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Questions about destroyed Timeshare

Antopad

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Does anyone have any insight...

I am a 3rd generation owner of Treetops Resort in Gatlinburg. Many wonderful family memories. I saw pictures today that the resort seems to be a total loss from the recent wildfires. I own 3 unites (one to pass along to each of my children).

I'm grateful that the current guests and staff all seem to have safely evacuated. And I know many are suffering much greater loss than my interval home away from home (many lost their actual homes). But we feel like we lost part of our family heritage.

What should I expect in the near future? Does anyone have any experience with a resort where you own being completely destroyed? Do I need to do anything to be proactive in protecting my ownership? Do I have any rights regarding future decisions about the resort?

I also have a reservation there for this summer (which obviously won't be available) booked through RCI. Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

I can't find any info about what to do next. Your help is greatly appreciated.
 

DianneL

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I also own a week at Tree Tops. So sorry about the fires and all the loss of life and property. I don't know what to expect. Rebuild??
 

Antopad

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My guess is to expect a long wait before we know anything. I do have confidence in the staff and board. 25 years Gold Crown isn't easy. I just don't like the unknown. But at least I know where I'm sleeping tonight. Prayers to those who lost more than we did.
 

swditz

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Westgate has started to post information on the owners site. They will update as they have more information. They have posted information that will start to answer a lot of your questions.
Scott
 

dioxide45

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There will probably be a decision to be made. Do they rebuild or do they sell what is left and disburse the proceeds to the owners after paying for any expenses and debts. If they opt to rebuild, there may be a special assessment to cover the insurance deductible. That is if they don't have that in reserve already and also assuming that they have adequate insurance. You probably won't know much of anything for several months.

Regarding your RCI confirmation for next summer. I would contact RCI to find out what you can do. The reservation will likely be cancelled and you should get the deposit TPU back or if it was an extra vacation, then you should get a refund. The only issue may be if you used TPU from your home resort to make the booking. If so, does RCI then cancel those TPU?
 
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Antopad

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Thanks! That's logical, and what I thought (though I hadn't considered insurance deductibles). But logic and timeshare don't always go hand in hand. I'll check out the Westgate info too. I appreciate your help!
 

TUGBrian

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have to wonder if that town itself will ever recover to return to the "tourist attraction" it once was if the destruction is as bad as is being reported.

our thoughts go out to all the residents and families impacted.
 

DianneL

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We have owned at Tree Tops since 1993. I have found it to be a very well-run resort with a good Board. This is my second timeshare to be adversely impacted this year. Own a week in Hilton Head at Royal Dunes which was damaged by the hurricane that went up the east coast. The damage was not extreme and it is up and running. Thoughts and prayers for all the people in the Gatlinburg area impacted by the fires. So sad.
 

Saintsfanfl

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have to wonder if that town itself will ever recover to return to the "tourist attraction" it once was if the destruction is as bad as is being reported.

our thoughts go out to all the residents and families impacted.

That is actually a good point because not a ton of money goes in to renovating the area or the properties. Many properties were old and dated and it could be cost prohibitive to rebuild in a relatively short period of time. It boils down to the insurance and then still a decision.
 

Ty1on

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have to wonder if that town itself will ever recover to return to the "tourist attraction" it once was if the destruction is as bad as is being reported.

our thoughts go out to all the residents and families impacted.

It's the gateway to the busiest National Park in the country. It will recover. Having lived in and driven through the Sierra Nevadas for years, I've experienced the regrowth of fire-ravaged areas. Moonscape the first year or two, then you see a young forest emerge to replace it within 5 years. I would venture to guess that given the rainfall around there, the burn zones will be fairly greened up within 5 years, though it will be young forest. Even with the black patches, the town won't completely die short term because it is the way into a much larger park which is largely not burned out.

Let's just hope that with the way the town is situated in a draw surrounded by hillsides, bad mudslides don't start hitting it.
 

Ty1on

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have to wonder if that town itself will ever recover to return to the "tourist attraction" it once was if the destruction is as bad as is being reported.

our thoughts go out to all the residents and families impacted.

It's the gateway to the busiest National Park in the country. It will recover. Having lived in and driven through the Sierra Nevadas for years, I've experienced the regrowth of fire-ravaged areas. Moonscape the first year or two, then you see a young forest emerge to replace it within 5 years. I would venture to guess that given the rainfall around there, the burn zones will be fairly greened up within 5 years, though it will be young forest. Even with the black patches, the town won't completely die short term because it is the way into a much larger park which is largely not burned out.

Let's just hope that with the way the town is situated in a draw surrounded by hillsides, bad mudslides don't start hitting it.
 

pedro47

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My prayers are with all the timeshare owners, visitors, residents and the town and the state of Tenn.

I pray that all the t/s resorts, homeowners have excellent insurance policies to cover this fire disaster.
 
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DaveNV

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I was at Yellowstone the year after the big fires in the late 1980's. Everything was already trying to sprout through the burned-out areas. Within a couple of years the baby trees were knee-high. Within ten years it was hard to find areas that were still showing burn. After twenty years it was mostly gone. I realize there are still areas that can be seen as having been burned, but considering how everyone was thinking Yellowstone was "dead," there were plenty of surprises. Let's hope Tennessee rebounds as quickly.

Dave
 
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