrcrews · Feb 5, 2016

I paid over $200 to Grand Summit/Sunday River a couple of summers ago, for housekeeping. I let housekeeping in once. The fee couldn't be declined. When I inquired, it was because owners wanted to keep their fees down. I won't be going back....those owners can have at it.

Passepartout · Feb 5, 2016

Yup. Additional fees, and less desirable unit locations are about par for the course for exchanging.

Once again... one of the first adages we've all heard on TUG, said, and passed on....If you really want to go to a certain resort in a certain season, in a certain unit, BUY IT.

Jim

pedro47 · Feb 5, 2016

I bet you cannot find this added collection fee on any resort budget; as a savings to the owners or the HOA? Where is this line item on the resort budget.

csxjohn · Feb 5, 2016

missyrcrews said:
I paid over $200 to Grand Summit/Sunday River a couple of summers ago, for housekeeping. I let housekeeping in once. The fee couldn't be declined. When I inquired, it was because owners wanted to keep their fees down. I won't be going back....those owners can have at it.

I just stayed at a DRI resort in Scottsdale and was not charged the resort fee as an exchanger.

WinniWoman · Feb 5, 2016

missyrcrews said:
I paid over $200 to Grand Summit/Sunday River a couple of summers ago, for housekeeping. I let housekeeping in once. The fee couldn't be declined. When I inquired, it was because owners wanted to keep their fees down. I won't be going back....those owners can have at it.

Wow! Is that for fixed week owner exchanges as well, or points owners? I won't be exchanging into any resort if it has an additional fee. Good thing I rarely exchange anymore.

Getting ridiculous.

pchung6 · Feb 5, 2016

Last night, I almost traded into Ka'anapali Beach Club until I saw there is $25 daily resort fee + tax will apply. I believe Ka'anapali Beach Club is DRI? I would not even consider any of the resorts charging additional fee.

My question is how can exchange companies like II or RCI to allow this to happen? It is just losing the purpose of timeshare since we all pay MF to our home resorts.

tschwa2 · Feb 5, 2016

I think at the Hawaiian DRI resorts the fee includes parking. Most big name TS;s in Hawaii charge for parking if you don't own in that system. The parking fee I believe was in the neighborhood of $20 a day. So if you will have a car then it really isn't that much more then exchanging for a Marriott or Westin. If you don't have a car then it makes a big difference.

lily28 · Feb 5, 2016

I don't get charged a parking fee at hilton at big island or marriott or westin in maui as an exchanger.

thickey · Feb 5, 2016

It would be nice if I.I. would add an indicator to let potential exchangers know if the resort charges additional fees of their own. Like the all-inclusive indicator they show for those resorts that charge for all-inclusive plans.

tschwa2 · Feb 5, 2016

lily28 said:
I don't get charged a parking fee at hilton at big island or marriott or westin in maui as an exchanger.

I didn't know about Hilton. I am not surprised by Westin because you own Starwood. I am surprised about Marriott because I thought they charged non Marriott owners for parking.

pchung6 · Feb 5, 2016

tschwa2 said:
I didn't know about Hilton. I am not surprised by Westin because you own Starwood. I am surprised about Marriott because I thought they charged non Marriott owners for parking.

I was at Marriott Ko Olina last year via II exchange. I wasn't charged for parking fee.

tschwa2 · Feb 5, 2016

Did you own Marriott when you went? I did but now I don't. I think they are supposed to charge non Marriott timeshare owners (and in fact the note on the II exchange confirmation indicates they will) but it seems like they don't always enforce that.

pchung6 · Feb 5, 2016

tschwa2 said:
Did you own Marriott when you went? I did but now I don't. I think they are supposed to charge non Marriott timeshare owners (and in fact the note on the II exchange confirmation indicates they will) but it seems like they don't always enforce that.

No, I exchanged to MKO using SVV last year. They mentioned nothing about parking fee when I checked in. They did say II exchange only gets 5th floor or lower, however they honor the oceanview code and gave me 12th floor as we were very polite to the receptionists from beginning.

saabman · Feb 5, 2016

No resort fee at the Marriott in Breckenridge CO. Gave it to my son and his friends for a week on the cheap . . . for them.

dioxide45 · Feb 5, 2016

Most of the Marriott resorts treat exchangers the same as owners. I know Beach Place towers is a notable exception. They even charge other Marriott owners exchanging in the daily parking fee.

I don't like these fees either and I don't agree that they should be used to help bring MFs down. Isn't that the purpose of exchanging? You are exchanging your property for another? Why should exchangers pay your MFs? They are already paying their own.

missyrcrews · Feb 5, 2016

mpumilia said:
Wow! Is that for fixed week owner exchanges as well, or points owners? I won't be exchanging into any resort if it has an additional fee. Good thing I rarely exchange anymore.

Getting ridiculous.

Fixed week exchanges...we stayed the entire week. The fee is stated in the RCI "need to know" section. It appeared there AFTER I'd already exchanged, and of course, there weren't any other options in Maine by the time it appeared. Like I said, we won't ever go back. I don't mind a small fee for activities/etc, because we tend to use those things...but that was a lot of money for something I didn't use.

csxjohn · Feb 6, 2016

This subject comes up once in a while and I am also opposed to this policy. You should get what I get when you come to mine and I should get what you get when going to yours.

I have complained to my HOA about that policy at my resort. As owners we get an amenities package for free which includes bicycles, beach umbrellas & chairs and boogie boards.

Renters and exchangers are charged twenty some dollars per week per unit but only if they want to use them. They can also get those amenities by the day if they wish.

I will continue to campaign against this police but I'm in the minority on that one.

Sugarcubesea · Feb 6, 2016

I was going to exchange into KBC until I saw I was going to have to pay $25 per day...

lily28 · Feb 6, 2016

tschwa2 said:
I didn't know about Hilton. I am not surprised by Westin because you own Starwood. I am surprised about Marriott because I thought they charged non Marriott owners for parking.

The first time in Marriot Maui, I was not a owner. I was an Marriot owner but not Maui owner when I stayed last year at MOC. I was not charged parking fee both time

stonebroke · Feb 6, 2016

On Being Fair and How we would like to be treated.

I don't want my resort charging exchange guests extra fees and I don't like to go to a resort that charges me extra fees. If the resort is doing it to keep the MF down for owners that is even more egregious. RCI should enforce that an exchange is exchange without any extra fees (but they don't). One thing I do is if they charge an extra fee I refuse to rate the resort as high as might and I write the reason in...maybe if every exchanger would do the same... the resort might lose a notch or two in its precious Goldor Silver Crown or Hospitality Rating and or lose some exhange trading power and the HOA might wake up and make it fair for all and treat their "GUESTS" as they do their owners.

Resort fees for exchanging?!

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