# Ritz Club St. Thomas point reduction.



## fluke (Jul 16, 2012)

I had made a 6 day reservation at the Ritz Carlton Club St Thomas a couple months ago for early Nov.  I received a call from my VOA because their has been a point reduction for the property - apparantly spanning Sept - Dec.  

I was able to book the seventh day that was not previously available.  So for a total of 7 days (Sat-Sat) I used 3675 points.

I still had excess 2012 points because of the reduction and they allowed me to bank them because of this late notification.

So if anyone is Premiere Plus or Premier and you interested in this property and during the above time frame consider checking it out for what appears to me a good value (disclaimer - I have never been to this property so I don't really know what it is like).


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## GregT (Jul 16, 2012)

Fluke,

That is a great use of points -- we stayed at Ritz St. Thomas in Feb 2011 (at the hotel) and thought it was a spectacular property.   We'd toured the time shares back in May 2008 and thought they were pretty spiffy.

I understand there are two floor plans at the Ritz STT -- I do not know what the difference is, but a separate thread indicated that the Marriott DC had access to the smaller or more modest suites versus the villas that we'd toured (or something like that).

Please do post pictures/reviews of the property -- and congrats on your points deal, interesting stuff.

Best,

Greg


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## m61376 (Jul 16, 2012)

very nice! And nice that they called!

Where is this in relationship to Frenchman's Cove? Nice rates - and that's for a 2BR suite there, isn't it?


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## GregT (Jul 16, 2012)

m61376 said:


> very nice! And nice that they called!
> 
> Where is this in relationship to Frenchman's Cove? Nice rates - and that's for a 2BR suite there, isn't it?



Yes, this is for a 2BR suite.   The Ritz Carlton is on the east end of the island on Great Bay, and looks across to St. John.  The beach is terrific, as is the property itself.   

Frenchman's Cove is in the center/bottom of the island, just east of Charlotte Amalie.  FC has a beautiful view across the harbor towards the town (and I understand that watching the cruise ships leave port is a great opportunity for a gin & tonic).

Best,

Greg


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## fluke (Jul 16, 2012)

Yes that is for the 2 bedroom suites.


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## m61376 (Jul 16, 2012)

For those reservations you have to call, right- or can you check availability online?

I wonder if there will be any availability within the 60 day period since they are giving discounts.


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## fluke (Jul 16, 2012)

I was looking at the Vacation club web page and it appears they have altered the point cost of the Ritz Carlton Club properties.  I don't have an old chart but I remember much higher point values.


https://www.my-vacationclub.com/common/vc/en-us/pdfs/points_charts/rcdc_points_chart.pdf


I think you need to be logged in to see the page.


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## fluke (Jul 16, 2012)

m61376 said:


> For those reservations you have to call, right- or can you check availability online?
> 
> I wonder if there will be any availability within the 60 day period since they are giving discounts.



You have to call - no online access.


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## jtdillian (Jul 16, 2012)

It also looks like Vail is no longer available but they added Jupiter and Lake Tahoe which I didn't even know they had something in Tahoe!


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## jtdillian (Jul 16, 2012)

It looks like there is now 6 Ritz locations vs 5!


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## fluke (Jul 16, 2012)

GregT said:


> Fluke,
> 
> That is a great use of points -- we stayed at Ritz St. Thomas in Feb 2011 (at the hotel) and thought it was a spectacular property.   We'd toured the time shares back in May 2008 and thought they were pretty spiffy.
> 
> ...



Yes my understanding is it is the 2 bedroom suites - I think it is slightly smaller in size and it comes with a partial kitchen.  The second bedroom has 2 double beds versus a second master(single King) bedroom.  Also the suites access the club lounge (I saw a posting that the club lounge was closed during my stay - not sure if that is for the hotel or the residences).  

