Pinnacle Lifestyle Solutions & Christie Lodge - Should I be worried?

[The Colorado Kid]

Just received this email from Christie Lodge about their decision to partner with Pinnacle Lifestyle Solutions - anyone have experience with PLS and what this might actually mean for our ownership?

What in the world is a "relaxed, modern-day approach"?!


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​ ​ Dear Christie Lodge Owners and Families, Your management team is always looking for ways to improve your ownership, both now and in the future. Understand that through the years we’ve always had your best interests in mind. As your management team, we are also responsible for the financial wellbeing of the resort and the delicate balancing act of keeping operating costs in line with your vacation expectations. To do so we need to continue to expand our owner base and introduce the joys and benefits of Christie Lodge ownership to the next generation. We have recently partnered with Pinnacle Lifestyle Solutions (PLS), a new consortium of industry professionals, whose specialty and sole focus is the improvement of legacy resorts like ours. You will be learning more about them in the months and years to come, but we have vetted their product and feel that it is the most attractive way on the market today to attract new owners to our family and maintain long term resort financial health. As we endorse and support their efforts, we also strongly urge all owners to take an opportunity to learn more about what their product can do for you, our existing Christie Lodge owners and your family. We know you will be pleasantly surprised with their relaxed, modern-day approach.​

 

[gravityrules]

https://www.caygetaways.com/_files/ugd/ff5ffa_aeff3fb291f545b18ccf5c4482513269.pdf

Whatever they do (I suspect it is selling existing and new owners Club Interval Gold points) the wording in the link above from the Cove at Yarmouth HOA is almost verbatim.

 

[ben.stielow]

I love the idea of point flexibility, but Pinnacle wants $4500 bucks to join Club Interval Gold at the Christie Lodge so I can use my week as points. They are really wanting me to add another week which would bring my total to $5k.
Does anyone know of a way to use my week as points without the middle man. That is a bit ridiculous.

 

[superfriend620]

I love the idea of point flexibility, but Pinnacle wants $4500 bucks to join Club Interval Gold at the Christie Lodge so I can use my week as points. They are really wanting me to add another week which would bring my total to $5k.
Does anyone know of a way to use my week as points without the middle man. That is a bit ridiculous.

Do you need points? Is it that you tend to stay elsewhere so points give you more options?

 

[Talent312]

They wouldn't make any $$ if they just gave you the points.
They want you to pay for what you already own one more time.

They tried that with one of ours, saying: "Weeks are going away."
We said, "Our week isn't going away. We'll just keep using that."
.

 

[dougp26364]

If their objective is to sell Club interval Gold, run, don’t walk, away from the “solution”.

As part of our purchase at Breckenridge Grand Vacations in Breck, they tossed in Interval Gold as a “benefit”. The value as a weeks exchanger goes so much further than Gold program points it’s not even funny. The points given for our 2 bedroom unit was barely enough to book a single bedroom unit at any resort in any season. Locking off and exchanging, renting our studio unit or the entire unit or using the entire unit are all better options than Interval Gold. Not to mention Interval Gold membership is an additional cost.

Basically, IMHO, Interval Gold sucks even more than RCI and their TPU point system.

 

[dougp26364]

They wouldn't make any $$ if they just gave you the points.
They want you to pay for what you already own one more time.

They tried that with one of ours, saying: "Weeks are going away."
We said, "Our week isn't going away. We'll just keep using that."
.

Despite Interval Gold being around for >10 years, there is still very little inventory actually in the program. Unless they correct the week to points exchange rate, Gold isn’t likely to ever take hold.

 

[DrQ]

What are the financials from your owner's annual reports? What are the reserves? What is the occupancy of the inventory?

This may be a first attempt to move unsold inventory, but it may be the first curve in a downward spiral.

 

[ben.stielow]

Thanks for all your feedback! I did stay away from the deal from pinnacle lifestyle solutions at the Christie Lodge. Initially they had asked for 3500.00 to join CIG, and 1500 to add an additional week. It was later that they had asked for 4500 just to join CIG- The story and the promises kept changing. I understand that they need to make money too, but I couldn't figure out why things were changing so much- especially when some places just give it away and others ask as low as a $500 fee to join. I was hoping someone knew of a work around, as we use our week strictly for trade- always have, and last year we deposited back to interval so that we could get on property at Disney. We did and it was good, but I miss how RCI gives me a certain number of points-or a point value really for my week deposited. Usually I can trade 2-3 weeks for the points I get there with my Christie Lodge week. With interval weeks it is one and done.