Resort will no longer be affiliated with RCI

[hello_world]

Hello fellow tuggers,
My resort sent me a letter and an email saying the following:

"Effective immediately our company will no longer be affiliated with RCI."
The resort is Branson's Nantucket.
My week gets (or used to get) RCI points.

Has anyone ever heard of this?
What does that mean for my RCI points?
I thought once you did an RCI conversion, the points were forever.

 

[tschwa2]

It's hard to say what it will mean.

Sometimes a resort changes it's official affiliation but owners can continue with the one they currently have. For example there are Vistana owners that have rci points and some that use rci weeks and others that use II. The official exchange company in that case gets the benefit of developer preference when using the official exchange company but owners aren't required to switch.

If your exchange company membership fee is paid through your annual due/MF's that you pay to your resort (you don't pay rci directly), it will mean that the developer can pull you out of rci and start using whoever they want to use. In some cases you can set up your own rci and pay to continue with rci and sometimes, you can't. It depends what the original contract/set up your resort had with rci.

 

[silentg]

If you have your own membership you can still use RCI, especially if you have points banked. Did your resort give you a reason why they are no longer with RCI?

 

[hello_world]

If you have your own membership you can still use RCI, especially if you have points banked. Did your resort give you a reason why they are no longer with RCI?

In the email they said they are no longer affiliated with RCI and instead are affiliated with Lifetime Destinations.
I also called the resort and they said that RCI does not accept their deposits anymore.
That would be the first time I hear that RCI does not take deposits of any kind. Have you heard of that before?
Also, I dont know anything about Lifetime Destinations. Any information would be appreciated. A Google search turned up nothing.

 

[tschwa2]

In the email they said they are no longer affiliated with RCI and instead are affiliated with Lifetime Destinations.
I also called the resort and they said that RCI does not accept their deposits anymore.
That would be the first time I hear that RCI does not take deposits of any kind. Have you heard of that before?
Also, I dont know anything about Lifetime Destinations. Any information would be appreciated. A Google search turned up nothing.

It's likely not that rci won't accept the deposits. It's likely that the resort won't verify the validity of the deposits and if they won't do that than rci has no way of knowing if the week is actually available. RCI will discontinue an affiliation but that really only happens when the resort is falling apart and there is mold or something else that makes the resort unsafe.
It looks like lifetime Destinations is their own in house exchange company. There facebook page is a post with their name on it and a different generic picture each month for the last 6 months. From the Branson Nantucket page their is a link for www.lifetimedestinations.com but my browser times out when I try to go there.

 

[hello_world]

It's likely not that rci won't accept the deposits. It's likely that the resort won't verify the validity of the deposits and if they won't do that than rci has no way of knowing if the week is actually available. RCI will discontinue an affiliation but that really only happens when the resort is falling apart and there is mold or something else that makes the resort unsafe.
It looks like lifetime Destinations is their own in house exchange company. There facebook page is a post with their name on it and a different generic picture each month for the last 6 months. From the Branson Nantucket page their is a link for www.lifetimedestinations.com but my browser times out when I try to go there.

So, unfortunately, this might a case of the resort falling apart and RCI discontinuing the affiliation for that reason.

This is terrible for us. It seems that the resort will not be able to get back on their feet without increasing their MFs substantially. I dont see the owners agreeing to such MFs increases, I certaintly do no look forward to that.
Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a timeshare we cant use as we bought this resale for the RCI points only.
Anyone heard of a discontinued resort being able to get reaffiliated with RCI? Would I be able to get my original points back, or would I need to pay for an RCI points conversion again?

 

[Snazzylass]

So, unfortunately, this might a case of the resort falling apart and RCI discontinuing the affiliation for that reason.

This is terrible for us. It seems that the resort will not be able to get back on their feet without increasing their MFs substantially. I dont see the owners agreeing to such MFs increases, I certaintly do no look forward to that.
Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a timeshare we cant use as we bought this resale for the RCI points only.
Anyone heard of a discontinued resort being able to get reaffiliated with RCI? Would I be able to get my original points back, or would I need to pay for an RCI points conversion again?

Thank you for sharing! Have you contacted RCI? It's a really unfortunate situation, but I believe we will be seeing more and more of this.
It sounds like you have nothing now. If you bought "points" affiliated with a T/S that can you no longer be banked, are you allowed to use your home T/S? Are you still obligated to pay the Maintenance fee?

