# Resort fee at Massanutten effective 6/29/18 :(



## missyrcrews

Received the following from RCI this afternoon:


Dear RCI Member:


We have some important information to share concerning your upcoming vacation to THE SUMMIT AT MASSANUTTEN.


*The staff at THE SUMMIT AT MASSANUTTEN has notified us that effective June 29th 2018, there will be a Resort Amenities Fee collected at check in. Amenities fee varies from $10.00 to $20.00 per unit per night. Please call 540-289-9441 for details.*


I'll give them a call to see what that amenities fee gets me.  Sigh.  We had planned to purchase activities passes anyway.  I've had this reservation almost 2 years, so I'm not cancelling it.  Too bad that so many resorts are moving toward these fees.


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## tschwa2

I just received the email too.  I have a feeling that they are being influence by their affiliation with Vacation Villages which has been charging the $25 weekly fee for the last several years.  My guess is that nothing that wasn't free prior to June 29 will be included in the fee.  The annoying thing is these charges are 100% covered by MF at least for this year.  There was nothing in the budget saying that half way through the year additional funding for internet, pool use, etc would be coming in.  If this is like the Vacation Village fee it will apply to both owners and exchangers staying at Massanutten and will go right into the pocket of management.


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## Free2Roam

If they implement this at Woodstone it will put an end to our annual Feb-Mar group ski trip. We usually get 15-20 units from RCI last calls or extra vacation sales. Adding $70-140 to each unit will be a no-go.


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## tschwa2

FreeIn2010 said:


> If they implement this at Woodstone it will put an end to our annual Feb-Mar group ski trip. We usually get 15-20 units from RCI last calls or extra vacation sales. Adding $70-140 to each unit will be a no-go.


I had read it as $10-$20 per week per unit.  After seeing your post I see it is per night.  Per week is a nuisance, per night is just ridiculous.


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## bbodb1

Since you had the reservation prior to this change, have you called the resort to see if they would waive this fee?

It's worth a call...


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## poorguy

I received the same.  Considering this wasn’t there when I booked my exchange this is frustrating.  We are going next month and at this point making other plans would be difficult plus not even worth it as I would lose the RCI fees anyway.  From what I see most of the activities cost a fee and it isn’t exactly cheap to begin with.


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## Panina

missyrcrews said:


> Received the following from RCI this afternoon:
> 
> 
> Dear RCI Member:
> 
> 
> We have some important information to share concerning your upcoming vacation to THE SUMMIT AT MASSANUTTEN.
> 
> 
> *The staff at THE SUMMIT AT MASSANUTTEN has notified us that effective June 29th 2018, there will be a Resort Amenities Fee collected at check in. Amenities fee varies from $10.00 to $20.00 per unit per night. Please call 540-289-9441 for details.*
> 
> 
> I'll give them a call to see what that amenities fee gets me.  Sigh.  We had planned to purchase activities passes anyway.  I've had this reservation almost 2 years, so I'm not cancelling it.  Too bad that so many resorts are moving toward these fees.


Being you have to pay for activity passes, this is unfair for a trade. Let us know what they tell say you get for the fee.


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## Ricci

I received the email as well.  We have reservations at Regal Vistas, and of course this fee was not part of the exchange.  I  tried to call the number they give for any questions...I hung up after being on hold for 45 minutes.   Great job Massanutten.....You just shot yourself in the foot.   This is NOT a high end resort and it has a ton of availability.  There is going to be a LOT more availability after this.  I have to keep this reservation, but I will never go back.


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## kwelty

FreeIn2010 said:


> If they implement this at Woodstone it will put an end to our annual Feb-Mar group ski trip. We usually get 15-20 units from RCI last calls or extra vacation sales. Adding $70-140 to each unit will be a no-go.



You may want to try Mountainside Villas, they are independent of the Masssanutten developer and have a very good HOA and management company.  Their units while dated, are the biggest at Massanutten.


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## dominidude

The only reason I have considered  going to this resort is  because it's cheap. 
I'm guessing other people might find this resort provides value in another way,  but I'm hard pressed to think of it. Perhaps they'll use these fees to lower other fees. If so, the fee might be a good idea. If this is just a money grab,  I can see this back firing big time, mainly because it's a big fee.


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## tschwa2

Or they might put the money straight to the sales force to use it to pressure RCI guests to attend the presentation.  Water park tickets plus a refund of the resort fees.  This will really mess with those who are ineligible to attend presentation- travel without spouse, bankruptcy, doesn't speak enough English, etc.


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## Miss Marty

*
As of June 20th, 2018
RCI - Website - Search 

Massanutten Resorts

Select: 
*
The Summit at Massanutten (#3640)

Woodstone at Massanutten (#5711)

Regal Vistas at Massanutten ( # C152 )


*Look under Fees *
You will see the following statement

Resort Fees:

Resort amenities fee is 10.00 to 20.00 U.S. dollars.
Cash or Credit is accepted.

Amenities fee varies from $10 to $20 per unit per night
Call 540-289-9441 for details.



It looks like we will not be depositing our Summit weeks
anymore to exchange into other areas of Massanutten.

We were just there about a month ago in a 4 bedroom
It was our (owner) week and there was no mention of
a resort fee.  Note: Security Deposit was $100 per unit

This is a joke to add $70 to $140 per week / per unit
Resort Fee to the increasing cost of RCI exchange fee.

Since so many Virginia timeshares have had success
collecting resort fees, I guess it was just a matter of
time before Massanutten started to charge a fee too.


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## dominidude

tschwa2 said:


> Or they might put the money straight to the sales force to use it to pressure RCI guests to attend the presentation.  Water park tickets plus a refund of the resort fees.  This will really mess with those who are ineligible to attend presentation- travel without spouse, bankruptcy, doesn't speak enough English, etc.


I think that at least some people who find this new fee worth paying for may not go to the presentations because they may value their time higher than what the resort could pay.
On the other hand, I see a lot of people,  including myself,  not going to massanutten anymore.
So, to me, it seems the sales staff will have quite fewer people interested  in their presentations.


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## bbodb1

I recall a past visit to Williamsburg was the first time I ever experienced an attempt to collect an activity fee.  I did not pay it then because it was not disclosed when I made the reservation.

Having said that, I've become more diligent with respect to checking a resort's fees prior to booking a stay (which should become part of the SOP when planning your next vacation stay).

The other issue here is what do you get for your activity fee?  It seems like some resorts are trying to collect activity fees for the same tired facilities they had previously.


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## tschwa2

If they started a resort shuttle and made the water park and golf greens free for everyone staying in the unit,  or at least gave you a 100%  resort credit that could be used for anything at MassanuttI might be ok with it.  I don't think they are adding anything.  I encourage everyone to complain on twitter, facebook, instagram, etc.


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## Panina

So many resorts are now charging these resort fees that many more are following thinking they can too.

Owners at these timeshare need to express their concern.  Trade value will diminish for owners as the demand to trade in will go down.  

If a timeshare is not high end or a high demand area traders will look at other choices.

Even demand for higher end timeshares are losing demand.  I noticed the Orlando prime winter weeks are abundant for hgvc in rci.  My guess is with their new resort fees and lots of other choices they are going elsewhere.


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## WinniWoman

Is this just for RCI (or other co.) exchanges? Not for owners who use their home week?

I believe Smugglers Notch has some kind of fee also for exchangers. It's getting bad with these resorts lately. What is the point of being an owner anymore? Might as well rent.


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## dominidude

There are other resorts in this area. We never considered them before but I think we might consider those now.


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## missyrcrews

mpumilia said:


> Is this just for RCI (or other co.) exchanges? Not for owners who use their home week?
> 
> I believe Smugglers Notch has some kind of fee also for exchangers. It's getting bad with these resorts lately. What is the point of being an owner anymore? Might as well rent.


We're at Smuggs now.  Smuggs didn't charge us for internet either this trip or the last one.  (They said that they don't charge RCI exchangers.)  I had to pay for the Smuggs Pass, of course...but didn't pay the "resort fee" because I'd held on to the RFID cards from last year.  The story I'd gotten last year was if we recycled those cards, we wouldn't have to pay for them again.  They just reloaded them at check in. 

I'll try to call Massanutten at some point soon.  We're on vacation...so not sure it will be this week.  Whatever the outcome, we'll keep this reservation.  BUT I'm pretty sure we won't be in a hurry to return.  And I'm for sure not wasting one minute of my vacation attending a presentation.

I agree with the statement made about the owners being the ones who can make change.


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## tschwa2

I am complaining full steam but I don't know if it will help.  Massanutten is 100% developer controlled.  There have been numerous little things that I have brought up and always been brushed aside.  I don't think they care if trading value in weeks tank because they are now selling rci points in 2 of those 3 sections and rci points values are set.  If trading value tanks it will be another selling point that owners should pay the $5000+ per week to convert to RCI points.


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## bluehende

tschwa2 said:


> I just received the email too.  I have a feeling that they are being influence by their affiliation with Vacation Villages which has been charging the $25 weekly fee for the last several years.  My guess is that nothing that wasn't free prior to June 29 will be included in the fee.  The annoying thing is these charges are 100% covered by MF at least for this year.  There was nothing in the budget saying that half way through the year additional funding for internet, pool use, etc would be coming in.  If this is like the Vacation Village fee it will apply to both owners and exchangers staying at Massanutten and will go right into the pocket of management.



We love Massanutten and usually get their once or twice a year.  I use last minute deals and our last one was a 99 dollar week through DAE.  You can imagine what a 140 dollar fee does to change my plans.  We spend money there that they will now not get.  I have a lot of options.  Massanutten was always at the top for us , but no more.  They could add value that would make this a wash, but I am not holding my breath.


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## bluehende

Ricci said:


> I received the email as well.  We have reservations at Regal Vistas, and of course this fee was not part of the exchange.  I  tried to call the number they give for any questions...I hung up after being on hold for 45 minutes.   Great job Massanutten.....You just shot yourself in the foot.   This is NOT a high end resort and it has a ton of availability.  There is going to be a LOT more availability after this.  I have to keep this reservation, but I will never go back.



This hits the nail on the head.  They are having trouble filling the resort so lets charge them more to come through the door.  I have been going for years and the resort has been slowly going downhill.  We love the mountain biking there so get value.  There is not shortage of timeshares in places with very good mountain biking.


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## Ricci

I just tried to call again six times.  They either don't answer or you are cut off .  Great management.


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## bluehende

Here is a note I just sent RCI

To whom it may concern;
    I would like to let you know why I just decided not to join RCI.  I am currently on vacation at my owned unit.  I was going to join RCI when I returned to take advantage of your last minute vacations as we are retired.  One of my main resorts to use was Massanutten.  I have been made aware today through TUG that there is now a fee of up to 140 dollars to use this resort.  That fee negates any value we had with being a member of RCI.  I will continue to rent timeshares through owners at this point.  If in the future this fee is ended please feel free to contact us and we will reconsider our decision.

Wayne


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## Ricci

I just tried calling again.  There are seven prompts for different departments.....I tried all of them and was cut off every time.


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## Miss Marty

Q:

Did anyone get a postcard from RCI/VV

Celebrate the Grand Opening of Vacation Village Resorts
newest propertiesin historic Williamsburg, VA with a
Complimentary Vacation at select Vacation Village Resorts!

As a valued Vacation Village Resorts and affiliates owner,
you are invited to enjoy acomplimentary one week stay
with no deposit or Points required
for only a $159 transaction fee.*
*
https://www.rci.com/pre-rci-en_US/landing/vacation-village-family-of-resorts.page*


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## bogey21

I can see it now.  Majors;i.e. Marriott, HGVC, Wyndham, etc. start charging non-owners a $25 per day "Amenities Fee" and agree to waive it if you agree to attend a Sales Pitch.  This would do two things.  First, it would be income from those who don't succumb and Second, it would save them the cost of gifts currently given out to entice attendance.

