Manhattan Club Founder's Unit

[jjlovecub]

I currently own 3 weeks at the MC and I am going to unload one of them. the unit is an EOY (odd). First usage is 2015 with MF due by January 1, 2015. Last time they were approx. $2300.00 The unit is paid in full with no debt.

Key things:
* This unti is for a full 7 days that can be booked all at once or broken up into parts
* It includes 3 weekends! No other package includes this. So, you could book a weekend in 3 different months
* The unit is the FULL 1 bedroom (larger size) with 2 bathrooms
*56th and Broadway - perfect location
* I will pay closing costs - asking the buyer pay the transfer fee of $1000

Please contact me via email or PM if you are interested

 

[Maz]

We have been owners here for years and we are in the process of acquiring our 4th week at The MC. We love it there. As I recall, if you are "gifting" the ownership to someone, the transfer fee drops to $100. This is a good opportunity for someone who loves the city and wants to visit on a consistent basis. No exchanging, no TPUs, easily book the time you want (assuming you are booking a full week), and no nightly housekeeping fees.

 

[jjlovecub]

We have been owners here for years and we are in the process of acquiring our 4th week at The MC. We love it there. As I recall, if you are "gifting" the ownership to someone, the transfer fee drops to $100. This is a good opportunity for someone who loves the city and wants to visit on a consistent basis. No exchanging, no TPUs, easily book the time you want (assuming you are booking a full week), and no nightly housekeeping fees.

That's great! I didn't realize the fee dropped to $100! IF that is indeed the case then I will cover that too and it will be yours for nothing.

 

[e.bram]

The entire Manhattan Club is under court order.

 

[jjlovecub]

That's great! I didn't realize the fee dropped to $100! IF that is indeed the case then I will cover that too and it will be yours for nothing.

The fee is only $100. So I will cover all closing costs and transfer fees. Yours free and clear for $0 with MF due January 2015. I will gladly reserve your vacation time at contract signing since transfering often takes several months. I want to be sure the new owner gets their desired dates for next year.

 

[tschwa2]

I need another timeshare like I need a hole in my head so I can't believe I am even considering. Several questions come to mind.

How far ahead can your reserve your time-12 months?

Can partial weeks be reserved as far in advance as full weeks?

Do you have to prepay the mf's at the time you make your reservation.

Do you pay Mf's every 2 years or half every year?

Was week 52 sold as a fixed week or is it equally up for grabs for owners with 1-52 weeks?

Is this a week 1-52 float or are their some restrictions on which weeks can be reserved?

Do they have online booking or is it done by phone?

 

[jjlovecub]

Great questions - I have answered below each

How far ahead can your reserve your time-12 months?
If you want to reserve the whole 7 days consecutively at one time it is a 12 month window for reservations

Can partial weeks be reserved as far in advance as full weeks?
If you are reserving partial weeks (anything less than 7 days) you can reserve them 9 months out

Do you have to prepay the mf's at the time you make your reservation.
Yes

Do you pay Mf's every 2 years or half every year?
Every 2 years - so 2015, then nothing in 2016, then 2017, etc

Was week 52 sold as a fixed week or is it equally up for grabs for owners with 1-52 weeks?
52 is seperate

Is this a week 1-52 float or are their some restrictions on which weeks can be reserved?
It is a week 1-51 float - no New Year's Eve

Do they have online booking or is it done by phone?
Either but phone is the quickest

 

[rhonda]

sigh .... (such a generous offer, a wonderful location, such a cool thing ... but I must keep telling myself: waaaaay too far from home!!) ;-)

 

[Sandy VDH]

I too considered and rejected. I routinely go to NYC but NOT for $2300 for a week stay.

I too had to pass. But I would have to assume someone might take it.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

This is a very generous offer, however if I am not mistaken aren't there some serious issues in the ability to actually book time that you want at the resort?

An earlier poster posted that the resort is currently under court order. Isn't that court order as a result of a class action suit regarding the ability to book time at the resort?




.

 

[pacodemountainside]

Manhattan Club Lawsuit

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/26/n...ordered-to-halt-sale-of-time-shares.html?_r=0

 

[rhonda]

Savvy TUGgers already know the games needed to get their reservations (book early, etc) and are aware of the MF. Perhaps the court's attention on the property will slow the rising MF for a period, ease the transfer process, and increase transparancy at the sales table. (Read that last bit as a RELATIVE position ('increase') not a blind expectation for perfect transparency.)

 

[jjlovecub]

This is a very generous offer, however if I am not mistaken aren't there some serious issues in the ability to actually book time that you want at the resort?

An earlier poster posted that the resort is currently under court order. Isn't that court order as a result of a class action suit regarding the ability to book time at the resort?




.

