Rain is causing roaches to come into the units at SBP, so much so that roaches are in the beds

[dioxide45]

I agree and I don't think it would be more than a 15% increase, which would be around $100 increase per 1 BR or $200 per 2BR This would still keep MF under the level of the Marriott SC units but enough to upgrade.

I would think that to bring them up to standard may require a one time special assessment then an ongoing increase to keep them at that level?

 

[Ken555]

I would think that to bring them up to standard may require a one time special assessment then an ongoing increase to keep them at that level?

Has it really been neglected? When was the last update?

When I bought SDO, I had the privilege of paying for the special assessment to remodel. The units look quite nice, and I believe the resort is kept at a high standard. Why isn’t SBP run similarly?


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[Ken555]

Yep. Considering that it'll cost Cindy to reimburse her guests (which I would offer to do in her place,) whatever replacement Marriott decides to give her isn't going to make up for her being out cash.

I agree that would be best. I wonder how much effort it would take to get them to do so, though. Isn’t this when an insurance coverage of some type would make her whole?

Gah, I'm feeling skeevy just reading this thread!

Yeah, me too. This would absolutely drive me crazy, if I was there.



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[SueDonJ]

I agree that would be best. I wonder how much effort it would take to get them to do so, though. Isn’t this when an insurance coverage of some type would make her whole?



Yeah, me too. This would absolutely drive me crazy, if I was there.



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The times that I think an issue is serious enough to take to the company's exec level are few and far between. If Cindy has the pics to prove what's been posted here, this is definitely one of those times. Owners shouldn't have to self-insure in order to cover instances when an obvious lack of necessary maintenance causes a loss.

 

[Ken555]

The times that I think an issue is serious enough to take to the company's exec level are few and far between. If Cindy has the pics to prove what's been posted here, this is definitely one of those times. Owners shouldn't have to self-insure in order to cover instances when an obvious lack of necessary maintenance causes a loss.

I’d like her to try that, as well. I’m just not convinced they wouldn’t have an excuse. Certainly they should offer to return her week for deposit without question (though it sounds like even that may be tough), but also paying for her lost profit on the week may require extra work. If it is a maintenance issue, then who would be blamed? The management company or the HOA? Or both? If I was in this position, I’d likely name both...


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[SueDonJ]

I’d like her to try that, as well. I’m just not convinced they wouldn’t have an excuse. Certainly they should offer to return her week for deposit without question (though it sounds like even that may be tough), but also paying for her lost profit on the week may require extra work. If it is a maintenance issue, then who would be blamed? The management company or the HOA? Or both? If I was in this position, I’d likely name both...


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I wouldn't name anybody. I'd just write a USPS letter to corporate explaining the issue, proving it with pictures, tell them what I want, and give them a reasonable amount of time to respond. No doubt I might have to accept less by the time we're done, but the right people would know about it and that's what counts.

 

[rickandcindy23]

SBP hasn't had an increase of fees for three years. I am bracing for a big one this year. Maybe it's needed, and why didn't they increase fees before now, if upkeep is failing due to funds?

 

[andysnovel]

SBP hasn't had an increase of fees for three years. I am bracing for a big one this year. Maybe it's needed, and why didn't they increase fees before now, if upkeep is failing due to funds?

I just finished reading recent reviews on Trip Advisor, most of them were pretty bad, evidently roach issue, filthy units, mold in bathrooms, poor maintenance has been going on for awhile. I am due to go there towards the end of August and not looking forward to it. $90 Cabana rentals?? I have gone there in the past for many years, this was the first ts I ever owned, thank goodness I got rid of it, has anybody had a good experience there recently??? A few years back, they had renovated all the units and the grounds, pool etc. it has been 2 years since we last stayed there, what happened???

 

[bogey21]

I'd just write a USPS letter to corporate explaining the issue, proving it with pictures, tell them what I want, and give them a reasonable amount of time to respond.

This is where I would start. A letter is a good starting point. It puts her on record and gives her something to follow up on if ignored...

George

 

[DannyTS]

rain or no rain this is absolutely unacceptable. The cockroach principle: if you see one there are more. I would apply this theory to the management of the resort, it clearly failed here and I wonder if this is the only area of mismanagement. For the sake of the other owners and guests at the resort, I would communicate this to Vistana and ask not only for compensation but also for a dramatic change in how this place is run. They have to keep the resort at a high standard, it is not worth saving few bucks in MF if things like this happen. Good luck @rickandcindy23.

