resort activity fees [RCI]

[dsanner106]

I am trying to get an idea of how many resorts charge activity fees on top of standard maintenance fees. My resort has a request from the community to add user fees for the pool and tennis courts they share, even though an agreement is in place for a bulk payment covering timeshare users. They indicate that lots of RCI resorts do this but I am only aware of a couple. Is there a way to search for resorts that do this or has anyone looked into it?

D

 

[VacationForever]

I am only familiar with Marriott systems, some of the activities which require a small fee are ice-cream socials, arts and crafts and children type activities. No fees for tennis and pool amenities.

 

[Luanne]

I believe some of the Hilton properties charge a resort fee. Can't speak to which specific resorts do this.

 

[PamMo]

I HATE resort fees! Quite a few resorts have added them. I guess they've learned from the airlines how to nickel and dime their guests. Hilton, Diamond, Vidanta, Grand Lodges in Breckenridge, are just to name a few. Four Seasons just sent me an email stating they will be adding a new $30/day resort fee to my reservation later this summer.

 

[Luanne]

I HATE resort fees! Quite a few resorts have added them. I guess they've learned from the airlines how to nickel and dime their guests. Hilton, Diamond, Vidanta, Grand Lodges in Breckenridge, are just to name a few. Four Seasons just sent me an email stating they will be adding a new $30/day resort fee to my reservation later this summer.

It would be nice if these fees were optional. Like, you could pay if you were going to use the amenities, but not if you weren't.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I believe some of the Hilton properties charge a resort fee. Can't speak to which specific resorts do this.

Hilton only charges a resort fee if you book via RCI. Resort fees include wifi and daily bottled water, but they are high for HGVC. Between $25 and $40 per day.

If you book via HGVC there is NO resort fee.

 

[Luanne]

Hilton only charges a resort fee if you book via RCI. Resort fees include wifi and daily bottled water, but they are high for HGVC. Between $25 and $40 per day.

If you book via HGVC there is NO resort fee.

I don't own HGVC. Any Hilton resort I would get would be through RCI. I'm so glad when we traded into their resorts on the Big Island it was prior to the fees.

 

[PamMo]

@dsanner106, is your resort wanting to charge OWNERS a resort fee, or "just" exchangers?

 

[moonstone]

It would be nice if these fees were optional. Like, you could pay if you were going to use the amenities, but not if you weren't.

I totally agree!! We usually choose our timeshare stay based on location only, not the amenities. We rarely use any amenities except for the Wi-Fi. Sometimes we don't even get into the pool. I would much rather not pay the resort fee and wear an armband that prohibits me from using any amenities. I don't mind paying a nominal fee for access to the internet but I hate being forced to pay for amenities that I don't use, and don't even care if they are on the property.
Let the users pay!


~Diane

 

[pedro47]

Massanutten Resorts charges resort fees to non owners.

 

[escanoe]

Massanutten Resorts charges resort fees to non owners.

Massanutten also charges owners. Albeit at a lower rate.

My evolving perspective on resort fees:

1) In a perfect world, they would not exist. It gives resort operators one more pain point to squeeze customers and it would be more fair if EVERYONE paid these costs in MFs. (I am talking typical mandatory resort fees here, not something like an optional indoor water park.)

2) In a world where they DO exist for many resorts, it is somewhat fair for your resort to subsidize operations by charging resort fees for people exchanging in. Most of the time I exchange out, I am paying resort fees to prop up someone else's resort.

3) If the Resort you own has a resort fee that is disproportionately higher than others in the same area (in an area with many options and especially in the off season), it will diminish the trading power of what you own.

Example: In RCI look how discounted the DRI resorts are in Williamsburg. I have heard reports that TPU values went down slightly for Massanutten once it adopted the resort fees.

Additional observation:

I started out as a consumer hating resort fees. They remain a net negative to me, but there are ways to game the system. For instance, most places will refund a prorated portion of the daily resort fee if you check out early. A high resort fee in Williamsburg VA can drive the exchange value really low. Last October, on Columbus Day Weekend I booked a nice 3 BR DRI timeshare in Williamsburg for 7,500 RCI Points. It was affordable for six family members to use it for a three-day weekend and get 4/7ths of the resort fee back when we checked out.

 

[dsanner106]

@dsanner106, is your resort wanting to charge OWNERS a resort fee, or "just" exchangers?

They already collect a fee from all owners in the annual maintenance payment. Want an additional usage fee for all timeshare people, owners and exchangers to use the pools, tennis courts etc.

 

[theo]

Mine could be a minority viewpoint on this subject, but it is my personal belief that owners at any given resort, who already pay for all amenities on site in their maintenance fees,, should never be subjected to any additional "resort activity fees", with the minor exception of stand alone, extracurricular social events which are occasionally conducted on site (e.g., a lunch, Margarita Day, etc.). Anyone (owners included) choosing to participate in such optional events with costs should indeed "pay to play"; that's only fair.

However, I am perfectly fine with mandatory "resort activity fees" being charged to any and all (non-owner) "exchangers" and / or "renters" at any given resort. The additional income, going directly into resort coffers, presumably helps to stabilize maintenance fees for the actual owners who are already paying to keep that place running and well maintained. I do not buy into the reasoning that "exchangers pay maintenance fees too, just somewhere else"; that is a lame non-sequitur, IMnsHO. Renters, of course, may or may not be paying any maintenance fees anywhere.

Just my personal view and opinion, with which others might disagree.

