# New Smyrna Beach management now Exploria



## jeffcarp (Sep 24, 2014)

I just received our budget letter from our current board from Ocean Sands Beach Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This property is one of a small handful of properties that were managed by a small management company that to my knowledge was isolated to New Smyrna Beach properties.

The letter indicated that there was some good news that the management of our property was being transferred to the Summer Bay folks in Orlando, Exploria.  The good news was from the perspective that as part of the management transfer, they were buying many of the Association owned weeks and therefore it would have a positive impact on the bad debt line item in the budget. That does seem like good news.

My question is what is people's experience with Exploria from the perspective of being good stewards of the maintenance fees? Have maintenance fees at properties they manage tended to be relatively stable or with reasonable increases or are we in for a ride in terms of the maintenance fee increases?


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 25, 2014)

jeffcarp said:


> The good news was from the perspective that as part of the management transfer, they were buying many of the Association owned weeks and therefore it would have a positive impact on the bad debt line item in the budget. That does seem like good news.



They would only do this if it was in their best financial interest. In other words, they are going to buy them from the HOA for very little and then turn them around and sell them for a huge profit. If the HOA was sitting idle and not selling or renting them out, then I suppose it is good news. There likely were better options but unfortunately this is how it is with most timeshares.

I prefer independent resorts where the HOA has complete control over management, or a hired property management company (non-timeshare). The big timeshare management companies are always in it for their own bottom line and usually not in the best interest of the HOA.


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## Talent312 (Sep 25, 2014)

I would be wary of the Summer Bay (Exploria) peep.  You may well find that:
-- They flex their voting rights as new owners to take over the HOA Board.
-- They have the HOA Board adopt a self-renewing perpetual management contract.
-- Put the squeeze on existing owners to re-purchase their units to "join" Exploria.

IOW, they'll take over and act like they own the place.  

A few years ago, the HOA Board at Gatilinburg Town Square tried to terminate Summer Bay's self-renewing contract, only to find themselves sued by Summer Bay. Ultimately, the case was settled in Summer Bay's favor and the Board members who led the revolt quietly "retired."

Fresh from battle, Summer Bay sales-creeps, tired of selling owners on converting their weeks to points, are now busy reselling GTS to current owners on the pretext that Exploria is worth the enriching Summer Bay even more.

I don't anything against Summer Bay per se.  They seem competent at what they do. But I would caution anyone getting in bed with these folks to look behind the curtains.
.


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## Maple_Leaf (Sep 25, 2014)

*Uh oh!*



jeffcarp said:


> The good news was from the perspective that as part of the management transfer, they were buying many of the Association owned weeks and therefore it would have a positive impact on the bad debt line item in the budget. That does seem like good news.



So Summer Bay, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, is BUYING these association weeks?  Not marketing them, but buying them?  It sounds like good news for Summer Bay, so they can vote those weeks at the annual meeting and get their people on the board.  As Talent312 indicated, once they control the board they will enrich themselves at your expense.


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## csxjohn (Sep 26, 2014)

jeffcarp said:


> ...My question is what is people's experience with Exploria from the perspective of being good stewards of the maintenance fees? Have maintenance fees at properties they manage tended to be relatively stable or with reasonable increases or are we in for a ride in terms of the maintenance fee increases?



Can anyone answer the OPs question?  I'm interested in this same question as I have recently bought a unit at Summer Bay and would like an idea of how things may go.


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## Maple_Leaf (Apr 2, 2015)

*Any owner update?*

Any update from owners in New Smyrna Beach at Ocean Sands Beach Club, Ocean Beach Club, Sea Villas or SuniSands since they were taken over by Exploria Resorts?  What is the new management planning to do with these properties going forward?

I do see they apparently have taken some deeded weeks inventory and put it through their sausage-making machine and out came EXPOs.



> Paul Caldwell, President & CEO of Exploria Resorts added, “Timeshare has certainly evolved over the years from the Right to Use and Deeded Fixed Weeks era in the mid-60’s and 70’s, to the Deeded Floating Weeks product in the 90’s, to the introduction of Points and the Branded Clubs in the early 2000’s.” “With the introduction of Club Exploria and EXPOs, Exploria Resorts is revolutionizing the way consumers will vacation.


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## donnaval (Apr 9, 2015)

We have stayed at Sunisands a number of times in January.  It's definitely off-season, and usually only four or five of the seven units are occupied.  This year, our first year with Exploria managing - we were the ONLY GUESTS in the entire building! (except for an on-site caretaker who occupies a small first-floor space with no view) It was quite eerie, but an interesting experience since we were able to pretend to be rich folks with our own private oceanfront mansion lol.

We didn't see anything changed at Sunisands.  They have reconfigured the office down the road where you check in, and there was a sales person at a desk in there, which they never had before. She called us several times during our stay asking us to meet with her.  We had previously never been solicited at Sunisands. 

When we checked out, I expressed our surprise that the place was empty.  The gal just shrugged and said it was off-season.  I should also point out that there were NO available units at Sunisands on RCI for the week we were there - we had been watching because another couple was thinking of joining us, but since we didn't find anything, they didn't come.  We have no way of knowing if all the owners simply decided not to come that year and also not deposit their weeks, or whether Exploria has taken over all those weeks.  We did find it very odd.


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## Maple_Leaf (Apr 18, 2015)

*New Smyrna Waves*

At least one of the New Smyrna resorts, Ocean Sands Beach Club, has now been renamed New Smyrna Waves by Exploria.  No indication of whether New Smyrna Waves also includes the SuniSands, Ocean Beach Club or Sea Villas resorts.

However, Diamond claims to have some inventory at Ocean Beach Club, Ocean Sands Beach Club and Sea Villas as destinations for their "Club."  Interesting that DRI doesn't refer to Ocean Sands Beach Club as New Smyrna Waves.  The Board meetings at these resorts must be dramatic, with DRI and Exploria making their chess moves for control.


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