OFFICIAL Vistana *2020* Maintenance Fees Thread

[teresatyso]

WESTIN FLEX
This is from an invoice dated August 26, 2019 and due September 27, 2019. Unfortunately, Westin Flex and Sheraton Flex MFs are sent out early and due earlier than the normal weeks-based MFs.


2020
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $5,210.69 (calculated MF/option = $0.02022)

2019
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $4,878.26 (calculated MF/option = $0.01893)

INCREASE - 6.8%

Dear controller1,
I replied to this a little while ago and yet I do not see my text. Did you receive it? I replied to another message in this forum a good 20 minutes after yours and see that it has been posted. Like I said in my previous message I am brand new and do not know the workings of this site yet.

I would appreciate any info you can give me (if you did not receive my previous message I will rewrite it and send it).

Thanks,

Teresa

WESTIN FLEX
This is from an invoice dated August 26, 2019 and due September 27, 2019. Unfortunately, Westin Flex and Sheraton Flex MFs are sent out early and due earlier than the normal weeks-based MFs.


2020
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $5,210.69 (calculated MF/option = $0.02022)

2019
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $4,878.26 (calculated MF/option = $0.01893)

INCREASE - 6.8%

 

[jabberwocky]

Just a note for the purposes of this thread -there are two flex products being referenced here. The one you quote is for Westin Flex and has slightly higher MF than Sheraton Flex - which is what You bought and are now rescinding based on the other thread.

They would not tell you about Westin Flex at a Florida property since they can only sell the Sheraton version there. Regardless expect fees to go up 2-5% per year on average.

Thank you soooo much for this!!!

I just upgraded yesterday to the Sheraton Flex plan because the salesperson convinced me that if I stayed with my StarOptions plan (pre-Flex) not only would it be more difficult to secure a week I wanted in the near future, but the annual increase on the week based timeshares has been and would continue increasing 6-8% per year because as owners move over to Flex there is a smaller pool of owners with whom to split the maintenance fees. He then said the Flex fees had not gone up more than .25% annually since it first started in 2015.

Your letter proves otherwise - a 6.8% increase from last year to this!! I was thinking about cancelling and I probably will now. That is a blatant lie on his part (or at least a truth he managed to twist!).

Are you happy with your Flex plan? Of course, I think it showed somewhere that you own Hawaii (though how can that be if you have Flex (?) since I presume you needed to give up your "fixed" week with StarOptions).

He also told me that in January 2020, Westin and Sheraton would be connected to Mariott, Hilton and Ritz so that all their resorts could be used with the Star Options without paying an exchange fee (there was some exception or something different about Ritz but I would never stay there so it doesn't really matter to me). Were you informed of that?

I would really appreciate a reply to help me make a final decision before I leave the resort in a couple days.

Thanks!

Sher
He also said that was why it would be so difficult to get a desired week or weeks even at the resorts in the Sheraton and Westin resorts because the network will then have MANY more people in it.

 

[CPNY]

Thank you soooo much for this!!!

I just upgraded yesterday to the Sheraton Flex plan because the salesperson convinced me that if I stayed with my StarOptions plan (pre-Flex) not only would it be more difficult to secure a week I wanted in the near future, but the annual increase on the week based timeshares has been and would continue increasing 6-8% per year because as owners move over to Flex there is a smaller pool of owners with whom to split the maintenance fees. He then said the Flex fees had not gone up more than .25% annually since it first started in 2015.

Your letter proves otherwise - a 6.8% increase from last year to this!! I was thinking about cancelling and I probably will now. That is a blatant lie on his part (or at least a truth he managed to twist!).

Are you happy with your Flex plan? Of course, I think it showed somewhere that you own Hawaii (though how can that be if you have Flex (?) since I presume you needed to give up your "fixed" week with StarOptions).

He also told me that in January 2020, Westin and Sheraton would be connected to Mariott, Hilton and Ritz so that all their resorts could be used with the Star Options without paying an exchange fee (there was some exception or something different about Ritz but I would never stay there so it doesn't really matter to me). Were you informed of that?

