# Westin St John villas are a dump



## kcgriffin (Jan 8, 2008)

My wife and I just rteturned from our annual visit,  We own a 2BR villa week 52.  I'm getting sick of being told lies about updates and improvements.  Yes, we have a new sofa, chair and drapes in the living room.  Other than that nothing has changed.  The condition of the pools and grounds at the villas is terrible, the clenaliness of the villas is awful, and no one with Starwood seems to care.  I spoke with several owners, all of whom have grown discusted with the unfilled promises.  

The shocking part is that these weeks are now being sold for $126,000.00.  Yep, that is not a misprint.  

RCI and Interval should visit this place, I dont think it should retain gold crown or any other status.  With some of the highest maintenance fees in the world, where is all that money going?


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## LisaRex (Jan 8, 2008)

Bummer.  Did you take pictures? If so, I'd send them to the SVO CEO along with a letter detailing your complaint.   As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.


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## DeniseM (Jan 8, 2008)

If you will email them to me, I will host them on my webpage as well!

I hope you will write a TUG review!


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 9, 2008)

I must have missed this thread - amazing... lol

This was not our experience last June - except for the furnishings (which I have wrote about and complained to SVO repeatedly), but nothing wrong with pools, grounds, etc.  Perhaps Jimmy Dalmida (Dir of Operations) is not doing a good job...

SVO uses first_name.last_name@starwoodvo.com.  We need to start a email campaign.

I am going to follow-upon this...


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## Loriannf (Jan 9, 2008)

*I'll join the email campaign*

Does anyone have any idea how many WSJ owners are on TUG?  Or a way to get SVO or the HOA to let us have owner info?  I'd be happy to help accumulate data and draft emails as soon as Girl Scout Cookie season is over.  

By the way, has anyone received or seen their maintenance fee bill for WSJ?

Lori


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## tomandrobin (Jan 9, 2008)

Sorry to read that. Last time we went was 3 1/2 years ago. I thought some of the units and buildings were dated, but not run down. We did see some renovated units. 

Are the owners still resisting the assement for renovations?


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## Loriannf (Jan 9, 2008)

*The Owners are in favor of renovations*

and the majority of the owners who voted so indicated.  The problem is the way SVO handled the voting.  Ballots were sent out with very short notice to vote.  SVO claimed that not enough owners voted to constitute the majority needed to pursue the renovations.  I think the final tally was something like 57% of owners voted (60% needed, I think), and of the 57%, approximately 80% voted in favor of the assessment.  So you see, most of the owners would gladly pay increased assessments in order to keep this property in the "premier" category.

Lori


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## Steel5Rings (Jan 9, 2008)

Who cares.....you should be spending your time at Maho, Cinnamon and Trunk Bays...not sitting around in a hotel room/villa.


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## DeniseM (Jan 9, 2008)

Steel5Rings said:


> Who cares.....you should be spending your time at Maho, Cinnamon and Trunk Bays...not sitting around in a hotel room/villa.



Obviously, the owners, who have made a large financial investment in their TS at this resort, care...


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## kcgriffin (Jan 9, 2008)

*Westin*

When you stick to the floor because of all the ??? on it it is hard to concentrate on the beach.  That plus the over 1K in "maintenance" that we pay makes you wonder why you are paying.  Don't get me wrong, I think St. John is the most incredible place in the world, and we love the island.  We are just fed up with the Westin and their promises of "it will get better".  Bugs on the beach are one thing, bugs in your expensive villa are another.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 10, 2008)

Steel5Rings said:


> Who cares.....you should be spending your time at Maho, Cinnamon and Trunk Bays...not sitting around in a hotel room/villa.



Really... you are telling people that they shouldn't care about the condition of their unit or the resort as a non-WSJ owner??? Are you friggin' serious??? 

Please do not impose what your vacation criteria upon others - ESPECIALLY when you don't pay the purchase price and the MFs...

heck - let's get rid of the Heavenly beds and sleep on the floor...


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## LauraS93 (Jan 12, 2008)

I don't know what to say?