George


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## Free2Roam

I've received multiple emails with this offer





Miss Marty said:


> Q:
> 
> Did anyone get a postcard from RCI/VV
> 
> Celebrate the Grand Opening of Vacation Village Resorts
> newest propertiesin historic Williamsburg, VA with a
> Complimentary Vacation at select Vacation Village Resorts!
> 
> As a valued Vacation Village Resorts and affiliates owner,
> you are invited to enjoy acomplimentary one week stay
> with no deposit or Points required
> for only a $159 transaction fee.*
> *
> https://www.rci.com/pre-rci-en_US/landing/vacation-village-family-of-resorts.page*


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## dominidude

For what is worth, if you already had a booking before them announcing the fee hike, it seems one could allege that their fee doesn't apply it ln your situation because a booking is a contract that can't be materially changed after it's entered into.
That argument has gotten me the desired effect with 1 airline, a cruise, and at least two resorts.
I'm looking forward to making this argument during my reservation in January 2019.


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## Free2Roam

If anyone manages to get thru by phone... please ask if the daily fee is applied to all 7 days of a weekly reservation, even if you only stay 3 days. That's typically what we do when we get Last call and Extra vacation reservations.


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## WinniWoman

missyrcrews said:


> We're at Smuggs now.  Smuggs didn't charge us for internet either this trip or the last one.  (They said that they don't charge RCI exchangers.)  I had to pay for the Smuggs Pass, of course...but didn't pay the "resort fee" because I'd held on to the RFID cards from last year.  The story I'd gotten last year was if we recycled those cards, we wouldn't have to pay for them again.  They just reloaded them at check in.
> 
> I'll try to call Massanutten at some point soon.  We're on vacation...so not sure it will be this week.  Whatever the outcome, we'll keep this reservation.  BUT I'm pretty sure we won't be in a hurry to return.  And I'm for sure not wasting one minute of my vacation attending a presentation.
> 
> I agree with the statement made about the owners being the ones who can make change.




This interesting as us Smuggs owners have to pay for internet when we are there for our week or an exchange. How does this make any sense?


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## skew

I got through on the phone.  I was told that they will waive the fee for gold card holders(for now) and that they will charge me $58/unit for my exchange into Woodstone.  Same fee for the week that I own since I do not possess a gold card.  I will not be renewing my RCI membership and not spend the money I would have spent with them.  I will still enjoy my stay at my home resort and hope that they use the money to improve the property and amenities.  Still enjoy the mountains and quiet time with family.


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## Lisa P

Panina said:


> Trade value will diminish for owners as the demand to trade in will go down...
> Even demand for higher end timeshares are losing demand.  I noticed the Orlando prime winter weeks are abundant for hgvc in rci.  My guess is with their new resort fees and lots of other choices they are going elsewhere.


Absolutely.  We used to love the Orlando HGVC resorts.  Won't trade in now, sorry.  I'm sure there are many others like us.


mpumilia said:


> I believe Smugglers Notch has some kind of fee also for exchangers. It's getting bad with these resorts lately. What is the point of being an owner anymore? Might as well rent.


Hasn't Smuggs had a resort/activity fee for exchangers for a long time, under the original developer?  I'm pretty sure we considered trading in many years ago but we were put off by that fee.

Now, on the Wyndham resort webpage for Smuggs, it says "A resort fee is required at check-in for use on on-site resort facilities" but I don't see the amount.  Is this for the resort fee or the amenities?

In RCI, it says, "Effective Friday, April 28, 2017 there is a mandatory Club Card Fee per stay, based on unit size confirmed. Fee ranges from $20 to $50 U.S. dollars." and "Optional Resort Amenities Fee: The fee is not mandatory to check in, but must be paid to access many of the on-site amenities. Visit www.smuggs.com for Smuggs Pass information and prices."
So there's a mandatory Club Card resort fee and an optional Smuggs Pass amenities fee.  Think we need to make things a bit more complicated?! 



tschwa2 said:


> ...Massanutten... I don't think they care if trading value in weeks tank because they are now selling rci points in 2 of those 3 sections and rci points values are set.  If trading value tanks it will be another selling point that owners should pay the $5000+ per week to convert to RCI points.


RCI's contract with a resort or system is time-limited.  If trading value tanks, it will impact the resort's renewal contract negotiations in a few years.


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## tschwa2

skew said:


> I got through on the phone.  I was told that they will waive the fee for gold card holders(for now) and that they will charge me $58/unit for my exchange into Woodstone.  Same fee for the week that I own since I do not possess a gold card.  I will not be renewing my RCI membership and not spend the money I would have spent with them.  I will still enjoy my stay at my home resort and hope that they use the money to improve the property and amenities.  Still enjoy the mountains and quiet time with family.


I have contacted the local Harrisonburg news and continue to post on their facebook page.  I encourage owners especially non gold card holders to also contact their HOA's.  I am hoping to get the fee rescinding for all those who booked prior to the announcement and hopefully get the fees reduced or eliminated for future bookings.


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## WinniWoman

Lisa P said:


> Absolutely.  We used to love the Orlando HGVC resorts.  Won't trade in now, sorry.  I'm sure there are many others like us.
> 
> Hasn't Smuggs had a resort/activity fee for exchangers for a long time, under the original developer?  I'm pretty sure we considered trading in many years ago but we were put off by that fee.
> 
> Now, on the Wyndham resort webpage for Smuggs, it says "A resort fee is required at check-in for use on on-site resort facilities" but I don't see the amount.  Is this for the resort fee or the amenities?
> 
> In RCI, it says, "Effective Friday, April 28, 2017 there is a mandatory Club Card Fee per stay, based on unit size confirmed. Fee ranges from $20 to $50 U.S. dollars." and "Optional Resort Amenities Fee: The fee is not mandatory to check in, but must be paid to access many of the on-site amenities. Visit www.smuggs.com for Smuggs Pass information and prices."
> So there's a mandatory Club Card resort fee and an optional Smuggs Pass amenities fee.  Think we need to make things a bit more complicated?!
> 
> 
> RCI's contract with a resort or system is time-limited.  If trading value tanks, it will impact the resort's renewal contract negotiations in a few years.




There is a lot of confusion at Smuggs between the resort fee and the activity fee. It’s gotten so convoluted I can’t even begin to tell you.


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## missyrcrews

UPDATE:  Just got off the phone with Massanutten.  Yes..all the "Free" things are covered under that fee.  Pools/rec center/hiking trails/etc.  BUT...the price they quoted was $9.99/unit/day or $54 for the week.  Huh.  Will be interesting to see what I actually pay when we show up in August.


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## Free2Roam

That's just ridiculous


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## poorguy

Thanks for those that have called and posted about it.  I haven’t had the time to try and call.  They seemed to have deleted my post on their Facebook page where I asked if the fee applied since I made my reservation months ago when it didn’t exist.  I will try again I guess.  I note the fine print on my RCI confirmation says resort fees are subject to change without notice.  So I guess that gives them the ability to do this.  

The tone and content of their replies on Facebook about this seem to indicate this is all about them wanting you to buy directly from them to be an owner.  

Maybe it’s just me but I would never buy from a company that operates this way.  Or exchange into again for that matter.  This will be my first and last trip here.


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## Lovinglife_30

I sent an message via fb to Massanutten this afternoon.  Here is the conversation. Excuse the grammar I was talking to type on my phone.

If you are a gold card owner, we will waive the fee for you!

That is not the point, if I exchange my week into RCI whom ever rents my week will get charged which increases their fees and vacation. There fore making Massanutten higher for the same services that used to be free.




In order to offer world class amenities and facilities for our guests, we have associated a nominal usage fee. This fee will cover admittance to the rec facilities along with a few other items on the property. This fee is common throughout the resort industry and our price point is well below the industry average of $18-23 per day assessed at many other resorts. Our management teams are well versed with the new fee and will be glad to assist you if you'd like to voice concern over this change. The 540-289-9441 number is experiencing a high call volume and patience will be greatly appreciated as we respond to every call that we can.




We don't anticipate any reduction in your trading power through RCI


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## Lovinglife_30

I am off course still concerned about the fee and will be writing the HOA as well.


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## Panina

Lovinglife_30 said:


> “ This fee is common throughout the resort industry and our price point is well below the industry average of $18-23 per day assessed at many other resorts.”



Says it all where the timeshare industry is going with trading.  The thought is they do so we can.  I believe this will just continue to expand among the timeshares.

Being a hgvc member I am not happy that they added the resort fee either.

I use to trade most of my weeks 14, now I am down to 3, the rest I use. I changed my portfolio to save the always increasing fees.

 Has to be hurting  rci, II, etc.  Only they can stop it by telling member resorts they cannot be members with added fees but they probably won’t being afraid the resort will go to the competition. Penny wise dollar foolish.


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## silentg

Panina said:


> Being you have to pay for activity passes, this is unfair for a trade. Let us know what they tell say you get for the fee.


How come RCI doesn’t contact the resort to find this out and let you know? Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be handled?


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## Miss Marty

MASSANUTTEN RESORT

NEW! Amazon Fire TV Stick rental

The Televisions in some/most of The Summit
units are old and dated and still have CD/VCR
combo players. Most units don`t have DVD
or Blu-Raywith HDMI or USB so now you can 
rent an Amazon Fire TV Stick from The Market
for only $15 for 2 nights or $25 for 4 days!


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## tschwa2

It seems like Massanutten turned off the ability to write posts or respond to posts.


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## Miss Marty

Massanutten Resort

The Business Center is no longer

on the lower level of the Woodstone building
As of 2018 The Business Center is currently
located in a small room in The Market Building
It features _2 old computers and 2 old printers
_
You have to ask for printer paper
The first 10 pages are free

Restrooms and Parking are available

Massanutten Resort consists of 2,218 units and
180 rooms in a variety of building sizes and styles


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## WinniWoman

BTW- that free WIFI for RCI exchangers into Smugglers Notch was just a special program they offered for RCI guests during the month of June this year.


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## Ricci

After being on hold for nearly 30 minutes, I finally got through to the switchboard at Massanutten.  The resort fee is $54/week and doesn't include anything extra...... basically everything that was free previous to June 29 is now $54.  I questioned why they are doing this and was told that they are catching up on the 21st century.
The cost is $54 per 2 bdrm unit.   Like I said previously, this is not a high end resort and although I have to keep this reservation......I definitely will NOT go back again.


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## tschwa2

Ricci said:


> After being on hold for nearly 30 minutes, I finally got through to the switchboard at Massanutten.  The resort fee is $54/week and doesn't include anything extra...... basically everything that was free previous to June 29 is now $54.  I questioned why they are doing this and was told that they are catching up on the 21st century.
> The cost is $54 per 2 bdrm unit.   Like I said previously, this is not a high end resort and although I have to keep this reservation......I definitely will NOT go back again.



They are catching up with the 21st century by double charging.  Owners pay a recreation facility charge of about $50 as part of the MF's.  I think Great Eastern (the developer actually owns them) and then sets the budget as to what to charge owners as part of the MF's each year.  Regular owners get rec passes when staying at Massanutten as do exchangers.  Gold card owners traditional had use of the facilities 365 even when not staying on site.  Problem Massanutten has is that probably 1/3 of the the 104,000 units (2000 times 52) are either developer owned or in the hands of non paying owners.  For every 3 owner unit deposited in RCI, there probably is 1 units deposited by the developer.  Massanutten is tired of paying and giving away so many units- (much like Vidanta).  Unfortunately they don't discriminate between the 2 owner deposits that are exchanged for and already fully paid and the one where the developer paid all the fees. If they are giving away the units to rci, they want something in return.

Unfortunately their back room deal with RCI probably includes a minimum number of annual units that they need to deposit in order to get the trading power they do.  But what they need to do is to ramp up their own rental business to cover the fees to pay for those facilities.  Problem is most off season weeks would rent for less than MF.  To keep up the fiction that being an owner is better than being a rental-(the developer makes money on sales much more so than management fees) and if they rented for less than MF that fiction would be too transparent.  They need RCI to get rid of a bunch of inventory and they need to find a way to monetize the process for themselves -hence the fees.  It just skrews over those wanting an equal trade into owner inventory.  And it is a big skrew up to implement it mid year without more notice to those who exchanged and rented from rci without the notice that the fee would apply.


