# Rci Trading Power ????? [Paniolo Greens]



## heimbuc3 (Jun 14, 2012)

What is going on with RCI ?  We own at Paniolo Greens on the Big Island of Hawaii.  That is a 2 bdrm float.  We space banked it with RCI as normal but then we received a "trading power of 23 "  We gave them a year plus for the best TP.  A TP of 23 doesn't get us a silver crown in Taho !  We have never had this problem.  our place is a Gold Crown in Hawaii.  What is going on ?:annoyed !!!!


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## DeniseM (Jun 14, 2012)

Paniolo Greens is a nice timeshare, but because of it's inland location, it doesn't have the same demand as many other timeshares.  In fact, it is nearly always available for exchange.  This hurts it's trading power.  I would also guess that you are trying to trade into high season in Tahoe.


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## stanleyu (Jun 14, 2012)

one thing I'd add to Denise's statement: there is availability, but if you want any kind of selection you have to book at least a year in advance. So while there is availability, there also is a lot of demand for that resort.

We've got a week there next May and are looking forward to our first visit to that resort.


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## WinniWoman (Jun 14, 2012)

We visited this resort years ago and it was really nice. Better location than Kona we thought. Right near Hapuna Beach-gorgeous! Kona's beached are rocky lava. And- we were able to go to Volcanoes National Park, Hilo, everywhere from there. We really enjoyed the Big Island, but when in Kona, we didn't understand why it is so popular. Didn't care for it.

2 thumbs up for Paniolo Greens!


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 14, 2012)

I agree with Denise.  I know that some people are big PG fans, but in the overall scheme of things it's not that popular.  Most people going to Hawaii will want to stay somewhere close to the water; if not waterfront at least within walking distance of a beach.  That pretty much leaves PG as about the last choice for a location for many exchangers.

That's also confirmed by the pretty easy availability of trades into PG.


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## WinniWoman (Jun 14, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I agree with Denise.  I know that some people are big PG fans, but in the overall scheme of things it's not that popular.  Most people going to Hawaii will want to stay somewhere close to the water; if not waterfront at least within walking distance of a beach.  That pretty much leaves PG as about the last choice for a location for many exchangers.
> 
> That's also confirmed by the pretty easy availability of trades into PG.



This is because most people don't know that Hapuna Beach is only a 2 minute drive from PG and it was rated by Conde Naste magazine as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!


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## DeniseM (Jun 14, 2012)

2 miles from the beach is 2 miles too far for me.  When I sit on my lanai, I want to see the ocean.  

Any time you look for a Hawaii trade, Paniolo Greens is always available for an exchange - that is clear evidence that there is more supply than demand - that hurts trading power.


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## tschwa2 (Jun 14, 2012)

Check to see which week was deposited.  I believe there has been another thread about the resort trying to not allow float owners to deposit their reserved weeks and instead using bulk banked weeks.  I believe that when this has happened owners who complained enough were able to get their reserved weeks deposited.  

More and more developers are trying to control float week deposits with exchange companies and it usually results in owners getting less trading power than when they controlled their own deposits.

old thread


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## Carolinian (Jun 15, 2012)

I agree that location matters tremendously.  If I am going to a beach location, I want to be on the beach if possible or if not at least in walking distance.  If I have to drive to the beach, that is a huge negative.

That said, Points Lite at RCI is riddled with examples of standing supply and demand on their head.  Is this resort sold out by any chance?  That term often has a sinister double meaning at RCI when it comes to trading power.




DeniseM said:


> 2 miles from the beach is 2 miles too far for me.  When I sit on my lanai, I want to see the ocean.
> 
> Any time you look for a Hawaii trade, Paniolo Greens is always available for an exchange - that is clear evidence that there is more supply than demand - that hurts trading power.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 15, 2012)

mpumilia said:


> This is because most people don't know that Hapuna Beach is only a 2 minute drive from PG and it was rated by Conde Naste magazine as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!