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## mariawolf (Jan 13, 2008)

Just got back from Harborside with friends who own 6 weeks in St John--I posted about what I considered the lack at maintenance last year when we were there--their 3 BR pool villa (one of the renovated ones) had a microwave on the counter and hadn't been fixed since the year before--furniture was all scratched, hot tub didn't work and quite frankly the unit wasn't very clean either. Our friends who came with us this year couldn't stop commenting on how well Harborside was maintained along with all of Atlantis.  After the mid week clean they couldn't believe that they cleaned the whole place--they said at St John that they basically came in and all you could tell they did was change sheets/towels.
I have to say that having been to both resorts at least yearly for the last 5 years that I think St John looks very aged and not well maintained and you don't ever see anyone really working on the grounds--our friend went to the gym every morning before 7 and said every day there were groundskeepers out who appeared to have been there for hours.
I think  owners need to get on this because you can't live on your reputation forever--and yes the beaches there are gorgeous but they aren't on the resort.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 13, 2008)

Loriannf said:


> Does anyone have any idea how many WSJ owners are on TUG?  Or a way to get SVO or the HOA to let us have owner info?  I'd be happy to help accumulate data and draft emails as soon as Girl Scout Cookie season is over.
> 
> By the way, has anyone received or seen their maintenance fee bill for WSJ?
> 
> Lori



Unfortunately - there a very few WSJ owners here on TUG.  I tell owners that I run into while at WSJ about TUG, but I do not think any have ever made their way here (this is true of other resorts as well).  Generally the owners I meet just want to use their week and go back to their jobs - and not worry about such things.

I have issues with my unit, but as I said I haven't had any issue with the resorts or services from our visit last June.  Again, we keep our expecations low - don't need/want housekeeping - and don't really spend much time at the main resort.  However, when I hear more people complain - it worries me.

However, it may be wise to start compiling a list, and starting a network of getting more. Some people have their addresses listed on their titles which are listed on the USVI deed site.  Unfortunately, WSJ will not give up this info.

If you can get to the right people at SVO and WSJ - you can get their ear.  I have had some good success with WSJ contact up until the new Dir of Ops took over (Jimmy Delmida) - which I would personally like to bring to WSJ's and SVO's attention.

I think that even we get 20 owners to start - and write a compelling email that resonates on their level - we could get some action.

When does Girl Scout cookie season end... :hysterical:


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 13, 2008)

There are only 20 owners who have the search term 'john' or 'WSJ' in their resorts owned field.  I know 2 non-tuggers who own, and I am sure we may be able to come up with a few more.

So - if we can find 20 people to start - and then try and get more to join - we could try and get thru SVO/WSJ's first line of defense (beyond the standard "thanks for contacting SVO.... blah,blah, blah").

We need to get the first and last names of the key members both at WSJ and SVO who deal with resort conditions.  What are their titles and where do they fit in the organization.

Anyone up to it?

building a list of key SVO/WSJ corporate list from searches....

Raymond L. "Rip" Gellein, Jr., chief executive officer of Starwood Vacation Ownership
Graeme Davis, area managing director, South Florida and Caribbean
David N. Matheson, ????, Phone: 407-239-3595, David.Matheson@starwoodvo.com
Jennifer York, Manager, Lead Qualification, New Business Development Phoenix, AZ  602-852-3301 jennifer.york@starwoodhotels.com
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/profile_overview.html
Bill Thompson, area director of sales and marketing for Starwood Caribbean


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## mariawolf (Jan 14, 2008)

I am posting again just to get this close to top again--I can't believe WSJ owners aren't upset about it!!!!!!! Especially after reading the poster above!


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 14, 2008)

I am compiling a list - and trying to find out who is specifically in-charge over at WSJ.  Not really easy to find.  If anyone knows how to get this info - let me know.

Once I get the key players - I am going to send an email that speaks to their 'Mission' statement and the continuing deterioration of the resort and units - along with a note that emails to JimmyD have gone without response.

If others want to join me fine - but, likely I will receive a computer genetrated response at first anyway - to which I plan to respond even more loudly, and pointedly.


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## kcgriffin (Jan 14, 2008)

I just got the message below from Kim Chappell the interim general manager.  It gives me some hope!  I had sent him my original TUG posting.



I have received the posting and do wish to let you know that someone cares. 

I have been here for over 2 months and since arriving have hired a Director of Operations, formerly the Director of Operations from Caneel Bay, have a new Director of Housekeeping and will be replacing the Chief Engineer position for the Villas this week.  We are acutely aware of the existing conditions of cleanliness and maintenance of the villas as well as the villa grounds and are focused on improving these conditions immediately.  All of these changes and focus of management is to return this property to pristine condition and offer a guest experience that is at least meeting, if not exceeding, your expectations.



We are planning additional FF&E replacement in the villa units in 08.  Once approved, each owner will receive the details of the improvements within their villa.  We are anticipating this communiqué will occur within the 1st quarter. 