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## Miss Marty

*

Massanutten Resort should post copies of their by-laws and addendum on their
website or at least send a copy to a person (owners/exchangers) upon request. 

That way people (Massanutten owners/RCI exchangers) will know whats
new and how management made their decisions and if/when new policies
such as the new Massanutten "Resort Fees" are/were made and when they
go into effect and how the new (daily/weekly) resort fees are collected. 

There are so many unanswered  questions...  Will owners exchanging back
in have to pay the resort fee - is it just for RCI weeks exchangers - or will
RCI points exchangers have to pay.  Companies should post their policies.

An _addendum _is an additional item, usually to a document or book.
Commonly it includes omissions or other missing material from the original.

If this is the new norm, I would like to see a per person fee for use only
not a fee collected for something someone may or may not use during
their stay at Timeshare Resorts such as Massanutten Resort in Virginia.


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## missyrcrews

mpumilia said:


> BTW- that free WIFI for RCI exchangers into Smugglers Notch was just a special program they offered for RCI guests during the month of June this year.[/QUOT
> Guess I lucked out twice, then.  I got the same story last August.    Didn't pay either time.


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## arlock

I got the same email for a trip at the end of July that had been booked in January without any mention of this fee.  Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? 

Talk to customer service at Massanutten by phone ahead of time? Loud argument while in line checking in? Take it like a man?  

I am a RCI exchanger, so threats of never coming back are as effective as threatening an armed robber with a feather duster.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Heron

kwelty said:


> You may want to try Mountainside Villas, they are independent of the Masssanutten developer and have a very good HOA and management company.  Their units while dated, are the biggest at Massanutten.


The fee also aplies to Mountainside Villas.


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## bluehende

Heron said:


> The fee also aplies to Mountainside Villas.


That is a big darn.


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## tschwa2

The problem is the developer kept control of all of the recreational facilities.  So instead of it being shared (and paid) in common with the full time home oweners and the 7 timeshare HOA's, The developer pays for them and then each year they would charge access fee to the various HOA's.   This has always covered all year for the full time home owners and their renters and guests,  use during occupancy periods for owners and RCI guests and all year access to gold card owners- those that bought at least one unit direct from Massanutten.  Since it is great Eastern denying entry to the facilities for RCI exchangers there isn't anything that the independent board at Mountainside can do.  The other timeshare boards are fully controlled by Great Eastern. Mountainside might be able to make the fee voluntary  for RCI exchangers but that would mean no access to any pools, playgrounds, tennis courts, rec centers, etc.


----------



## arlock

So I have managed to talk to people both at RCI and Massanutten.  RCI has no control over what Massanutten says and does. RCI further stated that they had spoken to Massanutten management and the fees will stay, even for those who exchanged months ago. Massanutten states that RCI approved the fees.

Big old circle where they each refer you to the other one. And each says there is nothing you or they can do about it.  Obviously, RCI will not refund points and exchange fee. Massanutten won't let us in without paying the fee that was just now created. I'm not too keen on losing $800.00 more or less (Exchange fee and value of points) by just staying home.  

What is my probability of success if I were to seek a chargeback after the fact.  Any other ideas?


----------



## tschwa2

RCI says they have no control over what Massanutten says or does because that has been their mode of operations.  If a resort wants to add a fee, RCI let's them do it.  Approval might be a little strong of a word.  If my son goes to a school that has a liberal dress code with a very few specific exceptions and he wears a t shirt of a boy wearing an nfl team peeing on the mascot of a rival team and the school doesn't make him go home and change, does that mean the school approved of the shirt?

What you can do is to try to make as big a stink as possible.  I've been banned from posting on their facebook but others can continue to do so.  Complain loudly when checking in.  Make sure you rate them very low on RCI and with Trip Advisor.  You can try disputing the charge after the fact but I am sure Massanutten will have you sign something acknowledging the fees and RCI always has the resort fees subject to change so I am not sure if you will have any luck.  Normally I am not a fan of those punishing resorts with resort fees with lower scores.  That is as long as the fee is disclosed at time of booking.  Yes it sucks but you can choose not to exchange there is if you have a problem with it.  That is not the case with this fee.


----------



## Panina

arlock said:


> So I have managed to talk to people both at RCI and Massanutten.  RCI has no control over what Massanutten says and does. RCI further stated that they had spoken to Massanutten management and the fees will stay, even for those who exchanged months ago. Massanutten states that RCI approved the fees.
> 
> Big old circle where they each refer you to the other one. And each says there is nothing you or they can do about it.  Obviously, RCI will not refund points and exchange fee. Massanutten won't let us in without paying the fee that was just now created. I'm not too keen on losing $800.00 more or less (Exchange fee and value of points) by just staying home.
> 
> What is my probability of success if I were to seek a chargeback after the fact.  Any other ideas?


Just not fair.  The fees were changed after booking.  What if the resort decided to charge even more?  Unfair practices, each blaming the other.

I would write a letter to RCI to higher ups. I would write a letter to Massanutten higher ups but first would write a letter to the Better Business Bureau attaching this letter to the other two.  The BBB probably can’t do much but both RCI and Massanutten will know you will be a squeaky wheel and could pursue further. I would go on the principle of bait and switch and after they changed the terms that were agreed upon you are not allowed to get a refund.


----------



## bbodb1

Panina said:


> Just not fair.  The fees were changed after booking.  What if the resort decided to charge even more?  Unfair practices, each blaming the other.
> 
> I would write a letter to RCI to higher ups. I would write a letter to Massanutten higher ups but first would write a letter to the Better Business Bureau attaching this letter to the other two.  The BBB probably can’t do much but both RCI and Massanutten will know you will be a squeaky wheel and could pursue further. I would go on the principle of bait and switch and after they changed the terms that were agreed upon you are not allowed to get a refund.



Add the State Attorney Generals to your list of correspondence (both the state your reside in AND Virginia for Massanutten).


----------



## arlock

bbodb1 said:


> Add the State Attorney Generals to your list of correspondence (both the state your reside in AND Virginia for Massanutten).


I was thinking the same thing.  I was typing a response when yours came through:  

I am almost tempted to research class action lawyers in VA.  Both RCI and Massanutten have deep enough pockets, I presume, and I suspect that enough people were affected to make a half-way sizable group.  People are going to pay the fee in order to not lose other money they have already paid. (Duress).  Any provisions in the original booking saying that fees are subject to change would at least legally be tough to enforce (Illusionary Promise or an "agreement to agree"). Gotta be some sort of consumer protection laws available to sue federally.


----------



## arlock

tschwa2 said:


> It seems like Massanutten turned off the ability to write posts or respond to posts.





tschwa2 said:


> I've been banned from posting on their facebook but others can continue to do so.



Yup.....I got banned from posting, commenting, or even contacting them directly, too.  That said I was being a complete and utter ass.


----------



## bluehende

All of my comments and their answers have been deleted too.  I guess after rereading they realized how weak their replies were.


----------



## Miss Marty

Q:

Has anyone checked in over the past weekend
Were you charged the new resort fee?


----------



## shagnut

I called and got thru  complaining about the fee, since I booked it before they implemented it.  The poor girl said would you like the manager to call you so you can discuss this???  Oh yes, that will be fine.  Well, he called this morning.  I almost fainted.  He said there was nothing they could do about it but he would make a note of my displeasure and bring it up at the next meeting.  The 1br's are 10 a day and 2 br's & up are 20 a day. They have had a lot of complaints about this .  I pity the fool who gets me in the ts presentation as I need to get some of my money back.  I asked about the owners being charged and he said they paid for it in their mf's  but starting next year they will also be charged.  I even asked if he could give me a discounted rate at a restaurant or activity.  Nope.  

I will be going July 29th for the week, so will report back.  If anyone is there and wants to meet up just let me know.


----------



## shagnut

shagnut said:


> I called and got thru  complaining about the fee, since I booked it before they implemented it.  The poor girl said would you like the manager to call you so you can discuss this???  Oh yes, that will be fine.  Well, he called this morning.  I almost fainted.  He said there was nothing they could do about it but he would make a note of my displeasure and bring it up at the next meeting.  The 1br's are 10 a day and 2 br's & up are 20 a day. They have had a lot of complaints about this .  I pity the fool who gets me in the ts presentation as I need to get some of my money back.  I asked about the owners being charged and he said they paid for it in their mf's  but starting next year they will also be charged.  I even asked if he could give me a discounted rate at a restaurant or activity.  Nope.
> 
> I will be going July 29th for the week, so will report back.  If anyone is there and wants to meet up just let me know.





shagnut said:


> I called and got thru  complaining about the fee, since I booked it before they implemented it.  The poor girl said would you like the manager to call you so you can discuss this???  Oh yes, that will be fine.  Well, he called this morning.  I almost fainted.  He said there was nothing they could do about it but he would make a note of my displeasure and bring it up at the next meeting.  The 1br's are 10 a day and 2 br's & up are 20 a day. They have had a lot of complaints about this .  I pity the fool who gets me in the ts presentation as I need to get some of my money back.  I asked about the owners being charged and he said they paid for it in their mf's  but starting next year they will also be charged.  I even asked if he could give me a discounted rate at a restaurant or activity.  Nope.
> 
> I will be going July 29th for the week, so will report back.  If anyone is there and wants to meet up just let me know.


----------



## pedro47

So now you must pay a resort fee and an activity fee. Is that correct and the new revenue funds goes into the developer account.


----------



## tschwa2

pedro47 said:


> So now you must pay a resort fee and an activity fee. Is that correct and the new revenue funds goes into the developer account.


The resort fee is mandatory.  The activity fee only applies if you are doing a particular activity that has a fee or if purchasing an activity card that gives discounts on various activities.  The fee goes to the developer.


----------



## dominidude

I made a $159 one week reservation into a 2bdr at the woodstones before they announced this resort fee.
It seems their resort fee would be $140 in my case.
I honestly rather lose my $159 if that's the case.
Following  is the list of complaints I'll be filing complaints with:
1) credit card company
2) RCI (they charged me so they could refund me if they wished)
3) the Virginia attorney general https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/index.php/file-a-complaint
4) the federal trade commission ftc.gov

Please post your experience and results  when complaining, I'll post mine as well.


----------



## tschwa2

dominidude said:


> I made a $159 one week reservation into a 2bdr at the woodstones before they announced this resort fee.
> It seems their resort fee would be $140 in my case.
> I honestly rather lose my $159 if that's the case.
> Following  is the list of complaints I'll be filing complaints with:
> 1) credit card company
> 2) RCI (they charged me so they could refund me if they wished)
> 3) the Virginia attorney general https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/index.php/file-a-complaint
> 4) the federal trade commission ftc.gov
> 
> Please post your experience and results  when complaining, I'll post mine as well.



If it is a 2 br sleeps 6 (1/2 of the full 4 BR deluxe or luxury units) your resort fee will be $54 (half of a full lock off unit be it 1 BR or 2 BR)  If it is a 2 br sleeps 8 (full lock off- both sides in woodstone Casa), the resort fee will be $108 (full lock off unit be it 2, 3 or 4 BR).  Doesn't address the complaints side of it but to give you an idea of the fee to expect.


