HGVC Maintenance Fee Refunds 2020/2021?

[CalGalTraveler]

I believe that unused banked points can be deposited to RCI to extend the points for another 2 years.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

I believe that unused banked points can be deposited to RCI to extend the points for another 2 years.

Yes, saved points can be transferred to RCI. However, if HGVC were to extend the period to be able to use the points within the HGVC system, then I would assume the ability to transfer them to RCI at the end would still be available. That might make such an extension option appealing to some people. It might also help solve a potential excessive demand situation by spreading it over a number of years.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

This is a good point - I've wondered whether HGVC wouldn't benefit by offering an extended period for saving points (say 2020 points could be used in 2022 or 2023) for an extra fee. This would help spread out the pain from a single year and I'm sure some people would pay extra for the additional flexibility.

That's an interesting idea, and i am sure they would get some people to take that option.

At the moment, i am seeing decent availability for the places i am interested int. Will have to see how the year progresses. The "extra demand" may be tempered by a sizable portion of the population still limiting their travel.

 

[csodjd]

The maintenance fees are independent of usage/reservations. As a timeshare owner, you are a partial owner of the property and have to pay all costs to maintain and operate the property. If you owned a vacation home yourself, you would still have to pay property taxes, utilities, maintenance costs, insurance, etc. whether you used your home or not. Owning a timeshare is no different except you share those costs with many other owners.

True. But the cost of operating my home is certainly less if I'm not there. However, I agree with another poster that the reduction in maintenance costs from closure will likely be offset by defaults.

 

[Yellowfin]

Shouldn't the local governments refund the property taxes for the weeks/months the resorts have been closed by state order? Let's take Hawaii as an example. If they want to keep the islands closed for an extended period of time, fine with me, it is there prerogative. But why would they still collect taxes while keeping the visitors out?

 

[dayooper]

Post Deleted.

 

[tombanjo]

I got a refund from my car insurance. Less people driving translates directly into less claims. It is a directly measurable and quantifiable amount. Your taxes on timeshares are your share of the total cost. Someone still had to pay the fire department to make sure they could put out a fire if the building caught fire, and all the other services that taxes pay for. You can use the timeshare now, or maybe used it before the quarantine. There are people who have never once stayed at the property they own. Taxes still need to be paid independent of your desires or time you show up or don't show up at your property.

 

[Yellowfin]

No taxation without reservation!

 

[frank808]

Shouldn't the local governments refund the property taxes for the weeks/months the resorts have been closed by state order? Let's take Hawaii as an example. If they want to keep the islands closed for an extended period of time, fine with me, it is there prerogative. But why would they still collect taxes while keeping the visitors out?

Hotels were never ordered to close by state order. They were closed voluntarily by the hotels/resorts. Only vacation home rentals were closed by government order.

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[Yellowfin]

Hotels were never ordered to close by state order. They were closed voluntarily by the hotels/resorts. Only vacation home rentals were closed by government order.

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it is an implicit order since the regular visitors are prevented to fly to Hawaii and imposed a quarantine.

 

[tombanjo]

You can fly there and rent a hotel room, you just need to stay put for 14 days. Obviously, most people do not want to use 2 weeks of vacation to be locked in a hotel room. HGVC is closed, as it is safer for ALL involved to be shut than to try and accommodate guests, who cannot leave their rooms. While some things like the electric bill and water bill will be significantly lower, other costs continue unabated, or even will increase (special COVID cleaning on reopening). Your points are protected, and can be used for future reservations, so all you have lost is time. For me, who prefers NY, and planned on trips during the "low" season of spring, I can't recover that time slot. Plus, there is a limit on vacation time from work, I can't roll it over till next year, if I can't book all my points for this year. In the grand scheme of things, it is difficult to pay for something you can't use as intended, but with 100,000 dead people in the US from this, 3 months where I couldn't take my vacation when I wanted is not the biggest problem out there.

 

[frank808]

it is an implicit order since the regular visitors are prevented to fly to Hawaii and imposed a quarantine.

I do not see a ban for visitors or residents flying to or from Hawaii. Please show me an official order from the State of Hawaii banning you from flying to Hawaii.

The quarantine is for 14 days for everyone coming into the state. A quarantine is not the same as ban.

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[Tamaradarann]

I do not see a ban for visitors or residents flying to or from Hawaii. Please show me an official order from the State of Hawaii banning you from flying to Hawaii.

The quarantine is for 14 days for everyone coming into the state. A quarantine is not the same as ban.

