# Simpson Bay Resort & Marina in St. Maarten



## BoaterMike (Sep 1, 2011)

From a timeshare information blog:

Royal Resorts Rallies Support for Timeshare Holders of Simpson Bay Resort & Marina

On behalf of the 12,000 consumers who hold timeshares at Simpson Bay Resort & Marina & The Villas at Simpson Bay, management company Royal Resorts has used its prominent position in the industry to negotiate a rare benefit to protect vacationers who may not have access to their timeshare units due to the resort’s closure.

Interval International and RCI– the two largest timeshare exchange organizations in the world – have both agreed to permit trading of timeshare units for potentially affected vacationers even though the resort is currently closed.

While the timeshare industry is no stranger to financial and labor-related issues, the Simpson Bay Resort & Marina is the most popular timeshare property in St. Maarten, and one of the largest in the Caribbean. As such, it has attracted quite a bit of media attention.

As many statements have been made based on inaccurate, misleading or incomplete facts, many of those affected by the closure have been looking for reliable information from credible third-party sources. Howard Nusbaum, President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), recently issued a statement to add some perspective:

“ARDA encourages all stakeholders involved with the former Pelican Resort Club (now Simpson Bay Resort & Marina) to develop a workable solution to the current impasse that resulted in its closure on February 20, 2011,” said Nusbaum.

“The goal for all should be the reopening of the popular vacation resort so that owners may enjoy their paid for and promised use rights. Finding a compromise is essential in order to create a sustainable local employment opportunity for as many of St. Maarten’s workers as realistically possible,” he added.

“Additionally, through the exchange system, new visitors to St. Maarten can be introduced to the wonderful vacation experience offered by the destination, thus creating more tourism and tax dollars for the local economy. This way everyone involved benefits.

“After experiencing financial challenges for some time, it is crucial for the homeowners’ association, management, government officials, employees, and investors to work together for a sound, fiscally sustainable operating plan that will benefit everyone,” Nusbaum concluded.

The new resort owner will continue to work with government appointed negotiators to seek a resolution that will allow it to operate the resort in a financially viable manner.

Source:  www.timeshare-info.org


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## KathyA (Sep 4, 2011)

This information is six moths old--the resort was closed for two weeks last February-March but has been open since then.


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## BoaterMike (Sep 4, 2011)

Interesting.  This was originally posted several months ago, not on Aug 31.


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## Katscuba (Sep 13, 2011)

*Simpson Bay Stay*

We stayed at Simpson Bay Sept 3 thru Sept 11. We were in a 2 bedroom in the D building. Although the room was somewhat dated it was very clean and in good repair. The entire staff was professional, helpful, very friendly and courteous. We did have an issue with one of the air conditioners. I called the front deak and they had a maintenance man working on the problem in less than 10  minutes from the time I called the front desk. We had no other issues at the resort and we were very pleased with our stay. Royal Resorts appears to be working very hard to keep the resort open and make it appealing for the guests. There are lots of very good restaurants on the property and within walking distance. Our departure did get delayed a day because of TS Maria.


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