# DRI Confusion



## wcf3 (Dec 25, 2008)

Hi,

We own 2 every year and 2 every other year weeks at The Point at Poipu. We have been through RCI, Sunterra, and now DRI and have had nothing but trouble trying to return to the property. There is never an opening and the maintenance fees are killing us. We just want to go to our property and wonder if we can get out of 'The Club'! Any suggestions?

Also, how can we get back the promise that as owners at the property we had preference...

Chuck and Judy


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## timeos2 (Dec 25, 2008)

wcf3 said:


> Hi,
> 
> We own 2 every year and 2 every other year weeks at The Point at Poipu. We have been through RCI, Sunterra, and now DRI and have had nothing but trouble trying to return to the property. There is never an opening and the maintenance fees are killing us. We just want to go to our property and wonder if we can get out of 'The Club'! Any suggestions?
> 
> ...



Owners DO get priority in THE CLUB. Are you utilizing it by making your request 13 months out? If you wait then you are competing with all Club members and, as you know, there may not be space available.  

If you are a deeded owner - not in one of the Trusts - you could revert back to direct ownership thus avoiding the Club system limitations on home resort use but still subject to whatever rules are in place regarding reservations/use under a week system at your resort.


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## wcf3 (Dec 25, 2008)

We are deeded and used to get priority (within reason) pretty much anytime. We aren't able to plan time out 13 months in advance due to our work. We can handle adjusting our trip as needed, but have found we are always months out or nothing in our ocean view available at all.

We feel totally duped by the experience and our maintenance fees have doubled since DRI took over and we can never, and I mean NEVER, find anything open when we can travel (home resort or any other except Florida). Having 4 weeks of ownership at Poipu and we can't even find a week open is just frustrating as can be.

Are we the only ones that feel like this...?

Chuck and Judy


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## timeos2 (Dec 25, 2008)

*You have to plan to some degree*



wcf3 said:


> We are deeded and used to get priority (within reason) pretty much anytime. We aren't able to plan time out 13 months in advance due to our work. We can handle adjusting our trip as needed, but have found we are always months out or nothing in our ocean view available at all.
> 
> We feel totally duped by the experience and our maintenance fees have doubled since DRI took over and we can never, and I mean NEVER, find anything open when we can travel (home resort or any other except Florida). Having 4 weeks of ownership at Poipu and we can't even find a week open is just frustrating as can be.
> 
> ...



You are not alone but realize that nearly all timeshares require planning 10-12 months out to get the higher demand locations or busy times. If you can't manage that then timesharing as a concept - point or weeks - may not be a fit for you. Not to be a wise guy but how is it people can't plan 12-13 months ahead but they can plan 3,6 or 8 months ahead? If you pick a date that seems to work and plan around it we've never had any problems.  Even hotela in high demand times can be tough to obtain if you don't really plan.


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## wcf3 (Dec 25, 2008)

timeos2 said:


> You are not alone but realize that nearly all timeshares require planning 10-12 months out to get the higher demand locations or busy times. If you can't manage that then timesharing as a concept - point or weeks - may not be a fit for you. Not to be a wise guy but how is it people can't plan 12-13 months ahead but they can plan 3,6 or 8 months ahead? If you pick a date that seems to work and plan around it we've never had any problems.  Even hotela in high demand times can be tough to obtain if you don't really plan.



Agreed, but I OWN a week (actually several) at a place and can't get back in with a few months notice? That can't be right. What is the point of owning when I can get a week ANYTIME I want by purchasing a package deal (that includes the required sales pitch) for LESS than we payed for the maintenance fees alone this year... We NEVER had this issue with Sunterra. We aren't trying to trade to somewhere...we OWN there.

Can we get out of 'The Club' and get our old method of calling the resort to book our trips?

Chuck and Judy


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## timeos2 (Dec 25, 2008)

*Take your benefits when they are there*



wcf3 said:


> Agreed, but I OWN a week (actually several) at a place and can't get back in with a few months notice? That can't be right. What is the point of owning when I can get a week ANYTIME I want by purchasing a package deal (that includes the required sales pitch) for LESS than we payed for the maintenance fees alone this year... We NEVER had this issue with Sunterra. We aren't trying to trade to somewhere...we OWN there.
> 
> Can we get out of 'The Club' and get our old method of calling the resort to book our trips?
> 
> Chuck and Judy



That's my point. If you own the week you want reserve it 12 months out and plan to use it. If you owned a fixed week you would be locked into that week every year so what is the difference? The key is the resort places all units into the pool at 10 months so once you let that date go by you are competing with all other Club members and exchange guests for a use time you had nearly exclusive rights to claim a month or two earlier.  