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We are not talking an explicitly stated ban on visitors. If traveling to Hawaii to be cooped up in your room for 2 weeks is your idea of a vacation then you are welcome to it. Most people do not look at that as a desirable vacation and haven't been doing it. Governor Ige knew correctly that the 14 quarantine would eliminate most visitors. It was a nice way of saying don't come. Someone who has a home in Hawaii, as you do, will endure the quarantine since they would be home and can stay forever after the 14 days.

 

[frank808]

We are not talking an explicitly stated ban on visitors. If traveling to Hawaii to be cooped up in your room for 2 weeks is your idea of a vacation then you are welcome to it. Most people do not look at that as a desirable vacation and haven't been doing it. Governor Ige knew correctly that the 14 quarantine would eliminate most visitors. It was a nice way of saying don't come. Someone who has a home in Hawaii, as you do, will endure the quarantine since they would be home and can stay forever after the 14 days.

Just wanted to be clear that visitors and residents alike have to endure the quarantine. There was never a ban on visitors flying to Hawaii.

There are people that go through the quarantine to stay in Hawaii. During April, at Marriotts KoOlina, the percentage of villas occupied by quarantining occupants has been from 66%-80% of the property. Right now, it is about 33% of people serving quarantine as there has been a lot of new check ins since Memorial Day weekend and those guests that have had quarantine in April are finished. Also there are a few guests not taking the quarantine seriously.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Just wanted to be clear that visitors and residents alike have to endure the quarantine. There was never a ban on visitors flying to Hawaii.

There are people that go through the quarantine to stay in Hawaii. During April, at Marriotts KoOlina, the percentage of villas occupied by quarantining occupants has been from 66%-80% of the property. Right now, it is about 33% of people serving quarantine as there has been a lot of new check ins since Memorial Day weekend and those guests that have had quarantine in April are finished. Also there are a few guests not taking the quarantine seriously.

I believe everyone here is clear that vistors and residents alike have to all endure the quarantine, and that there never was a ban on visitors flying to Hawaii. I was on Oahu at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when the quarantine was announced and left just as it was going in effect. The HGVC Resort Director told us that with the few people left at the resort they were going to close, which they did shortly after. When we left Waikiki was no longer the place that we love and want to return to it was like a ghost town with little to do. While we didn't want to leave, we also didn't want to stay there the way it was. For us it was no longer fun.

What I do need clarification on is that are you saying that the Mariott KoOlina resort is and has been almost full? Enough people have been coming and staying there enduring the 14 day quarantine from late March until now to keep it almost full?

 

[frank808]

I believe everyone here is clear that vistors and residents alike have to all endure the quarantine, and that there never was a ban on visitors flying to Hawaii. I was on Oahu at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when the quarantine was announced and left just as it was going in effect. The HGVC Resort Director told us that with the few people left at the resort they were going to close, which they did shortly after. When we left Waikiki was no longer the place that we love and want to return to it was like a ghost town with little to do. While we didn't want to leave, we also didn't want to stay there the way it was. For us it was no longer fun.

What I do need clarification on is that are you saying that the Mariott KoOlina resort is and has been almost full? Enough people have been coming and staying there enduring the 14 day quarantine from late March until now to keep it almost full?

No, not full at all. Has been as low as 3-4 villas occupied in early april to around 12 units occupied as of this past week.

The percentage is of villas occupied by quarantined folks, not total occupancy of resort. I dont believe any hotel in Hawaii has occupancy of more than 8% if you take out the rooms being provided to first responders. MKO occupancy level is in the 10% range now.

I do not believe it is right for HGVC to tell owners that they cannot stay at resort was not closed down by an act of government. Evey owner in HGVC, has a deeded interest in a unit to use. If I made a home resort booking at Lagoon, now I will have lost that week this year and have to do a club booking in the future. Maybe with HGVC there are not enough owners using home week?

Myself and a couple other tuggers have been enjoying the relatively quiet, calm and empty resort. Now if only hot tubs were open to use, it would be perfect.

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[Tamaradarann]

No, not full at all. Has been as low as 3-4 villas occupied in early april to around 12 units occupied as of this past week.

The percentage is of villas occupied by quarantined folks, not total occupancy of resort. I dont believe any hotel in Hawaii has occupancy of more than 8% if you take out the rooms being provided to first responders. MKO occupancy level is in the 10% range now.

I do not believe it is right for HGVC to tell owners that they cannot stay at resort was not closed down by an act of government. Evey owner in HGVC, has a deeded interest in a unit to use. If I made a home resort booking at Lagoon, now I will have lost that week this year and have to do a club booking in the future. Maybe with HGVC there are not enough owners using home week?

Myself and a couple other tuggers have been enjoying the relatively quiet, calm and empty resort. Now if only hot tubs were open to use, it would be perfect.

