Grand Luxxe/Registry Collection Program Update

[Eric B]

On March 5th, the Registry Collection (TRC) changed the program for Vidanta Grand Luxxe (GL) owners (at least at the 2 BR spa/1 BR loft level and up). If you deposit your contracted week with the Registry Collection, you can book two weeks through them. The deposit is good for 2 years. This allows booking essentially any level week TRC has available, including back at Vidanta. It may not be beneficial in getting an upgraded room there during the high season, but does work for getting an upgraded week there in the shoulder or low season, depending on availability.

This strikes me as a good business decision for Vidanta. It provides value added for GL owners to pay the usage fees for the weeks they have the right to use, while retaining some control over what inventory they can access via TRC. Seems like a good change to me; also seems indicative of a shift in the reliance on the hotel side of things as a profit center rather than the sales side of things. Purely speculation on my part, of course.

I had been considering whether TRC was worth the membership fee before learning of this change. Now that the program has changed in this way, I do see value in it. The availability at GL throughout the year in TRC is skewed to the low and shoulder seasons, of course, and predominantly in the Nuevo Vallarta area (the spa tower is the only Riviera Maya availability I've seen in TRC to date), but I'm happy with that since I do like to travel then. This also allows a better price match for the supply/demand situation since it's essentially 2 for 1 plus the exchange fee (currently $295). Seems like it gets in the ball park of what folks wind up paying in total going through II for the same or equivalent inventory, considering MFs and exchange fees. It about makes up for the restrictions they (not sure who) placed on RCI Platinum priority access exchanges into GL resort IDs. I'm still not entirely happy about that restriction, which continues to make me question the value of RCI Platinum, but I can live with it for now. We'll see what the next changes are....

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Thanks Eric for posting a clear and complete update of the change ; and how it can best be used .

It shows that Vidanta management continues to evaluate market conditions and do what changes are needed .
While I do not have TRC in my ownership(s) I prefer owning in a growing & improving resort system .

 

[Eric B]

Ok, I got further details on how the new program works. It's for Vidanta Grand Luxxe members at the spa or loft levels; they have different programs for the GL suite and villa levels, the Grand Bliss level, and the Grand Mayan and Kingdom of the Sun levels. They haven't actually finished rolling out the details, but it does allow you to book two weeks at any of the Registry Collection listed resorts for the exchange fee cost (currently $295) for a deposit by Vidanta of one week at your contracted usage fee. Based on the availability they have, that lets us (as 1 BR loft owners) to exchange into two weeks for the price of a 1 BR loft in any of the other GL units in the off season (typical availability I've seen is good for 2 & 3 BR lofts and spas through most of the off season; 4 BR units in the fall, and suites and villas at varying levels all year. Factoring in the Registry Collection membership fee, that puts it about on par with what the folks trading into those units through II are paying for their MFs plus the exchange fees, which seems quite fair to me, allows Vidanta to collect some usage fees they otherwise wouldn't get, and makes me feel a bit better about the RCI Platinum changes limiting my availability there. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of availability for upgrades going back there in the high season, but that's ok with me.

One thing I did learn from the sales guys the last time is that they are forbidden from giving customers any advice on how to maximize their use of what they're buying, which is a bit odd, so I figured I'd pass this on in case there are any other folks that own at this level on TUG that would be interested in reactivating their Registry Collection memberships. I don't have much visibility into what the programs are at the lower levels, though, but it might be worth calling and asking if you're a Vidanta owner at the Grand Mayan level and up.

One final note; this essentially eliminates the value of the Registry Collection last call vacations since they would count against the two exchanges per usage fee cost. Also, there is a note on the availability listing for some resorts limiting it to two confirmations per year; that note is only applicable to certain hotel exchanges that are marked with two asterisks (**); I had to call to figure out that it was just those exchange types subject to that limit because there haven't been any listed since I've been looking at their availability - I initially thought it applied to all the resorts since there weren't any marked that way.

 

[Eric B]

Finally, the rest of the story...

For Grand Luxxe at the condo/villa levels it's 1 Registry Collection exchange and 1 RCI exchange through the Registry Collection per week deposited. That might make some sense because for the cost of a usage fee for a condo/villa (whichever the contract is for) plus two exchange fees you'd get a week in anything through the Registry Collection (which includes the GL Lofts, spas, etc. in NV and the spas in RM) plus a week through RCI (which you could use to go back to Grand Bliss or anywhere else w/o worrying about the TPU/points). Not as good a deal as the senior certificates (when they kick in), but not a bad deal considering you can also get a higher level week in the shoulder/low seasons. It might be worthwhile, but you'd have to contact them to verify things and do the math on the exchanges to figure it out for yourself.

At the Grand Bliss/Grand Mayan/Kindgom of the Sun levels it's 1 Registry Collection exchange per week deposited, with the value based on the value of the week you deposit. I'm not sure how good an exchange one could get with a deposit at that level, but it might appeal to some.

The other thing of interest I take away from this short research project is that Kingdom of the Sun will exchange in Registry Collection, which might appeal to some after the park opens.