# Diamond Resorts Purchasing ILX (2010)



## Klapkin

I am an owner at Los Abrigados and was told Diamond would be buying them out of bankruptcy.  I own a floating week but understand Diamond is points.
Anyone know anything?
Thanks
susan


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## RedDogSD

I know NOTHING about your home resort, but bankruptcy or not, you own a week and you have a deed to your week.  They cannot take that away from you without your permission so no stress.  They will come to you later and tell you about their points system and try to sell you on it.  You should still be able to use your property the way you always have.


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## tidefan

RedDogSD said:


> I know NOTHING about your home resort, but bankruptcy or not, you own a week and you have a deed to your week.  They cannot take that away from you without your permission so no stress.  They will come to you later and tell you about their points system and try to sell you on it.  You should still be able to use your property the way you always have.


Oh, and they will also double your maintenance fees if your experience is anything like ours...


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## nightnurse613

Of course, if ILX is in bankruptcy then maybe property improvements is the last thing they were paying attention to so increased MF wouldn't be that unusual.  Of course, I agree, DRI does have a reputation for increasing fees in order to maintain their fifteen percent profit requirements.


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## csalter2

*DRI will raise maintenance fees, but...*

DRI will come in and raise maintenace fees, but my experience has been that they also will eventually upgrading your resort. I was an Epic owner and then a Epic was sold to Sunterra because of bankruptcy and then Sunterra went bankrupt and the DRI took over. The properties had really been in bad shape over time due to the financial troubles of those organizations. DRI did increase the maintenance fees and for a couple of years all of the owners were having a cow. However, DRI has slowly but surely upgrading the resorts. I have been to quite a few and have noticed definite upgrades and they continue to improve on them and provide more services. 

So you will have the good and the bad. I will tell you that DRI does give you a home resort advantage too so if you want to stay in Los Abrigados every year, you will probably be able to do so, but they will try to get you to buy points. I have them and it's not too bad at all. I love the flexibility.


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## pgnewarkboy

Consider yourself very lucky.  You have a nice resort and will be able to continue to use it.  If DRI didn't buy it you would have likely ended up with no resort and no money for your trouble.  I own DRI points and am very happy with how they have been upgrading resorts and the way the point system works.


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## dougp26364

DRI will most likely offer you the option of joining the new points program. They'll also bring your resort up to DRI standards if it's not already there. Sunterra owners saw high MF increases which reflected the quality/maintenance of their resorts. I have nothing against the old Sunterra but, it was a less expensive resort chain that used lower quality goods/services at their resorts. We had written them off as a chain to exchange into based on our experience. If there is a lot of work that needs to be done, MF's will rise relatively quickly, owners will complain but, the resort will start to look like one of the top timeshare resorts rather than just another resort.

In our case, we were offererd to with join their points program for $2,995 or, buy trust based points and convert our exisiting deeds into one of the land trusts. We elected to keep our deeds and just join the points overlay program. We joined because we received enough points to accomplish the same trades we always had, the availability of internal exhanges and short stay internal exchanges and still have points left over for either more exchanges or for use with some of the other goods and services DRI offers for points (cruise exchanges, rental cars, AA flight certificates, FF miles, MF/club dues payments et....). We've found their points program works very well for us.


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## tidefan

dougp26364 said:


> DRI will most likely offer you the option of joining the new points program. They'll also bring your resort up to DRI standards if it's not already there. Sunterra owners saw high MF increases which reflected the quality/maintenance of their resorts. I have nothing against the old Sunterra but, it was a less expensive resort chain that used lower quality goods/services at their resorts. We had written them off as a chain to exchange into based on our experience. If there is a lot of work that needs to be done, MF's will rise relatively quickly, owners will complain but, the resort will start to look like one of the top timeshare resorts rather than just another resort.
> 
> In our case, we were offererd to with join their points program for $2,995 or, buy trust based points and convert our exisiting deeds into one of the land trusts. We elected to keep our deeds and just join the points overlay program. We joined because we received enough points to accomplish the same trades we always had, the availability of internal exhanges and short stay internal exchanges and still have points left over for either more exchanges or for use with some of the other goods and services DRI offers for points (cruise exchanges, rental cars, AA flight certificates, FF miles, MF/club dues payments et....). We've found their points program works very well for us.


Gee, guess I'm just crazy then since all of our upgrades were completed 3 years ago.  Oh yeah, before DRI took over from Sunterra.  We already had an upgraded resort and still got tacked on with the high MFs.  Most Royal Palm owners that we have talked to all seem to think that it is a ploy for DRI to force weeks owners out to acquire points for "the Club" as Royal Palm was sold out prior to DRI acquisition (many with whole or quarter shares) so they didn't have a lot of inventory there to trade into "the Club".

We have heard the stories of a few RPBC owners who converted to points, only to not be able to book back at the resort during weeks that they either wanted (which were usually high demand) or back to their normal week due to lack of availability.  But Sunterra actually created that problem (and DRI continued it) by giving RPBC so little value in its points system compared to other resorts, that it made a whole lot of sense not to join "the Club" as you couldn't really go anywhere else (comparably) AND you had to fork out at least $3,000 for this privilege.  No thanks.

I can see where "the Club" worked out for others, especially to those who have high point value resorts, but Sunterra/DRI sure has given RPBC owners the shaft.  That's OK though, at least for us, because we just continue to use our fixed week year after year, so their way to get us out is to increase our MFs.

The much easier way to get weeks into "the Club" from RPBC owners is to give them comparable points, then, some of them may have been swayed to join the system.

Just my opinion...


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## traildoc

So what I can tell from researching Diamond Resort sales on Ebay is that you can purchase various point options 4,000, 6,500, 8,000 for under $500 including all transfer fees. It looks like 8,000 points cost about $1,100 per year. For the 8,000 points you can go to many of the One Bedroom Diamond Resort locations during HIGH season. 

I was paying $630 per year to stay at Los Abrigados in a one bedroom anytime of the year as long as I reserved early in the year. Now it looks like I will need to spend around $1,000 a year to stay in a one bedroom Los Abrigados unit in the future. Not sure how much better the unit will be when Diamond takes over.

Since I can purchase more Diamond points for less than $500 on Ebay I am not sure why I would buy into the $2,500 Diamond upgrade.


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## gravityrules

Doesn't ILX already have a 'Premier Vacation Club' which sells memberships rather than deeded property ownership?  Expect DRI to fold PVC into their 'trust'; this will become yet another revenue source for DRI.
If you are a deeded owner expect higher MFs and lessening owner input/control (if you had any with ILX).
I think this outcome is a 'win' for ILX creditors and for DRI who gets an entire new resort system to exploit.  It's the owners who will likely get the priviledge of paying for DRI's acquisition.
BTW, we were at Bell Rock last summer in a 2BR and it appeared to be a well maintained resort.


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## JRS

*Csalter - comment*

"The properties had really been in bad shape over time due to the financial troubles of those organizations."