----------



## Miss Marty

In addition to the new Resort Fees

*Discovery (or Adventure) Pass*

MASSANUTTEEN RESORT
ADVENTURE PASS FEES

$99 • Adult - $79 • Child (17 & Under)

1 FREE USE FOR EACH:

• 1 All-Day WaterPark Admission
• 1 Round of Golf/FlingGolf™ (Greens fees only)
OR 2 Large Bucket of Range Balls
• Brewery Tour
• Tuesday & Wednesday Shows
• Wine Seminar
• Tie-Dye (Standard project)
• Teen Night
• All Arts & Crafts @ Ski Lodge: Level 1
• Virginia Museum of the Civil War
• Scenic Chairlift Ride
• Summer Tubing @ Fam. Adv. Park UNLIMITED:
• Heartbeat Aerobics
• Resort Yoga
• Zumba®
• Tennis Equipment
• Racquetball Equipment
• Pickleball • Shuffleboard 50% OFF:
• Additional WaterPark Admissions
• Additional Golf Greens Fees
• Arts & Crafts Classes @ Le Club Arts & Crafts
• The Mega or Kids Combo @ Fam. Adv. Park
• 2 Local Caverns: Luray & Grand
• Spa Classes
• Cell Phone Photography Class
• Golf Simulator: 1-Hr OTHER DISCOUNTS:
• $35 off Uncorked Art: A Wine & Paint Exp.
• $30 off Canopy Tour OR $30 off Mountain Biking Pathway Program: 3 Hrs
• $25 off Cooking Demonstration
• $20 off Scuba Diving Class
• $10 off Horseback Riding - Trail Rides: 1-Hr
• $10 off Massanutten Adventures Wash. DC Tour
• $5 off River Tubing • 25% off Nature Center Arts & Crafts Classes
• 10% off at Piney Mountain Gifts & Shoppe V
• 2 for 1 Wine Tastings at CrossKeys Vineyards

Source:
https://www.massresort.com/upload/photos/page_537_summer-pass-flyer-2018-web.pdf


----------



## Miss Marty

*Regarding:  New Resort fees at 
Massanutten -  Effective 6-29-18
*
Maybe timeshares sales are down
@ Great Eastern Resorts timeshares

Q: If you were in charge, what would you do 
to make Massanutten Resort  McGaheysville  
a better resort without charging resort fees 
to RCI Exchange guests? (resort owners)

Note: You can’t keep all your customers happy, 
and when you raise fees/prices, you’re bound 
to upset some of them.


----------



## bluehende

Miss Marty said:


> *Regarding:  New Resort fees at
> Massanutten -  Effective 6-29-18
> *
> Maybe timeshares sales are down
> @ Great Eastern Resorts timeshares
> 
> Q: If you were in charge, what would you do
> to make Massanutten Resort  McGaheysville
> a better resort without charging resort fees
> to RCI Exchange guests? (resort owners)
> 
> Note: You can’t keep all your customers happy,
> and when you raise fees/prices, you’re bound
> to upset some of them.



I would think time share sales hits the nail on the head.  Massanutten's reputation of obnoxious sales people is getting more and more known with one story out that they physically prevented a woman and child from leaving.  Yelp and trip advisor are checked by everyone now.  A business will do anything to not report slowing sales.  A captive audience is easy to milk for more and more.  If they opened their books and actually showed how this fee was needed it would be easier to swallow.  Or a plan to show future improvements.  The telling thing is that the maintenance fees certainly didn't go down with this.  There are  2400 units with most being lockoffs.  This is a lot of money.


----------



## Panina

Massanutten is off my list of places to trade into.  If I choose to  pay extra fees it will be into a Disney resort.


----------



## bluehende

Panina said:


> Massanutten is off my list of places to trade into.  If I choose to  pay extra fees it will be into a Disney resort.




I have already passed on a week I would have jumped on before this fee.


----------



## Lisa P

We were planning to visit Massanutten in 2019 but it's off our list now too.


----------



## Miss Marty

*paidemt31*

_How much did you have to pay
* Massanutten Resort Fees?*_


----------



## paidemt31

Miss Marty said:


> *paidemt31*
> 
> _How much did you have to pay
> * Massanutten Resort Fees?*_


We didn't have to pay anything, staying at Mountainside.  I am a gold card holder, but my SIL traded in for second unit and she didn't have to pay anything either.  I don't know if this applies to other sections that are managed by the developer.


----------



## bluehende

paidemt31 said:


> We didn't have to pay anything, staying at Mountainside.  I am a gold card holder, but my SIL traded in for second unit and she didn't have to pay anything either.  I don't know if this applies to other sections that are managed by the developer.



That is interesting as I was under the impression it was included there also.  I wonder if your gold card saved her the fee.  I have always liked the units at moutainside so would love to know if they are not charging the fee.


----------



## breezez

Guys various states require that sellers of travel vouchers have to put up bonds to protect purchaser of those vouchers.

RCI - The seller of the exchange voucher is in Florida they do require the travel seller number and complaints against them and for reimbursement of fees paid via their bond can be made to the States Department of Agriculure who overseas travel sales.

If people start challenging RCI on some these BS fees they have encouraged resorts to charge, maybe they will right the wrong.


----------



## nags2x

We checked in yesterday.  Rented a Woodstone unit directly from the owners.  We didn't pay any resort fees mentioned in the thread.


----------



## bluehende

nags2x said:


> We checked in yesterday.  Rented a Woodstone unit directly from the owners.  We didn't pay any resort fees mentioned in the thread.




Interesting.  I know that should have fallen under their policy.  I wonder if it is disorganization (doubtful) rethinking the fee (doubtful) or they are honoring no fee if you made the reservation before the fee.


----------



## tschwa2

bluehende said:


> Interesting.  I know that should have fallen under their policy.  I wonder if it is disorganization (doubtful) rethinking the fee (doubtful) or they are honoring no fee if you made the reservation before the fee.


No the official policy is that for 2018 the fee only applies to RCI exchanges and even then gold card owners are exempt.  So renting from an owner or an owner (gold card or not) using own unit (not through RCI) this year will have no fee.  I've sent 3 sets of guests, 2 over 4th of July and 1 now and the fee did not apply to any of my units.  The one staying now, I actually combined an RCI half unit with my own unit and I called to prepay the fee for my guest for the rci unit and the woman on the line tried to tell me it would apply to both but then when she pulled up my owner unit the fee did not come up.  I prepaid for the RCI unit.  

I have heard spot reports that sometimes they are waiving the fee in the RCI reservations and sometimes they are not.  I've had 2 fees that as a non gold card owner it was not waived on an RCI exchange.  I have another RCI exchange coming up in September but expect to have to pay.  

My guess is that in 2019 the fee will apply not only to rci exchanges but to non exchange as well.


----------



## bluehende

tschwa2 said:


> No the official policy is that for 2018 the fee only applies to RCI exchanges and even then gold card owners are exempt.  So renting from an owner or an owner (gold card or not) using own unit (not through RCI) this year will have no fee.  I've sent 3 sets of guests, 2 over 4th of July and 1 now and the fee did not apply to any of my units.  The one staying now, I actually combined an RCI half unit with my own unit and I called to prepay the fee for my guest for the rci unit and the woman on the line tried to tell me it would apply to both but then when she pulled up my owner unit the fee did not come up.  I prepaid for the RCI unit.
> 
> I have heard spot reports that sometimes they are waiving the fee in the RCI reservations and sometimes they are not.  I've had 2 fees that as a non gold card owner it was not waived on an RCI exchange.  I have another RCI exchange coming up in September but expect to have to pay.
> 
> My guess is that in 2019 the fee will apply not only to rci exchanges but to non exchange as well.



I was thinking it applied to all, but you have the experience.  I think it has been spotty as I know on the facebook page one owner complained about a son checking in had to pay it because the gold card owner was not there.  I thought it was an owner week but obviously in a review details aren't given and you assume.  It would be nice as I usually have rented from an owner or through dae last minute vacations.


----------



## Miss Marty

* Massanutten Resort *
Morning Massage Wellness Class

Cost: Free | _Limited to the first 12 registered_ - $25 value!
Learn the benefits of massage and how to self-massage.
Complimentary mimosa or orange juice.


----------



## Miss Marty

shagnut said:


> I will be going July 29th for the week, so will report back.



_Did you have to pay the new Massanutten Resort Fee_
Hope you are enjoying your stay at Woodstone!


----------



## missyrcrews

We checked in to our Summit unit this evening.  We have the whole unit (upper and lower) and the fee was $54.  Though I was not thrilled about paying it, we decided to not let it ruin our week.  We did buy the Adventure passes...sitting here at the kitchen table strategizing how to get every last penny out of those.    You better believe we will!

The unit is amazing.....though the shared laundry thing would be a little strange if we didn't have both units.  Anyhow, tomorrow is our "get organized" day, and then let the fun begin!


----------



## WinniWoman

missyrcrews said:


> We checked in to our Summit unit this evening.  We have the whole unit (upper and lower) and the fee was $54.  Though I was not thrilled about paying it, we decided to not let it ruin our week.  We did buy the Adventure passes...sitting here at the kitchen table strategizing how to get every last penny out of those.    You better believe we will!
> 
> The unit is amazing.....though the shared laundry thing would be a little strange if we didn't have both units.  Anyhow, tomorrow is our "get organized" day, and then let the fun begin!




Have a wonderful time! We check out of Smuggs tomorrow and head to Pollard Brook!


----------



## shagnut

I just checked out Sunday.  I waS CHARGED 54.  It rained the whole week except Saturday and Sunday  (when I left ) I only used the waterpark (Kelli did it twice(  shaggy


----------



## missyrcrews

And the saga continues.  Just noticed that a few days after we checked in, I was charged a SECOND $54.  I'm assuming that in Massanutten logic, it's because I had both the upper and lower units, even though it is ONE RCI reservation.  Will be calling either tomorrow or Monday.  How they handle this will determine if we ever return.  I only authorized ONE $54 charge, and I WILL dispute it with my card if they won't refund it.  What a way to leave a bad taste in your customer's mouth!


----------



## tschwa2

missyrcrews said:


> And the saga continues.  Just noticed that a few days after we checked in, I was charged a SECOND $54.  I'm assuming that in Massanutten logic, it's because I had both the upper and lower units, even though it is ONE RCI reservation.  Will be calling either tomorrow or Monday.  How they handle this will determine if we ever return.  I only authorized ONE $54 charge, and I WILL dispute it with my card if they won't refund it.  What a way to leave a bad taste in your customer's mouth!



I was wondering about that.  The disclosure from RCI is that the fee would apply to both sides of the lock off even for a single exchange.  I was charged $108 for my 4 BR exchange in mid July.  When you mentioned a single fee, I thought that maybe Massanutten had backed off on that point.  They aren't charging by bedroom they are charging by the lock off side so there are those that are booked into 2 BR lockoffs (two one bedroom units) and still charged the $108 fee.


----------



## missyrcrews

tschwa2 said:


> I was wondering about that.  The disclosure from RCI is that the fee would apply to both sides of the lock off even for a single exchange.  I was charged $108 for my 4 BR exchange in mid July.  When you mentioned a single fee, I thought that maybe Massanutten had backed off on that point.  They aren't charging by bedroom they are charging by the lock off side so there are those that are booked into 2 BR lockoffs (two one bedroom units) and still charged the $108 fee.


It says "per unit reserved."  I guess they are interpreting that as you said.  Though looking at my RCI reservation, I might think (if I didn't know the resort through all of you folks) that it was one 4BR unit.  It's slimy.  Like I said, I'll contact them on Monday.  The front desk was very clear about ONE $54 charge when I checked in.  The second charge appeared a few days later.  If they don't refund it, they've lost a future exchanger over $54.  Pretty poor business sense, if you ask me.  We spent a load of money there this week, and would have been happy to go back and do it all over again.  We shall see how it all pans out.


----------



## tschwa2

missyrcrews said:


> It says "per unit reserved."  I guess they are interpreting that as you said.  Though looking at my RCI reservation, I might think (if I didn't know the resort through all of you folks) that it was one 4BR unit.  It's slimy.  Like I said, I'll contact them on Monday.  The front desk was very clear about ONE $54 charge when I checked in.  The second charge appeared a few days later.  If they don't refund it, they've lost a future exchanger over $54.  Pretty poor business sense, if you ask me.  We spent a load of money there this week, and would have been happy to go back and do it all over again.  We shall see how it all pans out.


I think I was probably filling in the info about the fee with the hours of time I spent on the phone complaining and hearing explanations from Massanutten about the fee.


----------



## missyrcrews

I called today, and was told that they would refund both fees.  Huh.  Will see if that really comes through.  I had also sent an email....the reply said that I'd reserved 2 units.  NOPE.  I reserved ONE.  Following is the text of my reply....time to pop the popcorn and watch the show..... 

*I called the resort today, and the person that I spoke with was able to refund me the fee.  