It is really hard to get info about what the differences are on both the Marriott and RC club pages.  But I found a rental agency with what appeared to be the best descriptions.  Link is below.

http://www.travelenvogue.com/2-Ritz-Carlton-St-Thomas/ritz-accommodations/2-Bedroom-Suite


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## ral (Jul 16, 2012)

The Ritz-Carlton Vail is a part of the Marriott Vacation Club Trust, so any destination club owner theoretically has access to it.

I also had a reservation booked at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. There was a reduction in points, but I was not allowed to bank the extra points. Reason given was that it was past the June 30th deadline date, according to a  supervisor. In order to use the excess points, I had to borrow an additional 300 points from next year to add to the points that I already had, and that provided me with an additional two nights. It would seem that there has been a change in policy since I called. No complaints on my end as I look forward to the extra two nights, but it would provide better servicing if a  change in policy be more completely thought out and then enforced uniformally.

The Luxury Residences being provided by the Marriott Vacation Club Explorer Collection at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas are referred to as the Club Suites. They are two bedroom, two bath units with a "Gallery Kitchen". The kitchen does NOT have an oven, a full size fridge, or a freezer. It does have a microwave, two under counter refrigerators (no freezers) and a stovetop. There are no outside grills for cooking. There is access to a Club Lounge for complimentary breakfast in the morning, but it is closed, except for coffee, after 11:00 AM. Also, I was told that there would be NO resort fees charged when using vacation club points (The resort fee is $58.00 per room per night at the hotel).


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## ral (Jul 16, 2012)

fluke said:


> Yes my understanding is it is the 2 bedroom suites - I think it is slightly smaller in size and it comes with a partial kitchen.  The second bedroom has 2 double beds versus a second master(single King) bedroom.  Also the suites access the club lounge (I saw a posting that the club lounge was closed during my stay - not sure if that is for the hotel or the residences).
> 
> It is really hard to get info about what the differences are on both the Marriott and RC club pages.  But I found a rental agency with what appeared to be the best descriptions.  Link is below.
> 
> http://www.travelenvogue.com/2-Ritz-Carlton-St-Thomas/ritz-accommodations/2-Bedroom-Suite



The picture of the kitchen shown above does not have a stovetop in it. Perhaps there was a kitchen renovation and they added one. When I called the representative at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Residence Club, she did confirm that there is a stovetop in the Club Suites. I guess we'll know for sure when we get there, but considering this is a Ritz-Carlton property, I would think that the representative at the property has the correct information.


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## californiagirl (Jul 17, 2012)

What are the views like from the 2bdrm suites?


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## fluke (Jul 17, 2012)

ral said:


> I also had a reservation booked at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. There was a reduction in points, but *I was not allowed to bank the extra points*. Reason given was that it was past the June 30th deadline date, according to a  supervisor. In order to use the excess points, I had to borrow an additional 300 points from next year to add to the points that I already had, and that provided me with an additional two nights. It would seem that there has been a change in policy since I called. No complaints on my end as I look forward to the extra two nights, but it would provide better servicing if a  change in policy be more completely thought out and then enforced uniformally. .



I had borrowed points from 2013 to originally complete the reservation.  The borrowed point total was slightly more than the refund.  I suspect that was the difference and why they let me bank the points.


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## fluke (Jul 17, 2012)

ral said:


> The picture of the kitchen shown above does not have a stovetop in it. Perhaps there was a kitchen renovation and they added one. When I called the representative at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Residence Club, she did confirm that there is a stovetop in the Club Suites. I guess we'll know for sure when we get there, but considering this is a Ritz-Carlton property, I would think that the representative at the property has the correct information.



I suspect your info is right - I just used that rental website since it is really hard to find specific info online for this property.  I never spoke directly to the RC club but only the Marriott VOA - they seemed unsure and appeared to be reading the same info I was off the website.

I will be there Nov 10th will you be there before that? If so could you post info once your there?  If I am there first I will do the same.


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## fluke (Jul 17, 2012)

californiagirl said:


> What are the views like from the 2bdrm suites?



All I know is they are listed as "Bay View"


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## fluke (Jul 17, 2012)

ral said:


> Also, I was told that there would be NO resort fees charged when using vacation club points (The resort fee is $58.00 per room per night at the hotel).



