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2020 Massanutten Resort Fee Update & Woodstone MFs

escanoe

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The fall Woodstone owner's newsletter is now posted online and attached to this post.

It announces they are making changes in the resort fee for 2020 by switching from charging "per side" to "$4.25 per bedroom per night." I assume that is for owners and non-owner RCI exchanges will pay a higher rate.

For 2019 the fee for owners has been $7.95 per side (usually 2BR) per night, which was discounted from the "average fee for an RCI guest or rental guest of $13.45 per side per night."

Maintenance fees are up 5% for luxury units, 5.5% for deluxe units, and 5% for casa units.
 

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  • Carved in Stone - Fall 2019 Owner Newsletter WEB.pdf
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tschwa2

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Thanks for posting. I don't like that it went up. It does make it slightly more appealing to book the 1 BR Woodstone casa unit if you don't need the extra space. Just as an FYI the Mountainside Villas have no nightly or weekly resort fees and sleep up to 8 in the 2BR loft unit.
 

Miss Marty

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Fall 2019

The renovations in the Woodstone units are making excellent progress so far. We currently have 200 unit sides (100 full units) completed. Guest feedback on the completed units has been immensely positive and we look forward to the project’s completion by the end of 2022.

Source: Newsletter
Woodstone Time-share Owners Association
 

escanoe

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Is there any downside to using Mountainside as far as access to resort amenities go @tschwa2? Can you use the Woodstone indoor and outdoor pools if you stay in the Mountainside units as well as participate in the same activities? I assume you can use the pools on on the Mountain.

I go to Massanutten for at least three long weekends a year. I have used my RCI points for one of those trips, but more commonly I buy a week RCI Last Call (or discounted Extra) vacation and use the part of the week I need. Now that I have an RCI Weeks account, it looks like paying the internal VV $156 exchange fee and last minute discounted TPU rates may be the way to go. Thus far, I have limited myself to Woodstone and Summit (my first non TS trip there I stayed in the hotel).

One things that has been a pleasant surprise to me about the $156 internal VV weeks exchange fee is that it also applies to Mountainside. I had naively thought RCI points was always the best RCI had to offer. If I had to go with one, it would be RCI Points ... but I see now that there are times it works to your advantage to have a weeks account too.

Thanks for posting. I don't like that it went up. It does make it slightly more appealing to book the 1 BR Woodstone casa unit if you don't need the extra space. Just as an FYI the Mountainside Villas have no nightly or weekly resort fees and sleep up to 8 in the 2BR loft unit.
 

tschwa2

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You would have the same access to amenities as Woodstone and Summit. Downsides to Mountainside is you arer are more likely to have more stairs to get to your unit and in terms of decor its more like a mountain cabin that you keep a little more rustic in style. It is also fixed week, fixed unit so you are more likely to get the specific unit deposited and can't request or change to a different unit.
 

gumbow719

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The fall Woodstone owner's newsletter is now posted online and attached to this post.

It announces they are making changes in the resort fee for 2020 by switching from charging "per side" to "$4.25 per bedroom per night." I assume that is for owners and non-owner RCI exchanges will pay a higher rate.

For 2019 the fee for owners has been $7.95 per side (usually 2BR) per night, which was discounted from the "average fee for an RCI guest or rental guest of $13.45 per side per night."

Maintenance fees are up 5% for luxury units, 5.5% for deluxe units, and 5% for casa units.
Thanks, they need money for building new timeshares by s curve up Massanutten drive...I personally think they have a bad financial situation going on, with reneging on contributing to the Homeowners association to the tune of $400,000 now this...something stinks...
 

escanoe

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Downsides to Mountainside is you arer are more likely to have more stairs to get to your unit and in terms of decor its more like a mountain cabin that you keep a little more rustic in style. It is also fixed week, fixed unit so you are more likely to get the specific unit deposited and can't request or change to a different unit.

