Hard Rock World Weeks

[Winecounsel]

I recently purchased a Vacation Plan at the Hard Rock AI Resort in the Dominican Republic. In addition to the 15 weeks at any of the Hard Rock AI resorts in the DR and Mexico,the plan included 30 "World Weeks" which are exchangeable through RCI. They have a TPU value of 18, whatever that means, but supposedly provides 7 nights for $499 plus the $209 exchange fee. I haven't a clue what that means. For example, 7 nights WHERE? Do I have to bank a week to find other locations with a TPU of 18, or am I mixing apples and oranges? If anyone has this kind of "Legendary" plan or understands it, I would so very much appreciate some guidance.

 

[tschwa2]

RCI weeks are given a trading power of 2-60. Where and when would you like to travel? Disney DVC and very popular locations like NY are usually around 56-60 tpu's if available. Summer beach weeks are around 30-40 tpu's when available. Off season weeks can be as low as 2-6 tpu's. Shoulder season and less popular summer weeks are somewhere in between. You have to have something banked with RCI in order to search yourself.

 

[dioxide45]

TPU is something that is used by RCI. So that is the company that you would have to exchange through.

Another question though, did you buy directly from the developer? If so, general wisdom here will be to have you rescind your purchase if you are still in the rescission period, do more research, and then buy resale.

 

[DeniseM]

If you are still within the rescinding period - you should rescind.

Because of the location, and the mandatory all-inclusive, you can pick up one of these weeks on the resale market for cheap or free. But to be quite honest with you, I wouldn't. The all-inclusive feature makes it nearly impossible to rent or re-sale, because most people don't want to pay additional mandatory fees.

 

[Winecounsel]

Boy am I REALLY confused now! I was of the impression that the World Weeks had absolutely nothing to do with the AI Hard Rock Resorts. They are even accounted for differently, ie, I have 15 AI Resort weeks and an additional 30 World Week points. Use of one has no impact on the other. So I don't see how the reference to location, or "additional manditory fees" is pertinent. Perhaps it would be best if only people with specific knowledge tried to help if they are willing. Abstract generalizations are counterproductive. But thanks anyway.

 

[dioxide45]

Boy am I REALLY confused now! I was of the impression that the World Weeks had absolutely nothing to do with the AI Hard Rock Resorts. They are even accounted for differently, ie, I have 15 AI Resort weeks and an additional 30 World Week points. Use of one has no impact on the other. So I don't see how the reference to location, or "additional manditory fees" is pertinent. Perhaps it would be best if only people with specific knowledge tried to help if they are willing. Abstract generalizations are counterproductive. But thanks anyway.

Wow, your welcome. I don't see people with specific knowledge jumping all over your question, so I would think you would be happy with any help you can get. I certainly don't find any of the advice here to be counter productive. I have seen another Hard Rock owner on these boards, so finding someone with specific knowledge may be difficult. Your question as to what TPU means was answered.

Even though you will find this counterproductive. I am thinking that World Weeks are just additional "bonus weeks" that you can book through RCI. You would have to exchange for a week that has a value of 18 or fewer TPUs. $209 is RCIs exchange fee and I take it the $499 would be paid to the developer. They are basically depositing excess inventory for you to use this week. Thinking you can get up to 30 weeks for this. Though the RCI directory is huge with thousands of resorts all over the world. You would likely also have to be an RCI member, so an additional fee there for membership if your ownership doesn't somehow include it.

 

[tiel]

You are right: the World weeks have nothing to do with your Hard Rock weeks. It is my understanding these are "bonus" weeks given to you that you can use to access RCI inventory to travel to a a different resort other than the Hard Rock hotels in MX or the DR.

RCI inventory includes resorts of varying quality in the US and around the world, and it changes from day to day. As part of your purchase, you probably received at least a 1-year membership to RCI, but it may take some time for the account info to get to you. Once you can login, your ability to make an exchange will be dependent upon how your TPU value compares to that of the resort you are trying to go to...you need to have the same or greater TPU to be successful.