That is what I understand.  But I read somewhere (I think a review - maybe tripadvisor) that the resort fee covered (non-motorized) watersports and a few other things (can't really remember).  And you could opt to pay the resort fee or you had to pay ala carte fees for the individual activities (if you wanted them).  I will try to call RC club and get that clarified.


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## Whirl (Jul 17, 2012)

Does anyone recall how much they were lowered....I thought I remembered thinking these were pretty expensive, nut the rates actually seem pretty good now. We are doing sailing in Tortola next year and wanted to talk on a few land days afterwards. This seems like a great option! We were looking at the scrub island resort( brand new Marriott adventure collection) but I haven't figured out a way to book that with dc points (have I missed an option) so this would be a good alternative if I don't want to go retail.


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## fluke (Jul 17, 2012)

*Reorganization of RC club*

There was a posted letter on the fractional owners forum from the Ritz-Carlton Club.  It sounds like they are in the process of reorganizing the RC club into the Destinations club where they get access to the "51" MVCI resorts.

I suspect (IMO) that is the cause of the points realignment we have seen for those properties. The VOA I spoke to did say the reallocated points to bring the points more in line with MVCI properties (MFs , etc).

It also appears from the letter that they will drop RC club affiliations with Abaco and Maui.


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## GregT (Jul 18, 2012)

fluke said:


> There was a posted letter on the fractional owners forum from the Ritz-Carlton Club.  It sounds like they are in the process of reorganizing the RC club into the Destinations club where they get access to the "51" MVCI resorts.
> 
> I suspect (IMO) that is the cause of the points realignment we have seen for those properties. The VOA I spoke to did say the reallocated points to bring the points more in line with MVCI properties (MFs , etc).
> 
> It also appears from the letter that they will drop RC club affiliations with Abaco and Maui.



Do you have a link to the letter?   I did a Google but didn't see it?  Thx!


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## Whirl (Jul 18, 2012)

GregT said:


> Do you have a link to the letter?   I did a Google but didn't see it?  Thx!



Greg, 

I do not know how to post a link to another thread, but if you go to the "Non traditional Interval Ownership" forum here on tug, there is a thread posted yesterday, I believe, about the changes and dropping the Abacos property. The letter has been posted there.
Best, 
Cheryl


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## GregT (Jul 18, 2012)

Whirl said:


> Greg,
> 
> I do not know how to post a link to another thread, but if you go to the "Non traditional Interval Ownership" forum here on tug, there is a thread posted yesterday, I believe, about the changes and dropping the Abacos property. The letter has been posted there.
> Best,
> Cheryl




Cheryl,

Thank you -- here's the link below.   I can't imagine that the Ritz Carlton DC folks are happy about this change.  Losing Maui is a big loss and I wouldn't think that they will be excited about the access to the Marriott properties.

Will this mean further integration of the Ritz properties into DClub?   Will Ritz properties be deposited into the Trust in greater frequency?  

Interesting stuff and will be interesting to watch this unfold.   I think further overlap between Ritz properties and DClub would be a big positive for DClub, even if the points requirements are expensive.  Those are incredibly high quality properties and locations.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175113

Best,

Greg


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## fluke (Jul 18, 2012)

GregT said:


> Cheryl,
> 
> Thank you -- here's the link below.   I can't imagine that the Ritz Carlton DC folks are happy about this change.  Losing Maui is a big loss and I wouldn't think that they will be excited about the access to the Marriott properties.
> 
> ...



I suspect that the majority of the RC club people won't be happy - since they paid a premium for exclusivity.  However I think this integration is probably inevitable. As has been discussed on other threads the Luxury properties have been the biggest financial loser.

If I was in the RC club I would look at it as probably necessary to avoid total collapse.

My wife has a relative in MVCI based in Maui and she had told us (back in March) the sales in Maui (Ritz) were dismal at best.  She told us a move like this was likely.


