# How big is Diamond Resorts International?



## vckempson (Dec 6, 2012)

The Diamond Resorts chief was on Undercover Boss recently for the second time.  After seeing this, it got me to thinking.  

First... he refers to himself as the owner.  That can't quite be right as the TS owners are the owners.  I'm guessing he just means he's the developer and manager of the resorts?  Maybe with points systems such as DRI it's different.  Can anyone shed light on that.  If it's a right to use system, then it might be accurate to state that he's the owner.

Second... just how big is DRI?  I went on the web site but the locations tab wasn't working.  I think I saw it mentioned that they had 220 resorts.  It true, that's larger than any of the other mini systems and would seem to warrant a separate posting area just for them?  

Third... do all their resorts trade through RCI?  I'm guessing some are and some aren't.  I can't seem to do an advanced search with any success to pull up all the DRI resorts in the RCI system.  Is there a way to do that?


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## artringwald (Dec 6, 2012)

vckempson said:


> First... he refers to himself as the owner.  That can't quite be right as the TS owners are the owners.  I'm guessing he just means he's the developer and manager of the resorts?  Maybe with points systems such as DRI it's different.  Can anyone shed light on that.  If it's a right to use system, then it might be accurate to state that he's the owner.



DRI is the management company and developer for many resorts. They don't sell deeded weeks anymore, they sell point memberships in trusts. The trusts own the weeks and the trust boards get the votes for the HOA boards. The trusts also own weeks at properties where DRI is not the management company or the developer. You can use your points to book weeks in those resorts, too. If you want to by a deeded week at a resort where DRI is the developer, you'll have to buy it on the resale market.

Now for my opinion. The trusts add extra overhead costs, which of course they pass on to the trust owners. You can book points at a wide variety of properties, but you can do that through II or RCI. The trusts allow DRI to control the HOA, which means they can control how much the HOA pays the management company, i.e. DRI. DRI makes nice profits when they control how much they pay themselves. All this leads to high MF's. However, I think DRI makes sure the properties are well maintained. From what I've seen, they've done a good job buying up declining resorts, investing in them, and getting them back into good shape. Our very favorite resort is The Point at Poipu and it looks so much better now than when Sunterra was running it.


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## NKN (Dec 7, 2012)

1.  There is a designated DRI message board on TUG.  It is a sub-category of the board you posted your message in.

2.  About ten years ago, we purchased a 2-condo unit at Historic Powhatan.  It is a fixed deeded week(s).  We are only allowed to exchange the 2 weeks on RCI.  If our ownership was points, we would be able to use II as the exchange company.  This was an arrangement between DRI / RCI / II and could always change at some point in the future.

3. We are not allowed to join DRI's "club" because we own a fixed week(s).  We can only join the club if we own points and we choose not to.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 7, 2012)

NKN said:


> 1.  There is a designated DRI message board on TUG.  It is a sub-category of the board you posted your message in.
> 
> 2.  About ten years ago, we purchased a 2-condo unit at Historic Powhatan.  It is a fixed deeded week(s).  We are only allowed to exchange the 2 weeks on RCI.  If our ownership was points, we would be able to use II as the exchange company.  This was an arrangement between DRI / RCI / II and could always change at some point in the future.
> 
> 3. We are not allowed to join DRI's "club" because we own a fixed week(s).  We can only join the club if we own points and we choose not to.



#3 is not accurate. We own a fixed week, week #36, at the Suites at Polo Towers. That unit is in THE Club. Each year I have to release the automatic reservation and then my point are added to my THE Club account. In fact every week in The Suites at Polo Towers was sold as a fixed week/fixed unit contract. If you were given that information by a salesman, that's a good example of why you never believe what they're telling you. They're usually trying to sell you something. I could see a salesman telling this sort of lie if they were trying to get you to convert you deeded fixed weeks into a trust based ownership and sell you more trust points. 

I suspect the "points" you're talking about are trust points. DRI has two different ownerships in THE Club, trust and deeded week. Trust ownerships are points based ownerships in resort groupings where owners have "home resort" reservation rights at any resort in that group. There are also deeded week members of THE Club who have home resort booking advantage at their home resort only.


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## NKN (Dec 7, 2012)

I called DRI about joining the club shortly after they took over Powhatan.  I was told that I would either have to convert my week(s) to points or buy sufficient points outright in order to join the club.  Maybe it was due to my purchase having been a resale.  But, that was over 5 years ago, and maybe the rules have changed.

Since I have always been very satisfied with my RCI exchanges, I'm not necessarily upset about the club.  It's just another way to get a fee out of the owner.


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## Rent_Share (Dec 7, 2012)

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183265

I was offended by the owner comment and was told to butt out by a true follower


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## dougp26364 (Dec 7, 2012)

NKN said:


> I called DRI about joining the club shortly after they took over Powhatan.  I was told that I would either have to convert my week(s) to points or buy sufficient points outright in order to join the club.  Maybe it was due to my purchase having been a resale.  But, that was over 5 years ago, and maybe the rules have changed.
> 
> Since I have always been very satisfied with my RCI exchanges, I'm not necessarily upset about the club.  It's just another way to get a fee out of the owner.



