# New Diamond Affiliates almost every week



## pgnewarkboy (Apr 14, 2011)

I am very pleased that Diamond continues to expand my exchange opportunities through affiliations with other resorts around the world.  This is an excellent development allowing me to make exchanges without paying the outrageous exchange fees charged by II.  It is also a smart move by Diamond because it allows them to expand without making capital investments in new developments.  I think Diamond is in the timeshare/vacation industry for the long haul.


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## timeos2 (Apr 14, 2011)

Just note that many of these additions are often merely one or two intervals at the locations which gives them the right to list it but actual availability will be very low to nonexistent.


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 14, 2011)

*Gatlinburg Town Square.*




timeos2 said:


> Just note that many of these additions are often merely one or two intervals at the locations which gives them the right to list it but actual availability will be very low to nonexistent.


We stayed at a Summer Bay timeshare resort in Gatlinburg TN that is/was also listed on a DRI web site as a Diamond timeshare. 

Maybe DRI added a handful of weeks at that timeshare to its holdings & calls the resort 1 of their affiliates merely on the strength of that, I don't know. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## dougp26364 (Apr 14, 2011)

AwayWeGo said:


> We stayed at a Summer Bay timeshare resort in Gatlinburg TN that is/was also listed on a DRI web site as a Diamond timeshare.
> 
> Maybe DRI added a handful of weeks at that timeshare to its holdings & calls the resort 1 of their affiliates merely on the strength of that, I don't know.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Gatlinburg Town Square was once managed by Sunterra. During the time they managed the resort, they signed up a signigicant amount of weeks into THE Club. GTS is one of the few affiliated resorts that almost always shows good availability.

Many of the resorts on the latest list were ILX resorts. I believe DRI is now managing those resorts. Hopefully, given some time, DRI will sign up enough owners that availabilty for the newest resorts is strong. I sure hope so as I'm excited about the new offering in Estes Park, CO. It gives us one more drive-to desination and, the way the economy and travel by air are going, I need all the close resorts I can get.


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## timeos2 (Apr 14, 2011)

dougp26364 said:


> It gives us one more drive-to desination and, the way the economy and travel by air are going, I need all the close resorts I can get.



One of the long standing TUG mantra's  "Buy where you want and can drive to if needed" never looked better than now. Being stuck with a timeshare with rising fees (as the vast majority are) and the absolute need to fly makes an already tough use or sales even tougher.  Those that listened are in far better shape than those that took on remote locations, high fees (often higher than normal as getting work done also costs more than average due to the need for expensive shipping and often limited labor pools) and now find rentals or sales very tough to get.  Trades have become a dime a dozen in many locations as the value (demand) has also dropped.  Just not a good situation to be an owner in these formerly high demand areas. An example of outside forces that no Association or developer has control over. But owners pay the price.


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## pgnewarkboy (Apr 14, 2011)

timeos2 said:


> Just note that many of these additions are often merely one or two intervals at the locations which gives them the right to list it but actual availability will be very low to nonexistent.



The more units available the better, however, if they have any units available they are an affiliate.  You can use your DRI points at that resort.  Even if it may be hard to get at a particular location it is better than having no option at all.  Availability will definitely NOT be non-existent.  Both II and RCI and the resorts formerly owned by Marriott have resorts in their system that are hard to get.  This is nothing new in the timeshare business.   DRI is doing something sensible for their members and consequently for themselves.


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## tahoeJoe (Apr 14, 2011)

*Hyatt should follow....*



pgnewarkboy said:


> I am very pleased that Diamond continues to expand my exchange opportunities through affiliations with other resorts around the world.  This is an excellent development allowing me to make exchanges without paying the outrageous exchange fees charged by II.  It is also a smart move by Diamond because it allows them to expand without making capital investments in new developments.



Sounds like Diamond has recognized the challenges with developing new properties and has adapted accordingly. Hyatt should take notice and follow Diamond's leads. 

Hyatt is the smallest hotel based timeshare chain, with relatively few properties and even fewer locations.  IMHO, they need to do something to grow and adapt or risk becoming irrelevant. 

-TJ


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## dougp26364 (Apr 14, 2011)

timeos2 said:


> One of the long standing TUG mantra's  "Buy where you want and can drive to if needed" never looked better than now. Being stuck with a timeshare with rising fees (as the vast majority are) and the absolute need to fly makes an already tough use or sales even tougher.  Those that listened are in far better shape than those that took on remote locations, high fees (often higher than normal as getting work done also costs more than average due to the need for expensive shipping and often limited labor pools) and now find rentals or sales very tough to get.  Trades have become a dime a dozen in many locations as the value (demand) has also dropped.  Just not a good situation to be an owner in these formerly high demand areas. An example of outside forces that no Association or developer has control over. But owners pay the price.