If I were you I'd reserve the time and if for some reason you can't use it deposit it or rnt it. But why let it go so long that you are forced to compromise for something you don't want?  Be proactive.


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## wcf3 (Dec 25, 2008)

timeos2 said:


> That's my point. If you own the week you want reserve it 12 months out and plan to use it. If you owned a fixed week you would be locked into that week every year so what is the difference? The key is the resort places all units into the pool at 10 months so once you let that date go by you are competing with all other Club members and exchange guests for a use time you had nearly exclusive rights to claim a month or two earlier.
> 
> If I were you I'd reserve the time and if for some reason you can't use it deposit it or rnt it. But why let it go so long that you are forced to compromise for something you don't want?  Be proactive.



I hear what you are saying, but that isn't what we were sold. If it was we wouldn't have bought into it. We were told that resort owners had preference... period. Our intent was never to trade to other resorts, we were told that joining the 'club of the week' we would retain all our benefits plus have the option to trade... not so much as it turns out.

Our big problem is that as owners we can't get in, but as anyone else (including our own attempts), we can book into the SAME resort we own at for the SAME week we want for LESS than our maintenance fee for that one week we OWN. Oh, and that INCLUDES airfare!!! What's the point of all this! We feel completely taken advantage of. We just wanted to be able to return to Poipu every year for vacation.

We find it hard to believe that others aren't in the same boat we are. We were sold a set of rules and they keep changing to our detriment every time we turn around.

Chuck and Judy


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## timeos2 (Dec 25, 2008)

wcf3 said:


> I hear what you are saying, but that isn't what we were sold. If it was we wouldn't have bought into it. We were told that resort owners had preference... period. Our intent was never to trade to other resorts, we were told that joining the 'club of the week' we would retain all our benefits plus have the option to trade... not so much as it turns out.
> 
> Our big problem is that as owners we can't get in, but as anyone else (including our own attempts), we can book into the SAME resort we own at for the SAME week we want for LESS than our maintenance fee for that one week we OWN. Oh, and that INCLUDES airfare!!! What's the point of all this! We feel completely taken advantage of. We just wanted to be able to return to Poipu every year for vacation.
> 
> ...



The rules of 10-12 month exclusive and <10 months open to all have never changed and are consistent across most points based systems.  No one ever guarantees that as an owner you can wait to <4 months and be guaranteed a reservation - unless you own a fixed week. It's not possible to do that in any type of points/float system.  It sounds more like you didn't completely understand what you were buying and how points systems work.  Hopefully you can find a better way to handle it and get your value out.


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## wcf3 (Dec 26, 2008)

timeos2 said:


> The rules of 10-12 month exclusive and <10 months open to all have never changed and are consistent across most points based systems.  No one ever guarantees that as an owner you can wait to <4 months and be guaranteed a reservation - unless you own a fixed week. It's not possible to do that in any type of points/float system.  It sounds more like you didn't completely understand what you were buying and how points systems work.  Hopefully you can find a better way to handle it and get your value out.



Ok; I understood what I was buying into and never had a problem with Sunterra at the wheel. RCI didn't work for us and DRI is just as bad for us (and probably worse). Our schedules are flexible enough that 4-6 months out we can plan a trip. We are also lucky enough to be able to adjust our travel to when there is availability at our resort. We used to call the resort directly and work with them to find an opening then work our travel around it.

I find it ridiculous that I can't find an open room for myself, at my own resort, and yet have no trouble booking the same accommodations as a package deal elsewhere. My point is that there are open rooms but we can't get them. There are open rooms but DRI won't allow us to use them...

Chuck and Judy


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## AwayWeGo (Dec 26, 2008)

*Depends On What The Meaning Of "Open" Is.*




wcf3 said:


> There are open rooms but DRI won't allow us to use them.


There are some owners at my Orlando FL floating-weeks timeshare(s) who have a similar gripe.  They are unable to reserve early in the year.  Later, when they are able, nothing much is left for them to reserve.  In 2008 1 owner got shut out completely, even though (a) the owner paid all the fees on time & (b) weeks at the resort were shown as "available" for rental at the management company's website & there also was exchange availability via RCI & possibly I-I too (dual affiliation at those timeshares). 

The trouble is, there are separate pools of available units that do not interchange & that are completely walled off from each other. 

All that RCI & I-I have available are what owners have deposited -- i.e., weeks those owners have reserved, then banked for exchange instead of going there & checking in themselves.  Those are unavailable to owners wanting to make floating-week reservations, even though they are totally available to reserve via RCI & I-I exchange. 