Please know that we take your comments very seriously and are working diligently to make you proud of your investment 







kim chappell   interim general manager

westin resort and villas st john usvi

340.714.6096 (ph)

340.693.8888 (fax)


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## pointsjunkie (Jan 14, 2008)

that sounds like a legit response to the problem.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 14, 2008)

Unfortunately - we have been hearing (no action) about our unit concerns (couch) since 2006 - and all of the responses have had the same tone.

Thanks for the contact - I will be writing them also.


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## mariawolf (Jan 14, 2008)

OK--not to sound stupid but what is FF & E?? which is mentioned above.


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## Carolyn (Jan 14, 2008)

FYI, I am a new owner there so I don't now how legitimate it would be for me to complain (just yet) but then again I'm sure our new ownership would go unnoticed.  However there are LOTS of rentals on www.redweek.com and www.vacationtimesharerentals.com  Possibly an e-mail could be sent to these owners, asking them to join the bandwagon.  We stayed at the hotel section this past November.  We had a beautiful room with a flat screen TV-no problems there.  The biggest thing I noticed were the pads for the pool lounges.  They were spotted and dirty.  I was given this information from my realtor on St. John that might help:

Gregory Gray 
Director of Sales & Marketing Operations 
Westin St. John Resort & Villas 
PO Box 8339 
St. John, US Virgin Islands 00831 
Ph:  340-714-6086 
Fx:  340-693-8878 
greg.gray@starwoodvo.com

Carolyn


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 14, 2008)

Carolyn said:


> FYI, I am a new owner there so I don't now how legitimate it would be for me to complain (just yet) but then again I'm sure our new ownership would go unnoticed.  However there are LOTS of rentals on www.redweek.com and www.vacationtimesharerentals.com  Possibly an e-mail could be sent to these owners, asking them to join the bandwagon.  We stayed at the hotel section this past November.  We had a beautiful room with a flat screen TV-no problems there.  The biggest thing I noticed were the pads for the pool lounges.  They were spotted and dirty.
> Carolyn



What a great idea!  That's the spirit...

I can see the pads getting trashed - STJ has much tougher conditions than HI.  I can see them going to the lounges like at WKORVs - of course it will take a year to ship...

I would like to know what FF&Es are also.  From the tone it sounds like an accessment w/o a vote (reading between the lines).  I just want the damn couch changed - we and the wk 23 owner even offered to pay.  The rest is cool with us, but if the grounds and resort are going downhill -and not kept-up properly - then a proactive strike may help.

I have a Redweek account - so I can access.

I would like to get all the names of key WSJ people in charge and the related SVO management.  anyone have these - please post.


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## saluki (Jan 15, 2008)

mariawolf said:


> OK--not to sound stupid but what is FF & E?? which is mentioned above.



Furniture, fixtures & equipment (had to Google it as I had no idea either)


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## Kazakie (Jan 15, 2008)

*Context & another first-hand experience*

A bit of history might be helpful for context:  The base you're working off of:  The Westin St John was built as a Hyatt Regency - which was the lowest class Hyatt.  It was not designed, built or remodeled to be a high-end resort.  The new villa units are supposed to be Westin built with Westin standards - which is why there's such a price discrepancy between the hillside (old) villas and the (new) bay villas - even when purchasing from Starwood.  So without a large special assessment I wouldn't expect Westin standards within the villa. 

Maintenance of villas:  Even with "Hyatt Regency" expectations the unit was missing some basic maintenance (see Con's below)  

Maintenance of grounds:  We thought the maintenance of the grounds was rather poor to say the least.  With several things having mold and mildew on them (not the worse thing in the world - but hardly a luxurious feel).  We were told they have very high employee turnover and it's very hard to get employees to show up to work, much less do a good job.  

Here's my pro's vs con's from my review (posted on TUG www.tug2.com/RnR/RatingsAndReviews.aspx?ResortGUID=7B685193-7BF3-40DE-B6B7-F93C4573D0E2)

===== Pro's vs Con's =====

This was built as a Hyatt Regency, and, is much more Regency (or old Sheraton) than Westin.

Pro's
*Checkin was smooth
*Staff very friendly and knowledgeable 
*Backup generator/power
*Free internet (wired)
*Many free things to use in the bay (kayak, sails, trike, tennis courts) - although they are very particular with who they let sail.
*Mid-week tidy
*Free parking
*Soundproofing - we heard many other visitors complain about hearing frogs & birds all night and having problems sleeping - we could hear the frogs (but not birds) on the balcony, but had to listen for them to hear them in the room.