  Kind of a generalization ??  I would say so.  I owned at Flamingo in St Maarten - and this resort along with Royal Palm and I can tell you these resorts were not in "Bad Shape".  I have since sold out because I was a week owner and DRI in effect raised fees for those owners to in effect force them out IMO.  I will "never" become a member of DRI because of this .....  Seems that they are attempting to charge fees on par with Marriott - without the quality that goes along with it ....


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## tidefan

Agreed.  DRI has really been a bad deal for owners of their SXM properties.  I know that some of the homeowners had started a movement to get them removed as the property managers, but I am not sure where this is right now...


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## fnewman

tidefan said:


> Oh, and they will also double your maintenance fees if your experience is anything like ours...


Could artificially low maintenance fees be responsible for the company's bankrupcy?  I don't know of any business that can survive if their income does not exceed their cost of doing business.


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## cangarrett1

*ILX -- Now DRI MF's for 2011*

I just checked the Concord Servicing Corporation website and the maintenance fee for our 1 bedroom Premier Vacation Club Annual Floating  went from $635.00 to $921.65. I seriously am hoping this is an error.


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## Klapkin

*New Point System*

Did anyone else get their Maintenance fee bill- Do you understand how this is going to work?  How many points?
I am totally confused!
Thanks


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## mblosser

*Talk Back to Diamond*

I just got my 2 bills.  I own PVC Silver (1BR) and PVC Gold (2BR).  My fee break-out is as follows:

Silver: In 2010 under ILX, was $635.  In 2011 under Diamond, will be $922 (includes a $134 club fee, which you can opt-out of by 12/2011).

Gold: In 2011 under ILX, was $810.  In 2011 under Diamond, will be $1139 (same deal on club fee and opt-out).

The MF increases are 45% and 41%, respectively.  And BTW, the bill includes that wonderful ARDA-PAC $5 fee (which they so graciously allow us to opt-out of).  I hate it when resort management tries to slip that by us.  Opt-in, OK, but opt-out, that should be illegal.

IMO, ILX's fees were already high for what we were getting.  40%+ increases are insane, to the point of criminality.

My fee statements also have no data on the quantities of DRI points into which our Silver and Gold memberships convert.  But I suspect it will be enough for a high season 1BR and a high season 2BR, respectively.

I'm not the least bit impressed with DRI's "Premiere Club Connection" exchange program, which the $134 club fee gets us.  It includes 27 additional resorts.  Only 12 of them are domestic.  IMO, those 12 range from average to above average, but none of them are what I'd consider top-notch.

To voice your opinion on your new masters, go here:

http://www.keepingyouinthepicture.com/ and click on "Contact Us".  They are having an informational meeting December 14 in the Phoenix area, and they want questions submitted ahead of time (Hey!  Board of Directors--afraid we might bring our pitchforks and torches?  ).

I already sent in my questions, including my personal favorite: "Are you people insane?"  :annoyed: 

I also asked why the bankruptcy court allowed DRI, which purchased ILX assets for very little $$$, to shunt debts over onto us.  Those debts should have been extinguished by the court and/or assumed by DRI as a trade-off for the bargain sale.  I smell class action lawsuit here.  

Anyway, we'll see if anything good comes of this.  My plan is to hang in for a year, and if I don't like what I see, not pay any more maintenance fees and attempt to deed back my points to DRI.  

IMO, this looks like a classic example of annual fees far exceeding the value of the vacation week, and every logical consumer's best option may be to walk away (akin to what you logically should do with an underwater mortgage).  What's the point of paying as much as double the condo's market rental value (I know, there are obligations etc. that have been well-discussed elsewhere on TUG; I'm not trying to rekindle that hot button issue here).

There's a reason any amount of DRI points can be "purchased" for $1 on eBay.  Of course, ILX's points were also worthless, but that just supports my point that there is no value left in these timeshares.  DRI is just pushing them further underwater, to the owners' detriment and DRI's corporate enrichment.  

It should be illegal.


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## pgnewarkboy

Maybe DRI trust points can be sold,  I am not sure.  Club points cannot be sold.  I don't know what is being sold on Ebay as "DRI points".


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## REDHOT

*Same Story*

I too am an owner with the same problem 635 up to 921. I made many phone calls today and found that with our property reports and signed contract of week ownership. We cannot be forced into a point system. 
I called II and asked the value of points and they where unable to answer due to that fact that they do not deal in points. Diamond has their own section within II.
I agree this now not an affordable way to vacation. I will be attending the meeting also and also submitted my questions and concerns about this hostage situation. What happens if I do not want this anymore and have my unit paid in full? Can they ruin my credit over maint fees? This is not what we all signed up for. Why do we get the burden of those that do not pay or the staff that does not make sales?

Is everyone going Tues.?


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## REDHOT

*Attorney*

This group represented someone against ILX in 2003. They are in Mesa, Az. They may be of some help to us.

James E Ledbetter
(928)649-8777


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## csalter2

*Points Buy Back with DRI*

You can return your points back to DRI, but you must have paid all maintenance fees and they must be free and clear of any loans. DRI usually charges you around $250 to take them back. 

Silver membership has a minimum of 15,000 points, Gold membership has a minimum of 30,000 points. In addition, there are other discounts and perks on these levels of membership.


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## pgnewarkboy

REDHOT said:


> I too am an owner with the same problem 635 up to 921. I made many phone calls today and found that with our property reports and signed contract of week ownership. We cannot be forced into a point system.
> I called II and asked the value of points and they where unable to answer due to that fact that they do not deal in points. Diamond has their own section within II.
> I agree this now not an affordable way to vacation. I will be attending the meeting also and also submitted my questions and concerns about this hostage situation. What happens if I do not want this anymore and have my unit paid in full? Can they ruin my credit over maint fees? This is not what we all signed up for. Why do we get the burden of those that do not pay or the staff that does not make sales?
> 
> Is everyone going Tues.?



You can use your diamond points to make exchanges on II at a very good value in most cases.  As far as I know, most, if not all, of the II inventory is open for points exchange.  My wife and I made great exchanges using Diamond points on II.   You basically cannot get an answer to the question "what is the value of points".  You need to see the number of points needed to exchange for units.  You can get great in season units in desirable resorts for points on II for 7000 or less points.  Of course, you must plan and put your request in sufficiently ahead of time for the most popular resorts.

I understand the shock of a huge increase in MF - particularly if you plan on going to the same resort each year.  It may not be worthwhile if that is what someone plans to do.  IMO people interested in making exchanges to different places will find great flexibility and choice with Diamond at a cost/benefit ratio that works.  At least that is my experience.


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## dougp26364

*DRI points values for I.I. exchanges*

Points values are based on Interval's Trade Demand Index (TDI) and resort quality. for the sake of saving space I'll assume Premium quality (pretty standard for exchange purposes) and high range TDI of 115-135. The set covers most typical exchange situations. Lower demand requires fewer points. Peak demand requires more ponits.