There is an issue if you don't plan ahead. I had one serious inquiry and was very upfront with them. If you are a planner and book ahead it can have value for you. If not then don't buy it as you may be frustrated with them being sold out. I love it there and go every year. I just don't need 4 weeks anymore. FYI only once have I not gotten the days I want but then I plan ahead.

 

[Maz]

I too considered and rejected. I routinely go to NYC but NOT for $2300 for a week stay.

I too had to pass. But I would have to assume someone might take it.

$2300 for a week in a 1 br 2 bath with a kitchenette in NYC at that location is a deal. That's like paying $262 per night plus tax. There is no way you can stay in this level of accommodation, in this location, for anywhere near this cost. 200 sq ft hotel rooms are $262 per night and not at the really nice hotel rooms. They also don't offer the upscale experience that exists at the MC. Compare the owner lodge, fitness center and business center to the $262 hotel room. The Four Seasons on 57th st. has a less impressive fitness center, no owner lounge, and while the rooms are larger than most hotels rooms in NYC, they aren't as spacious as the MC. The cheapest basic hotel room at the Four Seasons is about $800 (closer to $1000 after taxes) per night. You don't want to know how much a 1br 2 bath suite at the FS runs.

Owning in NYC is expensive and most definitely not for everyone, but if someone loves the city enough to visit every year and likes a certain type of experience, it's a deal. It's NYC, not Musketeen Iowa

 

[Maz]

There is an issue if you don't plan ahead. I had one serious inquiry and was very upfront with them. If you are a planner and book ahead it can have value for you. If not then don't buy it as you may be frustrated with them being sold out. I love it there and go every year. I just don't need 4 weeks anymore. FYI only once have I not gotten the days I want but then I plan ahead.

The need to book ahead is not a MC thing, it's a timeshare thing. I have never owned a timeshare where planning ahead wasn't important. We own 3 weeks (soon to be 4 and all resales) at the MC and have owned for over 10 years and we have always gotten EXACTLY what we wanted. Having said this, we always book whole weeks and make our reservations at least 9 months in advance. The whole 2-3 night usage model never has worked well in the world of timeshare.

 

[DaveNV]

$2300 for a week in a 1 br 2 bath with a kitchenette in NYC at that location is a deal. That's like paying $262 per night plus tax.

Not to split hairs, but $2300 for 7 nights is $328 per night. I'm sure nightly taxes and fees on the week make the rates even higher. When I stayed at MC a few years ago they assessed nearly $200 in extra fees for the week we were there.

Dave

 

[tschwa2]

With the exception of parking, I don't think owners, guests, or Sfx exchangers(unless they recently changed). It is only rci exchangers and direct hotel guests who have extra charges.

 

[klpca]

The need to book ahead is not a MC thing, it's a timeshare thing. I have never owned a timeshare where planning ahead wasn't important. We own 3 weeks (soon to be 4 and all resales) at the MC and have owned for over 10 years and we have always gotten EXACTLY what we wanted. Having said this, we always book whole weeks and make our reservations at least 9 months in advance. The whole 2-3 night usage model never has worked well in the world of timeshare.

Good point. We own at Club Donatello in San Francisco and days book up far ahead of time - about 6 months if I recall. We use our days in 2 - 3 day increments and if we don't plan ahead, we may not get the exact dates we want. If we plan ahead, there is no problem getting the exact days. My personal belief is that if someone is not a planner, timesharing will be a disappointing experience.

When I stayed at MC a few years ago they assessed nearly $200 in extra fees for the week we were there.

Dave

I think those were RCI fees. We didn't pay anything extra on our SFX exchange last May.

 

[Rent_Share]

My personal belief is that if someone is not a planner, timesharing will be a disappointing experience.

Or are in a situation that they can travel without any advanced planning at all, to take advantage of economic opportunities that arise from others needing to change the their plans at the last minute, as a non owner, except to the extent that ownership is necessary to get access (RCI or II Rentals)

 

[pacodemountainside]

One BR Wyndham is 450K points for week at say $5.50 equals about $2,500.

Manhattan is pricey.

 

[chris5]

$2300 for a week in a 1 br 2 bath with a kitchenette in NYC at that location is a deal. That's like paying $262 per night plus tax. There is no way you can stay in this level of accommodation, in this location, for anywhere near this cost. 200 sq ft hotel rooms are $262 per night and not at the really nice hotel rooms. They also don't offer the upscale experience that exists at the MC. Compare the owner lodge, fitness center and business center to the $262 hotel room. The Four Seasons on 57th st. has a less impressive fitness center, no owner lounge, and while the rooms are larger than most hotels rooms in NYC, they aren't as spacious as the MC. The cheapest basic hotel room at the Four Seasons is about $800 (closer to $1000 after taxes) per night. You don't want to know how much a 1br 2 bath suite at the FS runs.

