Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya pool for owners only

[Eric B]

Thanks, gleeful! Good to hear that. Have they made any progress on the Lazy River?

 

[PamMo]

That's great news, Gleeful - I hope this will hold true for us next month! (Keeping my fingers crossed.)

 

[dmurray007]

Could be because it is the low season?

 

[dmurray007]

MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?
As an exchanger, I would be pissed because I thought I would be getting the GL experience. Two sides of the coin

 

[Eric B]

MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?
As an exchanger, I would be pissed because I thought I would be getting the GL experience. Two sides of the coin

I’m pretty much in alignment with you on both sides of the coin. As a GL owner, it seems like the usage fees I pay (not to mention the purchase cost) subsidizes exchangers coming in for a lower cost with Vida sales perhaps viewing this as bringing in prospects. This does, however, provide funds for future improvements when they can make sales, but it’s not the most efficient way for my usage fees to benefit me. The addition of the resort fees and the elimination of the exchange limitations helps out by better managing the cost allocation and vacancy rates. I don’t have any problem with paying the fees and exchanging back in using other timeshares I own; it’s all a matter of knowing what I’ll be getting when I exchange instead of paying a usage fee.

If Vidanta were to adopt adjusted prices for the off seasons, when most of the exchanges happen, I’d be much more likely to just pay them instead of using an exchange.

 

[PamMo]

MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?...

dmurray007, as I've been somewhat vociferous on this topic, there are many of us who own Westin, Marriott, Four Seasons, Hyatt...properties with MF's as high or higher than Grand Luxxe. My 2BR Harborside at Atlantis MF is $3,000. When you add the exchange fee, upgrade to larger unit fee, and a daily $30pp resort fee, and then change the rules and tell me we can't use parts of the resort - yeah, I feel a bit ripped off.

 

[Eric B]

I guess part of the problem is that the exchange looks the same to Vidanta whether it’s a week with a $3,000 MF or a week with a $400 MF. I personally don’t like the owners only policy they had at RM, though I understood the reason for having it, or at least my interpretation of it. It gave the sales folks another thing to bargain with to get a prospect to the presentation.

All that being said, I try to avoid using a GL week for an exchange because the fees are much higher than other TSs I own. I can use GL to go through more exclusive exchanges (Registry Collection, Elite Alliance, Third Home) but haven’t gone that way yet because I’m still working, have limited vacation time, and haven’t found a destination I’d prefer to vacation at that I can’t get to with my cheaper TSs.

 

[pittle]

That is why I never exchange one of my GL weeks! I have other options to use for exchanges. I did get really PO'd that they changed the Gb exchange usage between the time I booked and actually went to the GB in RM. It is not right to make changes after you book.

 

[rpennisi]

Do exchangers really get GL with $400 MF units deposited? All my GL exchanges have been with approx an $1100MF deposit. Still a bargain, but not with the new level of fees.
My last GL and GB exchanges upcoming in 2019 (Jan and Feb) will probably be my last. They are both $11pp/per day.

 

[Eric B]

GL NV exchange in RCI for a 2 BR is ~53,000 points in the off season. I get 67,000 points for a 2 BR with a partial kitchen for ~$400 in MF every year; it’s half a lockout - the other half is a 2 BR with a full kitchen that I get 70,000 points for. Think the MF went up to $820 or $830 for the pair this year, so it’s a bit over $400, but they give me a bonus weeks credit worth about 20 TPU for paying my MF early, so it works out to less than $400 overall. Bottom line is I get 3 weeks I can trade into GL 2 BR units for less than $300 each; even with the current $1050 resort fee and the exchange fee it comes to about $1600, which beats the usage fee for a 2 BR GL suite. Won’t get me into a Spa or Loft, but still a great exchange. Of course, it puts me lower on the totem pole for room locations, but there really aren’t any horribly bad GL units. Not possible for RM because it’s a smaller resort and more convenient to a lot of the US, so that don’t have as much vacant inventory in the low season, but I don’t mind the layover in Houston, where there’s a great USO lounge if you’re a veteran.

The resort fee would be very tough to stomach with a $3,000 MF, particularly at a place that does things like restrict access to amenities. Vidanta is the only TS (or fractional ownership, as they like to call it now) that I have with an MF in that range; I’ll never exchange it in RCI and have trouble trying to find an equal value in Registry. There are some attractive possibilities in Elite Alliance, but I’m feeling like I have enough exchange system memberships right now and enjoying using my Vidanta weeks there in the high season.