Studio - 4,000
1 bedroom - 5,500
2 bedroom - 7,500
3 bedroom - 8,750
4 bedroom - 10,000

These are the points requirements for exchanges through I.I. for premium quality resorts during high demand time. Please not that I.I. exchange fee's are charged when exchanging through Interval International. 

I have no idea what DRI is offering ILX owners in points for their weeks. You'd have to contact DRI to get those figures. For what it's worth, our 2 bedroom units at Polo Towers have MF's over $1,000. This seems pretty typical to me for DRI managed resorts. DRI does have a certain quality standard they seem to be using across the board at resorts managed by them. It has taken DRI a couple of years to get some of the older Sunterra resorts up to DRI standards and most Sunterra owners screamed at the MF increases. Now, a few years down the road, I've seen several posts that indicate they're happier now that they've exprerienced the quality upgrades.


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## REDHOT

*Quality*

I hear what you are saying about the value of your MF's increases for better quality resorts. The ILX inventory of resorts is not a Marriott goup quality of properties. It is more a La Quita/Hampton Inn quality of resorts. I could see paying 1000 if the properties where nicer, but that is not the case. Take a look at the inventory and ask yourself if you would see value for 1000. Unfortunatly I do not. The only property of theirs that had some potential is the Los Abagatos. 
I asked them what my MF's increase for my silver 1BR equated to in points, 6000 points. I see above that someone has said that to trade into most 1BR DR runs on average of 8000 points. 
I was unable to see what a trade at II would look like due to that fact that some of our online information is all wrong and II cannot talk with me right now. My online info says that my fees are 1391 with 470 past due. 
This is not true or correct.


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## dougp26364

REDHOT said:


> I hear what you are saying about the value of your MF's increases for better quality resorts. The ILX inventory of resorts is not a Marriott goup quality of properties. It is more a La Quita/Hampton Inn quality of resorts. I could see paying 1000 if the properties where nicer, but that is not the case. Take a look at the inventory and ask yourself if you would see value for 1000. Unfortunatly I do not. The only property of theirs that had some potential is the Los Abagatos.
> I asked them what my MF's increase for my silver 1BR equated to in points, 6000 points. I see above that someone has said that to trade into most 1BR DR runs on average of 8000 points.
> I was unable to see what a trade at II would look like due to that fact that some of our online information is all wrong and II cannot talk with me right now. My online info says that my fees are 1391 with 470 past due.
> This is not true or correct.



Much like the idea that, with a fire you get no heat until you put in some wood, with DRI the quality won't increase until there's funding for the upgrades. DRI is not a charitable organization. They'll charge the MF's up front, collect the funds and then pay for the necessary upgrades. 

Many of the Sunterra owners have gone through the same sticker shock. Fee's went up considerably and the resorts needed work. Some work got done immeadiatly. Other things have taken a couple of years. I suspect it will be the same with ILX. Owners are going to scream about the existing quality in comparison to the new MF's. Give it a couple of years and my bet is the quality will match the MF's. 

Still, no matter how it's explained, a nearly 50% increase in MF's for any one year is unheard of and, until now, unthinkable. The thing is, who do you blame? The bankrupt ILX, who didn't hold up their end of the bargain for their owners or, DRI, who has purchased them out of bankruptcy but demands a much higher level of quality and financial responsiblity? It doesn't matter who you blame, it still hurts and, it's likely to be more than a lot of owners can withstand. There's bound to be more than a little backlash over such a hike in fee's. DRI had better be prepared for owners to either walk or take action. With this sort of a fee increase in this economy, it wouldn't surprise me to see deliquency rates go through the roof. I wonder what the plan is if non-payment of fee's tops 25%?

This is also bound to scare owners of other resort groups that DRI might be looking to purchase. Right now, it appears that DRI is looking to grow through acquistion vs new builds. Bluegreen had been targted but, the economy and the difficulty financing for the purchase cancelled that plan. DRI has purchased Sunterra, ILX and A Tempus resort in Orlando out of bankruptcy. Who's next and how nervous might those owners be?

So I guess there's a lesson to be learned. Make certain your HOA/BOD is doing the right thing in maintaining the resort and keeping things on solid financial footing. Keeping MF's artificially low is only going to lead to trouble somewhere down the road. When a resort goes bankrupt, it doesn't mean it's disolved. It only means that it could be bought out and fee's could shoot higher.


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## tidefan

dougp26364 said:


> Many of the Sunterra owners have gone through the same sticker shock. Fee's went up considerably and the resorts needed work. Some work got done immeadiatly. Other things have taken a couple of years. I suspect it will be the same with ILX. Owners are going to scream about the existing quality in comparison to the new MF's. Give it a couple of years and my bet is the quality will match the MF's.



Or not.  We are 3 years in to Diamond Management and all we have to show is a new elevator, which quite honestly doesn't work any better than the old one, oh, and new stainless steel toasters.  Our resort, Royal Palm, was one of the Sunterra resorts hijacked by Diamond.  The resort is recently renovated, but that was complete prior to Diamond's takeover.  

What we have seen is MFs increase from around $800/year to almost $1400/year for a 2-Bdrm unit.  Yes, we are approaching the point where one can rent for what the MFs are, and IMHO, that is not a good situation.

Sunterra (and later Diamond) tried for the first few years to push folks into "The Club", but they had a very tough time selling it b/c most folks (except the Dec-Feb weeks) don't receive enough points to go anywhere else (I think we were offered 7,000/year for our unit, plus having to pay $3000 for the privilege).  Most owners, which have been fixed week for years have decided to keep their weeks instead of joining "The Club".  

This year (this past Nov) we noticed that they aren't even doing sales pitches at the resort anymore.  There was an undercurrent of speculation that Royal Palm and Flamingo may be sold off to someone else, or maybe, they just didn't feel like the sales volume supported the need for a sales staff, but at any rate, it did feel odd not to have the sales pitch at least somewhere around.

Now, I don't really mean to knock Diamond in the whole, as I think that for some resorts (that are assigned higher point values), "The Club" can work really well.  However, I think that you will find that with a number of resorts without a lot of active sales, Diamond will deflate the point values to try to get you to purchase more points.  I think this may have backfired a bit in St Maarten as a number of people that we talk to all think that it is much cheaper and works out as good if not better just to trade the week and take your chances in RCI...