 

[SueDonJ]

SBP hasn't had an increase of fees for three years. I am bracing for a big one this year. Maybe it's needed, and why didn't they increase fees before now, if upkeep is failing due to funds?

I know people love low MF's and celebrate when they don't increase year-to-year but honestly, this is surprising and really concerning.

During this same time frame owners at all of the Marriott resorts in SC, at Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, have been subject to Special Assessments because of two hurricanes that walloped the coast. The area is one in which the basic property insurance is supplemented by a plan that kicks in when "catastrophic" events hit; the deductible for that coverage is not a fixed dollar amount but rather a percentage-based amount of the total property value/total cost to repair damage. With no way to predict if/when these events will occur, and knowing that the history isn't for events to occur as often at, say, Florida, Marriott and the owners don't elect to keep funds in Reserves to cover a large insurance deductible for which an expected use date is impossible to know. Prior to these last two hurricanes, Hilton Head hadn't been hit for something like 25 years.

Anyway, I obviously don't know how the Vistana MF's have been assessed over the years, and it may be that SBP did prepare itself with a healthy Reserves for catastrophic events. But hearing the maintenance issues talked about in this thread combined with a zero increase in MF's over the last three years, while other area resorts suffered a lot of damage that incurred a lot of extra cost for owners, well, I'd be worried about what might be coming.

 

[SteelerGal]

What was in SBP latest newsletter? Clearly they must be doing something w/ the $$$ because all of my Deserts give a simplistic overview of decreases and increases. CA Deserts are dealing w/ min wage, grounds beautification, landscape concerns due to uprooted trees, etc. WKV is redoing the asphalt and water pumps. So I am curious?

@Ken555 I was just in Scottsdale last week. SDO was packed and grounds were looking exceptional. Resorts in Scottsdale need to or they lose out on big business.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Yes, Scottsdale is a nice dry climate. Roaches cannot live there, just as it is in Denver.

I have never seen a roach in a Marriott unit. That is just true that Marriott does it better, but I also don't travel during the most humid/hot times of year. I have never seen a roach at Hono Koa, and our units are 35 feet to the water, but Maui isn't extremely hot and humid like SC is.

Our kids did see a few at SBP last month. I saw a few bugs in our unit for that same week, mostly by the door, but they weren't the big roaches. They were small, but I wasn't alarmed in the slightest bit, and our unit had no stains and no issues, except the bleach smell from the lockoff side. I did notice a space under the door where you could see sunlight coming into the unit, and that should be sealed with weather stripping, just to keep bigger pests out.

Sure, you can get a roach infestation in Denver, but you have to be a terrible housekeeper to get an infestation of roaches. I saw one in my laundry chute once that was dead, brought home from the firehouse when a guy decided to keep open food containers in his locker, which infested the entire old firehouse. That firehouse is long gone, Rick's old Station 9. They took it down to make a new ramp off of I-70.

Just to be clear, I think the roach problems at SBP are worse than usual, because Kellie and now Janie have both said they wish it would stop raining, so people would not be this upset over the bugs. If you are from Denver or another dry climate, this could really freak you out.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Yes, Scottsdale is a nice dry climate. Roaches cannot live there, just as it is in Denver.

I have never seen a roach in a Marriott unit. That is just true that Marriott does it better, but I also don't travel during the most humid/hot times of year. I have never seen a roach at Hono Koa, and our units are 35 feet to the water, but Maui isn't extremely hot and humid like SC is.

Our kids did see a few at SBP last month. I saw a few bugs in our unit for that same week, mostly by the door, but they weren't the big roaches. They were small, but I wasn't alarmed in the slightest bit, and our unit had no stains and no issues, except the bleach smell from the lockoff side. I did notice a space under the door where you could see sunlight coming into the unit, and that should be sealed with weather stripping, just to keep bigger pests out.

Sure, you can get a roach infestation in Denver, but you have to be a terrible housekeeper to get an infestation of roaches. I saw one in my laundry chute once that was dead, brought home from the firehouse when a guy decided to keep open food containers in his locker, which infested the entire old firehouse. That firehouse is long gone, Rick's old Station 9. They took it down to make a new ramp off of I-70.