Owning in NYC is expensive and most definitely not for everyone, but if someone loves the city enough to visit every year and likes a certain type of experience, it's a deal. It's NYC, not Musketeen Iowa

Hmmmm. I spend a lot of time in NYC and I'm native born there. I've stayed at Manhattan Club for a week in the larger unit as well. I would consider taking this on if I thought it was really good value, but I'm convinced for me that staying at the Marriott Residence Inn near Bryant Park, which also has a kitchenette, or staying at any of the Marriott Hotels in NYC is a better deal for me. We last stayed at the New York Renaissance Hotel, with an incredible view of Times Square from the Hotel Lounge, generally restricted to Platinum members. I am frequently able to grab a Marriott at the Government rate from $171 to $271 or I can use my Marriott Reward Points to book stays. And these hotels all have fitness centers, lounges for Platinum members, free breakfasts, and some even have laundry rooms!

I think you're really overselling the value of Manhattan Club, which is understandable given the fact that you own a lot of space there. But you're right about one thing: the Manhattan Club is a great deal if you frequently stay in New York City and have to pay $500 to $900 a night for hotels, but I don't know anyone who pays that much for lodging unless it's for business travel and someone else is paying for those stays.

 

[rhonda]

So, my husband has questions:

a) Are there added fees for breaking up the week into multiple short-stays?
b) How many stays are permitted for the 7-nights? (1n*7? 2n+2n+3n? etc)
c) Is the new owner guaranteed to maintain the 'Founder' benefits (specially the ability to break the week into multiple short stays)?

LOL ... we are just joking about this, I think. He knows this property has been on my "drool!" list for a rather long while. We were quite thrilled with a 6-night stay over Thanksgiving last year (booked through DVC) ... we had SUCH a great time.

 

[Maz]

Not to split hairs, but $2300 for 7 nights is $328 per night. I'm sure nightly taxes and fees on the week make the rates even higher. When I stayed at MC a few years ago they assessed nearly $200 in extra fees for the week we were there.

Dave

As others have stated, owners at. The MC don't pay the fees you mentioned. Only exchangers pay those.

Regarding the nightly rate, my point was that in NYC hotels you not only pay the nightly rate, but another almost 20% in various taxes. The annual $2300 is total and therefore equal to someone booking a hotel at $1840 per week which is approx $263 per night.

 

[DaveNV]

As others have stated, owners at. The MC don't pay the fees you mentioned. Only exchangers pay those.

Regarding the nightly rate, my point was that in NYC hotels you not only pay the nightly rate, but another almost 20% in various taxes. The annual $2300 is total and therefore equal to someone booking a hotel at $1840 per week which is approx $263 per night.

Ok. I had no idea taxes there were so high. It's a good deal, no doubt, if someone wants to own there. Hope it finds a good home soon.

Dave

 

[Maz]

Hmmmm. I spend a lot of time in NYC and I'm native born there. I've stayed at Manhattan Club for a week in the larger unit as well. I would consider taking this on if I thought it was really good value, but I'm convinced for me that staying at the Marriott Residence Inn near Bryant Park, which also has a kitchenette, or staying at any of the Marriott Hotels in NYC is a better deal for me. We last stayed at the New York Renaissance Hotel, with an incredible view of Times Square from the Hotel Lounge, generally restricted to Platinum members. I am frequently able to grab a Marriott at the Government rate from $171 to $271 or I can use my Marriott Reward Points to book stays. And these hotels all have fitness centers, lounges for Platinum members, free breakfasts, and some even have laundry rooms!

I think you're really overselling the value of Manhattan Club, which is understandable given the fact that you own a lot of space there. But you're right about one thing: the Manhattan Club is a great deal if you frequently stay in New York City and have to pay $500 to $900 a night for hotels, but I don't know anyone who pays that much for lodging unless it's for business travel and someone else is paying for those stays.

Like I said before, the MC is not for everyone. As someone who is also rooted in the City I knew exactly what I was looking for from day one. My opinions were formed before ever making a purchase at MC not after. Again, when comparing apples to apples there is no better option. Not one of your stated options are a match. I Don't have interest in Marriott hotel rooms in Times Square or staying in the Bryant Park area. I also don't have interest in the Residence Inn product.

Location and experience along with quality, sq footage and 2 bathrooms are the important factors to us. Being a block away from the park, out of Times Square and with the exact type of condo we need are what we like. The overall "feel" and "experience" at the MC is a completely different thing than what we have experienced in regular hotels in the city. Whenever people offer alternative options to the MC they are never able to present an equal option. It's always something in the wrong area of the city, a hotel room, or some other non match. We are a family of 3 so hotels rooms aren't an option for us. If I was single a hotel room would work if it wasn't for the fact that they lack mini kitchens in most cases. Even if I was single and willing to stay in a hotel room, location would still be vitally important to me. To each his own.