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## pgnewarkboy

tidefan said:


> Or not.  We are 3 years in to Diamond Management and all we have to show is a new elevator, which quite honestly doesn't work any better than the old one, oh, and new stainless steel toasters.  Our resort, Royal Palm, was one of the Sunterra resorts hijacked by Diamond.  The resort is recently renovated, but that was complete prior to Diamond's takeover.
> 
> What we have seen is MFs increase from around $800/year to almost $1400/year for a 2-Bdrm unit.  Yes, we are approaching the point where one can rent for what the MFs are, and IMHO, that is not a good situation.
> 
> Sunterra (and later Diamond) tried for the first few years to push folks into "The Club", but they had a very tough time selling it b/c most folks (except the Dec-Feb weeks) don't receive enough points to go anywhere else (I think we were offered 7,000/year for our unit, plus having to pay $3000 for the privilege).  Most owners, which have been fixed week for years have decided to keep their weeks instead of joining "The Club".
> 
> This year (this past Nov) we noticed that they aren't even doing sales pitches at the resort anymore.  There was an undercurrent of speculation that Royal Palm and Flamingo may be sold off to someone else, or maybe, they just didn't feel like the sales volume supported the need for a sales staff, but at any rate, it did feel odd not to have the sales pitch at least somewhere around.
> 
> Now, I don't really mean to knock Diamond in the whole, as I think that for some resorts (that are assigned higher point values), "The Club" can work really well.  However, I think that you will find that with a number of resorts without a lot of active sales, Diamond will deflate the point values to try to get you to purchase more points.  I think this may have backfired a bit in St Maarten as a number of people that we talk to all think that it is much cheaper and works out as good if not better just to trade the week and take your chances in RCI...



I can't disagree with your assessment of your resort situation.  You own there and I don't.  It is clear, however, that you are very angry and that this anger is reflected in some of your other assessments.  Diamond did not "hijack" Sunterra as you charge.  Sunterra was reckless and had to go into bankruptcy court.  Diamond lawfully bought out Sunterra with the approval of the bankruptcy court trustee and other creditors.  Furthermore you speculate that Diamond deflates point values for nefarious reasons.   This charge is  unsubstantiated.  I see no evidence of point value deflation - period.  I have been with Diamond since they lawfully bought Sunterra.  It is, on the other hand well established, that Marriott has actually decreased the value of points held by its timeshare owners.  I don't know what their reasons were.


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## dononlake

*This whole thing makes me sick.....*

According to written info I've received from Premiere Vacation Club, I will no longer be able to deposit my former week into II for future exchanges. Instead, I will receive 3500 points for my studio at Los Abrigados, every other year (i.e. 1750 points/yr). My 2010 assessment has gone from $307.50 to $484.41 in 2011, including the $134.00 Club fee - this represents a 57.5% increase. The written material also indicates that the Club fee will double the following year, because we are receiving a 50% discount in 2011. I called customer service and they told me I could opt out of the Club fee until 12/1/11, but if I did & decided to rejoin later, I would have to pay a $2,995.00 membership fee. I asked what I was getting for joining the Club & she mentioned I could trade into 27 additional resorts (most of which are international). I mentioned that Diamond Resorts had 177 resorts according to their website, & asked if I would be able to trade into those as a Club member, and she said not at this time. I'm not sure what to do, as trading my studio week into II gave me the opportunity to trade into II's 1500+ resort inventory - this whole thing makes me sick.....


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## pgnewarkboy

dononlake said:


> According to written info I've received from Premiere Vacation Club, I will no longer be able to deposit my former week into II for future exchanges. Instead, I will receive 3500 points for my studio at Los Abrigados, every other year (i.e. 1750 points/yr). My 2010 assessment has gone from $307.50 to $484.41 in 2011, including the $134.00 Club fee - this represents a 57.5% increase. The written material also indicates that the Club fee will double the following year, because we are receiving a 50% discount in 2011. I called customer service and they told me I could opt out of the Club fee until 12/1/11, but if I did & decided to rejoin later, I would have to pay a $2,995.00 membership fee. I asked what I was getting for joining the Club & she mentioned I could trade into 27 additional resorts (most of which are international). I mentioned that Diamond Resorts had 177 resorts according to their website, & asked if I would be able to trade into those as a Club member, and she said not at this time. I'm not sure what to do, as trading my studio week into II gave me the opportunity to trade into II's 1500+ resort inventory - this whole thing makes me sick.....



I don't know the specifics of your situation.  I am a Diamond Club member and can trade into any of the Club Resorts -  all of them.


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## nightnurse613

Well, you gotta love DRI for telling you that your fee will DOUBLE next year.   $400 is still a good price for a studio for a week in Sedona! 3500 pts won't get you much in DRI inventory anyway (every other year). Like they say, you still have what you own.


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## dougp26364

I'm not sure this will help any ILX owners feel better but, DRI has made improvements IMHO on what the old Sunterra units use to be like. Of course, Sunterra owners were hit with pretty steep increases in MF's but, those increases were spread out over two years. 

We were just at The Suite's at Fall Creek, which use to be the Plantation at Fall Creek when Sunterra owned it. Under Sunterra's management, it wasn't a resort we really considered due to past experience with Sunterra. Now it's one of our first choices when going to Branson.

This is our photo album from our most recent stay. Just click on the picture. Keep in mind this is a standard (not deluxe) unit in one of the oldest buildings (building 7) on site.  





Like I said, I don't know that this is any consulation to ILX owners who may be happy with their resort that way it is but, it's apparent that your current HOA/BOD and management company ran your resort into bankruptcy. DRI is going to take a more fiscally responsible approach to managing the resort. ILX apparently had resorts in locations that are good and resorts that aren't beyond brining back to top standards (an uniformed opinion/assumption since I've never stayed at an ILX managed resort).

FWIW it's been a three year project with the Sunterra properties after DRI bought them out. There were many of the same complaints then as what's in this thread. Those former Sunterra owners who have remained appear to be posting happier threads now that they're seeing quality improvements for their money.


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## dononlake

*Opted Out Of The Club*



nightnurse613 said:


> Well, you gotta love DRI for telling you that your fee will DOUBLE next year.   $400 is still a good price for a studio for a week in Sedona! 3500 pts won't get you much in DRI inventory anyway (every other year). Like they say, you still have what you own.



I decided to opt-out of The Club (Collection), and notified Premier Vacation Club in writing, and deducted the $134 fee from my 2011 dues. I just couldn't see opting in with their promise to double The Club fee in 2012, and the only benefit that was explained to me was access to 27 additional resorts (12 US, 15 Int'l)...I already have access to all those resorts via Interval Int'l with my Marriott timeshare. They stated in writing they were waiving a $2995 membership fee - who would pay that to add only 27 more resorts to choose from??


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## csalter2

*You have choices.*



dononlake said:


> I decided to opt-out of The Club (Collection), and notified Premier Vacation Club in writing, and deducted the $134 fee from my 2011 dues. I just couldn't see opting in with their promise to double The Club fee in 2012, and the only benefit that was explained to me was access to 27 additional resorts (12 US, 15 Int'l)...I already have access to all those resorts via Interval Int'l with my Marriott timeshare. They stated in writing they were waiving a $2995 membership fee - who would pay that to add only 27 more resorts to choose from??



