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II - New Ratings: pineapples and laurels

E

EvelynK72

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The new resort recognition program in II is now visible. When you go to the exchange tab and see your list of resorts available for trading, the new symbols are visible. The silver circle with a pineapple represents the Select resorts and the gold circle with the laurel leaves represents the Premier resorts.

I couldn't get the resort directory to work to see the ratings of anything else other than the resorts I own.
 
EvelynK72 said:
The new resort recognition program in II is now visible. When you go to the exchange tab and see your list of resorts available for trading, the new symbols are visible. The silver circle with a pineapple represents the Select resorts and the gold circle with the laurel leaves represents the Premier resorts.

I couldn't get the resort directory to work to see the ratings of anything else other than the resorts I own.
Click to expand...
I noticed that one of my resorts had a new symbol this morning. I also experienced the same problem with access to the resort directory. I was trying to locate a resort in the directory this morning, and nothing will show up. I tried looking at other areas, but I keep getting the following error message: "No resorts match the criteria you've selected. Please modify your choices and search again."
 
The old symbols were there last night so maybe they are still in the process of updating the system.
 
It seems to be working now. My resorts all show the gold symbol and the resort directory is accessable with the symbols.
 
The II website is working OK with the new Premier & Select symbols as well as the old GOLF symbol shown as warranted. My quick review of the most popular destinations suggests that the Premier resort rating simply replaced the former 5-star designation. I could not identify a single example where a resort may have been dowgraded from a 5-star to Select or even to just plain unrated resort. I wonder if anyone can identify such an example ?
K.
 
Kola said:
The II website is working OK with the new Premier & Select symbols as well as the old GOLF symbol shown as warranted. My quick review of the most popular destinations suggests that the Premier resort rating simply replaced the former 5-star designation. I could not identify a single example where a resort may have been downgraded from a 5-star to Select or even to just plain unrated resort. I wonder if anyone can identify such an example ?
K.
Click to expand...
Sheraton Broadway Plantation used to be 5* - on my list of resorts it now shows nothing....maybe they are still tweaking the system...
 
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Kola said:
The II website is working OK with the new Premier & Select symbols as well as the old GOLF symbol shown as warranted. My quick review of the most popular destinations suggests that the Premier resort rating simply replaced the former 5-star designation. I could not identify a single example where a resort may have been dowgraded from a 5-star to Select or even to just plain unrated resort. I wonder if anyone can identify such an example ?
K.
Click to expand...

I noticed La Cabana in Aruba used to be 5 star, it is now Select. Same thing at Riviera Shores in CA, San Clemente Cove in CA and Palm Canyon in Palm Springs.
 
GrayFal said:
Sheraton Broadway Plantation used to be 5* - on my list of resorts it now shows nothing....maybe they are still tweaking the system...
Click to expand...

But when I just did a search - SBP is a Premiere - just not on my 'list'...I guess they are still 'tweaking' the system.
 
Same thing (I think) here - a Westgate resorts shows as Premiere on the Resort Directory, but Select in my list of My Units. I wonder which one is right.

Jeff
 
I did find one that used to be listed as 5-star and is now listed as "Select." It's the Rincon del Este in Uruguay. We've stayed there, and one of the reasons we went was because it was listed as a 5-star (this was about two and a half years ago). It was a nice resort, and we enjoyed our stay there, but it was by no means a 5-star resort. I think the "Select" designation is appropriate. It's better quality than the average resort you might find in that part of South America, but by no means equivalent to what most Americans would think of as a 5-star resort. I'm looking forward to exploring the site further. :whoopie:
 
The Mountainside lodge in Whistler is RCI gold Crown and an unrated in II. ( same as before the new rating system)
 
Put II out of its misery.

After all this they still have the same meaningless ratings (5* automatically became the Golden Shaft -er, Pineapple)? This was their chance to actually do some serious ranking correction rather than continue with the developer based automatic 5* regardless of resort features, condition or location.

All too typical of the II system if they really simply changed the symbol and not the way resorts get it. II is a pretender in every sense of the term. If it weren't for the big names they lured in with special promises and deals they would have faded away long ago. As it is they aren't healthy and, with a few defections like Marriott possibly on the horizon and no points plan in place, maybe they will get bought out (again) by someone that can actually run an exchange system rather than play at it as they do. If they closed tomorrow it would be no loss to the timeshare community. We would lose a great slogan but it has never been the way they actually operated.
 
timeos2 said:
All too typical of the II system if they really simply changed the symbol and not the way resorts get it. II is a pretender in every sense of the term. If it weren't for the big names they lured in with special promises and deals they would have faded away long ago. As it is they aren't healthy and, with a few defections like Marriott possibly on the horizon and no points plan in place, maybe they will get bought out (again) by someone that can actually run an exchange system rather than play at it as they do. If they closed tomorrow it would be no loss to the timeshare community. We would lose a great slogan but it has never been the way they actually operated.
Click to expand...

Well, well,...IF not for all these IFs....maybe we could agree! Indeed II past success has a lot to do with the BIG names and higher resort selectivity despite significantly lower totals of affiliated resorts at any point in time. Compared to RCI they did not fall into a trap of undermining their own exchange system by inventing a variety of money-making rental schemes. And the RCI Points system has been ....well...certainly controversial, some would say almost a flop.
Indeed, if II closed tomorrow, or next year, it would be a great loss to the timeshare industry. So far at least no other competitive exchange system (SFX, DAE, Redweek, etc) managed to come anywhere close. I strongly doubt that they ever will despite all the advertising fiction spread around their websites.
Yes, II has its faults and some of us don't like some of their exchange rules.
But from my experience of close to 20 years of timesharing there is no perfect T/S exchange or travel accomodation booking system. Since all ratings of resorts/hotels/tours/cruises/etc. are subjective, one will always find controversial opinions. I don't like SOME II 5* - now Premier - ratings, but at the same time I could never agree with many RCI ratings, with their indifference and inflexibility and I dropped them about ten years ago. What needs to be said about the II new rating system is that it is evident that they are attempting to make it better than the 5* rating system. Only time will tell.
K.
 
timeos2 said:
After all this they still have the same meaningless ratings (5* automatically became the Golden Shaft -er, Pineapple)? This was their chance to actually do some serious ranking correction rather than continue with the developer based automatic 5* regardless of resort features, condition or location.