Con's
*Units & building not well maintained
->No less than 5 burnt out light bulbs
->Several electrical outlets that did not work
->The front door latch (the internal lock) is broken 
->Lanai/balcony railing was broken
->No hot water in the second bathroom shower (there is hot water in master and main-room showers)
->Over 100 dead bees on the laying on the floor of the lanai/balcony 
*The second bedroom has a window toward the skylight that can't be covered (no drapes), so the room is always lit up when it's light outside
*No newspaper - A New York Times summary was delivered Mon & Tues, but not the rest of the week.


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## NED (Jan 15, 2008)

Hello Tuggers!   
I have been following TUG for several months (it's great!) but haven't felt the need to jump in until this thread. We have been WSJ owners for 5 years (VV 4 years). My sister's family and my son also are WSJ owners. We all have 2-bdrm villas in Bldg. 33. On the whole we are happy *wood owners (4* elite) but are very concerned about the continued decline of the WSJ units. My husband spoke to the GM last May when we were there. He was very aware of the problems and said that replacement of the furnitures and fixtures would be happening in the fall (2007). When my son went in Nov., he reported there had been no change (we own the same unit).

The closet ceiling off the master bdrm in our unit leaks every time it rains. The drill is we put out pots and pans, maintenance comes and replaces them with a big bucket, and then returns to suck the water out of the carpet when the rain stops. This has become an annual event for us. It's nuts! So far we have been unable to get it repaired (after all we leave at the end of the week). These units need more that just furniture and fixture replacements and so far management's response amounts to a lot of tap dancing IMHO.

We would be glad to participate in a collective effort to put the pressure on!!


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## Pedro (Jan 15, 2008)

When we were there a couple of years ago (villa 43xx - 3 br with pool and jacuzzi), there were several things that were not functioning.  None of the lights in the patio were working, there was a non-functional switch for the light over the dining room table, and the water in the jacuzzi was cold.  After we called to complain, they immediately came to replace all the burned lights, they replaced the switch, but nobody came to look at the jacuzzi (or if they did, they couldn't fix it).  We called every day after that, and by the time we left, the water in the jacuzzi was still cold.  Other than that, the villa was in very good condition.  The grounds and the main pool were neat and well kept.

I hope the conditions haven't deteriorated too much.  We just got a reservation for a 3-br villa this summer, and I'd like it to be another nice experience.  Hopefully the problems will be fixed shortly.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 16, 2008)

NED said:


> Hello Tuggers!
> I have been following TUG for several months (it's great!) but haven't felt the need to jump in until this thread. We have been WSJ owners for 5 years (VV 4 years). My sister's family and my son also are WSJ owners. We all have 2-bdrm villas in Bldg. 33. On the whole we are happy *wood owners (4* elite) but are very concerned about the continued decline of the WSJ units. My husband spoke to the GM last May when we were there. He was very aware of the problems and said that replacement of the furnitures and fixtures would be happening in the fall (2007). When my son went in Nov., he reported there had been no change (we own the same unit).
> 
> The closet ceiling off the master bdrm in our unit leaks every time it rains. The drill is we put out pots and pans, maintenance comes and replaces them with a big bucket, and then returns to suck the water out of the carpet when the rain stops. This has become an annual event for us. It's nuts! So far we have been unable to get it repaired (after all we leave at the end of the week). These units need more that just furniture and fixture replacements and so far management's response amounts to a lot of tap dancing IMHO.
> ...



if it leaks everytime it rains - then it leaks almost everyday - since it rains almost everyday in STJ...

we own a 2bd in B34 (howdy neighbor) - no major issues except w/ the furnishings and some minor things.

once i get a chance - i will be following up with WSJ management and will request support from those who care to chime in...


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## pointsjunkie (Jan 17, 2008)

i just had my welcome to starwood call for the4 th time and i asked about wsj and she told me that starwood had every intention to upgrade the timeshare but the HOA board put a stop to it. so if i were you i would get in touch with your board members and find out what is going on there.i do know that starwood's info is not always correct but if this 1 time they are, i would want to have some answers.


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## ksqdomer (Jan 29, 2008)

Have not been on here for awhile but wanted to join the fray.
We own a studio in building 33 in week 25. We were told last year that our furniture would be replaced (it needs it!) but most likely no kitchen upgrades. For the most part our unit has been fine. We had a leaking refrig a few years ago that maintenance took care of fairly quickly. The villa pool was certainly showing some wear and tear with cracked and missing tiles. The grills seemed a bit nasty as well.
I won't be pleased if the furniture isn't new.


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