*

* 
I knew that I would be paying ONE $54 fee….$54 per unit.  My RCI reservation is for ONE 4BR unit.  It doesn’t say “two 2BR units.”  It says ONE 4 BR.  How you folks make that 4BR unit is not my concern.  4x1, 1x4, 2x2…whatever.  My reservation was for ONE unit….therefore, one fee at most.

*

* 
Never mind that I had made this reservation almost 2 years ago…well before the fee went into effect.  Yes, I know that the resort CAN charge the fee.  Is it the right way to do business?  Not really.  The fee should not have been charged on reservations made before it went into effect.  

*

* 
I asked the person on the phone today to see about escalating the issue up to RCI.  Any sort of fee should be crystal clear to prospective exchangers, right on the page where reservations are made.  It should not be assumed that the exchanger knows all about how the different units are locked out/combined.  

*

* 
The bottom line is that if the resort really “wows” the exchanger with great service, then the exchanger might actually be tempted to take one of the tours, and perhaps buy.  I’m not really feeling that way right now, that’s for sure.  We spent over $700 on site, not counting the Washington DC trip.  Keep those exchangers happy, and they keep coming and spending money.  

*

* 
I’m waiting to see the credit on my bill before I complete my RCI/Trip Advisor review.  

*

* 
Thank you for your attention to all of this.  Hoping it all gets ironed out as I was told it would be. 

*

* 


*


----------



## missyrcrews

And the resort's reply.  At least they are quick to get back to folks....


Hello Missy,



Thank you for your reply.  I checked your account and everything looks OK.  You should see the refund in a few days on your credit card.





Thanks,




*Jerry Nichols*

Resort Feedback Coordinator - Strive for Five  |  Massanutten Resort ®

Phone – 540.289.9441  |  Fax – 540.289.6981 |  www.massresort.com



*“Seeking the Joy Of Perfection”*


----------



## missyrcrews

WOO HOO!!!  I got my refund!!!!    Happy that they made things right.  Will look into Mountainside if we ever go back, or else clarify how many units are being combined and what I'll pay....BEFORE making the reservation.


----------



## Ann-Marie

I own a Summit. I have called twice in the last week and was connected immediately. I am heading there on 8/31. I will find out soon enough, but as owners, we were never notified of a fee. Interesting. I did see an email that they are going to start remodeling all of the summit units.


----------



## pedro47

I would like to exchange into this resort. Does the resort fee cover playing golf and cart fees for your week? We will not be using The Water Park.


----------



## tschwa2

pedro47 said:


> I would like to exchange into this resort. Does the resort fee cover playing golf and cart fees for your week? We will not be using The Water Park.


The resort fee covers nothing that was not covered previously which was not golf or water park.  The resort fee covers internet, regular pools, playgrounds, tennis (although there may still be fees for equipment rental), racquetball ball, There are also various no fee recreation programs like trivia night and texas hold em tournament, kickball for kids, basketball for adults and teens that were always free but now the resort fee is supposed to cover those things.

If you play golf they have golf passes that might save you money.  It does not include cart fee but you don't have to get a cart and can walk the course if you so choose.  https://www.massresort.com/play/golf/woodstone-meadows/#page-539
*Best Golf Value!*

*3-Round Pass* | $89 (green fees only)
*5-Round Pass* | $129 (green fees only)
*Upgrade the Adventure Pass for unlimited Golf! *Click here for more info.

All golf passes include:


$4 OFF | Large Bucket of Range Balls: Valid 5x
$5 OFF | Any Golf Clinic
$10 OFF | Any Golf Lesson
$10 OFF | Professional Club Fitting
50% OFF | Golf Simulator
25% OFF | Any Club Rental
20% OFF | Massanutten Resort Logo Apparel at Golf Shops: Valid 1x
10% OFF | Specialty Dinners: Beer Lover’s, Murder Mystery, Virginia Winemaker’s & Mixology Mixer.
FREE | Entries to weekly Golf Pass Tournaments


----------



## pedro47

tschwa2, thanks for the golf information.


----------



## Kozman

Miss Marty said:


> MASSANUTTEN RESORT
> 
> NEW! Amazon Fire TV Stick rental
> 
> The Televisions in some/most of The Summit
> units are old and dated and still have CD/VCR
> combo players. Most units don`t have DVD
> or Blu-Raywith HDMI or USB so now you can
> rent an Amazon Fire TV Stick from The Market
> for only $15 for 2 nights or $25 for 4 days!


I have my own firestick that I take with me.


----------



## Railman83

Just got back.   The desk can waive the fee until Jan 1.   After that it is pay to play.

Money is going to refurbish  every single Summit and Woodstone in 2019.  I’m ok with that, and if they follow through, ok with fee

Stayed in partially upgraded one, new carpet and railings, fresh paint and paintings, tile on deck, tv mount.   Nice.   Need to replace furniture and appliances.


----------



## Miss Marty

Reminder

Please fill out your RCI Comment Card after your stay at Massanutten Resort

Be sure to add a comment regarding the  $54 per week per unit Resort Fee

RCI wants to know about the service you received and the overall experience you had while on vacation. Your feedback is valuable and provides important information for RCI which will be shared with the resort.


----------



## bluehende

We finally broke down and joined RCI.  The only last call we wanted was Massanutten so we booked it for this week knowing about the fee.  We get here and find out the pool up by us is closed.  How annoying to be charger for their "world class amenities" and cann't use them.  We will see if my complaints get it refunded.  I will not hold my breath.  A few bucks will not lower our enjoyment of this week.  Even though we are early for leaf change it has been a very nice week.


----------



## missyrcrews

bluehende said:


> We finally broke down and joined RCI.  The only last call we wanted was Massanutten so we booked it for this week knowing about the fee.  We get here and find out the pool up by us is closed.  How annoying to be charger for their "world class amenities" and cann't use them.  We will see if my complaints get it refunded.  I will not hold my breath.  A few bucks will not lower our enjoyment of this week.  Even though we are early for leaf change it has been a very nice week.


I hope your week is pleasant.  Our children really had a grand time at Massanutten, and would love to visit again.  The biggest win in their eyes was the fact that we had so much space.  (4BR/4BA/2 kitchens.)  The things (fees...distance from pool...etc) that drive parents crazy don't phase kids at all.    I'm pushing for Williamsburg in 2020...they want to go back to Massanutten.  We'll see!


----------



## Miss Marty

Be sure to check out your copy
of the Summit Signal Newsletter
Regarding the _2019 Resort Fee._


----------



## bluehende

Miss Marty said:


> Be sure to check out your copy
> of the Summit Signal Newsletter
> Regarding the _2019 Resort Fee._




Would you mind giving us the news as some of us are not owners?


----------



## Miss Marty

*Massanutten 2018 Holiday Toy Drive*

_The Massanutten WaterPark is partnering with 
Elkton Area United Services to donate toys to kids this holiday season!_

*November 16 - December 20, 2018*
Receive one 50% OFF All-Day General WaterPark Admission voucher
when you bring any *unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more*!
Vouchers good for use December 1, 2018 - October 28, 2019.


----------



## Miss Marty

2019 Resort Fee - Summit @ Massanutten Resort

The fee for an owner will be $7.95 per side per night
The fee for a RCI exchanger or guest will be
$13.45 per side per night ($13.45 x 7= $94.15)


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## Miss Marty

*
2019 Summit @ Massanutten *
_
Annual assessment/maintenance fee 
will increase by 4.6 % to $855.00_


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## missyrcrews

UGH.  My kids are begging to go back there.  We really did have fun this summer, but those fees left me feeling taken.  Guess the next time we go, we'll forego the activities pass and such.  The area is amazing (so much history pretty much at your doorstep!) so I'm sure I'll bite the bullet at some point.  Williamsburg first, though!


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## bluehende

Miss Marty said:


> 2019 Resort Fee - Summit @ Massanutten Resort
> 
> The fee for an owner will be $7.95 per side per night
> The fee for a RCI exchanger or guest will be
> $13.45 per side per night ($13.45 x 7= $94.15)



Wow almost 200 for the full unit.  I wonder how RCI will handle the lowered demand for a resort that already is a problem in their inventory.  I expect some good sales.  I know I will need that to book anything there.

Can other areas of Massanutten confirm their fees.  Are the 1 bedroom lockoffs the same.  Since they say per side I would imagine that was a cut and paste for the others.


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## tschwa2

The fees are going to be the same for all areas.
Owner had been paying a $50 recreation fee as part of their MF's for the full unit.  The did remover this fee from the MF but overall other aspects of the MF went up about $100 per unit so there is a net increase of $50 in MF and $111 if we use our full unit- more if we exchange back into Massanutten.  It also means that to let someone else use our full unit will cost another $77.

The one positive thing I have to say is that Massanutten had been charging $50 (included in the MF's) for the last 10+ years without increasing that fee.  It is one of the dangers of owning at a resort where the developer kept control of all of the recreational facilities and it is not included as part of the not for profit HOA budget.  

Massanutten is also pushing RCI points right now (for woodstone and regal vistas which are the only parts of the resort still being built out).  They are probably selling these more on the basis of buy here and use somewhere else and then the fee won't affect you at all.  

*Recreation/Amenities *
 Indoor Pools (Woodstone Meadows, Le Club)
• Outdoor Pools (Woodstone Meadows, Mountain Peak, and Woodstone Leisure) 
• Fitness Centers (Woodstone Meadows & Le Club) 
• Sauna & Steam Rooms (Woodstone Meadows & Le Club)
• Indoor Hot Tubs (Woodstone Meadows & Le Club) 
• Outdoor Hot Tub (Le Club) 
• Tennis & Pickleball Courts* (Woodstone Meadows, Le Club, and James E. Lambert Park) 
• Racquetball Courts* (Le Club) 
• Sand Volleyball (Le Club & James E. Lambert Park) 
• Outdoor Basketball (Woodstone Meadows & Le Club) 
• Indoor Basketball (Le Club) 
• Fitness Trail (James E. Lambert Park) 
• Water Aerobics (Woodstone Meadows, Mountain Peak & Le Club) 
• Hiking (Western Slope) 
• DVD Rentals 
• Shuffleboard 
*Equipment included 
*Business Center* 
• Free Wi-Fi in public areas 
• Copying & Faxing services 
• Complimentary Boarding Pass printing


----------



## Miss Marty

Its just the two of us and we really like having the whole unit..
But $1,000 for a week vacation is really getting way out of hand
especially since we do not use any of the resort amenities.


----------



## Egret1986

Miss Marty said:


> Its just the two of us and we really like having the whole unit..
> But $1,000 for a week vacation is really getting way out of hand
> especially since we do not use any of the resort amenities.



We don't use any of the resort amenities at most resorts, now that "it's just the two of us", also.  We're either relaxing or checking out the area and going on tours.

We haven't been to Massanutten for many years.  I was thinking about going next year for a fall trip.  There's so much to see and do in the area.  We're looking for a crash pad, albeit a nice one.  We have always loved staying in Mountainside Villas, though we have never stayed in Regal Vistas.  Because of the added amenity fees, I'm now considering other area resorts.  If we still used the amenities, it would be worth it to pay the fees, though not welcomed.  I think these types of fees are becoming the norm for many resorts.  

We always found Massanutten to be a beautiful property with nice units and amenities.  I still may find it to be the most desirable option for a trip to the area, even with the added fees.


----------



## Miss Marty

Since so many of the *Recreation/Amenities *are seasonal
and with the time change in the late fall its dark around 6 PM 
plus during the winter months its dark around 5 pm.  Resort 
fees should be reduced during the winter months since you 
do not get to enjoy all the outdoor (pools, hot tubs, fishing) 
amenities.   If it cost the developer so much, they need to
cut or charge per use.  Not charge everyone for something
they do not use.


----------



## carl2591

We are at The Summit at Hillside units which are some of the older ones. When we called about the unit I told the person I was not aware of the "new" fee which was quoted at $54 dollars for the week. 

They did mention the fee was going to be changing in 2019 jan and now I see the new fee's I WILL NOT be returning to this resort.. 

I also plan to deduct points from the RCI exchange form which enough folks give low marks the "gold crown" status will be in jeopardy. If we get a lot of push back they may.. may remove the fee's.  