2 minutes!!!  How fast do you drive? If you're covering that distance in two minutes you're doing well over 300 miles per hour!! :hysterical: 

It takes at least ten minutes just to get down the hill from Waikoloa Village to the stoplight on Queen K Highway.  After that you've still got at least ten minutes drive on Queen K to reach Hapuna from the stoplight; more if traffic is heavy.

PG to Hapuna is at least 20 minutes, and that's with good traffic.


******

You must be thinking of some resort other than Paniolo Greens.  FYI - Waikoloa Village and Waikoloa are different locations.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 15, 2012)

Carolinian said:


> I agree that location matters tremendously.  If I am going to a beach location, I want to be on the beach if possible or if not at least in walking distance.  If I have to drive to the beach, that is a huge negative.
> 
> That said, Points Lite at RCI is riddled with examples of standing supply and demand on their head.  Is this resort sold out by any chance?  That term often has a sinister double meaning at RCI when it comes to trading power.



Steve - Paniolo Greens is one of those projects that was created in desperation by a developer from a marginally conceived project that went sour.  Before the Japanese real estate crash, Hawaii was a hot market for just about any project.  Some developer was able to get some property way inland - in the middle of barren lava fields about ten miles from the coast in some of the windiest land in Hawaii - and built a golf course and started land sales.  When the market tanked, and condo sales dried up, the unsold condos were turned into timeshares.  So now there's this timeshare project in this village area that has been plunked in the middle of barren lava land where it's a minimum 20 to get to a beach of any type.  The only amenity is a rather ordinary (for Hawaii) golf course.  Stories of the wind are legendary; in the area around Waikoloa Village in most afternoons I can't shoot pictures without bracing myself against something because of the force of the wind.

That's why it's probably the lowest trade power resort in Hawaii.  Actually, if there's any gaming of the point values it would probably be to overrate it, because the unsold inventory is now owned by Shell.


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## WinniWoman (Jun 15, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> 2 minutes!!!  How fast do you drive? If you're covering that distance in two minutes you're doing well over 300 miles per hour!! :hysterical:
> 
> It takes at least ten minutes just to get down the hill from Waikoloa Village to the stoplight on Queen K Highway.  After that you've still got at least ten minutes drive on Queen K to reach Hapuna from the stoplight; more if traffic is heavy.
> 
> ...



 No! We stayed at Paniolo Greens! Only resort we ever stayed at on the Big Island! OK. maybe it's a BIG 10 or 20 minutes instead of 2 to Hapuna beach-whatever-big deal-but I don't ever remember any traffic or anything like that for sure!  It seemed like a quick drive to me. Heck- where I live it takes more time than that to get to a grocery store! I guess I am not spoiled. I never stayed right on a beach when I was in Hawaii, which was a couple of times, but I loved every minute of it and I loved visiting all the beaches I could on all the islands. And you have to drive to do that anyway. To each his own, but I am not so lazy as to not want to drive a mere 10-20 minutes to a beautiful beach!

That said- I  agree with you and Denise- a resort on a beach naturally has more trading power because of views and convenience. But for many exchangers who maybe don't have the best trades, a resort like PG is a a gold mine!


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## Timeshare Von (Jun 15, 2012)

The first resort I ever traded into in Hawaii was PG back in 2000.  I remember doing some activities based in Kona and thinking "holy cow it this a long drive".

Since that time, I/we have traded onto the Big Island 5 or 6 times, and stayed in a bit of everything on that side (nothing on the Hilo side) . . . including a two week stay at PG again.

Each area has it's own benefits and charm and PG is no exception.  I do remember my DH fussing about how windy it was at PG, therefore rending the pool pretty useless.  I agree that the beaches that are relatively close to PG are lovely, which for us makes up for the lack of quality pool time.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 15, 2012)

mpumilia said:


> But for many exchangers who maybe don't have the best trades, a resort like PG is a a gold mine!



That statement I do not disagree at all with, and it also reflects the reality that is the central to the thread.  PG does not have high trade power. Inventory from other resorts gets claimed first.  Exchangers will put in ongoing searches for other resorts rather than take PG when that is the only resort available on line.

