# Welk Now Aligned With RCI



## WalnutBaron (Dec 19, 2017)

DW and I are at Welk San Diego this week and attended a sales presentation. Lots of big doings here as today was the first day of Welk’s new association with RCI. Personally, I much prefer II to RCI, but wanted to report this change for any Welk owners. By the way, Welk will still trade within II as well, but club membership fees—which are covered for Welk members for RCI—are not covered under Welk ownership for II.

I’m also wondering if Welk will now begin depositing their excess inventory into RCI instead of II Getaways.


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## mjm1 (Dec 19, 2017)

Interesting development. We have since sold our Welk points, but as I recall they started out with RCI and switched to II along the way. When we originally owned a fixed week we had the option to trade in either system, but like you, always preferred II.

Thanks for the update.

Mike


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## Born2Travel (Dec 19, 2017)

Sorry to hear that.


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## nuwermj (Dec 19, 2017)

Here's the Welk announcement as posted in the Owner's Lounge.

https://welkresorts.com/own/rci/


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## rickandcindy23 (Dec 19, 2017)

Higher exchange fees and fewer quality resorts.  Who benefits from this move, except maybe the developer.


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## bizaro86 (Dec 19, 2017)

Registry collection access is a nice perk.

Otherwise, I'd say the main beneficiary is other RCI members who will have a new quality resort group to excange in to.

I'd be curious to see the list of their "welk curated 1000" best RCI resorts. I wonder if that's just gold and silver crown or if they actually went through one by one. If they did I'd love it if someone could post the list.


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## klpca (Dec 19, 2017)

At least they have dual affiliation. That's never a bad thing, imho. And now Welk owners have access to the Hilton and Disney properties.


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## travelgal1234 (Dec 19, 2017)

I'm a Welk owner and got this email from Interval. Looks like we can still be members. Yay!


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## DAman (Dec 19, 2017)

I assume this means all bulk deposits will go to RCI. 

This is bad for me because I’m trying no to renew my membership.


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## nuwermj (Dec 23, 2017)

bizaro86 said:


> I'd be curious to see the list of their "welk curated 1000" best RCI resorts. I wonder if that's just gold and silver crown or if they actually went through one by one. If they did I'd love it if someone could post the list.



Sorry for the delay, I've been locked out of my account. The list is a 31 page PDF file. Here's a link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PDLYOBreO-vyXYEeb9ONJFyHFUr49cDY/view


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## skimble (Jan 6, 2018)

klpca said:


> At least they have dual affiliation. That's never a bad thing, imho. And now Welk owners have access to the Hilton and Disney properties.


Welk has always been dually affiliated. The mountain villas were opened with II only.  
I’m disturbed by the sales presentation that flaunts DVC and Arroyo Robles as part of a dozen trades that are free.  AR is not affiliated (to the best of my knowledge) which means there will be manipulation of RCI inventory. I own at AR and  I was sad to see them affiliate with RCI points. Mini-systems muck up the pool.


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## ivywag (Jan 6, 2018)

We watch Welk on II for both Welk Northstar and Welk Cabo.  Neither has had any inventory on II since this change.  Too bad for those of us who can only access II. Also absent this year is Red Wolf Lakeside in Tahoe.  It's RCI now.  I wonder what is causing the exodus from II?


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## klpca (Jan 6, 2018)

ivywag said:


> We watch Welk on II for both Welk Northstar and Welk Cabo.  Neither has had any inventory on II since this change.  Too bad for those of us who can only access II. Also absent this year is Red Wolf Lakeside in Tahoe.  It's RCI now.  I wonder what is causing the exodus from II?


Interesting. I'll start looking to see if it is available in RCI now. We have two units reserved through II at Northstar this August. I hadn't noticed Cabo not being available but now that you mention it, it's been awhile since I have seen anything.


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## jlp879 (Jan 7, 2018)

ivywag said:


> Also absent this year is Red Wolf Lakeside in Tahoe.  It's RCI now.  I wonder what is causing the exodus from II?



That's interesting.  Red Wolf is affiliated with Grand Pacific Resorts, and most of their resorts exchange in RCI, yet I still see it and Welk Northstar showing in the II online resort directory.  I wonder what happens if one requests it?


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## nuwermj (Jan 7, 2018)

Regarding Northstar. Welk put Northstar in the The Registry Collection. I'm not sure how one gets access to that group of resorts, but it doesn't appear to be available to RCI's general public. Hyatt still has a small number of units at Northstar (2 according to ILG documents), so those may remain in II.