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We don't own in Hawaii and we never use home week anywhere in the HGVC system, the reservation system is too restrictive for most people's needs, so that home week is not an issue. The Hilton Hawaiian Village, being in Waikiki and in the middle of Honolulu, is a different type of vacation than MKO. To really enjoy and take advantage of the location of the HHV Waikiki and Honolulu need to be open for all the stuff to do and all the people. The ghost town that we saw in late March was not attractive, it was depressing. While we were intending on staying for a extended period of time, since we had points to do it, we were not really that disappointed in having to leave and go home on the last direct flight from HNL to JFK and a very private safe home with our own in the ground pool.

We have decided not to go back until the 14 day quarantine is over and tourists are again WELCOMED to Hawaii. Hopefully Honolulu will be fun again. If not, perhaps it is no longer our special place.

 

[frank808]

We don't own in Hawaii and we never use home week anywhere in the HGVC system, the reservation system is too restrictive for most people's needs, so that home week is not an issue. The Hilton Hawaiian Village, being in Waikiki and in the middle of Honolulu, is a different type of vacation than MKO. To really enjoy and take advantage of the location of the HHV Waikiki and Honolulu need to be open for all the stuff to do and all the people. The ghost town that we saw in late March was not attractive, it was depressing. While we were intending on staying for a extended period of time, since we had points to do it, we were not really that disappointed in having to leave and go home on the last direct flight from HNL to JFK and a very private safe home with our own in the ground pool.

We have decided not to go back until the 14 day quarantine is over and tourists are again WELCOMED to Hawaii. Hopefully Honolulu will be fun again. If not, perhaps it is no longer our special place.

By all means, if that is not the experience you want, do what you feel is right.

When we are on vacation, we hardly stay at the resort. We are a theme park family. Will be flying into Orlando next week to visit the parks. Important that the resort we are staying at has an open hot tub to relax in after a day at the parks!

Welcome back to the islands when you feel it it time to visit. If we are down at HHV during the same time we can meet up and have a drink.

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[Tamaradarann]

By all means, if that is not the experience you want, do what you feel is right.

When we are on vacation, we hardly stay at the resort. We are a theme park family. Will be flying into Orlando next week to visit the parks. Important that the resort we are staying at has an open hot tub to relax in after a day at the parks!

Welcome back to the islands when you feel it it time to visit. If we are down at HHV during the same time we can meet up and have a drink.

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When we are on vacations we hardly stay at the resort also. We are retired and are no longer theme park people. However, we do alot of live theatre, live music shows, museums, restauants, and breweries that are closed as well as the gym. In addtion to removing the 14 day quarantine the opening up of Honolulu for large gatherings would be essential for us to return for an enjoyable trip.

 

[DEROS]

There will be no refund but next year annual MF (2021) may be lower. I know most people, like me, don't really read the documents that are on line for the resort we own. However, one of those documents is a by line Assessment Billing for the next year (Normally comes out in November). This is how the HOA derives what the annual MF will be for the next year. So, if there is any savings due to COVID, it will be annotated somewhere in Assessment Billing for 2021. Maybe in the 'Operating Revenue / Other Income" row. Eventually there will be a Financial Audit of 2020, which will be published about March 2021. This will have the budgeted, actual, and variance. Then we can see if any savings was realized and the HOA budgeted correctly in the Assessment Billing for 2021.

Bottom-line: This year and the next, as owners, we need to be vigilant in reading the financial documents and questioning the budget. That also means participating in the HOA annual board meeting, even if it is by proxy.

 

[PigsDad]

One point about CV-19's effect on MFs that was brought up in a thread back in Mar/Apr was that even though some expenses may be less due to furloughing employees, if the resort has a store / restaurant onsite or other revenue-generating activities, they will see less income due to being shutdown, and that may offset the reduced expenses, so it is unclear what the net effect on MFs will be for the year.

Kurt

 

[GT75]

I have been trying to decide if I predict MFs will increase or decrease next year. I actually could see it go both ways. I am currently at Ocean Oak this week. What I am observing is more workers in the common spaces such as lobby and pool areas performing CV-19 tasks such as wiping down carts and handrails. In addition, I suspect that the contract staff such as housekeeping will be more expensive due to additional CV-19 requirements. So, I am predicting an increase with some wording on our 2021 MF bill, ...due to additional CV-19 requirement ...

 

[natarajanv]

I am currently at Ocean Oak this week.

Are you staying at Phase 2? Can you please post some pictures of Phase 2 if possible, I don't think we have them.

 

[GT75]

Are you staying at Phase 2? Can you please post some pictures of Phase 2 if possible, I don't think we have them.

Certainly, I will update our sticky.