 

[Winecounsel]

Thank you. I hope that I didn't seem unappreciative. The $499.00 must be to "guarantee" that the minimum RCI TPU will be 18. I can afford to bank a week or two with little to risk unless I have to pay fees to RCI just to bank. The 1st year RCI membership fees were paid by the developer. My only reason to bank now would be so I can get RCI access to their TPU ratings to see if any at 18 are worth paying the fees for, which should average out to about $100.00 per night. If not, I just won't use the RCI program or those 30 weeks. Again, my purpose was to get the Legendary incentive of 15 AI weeks at the Hard Rocks in DR and Mexico for less than $200.00 per night for my wife and I. The food and booze alone were worth that, even without the ocean front 4/5 star room.
Is it making any more sense to you now?

 

[DeniseM]

18 TPU is not a lot - it won't get you into high season at the top resorts.

When you make an exchange with RCI, it's not like making a hotel reservation. An owner has to deposit the week you want to trade for, and the best trades get reserved behind the scenes, before anything goes online with "ongoing requests" which are like wait listing. So you can't really find out what you can exchange for, just by registering. You would only be able to see what is available at that very moment.

To put in an ongoing request, you have to pay the fee up front.

If you can tell us when and where you hope to go with your 18 TPU, we can probably tell you if it's likely.

Back to your original purchase - maybe the resort and AI are a good deal for you, but you could have bought it for cheap or free on the resale market. It's almost never a good value, to buy from the developer - we regularly have people who come to TUG wanting to GIVE AWAY their ownership at this resort.

 

[Winecounsel]

18 TPU is not a lot - it won't get you into high season at the top resorts.

When you make an exchange with RCI, it's not like making a hotel reservation. An owner has to deposit the week you want to trade for, and the best trades get reserved behind the scenes, before anything goes online with "ongoing requests" which are like wait listing. So you can't really find out what you can exchange for, just by registering. You would only be able to see what is available at that very moment.

To put in an ongoing request, you have to pay the fee up front.

If you can tell us when and where you hope to go with your 18 TPU, we can probably tell you if it's likely.

Back to your original purchase - maybe the resort and AI are a good deal for you, but you could have bought it for cheap or free on the resale market. It's almost never a good value, to buy from the developer - we regularly have people who come to TUG wanting to GIVE AWAY their ownership at this resort.

Why would anyone want to give away a four/five star room at an AI resort when it is fully paid for, ther are no maintenance fees or charges or costs of any kind, and the booking rate through a travel agent is typically around $3000.00. If you have someone who wants to give away their ownership, send them my way! They would have to be dumber than a rock! Actually, with no disrespect intended, I think you still don't get it. But on the off chance that I am wrong, can you point me the direction of ANY resale listing opportunity for "this resort." A friend of my son's is planning his wedding there and needs 30 rooms for a week and has negotiated hard to get rooms at $1800 per week. When I was there, a major international company (Qlik) booked 800 rooms at close to that and flew in Elton John for a private concert for their employees. We are not talking here about a Days Inn that somebody might be trying to give away!

 

[DeniseM]

How much did you pay for the 15 weeks including financing?

The mandatory all inclusive is an additional $1,400 per week?

How much will your airline tix be for each trip?

When you add up ALL the costs, you get 15 expensive weeks of vacation.

The people that I referred to in my earlier post, bought the same pkg., and when they got home, they realized that they are making payments on a product that they weren't going to use 15 times, and they didn't really want to go to the DR or Mexico 15 times, and they wanted out. However, no one was interested in taking over their payments, and the mandatory AI made it unrentable, so they were stuck.

Hopefully, this product does fit your lifestyle and budget, and you will continue to be happy with your purchase. Good luck to you!

 

[talkamotta]

Why would anyone want to give away a four/five star room at an AI resort when it is fully paid for, ther are no maintenance fees or charges or costs of any kind, and the booking rate through a travel agent is typically around $3000.00. If you have someone who wants to give away their ownership, send them my way! They would have to be dumber than a rock! Actually, with no disrespect intended, I think you still don't get it. But on the off chance that I am wrong, can you point me the direction of ANY resale listing opportunity for "this resort." A friend of my son's is planning his wedding there and needs 30 rooms for a week and has negotiated hard to get rooms at $1800 per week. When I was there, a major international company (Qlik) booked 800 rooms at close to that and flew in Elton John for a private concert for their employees. We are not talking here about a Days Inn that somebody might be trying to give away!

Is this listing on ebay similar to what you have?



ALL-INCLUSIVE HARD ROCK PUNTA CANA PALACE RESORT & CASINO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

DIAMOND MEMBER, $1500 RESORT CREDITS It is listed for $350.00.