 

[Eric B]

Oh, if the $1100 MF gets you a 2 BR loft unit, the current resort fee of $1050 in RCI and Registry plus the exchange fee would add up to about $2450, which is lower than the usage fee of $2900. Not sure if II will be updating to that resort fee amount, but it seems probable.

SFX and ICE still have lower resort fees, so you might explore using them instead. No guarantee they won’t go up in the future, but there is a fairly close contractual relationship for them with Vidanta for the management of the privilege weeks for Vidanta owners for SFX and ICE for the Vida Lifestyle program. I believe the fees are lower for Elite Alliance as well; they exchange the loft units and up and are a more exclusive exchange system.

 

[scootr5]

Do exchangers really get GL with $400 MF units deposited?

I exchanged in to a 2 bedroom NV for next spring break with $576 in maintenance fees for the unit I exchanged (Quarter House), plus the $11 pp resort fee and II fee - so about $1075 total.

 

[bizaro86]

I don't think Grand Luxxe is that hard a trade. I've been pretty able to get 4 bedroom GL units in the off season with 1 bedroom units at sheraton desert oasis, which is about $575 in MF (as part of a lockoff).

That same unit seems to only get a 2 bedroom grand luxxe during busier times, but I was just able to book a 2 bedroom grand luxxe NV for March 2020 (our spring break) with my 1 bedroom sdo.

If Vidanta wasn't doing developer deposits these units would have way more trading power because there would be way less of them available, and they're nice.

 

[Eric B]

Think you’re spot on with regard to the developer deposits. Vidanta builds for the high season and has a lot of excess capacity the rest of the year. With the way they set things up (fees on the high side, but only payable if you use a week), there isn’t much incentive to deposit instead of use a week, so most inventory on the exchanges is developer deposits to get sales prospects in.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

[QUOTE="rpennisi, post: 2187429, member: 44936
My last GL and GB exchanges upcoming in 2019 (Jan and Feb) will probably be my last. They are both $11pp/per day.[/QUOTE]

*************

I think the best option is : stay opened to all options

RCI - can get you high season ( Feb /March ) at 18 +months out . ( I don’t have lntervals)
( Ron - like you I have a couple of 2019 Feb exchanges & a 2020 booked at prior resort
fee structures . I did this to upgrade to a 2 bedroom MP )


At the newest fee / $ 1050 - I will pass .
For now I plan to go back to using our owner week 1 bedroom MP - with no resort fee .

However based on Vidanta’s record of regularly “ updating “ restrictions & now fees .
I will watch & see.
(remember they were up to 1/5 rules & no upgrades for MP owners to Grand Mayan - at one point)

For non- high season - there are the lower cost doorways such as SFX .

 

[NYFLTRAVELER]

I don't think Grand Luxxe is that hard a trade. I've been pretty able to get 4 bedroom GL units in the off season with 1 bedroom units at sheraton desert oasis, which is about $575 in MF (as part of a lockoff).

That same unit seems to only get a 2 bedroom grand luxxe during busier times, but I was just able to book a 2 bedroom grand luxxe NV for March 2020 (our spring break) with my 1 bedroom sdo.

If Vidanta wasn't doing developer deposits these units would have way more trading power because there would be way less of them available, and they're nice.

I’ve never seen a GL or GB available for trade on Interval for peak season and I have/would deposit Marriott (high TDI number of points) or a Worldmark peak 2br (10000 Worldmark Points)

If I could find a GL or GB Rivera Maya during peak (Christmas week, Presidents week, Easter week) I’d be happy. I only see these for late summer into early fall. Do these units exist for trade during peak?

I also have looked into buying - but am holding off at the moment.

 

[Eric B]

SFX Resorts manages the peak ones to some extent as privilege weeks for Vidanta owners.

 

[bizaro86]

I’ve never seen a GL or GB available for trade on Interval for peak season and I have/would deposit Marriott (high TDI number of points) or a Worldmark peak 2br (10000 Worldmark Points)

If I could find a GL or GB Rivera Maya during peak (Christmas week, Presidents week, Easter week) I’d be happy. I only see these for late summer into early fall. Do these units exist for trade during peak?

I also have looked into buying - but am holding off at the moment.

I think my 2 bedroom GL for the last week in March 2020 probably counts as a peak week. It is 2 weeks before easter, but is a major spring break week, and the next week (which includes Good Friday) was available when I booked.

It was available with WM as well, I used my SDO because it was cheaper. I dont think your problem is lack of trading power.

Do you look regularly and have and OGS on for peak dates? I've seen a New Years week GL 2 bedroom in open inventory before, but the peak weeks don't last long.

