New Environmental Tax Levy at Aruba resorts

[LUVourMarriotts]

My friends are checking into Aruba Surf Club in about a week, through me. I received an email from Surf Club yesterday. The email states:

We would like to inform you that there is a daily mandated government occupancy tax of $11.88 per night on each reservation and I have attached a letter explaining the government mandated Environmental Levy that will be added to all stays as of July 1st 2013.

The attached document talks about the government wanting to become more green, and part of it says:

For time share owners or owners exchanging from other properties, the levy is a fixed fee per stay: $10 per studio, $15 per one bedroom and $25 per two or 3 bedrooms. Concurrently, the Government has provided the concession to the timeshare properties that it will not tax the reserves slated for renovation.

For the hotel sector, this levy is a $3 per occupied room (not per person) per night charge.

Using my handy calculator, that's $108.16 for a 7 night stay in a 2 bedroom.

 

[IngridN]

My ressies for summer '14 state that 'effective 7/1/13, a new environmental tax of USD 3 per room per night on hotel and timeshare property reservations.'

I assume that to mean $3/night in addition to the current gov't room taxes of between 7.50 and 11.xx per night.

Actually, I need to call Marriott to find out why I can't make changes to these ressies (need to request high floor) and will also ask about this.

Ingrid

 

[ilene13]

We have not had any communication from the Ocean Club.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

We have not had any communication from the Ocean Club.

The only reason I got this info is because our friends are checking into Surf Club in a week from now, through us. So Surf Club sent this info along with a confirmation of our pre-checkin requests.

 

[ajlm33]

This was on my reservation confirmation sheet for the Ocean Club for this coming weekend:


"Please Note – Effective July 1 2013, new environmental tax of USD 3 per room per night on hotel and timeshare property reservations."

 

[Lee55]

We have not had any communication from the Ocean Club.

We just returned from the Ocean Club. It's a total of $11.88 per night for a 2-BR unit. (Grand total for seven nights = $83.17)

 

[SueDonJ]

We just returned from the Ocean Club. It's a total of $11.88 per night for a 2-BR unit. (Grand total for seven nights = $83.17)

Yes, but as the OP said that's the occupancy tax which has been imposed for years (based on prior reports to TUG.) Now effective July 1, 2013, it looks like there'll be a new Environmental Tax as well.

What's interesting, too, is that it appears the Ocean Club will be charging the timeshare stays the same as hotel stays, "USD 3 per room per night," while the Surf Club will be charging the timeshare rates of, "a fixed fee per stay: $10 per studio, $15 per one bedroom and $25 per two or 3 bedrooms." Wonder why the difference?

 

[IngridN]

Yes, but as the OP said that's the occupancy tax which has been imposed for years (based on prior reports to TUG.) Now effective July 1, 2013, it looks like there'll be a new Environmental Tax as well.

What's interesting, too, is that it appears the Ocean Club will be charging the timeshare stays the same as hotel stays, "USD 3 per room per night," while the Surf Club will be charging the timeshare rates of, "a fixed fee per stay: $10 per studio, $15 per one bedroom and $25 per two or 3 bedrooms." Wonder why the difference?

Sue,
My summer 2014 ressie (Surf Club) also states $3/day, not $10/15/25.

Ingrid

 

[WINSLOW]

Our Jan. 2014 stay at Surf Club says:


"Summary of Room Charges Cost per night per room (USD)
Thursday, January 2, 2014 - Thursday, January 9, 2014 ( 7 nights )
PLATINUM SEASON
Estimated government taxes and fees 3.00
Total for stay (for all rooms) 21.00
Complimentary on-site parking
Changes in taxes or fees implemented after booking will affect the total room price."


Before we locked off the Aruba Surf Club unit (as a 2 bed)

Just locked off now and new confirmation emails states the same for each side, $3 night for Studio resv and another $3/nt for 1 bedroom resv.

Doesn't say anything about the other tax of $10.28/nt we paid for a 1 bedroom this past Jan, I don't know why.

 

[dioxide45]

I read about this new environmental tax before our stay in May and was actually thinking it was going in to effect earlier. Glad that it didn't though.

 

[Mr. Vker]

Surf Club just emailed about our stay 8/4-8/11. Included information about the taxes. We inquired for clarification as our reservation on Marriott.com only shows the $3/night.

The response is below. (We received two emails. The second was a correction. Looks like we have the $11.88/night AND the $25 for the week. We also have a concurrent OC exchange and a consecutive week at the Renn. Wonder what those will cost. (OC and Renn are exchanges.)


Correction
"Correction in your case the $3,= will be not charge (for renters) only the $11.88 per night and $25,= for the week."

First response:
"I do apologize for the confusion however this taxes are new and the government of Aruba is still pending with it and that is why we are not sending this out in our emails however;
yes indeed the new taxes was supposed to start per 1st of July 2013 however there was a delay on the new taxes procedure and each guest will need to pay this starting per 1st of August 2013.
The $11.88 per night plus the $3,= per night and the $25,= for the week in your case."

 

[saturn28]

New Aruba Government taxes on all Timeshare Reservations

I recently made a vacation club points reservation at Marriott Aruba Surf Club for February 2014. On my Marriott email confirmation it showed a $21 charge for 7 nights for government taxes. I called Marriott and they said this is a new charge on all timeshares as of July 2013. Does anyone else know of this.

 

[StevenTing]

Yes, this was mentioned some time ago. I only knew about it through TUG since I don't own in Aruba. Previously there was some confusion to the amount because a timeshare had one fee while a hotel had another fee.


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