Stairs are not an issue for us yet. The main limitation I see is inventory seems very scarce for Friday nights, which is what I will need for most long weekends. How rustic are they ... say compared to the Presidential Resort at Chancellorsville? I’d prefer a good Gold Crown, but truth is for most trips that would be plenty good.
 

escanoe

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Thanks, they need money for building new timeshares by s curve up Massanutten drive...I personally think they have a bad financial situation going on, with reneging on contributing to the Homeowners association to the tune of $400,000 now this...something stinks...

Maybe @gumbow719 and local municipality campaign has them scared and seeking to minimize local tax exposure? See the attached time share amendment that is now notified (excerpt below).

All Owners are hereby notified that on or about December 2, 2019, the Developer will file an
amendment to the Time Share Instrument for each time-share project identified above.

The Developer believes that this amendment will not have any substantial impact on Owners’ rights
or obligations. The amendment conveys and transfers the furniture, furnishings and personal property
(Furniture) within the timeshare units to the timeshare owners. This will allow the Furniture to be
exempt from local taxation. The local taxing authority has exempted Furniture from taxation when it
is owned by the timeshare owners. The Furniture will continue to be maintained and managed by the
managing agent and there will be no change in this regard.

The Developer has been advised that so conveying the Furniture will eliminate a personal property
tax assessment on the Furniture which will, in turn, benefit the operational budget for the
time-share project.

Developer is permitted to amend the Time-Share Instrument by a recorded instrument which
shall be deemed effective upon recordation unless Developer receives written disapproval of such
amendment in the percentage and within the time period specified in the Instrument.​
 

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tschwa2

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Stairs are not an issue for us yet. The main limitation I see is inventory seems very scarce for Friday nights, which is what I will need for most long weekends. How rustic are they ... say compared to the Presidential Resort at Chancellorsville? I’d prefer a good Gold Crown, but truth is for most trips that would be plenty good.
RCI considers them silver crown. I haven't been to PR at Chancellorsville so I can't compare.
 

escanoe

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bluehende

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I don't see the reason for an increase in maintenance fees yearly. If there is a problem with non payment of maintenance fees they should not be building more units. If I recall correctly the fees have increased yearly since purchase. Making a activity fee on top of the paid activities is getting steep. On the mountain there is little to do besides the paid activities over a week. You can only go the the game room, gym and courts so many times during your week. Maybe including some activities into the fee like a free tubing ride.
 

tschwa2

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I don't see the reason for an increase in maintenance fees yearly. If there is a problem with non payment of maintenance fees they should not be building more units. If I recall correctly the fees have increased yearly since purchase. Making a activity fee on top of the paid activities is getting steep. On the mountain there is little to do besides the paid activities over a week. You can only go the the game room, gym and courts so many times during your week. Maybe including some activities into the fee like a free tubing ride.
MF's go up because employee salaries might go up 1% per year and paying for healthcare for the eligible employees might go up 8% and the cost for supplies might have gone up 3%, etc. Things go up. Replacing items both big and small say vacuum cleaners or dishwashers are more expensive then it was 5 years ago. The resort fee is a different story. Owners paid a $50 fee for recreation access for years. They took that away but effectively now they will get $182 for a 4 BR (or 2 2BR units) through RCI and $126 from owners with and increase of maybe $6 of extras thrown in.
 

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Can anyone with an RCI weeks account tell me how many TPU you get for a timely Woodstone deluxe 2/2 week 52 deposit? Thanks so much!!
 

tschwa2

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For 2019 (a fairly late deposit) Full kitchen or partial kitchen 2 BR 13 tpu's
for 2020 22 tpu's
 

Synergy

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I only have an RCI points account. Is there some way to access the deposit calculator from a points account?
 

Eric B

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I only have an RCI points account. Is there some way to access the deposit calculator from a points account?

Not directly from the RCI points account, I believe, but an RCI points account comes with an RCI weeks account for no additional charge. You should try getting that set up as well as you'd need it to deposit the week anyway and there is sometimes some inventory available there that isn't in the points side.

Also, as a Massanutten owner, they typically run the "trading power boost" program for early payment of MFs; starting sometime around May through October they will deposit an expiring week in your RCI weeks account to use primarily by combining with an existing weeks deposit to improve your trading power. Details are in the newsletters they send out starting in the spring. I've received a few 21-22 TPU week deposits good for ~18 months that way, which is a much better perk than the extra vacation certificates they have. Before I figured it out fully, I was getting 8-9 TPU ones that were only good for a couple of months. The key, though, is that you have to have a weeks account, which comes free with the points one. Here is a thread on that subject:

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/massanutten-trade-boost.290287/.

Eric
 

Synergy

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Not directly from the RCI points account, I believe, but an RCI points account comes with an RCI weeks account for no additional charge. You should try getting that set up as well as you'd need it to deposit the week anyway and there is sometimes some inventory available there that isn't in the points side. Also, as a Massanutten owner, they typically run the "trading power boost" program for early payment of MFs; starting sometime around May through October they will deposit an expiring week in your RCI weeks account to use primarily by combining with an existing weeks deposit to improve your trading power. Details are in the newsletters they send out starting in the spring. I've received a few 21-22 TPU week deposits good for ~18 months that way, which is a much better perk than the extra vacation certificates they have. Before I figured it out fully, I was getting 8-9 TPU ones that were only good for a couple of months. The key, though, is that you have to have a weeks account, which comes free with the points one.

Eric

I actually asked RCI chat about this recently, and they acted like I need to have a weeks ownership to let them set up the Weeks account. I attempted to explain the Massanutten boost program - I'm in the process of purchasing a points week there, and I think I'm supposed to be eligible for a boost on that. Just haven't figured out the magic words - I'll try again, perhaps by phone during normal business hours.
 

Eric B

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I actually asked RCI chat about this recently, and they acted like I need to have a weeks ownership to let them set up the Weeks account. I attempted to explain the Massanutten boost program - I'm in the process of purchasing a points week there, and I think I'm supposed to be eligible for a boost on that. Just haven't figured out the magic words - I'll try again, perhaps by phone during normal business hours.

Phone call is probably your best bet, using the number for Vacations Villages; Massanutten in particular, since they seem to have a different one than some of the other VV resorts based on the management company. Best bet is probably the one on the extra vacations certificate they gave you to activate; (844) 874-5792 is the one I have on the last one I got that was specific to Massanutten. You've got to call that number to activate it anyway, assuming they gave you one, so you might as well work on getting the other account figured out then, too. If you've misplaced the certificate and need the reference code for their latest one, let me know; they're up to 2-180 day ones now.
 

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Hmmm, I think you're right, speaking to the RCI chat guys again wasn't particularly helpful - I posted this most recent exchange below. Currecntly, I'm just a Grandview points owner, and they give me a 2-45day certificate. It shows up in my offers but I've never seen a physical certificate - nor any way to access the terms. I am hopeful that I'll be closing on a Massanutten points ownership soon, and being able to get the boost would be quite a nice perk. I'll probably end up adding a weeks ownership anyway, hopefully well before May, but I'd hate to miss out on the boost if the right ownership doesn't come along before then.