Just and fyi. DRI has over 100 resorts in their system all over the world. The difference would be that you would not have to pay to use them like you would with II. You would have to spend the $149 with II and if you stayed in the DRI resorts you would not have to spend anything. A lot depends on how you travel if you feel the need to join the Club or not. I own Marriott too. Their new points system has similarities to DRI's. I have until tomorrow to decide if I am going to join their point system. I may wish to have a week or more with Marriott, but they are even more expensive than DRI's.  Consider how you travel. I have changed my travel and the points system with Marriott becomes advantageous because I don't have kids all the time and I don't always need a 2 bedroom. I may only use a one bedroom now. I could lockoff my unit with Marriott, but I have to pay for that. Sometimes I like staying longer than a week.  

Figure out what's best for you and then decide.


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## dononlake

*Premiere Vacations Club Members Do Not Have Access to Diamond Resorts*



csalter2 said:


> Just and fyi. DRI has over 100 resorts in their system all over the world. The difference would be that you would not have to pay to use them like you would with II. You would have to spend the $149 with II and if you stayed in the DRI resorts you would not have to spend anything. A lot depends on how you travel if you feel the need to join the Club or not. I own Marriott too. Their new points system has similarities to DRI's. I have until tomorrow to decide if I am going to join their point system. I may wish to have a week or more with Marriott, but they are even more expensive than DRI's.  Consider how you travel. I have changed my travel and the points system with Marriott becomes advantageous because I don't have kids all the time and I don't always need a 2 bedroom. I may only use a one bedroom now. I could lockoff my unit with Marriott, but I have to pay for that. Sometimes I like staying longer than a week.
> 
> Figure out what's best for you and then decide.



Carlito - I understand where you're coming from, and in fact I have already joined the Marriott Destinations program which gives me the choice of points with Marriott, or weeks at II, every year. 

Diamond Resorts now manages Premiere Vacation Club/ILX resorts following the latter's bankruptcy. The bankruptcy was probably brought about largely because PVC/ILX was undercharging for maintenance fees, and not maintaining the resorts the way they should have been - cost increases in maintenance fees, are therefore inevitable. The original PVC/ILX resorts will remain, but PVC members are now being given the option to join a PVC Collection Club, which only adds 27 additional resorts to choose from - this Club is different, and far inferior to the Diamond Resorts Club.


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## gravityrules

dononlake said:


> ... Diamond Resorts now manages Premiere Vacation Club/ILX resorts following the latter's bankruptcy. *The bankruptcy was probably brought about largely because PVC/ILX was undercharging for maintenance fees, and not maintaining the resorts the way they should have been *- cost increases in maintenance fees, are therefore inevitable. ...



I've seen this idea expressed elsewhere but I think it is incorrect.  ILX appears to have been brought down by speculative real estate purchases and development and the 2008/9 trainwreck in the financial markets.  I don't think it had anything to do with the operations side.  You are seeing this idea of underfunding advanced to justify DRI's decision to make current ILX owners pay for their takeover of ILX through exhorbitant MF increases.  And if current ILX deeded owners can be persuaded to give up their deeds and join the 'club', DRI's control of ILX properties becomes even greater.  It's quite a coup for DRI, allowing them to expand their system, collect whatever management fees they'd like to charge and have present ILX owners fund it all.  There is plenty of reading in the Festiva threads about this business model.


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## smelly1

*DRI points*

My wife and I have owned a week in a DRI property - Tahoe Vacation Resorts, and love it.  

Does anyone know if we can buy Club Points?  How can we convert our week to points and then buy more points on the resale market?

Thanks
Daneil


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## dougp26364

smelly1 said:


> My wife and I have owned a week in a DRI property - Tahoe Vacation Resorts, and love it.
> 
> Does anyone know if we can buy Club Points?  How can we convert our week to points and then buy more points on the resale market?
> 
> Thanks
> Daneil



The rules for converting weeks to either a trust based ownership or getting them into THE Club seems to remain a moving target. At one point, you could simply pay a fee of $2,995 and put your weeks into THE Club. Lately, it seems as if you need to make a developer purchase and then they'll allow all your weeks to go into THE Club. DRI has offered to convert deeded ownership into trust based ownership. Generally speaking an additional developer purchase is required/encouraged. 

DRI never seems to be to happy about converting resale deeded weeks into either trust based ownership or allowing them to join THE Club without at least a minimum developer purchase of trust based points.

You can buy trust points resale but, you appear to be limited to staying only at the 13 or so resorts in that particular trust. I've read a few post of people who have purchased trust based points and have not been able to exchange those points with I.I. It should be possible to buy trust based points, make a reservation at one of the resorts in the trust, then exchange that week through one of the independant exchange companies such as SFX (anti-trust laws have been used by independant exchange companies to secure the exchange week). 

Of course, DRI would LOVE for you to come into a presentation and buy direct. That seems to be the simplest route to converting weeks either into a trust based ownership or putting deeded weeks into THE Club. 

In our case, we had two weeks purchased direct from DRI back in the late 90's that we were allowed to bring into THE Club by paying the joiner fee of $2,995. While I realize that sounds like a lot of money, based on our usage I've saved that money plus some because of THE Club benefits such as no fee internal exchanges. I've still received the same usage from those weeks as I would have outside of THE Club but, what was once wasted space (using smaller units or using only the nights I needed rather than reserving a fulls week for a long weekend stay) is now utilized more efficiently.


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## smelly1

*DRI*

Doug, thanks for your information.  DRI wanted to sell us 4,500 points for $16,000. I countered with $3,500 and my 2 bd lock off for 15,000 points - enough to buy a Christmas or 4th of July week in a 2 bdrm.  At any rate, their offer was laughable.  How could anyone go for that?

I will continue to pursue making the conversion at a reasonable cost.  As it stands, we vacation in Tahoe twice a year - Christmas and 4th of july.   This fits in nicely.

Daniel


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## dougp26364

smelly1 said:


> Doug, thanks for your information.  DRI wanted to sell us 4,500 points for $16,000. I countered with $3,500 and my 2 bd lock off for 15,000 points - enough to buy a Christmas or 4th of July week in a 2 bdrm.  At any rate, their offer was laughable.  How could anyone go for that?
> 
> I will continue to pursue making the conversion at a reasonable cost.  As it stands, we vacation in Tahoe twice a year - Christmas and 4th of july.   This fits in nicely.
> 
> Daniel



I'd suggest looking for Califonia Trust points on E-bay. I haven't looked recently but, a penny/point might be on the high side right now. If all you're wanting is to vacation in Lake Tahoe during certain times of the year, then resale of trust points would probably make sense. 

Keep in mind I might have that particular trust's name incorrect. I don't deal with trust points some I'm not certain what resorts are in what trust. I know there is a US Trust and a Hawaiian Trust. I'm pretty certain there is a California Trust that incudes the Tahoe resort. It should be easy enough to find out with a little research or even a call the DRI.