Likewise, the management company has a pool of weeks available to rent out for various reasons, mainly because the owners did not pay their fees.  When owners are locked out for non-payment, the HOA-BOD gets the management company to rent'm out for cash, as a way of recouping some of the shortage caused by the non-payment.  Sure, those weeks are "available" out there on the rental market, but they are not available to paid-up owners wanting to make floating-week reservations. 

What's the harm in letting paid-up owner reserve 1 of those?  Well, when the right to use a unit belongs to the HOA-BOD because of an owner's non-payment of fees, that week actually belongs to _all_ the paid-up owners & it would be unfair to let it go to just 1 owner instead of renting it out to offset unpaid fees that otherwise all the owners would have to make up via higher timeshare bills. 

Basically, when a timeshare week is "open" via 1 particular use category, that in no way means it's available via other use categories. 

I never realized that the adaptability & flexibility touted by the people selling those pricey "club" timeshare systems could actually make it harder to reserve an owner's own paid-for time.  Makes me glad I bought outright, rather than via some tricky "club" system that may or not give me added flexibility.  Sounds like that particular "club" is just as apt to shut me out as to open up opportunities.  Sheesh. 

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


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## timeos2 (Dec 26, 2008)

*Float & Points only get to pick from float & points based use times*



wcf3 said:


> I find it ridiculous that I can't find an open room for myself, at my own resort, and yet have no trouble booking the same accommodations as a package deal elsewhere. My point is that there are open rooms but we can't get them. There are open rooms but DRI won't allow us to use them...
> 
> Chuck and Judy



I don't mean to belabor the issue but it is important for float/points owners to understand how inventory gts assigned.  In the case of DRI many resorts were sold as a mix of weeks either fixed or float, points, trust or deeded.  Each one of those groups controls X number of units by percentage each use period.  Plus there is the delinquent time which must be rented out for the maximum available amount to offset those unpaid fees to help keep overall feees as low as possible. 

So let's say 40% of the ownership at your resort stayed as weeks owners. They get 40% of the available units each use period. Then another 30% were weeks owners but with float use. They get another 30% for their use. Then the Club (points) owners have 20% while the delinquent time represents the last 10%. Obviously I'm using nice round numbers and they aren't intended to represent your actual resort as I have no idea what the percentages are there. The idea is the same regardless of the actual numbers. 

So when you go to reserve you are only eligible to take a use of the 20% in the points pool. It wouldn't matter if the other 80% had ZERO reservations (not likely) - you only get to reserve from the inventory in the pool you belong to.  If there are 100 units at the resort you have a potential maximum of 20 available to you. You can guess that the best times will be snatched quickly while human nature says take a use period later in the year. So if you request 12 months out most of those 20 are likely to be there for your choice. But at 10 months or less not only have your fellow points owners picked those dates over but now all members of THE Club can also chew up those date. Doesn't take long and there is nothing left. Again you have no rights to reserve any other pools time. Add in that there is an absolute 12 month use period, strictly enforced, and you can see that the last part of the use year is likely to be unavailable at the 6-8 month mark. Why? Because everyone can reserve that time starting at the 12 month mark, it has a lot of Holidays in it and people tend to take times later in the year to allow themselves time to plan and save for the trip.  On the other hand use in the first part of the year tends to be very light - use periods may even go unclaimed as people don't have time to make plans that close to the use period. When those weeks go unused eventually some owner finds no time to reserve as those use periods are lost forever. 

In addition there are deposits made to II/RCI as well as those other pools of time for other types of owners. Any or all of those MAY have available time to assign - especially the Association Delinquent times - so you may see your resort available from a rental source or exchange but that doesn't mean you can reserve it as a points owner. 

It is all quite complicated but there are perfectly legitimate reasons that time you want may be available from one source you would have to pay for but not using your points.  It may be frustrating to see but it is the way the system works. You have to use it as designed or risk not getting your desired reservations. Agian it really comes back to understanding your type of use and owning the proper system to best meet that use.  If you cannot plan more than 6 months out AND want a specific resort/time rather than whatever is available then points was not a good choice for you.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 26, 2008)

wcf3 said:


> Ok; I understood what I was buying into and never had a problem with Sunterra at the wheel. RCI didn't work for us and DRI is just as bad for us (and probably worse). Our schedules are flexible enough that 4-6 months out we can plan a trip. We are also lucky enough to be able to adjust our travel to when there is availability at our resort. We used to call the resort directly and work with them to find an opening then work our travel around it.
> 
> I find it ridiculous that I can't find an open room for myself, at my own resort, and yet have no trouble booking the same accommodations as a package deal elsewhere. My point is that there are open rooms but we can't get them. There are open rooms but DRI won't allow us to use them...
> 
> Chuck and Judy



Where are you finding the room availability?

Some owners will reserve to rent and that's on possibilty.