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## Whirl (Jul 18, 2012)

GregT said:


> Cheryl,
> 
> Thank you -- here's the link below.   I can't imagine that the Ritz Carlton DC folks are happy about this change.  Losing Maui is a big loss and I wouldn't think that they will be excited about the access to the Marriott properties.
> 
> ...



I couldn't agree more that is its a huge plus to the DClub. I am very excited about it, but as you say, I bet the Ritz folks may not be. That said,  they may look at it as a diversification opportunity. RC's are nice, but there just are not that many, so there are some potential positives from the RCC owner's perspective....perhaps. 

I enjoy RC, but of course can't stay in them as often as I would like, especially since we always need 2-3 rooms or  2- 3 Bedroom suites. That said, when we do, I am used to paying what it takes and through the DC pricing, it is quite a savings as far as my very very rough glance at he points and what thay would equate to in maintenance fee dollars.


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## fluke (Jul 18, 2012)

Whirl said:


> I couldn't agree more that is its a huge plus to the DClub. I am very excited about it, but as you say, I bet the Ritz folks may not be. *That said,  they may look at it as a diversification opportunity. RC's are nice, but there just are not that many, so there are some potential positives from the RCC owner's perspective....perhaps.*
> 
> I enjoy RC, but of course can't stay in them as often as I would like, especially since we always need 2-3 rooms or  2- 3 Bedroom suites. That said, when we do, I am used to paying what it takes and through the DC pricing, it is quite a savings as far as my very very rough glance at he points and what thay would equate to in maintenance fee dollars.



I agree with that statement.  I looked at the RC club but didn't like the limited property selection (not to mention the high purchase price and those hefty MFs).

I think integration (if it fully occurs ) probably will help total sales of points - perhaps they even create a new higher elite class that can access RC properties 12 months out .  That could cause a surge of trust point sales.  Of course this is all speculation.


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## jont (Jul 18, 2012)

fluke said:


> I agree with that statement.  I looked at the RC club but didn't like the limited property selection (not to mention the high purchase price and those hefty MFs).
> 
> I think integration (if it fully occurs ) probably will help total sales of points - perhaps they even create a new higher elite class that can access RC properties 12 months out .  That could cause a surge of trust point sales.  Of course this is all speculation.



Yes, I agree. From the DC point of view it's all about selling trust points. When I attended a sales presentation last summer the big focus was on buying trust points to access RC properties which would become available.


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## m61376 (Jul 18, 2012)

fluke said:


> I agree with that statement.  I looked at the RC club but didn't like the limited property selection (not to mention the high purchase price and those hefty MFs).
> 
> I think integration (if it fully occurs ) probably will help total sales of points - perhaps they even create a new higher elite class that can access RC properties 12 months out .  That could cause a surge of trust point sales.  Of course this is all speculation.



What are the current rules for accessing RC properties?


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## fluke (Jul 18, 2012)

m61376 said:


> What are the current rules for accessing RC properties?



You have to be premier or premier plus.  It can be booked no earlier than 6 months prior to start of reservation and can only be reserved on the phone.


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## ral (Jul 18, 2012)

The last Vacation Ownership Agent I spoke with said that in addition to the reduction in points for R-C St. Thomas, Premier and Premier Plus can now book 12 months out for the Luxury Collection. Based on a recent experience booking the Luxury Collection, I would get verification of this new policy (and probably from a number of sources).


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## GregT (Jul 18, 2012)

From a chat I just had with MVC help:



> Customer:  Good afternoon -- I am inquiring about the Ritz Carlton properties, specifically St. Thomas. I'd heard that the points requirements changed (at least for Fall 2012). did all weeks change, or just the upcoming 2012 weeks? Thx!
> 
> [MVC]:  What kind of points do you mean?
> 
> ...



These weeks were 11,500 points on the chart I had, so that is quite a reduction.    Very interesting development.   