*EDIT:* Looks like the Lake Tahoe Resort is in the US Collection. I found two contracts with bidding starting at 1 cent when I looked on E-bay. One was for 5,500 points and the other for 12,000 points.


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## skimeup

*Just back from Los Abrigados*

I own a one bedroom Sedona Vacation Club and a two bedroom PVC, which allows me to use any of the ILX resorts and access to the passport club (which used to have super bargains of underutilized weeks).  I can no longer log in to the Owner's Club to check passport weeks, so I don't know if that benefit has gone away but there are other places now to find those bargain weeks.  I did get those same increases in maintenance fees, but since I am only interested in Los Ab - or maybe San Carlos, I immediately opted out of "The Club".  (I did look at the 27 properties online that "The Club" included and did not see anything of interest.)  That made my MF increase by 25%.  The letter did indicate that this includes costs for health benefits for staff that did not used to be paid - if that is true, I cannot argue with providing those benefits.  And the resort, from my recent visit, is looking tired and the rooms in need of a facelift.  The grounds still look terrific.

Per the letter I received and the discussion I had with the reservationist, I believe that I can still use my week the way I used to  - that is to say, I can still make a reservaiton to use the week any time and it is covered by the MF.  I can now opt to use it as points which would allow me to split that week into several of the ILX resorts - and if I have it correct, that is about the only way I can split the week using their point system.  It appears, again from my discussion, that I can use the week as points or a full week at my option each year - I do not have to choose points or week on a permanent basis.  However, this may be a moving target - clearly Los Abrigados is the premium property in this acquisition and they will want to free up inventory there, so they are interested in making it easy for me to use my time elsewhere.  They could also like to get me to join the "Club" but apparently that membership will cost $288 per year - yikes! 

I agree that it was likely real estate speculation and not management of resorts that did in ILX.  However, I would certainly like to see the units improved - right now they are at a lower end Best Western/La Quinta level and they really should be at the higher end.

I have not been particularly happy with trading with II so I have used SFX resorts and am starting with DAE.  I see that they include other DRI resorts, so I assume that once they get Los Ab up to snuff it will be included as well.  In general, if you book a week you can put it into exchange - as long as you have documentation that the week belongs to you.  Is there something about DRI that prohibits using a a booked week to exchange?  I have booked both of my weeks for 4th of July (hoping for a big family thing) but if my family cannot go, I certainly see no reason to believe that I cannot deposit my unused week somewhere.  What is very confusing is how one can go about modifying a res - splitting time, or cancelling.  As all timesharers know, one must book way ahead to get the best times and then life happens.  

So we are left with lots of feelings of anxiety about what will happen to our lovely Los Ab.  Here is a kudo for DRI.  Speaking of life happens, I had a week booked at the end of September and my daughter had to have emergency surgery.  They did allow me to use that time in late January - which could have gone into February - that was very nice.  

I have to make note, too, of the fact that my MFs have been going up at all my timeshares.  It seems that lots of owners are walking away (or perhaps dying, and their kids don't want the bother???) - and many are getting folded into clubs of one sort or another.  There seem to be all sorts of rules at each club.  Witness:  Shell Vacations Club bought into Inn at the Opera and tried to convince me to pay them to buy into SVC for which they would not give me enough points to go to Iat O.  Go figure that one!  VRI seems to be managing Nob Hill Inn, which made the MF skyrocket and weeks become far less available.  Royal Holiday now owns some time at Powell Place - also has affected availability.  I think it is inevitable that most of the stand alone places are going to be absorbed into clubs sooner or later.  Now is the time to start researching which clubs have properties where and what to do about the places we own!


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## marg2

I am relieved to see this thread here, having forgotten to consult this forum when I got the letter from Diamond in December notifying me of the new lay of the land. My deeded week is with Los Abrigados, 1 bedroom, silver, every other year. I was originally a member of the Sedona Vacation Club but reluctantly purchased into Premiere Vacation Club a few years ago under the hard-sales pitch. Now that Diamond has taken over, having access to 27 more resorts that they are offering through their Premiere Club Connection does not interest me because my heart and interest is only with Los Abrigados (and Sedona). I opted out of the Premiere Club Connection (and it’s club fees) before paying my 2011 MF.

I'm told that I will be given 6000 points for my week (3000 per year), and that although this is not enough points to exchange into some of the other 6 resorts formerly part of Premiere Vacation Club, I would be grandfathered in and, subject to availability, should be able to book at these other resorts, if I want to. But what I’m more concerned about is being able to book at Los Abrigados at any time of the year. I see that more points are required (7000 to 9000) for travel in high and peak season. *Does anyone know if I’ll be able to use my 6000 points to go to Los Abrigados anytime of the year?* According to their charts, my 6000 points allows booking just for mid season. I can’t help but feel cheated in all of this.

When I bought into PVC I was allowed to use my other timeshare, without paying exchange fees, to book at Los Abrigrados. I hope I will still be able to do this.

I’m going to Sedona in April and will try to find out more information about Premiere Vacation Collection benefits.


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## ppmc

*ppmc*

I too am going to Los Abrigados in april.I have had conversations with the sales people at SmartCoice timeshare resale in scottsdale who used to list alot of our properties in Sedonna and wont list them right now because of the confusion.In their words it is unclear as to the benefits to a new owner.I find this very disturbing that this has left our properties unmarketable.I keep looking for others who have come to this same conclusion but it is either still to new that they dont understand or they are okay with it.I have read how suprised at the mt increase but the real suprise is that you cant sell them in its currrent lauguage.Any one have a response?


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## marg2

Perhaps one good thing that has come out of all of this is that I'm no longer being hounded by timeshare resale companies, one of which managed to convince me to sign up, last May, to rent out my passport weeks. I ended the agreement, but only after they took $500 from me. They caught me at a week moment. What a racket that is


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## pedro47

Why is the cost of purchasing Club points so high now as compared to a couple of years ago.  $16,000 dollars for 4500 points is to much to pay in my opinion.


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## alaskacie

Just went on a Diamond Tour yesterday; they offered 6000 points, but referenced that 6500 may be possible; with the purchase of 1500 points for $6400 (which would likely have come to 4800/5000 after a drop).

M/F is paid for 2011, so this is eligible for conversion.  I'm not using the Los Ab anymore and am willing to give it away to anyone who wants it; either for the deeded week (m/f 735) or to use to upgrade their diamond portfolio.  You'd pay $5k for a total of 7500 (possibly 8000) points.


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## csalter2

*Be aware...*



alaskacie said:


> Just went on a Diamond Tour yesterday; they offered 6000 points, but referenced that 6500 may be possible; with the purchase of 1500 points for $6400 (which would likely have come to 4800/5000 after a drop).
> 
> M/F is paid for 2011, so this is eligible for conversion.  I'm not using the Los Ab anymore and am willing to give it away to anyone who wants it; either for the deeded week (m/f 735) or to use to upgrade their diamond portfolio.  You'd pay $5k for a total of 7500 (possibly 8000) points.



