# Very rough "Owners Update" at HRC Coconut Plantation



## travelguy84 (Mar 9, 2022)

We our Legacy owners at the HRC in Maui, Sedona and Coconut Plantation. We attended owners updates for both Maui and Coconut Plantation in March. While the Maui sales center is smooth and they are still selling deeded weeks and float weeks at about 106k plus Covid discounts for two bedroom uppers during many popular times of the year with massive World Of Hyatt point incentives, I think I attended one of the most rough sales presentations I've experienced in FL this month at the Hyatt Coconut Plantation. We took the 20,000 world of Hyatt point offering to attend. Initial greeting from Lynne the sales person: "I only get paid on commission... don't come on here if you aren't planning to buy anything." At this point, I hadn't mentioned we were buying or not buying. They offered to take our Maui deed off our hands and "Hyattize" the week for free. The other offering was 660 Portfolio Points at 13k and the honor of "Hyattizing two of our weeks for the price of one" and not touching Hawaii. We were offered 1320 portfolio points for two years as a signing bonus. I pressed to see if we could get more portfolio points for a 13k purchase price or any other type of incentive just to see what they would say, and the very knowledgable and surprisingly impressive sales manager Rick "the closer" said no such thing existed. His colleague Lynne was hopeless stumbling through a demo website supposedly going to show room availability would not exist later down the line. The current "scare tactics" is they will be closing off portfolio reservation inventory access to current legacy owners and contradictory messaging about Welk and how "algorithms will limit legacy owners to seeing any good reservations" in the system according to Lynne, and the mention of a new website for portfolio.  She included photos of the Ritz Residences and other Marriott properties on a slideshow with no explanation on what anything means about the merger from several years ago which I already knew a lot about from Tuggs. Sales Manager Rick mentioned of the 15 people working at the sales center, only 5 are working right now due to "lagging numbers" and lay offs. It was sad, hopeless and of course, I know too much from owning and from reading this forum to accept any offer tied to portfolio. I declined everything. It was a really sad presentation. When I said "pass" and "no way" , the manager Rick was polite, didn't push any further and they nicely held the door for us on the way out. The presentation was otherwise horrible. Lynne was really not on her A-game. Paying 13k for the honor of "hyatt-izing" a week which isn't even a word to have 660 portfolio points you can't even use (despite still being able to hold on to your deed) is terrible marketing. Am I missing something? Could someone please explain how the presentations have shifted to this in Florida? Who would ever accept a sales pitch like this?


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## alameda94501 (Mar 9, 2022)

Interesting, thanks @travelguy84.  



travelguy84 said:


> The current "scare tactics" is they will be closing off portfolio reservation inventory access to current legacy owners and contradictory messaging about Welk and how "algorithms will limit legacy owners to seeing any good reservations" in the system according to Lynne, and the mention of a new website for portfolio.



That definitely sounds like ungrounded scare tactics.  They have to abide by their Club-to-Club Agreements including allowing 0-6mo Portfolio inventory access to both Legacy HRC and HPC Portfolio.  As for Welk, I don't think anyone knows how that will eventually be integrated, but until then it's all Interval International and it's hard to believe "algorithms" will be changed beyond anything we see today.


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## Kal (Mar 10, 2022)

That sounds like it would have been fun to attend and make it a sporting event.  Twisting a huckster around herself could be too easy.  Just the thought that at 6 months HRC owners would not have access to Portfolio bookings all the while HPP members would have access to HRC bookings is too much fun for a take down.  Just remember, if her lips are moving it's a lie.


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## dahntahn (Mar 17, 2022)

We also attended the sales pitch at Coconut within the last two weeks.  We always go for the incentive [$125 credit this time] , to find out any interesting new info, and to enjoy sparring with the sales people.  This time we drew the manager, who was affable and low key.  But after maybe 20 minutes he told us he would appreciate it if in the future we knew we were not interested in even considering buying, that we would not come to a sales presentation, because the sales people only get paid on commission and we would just be wasting their time.  This was a new approach which surprised us, as they always contact us in advance of arrival to make a reservation for the sales pitch.  The sales center was nearly empty with only 2 or 3 couples meeting like us - in the past it was always bustling and busy.  He showed us out after less than 30 minutes with our incentive in hand and was pleasant throughout.  Looks like things are not going well for portfolio sales.