Our problem is living in the midwest. Drive to destinations include Missouri, Arkansas and Colorado. We don't ski so it's Colorado in the summer, which is lower season and, the MF's tend to be pretty high. We own two timeshares in Branson, which is overbuilt and not a great location for exchanges. Lake of the Ozarks and Hot Springs Arkansas are primarily regional destinations and not that great to own for exchanges. New Mexico and Texas are also within driving range but we don't have great access to resorts in those locations. We are driving to Santa Fe, NM next month and I'm hoping that will be a nice vacation we'd enjoy returning to in the future.  

Thus, we're finding safer harbor in systems such as DRI, Hilton and Marriott. We are down to two resorts not in a system and both of those are in Branson. Fortunately, we enjoy using both of those timeshares and enjoy spending time in Branson. 

We've also started using rewards type credit cards to supplement our FF miles. This past week I paid for two tickets to Oahu using FF miles. Upgrades to United's Economy Plus makes the long flights a little more tolerable and keeps the cost around what we'd pay for gas driving to closer locations. 

I anticipate that rewards style credit cards won't last forever. If/when they begin to look less inviting, we'll have to change how we vacation yet again. The landscape keeps changing and one has to change with it to maintain value with timeshare ownership. It's understandable how some can become disenchanted with timeshare ownership vs renting as one really has to work to get the most from timeshare ownership.


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## dougp26364 (Apr 14, 2011)

pgnewarkboy said:


> The more units available the better, however, if they have any units available they are an affiliate.  You can use your DRI points at that resort.  Even if it may be hard to get at a particular location it is better than having no option at all.  Availability will definitely NOT be non-existent.  Both II and RCI and the resorts formerly owned by Marriott have resorts in their system that are hard to get.  This is nothing new in the timeshare business.   DRI is doing something sensible for their members and consequently for themselves.



Not always. There are locations and resorts I've essentially written off because they never show availability. The resorts in Oregon and Washington state come to mind. I finally stopped checking as it was an exercise in futility. For all intents and purposes, those resorts are of no value to the vast majority of DRI members. 

In order for an affilated resort to be of value it must be available. If there is never any availability or, availability is so scarce that it's nearly impossible to obtain, then it might just as well not even be there IMHO.


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## dougp26364 (Apr 14, 2011)

tahoeJoe said:


> Sounds like Diamond has recognized the challenges with developing new properties and has adapted accordingly. Hyatt should take notice and follow Diamond's leads.
> 
> Hyatt is the smallest hotel based timeshare chain, with relatively few properties and even fewer locations.  IMHO, they need to do something to grow and adapt or risk becoming irrelevant.
> 
> -TJ



Smaller than Hilton, which has major builds in Vegas, Hawaii and Orlando. There are much smaller builds in Miami and New York. Then there are several affiliated resorts, most of which are listed as limited availability.


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## pgnewarkboy (Apr 18, 2011)

dougp26364 said:


> Smaller than Hilton, which has major builds in Vegas, Hawaii and Orlando. There are much smaller builds in Miami and New York. Then there are several affiliated resorts, most of which are listed as limited availability.



I don't know what is meant by "smaller builds"?  I surely don't know all the Hilton locations.  I know that Diamond has locations throughout the world.  Once again limited availability in some locations is not the same as no availability no matter how many time you say it is the same thing.  Over the years I have been to "limited availability" locations through RCI, II, and Diamond.  Yes - been there.  I had to plan in advance, be persistent, and lucky but my wife and I went and enjoyed our stays.  So there it is.  Like it or don't like it but don't misrepresent the facts.  Limited availability is not "non-existent" or the same as "non-existent".  I hope that Diamond will expand the program and offer more and more availability.  Even a trip of one thousand miles must start with the first step.


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## dougp26364 (Apr 18, 2011)

pgnewarkboy said:


> I don't know what is meant by "smaller builds"?  I surely don't know all the Hilton locations.  I know that Diamond has locations throughout the world.  Once again limited availability in some locations is not the same as no availability no matter how many time you say it is the same thing.  Over the years I have been to "limited availability" locations through RCI, II, and Diamond.  Yes - been there.  I had to plan in advance, be persistent, and lucky but my wife and I went and enjoyed our stays.  So there it is.  Like it or don't like it but don't misrepresent the facts.  Limited availability is not "non-existent" or the same as "non-existent".  I hope that Diamond will expand the program and offer more and more availability.  Even a trip of one thousand miles must start with the first step.


TaboeJoe made the statement that Hyatt had the smallest system. I was questioning if it was smaller than Hilton. I wasn't comparing it to DRI.


