Living thru Hell Week Aruba right now

[Beaglemom3]

You see! Some people just can't leave my religion alone.:hysterical:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

Amen.

 

[topmom101]

I seem to recall reading about an incident at the Playa Linda (Aruba) where I am an owner, of a man who got belligerant and verbally abusive with one of the beach employees. When the incident was brought up to management's attention, the owner was reprimanded and warned that his ownership would be revoked following a repeat performance.

Clearly, that kind of behavior is a violation of the code of conduct we must all adhere to. It's unbelievable to me that Marriott allows this to go on year after year.

Has anyone thought of contacting the organizers of this yearly event and listing the endless list of offenses being perpetrated by this group? Maybe they have a conscience.

 

[indyhorizons]

On that same note, I have a family member who works for MAR (not VAC). At the hotel level- groups (religious, sexual preference/orientation- you name it) book out the whole hotel for their function all the time. MAR can accommodate this by not making the hotel available and selling the rooms to the group. No problem. The problem here is they try to apply the same principles to this group at VAC and it is not possible, because even though they own a large number of weeks, they don't own all the weeks so the week is available for: other owners to book; Marriott.com to rent; DC owners to book. And while this group still has their activities en masse (such as cooking exclusive to them- etc.) it really isn't the same as when this occurs as a group at a hotel. The hotel "belongs" to the group during the designated period. That is not the case here.

Also, Marriott seems to be willing to take groups no other property wants. In my family member's previous city, the sexual orientation group moved from the Hyatt to the Marriott because people were gawking and whispering about them. If you heard some of the stories, you might gawk or whisper too.

 

[rthib]

Video!

As others stated.
Someone need to take some video of the behavior and post it.

Comments can turn in to a he said/she said.
Video is both powerful and allows anyone to make a judgement.

It is ridiculous that there should be any time at any resort you should avoid because of behavior.

 

[indyhorizons]

I seem to recall reading about an incident at the Playa Linda (Aruba) where I am an owner, of a man who got belligerant and verbally abusive with one of the beach employees. When the incident was brought up to management's attention, the owner was reprimanded and warned that his ownership would be revoked following a repeat performance.

Clearly, that kind of behavior is a violation of the code of conduct we must all adhere to. It's unbelievable to me that Marriott allows this to go on year after year.

Has anyone thought of contacting the organizers of this yearly event and listing the endless list of offenses being perpetrated by this group? Maybe they have a conscience.

I'd love to hear that conversation. :hysterical:

 

[TUGBrian]

totally agree on the video part...surely someone has a go-pro they can wear or use?

 

[jimf41]

Since this discussion is also going on in the mods forum to decide on things...ill ask you guys:

How do you know its one particular church/group/whatever that is causing all this trouble?

Having experienced it in 2002 I was told by the bartender at the Marriott hotel bar about them. He never mentioned their religion and I saw nothing to lead me to believe that they were associated with any particular religious belief. All I knew was they were a group from the metro area in NY City that came down every year and had been refused reservations at the other hotels on the hotel strip due to their behavior.

We stayed at the hotel not the TS's and it was pretty bad. We were on a 7 day points package but left after 3 nights at considerable cost due to the fact that the fire alarms went off twice a night like clockwork. I also got tired of having the exiting guests push all the floor buttons on the elevator before leaving. Kids stuff really but very annoying kid stuff when it's repeated continuously.

The grounds and inside of the hotel were really nice but I'll never return to Aruba again. Not in January, not in any other month and that's a shame but once you get a bad taste in your mouth about a resort you don't want the possibility of a repeat.

As far as a group effort to get this nonsense stopped count me in too. Maybe we tuggers could draw up a letter that is to the point about the disturbance and the timeframe without getting sidetracked into other issues that have no bearing on the problem.

A lot of the posts on this thread seem to be from people who have heard about this but have not actually lived through it. IMO that seems to escalate the animosity and does nothing to solve the problem.