For a large number of exchangers, PG is what they settle on when there isn't anything else available.

*****

For us, as with many other people, being *close to the water* - which is not the same as *close to the beach* - is important.  We want to be able to go out for a leisurely stroll after dinner or in the morning along the water.  We want to be able to hear the waves at night.  We want to smell the sea air in the morning.  Of course we would rather stay near or on a beach than not. And we would rather stay ocean front instead of in a back unit.  

I totally agree that 10 to 15 minutes to make a beach excursion is nothing.  We routinely make day trips to beaches that are more than that.  But excursions to a beach are only one component.  When we stay on the Big Island we generally don't stay in a waterfront unit.  Probably our favorite place to stay is Mauna Loa Village, which is neither ocean front nor on a beach.  But it is close to the water.  We've also stayed in Kona Hawaiian Village, where we actually prefer to be toward the back, as far from the water as available.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jun 15, 2012)

Trading power for Wyndham Shearwater is not good at all, and I feel sorry for those who deposit Shearwater into RCI.  35 points for prime summer is about all you can get, and MF's are about $1,200.  Same with Pono Kai, low TPU's and high fees.


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## Carolinian (Jun 16, 2012)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Trading power for Wyndham Shearwater is not good at all, and I feel sorry for those who deposit Shearwater into RCI.  35 points for prime summer is about all you can get, and MF's are about $1,200.  Same with Pono Kai, low TPU's and high fees.



Those resorts need to educate their members about the indepedent exchange companies.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Jun 18, 2012)

We loved PG, stayed there a few times and then bought there. To us it felt like coming home. Very spacious and relaxing. Everyone is different. We didn't like Mauna Loa, preferring the Waikoloa area for it's beaches, quieter space, less people and access to Havi and Waimea. 
Liz


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## MLR (Aug 24, 2013)

*Getting your trading power's worth at PG*



I may have been the person who mentioned in a thread somewhere that I had my X-mas week scheduled and then went to bank it with RCI at 38 points and Shell tried to switch MY SCHEDULED xmas week for some ODDBALL week at far few points. I raised CAIN - emailed Paniolo and they intervened for me and I got my 38 points for my xmas week. SO WATCH SHELL WHEN YOU BANK YOUR WEEK - I thought it was pretty unscrupulous of them. 

We love Paniolo Greens. We appreciate being away from the crowd and 20 minutes from Hapuna beach sure beats a 14-24 hour drive from where we live to the nearest beach! 

They keep the place well maintained, it is quiet (except for mowers in early morning :0( - but it is a great home base for exploring. We avoid Kona - prefer the Kohala coast and beyond. Plenty of good restaurants outside of Kona - gorgeous resort restaurants and many mid priced in Queens Shops and Kings Marketplace. We are happy campers at Paniolo. Going to rent a couple weeks from and owner and stay 3 weeks in 2015! That's the plan anyway. :0)

But, as I mentioned earlier - watch that Shell doesn't try a 'switcheroo' on your scheduled week. Makes a person downright NERVOUS!! We are going to USE our week this time instead of banking.


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## FlaKmunKy (Sep 10, 2013)

Heimbuc1 said:


> What is going on with RCI ?  We own at Paniolo Greens on the Big Island of Hawaii.  That is a 2 bdrm float.  We space banked it with RCI as normal but then we received a "trading power of 23 "  We gave them a year plus for the best TP.  A TP of 23 doesn't get us a silver crown in Taho !  We have never had this problem.  our place is a Gold Crown in Hawaii.  What is going on ?:annoyed !!!!



If you deposit 9 mo out or further your doing it right.  The main thing that TPU is based off of is supply and demand.  Meaning either 1: Less demand at the resort you own or 2: (most likely) more inventory at that resort for that time.  They do re-evaluate this each year so if the next year's evaluation is beneficial they will bump up the TP on your existing deposit and future deposits (although it will never go down once deposited, it can go up)


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