Also owner should attend annual HOA meeting and demand answers from board on where the money is going and why they feel this is necessary.  

When i inquired at check in desk about this I was told it was to help maintain the pools, wifi, roads etc.  something teh owner MF covers and as a owner I pay MF at my home resort.

with the new fee structure this place will be a desert and the owners will not be able to get good exchange value. 

Its been fun mass o nutten. but no more. 

2019 Resort Fee - Summit @ Massanutten Resort

The fee for an owner will be $7.95 per side per night
The fee for a RCI exchanger or guest will be
$13.45 per side per night ($13.45 x 7= $94.15)


----------



## tschwa2

I asked if the fee had impacted the ratings yet and was told it has had no effect.  I find that had to believe but they waved the fees pretty liberally in the second half of 2018 when the fee was in effect.


----------



## Railman83

This is an investment in the future and I for one am glad they have decided to not let the place go downhill.    Fee not great short term but good long term as the refurbishment will extend the product.

Complain about $54 on one of the lowest price to amenity places around.   If your campaign is successful you wind up making it worse for a short term inconvenience.


----------



## tschwa2

Railman83 said:


> This is an investment in the future and I for one am glad they have decided to not let the place go downhill.    Fee not great short term but good long term as the refurbishment will extend the product.
> 
> Complain about $54 on one of the lowest price to amenity places around.   If your campaign is successful you wind up making it worse for a short term inconvenience.


Except that was 2018 and 2019 has been announced.  For an owner using his/her full unit the fee in 2019 is $111.  For an exchanger using RCI (including non gold card holders) the fee for 2019 is $94.15 for each side of the lock off.  So if you get a 2 BR sleeps 8 Woodstone Casa unit the resort fee would be $188.  I also like the full unit and am willing to use 21-25 tpu's for the full 4 BR lock off but that extra $188 is a bit much especially when it is myself, my 12 yo DS and friend, and my 99 yo grandmother.    


In terms of the person who suggested complaining to the HOA (which I have it does nothing because), the developer controls the HOA and in fact most of the amenities are owned by the developer and are not owned by the HOA.  Up until this year the developer charged owners a $50 usage fee per unit-( not per side in a lock off unit).  Last year they charged owners and then charged owners who exchanged through rci and non owner exchangers $54 per side of a lock off.  They did remove the usage fee in 2019 but overall raised fees so that if you don't stay at Massanutten your MF  went up 2% but if you stayed in your own unit the total usage cost was raised 16%.


----------



## bluehende

tschwa2 said:


> Except that was 2018 and 2019 has been announced.  For an owner using his/her full unit the fee in 2019 is $111.  For an exchanger using RCI (including non gold card holders) the fee for 2019 is $94.15 for each side of the lock off.  So if you get a 2 BR sleeps 8 Woodstone Casa unit the resort fee would be $188.  I also like the full unit and am willing to use 21-25 tpu's for the full 4 BR lock off but that extra $188 is a bit much especially when it is myself, my 12 yo DS and friend, and my 99 yo grandmother.
> 
> 
> In terms of the person who suggested complaining to the HOA (which I have it does nothing because), the developer controls the HOA and in fact most of the amenities are owned by the developer and are not owned by the HOA.  Up until this year the developer charged owners a $50 usage fee per unit-( not per side in a lock off unit).  Last year they charged owners and then charged owners who exchanged through rci and non owner exchangers $54 per side of a lock off.  They did remove the usage fee in 2019 but overall raised fees so that if you don't stay at Massanutten your MF  went up 2% but if you stayed in your own unit the total usage cost was raised 16%.



With no plan for additional amenities or major renovations planned it is hard to justify.  Would anyone like to take the position that this is about amenities and not about profits.  16% is pretty steep.


----------



## carl2591

the "activities fee" is not going to HOA it going into the developers pockets.. If you or anyone can show me different then I will stand corrected.. this a cash grab plain and simple.. With the amount of cheap rentals and exchanges into this place, all the properties to include The Summits ( there are like 5 sections) Shenandoah Villas, Mountainside Villas and others the exchange or TPU are not that great.

I looked up the one we are staying in Summit Hillside and the 2 bed full kitchen gets like 18 TPU's and that's a july 4th week which is high time. My Presidential Villa at Plantation Resort 2 bed side of a 3 bed get 34 for same time frame. Not a place to buy but like to visit as i have this now the 4th time over some 15 yrs or so.  The scourge of "activities fee's" is another bad mark on timeshare to me. 



Railman83 said:


> This is an investment in the future and I for one am glad they have decided to not let the place go downhill.    Fee not great short term but good long term as the refurbishment will extend the product.
> 
> Complain about $54 on one of the lowest price to amenity places around.   If your campaign is successful you wind up making it worse for a short term inconvenience.


----------



## Miss Marty

Black Friday & Cyber Mon
November 23 & 26, 2018 
Resort Facebook Page


----------



## Miss Marty

Unfortunately, Massanutten Resort
doesn`t offer a deed back program


----------



## Miss Marty

In addition to the new resort fee
You can now save a few dollars at
Massanutten Resort WaterPark®

----- 50% Off Annual Pass -----

Sale ends on February 8, 2019.
Use online promo code: _WPYEARFUN19_

Annual WaterPark Passes Available online for
general public, MPOA, and Gold Card Holders.


----------



## escanoe

Miss Marty said:


> In addition to the new resort fee
> You can now save a few dollars at
> Massanutten Resort WaterPark®



The $390 pre discount water park annual pass may be one thing that makes the resort fee a relative bargain.


----------



## Heidi Muica

I just wanted to ask that if anyone has stayed in 2019, please post if the resort fees did go up. When I booked Woodstone at Massanutten back in early 2018, there were no fees, or else I wouldn't have booked it (my husband has been laid off for a few years, and I don't make much money; the only reason we can vacation is if we get a good deal on an RCI exchange fee, it's close enough to drive, we eat in the whole trip, and we don't do any activities that cost money). A few months after booking it, we rec'd an RCI notice that there are now fees being charged by the resort. I promptly called the resort and was told it was $54 for the week for a 1 bdrm.  I was upset because the terms in effect at the time of booking should be like a contract and shouldn't be changed. These new resort fees should only be for those that book it after it went into effect.  Now I read in this forum that it will be $94?!?! Maybe it will increase again before our trip in April 2019! We may have to forfeit what we paid RCI and not go since this nearly doubles the cost of the vacation. How disappointing.  Too bad this situation probably isn't enough money to interest an attorney in a class action lawsuit.


----------



## bluehende

Heidi Muica said:


> I just wanted to ask that if anyone has stayed in 2019, please post if the resort fees did go up. When I booked Woodstone at Massanutten back in early 2018, there were no fees, or else I wouldn't have booked it (my husband has been laid off for a few years, and I don't make much money; the only reason we can vacation is if we get a good deal on an RCI exchange fee, it's close enough to drive, we eat in the whole trip, and we don't do any activities that cost money). A few months after booking it, we rec'd an RCI notice that there are now fees being charged by the resort. I promptly called the resort and was told it was $54 for the week for a 1 bdrm.  I was upset because the terms in effect at the time of booking should be like a contract and shouldn't be changed. These new resort fees should only be for those that book it after it went into effect.  Now I read in this forum that it will be $94?!?! Maybe it will increase again before our trip in April 2019! We may have to forfeit what we paid RCI and not go since this nearly doubles the cost of the vacation. How disappointing.  Too bad this situation probably isn't enough money to interest an attorney in a class action lawsuit.



I would complain firmly and politely when asked for the fee.  Show them your confirmation to show you booked with no fee.  Does any tugger have any experience with getting it removed.  It is also possible to challenge the charge with the credit card company.  None of those are guarantees but I would think between the two you have a good shot at getting the fee reversed. I know it is tough but find the cash somewhere else and go have a nice vacation.


----------



## Ricci

bluehende said:


> I would complain firmly and politely when asked for the fee.  Show them your confirmation to show you booked with no fee.  Does any tugger have any experience with getting it removed.  It is also possible to challenge the charge with the credit card company.  None of those are guarantees but I would think between the two you have a good shot at getting the fee reversed. I know it is tough but find the cash somewhere else and go have a nice vacation.


----------



## Ricci

We were there in October and when checking in, I  mentioned there was no fee attached when we booked it and they immediately took it off.


----------



## tschwa2

They were fairly liberal with removing it in 2018.  I  have heard that they will not be making exceptions in 2019 but if you have your confirmation showing that you were confirmed before June of last year you can still try.


----------



## Free2Roam

Heidi Muica said:


> I just wanted to ask that if anyone has stayed in 2019, please post if the resort fees did go up.



I called the other day to check fees so we can decide if we'll be continuing our annual group ski trip in March. I was told fees are follows:

Owners - $7.95/night  ($55.65/week) 
RCI exchanges (non owner) - $10.95/night
Renters (thru the resort) - $15.95/night

You only pay for the days/nights you use... so if you book a last call or extra vacation, which is a full week, you'll be charged the full week at checkin but will be refunded the difference if you checkout early.


----------



## tschwa2

I was also told that if you rent from an owner you would be charged the $7.95/ night fee.  And the fee is per lock off side so even if you reserve the full unit (both sides of the lock off) through RCI or through an owner as a single reservation, the fee would be X2 per night.  If you have a reservation for a 4 BR sleeps 12 at Regal Vistas, Woodstone, or Summit the fee would be X2.  A 3 BR at Shenandoah would be X2. A 2 BR sleeps 12 at Eagle Trace and a 2 BR (sleeps 8) at Woodstone would also be X2.

I am still confused as to whether Mountainside Villas rci and owners pay the resort fee at check in.  MVOA still include the rec fee as part of the MF that owners pay.  This is the only independent HOA at the resort.


----------



## jfbookers

I just looked on RCI and the following was the was included re fees.

Mandatory Fees:

Security deposit is 100.00 U.S. dollars. Cash or Credit is accepted.

Due at check-in


Housekeeping Fees:

"For all RCI points reservations: There may be a 47.00 U.S. dollars for 2 Bedroom units, per stay. Cash or Credit is accepted."

"For all RCI points reservations: There may be a 93.00 U.S. dollars for 4 Bedroom units, per stay. Cash or Credit is accepted."


Resort Fees:

Service fee is 10.95 to 76.65 U.S. dollars. Cash or Credit is accepted.

Applies to all 2019 guests. Based on nights & unit sides confirmed. Contact resort for details.


----------



## Tamaradarann

Miss Marty said:


> *As of June 20th, 2018
> RCI - Website - Search
> 
> Massanutten Resorts
> 
> Select:
> *
> The Summit at Massanutten (#3640)
> 
> Woodstone at Massanutten (#5711)
> 
> Regal Vistas at Massanutten ( # C152 )
> 
> 
> *Look under Fees *
> You will see the following statement
> 
> Resort Fees:
> 
> Resort amenities fee is 10.00 to 20.00 U.S. dollars.
> Cash or Credit is accepted.
> 
> Amenities fee varies from $10 to $20 per unit per night
> Call 540-289-9441 for details.
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like we will not be depositing our Summit weeks
> anymore to exchange into other areas of Massanutten.
> 
> We were just there about a month ago in a 4 bedroom
> It was our (owner) week and there was no mention of
> a resort fee.  Note: Security Deposit was $100 per unit
> 
> This is a joke to add $70 to $140 per week / per unit
> Resort Fee to the increasing cost of RCI exchange fee.
> 
> Since so many Virginia timeshares have had success
> collecting resort fees, I guess it was just a matter of
> time before Massanutten started to charge a fee too.



Hilton Grand Vacation Club member and if I use my points in that system for an exchange within that system I don't have to pay an RCI exchange Fee nor the HGVC resort fee.  I am also a Vacation Village Resort Owner why should you and I have to pay the RCI exchange fee nor the Resort Fee to exchange into a Vacation Village Resort?   Vacation Village should set up their own internal exchange system so that when you stay at one of their resorts you don't need to pay the RCI exchange fee nor the Resort Fee.  While they can't control the RCI fee without an internal exchange system, they certainly can waive the Resort Fee for Vacation Village Members!!!!