As far as this thread getting repeated every year I'm very glad it does. It's too late for me but if it saves a few folks from a miserable experience it's well worth it.

 

[jlp879]

It's possible to create an unofficial Marriott Facebook page entitled “Dissatisfied with Marriott Aruba Surf Club” or something like that. A few photos of property damage and video shots will surely get their attention.

That is the only way not to get thrown off the official Marriott social media channels.

 

[topmom101]

Good idea.

 

[Ridewithme38]

It would be interesting to see Videos and/or photos that show what is being said here.

BTW: I am willing to sacrifice my sanity and myself, if someone is willing to pay for the flight and room, to stay at the SC or OC during 'hell week' so that I can document the activities that are going on!

 

[Wally3433]

These posts get so long every year, so it's hard to filter. Is there any photo or video evidence that any of this actually happens.

If so, please repost.

 

[chris5]

I have never understood this, or Marriott's defense that as owners the group has every right to be there doing what they're doing. It's preposterous.

Look through the governing docs for your resorts. There are myriad sections detailing what actions Marriott can take if the various common courtesy rules are not followed. There IS language which supports Marriott not allowing owners the use of their ownership if any owners/guests are negatively affected by others. In drastic cases there are allowances for suspending ownership.

I also don't understand minimizing this group's actions to only common courtesy infractions, "unruly children" or "children swimming without supervision." This group is required to put up a surety bond to cover damages, extra security and cleaning personnel, and compensation that Marriott pays out to owners/guests who can legitimately document that their vacations have been ruined. Do we know of any other situation where a surety bond is required?! No! This isn't a matter of a large group being insular and other owners/guests being made to feel they're outsiders. It's much more than that, and the governing docs do give Marriott the power to stop it. Why they don't is a mystery, although probably their financial gain is a factor.

Let me come to Marriott's defense here though I'm probably in the minority of views here. I think Marriott should respect the ownership rights of all owners. Marriott can't simply go around and start kicking out owners who are not responsibly parenting their children, which appears to be the case during the so-called Hell Week. Unfortunately, as owners in a fractional share piece of real estate, all of us are stuck with each other -- and we don't have a choice in our timeshare ownership neighbors. Sometimes we get lucky and meet people we really like who are courteous and respectful -- from my personal observations, I've many encountered many more decent people than "jerks" in the resorts I've stayed over the years. I would not want Marriott to start acting as the manners and parenting police; that's not their job.

Moreover, for this particular situation, Marriott probably does not want to get the push-back it might receive from taking strong aggressive action against an organization that might claim that its being unfairly targeted for rude and offensive behavior. Just think about it for a moment. Here, in TUG, it took the intervention of the Tug Administrator to identify the group by its own name because of the apparent sensitivity others might have over naming that group/organization, and yet we implore Marriott to be aggressive against this group and incur potential backlash and push-back from those who might exhibit equal sensitivity towards this organization!

Unless this group is causing property damage to the resort or engaging in illegal conduct, which might be grounds for Marriott to terminate ownership, I'm afraid other owners of Hell Week are stuck with this group. (And we don't know if this "group" owns timeshare interests in group name or individual members of the group own the timeshare interest; in each case, there might be differing legal implications). However, the fact that Marriott is now requiring a Surety Bond with this group is a very good sign that Marriott is laying the foundation for taking appropriate action if the group starts vandalizing or damaging resort property.

For me, I still believe the leadership of the organization needs to held accountable. I just can't fathom the idea that it condones this behavior. I'd shame it relentlessly over this. And ensure Marriott knows about it too because this is actually damaging to the Marriott brand and timeshares in general! I'd call up the major newspapers in major media markets about this situation and suggest that they send one of their reporters to Aruba in January to investigate Hell Week -- I'm sure someone sees value in such a story.

Or better yet, next time, next year, get the cameras out and show the rude behavior -- this could go viral on YouTube! I bet you'll get someone's attention over this.