Just to be clear, I think the roach problems at SBP are worse than usual, because Kellie and now Janie have both said they wish it would stop raining, so people would not be this upset over the bugs. If you are from Denver or another dry climate, this could really freak you out.

I hate to burst your bubble about Marriott, but we had Palmettos in our ground floor room at Ko Olina on Oahu. We were disrupted and had to stay out of the room for 2 days with spraying (first our room, then they found more and sprayed the floor the next day). They had no other rooms available because it was peak summer and the place was booked so we and our belongings were exposed to pesticides.

There were about 4 - 5 roaches so not as bad as your situation. In hindsight we should have asked for compensation and/or be placed at a nearby hotel. We had significant delays in getting checked into this room when we arrived as they said "it wasn't ready." I wonder if delays were caused by roach spraying.

I now try to avoid ground floor units in HI.

 

[easyrider]

My guests are requiring full refunds. These guests have been moved 2-3 times (one twice and the other three times). Vistana is offering me 4 nights back for one 2 bedroom unit, and I don't have SO's, so that makes no sense to me. I want my weeks back, and I am happy to deposit them into II.

So apparently, within 60 days, you can book 3-4 nights at a time at SBP. That is shocking to me. I have never been told I can book 3-4 nights at any point. What is the deal?

This is another reason to have renters purchase trip insurance. I occasionally mention this when I rent a unit but now I think I will write it on the rental agreement.

Bill

 

[Ken555]

This is another reason to have renters purchase trip insurance. I occasionally mention this when I rent a unit but now I think I will write it on the rental agreement.

Bill

Exactly. I had assumed there was some type of insurance to cover this situation which is why I mentioned it earlier. I’m surprised that it hasn’t been mentioned more.

As far as SBP maintenance...an owner can download the last few years budgets and compare them etc.


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[rickandcindy23]

I hate to burst your bubble about Marriott, but we had Palmettos in our ground floor room at Ko Olina on Oahu. We were disrupted 2 times with spraying (first our room, then they found more and sprayed the floor). They had no other decent rooms available because it was peak summer and the place was booked so we and our belongings were exposed to pesticides. If one had been in our bed, we would have immediately evacuated. In hindsight we should have asked for compensation and/or be placed at a nearby hotel. We had significant delays in getting checked into this room when we arrived as they said "it wasn't ready." I wonder if delays were caused by roach spraying.

I read that earlier, but I have never had that issue personally. Of course a tropical climate will have some bugs, but sounds like it was ridiculous in that unit. Maybe the guests before were careless with food.

 

[dioxide45]

I think an issue Marriott is going to have with some of these Vistana resort is how they are setup. Like Streamside, there are multiple HOAs in the same property. I think Sheraton Broadway Plantation has two HOAs and BODs. Vistana Villages has four. There are probably too many to count at Vistana Resort. Westin St John is the same. They literally created new HOAs for each phase of a resort. So at SVV, you have a different HOA for Bella, Key West, St Augustine and Amelia. At Sheraton Broadway Plantation I think they have a separate HOA for the Plantation phase and another for Palmetto. This could result is something like at Streamside. If Marriott forces the HOAs to bring the villas up to standard and one BOD goes along and the other balks, you could have one getting the boot and the other remaining in the network.

 

[ocdb8r]

I don't think (hope) this is a widespread issue. I think SBP suffers particularly because it is a very large resort with a large number of (nearly worthless) off season weeks. I haven't looked at the books in several years, but there was a significant uptrend in owner defaults on maintenance fees when I was last an owner (of a resale week that was a decent trader in II) which is why I got out when I could. The Board is under pressure to keep maintenance fee increases in line with the rest of the network but budget deficiencies due to defaults makes it impossible to keep up. I will also admit, I found the general approach to maintenance a bit lax the couple of times I stayed there - not sure if this was a result of cost cutting or simply the attitude of the staff.

 

[Travel991]

Yes, Scottsdale is a nice dry climate. Roaches cannot live there, just as it is in Denver.