Ive never been there but it looks real nice.

I would be one of those that the AI doesnt hold any value to me. I dont drink enough to justify the expense of AI and I like cooking inside the condo. I dont like being tied to the resort for all my food. When we went to Cancun (lots of AIs) I opt to go to the Royals because they arent AI.

No one will tell you what to buy after all its your money. Most of us here get great satisfaction from helping others especially to get the most value for thier traveling dollar. Making educated decisions is what its all about.

There are lots of reasons why people sell or give away thier timeshares. Mostly financial....the timeshare may be a great deal but airfare, car rental, etc have to be considered. A death of one of the spouses. Family dynamics change. Age and health reasons. Changes in thier desires for traveling. The best one.......which I dont agree with is....They dont have time to travel.

Good luck in your traveling adventure. Keep us posted.

 

[Winecounsel]

Thank you so very much and thanks to you (and Denise) for being so generous with your time.
My cost per week including financing is less than the "manditory" referenced. I did not have any interest in AI's either, but my boss gave me this trip as a bonus. The air fare is under $300.00 for a non stop three hour flight. Transfers to and from the airport is included. I don't drink that much, so having a free liquor dispenser in the room was of little value. However, having wine and champagne in the room and with meals was sure nice, as were the ocassional beach and poolside tropical drinks. And the retaurants included steak, lobster, and salads and fruit bars that seemed to go on for blocks. And perhaps most importantly for me, I have three adult children scattered across the country. We have a family gathering every year. So I'll burn through the 15 weeks, which are good for 15 years, in batches of four at a time. No cooking, cleaning, or shopping makes it pretty stress free. The resort has 11 swimming pools, including 3 children's pools, so the grand kids can enjoy the experience as well. There is also a decadent spa that is included via the resort credits that are included, so I had my first ever pedicure and manicure while my wife had a half day of massage and whatever comes with them, again, all included.
That said, I agree with the observations and advice. The 15 resort weeks works for me. It is the 30 "World Weeks" that have me stumped. Since there are no maintenance fees, I can simply ignore them. But if they do have value via the 18 TPU's @ $499.00 plus $209 for RCI fees, I'd like to figure that out. For most of my vacations, the $100 per nite average would be on the low side of what I usually end up paying for a hotel.

 

[DeniseM]

If you can tell us when and where you hope to go with your 18 TPU, we can probably tell you if it's likely.

 

[tschwa2]

At this point even if the OP was having buyers regret, he probably wouldn't be able to cancel. Unless it has changed recently Aruba, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic are countries that do not have any cooling off or rescission period.

Also most of these type of memberships have substantial restrictions and/or very high transfer fees so buying on the secondary market really isn't an option. Also since members usually don't have annual MF's, if they don't ever use it they are just out what they paid. There is no motivation to pay the transfer fee (which could potentially be several thousand dollars) and there is no motivation to buy a substantially gutted membership even for the transfer fee. So no one buys and no one offers to give it away(paying transfer fee).

 

[talkamotta]

That said, I agree with the observations and advice. The 15 resort weeks works for me. It is the 30 "World Weeks" that have me stumped. Since there are no maintenance fees, I can simply ignore them. But if they do have value via the 18 TPU's @ $499.00 plus $209 for RCI fees, I'd like to figure that out. For most of my vacations, the $100 per nite average would be on the low side of what I usually end up paying for a hotel.

I get a little irritated when I pay my mfs, they seem to go up a little each year but then I need a reality check every so often. My reality check happend this month when I was booking hotels for in between times of my multiweek timeshare stays. (Some are Fri-Fri and some Sun-Sun :annoyed Even doing Priceline, name your own price, etc I still paid $100/night when they added tax, etc. Those rooms are Sheraton, etc but cant compare to the timeshares we enjoy.

You can get good timeshares for 18 tpu's if you are flexible and go in off times. My last timeshare stay was 18 tpu's for a Lawrence Welk 2 bedroom in Escondido but it was in January. (Does San Diego really have an off time). If you have to work around a school calendar it will be alot tougher.

You should join TUG and get the review section. You will find that not all gold crowns are really gold crown and some non rated timeshares are wonderful. Either way keep reading. Enjoy.....its an adventure.