I do not see your T/S being reaffiliated with RCI, and no, I'm not aware of this ever happening. On the other hand, I have seen where RCI discontinued relationships with T/S - this was all prior to this whole "points" system. I am sorry for you. It does make me wonder what one "owns" with points versus a deed. I guess this shows what's the worse that can happen. On the other hand, deeded owners will be in the same dire situation in either not wanting to pay the increased necessary M/Fs are assessments, or not even being able to afford them.

 

[hello_world]

Thank you for sharing! Have you contacted RCI? It's a really unfortunate situation, but I believe we will be seeing more and more of this.
It sounds like you have nothing now. If you bought "points" affiliated with a T/S that can you no longer be banked, are you allowed to use your home T/S? Are you still obligated to pay the Maintenance fee?

I do not see your T/S being reaffiliated with RCI, and no, I'm not aware of this ever happening. On the other hand, I have seen where RCI discontinued relationships with T/S - this was all prior to this whole "points" system. I am sorry for you. It does make me wonder what one "owns" with points versus a deed. I guess this shows what's the worse that can happen. On the other hand, deeded owners will be in the same dire situation in either not wanting to pay the increased necessary M/Fs are assessments, or not even being able to afford them.

I contacted RCI, and they said that they've discountinued participation of Branson's Nantucket in RCI.
I am obligated to pay the maintenance fees, and I have use of the resort. The problem is that the resort is several states away, we live in the east coast.
I have a deed, and the previous owner paid for an RCI points conversion.
I never thought a resort could be kicked off RCI.

 

[bnoble]

Looking at TripAdvisor, the resort appears to be well-reviewed and in reportedly in decent shape. The negative comments are largely about timeshare sales weasels, which is pretty ordinary. So it doesn't seem like the resort was de-listed due to quality issues. I wonder if instead the resort stopped (correctly) verifying deposits, or there was some other management issue? So, it is possible that there aren't huge special assessments in your future.

Your first step is to figure out what you actually own. Is it a fixed week, or a floating week? If fixed, which one? If floating, which week(s) can you reserve and how do you do it? What unit size(s) can you book? Large units (at least 2BR but larger is better) in prime time (summer, and specifically the first full week of June through the third week of July) will be the most attractive.

Once you've figured that out, you have a few options.


One: you can use it yourself, even though it is a bit far. Vacations are vacations.

Two: You can try to rent it out and use the proceeds for your own vacations. Branson has a lot of supply, so this probably only works if you have a very high-demand unit size/time.

Three: you could investigate independent exchanges---these include 7across, HTSE, or TPI. Depending on exactly what and when you can book, SFX might even take it, but that's iffy.

Four: You can see if the resort will take a deed back in lieu of foreclosure, and if they won't just allow them to foreclose. To do this, you have to threaten (and be willing) to stop payment and potentially take a small hit to your credit. That might not be the worst thing in the world if you don't like your other options.

 

[jrb916]

I’d try and find out as much info about Lifetime Destinations as possible. It is very concerning the link on the bottom of the T/S webpage does not work. On a positive note, we saw several tours going to Branson Nantucket when we were next door at Stormy Point over Christmas break so they seem to be very active in the Branson market. We hadn’t noticed it before when we’ve been to Stormy Point.

 

[bogey21]

Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a timeshare we can't use as we bought this resale for the RCI points only.

You bought resale so you are not out a lot of money. If you don't want to use it yourself, write to the Resort and tell them you will no longer pay MFs (and mean it) because they terminated their affiliation with RCI. They may come back to you with an offer to take it off your hands. If they don't, just stop paying MFs and ignore their demands to pay. IMO renting your week is not a good option. It will be a hassle and in the long run you will lose money...

George

 

[CraigAK]

Hello fellow tuggers,
My resort sent me a letter and an email saying the following:

"Effective immediately our company will no longer be affiliated with RCI."
The resort is Branson's Nantucket.
My week gets (or used to get) RCI points.

Has anyone ever heard of this?
What does that mean for my RCI points?
I thought once you did an RCI conversion, the points were forever.