On the dark side, since THE Club and the DRI Trusts are points based and, since DRI needs to rent units to cover services other than timeshare stays and, since Hawaii has some of the higher rental rates available, it's possible that DRI is using the high rent resorts to cover points deposits for services. 

Still, a 4 to 6 month window is short notice in the timeshare world. I talk with several people each year about whether timeshare is right for them. My first question is always, how far in advance can you plan. With the time range you give and how you want to use your timeshare, I'd be advising against ownership. 4 to 6 months is just to short on lead time for specific resorts. It doesn't matter if it's DRI, Marriott, Bluegreen, Hilton et......You almost always need a lead time of 8 to 12 months to see good availability. Not specific weeks necessarily but just a decent amount of weeks to choose from.


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## wcf3 (Dec 26, 2008)

Never mind...

You folks are obviously the winners and we are the losers... since DRI that is. With Sunterra (as well as RCI) we had a direct contact at our home resort for us to book with, now we are in the same pool as everyone WHICH IS NOT WHAT WE BOUGHT INTO. I don't care what you think we were told, we had priority at our home resort (and we used it). We specifically bought into a top tier resort, and the place we wanted to return to, for that reason.

After RCI we thought the 'clubs' were useless but Sunterra turned all that around and we were able to visit our resort (within reason of course) as well as trade to another once. Now, through no change in our side of the agreement, DRI has undone it all and we no longer can get into our own resort but can go anytime we want to Florida or Vegas. Let me know if any of you want a great deal on these weeks we can't use in Hawaii, but I guess you don't need to buy the cows when you are getting our milk for free...

P.S. The weeks we can find for package deals are from several sources, none of which are people renting out their units.


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## teepeeca (Dec 26, 2008)

*wcf3*

wcf3 ---You are getting EXACTLY what you bought into.  You might NOT have realized what you were buying, and "thought" you were getting something else (listened and "believed" what the salesman told you), but, in the final analysis, YOU bought into what you got.

Now, short of selling (or trying to sell what you purchased), please "learn" HOW to use the timeshare/points (or whatever you have) to your best advantage.  Please try to "open your mind" as to what the replys have been, and take other's knowledge to try to help you.

Tony


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## wcf3 (Dec 26, 2008)

teepeeca said:


> wcf3 ---You are getting EXACTLY what you bought into.  You might NOT have realized what you were buying, and "thought" you were getting something else (listened and "believed" what the salesman told you), but, in the final analysis, YOU bought into what you got.
> 
> Now, short of selling (or trying to sell what you purchased), please "learn" HOW to use the timeshare/points (or whatever you have) to your best advantage.  Please try to "open your mind" as to what the replys have been, and take other's knowledge to try to help you.
> 
> Tony



No; you are WRONG. I know exactly what I bought into and how everything worked until DRI changed the rules on me. Don't be so condescending to me I'm not an idiot. I understood everything said in this thread except none of it was germane to my point. I have lost rights that I used to have regardless of what you think.

I didn't start this thread to have people tell me I don't get it. I do get it and completely understand recouping costs for lost fees. The problem I have is that I can't get back to my own resort which I have been able too for many years prior (although we couldn't go last year so didn't even try). Nothing changed on my end... Now I'd much rather hear from and owners at Poipu than those that don't because you obviously don't know the rules we used to play be. I have the documents we signed at purchase that spell all this out (all pre-DRI) and I'm not debating the program and how it runs then or now, but was interested if any other owners at Poipu have felt the same.

I was 'confused' and frustrated when I started this thread, but you folks have me fairly steamed now. Nice forum...


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## timeos2 (Dec 26, 2008)

*It's not DRI*



wcf3 said:


> Never mind...
> 
> You folks are obviously the winners and we are the losers... since DRI that is. With Sunterra (as well as RCI) we had a direct contact at our home resort for us to book with, now we are in the same pool as everyone WHICH IS NOT WHAT WE BOUGHT INTO. I don't care what you think we were told, we had priority at our home resort (and we used it). We specifically bought into a top tier resort, and the place we wanted to return to, for that reason.



Last post (I hope) but you DO have home resort priority exactly as you agreed to. DRI has not changed that. How Sunterra handled inventory was, to put it nicely, slipshod and led to many delinquency problems at many resorts. It seems DRI is better at running things to the book and overall that part is a good thing.  They are certainly operating within the rules you signed up under. Sorry if you feel it isn't working for you and best wishes for a Happy New year to you.