 

[jimf41]

Unless this group is causing property damage to the resort or engaging in illegal conduct, which might be grounds for Marriott to terminate ownership, I'm afraid other owners of Hell Week are stuck with this group.

The general penalty in most states for falsely pulling a fire alarm is a 1st degree misdemeanor. However the maximum penalty could be as high as Manslaughter if someone is killed during or responding to the alarm. These are both crimes not mere offenses.

 

[MOXJO7282]

Or better yet, next time, next year, get the cameras out and show the rude behavior -- this could go viral on YouTube! I bet you'll get someone's attention over this.

This is the best idea yet. This would really embarrass the leaders of this group if it could be identified and i bet the rude behavior will stop.

 

[jlp879]

Moreover, for this particular situation, Marriott probably does not want to get the push-back it might receive from taking strong aggressive action against an organization that might claim that its being unfairly targeted for rude and offensive behavior. ...

I can see that Marriott might not want that, but it appears that Marriott appears to be taking NO action whatsoever. It's time for them to start. Just think of how many long anticipated winter vacations were ruined by guests not knowing what they were in for.

At least Marriott could post a notice on their sites just like they do when a pool or golf course on property is closed. "A large convention group has booked 1000 rooms at this property January 18-25". Something like that might make you think about choosing that time.

 

[m61376]

While it is true that Marriott cannot force parents to behave like parents or kids to behave appropriately, and it is true that those who own units at the OC and the SC have the right to use their units, since Marriott is well aware of the issues they can, as other resorts have before them, refuse to rent the convention space that the group requires for their activities.

Marriott is under no obligation to rent ballroom space and/or close down restaurants to other guests for the week. They certainly can - and should- enforce the legal limits at the casino. If they didn't make the other parts attractive, the owners in question would be forced to find another unsuspecting venue (I understand they have moved from elsewhere several times in the past when the unwelcome mat was rolled out, so to speak).

The interesting thing is that, at least at the SC and at least for OS rooms, they clearly have not commandeered the space for next year, since all reservation days are open except for Sat.. Does that mean that most are owners at the OC or OV/GV owners, or perhaps they are waiting for Marriott to commit to renting them the needed ancillary space before making their reservations.

If the Ritz has remained unaffected this year, what remedies have they taken to prevent being overrun?

 

[Sunbum]

Flight Home

Here is a post from a gentleman who was on a returning flight from Aruba to N.Y. last year after hell week.

Our Monday flight home,

We got there with plenty of time to spare, We were even surprised how sparse all the lines were, then we found out why. Our flight was sold out with the group. They came very late and completely unprepared with travel documents. Never checked in and had seating all over the plane. The held our flight for 40 minutes. Once on the plane they refused to sit down for take off until the flight attendants moved people all over the plane so they could sit in the groups they wanted. Finally we took off and they gave us free TV for the hassle!!!!! Really? Free anything for the people that caused the problem is a joke. All throughout the flight they refused to sit, Kids running up and down the plane, never less then 20 people standing at one time. Now the staff is angry at everyone including the people not in their group and finally i had it. I stood up and in a loud voice to the head of the flight crew, you are putting us all in jeopardy and this is a safety issue, if we hit unexpected turbulence we are all at risk and if one of these hum a projectiles lands on me, it's going to be your job and this airline is getting sued. Finally they get on the intercom and threaten everyone with a federal crime for not sitting when the captain puts on the seat belt sign, that worked for 15 minute, they were all up again, even making sandwiches in the aisle. Now the captain comes on and threatens to land the plane in Miami and have security arrest anyone not complying with federal laws.

So you see, Say what you will but don't ever fly from Newark, JFK or LaGuardia with these people, I tried to keep my sense of humor but i lost is last night.