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## heathpack (Mar 17, 2022)

dahntahn said:


> We also attended the sales pitch at Coconut within the last two weeks.  We always go for the incentive [$125 credit this time] , to find out any interesting new info, and to enjoy sparring with the sales people.  This time we drew the manager, who was affable and low key.  But after maybe 20 minutes he told us he would appreciate it if in the future we knew we were not interested in even considering buying, that we would not come to a sales presentation, because the sales people only get paid on commission and we would just be wasting their time.  This was a new approach which surprised us, as they always contact us in advance of arrival to make a reservation for the sales pitch.  The sales center was nearly empty with only 2 or 3 couples meeting like us - in the past it was always bustling and busy.  He showed us out after less than 30 minutes with our incentive in hand and was pleasant throughout.  Looks like things are not going well for portfolio sales.



Well, I’d be more sympathetic to the plight of the salesperson if HRC did not:
1. refer to these as “owner’s update”.  Be honest and call it a “sales presentation”.  If HRC wants to be deceptive about their intent when they invite me, IMO it’s cool if Im deceptive in my intent when I accept.  Ie If you claim you’re going to inform me about cool new things with my current ownership, then I’ll pretend that I’m taking your incentive to learn about cool new things with my current ownership.
2.  encourage you to attend, even when you repeatedly say you’re not interested in any additional purchase

So when HRC changes it’s ways, I’ll change mine and we can each spare each other the bother!


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## clifffaith (Mar 17, 2022)

They gave you a built in excuse for next time. “The sales manager told us to stop wasting their time”. Then watch them backpedal! We did that at Worldmark Big Bear once during our annual end-of-June visit and they really turned on the groveling and told us that sales manager was no longer there!


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## travelguy84 (Mar 17, 2022)

heathpack said:


> Well, I’d be more sympathetic to the plight of the salesperson if HRC did not:
> 1. refer to these as “owner’s update”.  Be honest and call it a “sales presentation”.  If HRC wants to be deceptive about their intent when they invite me, IMO it’s cool if Im deceptive in my intent when I accept.  Ie If you claim you’re going to inform me about cool new things with my current ownership, then I’ll pretend that I’m taking your incentive to learn about cool new things with my current ownership.
> 2.  encourage you to attend, even when you repeatedly say you’re not interested in any additional purchase
> 
> So when HRC changes it’s ways, I’ll change mine and we can each spare each other the bother!


Could not have said it any better. Brilliant.


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## Kal (Mar 17, 2022)

At one of the meetings when they were selling weeks, I told them at the get go that I wasn't there to buy anything.  I just wanted to hear about new things of interest to "owners".  Then the guy wanted to take me on a tour to see the resort.  I told him I had been in the resort a number of times and the tour was a waste of his time.  He said he had to do it or we would not qualify for the gift and it would not be good for him.  I agreed but said why don't we just get out of the sales center and take a quick spin around the walkways.  He agreed and it was a 4 minute "tour".  Then of course they had to bring in the "hot lamp" guy.  He recognized me from his time peddling in the Caribbean so we just chatted about old times.  These guys set up hurdles at their own expense as they could spend their time on another sucker in hopes of turning a trick.

In another meeting, the senior "hot lamp" person turned out to be a very good friend where we spent serious bar time bending elbows.  That was a little stressing giving her my standard "get out of my face" routine.


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## youknowthenight (Mar 18, 2022)

Got the British guy at Bonita last year (side note, I get way too many British guys at these presentations, are the accents even real?). He said I see you were at a presentation 8 months ago and didn't buy. Has anything changed? "No." Then why are you here? "Because your concierge encouraged me to attend this "owner's update." Are you getting something for your time? "Yes." Ok then its a sales presentation. "Duh." We were out in 32 minutes which is one of my best ever results.


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