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## Dollie (Dec 27, 2008)

DRI is a company brought in to help manage the resort and help owners trade to other resorts.  The HOA has the right to bring in such a company (as defined in the deed/documentation/bylaws defining the timeshare).  However, DRI has enough suites under their control (and therefore votes) that they can place enough members on the board to control it.  (Previously, Sunterra was in this position and hired Embassy Suites to help in the management of the timeshare.)

There are basically three groups of owners controlling suites:  DRI trust; DRI THE Club; non-DRI owners.  You should take a look at this thread http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86135 for a discussion of how the suites are divided/pooled among these groups.  Suites are further divided by view (ocean front; ocean view; partial ocean view; garden view; generally 52 suites per view) and even further by check-in day (majority of the suites are available for Saturday check-in, followed by Sunday check-in, the number of available suites drops drastically for other check-in days).  

When you go through THE Club to make a reservation, what is available to you is a suite from THE Club pool for the view and check-in date you request.  This can be a very small number of suites.   You can be told nothing is available that meets your criteria and still there may be suites available from the other pools, views, and check-in days.



wcf3 said:


> Can we get out of 'The Club' and get our old method of calling the resort to book our trips?



If you do not want to deal with THE Club, you can drop your DRI membership and deal directly with the resort.  (Be aware that if you latter decide to go back into THE Club, there is a hefty membership fee involved.)  You should call the resort and talk to them about making reservations directly with them.  Ask them if your chances of getting a reservation would be any better.

Since the timeshare is almost sold out, you are competing with more owners for weeks, more owners than when you bought your timeshare.  If they do early planning, no matter which method you use to make reservations, you are still going to have a hard time getting what you want unless you plan early also.

Good luck with whatever way you decide to go.  We think The Point at Po`ipu is a beautiful place, the type we like (we love the cliffs) and are looking forward to our trip in March.


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## silverpen38 (Dec 30, 2008)

*DRI Isn't Working for me either.*

I have to agree with WCFC.  Eight years ago, I brought an EOY 1BR at Sedona Summit for use only.  No trades.  No club.  No points.  I had no problems reserving my week at 4 to 6 months out.  I'd call the resort directly, request what I needed and that would be that. But last year, my first reservation since the conversion to DRI, at eight months, I was told no weeks were available.  This was not for a holiday or school break week.  Just a regular fall week with nothing special going on.  However, I could have "rented" the week with no problems.  After junping up and down and not taking "I'm sorry" for an answer, I finally got what I needed.  But my week is not in the club so what's the deal with that?


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## dougp26364 (Dec 30, 2008)

I'm not calling you an idiot. I am saying that, despite past performance, with timeshare future returns under similar circumstances are rarely guarenteed. There's always something in the fine print and you're finding that out the hard way.

My first experience with timeshare (a DRI managed resort BTW) is similar to yours. We bought a fixed week unit (week 36) from Polo Towers in Vegas. At the time we were told by the salesman that, while we owned a fixed week, we could easily float it to ANY week during the year that fit our needs. We really wanted an October week but there were none available in inventory. 

For the first few years, that's EXACTLY how it worked. We have never stayed at this resort on week 36 and have never set foot in the exact unit we purchased. Then as the resort reached sell out, that "rule" changed. They would no longer allow us to float our fixed week unless we were within 60 days of our desired travel date, we had given up our original deeded week to stay there AND there was availability that had already been given up by another owner but not deposited with an exchange company. Essentially, that "float" week the salesman had sold us was not a float week and would not be allowed to float anymore. 

Man were we ticked off and we did complain loudly. We'd been lied to and, for the first time, realized the truth in the statement, "If the salesman's lips are moving, he's lying." IMHO I was sold a bill of goods and DRI had changed the rules. That is until I got out my original sales documents and began reading through them at length (tough to do without falling asleep). Right there in black and white were the rules I had in fact agreed to which, BTW, were the rules now being enforced by DRI. Needless to say we haven't been back to The Suites at Polo Towers. Week 36, which is the first week of September, just doesn't work out with our travel plans. 

While the rules had in fact changed, it was how things were originally handled that had been changed from what we had agreed to in writting and not what we had agreed to with the salesman. In short we were stuck and I had no one to blame but myself.

I have no doubt things have been that way you described and now they're not. I have have no doubt this has ruined your vacation experience with this particular resort. I also have no doubt that, like us, the resort or previous management company was bending the rules, which allowed things to be the way they were, and that's not happening anymore. I'd be ticked off as well and was when it happened to us. However, we're NOT calling you an idiot. It's just hat we've been through this ourselves. We're just telling you that you need to read the paperwork carefully and, when you do, you're likely to find what you thought you agreed to and what you actually agreed to in writing are going to be two different things. 