I would suggest that you look at DRI's points system to make sure that you can get what you want when you travel. I use and like DRI's system, but even 8000 points may not be enough for you to trade into say a 2 bdrm during the summer in some places. Look at the DRI website and find out how many points are needed for the size unit you will need when you travel and to where you may wish to travel at what time of year.


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## kmiller1

Hello everyone need a little assistance in understanding the way Diamond Resorts works with fixed weeks.  We are looking to change our fixed weeks to points and one place we looked at was not what we needed but we did go through a meeting with Diamond Resorts last June in Arizona and we told them we already had two fixed weeks.  One was week 45 and one was week 9.  I only remember a little bit of the spiel but i was hoping you could give me a little insight.  We think we liked what we heard but at the time we just couldn't afford to change over our points.  Now we can and I wanted to see if they changed anything since June of last year when I was at a Diamond Resort in Arizona.

Information will be helpful.


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## dougp26364

kmiller1 said:


> Hello everyone need a little assistance in understanding the way Diamond Resorts works with fixed weeks.  We are looking to change our fixed weeks to points and one place we looked at was not what we needed but we did go through a meeting with Diamond Resorts last June in Arizona and we told them we already had two fixed weeks.  One was week 45 and one was week 9.  I only remember a little bit of the spiel but i was hoping you could give me a little insight.  We think we liked what we heard but at the time we just couldn't afford to change over our points.  Now we can and I wanted to see if they changed anything since June of last year when I was at a Diamond Resort in Arizona.
> 
> Information will be helpful.



We own a fixed week with DRI at Polo Towers. When we joined, we had to pay a joiner fee. At the time it was $2,995. Every year we have the option of keeping our fixed week or releasing it to DRI. When we release that week, the points are deposited into our THE Club account for us to use. We can then make reservations using our club points online or by calling DRI. 

We also have a floating week that was put into THE Club. We do not have to make the election every year to change that week into points. It's done automatically. If we want to reserve a unit at our home resort, we have a 2 month home resort advantage where we can use those points to reserve a week. We're given the same number of points it would take to resrve the full unit but, if we wanted to only reserve a one bedroom unit for one week and a studio unit for another week, there's not enough points. I had been told by someone in the past that, if we wanted to exercise a more traditional lock-off situation for this resort, we'd need to call owner services and make that arrangement. I don't know if that works or not since we have had no desire to complete such a transaction.


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## pedro47

When will the ILX Resort be available for Diamond Club members to exchange into?


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## csalter2

*Now!*



pedro47 said:


> When will the ILX Resort be available for Diamond Club members to exchange into?



The ILX resorts are available now. I saw them when I was on the reservaton page of the site and when you try to book a reservation under AZ you will see the ILX properties coeme up.


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## kmiller1

dougp26364 said:


> We own a fixed week with DRI at Polo Towers. When we joined, we had to pay a joiner fee. At the time it was $2,995. Every year we have the option of keeping our fixed week or releasing it to DRI. When we release that week, the points are deposited into our THE Club account for us to use. We can then make reservations using our club points online or by calling DRI.
> 
> We also have a floating week that was put into THE Club. We do not have to make the election every year to change that week into points. It's done automatically. If we want to reserve a unit at our home resort, we have a 2 month home resort advantage where we can use those points to reserve a week. We're given the same number of points it would take to resrve the full unit but, if we wanted to only reserve a one bedroom unit for one week and a studio unit for another week, there's not enough points. I had been told by someone in the past that, if we wanted to exercise a more traditional lock-off situation for this resort, we'd need to call owner services and make that arrangement. I don't know if that works or not since we have had no desire to complete such a transaction.


Thanks for the input.  

So far we have two fixed weeks.  We are trying to decide if it is worth keeping them as fixed or changing them to points.  Now in your mind it is better to keep the fixed weeks or is it more beneficial to switch over to points.  That fee, is that every year or is that a one-time deal?  Also, do you still pay maintenance fees on your fixed weeks or not through DRI?  Sorry, for the many questions but I would like us to get better then the average places to stay at these days.  I only stayed in two really bad places through II, one was in Atlantc City, NJ and the other was in San Diego, CA.  I somehow feel that we would get a better choices of resorts if we were involved in a "The Club" idea.  Also, once you pay that 2995 are you considered a VIP or not?

Thanks
kmiller1


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## cangarrett1

*Anyone have any luck DRI timeshare ownership to a new owner?*

We are selling our Diamond Resort points to a new owner but can't seem to get any straight answers about the kind of deed necessary -- quitclaim or special warranty deed. The reps on the phone keep tell my quitclaim but then when I do a extensive search online at various county recorders' offices, I can't find any quitclaim deeds involving timeshare, except those to family members or divorced spouses. All other documents show a special warranty deed for these weeks (now points) previously owned by ILX in Sedona, Ariz. Does anyone know of anyone else who has bought or sold DRI points that was previously ILX Premier Vacation Club? I'm just trying to get an example to finish the paperwork correctly so I only have to do this one time!


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## nightnurse613

Either one will work.  A Quit Claim just limits your liability to the time you owed the property (absence, of course, any fraud on your part).


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## skimeup

*Selling 2BR ILX Los Abrigados*

I have a one bedroom and a two bedroom at Los Ab.  I now use only the one bedroom and would like to know if anyone has run into this situation in selling their (formerly) ILX Premiere Vacation Club ownership.  I did not opt in to "The Club" but I have until December 1 to change my mind.  After that, I gather, I would have to pay about $3000.  If I can find a buyer prior to December 1 and I opt into THE CLUB, will that transfer to the buyer?

I can call and ask but the folks on the phone do not seem to have many answers to these questions.  As in none.


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## dougp26364

skimeup said:


> I have a one bedroom and a two bedroom at Los Ab.  I now use only the one bedroom and would like to know if anyone has run into this situation in selling their (formerly) ILX Premiere Vacation Club ownership.  I did not opt in to "The Club" but I have until December 1 to change my mind.  After that, I gather, I would have to pay about $3000.  If I can find a buyer prior to December 1 and I opt into THE CLUB, will that transfer to the buyer?
> 
> I can call and ask but the folks on the phone do not seem to have many answers to these questions.  As in none.



THE Club is a voluntary program that does not transfer with the sale of your timeshare. I believe the lone exception to that rule might be if it's transfered to family but, I am very uncertain if that is true. 

You might find that the extra points afforded by the 2 bedroom make it worth keeping. I was to a point where I was in the process of selling my Polo Towers units back to DRI when the economy tanked and their Devbuyback program came to a sudden halt. Since that time we have converted to DRI's THE Club (at a cost to us of $2,995).