Resale weeks are not eligable. That's why you were told you'd have to buy points. It wasn't because it was a fixed week.

We joined right after DRI took over Sunterra. DRI did not have any sort of points system before buying Sunterra out of bankruptcy. THE Club is the renamed Sunoptions program.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 7, 2012)

NKN said:


> I called DRI about joining the club shortly after they took over Powhatan.  I was told that I would either have to convert my week(s) to points or buy sufficient points outright in order to join the club.  Maybe it was due to my purchase having been a resale.  But, that was over 5 years ago, and maybe the rules have changed.
> 
> Since I have always been very satisfied with my RCI exchanges, I'm not necessarily upset about the club.  It's just another way to get a fee out of the owner.



It's not that you can't join the Club because you own a fixed week.  It's that you can't add your fixed week to the Club without simultaneously purchasing making an additional purchase from DRI.    You would be in the same situation if you owned a floating week or even an ownership in a DRI trust that was not part of the Club.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 7, 2012)

Rent_Share said:


> http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183265
> 
> I was offended by the owner comment and was told to butt out by a true follower



After having been on these forums for a number of years, I've learned being defensive about what you own is natural. On the other hand, being told by someone who isn't an owner about your resorts that may or may not be accurate can be irritating. 

Everyone has a preference. Most own in the systems they enjoy and will take offence when someone makes comments that can be interpreted that they're stupid for owning in that system. 

I own the systems I own because they work for me. I don't take offense when someone has a lower opinion of the resorts I own than I do. I realize everyone has their own preferences. I do, however, take offense when someone essentially says that I'm stupid for owning what I own. You're comments ran along those lines whether or not that was the intention. So I'll drink my brand of Koolaid while you drink yours.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 7, 2012)

Rent_Share said:


> http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183265
> 
> I was offended by the owner comment and was told to butt out by a true follower after I decided to insult everyone who disagreed with me.


Fixed for you.  Glad to help.


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## Rent_Share (Dec 7, 2012)

[message deleted]


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## Rent_Share (Dec 7, 2012)

[message deleted]


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## csalter2 (Dec 8, 2012)

The poster on this thread asked a legitimate question and we on TUG try to help her understand the system we know. That's what I thought the purpose of us being on the forum. 

I was not offended by the remark by Rent_Share saying, "Keep drinking the Koolaid".  However, I believe those with very limited information should not try to make statements that are not based upon fact. 

I own both DRI and Marriott. Now that Marriott has its Destination Points, I see so much similarity in them.  I do also notice the trends in the timeshare industry in general and notice that people who complain about increasing maintenance fees must realize that it's not just DRI or Marriott or Westing raising maintenance fee, but all of the developer owned companies. I am not protective of DRI, but would like to see comments that are able to see both parts of the situation.


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## fluke (Dec 8, 2012)

This kind of nonsense limits legitimate discussion.  Certain posters on this board are drawn to continuously make posts that are only intended to insult and inflame the owners of specific systems.


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## daventrina (Dec 8, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> It's not that you can't join the Club because you own a fixed week.  It's that you can't add your fixed week to the Club without simultaneously purchasing making an additional purchase from DRI.  ...


Which ... helps protect the investment of owners in TheCLUB by not allowing folks to purchase time for pennies on the dollar and add them to TheCLUB.

So ... while it seems a little snotty ... it is a good thing for CLUB owners to protect their points investment.



artringwald said:


> ...Our very favorite resort is The Point at Poipu and it looks so much better now than when Sunterra was running it.


The same for KBC and LTVR



vckempson said:


> Third... do all their resorts trade through RCI?  I'm guessing some are and some aren't.  I can't seem to do an advanced search with any success to pull up all the DRI resorts in the RCI system.  Is there a way to do that?


Most nearly if not all DRI points trade through II. Some deeded weeks may still trade through RCI.  ClubSELECT lets owners trade RCI resorts as DRI points or through II.

Back to the origional question. I believe that DRI is larger than both Westin (~22 resorts) and Hyatt (~15 resorts). And seems to be larger than Marriott ("Marriott Vacation Club Collection5 - More than 50 Marriott Vacation Club resorts").


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## daventrina (Dec 8, 2012)

robcrusoe said:


> I'm not sure how "Keep drinking the Koolaid," was used by the first to use it in this thread, but it's a damned good metaphor for anyone who believes everything that a timeshare salesperson says !!!!!!!


Wasn't used in that context.  The phrase typically carries a negative connotation when applied to an individual or group. "For those connected personally to this horror, the ubiquitous “Kool-Aid” metaphor, often used frivolously, recalls an unending nightmare." Is completely unrelated to this thread.




fluke said:


> This kind of nonsense limits legitimate discussion.  Certain posters on this board are drawn to continuously make posts that are only intended to insult and inflame the owners of specific systems.


Or any other topic for that matter...:ignore:


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