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## klpca (Jan 7, 2018)

nuwermj said:


> Regarding Northstar. Welk put Northstar in the The Registry Collection. I'm not sure how one gets access to that group of resorts, but it doesn't appear to be available to RCI's general public. Hyatt still has a small number of units at Northstar (2 according to ILG documents), so those may remain in II.



I googled the Registry Collection's resort list and only saw something called "Northstar Residences". All were 3 or 4 bedroom units - so not the timeshare units. There was another place at Northstar - but those looked like the units in the village itself. It could be possible that the resort list has yet to be updated (it is RCI afterall) and it will be interesting to see what actually happens. As an HGVC owner, I was hoping to have access to the Welk properties as I feel that these are on par with the HGVC properties.

On the Welk page, it looks like owners have access to the Registry Collection - a true upgrade, imho. Does anyone know if resale owners will have access to the Registry Collection or just developer purchasers? (Side note - I hope that HGVC negotiates a deal like this with RCI!)


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## nuwermj (Jan 7, 2018)

Here are two images from the newest Welk Resort Directory. Northstar and the new building, One Village Place, show the Registry Collection logo. All the other Welk locations show the RCI Gold Crown logo.


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## klpca (Jan 8, 2018)

nuwermj said:


> Here are two images from the newest Welk Resort Directory. Northstar and the new building, One Village Place, show the Registry Collection logo. All the other Welk locations show the RCI Gold Crown logo.


Well, I guess that I am glad that we had two stays there because I can't access the Registry Collection with any of my properties. It is a beautiful location.


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## Eric B (Jan 8, 2018)

I've occasionally seen Registry Collection weeks come up in RCI Platinum Priority Access.  It doesn't happen often, but probably occurs when they don't get enough usage in the Registry Collection.  I did get a Registry Collection membership with a purchase once, but never wound up using it for anything.  Seemed a bit more expensive to exchange and like I could get some of the resorts there without going through them.


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## JohnPaul (Jan 8, 2018)

So....  I have an ongoing search in at II for Welk Northstar during the 2019 ski season.  Does this mean that there's no way it will happen?  I also have RCI points.  Do I need to try there?


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## ivywag (Jan 8, 2018)

jlp879 said:


> That's interesting.  Red Wolf is affiliated with Grand Pacific Resorts, and most of their resorts exchange in RCI, yet I still see it and Welk Northstar showing in the II online resort directory.  I wonder what happens if one requests it?


We are Hyatt owners and last year booked Red Wolf for July through II.  Also booked Welk Northstar for Aug 2018.  We also went to Welk Cabo 3 years ago through II.  The Welk properties disappeared from II online a few months ago as did Red Wolf Lakeside.  These are a big loss for those of us who love Tahoe!!


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## WalnutBaron (Jan 9, 2018)

ivywag said:


> We are Hyatt owners and last year booked Red Wolf for July through II.  Also booked Welk Northstar for Aug 2018.  We also went to Welk Cabo 3 years ago through II.  The Welk properties disappeared from II online a few months ago as did Red Wolf Lakeside.  These are a big loss for those of us who love Tahoe!!


Welk now has an affiliation relationship with the Red Wolf system, accessible by using Welk Platinum points. I'm not sure if this program was created at the same time that the Welk switch to RCI was announced, but it definitely extends the utility of Welk ownership. Welk itself has only five locations--San Diego, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe, Cabo San Lucas, and Branson--but through what is called the Welk Experiences Collection, the Welk ownership now includes a number of luxury resorts as well. This group includes--among others--Poste Montane Lodge in Beaver Creek, CO; Arroyo Roble in Sedona, AZ; Disney Aulani in Oahu; Disney Saratoga Springs in FL; Red Wolf Squaw Valley and Red Wolf Lakeside in Lake Tahoe, CA; Four Seasons Aviara in San Diego and Four Seasons Troon in Scottsdale, AZ; and Fairmont Heritage Place in Santa Fe, NM.


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## nuwermj (Feb 2, 2018)

Here is RCI's press release

Feb 01, 2018
Welk Resorts Returns to the RCI Global Exchange Network
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...he-rci-global-exchange-network-300591965.html


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## jmkhager (Feb 3, 2018)

bizaro86 said:


> Registry collection access is a nice perk.
> 
> Otherwise, I'd say the main beneficiary is other RCI members who will have a new quality resort group to excange in to.
> 
> I'd be curious to see the list of their "welk curated 1000" best RCI resorts. I wonder if that's just gold and silver crown or if they actually went through one by one. If they did I'd love it if someone could post the list.