----------



## tschwa2

Tamaradarann said:


> Hilton Grand Vacation Club member and if I use my points in that system for an exchange within that system I don't have to pay an RCI exchange Fee nor the HGVC resort fee.  I am also a Vacation Village Resort Owner why should you and I have to pay the RCI exchange fee nor the Resort Fee to exchange into a Vacation Village Resort?   Vacation Village should set up their own internal exchange system so that when you stay at one of their resorts you don't need to pay the RCI exchange fee nor the Resort Fee.  While they can't control the RCI fee without an internal exchange system, they certainly can waive the Resort Fee for Vacation Village Members!!!!


Difference is the HOA's at Massanutten do not own the recreational facilities.  In the past Great Eastern (the developer- different from Vacation Village but has a relationship with VV) charged the HOA a recreation rental fee to use the facilities.  It was $50 per owned unit per week.  Great Eastern decided last year to start charging RCI exchangers again for the use of facilities for exchange weeks.  This year they removed the recreation fee from MF's and decided to charge both owners and exchanger to use the facilities.  An owner now pays $108 per owned unit (lock off full unit) when staying in their own deeded week.   If they aren't waiving it for owners they certainly are not likely to waive it for owners at associate resorts.


----------



## escanoe

Here is the "Information for Owners" document on the fees for 2019 (attached). 

Below is the most relevant and detailed information for the rates that will be charged in 2019 for both owners and RCI guests.

The fee for an owner will be $7.95 per side per night, which is discounted from the average fee for an RCI guest or rental guest of $13.45 per side per night. For a complete and current list of items included with the fee starting in 2019 please see below.​


----------



## tonyg

I never had any desire to go to mass o' nuttin' and the imposition of a fee will seal the deal for me never to go there.


----------



## Free2Roam

UPDATE: I requested a copy of the rules for the new resort fee... the email I received contradicted what I was told by the phone rep.

"As a Gold Card holder, the Resort Fee will be 25% less than an RCI exchange guest or a non-Gold Card owner. You, as an owner, will be paying the rate of $7.95 per side per day, even if you stay here through a reservation made through RCI, as long as you show your Gold Card when you check in. This fee is assessed by the number of days in the reservation." 

I am NOT a Gold Card owner. So I called again and was told that the info in the email is NOT correct... and she would send another email with correct info. She said their office had also received conflicting information and they are working on bringing everyone up to speed. 

It's early in the year, so probably no 1st hand info... but if a non-Gold Card resale owner stays there I would love to know what you end up paying. 



Free2Roam said:


> I called the other day to check fees so we can decide if we'll be continuing our annual group ski trip in March. I was told fees are follows:
> 
> Owners - $7.95/night  ($55.65/week)
> RCI exchanges (non owner) - $10.95/night
> Renters (thru the resort) - $15.95/night
> 
> You only pay for the days/nights you use... so if you book a last call or extra vacation, which is a full week, you'll be charged the full week at checkin but will be refunded the difference if you checkout early.


----------



## escanoe

Free2Roam said:


> It's early in the year, so probably no 1st hand info... but if a non-Gold Card resale owner stays there I would love to know what you end up paying.



I am a resale (non gold card) owner who will be there next weekend. I expect to pay the fee at the owner rate of $7.95 per night (per half). If you look at the policy from the resort on their letterhead that I posted a couple of posts up, they clearly use the term “an owner” and not “gold card owner” when listing the discounted rate. That PDF remains posted in the documents section of the owner website I see when I log in. I will provide an update here if something does not go as expected.


----------



## escanoe

Free2Roam said:


> if a non-Gold Card resale owner stays there I would love to know what you end up paying.



They charged me $7.95 per night when I checked in tonight. I am a non gold card (resale) owner. In fact, I made this reservation using my HGVC RCI portal before I bought Massanutten. I just told the guy at the counter I was an owner. He automatically launched into a canned spiel about they were no longer able to waive the resort fee for owners (clearly they are explaining it a lot). I cut him off and said I was fine just paying the discounted fee. A guy at the next counter over was really letting them have it about the fee. I could have shared my views on the fees too, but I decided to give 20 or so people behind me in line a break.


----------



## Free2Roam

Are you staying the entire week? If not, can you report back whether they provide (without hassle) credit/refund for days not used?


----------



## escanoe

Free2Roam said:


> Are you staying the entire week? If not, can you report back whether they provide (without hassle) credit/refund for days not used?



I am only staying for three nights (long weekend), but I am not going to be able to answer your question this trip because I am using RCI points to stay at Woodstone. I think the above report that they would credit/refund for the remainder of the week is probably right. I think it would cost them a lot of discount usage if they didn’t. But like you, I would like to see verification.


----------



## Miss Marty

*
2019 - Assessment Summit @ Massanutten 

Manage your Account & Make Payments Online *

Both Units - Assessment Fee: $855.
2018 real estate taxes paid: $45.20


*Last Business Day of January* | Full payment of maintenance fee must be received in our office. If not, a $25 late fee is incurred and finance charges begin to accrue each month at a rate of 1.5% per month.

_To set up a payment arrangement 
call the resort at 1-540-289-4911
_
*Don`t forget the  new resort fee*


----------



## bluehende

Is that down from last year?  If the 45 is included that seems lower from my memory.  I would temper my disgust at the fee if it actually results in savings for the owners.


----------



## tschwa2

bluehende said:


> Is that down from last year?  If the 45 is included that seems lower from my memory.  I would temper my disgust at the fee if it actually results in savings for the owners.


As I mentioned on page 5 the net cost to use my own full unit is up $166 vs last year ($50 higher in MF plus $111 in resort fees).  It's $50 higher if I am depositing my unit with rci.


----------



## Lovinglife_30

I recently stayed at The Summit.  I asked when I checked in if I could pay per day, the answer was they charge you the full amount in the beginning and when you check out (if before 10am) you are credited the remainder of the week.  As an owner it was $7.95 per day.  In order for me to get my credit, at check out the front desk rep. told me I would see an auto credit.  I called 5 days later after not seeing the credit and spoke with the front desk, they adjusted the bill.  The recreation center is the same since last year, except in LeClub the gym is now on the 3rd floor.  On the comment card I mentioned the fee and how I believe it affects my ownership at Massanutten.


----------



## Free2Roam

Thanks for the info on the fee refund/credit


----------



## Randall_Morin

This resort fee is BS, especially for owners. It may well backfire. 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


----------



## escanoe

Lovinglife_30 said:


> I recently stayed at The Summit.  I asked when I checked in if I could pay per day, the answer was they charge you the full amount in the beginning and when you check out (if before 10am) you are credited the remainder of the week.  As an owner it was $7.95 per day.  In order for me to get my credit, at check out the front desk rep. told me I would see an auto credit.  I called 5 days later after not seeing the credit and spoke with the front desk, they adjusted the bill.  The recreation center is the same since last year, except in LeClub the gym is now on the 3rd floor.  On the comment card I mentioned the fee and how I believe it affects my ownership at Massanutten.



Same happened to me this past weekend. Had a Friday check-in and left at noon on Monday from Summit. Paid the owner rate resort free for a full week at check-in and had three days of it refunded when we checked out at noon on Monday (would have only charged 3 days had we checked out by 10 am). You have to go back to the front desk and ask for the fee to be refunded ... in my case they did so without a hassle.

The one minor thing on the resort fee that indicated staff isn't 100% trained up still is the young man checking me in said I was supposed to be a gold card holder (non-resale purchaser) to get the discounted resort fee, but he would do me a favor and go ahead and give it to me as resale owner. I pointed out that while I appreciated the hospitality, I had recently re-read the policy and the discounted resort fee applies to all owners.

As an owner (of a different Great Eastern resort at Massanutten), I don't like paying a $7.95 resort fee, but we had a great time and the pain threshold is not such I'm going to let it get in the way of really enjoying fun time with family. My living only two hours from the resort is working in their favor of it still being a very handy, enjoyable place to go for a few days.


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## Miss Marty

*
Article in Summit Signal *
2019 Edition 1 (Page 5)

*MASSANUTTEN - RESORT FEE*
Owners $7.95 per side per night

www.massresort.com/resortfee


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## Santos13183

escanoe said:


> I am a resale (non gold card) owner who will be there next weekend. I expect to pay the fee at the owner rate of $7.95 per night (per half). If you look at the policy from the resort on their letterhead that I posted a couple of posts up, they clearly use the term “an owner” and not “gold card owner” when listing the discounted rate. That PDF remains posted in the documents section of the owner website I see when I log in. I will provide an update here if something does not go as expected.



Hi how is your experience as a resale owner so far i am trying to decide if i buy a 4 bedroom 4 bath but would like to trade thru rci most years do you have any experience with that ?


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## escanoe

Santos13183 said:


> Hi how is your experience as a resale owner so far i am trying to decide if i buy a 4 bedroom 4 bath but would like to trade thru rci most years do you have any experience with that ?



I am very pleased. A Gold Card (mostly a 20% discount within many places at the resort) would be nice to have, but certainly is not worth the costs of buying directly from the developer. Short of not having the Gold Card, I know of no disadvantage to buying resale. My four bedroom Woodstone is about the best RCIPoints trader as I have heard of. I pay $855 in annual MFs and get 137,000 points. The challenging thing will probably be finding one on the resale market that is enrolled in RCI points (you can get units for near fee that are not enrolled in RCI points and it is expensive to enroll them). You 100% want to get a red week. I bought mine on eBay last November and have not seen a similar one sell since. Another one sold about six months precious to when I purchased mine. 

Another alternative for you is just to buy a good value on RCI points somewhere else and trade into Massanutten when you want to go. Massanutten Resorts have a 1 in 3 restriction, but it is easy to get one almost any time of the year on sale through RCI Last Call or an Extra Vacation on the cheap. I like owning there since I live two hours away, go at least for weekends a few times a year, and it is a good points value. I have no experience with owning anything in RCI Weeks at Massanutten.


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## Miss Marty

Fall 2019

Did you know that Massanutten Resort
offers wi-fi internet in the timeshares?

But has anyone noticed that when you connect the Smart TV in the living room or connect  your personal device (s) to wi-fi that there are two internet options available.  The first on the list is for complimentary and the second is Premium

When asked what the differences are. We were told that if you select premium when connecting to Massanutten`s  wi-fi network you will get a higher speed at a premium cost of $5.95 per day!

Be sure to tell your friends and family members especially the kids to select complimentary wi-fi 
when using the internet so that no one is surprised when they are  billed @ the premium daily/weekly rate!


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## gumbow719

tschwa2 said:


> I just received the email too.  I have a feeling that they are being influence by their affiliation with Vacation Villages which has been charging the $25 weekly fee for the last several years.  My guess is that nothing that wasn't free prior to June 29 will be included in the fee.  The annoying thing is these charges are 100% covered by MF at least for this year.  There was nothing in the budget saying that half way through the year additional funding for internet, pool use, etc would be coming in.  If this is like the Vacation Village fee it will apply to both owners and exchangers staying at Massanutten and will go right into the pocket of management.


Vacation Villages aka The Berkley Group owns over 40 timeshares..Massanutten, Great Eastern Resort Corporation  is one of them..Google The Berkley Group..


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## gumbow719

escanoe said:


> I am very pleased. A Gold Card (mostly a 20% discount within many places at the resort) would be nice to have, but certainly is not worth the costs of buying directly from the developer. Short of not having the Gold Card, I know of no disadvantage to buying resale. My four bedroom Woodstone is about the best RCIPoints trader as I have heard of. I pay $855 in annual MFs and get 137,000 points. The challenging thing will probably be finding one on the resale market that is enrolled in RCI points (you can get units for near fee that are not enrolled in RCI points and it is expensive to enroll them). You 100% want to get a red week. I bought mine on eBay last November and have not seen a similar one sell since. Another one sold about six months precious to when I purchased mine.
> 
> We own there plus a home on the Mtn...come by a home there!!!
> 
> Another alternative for you is just to buy a good value on RCI points somewhere else and trade into Massanutten when you want to go. Massanutten Resorts have a 1 in 3 restriction, but it is easy to get one almost any time of the year on sale through RCI Last Call or an Extra Vacation on the cheap. I like owning there since I live two hours away, go at least for weekends a few times a year, and it is a good points value. I have no experience with owning anything in RCI Weeks at Massanutten.


