Sedona Springs (Great Destinations) Offer

[susanw]

I was recently contacted by Great Destinations, representing Sedona Springs resort. They are offering an opportunity to purchase points to current owners that they claim will provide more usage flexibility because you can use them for both short stays (only with II) and for hotels. I am wondering if anyone else has considered this and what is your take on this offer? The reason it appeals to me is the inclusion of hotels. Many times I want to visit a big city such as Washington DC or Chicago and there is no nearby timeshares.

Your insights are appreciated.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I was recently contacted by Great Destinations, representing Sedona Springs resort. They are offering an opportunity to purchase points to current owners that they claim will provide more usage flexibility because you can use them for both short stays (only with II) and for hotels. I am wondering if anyone else has considered this and what is your take on this offer? The reason it appeals to me is the inclusion of hotels. Many times I want to visit a big city such as Washington DC or Chicago and there is no nearby timeshares.

Your insights are appreciated.

They are timeshare sellers. There are some complaints about them on BBB if you do some searches. Yelp reviews are highly mixed: either 1 star or 5 stars. Some people complained that they were trying to sell them $10K of product.

So, expect a typical timeshare "spiel" with typical costs.

If you are an ii member (at gold or platinum) you can already get short stays. It is not unique to Great Destinations. The inventory tends to be in only areas that have a lot of timeshares and at shoulder/off season times. Also, the booking window is typically only 2 or 3 months in advance. Basically excess inventory.

ii also has the ability to do a hotel exchange. Mixed reviews. Sometimes it is financially advantageous and other times it is not.

 

[bbodb1]

.... Many times I want to visit a big city such as Washington DC or Chicago and there is no nearby timeshares.

Something seems amiss here....

 

[PrairieGirl]

I take it that you are a Sedona Springs owner? I am, and was also contacted by them with their offer to go into the II points system (Club Interval Gold or something like that). This is supposedly at the request of our HOA we are being offered this "opportunity". I had them mail me copies of all of the documents and I read them very carefully. I also called II and spoke with them to be sure that I understood how the program worked. I spoke with the GD rep numerous times and finally had the price down to what they claimed was their lowest level ($1,999 or $2,999, I can't remember now). Anyway, my cost/benefit analysis told me that this was still too much for the added value I would receive so I passed. And don't be fooled by their tactic of telling you that soon you won't be able to deposit your weeks except through this program. Sedona Springs is a dual affiliated resort and I have owned there since 1996 deposited with both RCI and II for years as well as lately with SFX.

 

[Harry]

Been there and did the "presentation". I actually was surprised how low key it was. I guess when I told them I was an II member and could not see any benefits they ushered me out, after asking if I might be interested in working there.


Harry

 

[susanw]

I take it that you are a Sedona Springs owner? I am, and was also contacted by them with their offer to go into the II points system (Club Interval Gold or something like that). This is supposedly at the request of our HOA we are being offered this "opportunity". I had them mail me copies of all of the documents and I read them very carefully. I also called II and spoke with them to be sure that I understood how the program worked. I spoke with the GD rep numerous times and finally had the price down to what they claimed was their lowest level ($1,999 or $2,999, I can't remember now). Anyway, my cost/benefit analysis told me that this was still too much for the added value I would receive so I passed. And don't be fooled by their tactic of telling you that soon you won't be able to deposit your weeks except through this program. Sedona Springs is a dual affiliated resort and I have owned there since 1996 deposited with both RCI and II for years as well as lately with SFX.

Yes, I am an owner. I also appreciated all previous TUG membership input and decided not to go ahead with this purchase. I found the sales agent to be respectful and not at all high pressured. Normally, whenever I feel like I am being pressured, I walk away immediately. The quality of the sales person was a reason I considered this, but after all the great input I received, I decided to decline.