I would really appreciate a reply to help me make a final decision before I leave the resort in a couple days.

Thanks!

Sher
He also said that was why it would be so difficult to get a desired week or weeks even at the resorts in the Sheraton and Westin resorts because the network will then have MANY more people in it.

Seems they are telling mandatory owners anything they can to give back their ownerships. If I owned a voluntary resort I’d possibly think of a flex plan for the option to book at 12 months at other locations. But I couldn’t see giving back mandatory for a voluntary ownership. I’d rather own a low MF unit to trade in II.

did you own in a mandatory phase?

 

[controller1]

Dear controller1,
I replied to this a little while ago and yet I do not see my text. Did you receive it? I replied to another message in this forum a good 20 minutes after yours and see that it has been posted. Like I said in my previous message I am brand new and do not know the workings of this site yet.

I would appreciate any info you can give me (if you did not receive my previous message I will rewrite it and send it).

Thanks,

Teresa

Your message was actually a public post and not a message to my inbox. I'll answer what you asked though....

I still own weeks of ocean front at WKORVN. I also own the original Nanea flex-type product ocean front which is equivalent to two weeks of 2-bedroom ocean front. Both of those purchases were made before I found TUG and therefore were purchased directly from the developer.

I also purchased Sheraton Flex from the developer prior to finding TUG. We quickly discovered we did not care for many of the resorts in the Sheraton Flex pool primarily due to location or condition/lack of amenities of the resort. So, we traded in our Sheraton Flex for Westin Flex. Yes, some might think I was throwing good money after bad money but we wanted something we could use and we felt Westin Flex was more suited to us than was Sheraton Flex. This trade-in was made after I discovered TUG and it saved us $6,000. When we told the sales person what we wanted to do, he quoted us a certain amount of "new money" that would be needed to consummate the transaction. He said it was their best offer. I told him I was active on TUG and was aware of several transactions that required less new money. I actually knew of only two but they did require $5,000 less than what was quoted to me as their best offer. So I said I wouldn't do the deal unless they would take only $X amount of new dollars which was $6,000 less than what they offered. I thought that would be a good starting point. He said he would have to go check with his manager. About ten minutes later the manager came in and said "we'll do it with that margin."

So even though it was a developer purchase TUG still saved us money!

 

[teresatyso]

Thank you very much,controller1, for the feedback.
CPNY,, I don't even know what mandatory and voluntary resorts mean in TimeShareSpeak...As I mentioned earlier I own/ed at the St. Augustine phase of Sheraton Vistana Villages in Orlando. I also mentioned at some point that the ability to reserve 12 months out is not important to me since I rarely ever plan timeshare stays more than 6 months out. So I am still assuming that it would be best for me to rescind and go back to my deeded week with 67,100 Star Options. That may not sound like many, but not living in the U.S. I am always behind and end up paying to bang my Options. I hope to be able to stop doing that next year.

 

[teresatyso]

I forgot to mention jabberwocky. Thank you for your clarification about Westin and Sheraton, but I see that you say either way MFs should go up MUCH more than the .25% the salesman guaranteed that it had been increasing since the FLEX program begin in 2015! AND the increase he said I would see if I stayed with my non-FLEX week/Star Options is probably LESS than the 6-8% annually he quoted.

 

[jabberwocky]

Sheraton Vistana Resort - 2BR Cascades

2019
Operations $676.02
Reserves $192.78
Tax $147.92
Total: $1016.72 (Excludes VSN and ARDA Fee)

2018
Operations $640.93
Reserves $180.36
Tax $130.39
Total: $951.68

Total increase is 6.8% if taxes are included. Actual operating and reserves up by 5.8%!

Increase is due mainly to increased wages (about 1/2), increased reserves and a deficit recovery from the prior year.