I find it interesting that you can find availability in Vegas. Since joining THE Club, I can never find the availability at my home resorts, The Suite's and the Villa's at Polo Towers, unless I don't give up my deeded week. As an owner in Vegas I've found I can't get into Vegas using THE Club. I can, however, get into Vegas by exchange or by calling the resort directly and booking using our original deeded weeks. Apparently there isn't that much inventory in THE Club and few owners converted their weeks to THE Club points. Therefore, as mentioned in a post above, THE Club inventory for my own resort is rather small and the pickings are rather slim. 

It doesn't matter. After 10 years of timesharing I've learned how to manipulate systems to fit our needs. We joined THE Club because we never used our Suite's at Polo Towers unit anymore (no longer "floats") and we had purchased additional units that were nicer than our Villa's at Polo Towers unit. These units had become exchangers for us and THE Club points could be stretched to improve value over trading weeks through I.I. was working.

Now don't get my wrong, my opinion of DRI is about as low as it can get for a timeshare company and I'm not defending them. I have no doubt that DRI will use whatever rules they have to their benefit. I do not doubt that, since THE Club is a bank of points used to reserve weeks and that DRI controls a good number of those points, that DRI might be renting out the more desirable resorts and weeks that garner higher rental fee's and giving owners what's left over. Owners at particular resorts still have the owners home resort advantage and will have first choice but, you'll have to book 10 to 12 months in advance. At 9 months ANY owner in THE Club can book weeks pooled into THE Club and, that includes DRI itself. So, DRI could allow THE Club owners exclusive booking rights for those two months and then snatch up all the remaining weeks using points under their control and then turn around and rent those weeks out. 

If I understand how THE Club works, that's prefectly within the rules if they own enough points to accomplish that goal. Any owner could do the same thing but, DRI of course has the advantage of being the one who manages the resort and controls the phone lines. IOW, they'll always be first in line at that open reservation mark to get the weeks they want. Granted this is just a theory on my part but, it seems to me that it's a plausable theory of why you're not finding weeks available when you had found weeks before. 

However, if this is in fact what's happening, it's not because the rules had changed, it's because the rules are being enforced and DRI is using what rules it has available to it's advantage. If this is what's happening it really sucks for owners who can't reserve during the home resort advantage window and sucks for owners who would like to do an internal exchange into popular resorts such as those in Hawaii but, it wouldn't be against the rules. If this is what's happening, I wouldn't say it's fare but, I could not argue that DRI doesn't have the right to do it. 

Keep in mind that this is just a theory of mine. I have no proof nor am I making the accustation that this is in fact what is happening at your resort. I'm mearly pointing out that the rules might allow such a situation to exist and that if that situation did exist, it migh explain why you suddenly can't find the availablity you once found.


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## Sunterra (Dec 31, 2008)

Dollie said:


> DRI is a company brought in to help manage the resort and help owners trade to other resorts.  The HOA has the right to bring in such a company (as defined in the deed/documentation/bylaws defining the timeshare).  However, DRI has enough suites under their control (and therefore votes) that they can place enough members on the board to control it.  (Previously, Sunterra was in this position and hired Embassy Suites to help in the management of the timeshare.)


 I don't think so.  DRI bought Sunterra, that's how they are there but they are in control for the reasons you mentioned.  Sunterra DID NOT hire Embassy, several of their resorts like Kaanapali, Grand Beach, Tahoe were branded as EVR in a franchise agreement that was ended.


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## Sunterra (Dec 31, 2008)

Dollie said:


> There are basically three groups of owners controlling suites:  DRI trust; DRI THE Club; non-DRI owners.


I don't think so.  There are

Hawaii Trust Owners in THE Club
Hawaii Trust Owners not in THE Club
Deeded Owners in THE Club
Deeded Owners not in the Club

no such thing as a non-DRI owner, the resort is DRI, all owners are DRI whether  in THE Club or not.

Hawaii Trust Owners in THE Club can reserve units allocated to Hawaii Trust 13 months ahead

Hawaii Trust Owners NOT in THE Club can reserve units allocated to Hawaii Trust 13 months ahead

Deeded Owners in THE Club can reserve those units allocated to Deeded owners 12 months ahead.  This DOES NOT mean that Trust Owners get everything, Deeded allocation of those Deeded Owners in THE Club is not available to Trust Owners until the 10 month mark.

Deeded Owners NOT in THE Club have their original rights for the Deeded Owner allocation for what  is left not in THE Club.

Each owner group is supposed to get an allocation of each FLOAT week commensurate with the percentage of each group.


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## AwayWeGo (Dec 31, 2008)

*Whoa!  That's Scary !*




Sunterra said:


> no such thing as a non-DRI owner, the resort is DRI, all owners are DRI whether  in THE Club or not.