We got the same notice; it was on Christmas day they emailed us. My guess is they are up to some shady stuff at Bransons Nantucket and RCI don't like it. It's sad because we waited months to get our RCI welcome package then a few weeks later they dropped BN. We never got a chance to use them. Many people are angry about this move and BN are scrambling to find a replacement without and luck. From what I know BN are reselling the same deed twice our deed was resold to someone else whilst we still owned it!! We both owned it. Also, they are not supposed to be dealing with points at all, as they are not licensed to do so. They are in some hot water right now with all of that and also, they were still continuing their personations with RCI is their main focus point. Many people were under the assumption they were buying into RCI. I'm done with them because 1 week every 3 years at Branson Nantucket isn't worth $15,000 plus the $500 maintenance fee.

 

[silentg]

We have our original account with RCI. Fixed weeks in different independent resorts. Our first timeshare went thru management changes closed for a time ,got kicked out of II .Then got kicked out of RCI. Since I kept my maintenance fees and membership fees paid, I had a confirmation to exchange to another resort. RCI was going to terminate my exchange, until I escalated to a supervisor. I explained that I was a member in good standing and kept my account up, so I was able to exchange that week since it was already booked.
We have since terminated our timeshare at that resort.
Another resort fell on hard times, and closed. If we were willing to pay a huge assessment we could keep our timeshare. Since it was a RTU I got from a tug member,we released it back to the resort. We had no hope of reopening and it was only a 6 year lease. We used it only 2 years, for trades thru Marketplace.
I’ve learned a lot about timeshares from TUG members. We have 4 timeshares at 4 different resorts.
Have had more positive dealings than negative ones.
If a resort fall below II or RCI standards they can be dropped. Most resorts try to get reinstated with repairs and updating units. Hope you can find info on lifetime destinations? If you do, can you share information with us?

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Hello fellow tuggers,
My resort sent me a letter and an email saying the following:

"Effective immediately our company will no longer be affiliated with RCI."
The resort is Branson's Nantucket.

We got the same notice; it was on Christmas day they emailed us. .......

For information purposes
There are May -Sept 2022 weeks from Branson Nantucket available in AP -HSI
These could be developer deposits.

[I have a Advantage Program (Holiday Systems International) account- I can view them on the platform ]

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Hi @CraigAK and @hello_world
Welcome to TUG.

It is very possible that you will still have an RCI account if you have paid the annual fee and continue to due so.
This would give you access to Last Call and Extra Vacations.

If you are still interested in RCI points ; you could get a resale or free Timeshare that is already in RCI points and add it to your RCI account.
Grandview in Las Vegas is a good option to research. There are TUG threads that can help with information.

Here is one thread - .RCI points charts

Note that the 122,000 point Grandview- 2 bedrooms may require spending some money to buy a resale as these get the highest points per MF ratio.

The various Vacation Village resorts that are in RCI points generally have an underling fixed week deed.
Some weeks get fewer points for the same MF [note - the original purchaser paid more for the higher point weeks].
There are also 1 bedrooms eoy [every other year[and trienials [ every 3 year] in points. These seem to give half or a third of the points yearly .

Getting a week for free will save you money up front but remember the MF is the same for fewer points
Determine what you need and are willing to spend yearly and make a plan. Then start looking.

 

[Jan M.]

It does infrequently happen that a resort will get dropped by RCI. Sometimes a resort or group of resorts will opt to drop out of RCI.

If I'm remembering correctly you have to have a resort in RCI in order to keep your RCI points account. I'm not sure what that means for any points you have in your account for a use year that began prior to the date your resort will no longer be in RCI. I'd think you'd be able to keep the account until you use those points or they expire.

You may want to look into buying a points week. I always recommend Grandview at Las Vegas, a Vacation Village resort. Look for someone giving away a 122,000 or 98,000 point two bedroom week or a 61,000 or 49,000 point one bedroom week. There are lower point weeks for each but you would pay the same maintenance fees on them so not a good deal. For 2022 the maintenance fees on a two bedroom are $877 and $438.50 for a one bedroom. Look in the Bargain Deals and Giveaways in the Buying, Selling, Renting forum.

I'm pretty sure you can keep a weeks account even if you no longer own at any resort in RCI however I think you have to pay an annual membership fee if you do that. Some people keep their weeks account to be able to book Last Call Weeks and Extra Weeks.

 

[UptoNothin]

I contacted RCI, and they said that they've discountinued participation of Branson's Nantucket in RCI.
I am obligated to pay the maintenance fees, and I have use of the resort. The problem is that the resort is several states away, we live in the east coast.
I have a deed, and the previous owner paid for an RCI points conversion.
I never thought a resort could be kicked off RCI.