Edited to add (and this is not intended as a sighting, just a data point for discussion): easter 2019, Christmas/new years 2019, and easter 2020 are all available at GL NV right now in studios. Easter 2020 has 2 bedrooms. A variety of studio/1 bedroom/2 bedrooms are available for lots of peak winter dates.

 

[NYFLTRAVELER]

I think my 2 bedroom GL for the last week in March 2020 probably counts as a peak week. It is 2 weeks before easter, but is a major spring break week, and the next week (which includes Good Friday) was available when I booked.

It was available with WM as well, I used my SDO because it was cheaper. I dont think your problem is lack of trading power.

Do you look regularly and have and OGS on for peak dates? I've seen a New Years week GL 2 bedroom in open inventory before, but the peak weeks don't last long.

Edited to add (and this is not intended as a sighting, just a data point for discussion): easter 2019, Christmas/new years 2019, and easter 2020 are all available at GL NV right now in studios. Easter 2020 has 2 bedrooms. A variety of studio/1 bedroom/2 bedrooms are available for lots of peak winter dates.

What is OGS?

 

[bizaro86]

What is OGS?

On going search.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

I’m pretty much in alignment with you on both sides of the coin.
If Vidanta were to adopt adjusted prices for the off seasons, when most of the exchanges happen, I’d be much more likely to just pay them instead of using an exchange.

Good idea .
especially for Grand Luxxe larger unit / higher MF contracts .
red season ( basically mid Dec to end of April ) would be at full MF
other seasons / colours - adjusted lower - with a promo price list sent out the prior November .( and limited availability / first come ...)

The current Vidanta promo ( sent Sept 4 ) for a resort credit for $800 / book by Sept 30 - vacation by Oct 31 . could be a version of this idea .

 

[Eric B]

Thanks, Tom. I wouldn’t object if they gave less notice on adjusted prices, though. It would make sense to me for them to be more flexible on the pricing in order to manage their vacancy rates and keep employees gainfully working. They do this to a certain extent with some promotions like the current one for going in October, but don’t put the word out on those very well. When we were down there last month they had a grand total of eight hundred and something guests at the entire NV resort, which seems low enough to make it worth marketing more to me. We’ll see if things change when they have the Parks open, but that won’t change the weather and school schedules for peoples’ childten, which also drive vacation planning.

 

[jssquared]

I believe that Vidanta is trying to change this reality with the construction of the theme park. Although there are dedicated rooms within the park itself, I would have to imagine that the resort will also see far more guests throughout the whole year. I read somewhere some time ago that they were anticipating one million annual guests after the first phase was opened and double that after the whole park was completed.

 

[PamMo]

I've searched, but can't find how much Vidanta Grand Luxxe MF's are. TUG Vistana and Marriott owners maintain a database of MF's for all the different resorts in their systems, and I'm curious how Grand Luxxe units compare. I understand that Vidanta contracts are different and some include golf, spa, Cirque amenities, etc., but what is the base rate for owning at Grand Luxxe by unit type?

 

[Eric B]

I got this from a friend here.

Usage fees vary based on contract limitations for inflation. List below is from the Vida Lifestyle website (Run by ICE, not Vidanta, for a contract written last year); your fees may vary.

2017 Usage Fees

The Cascades
Master Room $600
Suite $800
Master Suite $1,000
Sea Garden
Master Room $567
Suite $760
Master Suite $966
Mayan Palace/The Bliss
Master Room $600
Suite $800
Master Suite $1,000
Kingdom of the Sun
Grand Master Room $900
Grand Suite/Grand Loft $1,000
Grand Master Suite $1,500
The Grand Mayan
Grand Master Room $800
Grand Suite/Grand Loft $900
Grand Master Suite $1,400
The Grand Bliss
Master Room $900
Suite $1,000
Master Suite $1,500
Grand Luxxe Villa
Junior Suite $1,300
Suite $1,600
Master Suite $2,200
Presidential Units
Presidential Suite "H" $1,500
Exclusive Villa $1,600
Exclusive Master Villa $2,200
Presidential $2,700
Grand Luxxe Suite/Condo
Master Room $1,200
Suite $1,500
Master Suite $2,100
Luxxe Loft $1,300
The Residence at Grand Luxxe
1 Bdrm Loft $2,200
2 Bdrm Loft $2,700
3 Bdrm Loft $2,900
4 Bdrm Residence $3,200
Spa Tower Residence
2 Bdrm $2,000
3 Bdrm $2,200

This was posted on a different thread in the spring. Costs went up a bit since then.