Is that how it is wherever DRI plants its flag?  Or only at the specific Hawaii timeshare where reservation troubles are the issue that got this discussion topic started ? 

Since 2002 I've owned (resale) stand-alone non-club timeshares at Florida resorts where SunTerra formerly was _Developer Of Record_ & where Diamond currently holds that distinction, after buying out SunTerra. 

In all that time, I've always considered myself initially a non-SunTerra owner & now a non-DRI owner. 

Did I get that wrong ? 

Am I missing something ?  

Or is this just a Hawaii deal ? 

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


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## dougp26364 (Dec 31, 2008)

Sunterra said:


> I don't think so.  There are
> 
> Hawaii Trust Owners in THE Club
> Hawaii Trust Owners not in THE Club
> ...



With that many different groups and each group having it's own allocation of units, it's a wonder anyone can ever get the week they want unless they book as far in advance as possible. It makes me really glad that I presently use my DRI properties to exchange outside of DRI. Things seem to be easier that way.


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## timeos2 (Jan 1, 2009)

*It is complicated, but clear as mud*



AwayWeGo said:


> Is that how it is wherever DRI plants its flag?  Or only at the specific Hawaii timeshare where reservation troubles are the issue that got this discussion topic started ?
> 
> Since 2002 I've owned (resale) stand-alone non-club timeshares at Florida resorts where SunTerra formerly was _Developer Of Record_ & where Diamond currently holds that distinction, after buying out SunTerra.
> 
> ...



Developers, subsequent or original, hate to let go of any resort although that was the original design. Now days they tend to market unending relationships through points or trust based sales that leaves them tied in forever. But older resorts, especially deeded week resorts, were always meant to be owned and controlled by the individual owners. As time went on the approach changed thus we find newer resorts totally entwined with developers forevermore, older, sold out resorts (usually smaller sizes) 100% in owners hands and a group that has ended up with both owner and developers having a hand in the pie. 

So using one of those original deeded resorts as an example the Developer can never, by both state law and the condo docs, regain control once it is transferred to the owners.  Each and every owner, including any time the Developer never sold or regained control over, has a single vote and cannot "take over". Add in both laws and rules that prevent the developer from ever voting themselves back into control. Doesn't even matter what percentage they may own unless it's 100% (unlikely to ever happen) they are at the mercy of the individual owners control. So as a great example that developer cannot take an existing resort and re-brand it as "(Developer desired name) Resort" as happened at Vistana and has been tried at other, what should be owner controlled and operated resorts. The owners can agree to such a change but are under no obligation to accept such a change.  So would you be a DRI "owner" if you hold rights at a resort where they have a presence (Club, Trust)? No. Unless you are in the DRI Trust or Club you have no more relationship to them than you would to every other individual owner at that resort. The resort is not a "DRI Resort" or "Resort by DRI" but "Resort" with weeks owned/controlled by DRI. They can call it anything they want for their purposes, you (and the Association) do not have to acknowledge DRI in any way except as yet another owner. 

Things get even more confusing when the Developer also manages the resort. In that case control, while technically in owners hands, rests in fact with a large owner/management. They can in fact call the shots within the documents.  Not a good situation in my personal experience. Then there is the case (like the recent thread on Bluetree) where the documents were (IMO) poorly written and left too much of the resort in control of the developer. In that case it allowed the sale of the original sales and some common areas to a wily new developer (Wastegate) who was able to re-brand the resort over the individual owners protests. They literally own the areas where the signs and check-in were and just took them over. The Association was forced to build their own and all owners got hurt (IMO).  

So reading those 400+ pages of dry, boring resort documents can expose plenty as Doug says.  In the early stages the verbal and non-binding promises made can easily be met by the (usually) Developer operated management as the time is unsold and available to assign and they want happy owners to help new sales. But as things fill up (sell out) even Developer management start enforcing the rules as they have to "use up" the lesser demand times and maximize the value of the best times. The rules haven't changed but the implementation and enforcement sure do.


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## Sunterra (Jan 1, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> In all that time, I've always considered myself initially a non-SunTerra owner & now a non-DRI owner.
> 
> Did I get that wrong ?
> 
> ...




Yes, you have that wrong.  You appear/claim toi own at both CPs, at CP1 you are a VRI owner and at CP2 you are a DRI owner, you can consider yourself anything you want, but that's who manages the resort(s) and that's who you are therefore an owner with.  You can put down Club Sunterra and THE Club all you want, it has it's pros and cons, because you aren't a member you only see cons.  The allocation of units to the differen owners at CP works the same at CP2 and close to the same for the DRI controlled units at CP1:

DRUSC Trust Owners in THE Club
DRUSC Trust Owners not in THE Club
Deeded Owners in THE Club
Deeded Owners not in the Club

no such thing as a non-DRI owner at CP2, the resort is DRI, all owners are DRI whether in THE Club or not.