All too typical of the II system if they really simply changed the symbol and not the way resorts get it. II is a pretender in every sense of the term. If it weren't for the big names they lured in with special promises and deals they would have faded away long ago. As it is they aren't healthy and, with a few defections like Marriott possibly on the horizon and no points plan in place, maybe they will get bought out (again) by someone that can actually run an exchange system rather than play at it as they do. If they closed tomorrow it would be no loss to the timeshare community. We would lose a great slogan but it has never been the way they actually operated.
Click to expand...

With just a quick look there are several 5 star resorts that did not make the rating of Premier but were given the rating of Select instead.

As far as certain developers automatically getting the Premier status, your wrong again. Westgate Flamingo Bay went from 5 star to Select, rather than Premier. So it seems your wrong about the new rating system not being updated.
 
Looks like a serious attempt

I have been waiting for the new system to debut on the system and it has this morning. I checked after lunch and my directory was working fine. I did notice a good number of resorts moved from Gold, now Premier to Select and a few fell off all together.

I have been reviewing rating on here and it seems that they, II are pretty consistent with the views here.

RIMIke
 
Pineapples, papayas, laurels, crowns. It's all subjective. One of mine (HBR) went from 5* to Laurel & rightly so. I tend to go for the Laurel sort of places so I'm glad they have at least added another benchmark. I still tend to think that Marriott in particular is a pet with all that Pineapple stuff. My last Marriott experience was nice but the condition of the unit was not worthy of a pineapple. More like a guava or perhaps an apricot.
 
To get a better handle on what II has done so far I have listed below six random examples of downgraded resort ratings in Florida and Las Vegas. I am quite sure there must be other examples in other areas.

Westgate at South Beach WCS - down to Select
Galleon GLN - down to Select
Redington Amb. RED - down to Standard

Las Vagas

The Bond - down to Select
Lady Luck - down to Standard
Westgate Flamingo - down to Select

K.
 
timeos2 said:
After all this they still have the same meaningless ratings (5* automatically became the Golden Shaft -er, Pineapple)? ...
Click to expand...

Falcon Point was also downgraded from 5-star to Select. Figures. I just bought Falcon Point a little while ago, and now it gets downgraded. And, one of the reasons I bought it was to was to access the 5-star ratings in II. (Well, that and because I needed an excuse to buy another timeshare. :rofl: )

That silver thing is supposed to be a pineapple? I thought it looked like an aircraft carrier on a large wave!

I'm not seeing any of the symbols when I look in the resort directory, just in my own list of resorts owned. Anyone know what the other symbols are?
 
D. R. I. Or V. R. I. ?

timeos2 said:
As it is they aren't healthy and, with a few defections like Marriott possibly on the horizon and no points plan in place, maybe they will get bought out (again) by someone that can actually run an exchange system rather than play at it as they do.
Click to expand...
Hey, maybe VRI could acquire I-I & merge it with VRIety.

Or Diamond could take over I-I & work out some way of blending it with T.H.E. Club.

Wouldn't that be something?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 
JudyS said:
Falcon Point was also downgraded from 5-star to Select. Figures. I just bought Falcon Point a little while ago, and now it gets downgraded. And, one of the reasons I bought it was to was to access the 5-star ratings in II.
Click to expand...

I am a bit confused. If you own a resort that is rated with a pineapple or a laurel or whatever, does that mean that you can not trade to a resort that does not have the same designation as your home resort? Or just that it may be more difficult for a lower rated resort to "trade up"? Will II try to keep your trade equal, or within your group?
 
Wasn't there supposed to be five quality rating levels, not just three?


geneticblend said:
I am a bit confused. If you own a resort that is rated with a pineapple or a laurel or whatever, does that mean that you can not trade to a resort that does not have the same designation as your home resort? Or just that it may be more difficult for a lower rated resort to "trade up"? Will II try to keep your trade equal, or within your group?
Click to expand...
II does not allow owners to receive an exchange week with an extremely different quality rating that the week they have deposited (but trade-downs are more restricted than trade-ups, is my impression.) So, generally, you are allowed to trade down a little, and trade up quite a bit.

However, it is unclear whether the new rating system will have any effect on which resorts are considered the right quality for you to trade into. II has always had internal quality ratings that were not displayed to the public. It is possible that they have changed what is displayed to the public, without changing their internal system at all.
 
JudyS said:
Wasn't there supposed to be five quality rating levels, not just three?


II does not allow owners to receive an exchange week with an extremely different quality rating that the week they have deposited (but trade-downs are more restricted than trade-ups, is my impression.) So, generally, you are allowed to trade down a little, and trade up quite a bit.

However, it is unclear whether the new rating system will have any effect on which resorts are considered the right quality for you to trade into. II has always had internal quality ratings that were not displayed to the public. It is possible that they have changed what is displayed to the public, without changing their internal system at all.
Click to expand...

They have to be having problems with their system. Ratings keep changing each time I check.
 
I haven't noticed any rating changes in such areas as Florida, Arizona, Nevada and others. Maybe you and I are looking at different regions. Could you provide specific examples ?

K.
 
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