 

[YYJMSP]

SVR Spas - 2BR

2020 = $802.54 MF + $121.82 taxes = $924.36, compared to $892.52 last year, +3.6% overall

 

[YYJMSP]

SVR Cascades 2BR L/O

2020 = $1128.19 MF + $171.88 taxes = $1300.07, compared to $1220.28 last year, +6.5% overall

 

[YYJMSP]

WDW 2BR L/O EOY

2020 = $861.81 MF + $63.91 taxes = $925.72, compared to $876.48 last year, +5.6%

 

[CPNY]

SVV Key West 1 Bedroom

$615.48 excluding membership fees.

 

[dioxide45]

SVV Key West 1 Bedroom

$615.48 excluding membership fees.

I am not seeing fees online yet for our KW 1BR EOY. Are you seeing the fees online now?

 

[CPNY]

I am not seeing fees online yet for our KW 1BR EOY. Are you seeing the fees online now?

Yeah I just got an email that the statement was available. It’s the only statement ready to view.

 

[CPNY]

SVV KW 2 bedroom non lockoff $1198.97 excluding VSN fee.

 

[CPNY]

SVV KW 2 Bedroom LO $1573.64

 

[dioxide45]

Yeah I just got an email that the statement was available. It’s the only statement ready to view.

I just got the same email but can't seem to open the PDF statement online. Keeps saying it didn't load correctly. When I download it, it is corrupted. I remember having this problem last year too.

 

[CPNY]

I just got the same email but can't seem to open the PDF statement online. Keeps saying it didn't load correctly. When I download it, it is corrupted. I remember having this problem last year too.

Took a few tries for me too and then it opened

 

[jabberwocky]

I just got the same email but can't seem to open the PDF statement online. Keeps saying it didn't load correctly. When I download it, it is corrupted. I remember having this problem last year too.

I think it has to generate a PDF when first requested. I usually click on view and then wait for a few seconds before trying again. Second time usually works. Always by the third time.

 

[wtrjock]

WKORV South EOY 1 Bedroom Premium Villa Oceanview Standard , Platinum+ $1028.25. Nice that we got a refund from the tax assessment settlement!

 

[Vacationfuntips]

2020 SHERATON VISTANA VILLAGES
2 BEDROOM (NON-LOCKOFF) BELLA
EOY - EVERY OTHER YEAR
81K STAROPTIONS
Maintenance Fee $558.68
PROPERTY TAXES $77.03
SVN FEE $155.00
(OPTIONAL) ARDA ROC PAC Contribution Fee $5.00
TOTAL $790.71

2019 Sheraton Vistana Villages - SVV
2 Bedroom (Non-lockoff)
Bella EOY 81K Staroptions
Maintenance Fee $523.53
Property Taxes $67.04
SVN Fee $145.00
(OPTIONAL) ARDA ROC PAC Contribution Fee $5.00
Total $735.57

 

[Sv1plat52]

SVV 2BR LO EOY 944$ including SVN fees

 

[srfndoc]

WMH 2BR LO Annual

2020 Ownership assessment - $1403.25
2020 Condo common assessment - $222.33
2020 Master association assessment - $239.35
2020 VSN membership fee - $155
ARDA-ROC - $5

Been going up a good chunk every year, thinking about dumping it now.

 

[controller1]

WESTIN NANEA
This is from an invoice dated November 30, 2019 and due January 2, 2020.


2020
176,700 options
VOI assessment - $2,928.31 (calculated MF/option = $0.01657)

2019
176,700 options
VOI assessment - $2,926.52 (calculated MF/option = $0.01656)

INCREASE - 0.1%

 

[farsighted99]

New Maintenance Fee Details for our 1 bedroom unit at Nanea, Maui.

Maintenance Fee(s): $1,342.35
Tax - if Applicable $ 161.46
One Ohana Foundation: $ 10.00 (probably won't pay)
Sub-Total: $1,513.81

81,000 StarOptions.

 

[controller1]

New Maintenance Fee Details for our 1 bedroom unit at Nanea, Maui.

Maintenance Fee(s): $1,342.35
Tax - if Applicable $ 161.46
One Ohana Foundation: $ 10.00 (probably won't pay)
Sub-Total: $1,513.81

81,000 StarOptions.

What is the "Tax - if Applicable"?

The following is all I show on my statement: