• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Four Seasons Scottsdale

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
I finally got a highly desirable exchange from Elite Alliance. I have a 2 BR at Four Seasons Scottsdale booked for Christmas week. Following that week, I have a 2 BR for New Year’s Week at Four Seasons Aviara (I own there). Both are dog friendly. We are planning a 2 week road trip with the dogs and kids.

I looked online and Four Seasons Scottsdale is charging over $3700 a day plus tax and resort fees for that week in a 2 BR suite. That sounds unbelievably expensive. Does that sound correct? Do people pay that much to stay there during the holidays? Is it a really nice resort?

I was almost going to allow someone to use a guest certificate to stay there at my cost. When I found out how expensive it is, I decided to combine it with my week at FSA. These two resorts are some of the highest rated on TUG.
 

alwysonvac

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
15,915
Reaction score
3,744
Points
848
Location
New Jersey
Resorts Owned
WORLDMARK, HGVC, VISTANA

SOLD (DVC, FSRC)
Yes, that’s correct. There‘s the Four Seasons Resort and the Four Season Residence Club (FSRC) - see map below.
Rental prices at Four Seasons resorts are much higher especially during the holidays.

Here are some FSRC rental prices

Tri West also has some FSRC photos - see link (select Photo Gallery at the top of the page).

1611021014465.jpeg


1611021219719.jpeg
 

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
Yes, that’s correct. There‘s the Four Seasons Resort and the Four Season Residence Club (FSRC) - see map below.
Rental prices at Four Seasons resorts are much higher especially during the holidays.

Here are some FSRC rental prices

Tri West also has some FSRC photos - see link (select Photo Gallery at the top of the page).

View attachment 31244

View attachment 31245

I would guess that the reason the resort is so expensive is it’s run by Four Seasons. There are probably too many TS owners on the residence side who do not use their units so it drives down prices.

Are Residence Club members allowed to use all amenities like hotel guests?
 

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
Yes, that’s correct. There‘s the Four Seasons Resort and the Four Season Residence Club (FSRC) - see map below.
Rental prices at Four Seasons resorts are much higher especially during the holidays.

Here are some FSRC rental prices

Tri West also has some FSRC photos - see link (select Photo Gallery at the top of the page).

View attachment 31244

View attachment 31245

Prices are so low on the timeshare side. I wonder why anyone would stay on the resort side. The price of a week in a 2BR timeshare there is the same as one day on the resort side. Maybe people are just not aware.
 

alwysonvac

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
15,915
Reaction score
3,744
Points
848
Location
New Jersey
Resorts Owned
WORLDMARK, HGVC, VISTANA

SOLD (DVC, FSRC)
Both resales webpages below indicate FSRC owners have full access to the vacation amenities of Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. But I suggest calling the FSRC if access to hotel amenities are important to you.


 

liongate88

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2020
Messages
136
Reaction score
27
Points
88
Resorts Owned
DVC (AUL), WKV, SVV, HGVC (BLVD, GW, Elara), HRC , WM
I finally got a highly desirable exchange from Elite Alliance. I have a 2 BR at Four Seasons Scottsdale booked for Christmas week. Following that week, I have a 2 BR for New Year’s Week at Four Seasons Aviara (I own there). Both are dog friendly. We are planning a 2 week road trip with the dogs and kids.

I looked online and Four Seasons Scottsdale is charging over $3700 a day plus tax and resort fees for that week in a 2 BR suite. That sounds unbelievably expensive. Does that sound correct? Do people pay that much to stay there during the holidays? Is it a really nice resort?

I was almost going to allow someone to use a guest certificate to stay there at my cost. When I found out how expensive it is, I decided to combine it with my week at FSA. These two resorts are some of the highest rated on TUG.
Would owning four seasons in aviara allow you to book at any other 5 resorts in the Four seasons residence club (scottsdale, jackson hole, Costa rica, mexico)? Would it be difficult to exchange to these resorts? I was looking at getting into it and I did not see any Post regarding this. Thanks
 

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
Would owning four seasons in aviara allow you to book at any other 5 resorts in the Four seasons residence club (scottsdale, jackson hole, Costa rica, mexico)? Would it be difficult to exchange to these resorts? I was looking at getting into it and I did not see any Post regarding this. Thanks

Owning FSA allows you to trade into Four Seasons in Scottsdale in the same season at 6 month. For the others, you need to enter the lottery. We won the lottery and went to Four Seasons Costa Rica our first year. But we did not win the second year.
 

sng85

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Messages
100
Reaction score
41
Points
88
Resorts Owned
HGVC SeaWorld
HGVC Sunrise Lodge
Four Seasons Aviara
Teton Club
Would owning four seasons in aviara allow you to book at any other 5 resorts in the Four seasons residence club (scottsdale, jackson hole, Costa rica, mexico)? Would it be difficult to exchange to these resorts? I was looking at getting into it and I did not see any Post regarding this. Thanks

I called Four Seasons Residence Club yesterday to understand exactly this. Here's what I learned:
1) Exchanging to JH, CR, etc. are part of a privilege called Club Benefits. These do not ordinarily transfer to resale buyers, unless the resale is through Four Seasons' preferred exchange/broker (Tri-west link). (Aside but similarly: the FSAC = FS Accommodation Credit benefit also doesn't transfer ordinarily unless purchased through Tri-west).
2) Assuming you have the Club Benefit, the exchange is facilitated through an annual exchange draw/lottery, which takes place in November. You would still book your week normally, but in November, you can decide whether you want to enter the exchange lottery or not. If you decide to enter your week, it must be the full week, so for example, if you split your 1 week 2 bedroom lock-out into 2 stays, you don't get to enter 1 week and hang on to the other for your personal stay.
3) First step in the lottery process is that FSRC selects the weeks that will have the opportunity to exchange their week. My understanding is that the win probability is influenced by number of weeks and whether you won in the previous year. If you won in the previous year, the probability of winning again is lower (not sure if its 0), to give all owners a chance to exchange. FYI, they quoted that there were approx. 2000 weeks entered in the draw in November 2020 for an available 250 weeks. That implies a low win probability, but they also mentioned that 2020 was an anomaly as one would expect.
4) Assuming your week is selected for the exchange, you get access to their availability portal, in view only mode, which shows the weeks and resorts that are available. There is a date when then portal goes live for booking, so the view only mode allows you to plan if you can find a resort/week that works for you.
5) Assuming that you find a week/resort that works for you, then you would try to book it when the portal goes live for everyone. Subject to first come first serve at this point.
6) Last thing to add here is that there is a $100 to $400 charge per night, depending on your ownership week and what you are exchanging into. So for example if you had a gold week and you were exchanging into a platinum week, you may be required to an additional $400 per night for the trade.

Of course, I have never actually tried this, so others who have experience can validate or correct any of the above. Documenting it here to the extent it helps others as the information on this is limited/fragmented.

One question for others - why are there so many Aviara resales listed and going for next to nothing? I see 327 units for sale on Tri-West's website. Has it always been the case?
 
Last edited:

liongate88

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2020
Messages
136
Reaction score
27
Points
88
Resorts Owned
DVC (AUL), WKV, SVV, HGVC (BLVD, GW, Elara), HRC , WM
I called Four Seasons Residence Club yesterday to understand exactly this. Here's what I learned:
1) Exchanging to JH, CR, etc. are part of a privilege called Club Benefits. These do not ordinarily transfer to resale buyers, unless the resale is through Four Seasons' preferred exchange/broker (Tri-west link). (Aside but similarly: the FSAC = FS Accommodation Credit benefit also doesn't transfer ordinarily unless purchased through Tri-west).
2) Assuming you have the Club Benefit, the exchange is facilitated through an annual exchange draw/lottery, which takes place in November. You would still book your week normally, but in November, you can decide whether you want to enter the exchange lottery or not. If you decide to enter your week, it must be the full week, so for example, if you split your 1 week 2 bedroom lock-out into 2 stays, you don't get to enter 1 week and hang on to the other for your personal stay.
3) First step in the lottery process is that FSRC selects the weeks that will have the opportunity to exchange their week. My understanding is that the win probability is influenced by number of weeks and whether you won in the previous year. If you won in the previous year, the probability of winning again is lower (not sure if its 0), to give all owners a chance to exchange. FYI, they quoted that there were approx. 2000 weeks entered in the draw in November 2020 for an available 250 weeks. That implies a low win probability, but they also mentioned that 2020 was an anomaly as one would expect.
4) Assuming your week is selected for the exchange, you get access to their availability portal, in view only mode, which shows the weeks and resorts that are available. There is a date when then portal goes live for booking, so the view only mode allows you to plan if you can find a resort/week that works for you.
5) Assuming that you find a week/resort that works for you, then you would try to book it when the portal goes live for everyone. Subject to first come first serve at this point.
6) Last thing to add here is that there is a $100 to $400 charge per night, depending on your ownership week and what you are exchanging into. So for example if you had a gold week and you were exchanging into a platinum week, you may be required to an additional $400 per night for the trade.

Of course, I have never actually tried this, so others who have experience can validate or correct any of the above. Documenting it here to the extent it helps others as the information on this is limited/fragmented.

One question for others - why are there so many Aviara resales listed and going for next to nothing? I see 327 units for sale on Tri-West's website. Has it always been the case?

Awesome. I guess it explains most if not all of it. Sounds complicated to exchange though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

GregGH

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
574
Reaction score
29
Points
388
Location
Kingsville, ON
Hi Everyone - been a while since been to TUG ... fun catching up on stuff. Maybe I can add a few points here ( for what it is worth )
- the issue of two parts at Scottsdale - I quickly toured a unit some years back - but I think it like Aviara -- when vacancy exists you will find your next door neighbour booked thru Four Seasons ( we find this a lot in Jan & Feb when conventions at the Hyatt overflow - in non coVid Years )
- please remember the people who bought into Punta Mita ( picture attached ) and C.R. paid a ton more money than we did for FSA ... and you get less prime weeks for obvious reasons ... a side note -- at Punta Mita - it was interesting to see so few 2 bbd units - most are 3 bbd ( with 4bbd on the top ) ...but even these are fewer units when compared to the people who own FULL QUARTERS or FULL YEAR ownership !! ... ( it helps if you watch Billions series one more time ...:). With that being said - you never ever saw any impression of a two tier level of customer service ... every person treated exceptionally well ... as you come to expect from FS.
- never ever upgrade to a 3 bbd at Punta Mita ... the 3rd bed is small and at the back - but the two are equal in the front with amazing everything ... so Our daughter and son-in-law keep asking when ware we going back ...:). Picture is the 'kids' who we could not get out of the plunge pool in our balcony. These kids make more money than I do ...:). At least I warned you .... damm kids ....
 

Attachments

  • Punta Mita-extra small.png
    Punta Mita-extra small.png
    746.6 KB · Views: 92

sng85

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Messages
100
Reaction score
41
Points
88
Resorts Owned
HGVC SeaWorld
HGVC Sunrise Lodge
Four Seasons Aviara
Teton Club
Awesome. I guess it explains most if not all of it. Sounds complicated to exchange though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
One other thing that I was told was that to keep the FS Club Benefits on a resale Aviara unit, the purchase price has to be over $2,500. This could be inclusive of MF, closing fees, etc, by the new buyer), but it has to be over $2,500 or the FS Club Benefit would be lost on resale transfer. Also, for the accommodation credit, the purchase price is higher - either $5,000 or $7,500 or something to that effect. This is all for a gold week. Not sure that it is for platinum or Scottsdale resale.
I’m in process of becoming a FSA owner and planning on going there in the next 3 months.
 

Bill4728

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
11,038
Reaction score
598
Points
899
Location
Lake Tapps, WA
We have traded into FS Scottsdale twice in the past three years. The TS part of the resort is very nice. The hotel resort is also very nice but IMHO not worth any extra money vs staying at the TS.
Both the hotel and TS have great pools and the pools have pool side service and a restaurant so you are treated like a super high end resort.
 

BisayangNomad

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Messages
2
Reaction score
1
Points
63
Resorts Owned
Four Seasons Residence Club Scottsdale at Troon North, Hyatt Residence Club Lake Tahoe - High Sierra Lodge
Owning FSA allows you to trade into Four Seasons in Scottsdale in the same season at 6 month. For the others, you need to enter the lottery. We won the lottery and went to Four Seasons Costa Rica our first year. But we did not win the second year.

I was told that you cannot enter the lottery the year following you have won it.
 

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
I was told that you cannot enter the lottery the year following you have won it.

We have two units so we can enter with the unit that did not win in the second year.
 

hapstersmom

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
133
Reaction score
42
Points
238
Location
Honolulu
We have traded into FS Scottsdale twice in the past three years. The TS part of the resort is very nice. The hotel resort is also very nice but IMHO not worth any extra money vs staying at the TS.
Both the hotel and TS have great pools and the pools have pool side service and a restaurant so you are treated like a super high end resort.
I just scored a trade through II using 1 bedroom from SDO and am expecting great things based on a 3 day trip to FS Lanai a few years back, but am wondering if you can tell me anything about the facilities at Troon. Can you still use the facilities at both if you are at the residences? Is the fitness center (important to my husband) nice? Does it have steam and sauna? Do they have the little amenities at the pools like bug spray and sunscreen so you do not need to worry about getting some when you get there? Are the Sprouts or Whole Foods within a decent driving distance? is the kitchen well-equipped? Thanks so much for your help.
 
Top