 

[Winecounsel]

Thanks again Denise. I dont have a place in mind. I was hoping to see what 18 TPU's would get me, and then plan my vacation accordingly. If it got me three nights at the Manhattan Club in NY, I might pay the $499.00 plus $209 for that, but if it would get me an off week in the Carribean I would probably do that, and if it got me a week in Bermuda even in the middle of hurricane season, I would definitely do that

Do you happen to know why RCI keeps the TPU values so mysterious? They act like they are protecting the crown jewels. To that end, I am surprised that there is not a thread where User Group participants could just simply post the TPU cost at the last TS they used. (I understand that there are numerous variables that can cause the values to fluctuate, but any information is better than none.
Thanks

 

[DeniseM]

We have a forum for requesting and posting Exchange Company Sightings on TUG, but it's one of the "Members" forums - you have to pony up your $15 and become a member to access it.

Because exchange company inventory changes from moment to moment, knowing what a timeshare's TPU is, isn't real helpful, because it might never be available, and the TPU varies widely depending on the date. It also fluctuates - the TPU rates are not fixed.

So let's say that 3 nights at the Manhattan Club would be 18 TPU - well that's not very helpful to know, because 3 nights at the Manhattan Club is never, every going to be available.

BTW - Timeshare exchanges are usually in increments of 7 nights - because owners own and deposit 7 nights.

Remember that the range is 2-60 TPU, so you are setting your sights too high for 18 TPU exchanges.

 

[Winecounsel]

Thanks again, Denise.
I don't think I am really setting my sights too high, because I am not setting them at all. I am just trying to figure out if I will ever be lkely to use the 18 TPU's any time, any place, for any TS. As is stands now, I would have to pay my home resort $499.00 plus tax to bank a week just to get access to the RCI list of currently available TS units with their TPUs. That would be a lot to pay just to find out that there are no units anywhere, any time, that can be obtained for 18 TPU's.
Does the TUG forum {Sightings") that you mention provide that kind of info. I will happily join if I am going to do anything with these 30 World Weeks other than just forget about them.

 

[DeniseM]

By "setting your sights too high," I meant the Manhattan Club and Caribbean.

On the Sightings Forum, you post a Sightings Request for the dates, areas and/or resorts that you are interested in, and then people with RCI Accts will look it up for you. Since there are thousands of exchanges on RCI, that change constantly, it's impossible to have a comprehensive list of them on TUG.

 

[Winecounsel]

It doesn't sound like that will get me the info I am seeking either. How about a different strategy. Is there a way to buy or rent a resale unit to bank that would not involve ongoing MFs, closing costs, etc. The point would be to bank ANY unit as cheaply as possible, which would then allow me to see the TPU's on RCI when I search for potential vacations. Again, I just want to know if my 18 TPU's will ever get me anything at all. I will be paying $700.00 in fees, so if any location is not worth more than $100.00 per night, I would probably be better off just forgetting that these 30 World Weeks exist. Again, they were an afterthought to the real point of my purchase, which was the 15 AI weeks at the Hard Rocks in DR and Mexico.

BTW, Talkamotta asked (above) if this was the same as the ebay posting for $350.00. The answer is yes, but the small print in that posting is that it is $350.00 PER NITE on a 7 night purchase. In other words, $2450 for the week. That is a not unreasonable amount for a resort of that quality imho, although they can be found for substantially less. ($350 a nite for an oceanfront room with gourmet food and top shelf liquor included for two people, with free extras like spa treatments, excursions, airport transfers, etc. is a deal: anything close to half of that is a steal.)

 

[Winecounsel]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and giving up your time to serve as moderator. I hope that you can find a moment to respond to my last post.

 

[DeniseM]

What you are asking to do with RCI is impossible. To deposit a timeshare with RCI, you must buy a timeshare, including all the costs that ownership entails, wait weeks for it to close, pay for and open an RCI account, and deposit the timeshare. There is no way to have access to RCI, without doing so.

However, it is really simple to join TUG for $15, and post a list of destinations that you are interested in on the TUG Sightings Forum, and ask people to look them up for you. If you request your favorite 4-5 vacation destinations, you will quickly get a representative sample of the value of 18 TPU.

 

[Winecounsel]

Once again you are most kind to share your knowledge and experience. I will take your advice and join TUG, and also I will try not to pester you again.
Regards.

 

[DeniseM]

Once again you are most kind to share your knowledge and experience. I will take your advice and join TUG, and also I will try not to pester you again.
Regards.

If people quit pestering me, Brian will fire me.