Failing to get those two timeshares sold was actually a blessing in disguise. The points program has turned out to be much more flexible and easy to use than just trading weeks. Excess points have been used to either send friends or co-workers on vacations or short weekend trips. Excess points have also been used to offset MF's as they can be converted to MF payments (not a great deal but still a good use of excess points). Plus we still are getting all the vacations out of those two DRI weeks that we were getting before. For us, we continued to get what had become our regular usage out of those timeshares plus gleen a little extra value. 

For us, it's taken approx. 3 years to break even on the initial cost. We break even on the extra THE Club dues by making internal exchanges rather than paying the I.I. exchange fee's. We rarely take full week vacations using our DRI points. Most of the time we've used our points for weekend getaways vs full week vacations. It's not that short trips are the best value but, that's just how our recent vacation planing has worked out for us.


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## ConejoRed

I have been reading this thread with interest.  I am a deeded owner of a 1 bedroom EOY at Los Abrigados since 1999.  I never joined any of the ILX "Clubs" (although I may be part of the Sedona Vacation Club in some way) and have just used the week for trades in either II or RCI.  I received a notice regarding the DRI takeover but it did not have anything specific to say and have not received any additional information since.  My MF for 2011 remained relatively unchanged from 2010 (i.e. I did not see a big increase that some have mentioned here and no mention of club dues in the billing) and I reserved a 2011 week and deposited it as normal.

My question is, should I expect to be hearing more from DRI regarding my Los Abrigados week?  I have been able to log on to the regular DRI website and can now see more information than in the past (in January I used the keepingyouinthepicture website to pay the MF but that was all that was available then) but it still doesn't tell me much about my current status with DRI. 

After reading this thread it sounds like I may want to keep my "deeded" week instead of putting it into one of the trusts and get DRI points (if and when they ever offer me the option) to avoid faster increasing MF's in a trust, but I am hoping that they will still allow me to continue to trade with II or RCI (since we mostly trade to overseas locations) and it sounds like DRI does not let former ILX owners to buy into a full TheClub membership (which could be of some interest to me due to the overseas locations, but not the limited premier club).   

I am not in a rush to figure things out as I will not have another week to use until 2013, but it would be nice to know what to expect as there has been very little information sent to deeded ILX owners who were not part of the PVC to this point it seems (unless I really missed something along the way in the transition). Any insights or tips would be appreciated!


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## Spartacus7777

Hi - FREE POINTS - I see some post regarding people looking for points.  I have +5000 points and own a studio every other year unit with PVC on DRI.  We cannot afford the MF or use the timeshare any more.  We were considering donate it, however after reading this I will offer it to anyone that wants it and will put it to good use.  We do not owe any $$ and all the MF are up to date.  Contact me, first one gets it!  THANKS!


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## Spartacus7777

*Walk Away???*

Hi - Help - From reading the posts I can just quit paying the MF?  I don't owe anything.  From what I read DRI will just take my points and send me some nasty letters.  Will it effect my credit?  Can they sue me?  Thanks for the help.


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## dougp26364

Spartacus7777 said:


> Hi - Help - From reading the posts I can just quit paying the MF?  I don't owe anything.  From what I read DRI will just take my points and send me some nasty letters.  Will it effect my credit?  Can they sue me?  Thanks for the help.



If it's a deeded week included in a points overlay reservation system, it may show up on your credit record as a bad debt write off and you could be subject to collection efforts, although I think it would be a stretch that they'd spend the money to lawyer up and take every individual to court over unpaid MF's. 

If you own a trust interest I'm not 100% certain. A couple of years ago there was a post at TS4M's that indicated DRI could just cancel a trust interest ownership for unpaid dues, thus eliminating the need to foreclose and giving owners an easy out. I was never clear if there was a collection effort made for back payments or if the membership/trust interest was just terminated.


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## bradfordHI

Wow. I now get it. The US collection is worthless. I can rent rooms cheaper. Also saw that the Hilton merger will be taking the Hawaii collection and rebranding it as Hilton and keeping the US as Diamond Resorts. 
I’m a financial advisor and was at at a conference and listened to the Hilton call. 
This is great for the PVC owners who switched to the Hawaii collection. 
I am finally a BIG winner. Turning my crap ILX into diamond Hawaii which I spent $80,000 for and now because I am a Platinum Hawaii owner I will be grandfathered in. 
Hilton has a rental and buyback program!! 
Anyone else get the certified letter??


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## csalter2

bradfordHI said:


> Wow. I now get it. The US collection is worthless. I can rent rooms cheaper. Also saw that the Hilton merger will be taking the Hawaii collection and rebranding it as Hilton and keeping the US as Diamond Resorts.
> I’m a financial advisor and was at at a conference and listened to the Hilton call.
> This is great for the PVC owners who switched to the Hawaii collection.
> I am finally a BIG winner. Turning my crap ILX into diamond Hawaii which I spent $80,000 for and now because I am a Platinum Hawaii owner I will be grandfathered in.
> Hilton has a rental and buyback program!!
> Anyone else get the certified letter??



Has there been some new development? All that has been said is that there were discussions of a possible merger with Diamond buying Hilton. I’ve not read or heard anything more. What call did you sit on?

I own in the US Collection. There are some resorts that are quite nice and that you cannot get into for less than maintenance fees, particularly during peak seasons.


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## amycurl

This thread dates back to 2010 and 2011. For speculation on  current Hilton buyout/merger possibilities, I'd go here and speculate away:
https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...o-buy-hgvc-merged.294385/page-17#post-2345934

(Apollo now owns Diamond, which wasn't the case when this thread was first created.)


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## dougp26364

csalter2 said:


> Has there been some new development? All that has been said is that there were discussions of a possible merger with Diamond buying Hilton. I’ve not read or heard anything more. What call did you sit on?
> 
> I own in the US Collection. There are some resorts that are quite nice and that you cannot get into for less than maintenance fees, particularly during peak seasons.


. 

I’m something of a doubter on that post. First that’s an advanced statement when Apollo is only in the posturing phase of an acquisition. Second that post dropped like a thud with no follow up or confirmation of the info.

All I’ve seen is a statement Apollo was exploring the acquisition of HGVC. I’ve seen nothing else solid.

I have seen posts from HGVC owner updates that state the sales reps acknowledge the discussion of a buyout/merger and it’s a low probability. I’d forget their “probability” opinion and concentrate on the fact their have been discussions.


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## csalter2

dougp26364 said:


> .
> 
> I’m something of a doubter on that post. First that’s an advanced statement when Apollo is only in the posturing phase of an acquisition. Second that post dropped like a thud with no follow up or confirmation of the info.
> 
> All I’ve seen is a statement Apollo was exploring the acquisition of HGVC. I’ve seen nothing else solid.
> 
> I have seen posts from HGVC owner updates that state the sales reps acknowledge the discussion of a buyout/merger and it’s a low probability. I’d forget their “probability” opinion and concentrate on the fact their have been discussions.



I tend to agree with you. I’d be way too fortunate to have access to Marriott, Vistana and Hilton for my vacation leisure.


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