I found out that Branson's Nantucket is affiliated with Interval International and when I spoke to account services about it they told me that we would get an email with all the details soon and I haven't gotten one yet but I did find it online and through II.

 

[UptoNothin]

Hello fellow tuggers,
My resort sent me a letter and an email saying the following:

"Effective immediately our company will no longer be affiliated with RCI."
The resort is Branson's Nantucket.
My week gets (or used to get) RCI points.

Has anyone ever heard of this?
What does that mean for my RCI points?
I thought once you did an RCI conversion, the points were forever.

I found out that Branson's Nantucket is now a part of Interval International. I have a Marriott TS with II and it on there now for exchange and I contacted account services at Nantucket and the woman confirmed the change and said we would get an email which I still haven't received. I hope this helps

 

[dougp26364]

I found out that Branson's Nantucket is now a part of Interval International. I have a Marriott TS with II and it on there now for exchange and I contacted account services at Nantucket and the woman confirmed the change and said we would get an email which I still haven't received. I hope this helps

I was wondering if this was indeed the case. Several resorts have changed affiliation over the years. We own at French Quarter Resort in Branson, which is managed by Spinnaker. The resort was initially with RCI before the previous developer filed for liquidation bankruptcy. That’s when Spinnaker got involved. They kept the management contract once the bankruptcy was settled. Spinnaker was associated with II.

We were notified at one point recently about the change. The only difference was they appear to have remained dual affiliated. We were able to call II and have our week added to our II account. We haven’t had a personal RCI account for many years. We’ve never really considered exchanging our week. It’s an EOY week and we bought it specifically to use.

 

[silentg]

If you don’t exchange your week, you don’t have to belong to an exchange company. Is your membership part of your maintenance fee?

 

[dougp26364]

If you don’t exchange your week, you don’t have to belong to an exchange company. Is your membership part of your maintenance fee?

if you’re responding to my posts, nope, which is why we don’t have a personal RCI account and why we’ll most likely drop our personal II account. Carrying that membership expense just “in case” has become to expensive IMHO. we will still have a corporate account with RCI thru Hilton and II rough Marriott. We can’t get rid of those even though we really don’t use them or need them.

 

[dougp26364]

Funny story. We were just hit up to tour Branson Nantucket for a $250 Visa card. The body snatcher told us the resort exchanges through RCI and II. I didn’t bother to correct her. We just said no thank you and walked away.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I found out that Branson's Nantucket is now a part of Interval International. I have a Marriott TS with II and it on there now for exchange and I contacted account services at Nantucket and the woman confirmed the change and said we would get an email which I still haven't received. I hope this helps

I looked in the ii directory and see that it is now listed and is considered a "new member resort" and is considered to be a gold or "premium" quality resort. So, it should trade reasonably well, assuming that the owner deposits a high demand (TDI) week.

So, that is a lot better than having to trade through a small and limited exchange company.

As a post-script, I consider Interval to be better than RCI in some areas - - namely, it handles the higher end resort chains - - Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Welk, Sheraton, Vistana and recently, Disney.

 

[CKMason]

Branson’s Nantucket now is, as mentioned above, a resort affiliated with Lifetime Destinations. Kevin Knasel is listed by the BBB as its owner [https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/branson/profile/timeshare-companies/bransons-nantucket-0734-32556]. He is also listed as the “organizer” of Lifetime Destinations [https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_mo/LC0963792], He was added as the organizer August 8-14, 2021 and then removed one week later August 15-22, 2021. [ https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_mo/LC0963792]

It is not clear how Branson’s Nantucket became affiliated with Lifetime Destinations. One might speculate, however, that the affiliation might have been the motivation for Lifetime Destinations to not renew the affiliation with RCI and to affiliate with II instead—rather than RCI initiating the non-affiliation.

Note that Lifetime Destinations has two other resorts in the works. The Tower, at the same address as Branson’s Nantucket, 90 Nautical Mile, states on its website: “This advertising material is used for the purpose of soliciting the sale of timeshare interests at The Tower by Lifetime.” [https://towerbranson.com/] In addition, Lifetime Destinations also has a link on its website for another resort “coming soon to Branson.” [ https://lifetimedestinations.com/coming-soon-to-branson-missouri/]

It appears that they are moving aggressively into the Branson timeshare market.

 

[WonderingOne]

Have any of you owners actually been able to use Interval International?

If so, when did BN give you the information on using II? How simple was the process to book with II?