Not sure why Welk Resorts would have access to the Registry Collection program.  I have been to Welk Resorts, and although nice, nothing like some of the residences I have seen or have even purchased into thus far.  Sorry!


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## jmkhager (Feb 3, 2018)

ivywag said:


> We watch Welk on II for both Welk Northstar and Welk Cabo.  Neither has had any inventory on II since this change.  Too bad for those of us who can only access II. Also absent this year is Red Wolf Lakeside in Tahoe.  It's RCI now.  I wonder what is causing the exodus from II?



Apparently, Wyndham is doing all they can to enlarge and possible improve their grip on the timeshare world.  Larger and along with increased fees seems to be the direction that is being followed.  That is a shame!


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## bizaro86 (Feb 3, 2018)

jmkhager said:


> Not sure why Welk Resorts would have access to the Registry Collection program.  I have been to Welk Resorts, and although nice, nothing like some of the residences I have seen or have even purchased into thus far.  Sorry!



Presumably as an incentive to get the business from II.


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## SWJOB (Feb 6, 2018)

Here's an important distinction for TUGgers:   the relationship change with RCI only applies to WELK PLATINUM members (as distinguished from RCI PLATINUM members.)  
Current owners of Welk properties who are outside Welk's Platinum Points System are unaffected--as are their RCI WEEKS or RCI POINTS memberships and/or their exchange options with RCI and II.
(I only know about their Escondido resorts firsthand--have been vacationing there since the 1980s--but this distinction seems likely to apply to all previous Welk owners worldwide who have not "upgraded" [converted over] to the Welk Platinum system.)
So RCI POINTS owners can still trade into the OLD "Villas" properties as well as Villas on the Greens (NOT Mountainside resorts when last I checked), as can RCI WEEKS members and II members.  Welk management has touted its OWN "new" PLATINUM  ownership (their own, private internal points exchange system, not to be confused with RCI PLATINUM memberships, RCI POINTS, or other systems’ points memberships.)  Naturally, maintenance fees are higher if "old" LW Resort Villas or Villas on the Greens owners “upgrade”/convert to the Welk Platinum points system, and I would only suggest doing so after checking the internal exchange options and TUGger experiences of actually trying to trade their Welk Platinum points for other desirable resort destinations in the new exchange network. 
(Such a costly upgrade might become more attractive for internal exchange once the current ambitious Welk construction projects, e.g., Breckinridge and Hawaii, are completed in the coming years, however.) 
Meanwhile, outside of TUG Timeshare Marketplace listings, all sorts of Welk purchasing, renting, (and listing without cost via brokering) options can be found through calresale.com, (a full-service realty site which I purchased from, circa 1985, and is now operated by the website founder's daughter.)


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## WalnutBaron (Feb 7, 2018)

SWJOB said:


> Here's an important distinction for TUGgers:   the relationship change with RCI only applies to WELK PLATINUM members (as distinguished from RCI PLATINUM members.)
> Current owners of Welk properties who are outside Welk's Platinum Points System are unaffected--as are their RCI WEEKS or RCI POINTS memberships and/or their exchange options with RCI and II.
> (I only know about their Escondido resorts firsthand--have been vacationing there since the 1980s--but this distinction seems likely to apply to all previous Welk owners worldwide who have not "upgraded" [converted over] to the Welk Platinum system.)
> So RCI POINTS owners can still trade into the OLD "Villas" properties as well as Villas on the Greens (NOT Mountainside resorts when last I checked), as can RCI WEEKS members and II members.  Welk management has touted its OWN "new" PLATINUM  ownership (their own, private internal points exchange system, not to be confused with RCI PLATINUM memberships, RCI POINTS, or other systems’ points memberships.)  Naturally, maintenance fees are higher if "old" LW Resort Villas or Villas on the Greens owners “upgrade”/convert to the Welk Platinum points system, and I would only suggest doing so after checking the internal exchange options and TUGger experiences of actually trying to trade their Welk Platinum points for other desirable resort destinations in the new exchange network.
> ...


Very good information, SW. Thank you!


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## SkyBlueWaters (Feb 9, 2018)

Tugg Brian should start his own exchange system...tired of these selfish corps...if anyone wants to collaborate, I have developers waiting...


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