Best,

Greg


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## ral (Jul 18, 2012)

New Points Chart as of July 9, 2012 for Ritz-Carlton Luxury Collection:

https://www.my-vacationclub.com/common/vc/en-us/pdfs/points_charts/rcdc_points_chart.pdf

You may have to log in to Marriott Vacatin Club to see this.

Sorry for repeating. This was previously given in #7 above.


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## fluke (Jul 18, 2012)

ral said:


> The last Vacation Ownership Agent I spoke with said that in addition to the reduction in points for R-C St. Thomas, Premier and Premier Plus can now book 12 months out for the Luxury Collection. Based on a recent experience booking the Luxury Collection, I would get verification of this new policy (and probably from a number of sources).



Now this also would be an abrupt change.  When I booked for November a couple of months ago I called a few days before the 6 month mark and they made me wait to book until a few days later when the 6 month mark hit.


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## ral (Jul 18, 2012)

Based on the July 17th letter sent to Ritz-Carlton Destination Club owners, if the Abaco property is no longer available, doesn't that make the new July 9th R-C DC points chart obsolete? If so, the proverbial "right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing" seems apropos.


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## GregT (Jul 18, 2012)

ral said:


> New Points Chart as of July 9, 2012 for Ritz-Carlton Luxury Collection:
> 
> https://www.my-vacationclub.com/common/vc/en-us/pdfs/points_charts/rcdc_points_chart.pdf
> 
> ...



Wow -- this really is remarkable -- these points have come down alot and are mostly in line with the Marriott legacy properties.

Thanks for pointing out the link.

Best,

Greg


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## hotcoffee (Jul 18, 2012)

ral said:


> Based on the July 17th letter sent to Ritz-Carlton Destination Club owners, if the Abaco property is no longer available, doesn't that make the new July 9th R-C DC points chart obsolete? If so, the proverbial "right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing" seems apropos.



Not sure what you are referring to, the Abaco property still shows up on the MVC WEB site as part of the luxury explorer collection.


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## fluke (Jul 18, 2012)

hotcoffee said:


> Not sure what you are referring to, the Abaco property still shows up on the MVC WEB site as part of the luxury explorer collection.



There is from a letter for the RC club members posted on the nontraditional ownership forum that was referenced earlier in the thread.


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## Pantala (Dec 26, 2012)

Whirl said:


> I couldn't agree more that is its a huge plus to the DClub. I am very excited about it, but as you say, I bet the Ritz folks may not be. That said,  they may look at it as a diversification opportunity. RC's are nice, but there just are not that many, so there are some potential positives from the RCC owner's perspective....perhaps.



Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year. 

Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.


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## Beefnot (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year.
> 
> Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.



Holy sh**.


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## GregT (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year.
> 
> Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.



I can understand how you feel and I hope that Marriott is doing something to provide something of value to you in this new world.  I believe that the reaction that you are having is felt across the Ritz DC system.

Do they allow you to use your Cobalt points within the Marriott system?  I know that's not why you purchased it, but I'm curious if they at least give your a cross-over ability?

I'm guessing that you purchased perhaps 12,000-14,000 Cobalt points?   If Marriott were to apply a 2:1 ratio to you then you would have alot of points within the Marriott system.

Again -- I know you didn't purchase to use the Marriott properties, I'm just trying to think of ways to make the points more valuable then they appear.

All the best,

Greg


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## fluke (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year.
> 
> Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.



Certainly you have lost a significant amount of money, but I don't think it was caused by this move.  Pretty much anyone who has bought directly from the developer (RC Club or MVCI) has lost tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There was someone who I passed emails with earlier this year who was trying to unload a 2 bedroom Suites at RC Club St. Thomas for just under 40k.  It was a 3 week package.

I honestly think that at the very least the point reductions will be only for a limited time.  This point reduction is likely trying to give the MVCI customers a taste of the RC Club in an attempt to upsell.  I am looking forward to see if Points charts for the RC club properties will come out for 2014.  I honestly think that the current point values for RC Club properties are too low.