 

[JeffC]

As an exchanger I treat resort fees as just another cost in the exchange. If I have a choice between 2 resorts, I'll take the lowest total overall cost ($/TPU, exchange fee plus any other fees). For that reason, any resort that imposes extra fees will be worth less in TPU's to me. If all exchangers follow this philosophy demand for the resort fee TS's will be lower and the TPU cost will go down.
As an owner I'd be more concerned about where the revenue from the fees goes. Is it going to defray MF's or to management? If it lowers MF's then it may have some value to an owner. If it goes to management it's a ripoff. If I'm an owner who never exchanges a lower TPU value is irrelevant, except in how it affects resale values.

 

[Ski-Dad]

All the timeshare resorts have expenses. The sources of revenue to cover it are limited to MF and and other misc charges such as resort fees. It is a way to keep MF down, but i think it begins to water down the broader value proposition.

 

[silentg]

There are housekeeping fees at some resorts too. Is this because some do not leave a tip for housekeeping?
We use the pools and join activities at some exchanges so I don’t mind an activity fee, as long as it is not everyday.

 

[montygz]

You could eliminate resort fees by raising maintenance fees.

However, many timeshare owners don't want to pay another penny for maintenance fees. They may never visit their resort or just rent it out.

It would be nice if the resort fee was included in the exchange fee in a way that you could quickly compare the cost of a stay by resort.

The same goes for trying to book a hotel. I always add about 30% to whatever I see when searching for a hotel by price to account for all the taxes and fees.

 

[escanoe]

It would be nice if the resort fee was included in the exchange fee in a way that you could quickly compare the cost of a stay by resort.

It should be disclosed at the same place you pay your exchange fee (RCI). It would not make much sense for them to collect it. If it is a daily resort fee, I don’t want the exchange company taking it for 7 days if I do not stay at the resort for the duration of the booking.

 

[tschwa2]

You could eliminate resort fees by raising maintenance fees.

However, many timeshare owners don't want to pay another penny for maintenance fees. They may never visit their resort or just rent it out.

It would be nice if the resort fee was included in the exchange fee in a way that you could quickly compare the cost of a stay by resort.

The same goes for trying to book a hotel. I always add about 30% to whatever I see when searching for a hotel by price to account for all the taxes and fees.

Problem with this is the resort fees don't go 100% to the HOA's in most cases. I am not sure Hilton and their acquisition Diamond are very transparent about how much they collect in resort fees per year and how much of that goes to the HOA to reduce MF's.

 

[theo]

Problem with this is the resort fees don't go 100% to the HOA's in most cases. I am not sure Hilton and their acquisition Diamond are very transparent about how much they collect in resort fees per year and how much of that goes to the HOA to reduce MF's.

Are you perhaps selectively referring only to the practices of "chains"? At "independent" resorts (i.e., those with no affiliation with any brand or chain) 100% of any and all "resort activity fees" collected does indeed go directly (and only) into HOA coffers. At least that is the case for the several "independents" with which I am personally familiar.

 

[tschwa2]

Are you perhaps selectively referring only to the practices of "chains"? At "independent" resorts (i.e., those with no affiliation with any brand or chain) 100% of any and all "resort activity fees" collected does indeed go directly (and only) into HOA coffers. At least that is the case for the several "independents" with which I am personally familiar.

Most of the other chains don't charge resort fees overall. Wyndham has one resort that does (kingsgate) but that is an HOA thing and goes 100% toward the annual budget. Marriott doesn't charge resort fees to exchangers. Bluegreen doesn't charge resort fees as far as I know. Westgate might but I've never stayed in them so I can't say. Worldmark does charge internet but that is charged to owners too and goes to the HOA. Disney has already been discussed extensively in this discussion. So I was referring to the practice of the specific chains mentioned,- Hilton, Diamond (universally through rci but not II), and DVC.

 

[sfwilshire]

All the timeshare resorts have expenses. The sources of revenue to cover it are limited to MF and and other misc charges such as resort fees. It is a way to keep MF down, but i think it begins to water down the broader value proposition.

I would be surprised to learn than any of the resorts use the resort fees to reduce MF, but they would be more acceptable if true. I generally refuse to exchange into any resort with such fees. If enough others feel the same way, the trade value is reduced and that hurts the owners.

Sheila

 

[escanoe]

It is not clear to me that the interests of the “owners” and of the resort fee collector overlap all that much.

And it also helps those disrespecting the embargo get a better deal.

i don’t like resort fees. But it is hard for me to do much more than factor them in as a cost of doing business when planning and making decisions.

I am paying $50 per day in resort fees sitting in the Manhattan Club as I write this. If staying here factoring in the cost is my best time timeshare option and cheaper than other comparable options …. I am not going to go that far out of my way to make a point.

I would be surprised to learn than any of the resorts use the resort fees to reduce MF, but they would be more acceptable if true. I generally refuse to exchange into any resort with such fees. If enough others feel the same way, the trade value is reduced and that hurts the owners.

Sheila

 

[dannybaker]

We try to avoid resorts with high resort fees.

 

[dioxide45]

I do not buy into the reasoning that "exchangers pay maintenance fees too, just somewhere else"; that is a lame non-sequitur, IMnsHO. Renters, of course, may or may not be paying any maintenance fees anywhere.

Not sure I understand the rationale here. Any exchanger is exchanging into a unit where the owner has already paid the maintenance fees. The same is true for a renter. They are paying a rental fee that goes to the owner or developer that should have paid the underlying maintenance fee. Sure, I pay a maintenance fee, just at another resort, but my resort may not charge a resort fee. My maintenance fees cover all the things that this other resort decides they want to charge me for, like wifi or parking? Why pay maintenance fees at all. Just pay if you use your home resort. If you exchange out, then you pay no annual maintenance fees and just pay a resort fee to the resorts you are exchanging into that covers all resort operations for the week you are there? The person that exchanges into your week pays your maintenance fee instead. If you exchange, you exchange maintenance fees too?