 

[Ridewithme38]

There's a federal law that you can't move around on a plane when it has hit 'cruising altitude'? I didn't know that, i'd always wondered why people acted like they were in church on planes. I've always acted the same way i do on the train or the subway.

 

[topmom101]

Here's something I found on one of the many Aruba BB's.

We were on the plane with a group of hell week families returning home and because of them our plane almost had to land in Cuba.

They were seated right in back of economy plus, and one poor soul who was sitting in front of one of the men put his seat back. This resulted in screaming immediately by the man in the rear seat, another man joining in and dumping a drink on the guy who had put his seat back.

This resulted in shouting on both parts, with the group all ganging up together. The flight attendants flew back there, had the guy in the front seat move up to the front of the plane, and the group refused to calm down for about 10 minutes. only under threats from the captain that he was landing the plane in Cuba would they finally shut up.
They then decided that for the length of the 4+ hour flight they would not change any of their children's diapers (about 5 or 6 babies), to stink up the plane!

Luckily, we were in the front row of economy plus, so we didn't smell anything, but plenty of others did.

I got a first hand accounting of the details from one of the flight attendants, and he assured me the plan was to land in Cuba if they hadn't settled down.

They were met by police coming on board the plane when we landed.

It is no rumor, the behavior is unbelievable!

 

[dioxide45]

So how about the "Event Weeks" at Marriott Resorts thread gets updated? It seems rather unfair to associate this whole fiasco with people from New York. It seems that the relationship to the NY Regents Exams is coincidental at best.

 

[m61376]

So how about the "Event Weeks" at Marriott Resorts thread gets updated? It seems rather unfair to associate this whole fiasco with people from New York. It seems that the relationship to the NY Regents Exams is coincidental at best.

The reason the exams are mentioned is that the winter school break of this group generally coincides with the NYS January Regents exams.

 

[bobpark56]

We woke up at the crack of dawn to reserve our seats at the pool, while away from the chairs our things were removed and thrown way back on the lawn and this same group decided it was their chairs. The group was large and intimidating... we opted to go to the beach and keep our distance. We will not travel again during the month of January

Reserving chairs, huh? I think you deserved it!

 

[LDT]

A lot you are missing the point. You are pointing the finger at the children. It's not only them. What about the person they have have to have in the elevators because they can't push the button? What about the filth left in all the common bathrooms because they won't use the facilities in their room because they can't flush their own toilets? Wake up people! For those of you that don't think this happens, go and talk to the people that work at the SC or OC. After experiencing this a few years ago we always go after they have left. Don't know if its my southern charm or just that I am a polite person but I get praised by the way I talk to and treat the hard working people that have to endure this group.
As I said earlier, all that Marriott cares about is money. This group has a lot of it and doesn't care to flaunt it.

 

[benyu2010]

As I said earlier, all that Marriott cares about is money. This group has a lot of it and doesn't care to flaunt it.

They should just charter a flight and block out a small resort. Problem solved!

 

[Ridewithme38]

A lot you are missing the point. You are pointing the finger at the children. It's not only them. What about the person they have have to have in the elevators because they can't push the button? What about the filth left in all the common bathrooms because they won't use the facilities in their room because they can't flush their own toilets? Wake up people! For those of you that don't think this happens, go and talk to the people that work at the SC or OC. After experiencing this a few years ago we always go after they have left. Don't know if its my southern charm or just that I am a polite person but I get praised by the way I talk to and treat the hard working people that have to endure this group.
As I said earlier, all that Marriott cares about is money. This group has a lot of it and doesn't care to flaunt it.

They pay extra for those services, the personal chef and elevator man are paid directly out of their pockets, the...mess...in the bathrooms and lobbies are paid out of a 'bond' they put forward every year.

BTW, even the most othodox jewish people can flush toilets on the Sabbath/Shabbat...that is most definitely allowed, although, ripping toilet paper..depends of the sect, maybe not. So the piles of toilet paper pre-ripped by the toilet is part of their tradition.