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## pgnewarkboy (Apr 18, 2011)

The point of my original post was to give some Kudos to DRI for being creative in these hard times.  What they do, of course, is not perfect but they are taking  steps in the right direction IMO.  DRI suffered by comparison to Hotel Chains who had timeshares  because of the resources (money) available to these behemoths.  Marriott has recently gotten out of the timeshare business because they have more profitable enterprises to pursue. Other hotel chains may feel the same way.  DRI appears to be committed to its bread and butter business - timeshares.  I certainly can't see the future and I am not privy to what DRI is planning but on the face of it they are trying to improve their offerings for their members.  It looks to me like they are in this business for the long haul.  As a DRI club member, that is encouraging.


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## dougp26364 (Apr 18, 2011)

DRI is doing a fine job in comparison. Threads like this are bound to stray off topic as members will always compare one co
Company to everything else out there. It's natural to compare what DRI is doing with other management companies with similar points based reservation programs.


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## tahoeJoe (Apr 20, 2011)

*Yes, Hyatt is smallest*



dougp26364 said:


> TaboeJoe made the statement that Hyatt had the smallest system. I was questioning if it was smaller than Hilton. I wasn't comparing it to DRI.



Yes the Hyatt system is smaller than the Hilton system, both in number of units and locations where resorts are located.

*Hyatt*
*Location (number of resorts)*
Colorado (4) 
SW Florida (1.5)
Key West (3) 
Tahoe (1.5)
Carmel (1)
San Antonio (1)
Sedona (1)
Puerto Rico (1) 

*Hilton*
*Location (number of resorts)*
Colorado (1)
SW Florida (19)
Orlando (3)
Miami (1)
Las Vegas (3)
Hawaii (6)
Palm Desert (1)
So Cal (3)
New York (1)
Mexico (5)
Canada (2)
Scotland (3)
Portugal (1)
Myrtle Beach (coming soon)

So Hyatt has *14* resorts in *SEVEN* locations. Hilton has *50* resorts in *FOURTEEN *locations. It is true that some of Hilton resorts are affiliates and might have limited availability, but that that was point of this thread. I would rather have access to resorts with limited availability than no access at all. Also some of the Hyatt resorts have very limited availability to Hyatt members hence the "half" resort (Northstar, Siesta Key) 

-TJ


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## dougp26364 (Apr 20, 2011)

tahoeJoe said:


> Yes the Hyatt system is smaller than the Hilton system, both in number of units and locations where resorts are located.
> 
> *Hyatt*
> *Location (number of resorts)*
> ...



Gee, and here I'd been thinking the HGVC was the poorest of the systems in terms of locations offered. 

Overall, I've been very happy with DRI's system. Sure there are a couple of locations in the northeast that dissapoint me as far as availability but, traveling to those destinations would be a rarity in our case anyway. 

I am hopeful that the ILX resort in Estes Park will begin to show decent availability in the coming years. It's one of the few resorts they've added that will work for us as a drive to destination. With air travel becoming what it has, I'm always looking for destinations we can drive to. Colorado is generally the best bet for us. Something on the Texas gulf coast would be a nice addition for us as well. 

Of course, it's only a benefit when there's availability. Otherwise it's just another shiney object that's out of reach.


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## pgnewarkboy (Apr 21, 2011)

A few years ago we stayed at a DRI resort on the Big Island.  It was in a fairly isolated part of the island close to the Volcanoe National Park.  They were small older villas right on the beach.  They would not be up to snuff for any of the hotel chains.  Too small, Too outdated, No Tennis, Restaurant, Indoor pool etc. etc.   It was however one of the best locations and experiences we ever had. Clean, airy, with a feeling of being part of the landscape.  I don't know why the big chains didn't build there, perhaps zoning restrictions or some other problems.  DRI bought out an older europeean group that originally built there.  Sometimes this kind of expansion brings good surprises if you want that kind of experience.  As travellers we all have different needs and wishes.  Some want to travel by car closer to home.  Others want full service resorts all the time.  We don't mind flying (it isn't fun but we will do it) and we like but don't always need full service resorts.  We enjoy quaint and small, combined with excellent locations  as part of the mix.   I hope that DRI will continue to fill out its roster with affiliations, or acquisitions of smaller chains if possible.  The more diversity and variation the better for us.


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## esk444 (Apr 21, 2011)

pgnewarkboy said:


> I don't know why the big chains didn't build there, perhaps zoning restrictions or some other problems.



It's impossible to get the type of large scale commercial insurance you'd need to get the loans necessary to build a large hotel in that area.  It's because of the unpredictibility of the lava flows.

They'd have to self insure and self fund any construction or get a massive government subsidy.


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## esk444 (Apr 21, 2011)

tahoeJoe said:


> Also some of the Hyatt resorts have very limited availability to Hyatt members hence the "half" resort (Northstar, Siesta Key)
> 
> -TJ



I've sort of assumed that the Hyatt chain decided to stop growing the timeshare business in favor of fractionals.  Isn't all of their newer developments fractionals?


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