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## Railman83

Anyone know how far along the Summit Renovations are?


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## tschwa2

Railman83 said:


> Anyone know how far along the Summit Renovations are?


So they plan on 210 units over 3 years which would be about 70 units per year.  



*Exciting News about the Summit Renovation Project!*
In partnership with an award winning Orlando design firm, we will be starting a complete refurbishment of the Summit at Massanutten unit interiors this year! The new designs include improvements such as comfortable and inviting living spaces, family-friendly seating, updated lighting, new flooring, and a number of custom property unique touches.

The goal is to have all 209 units completed by the end of 2021. We are very excited about this project and appreciate your patience as we complete the process.


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## carl2591

when we stay there, Summit units, we got the resort fee waived as it was not posted when we made the reservation via exchange..  understand its now some $20 per night a $140 increase in price..  

Have enjoyed staying there over the years but will not be there again due to the rip off resort fees..


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## Miss Marty

28 Jan 2020

I guess this is what happens to timeshares developments
when they can no longer make a profit from selling units.

Due to the increasing cost of exchanging
along with the additional Daily Resort Fees.

There are over 1,800 Massanutten timeshare
Exchange/Vacation units sitting online @ RCI

Regal Vistas at Massanutten - 129 Available Units (2 Bedrooms)
Summit at Massanutten -  425 Available Units (2 and 4 Bedrooms)
Woodstone at Massanutten - 1250 Available Units (1-2-4 Bedrooms)

No one wants to pay a daily resort fee (per bedroom)
Especially if only a single or couple of people/guests.

Having to pay extra for everything takes
the enjoyment out of a (family) vacation.

Annual Maintenance Fees should cover Resort Activities.

Massanutten needs to come up with another idea of making money
because no one is going to want to own or exchange into this resort!


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## tschwa2

Miss Marty said:


> 28 Jan 2020
> 
> I guess this is what happens to timeshares developments
> when they can no longer make a profit from selling units.
> 
> Due to the increasing cost of exchanging
> along with the additional Daily Resort Fees.
> 
> There are over 1,800 Massanutten timeshare
> Exchange/Vacation units sitting online @ RCI
> 
> Regal Vistas at Massanutten - 129 Available Units (2 Bedrooms)
> Summit at Massanutten -  425 Available Units (2 and 4 Bedrooms)
> Woodstone at Massanutten - 1250 Available Units (1-2-4 Bedrooms)
> 
> No one wants to pay a daily resort fee (per bedroom)
> Especially if only a single or couple of people/guests.
> 
> Having to pay extra for everything takes
> the enjoyment out of a (family) vacation.
> 
> Annual Maintenance Fees should cover Resort Activities.
> 
> Massanutten needs to come up with another idea of making money
> because no one is going to want to own or exchange into this resort!


Massanutten always had over a thousand units available over a 2 year period even before the fees.  I do agree that it makes even high season weeks even easier to get but RCI will just counter by offering $199 type rentals (no exchange needed) if they need to clear them out.  

The one good thing about changing from per side to per bedroom is that it makes those 1 BR woodstone casa units more appealing especially if you only have 1 or 2 persons staying because normally for 2-5 tpu's I would always pick the largest possible unit.

Since I can trade in for the $159 discounted fee even paying the resort fee, it still is slightly less in most cases than paying the $239 to exchange to some place else in the Virginia area like Williamsburg.


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## bluehende

Miss Marty said:


> 28 Jan 2020
> 
> I guess this is what happens to timeshares developments
> when they can no longer make a profit from selling units.
> 
> Due to the increasing cost of exchanging
> along with the additional Daily Resort Fees.
> 
> There are over 1,800 Massanutten timeshare
> Exchange/Vacation units sitting online @ RCI
> 
> Regal Vistas at Massanutten - 129 Available Units (2 Bedrooms)
> Summit at Massanutten -  425 Available Units (2 and 4 Bedrooms)
> Woodstone at Massanutten - 1250 Available Units (1-2-4 Bedrooms)
> 
> No one wants to pay a daily resort fee (per bedroom)
> Especially if only a single or couple of people/guests.
> 
> Having to pay extra for everything takes
> the enjoyment out of a (family) vacation.
> 
> Annual Maintenance Fees should cover Resort Activities.
> 
> Massanutten needs to come up with another idea of making money
> because no one is going to want to own or exchange into this resort!




WOW

and that does not include eagle trace and shenandoah villas.  And the inventory from the mountainside villas.  My guess is those areas would close to double that number.


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## carl2591

what time frame these unit available for,, spring,, summer etc.. 



Miss Marty said:


> 28 Jan 2020
> 
> I guess this is what happens to timeshares developments
> when they can no longer make a profit from selling units.
> 
> Due to the increasing cost of exchanging
> along with the additional Daily Resort Fees.
> 
> There are over 1,800 Massanutten timeshare
> Exchange/Vacation units sitting online @ RCI
> 
> Regal Vistas at Massanutten - 129 Available Units (2 Bedrooms)
> Summit at Massanutten -  425 Available Units (2 and 4 Bedrooms)
> Woodstone at Massanutten - 1250 Available Units (1-2-4 Bedrooms)
> 
> No one wants to pay a daily resort fee (per bedroom)
> Especially if only a single or couple of people/guests.
> 
> Having to pay extra for everything takes
> the enjoyment out of a (family) vacation.
> 
> Annual Maintenance Fees should cover Resort Activities.
> 
> Massanutten needs to come up with another idea of making money
> because no one is going to want to own or exchange into this resort!


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## tschwa2

Pretty much year round.  Massanutten especially Woodstone has a lot of units.  This was even before the fees.  Perhaps I have seen a decrease in tpu's for summer weeks (when booked well in advance before rci starts discounting them) although more for Summit than Woodstone.  
Come June there won't be anything other than early June and later August weeks because RCI will just put them on sale through extra vacations and/or drop the tpu's for 2 BR summer weeks to 7-10 tpu's and when nothing else is available in the mid atlantic region, they will be booked.


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## Miss Marty

*The Summit*® - *Summit Hillside*® - *Summit Sunrise*® 

Resort ID #3640

Dislike having to pay an additional resort fee in addition to the  
2020 Assessment Fee $446.50 for both Upper & Lower Units 
(On  4 bedroom Summit at Massanutten every Even Year use)


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## janej

I just noticed that there is a note saying $60 resort fee when I tried to exchange to RCI today.   Is it per unit per week?    What does it cover?


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## janej

Just called Massanutten and was told that in addition to the $60, there is a resort fee charged at check in depend on the length of the stay and number of bedrooms.  Did i hear that right?


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## tschwa2

janej said:


> Just called Massanutten and was told that in addition to the $60, there is a resort fee charged at check in depend on the length of the stay and number of bedrooms.  Did i hear that right?


I don't see where you see the $60.  This is what I see-


> Mandatory Fees:
> 
> Mandatory Security deposit is 100.00 U.S. dollars. Only Credit Cards accepted.
> 
> Due at check-in
> 
> Housekeeping Fees:
> 
> "Housekeeping fee for all RCI points reservations: There may be a fee of 47.00 U.S. dollars for 2 Bedroom units, per stay. Cash or Credit is accepted."
> 
> "Housekeeping fee for all RCI points reservations: There may be a fee of 93.00 U.S. dollars for 4 Bedroom units, per stay. Cash or Credit is accepted."
> 
> Resort Fees:
> 
> Service fee is 6.50 U.S. dollars. Cash or Credit is accepted.
> $6.50 per bedroom per night.



So the housekeeping fees is only if you book with points for less than 7 nights.
Otherwise it is $6.50 per bedroom per night.  If you are an owner at Massanutten the fee is a little less, I think something like $4.75 per bedroom per night.


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## Polly Metallic

We checked in today and they’re charging half their usual fee since services and amenities are currently limited.


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## Miss Marty

Some people will do 
"Anything for Money"

Hope Massanutten loses big money on their 2020 (daily/unit) Resort Fee charge
now they are reducing or not charging owners & exchangers during the pandemic. 

Maybe they should reconsidered including these fees back
into the Annual Assessment again as a guaranteed income.


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## tschwa2

Miss Marty said:


> Some people will do
> "Anything for Money"
> 
> Hope Massanutten loses big money on their 2020 (daily/unit) Resort Fee charge
> now they are reducing or not charging owners & exchangers during the pandemic.
> 
> Maybe they should reconsidered including these fees back
> into the Annual Assessment again as a guaranteed income.


They were charging $50 per unit (regardless of size) before they added the resort fees.  At $4.75 per bedroom per night they were getting $133 per week (for the 4 br) from owners who stayed in their unit or in an rci exchange or $182 from non owners.  I would have rather they started charging owners $25 per bedroom as part of the annual fee (a $50 increase from $50 to $100) for a 4 bedroom unit and still perhaps charged $25 per week (regardless of bedroom size for exchangers).


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## elaine

so, what is the total fee to stay in Shenandoah 2BR via RCI (on a last minute rental)? Is it $6.50/day per bedroom (so $13) plus additional resort fee? What is the resort fee? Is it still applicable during Covid? Thinking of Mid-Aug.


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## tschwa2

[QUOTE="elaine, post: 247264]
so, what is the total fee to stay in Shenandoah 2BR via RCI (on a last minute rental)? Is it $6.50/day per bedroom (so $13) plus additional resort fee? What is the resort fee? Is it still applicable during Covid? Thinking of Mid-Aug.
[/QUOTE]
I think as of this week they were still charging half- $3.25 per bedroom per night but that could go back up to $6.50 per bedroom per night at any time they decide to reinstate the whole fee.  That is the resort fee so the fee for the week could be as much as $91 for the week.


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## escanoe

If you are booking a week at Massanutten and RCI only shows a 4 BR (Summit or Woodstone) available, can you book a 4BR, only use one of the halves, and be charged for 2BRs of the resort fee versus 4?


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## Steve NH

Did you get your answer?  My guess is if you book a 4 bdrm unit, you get charged Amenity fee for 4 bdrm, If you had two seperate 2 bdrms and only used one - you would be charged for amenity fees for 2 bdrms.  (I do remember I once had a 2 bedroom and only myself and wife checking in, they did not care - still charged amenity fee for 2 bdrm usage)  I have a 4 bdrm booked for April, I will ask when checking in.


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## escanoe

The resort fee is based on the number of bedrooms in the unit you are staying in (at least for the Great Eastern resorts there .... everything but Mountainside). How many (or few) people are in your party does not factor into the resort fee calculation.  



Steve NH said:


> Did you get your answer?  My guess is if you book a 4 bdrm unit, you get charged Amenity fee for 4 bdrm, If you had two seperate 2 bdrms and only used one - you would be charged for amenity fees for 2 bdrms.  (I do remember I once had a 2 bedroom and only myself and wife checking in, they did not care - still charged amenity fee for 2 bdrm usage)  I have a 4 bdrm booked for April, I will ask when checking in.


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## escanoe

Steve NH said:


> Did you get your answer?  My guess is if you book a 4 bdrm unit, you get charged Amenity fee for 4 bdrm, If you had two seperate 2 bdrms and only used one - you would be charged for amenity fees for 2 bdrms.  (I do remember I once had a 2 bedroom and only myself and wife checking in, they did not care - still charged amenity fee for 2 bdrm usage)  I have a 4 bdrm booked for April, I will ask when checking in.



What I still do not 100% know is if you have a 4BR and tell them you only want to use it as a 2BR lock-off (one side) if you can just pay the resort fee for a 2BR. @tschwa2 seems to think that is a possibility.


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## GoodTimes

escanoe said:


> What I still do not 100% know is if you have a 4BR and tell them you only want to use it as a 2BR lock-off (one side) if you can just pay the resort fee for a 2BR. @tschwa2 seems to think that is a possibility.


I might be mistaken, but if you leave early and do not stay the entire week, I think they prorate your fee.


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