DRUSC Trust Owners in THE Club can reserve units allocated to DRUSC Trust 13 months ahead

DRUSC Trust Owners NOT in THE Club can reserve units allocated to Hawaii Trust 13 months ahead

Deeded Owners in THE Club can reserve those units allocated to Deeded owners 12 months ahead. This DOES NOT mean that Trust Owners get everything, Deeded allocation of those Deeded Owners in THE Club is not available to Trust Owners until the 10 month mark.

Deeded Owners NOT in THE Club have their original rights for the Deeded Owner allocation for what is left not in THE Club.

Each owner group is supposed to get an allocation of each FLOAT week commensurate with the percentage of each group.​


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## AwayWeGo (Jan 1, 2009)

*The Positives I See Aren't Positive Enough To Pay Big Bux To Get.*




Sunterra said:


> Yes, you have that wrong.  You appear/claim toi own at both CPs, at CP1 you are a VRI owner and at CP2 you are a DRI owner, you can consider yourself anything you want, but that's who manages the resort(s) and that's who you are therefore an owner with.  You can put down Club Sunterra and THE Club all you want, it has it's pros and cons, because you aren't a member you only see cons.


It's not so much that I don't see anything positive.  It's more the case that I don't see anything positive enough to be worth paying big bux to get, & _that's_ why I'm not a member. 

I could be in a tiny minority on that point.  That is, I'm sure there are plenty of savvy timeshare people out there -- savvier than I am -- who paid the money to join & are fully satisfied that they have received value for their money.  More power to them.  Some people like coffee & others go for tea.  Shux, some people prefer drinking plain water.  None of those preferences involve putting down other people's choices, although the other people can feel free to dump on mine if they want.  

Both CP1 & CP2, BTW, are managed by VRI under contracts with the 2 separate independent, owner-controlled HOA-BODs.  Last year I was a Phase 2 HOA-BOD candidate myself -- got soundly thrashed in the voting & proxy counting.  (Probably just as well, eh?) 

There used to be prominent & substantial SunTerra signs at the Cypress Pointe entrances.  I don't remember noticing whether those had been replaced by Diamond signs.  

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


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## timeos2 (Jan 1, 2009)

*You are what you brand*



AwayWeGo said:


> There used to be prominent & substantial SunTerra signs at the Cypress Pointe entrances.  I don't remember noticing whether those had been replaced by Diamond signs.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



I think all the Sunterra signs are now gone (if not they are supposed to be - both the Associations and Diamond asked that they be removed). They have been replaced with Cypress Pointe branded (or unbranded) versions - no Diamond Resorts branding - again at their request (had they wanted it the respective Boards would have considered it and could have decided to accept or reject the plan). 

The only branding you will now find is in the sales area and any sales items in the units.  Not that long ago (2001-2006) it was a major push at CPR to re-brand the resort with the CPR name/logo and do away with any Developer based logos/slogans/branding. It was carried onto logo'd toiletries, ice buckets, directional signs, etc. Recently that has been cut back as it's felt the resort has it's identity as an independent reestablished and there is a savings in using more generic, but still high quality items such as toiletries supplied with the unit setup.  No one would refer to Cypress Pointe as DRI Cypress Pointe.


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## AwayWeGo (Jan 1, 2009)

*Timeshare Soap.*




timeos2 said:


> Not that long ago (2001-2006) it was a major push at CPR to re-brand the resort with the CPR name/logo and do away with any Developer based logos/slogans/branding. It was carried onto logo'd toiletries, ice buckets, directional signs, etc. Recently that has been cut back as it's felt the resort has it's identity as an independent reestablished and there is a savings in using more generic, but still high quality items such as toiletries supplied with the unit setup.


I would not object to premium DRI-branded timeshare soap & shampoo & conditioner & lotion, etc., so long as the timeshare company was willing to supply those items at no more than whatever the HOA-BOD is paying for comparable premium non-branded items. 

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


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## Sunterra (Jan 2, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> Both CP1 & CP2, BTW, are managed by VRI under contracts with the 2 separate independent, owner-controlled HOA-BODs.  Last year I was a Phase 2 HOA-BOD candidate myself -- got soundly thrashed in the voting & proxy counting.  (Probably just as well, eh?)
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


Yes.



AwayWeGo said:


> I would not object to premium DRI-banded timeshare soap & shampoo & conditioner & lotion, etc., so long as the timeshare company was willing to supply those items at no more than whatever the HOA-BOD is paying for comparable premium non-branded items.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


Shux, see above.


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