Ryan P. (7:30:17 PM):Hello and thank you for contacting RCI! My name is Ryan and I will be assisting you today. How can I help?
Me (7:30:51 PM):Hi there. I'm trying to figure out how to set up the weeks portion of my RCI account
Ryan P. (7:30:59 PM):One moment please while I pull up your acount.
Me (7:31:02 PM):Thank you
Ryan P. (7:31:29 PM):Are you referring to your bonus weeks?
Me (7:31:59 PM):No, I think that when you pay for an RCI points account, you get a 'free' RCI weeks account
Ryan P. (7:32:14 PM):No. You can book Weeks and Points units all through RCI Points.
Me (7:32:21 PM):I am in the process of purchasing another RCI points ownership, at Massanutten
Me (7:32:54 PM):If you pay your maintenance fees early, they will give you a free deposit of 10-20tpu, but it is a weeks thing, not a points thing
Ryan P. (7:33:10 PM):Yes, but you have to own Weeks as well.
Ryan P. (7:33:19 PM):You own Points.
Ryan P. (7:33:49 PM):You own at Grandview in Las Vegas, correct?
Me (7:33:54 PM):The representative at Massanutten seemed quite sure that RCI weeks is free when you pay for RCI points
Me (7:34:09 PM):Yes, and I'm closing on Regal Vistas at Massanutten shortly
Ryan P. (7:34:24 PM):Okay, so you aren't able to create the Weeks account until you close that and actually have RCI Weeks.
Ryan P. (7:34:29 PM):Then, you would be able to do that.
Me (7:34:34 PM):But that is a points ownership as well
Ryan P. (7:34:38 PM):Then, you cannot do it.
Me (7:35:27 PM):Would the weeks membership be free if I purchased a deeded week?
Ryan P. (7:36:01 PM):You would need Massanutten to set up a Weeks account for you then.
Ryan P. (7:36:08 PM):And then we could link the 2 account.
Ryan P. (7:36:12 PM):accounts.***
Me (7:36:55 PM):So your first resort sets up RCI accounts? Grandview set up my current points account?
Me (7:37:27 PM):Will I need another Points account and RCI membership fee when I close on this Regal Vistas deed?
Me (7:38:25 PM):And then a third RCI account, that time in weeks, and a third membership fee if I purchase a weeks ownership?
Ryan P. (7:39:03 PM):Okay, so to make this easiest, you would just contact RCI back when you actually own Regal Vistas and that ownership is added to your current RCI Points account.

There was a little more, where I did get him to confirm that no matter what, I'll only have to pay my current single RCI fee, but mostly I had just given up on this particular gentleman.


Sorry for the thread detour, folks. Your help is always invaluable.
 

donnaval

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Synergy, your discussion with Ryan looks exactly like several I have had with various RCI CS people. I have read over and over on TUG that my points account has a weeks account associated with it, but none of the RCI people have a clue as to what I am talking about. I currently have a weeks account with my Wyndham points but I will be out of Wyndham after 2021. Until recently I had only one week in RCI points and constant MF increases but not commensurate increase in points mean it is more valuable if I book a prime unit and deposit it into a weeks account. Now that I have another points week with a better MF ratio (thanks to a generous TUGger and the Bargain deals forum) I'd like to explore that option. I would rather be able to do this in an account associated with my current points account rather than into the Wyndham account.
 

escanoe

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I'm just a Grandview points owner, and they give me a 2-45day certificate. It shows up in my offers but I've never seen a physical certificate - nor any way to access the terms. I am hopeful that I'll be closing on a Massanutten points ownership soon, and being able to get the boost .....”

I am a relatively new Massanutten owner, and I just went through this very thing. Don’t worry about it if you don’t have your RCI weeks account set up by the time the boost program starts. I could not figure out how to set up my weeks account dealing with RCI. Massanutten has a person that handles RCI accounts. They set my weeks account up at the same time I received the boost and deposited it into it for me. I bought some additional boosts and also put into the account. I do not own any RCI weeks properties. Just reach out to me if you have any trouble when the time comes.
 
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Synergy

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I am a relatively new Massanutten owner, and I just went through this very thing. Don’t worry about it if you don’t have your RCI weeks account set up by the time the boost program starts. I could not figure out how to set up my weeks account dealing with RCI. Massanutten has a person that handles RCI accounts. They set my weeks account up at the same time I received the boost and deposited it into it for me. I bought some additional boosts and also put into the account. I do not own any RCI weeks properties. Just reach out to me if you have any trouble when the time comes.

Thank you!! That is phenomenal news to me, I feel better about the whole process now. I can only talk my other half into just so many crazy things in a short period of time, and I'm really thinking about using up my spring allotment on a Worldmark contract ;-). Knowing that I can get the boost and purchase a couple of stub weeks is fantastic =)
 
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