Having recently stayed at the RC Club and now at Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club I can say that the real superiority of the RC club is the quality of the actual rooms and the better/more service.  The actual resorts are equivalent with the common amenities actually better at Marriott Properies (IMO - at least the better Marriots), - and more amenites available.


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## FractionalTraveler (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year.
> 
> Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.



Yes, this is true but so did many other properties, HOA's, developers, owners, and members during the latest real estate downturn.

Any buy-in for a fractional Destination Club or Residence Club is a sunk cost of membership.  There are only a select few residence club schemes that return your principal after a pre-determined number of years (usually 5-7). 

I lost an equal amount in fractional airplane and yacht memberships.  Just took it all as a loss and wrote the whole thing off my books in 2010.

Just be glad you still have usage privileges and that Marriott has found a way to sustain the properties for now in the DC Trust.

Those lowly MVCI DC members are now helping pay for your otherwise vacant units and contributing to your property up keep overall.

If you are still too upset to get any usage out of your membership then you can always try to sell it or do as other RC owners in SF by hiring legal teams to go after purchase documentation from Marriott to find any loop holes to target for legal action.

The recession sucked for everyone in the country so it's understandable to be so upset.

Good luck to you.


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## Pantala (Dec 26, 2012)

Some good comments. 

Greg - I am not a Portfolio member of the Ritz, I'm a Home Club or Destination Club or whatever they call it now. Portfolio = points as per traditional timeshare; Destination = fractional ownership. So for the above costs, I get four guaranteed, specific weeks at the Ritz Club Aspen, although I can exchange those weeks for weeks at other Ritz clubs. I have no "points," although I think for the upcoming year we can exchange our weeks for a set number of points to be used at the Marriott properties, although I don't know the values on it. 

I'm just venting. What FractionalTraveler said is the reality - without Marriott buying the unsold units, the RCDC would probably be dead. At least we can still use our weeks (for now). And I'm not calling anyone "lowly."


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## FractionalTraveler (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Some good comments.
> 
> Greg - I am not a Portfolio member of the Ritz, I'm a Home Club or Destination Club or whatever they call it now. Portfolio = points as per traditional timeshare; Destination = fractional ownership. So for the above costs, I get four guaranteed, specific weeks at the Ritz Club Aspen, although I can exchange those weeks for weeks at other Ritz clubs. I have no "points," although I think for the upcoming year we can exchange our weeks for a set number of points to be used at the Marriott properties, although I don't know the values on it.
> 
> I'm just venting. What FractionalTraveler said is the reality - without Marriott buying the unsold units, the RCDC would probably be dead. At least we can still use our weeks (for now). And I'm not calling anyone "lowly."



Called myself "lowly" MVCI owner. No worries.


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## ral (Dec 26, 2012)

Pantala said:


> Yes, as a Ritz Carlton Destination Club member, I am _thrilled_ that everyone can now stay at the Ritz Club Saint Thomas (and their other Club properties). Do you know what I paid/pay to have that right? $250,000 buy-in and dues of $14,000 per year.
> 
> Understand that this is no offense to you personally. However, my "buy-in" fee and your "buy-in" fee are essentially equivalent now, correct? So with this move by Marriott, I have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of value.



On the positive side, you have guaranteed access to the RC St. Thomas property unlike Premier or Premier Plus Marriott Destination Club Members, who do not have guaranteed access, or for that matter, whether the RC offerings will even stay within the Marriott Explorer Collection. Also, from my understanding, original owners have access to greatly reduced nightly rates on RC Club inventory that has not been previously reserved, although I wonder if the MVC Explorer Collection might have a negative effect on that benefit. Also wasn't there a benefit relating to reserving rooms at RC hotels? Ultimately, I see all unsold inventory at RC St. Thomas along with all unsold inventory at other RC Clubs being put into the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Trust. This should strengthen the RC Destination Club financially and prevent a situation that might have caused serious consequences to the Club. The most important benefit of owners at RC St. Thomas seems to be the guaranteed access while the MVC owners must compete for whatever leftover inventory becomes available.


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