I have never seen a roach in a Marriott unit. That is just true that Marriott does it better, but I also don't travel during the most humid/hot times of year. I have never seen a roach at Hono Koa, and our units are 35 feet to the water, but Maui isn't extremely hot and humid like SC is.

Our kids did see a few at SBP last month. I saw a few bugs in our unit for that same week, mostly by the door, but they weren't the big roaches. They were small, but I wasn't alarmed in the slightest bit, and our unit had no stains and no issues, except the bleach smell from the lockoff side. I did notice a space under the door where you could see sunlight coming into the unit, and that should be sealed with weather stripping, just to keep bigger pests out.

Sure, you can get a roach infestation in Denver, but you have to be a terrible housekeeper to get an infestation of roaches. I saw one in my laundry chute once that was dead, brought home from the firehouse when a guy decided to keep open food containers in his locker, which infested the entire old firehouse. That firehouse is long gone, Rick's old Station 9. They took it down to make a new ramp off of I-70.

Just to be clear, I think the roach problems at SBP are worse than usual, because Kellie and now Janie have both said they wish it would stop raining, so people would not be this upset over the bugs. If you are from Denver or another dry climate, this could really freak you out.

I am about to buy my first timeshare which is SBP. Should I be concern. Roaches UGHH

 

[CPNY]

I think an issue Marriott is going to have with some of these Vistana resort is how they are setup. Like Streamside, there are multiple HOAs in the same property. I think Sheraton Broadway Plantation has two HOAs and BODs. Vistana Villages has four. There are probably too many to count at Vistana Resort. Westin St John is the same. They literally created new HOAs for each phase of a resort. So at SVV, you have a different HOA for Bella, Key West, St Augustine and Amelia. At Sheraton Broadway Plantation I think they have a separate HOA for the Plantation phase and another for Palmetto. This could result is something like at Streamside. If Marriott forces the HOAs to bring the villas up to standard and one BOD goes along and the other balks, you could have one getting the boot and the other remaining in the network.

Define up to standard? I would think The dispute between management and HOA would have to be egregious for MVC to give them the boot. As far as just cutting phases from the program they can’t unless they sell off the whole resort to another management company. That’s my understanding

 

[dioxide45]

Define up to standard? I would think The dispute between management and HOA would have to be egregious for MVC to give them the boot. As far as just cutting phases from the program they can’t unless they sell off the whole resort to another management company. That’s my understanding

If you compare it to Grande Vista or SVV, iot certainly doesn't seem to be up to standard. I certainly don't see why they can't cut certain phases. Legally they are separate resorts. It happened with Marriott at Streamside. Some of the buildings are still managed by MVC where others are independant.

 

[DannyTS]

If you compare it to Grande Vista or SVV, iot certainly doesn't seem to be up to standard. I certainly don't see why they can't cut certain phases. Legally they are separate resorts. It happened with Marriott at Streamside. Some of the buildings are still managed by MVC where others are independant.

What are they going to do with the units they own or those they put in the Sheraton Flex trust?

 

[dioxide45]

What are they going to do with the units they own or those they put in the Sheraton Flex trust?

That is a good question. Units they own can be sold to whoever they would sell the management rights to. Units that are conveyed to the trust could be pulled out as long as they still end up with enough points in the trust to cover what is already sold. I really don't know the legalities of that and I am sure it isn't easy. Having weeks conveyed to the Flex trust makes unloading the resort harder. I suspect they will just strongarm the BOD/HOA and they probably have enough votes now that the trust owns so much to do as they please.

 

[ocdb8r]

That is a good question. Units they own can be sold to whoever they would sell the management rights to. Units that are conveyed to the trust could be pulled out as long as they still end up with enough points in the trust to cover what is already sold. I really don't know the legalities of that and I am sure it isn't easy. Having weeks conveyed to the Flex trust makes unloading the resort harder. I suspect they will just strongarm the BOD/HOA and they probably have enough votes now that the trust owns so much to do as they please.

I think you're right on here. I am sure the trust was set up with sufficiently flexibility for SVN to dispose of weeks/phases/resorts if necessary. However, I think many forget the trust provides the developer with more influence over resort Boards than ever. SVN now maintains a big chunk of voting power by directing the votes of the trust units - they don't need to come near to majority of units owned for this to result in crushing influence given how few other owners actually vote.