• Welcome to the FREE TUGBBS forums! The absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 32 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 33 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 33nd anniversary and giveaway: Happy 32nd Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    All subscribers auto-entered to win all free TUG membership giveaways!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $25,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $25 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Sports Illustrated Resorts Announces New Resort Destination Near LSU in Baton Rouge

Not even top 50 according to AAA


My bet is not even top 75, maybe not even top 100

bnoble said:
If you ranked the cities in the US based on visitor numbers, my guess is that Baton Rouge is barely in the top 40. This is a mishmash of numbers, but there are an awful lot of them with totals over 9M.

www.xola.com

US tourism top cities stats round-up post

In this post, you’ll find the most up-to-date U.S. tourism statistics by city.
www.xola.com www.xola.com

So, do people visit Baton Rouge? Sure. Does it make sense to make this one of four properties, total, in a timeshare brand, even one that is sports-focused? Someone thinks so, but I sure don't. This thing exists because there was a hotel available on the cheap for conversion. As an aside, it is worth asking why there was a hotel available on the cheap.
Click to expand...

Echo that sentiment. WHY was the hotel available on the cheap?
 
I didn't see it that way, but you are welcome to your own conclusions.
-----------------------------
So, here's a question:

If you wanted to visit a (hypothetical) SI resort for a sporting event, what would it be? This excludes things that rotate locations, so no Super Bowl, Final Four, etc. etc. It also excludes cities that are already served by timeshares, so Las Vegas for the F1 race or NYC for the US Open is also is out of bounds.

I'd have to think about it, but one of the ones on my list might be Oxford, MS---not so much for a game, but I'd like to see what tailgating on the Grove looks like. I've done several of the (new and long-term) Big Ten venues, and while they are pretty impressive events, I don't think they rise to this level for me. For example, everyone should see a game at the Rose Bowl, but there's really no other reason to be in Pasadena if it not NYD. If you could put together a Tobacco Road tour of basketball games, that might be on my list too.
 
comicbookman said:
No, they didn't resort to hyperbole, they doubled down on a false narrative. Not at all the same thing.
Click to expand...

bnoble said:
I didn't see it that way, but you are welcome to your own conclusions.
-----------------------------
So, here's a question:

If you wanted to visit a (hypothetical) SI resort for a sporting event, what would it be? This excludes things that rotate locations, so no Super Bowl, Final Four, etc. etc. It also excludes cities that are already served by timeshares, so Las Vegas for the F1 race or NYC for the US Open is also is out of bounds.

I'd have to think about it, but one of the ones on my list might be Oxford, MS---not so much for a game, but I'd like to see what tailgating on the Grove looks like. I've done several of the (new and long-term) Big Ten venues, and while they are pretty impressive events, I don't think they rise to this level for me. For example, everyone should see a game at the Rose Bowl, but there's really no other reason to be in Pasadena if it not NYD. If you could put together a Tobacco Road tour of basketball games, that might be on my list too.
Click to expand...

I could concede that point, but likely a "once" event.

I used to be a big football fan and visited most of the SEC towns for games. Baton Rouge definitely wasn't the worst by any means. But using your example of the Rose Bowl, there's definitely a lot more to do in the area of Pasedina, CA.
 
bnoble said:
I didn't see it that way, but you are welcome to your own conclusions.
-----------------------------
So, here's a question:

If you wanted to visit a (hypothetical) SI resort for a sporting event, what would it be? This excludes things that rotate locations, so no Super Bowl, Final Four, etc. etc. It also excludes cities that are already served by timeshares, so Las Vegas for the F1 race or NYC for the US Open is also is out of bounds.

I'd have to think about it, but one of the ones on my list might be Oxford, MS---not so much for a game, but I'd like to see what tailgating on the Grove looks like. I've done several of the (new and long-term) Big Ten venues, and while they are pretty impressive events, I don't think they rise to this level for me. For example, everyone should see a game at the Rose Bowl, but there's really no other reason to be in Pasadena if it not NYD. If you could put together a Tobacco Road tour of basketball games, that might be on my list too.
Click to expand...

So, a SI-themed resort in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area sounds like it would make more sense than say, Baton Rouge. (Granted, football in the ACC is not a religion like in the SEC. Still, three major universities clustered might be attractive.)
 
comicbookman said:
I don't disagree; I do disagree with the position that no one visits Baton Rouge.
Click to expand...
Wife and I day-tripped to Baton Rouge from New Orleans several years ago. It was one of the times when the Mississippi was very high, the Bonnet Carré spillway was open, and we wanted to see the river levels in Baton Rouge. We did that, toured the retired Navy destroyer, the Old State Capitol, and the Old Governor's Mansion, then went back to N.O.

It was a good day trip but I don't think we have reasons to go back. In fact, I'm not sure when we'll go back to N.O. We're eating in most meals now for two or three different reasons and it doesn't make sense to go to New Orleans and eat in.

Something I have mentioned before in the Central States Timesharing forum is a fascinating old article in the New Yorker magazine by John McPhee that foretells the eventual demise of New Orleans as a major port and the economic disaster that will follow closing of all the petro-chemical facilities between Baton Rouge and N.O. A book, The Control of Nature, has the article titled "Atchafalaya." The title is apt because the Atchafalaya River will eventually capture the Mississippi River up near Simmesport, turning what we know as the Mississippi River at New Orleans into a salt marsh.

The Army Corps of Engineers is desparately trying to keep it from happening, so far with success. But, the COE almost lost it in 1973.

Here's a link to the article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/02/23/atchafalaya
 
Last edited:
chapjim said:
So, a SI-themed resort in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area sounds like it would make more sense than say, Baton Rouge. (Granted, football in the ACC is not a religion like in the SEC. Still, three major universities clustered might be attractive.)
Click to expand...
I think there are two ways to do this.

One is to keep the sports theme, but pick locations that have a strong sports nexus across multiple teams, in multiple sports, covering the calendar. So, cities with an MLB franchise, an NFL team, and probably either NBA and/or NHL. You could also maybe make a case for MLS over hte summer.

You could make a case for a major college, but it would be better to have areas within spitting distance of a couple of different schools that collectively offer three-season draws. LSU gives you two of those (football and baseball), but I'm not sure about basketball. Alabama gives you football and basketball, but I'm not sure about baseball. (I'm not up on SEC schools performance outside of football, so might be wrong about the basketball/baseball stuff). Ideally, this would also be combined with several other non-revenue sports tied to the anchor sport in each season.

But I think a better angle on the univeristy idea is to have a weekly activites calendar that combines sports with other things going on around campus---arts performances, interesting public lectures, etc. I don't know how much of a draw that would be. I would dig it, but I chose to be a professor, and I did that in part to be able to hang out on a college campus.
 
I like your last paragraph but that dilutes the Sports Illustrated connection, which Wyndham seems to be embracing (for some reason).

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the faculty of the University of Louisville. Plus, being a bachelor Navy Lieutenant in Louisville was a lot of fun.
 
I did very well renting 3 day weekends for football games at William and Mary, U of Texas, Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina
 
Floridaman76 said:
Well no doubt it will fill up on football weekends. Like every other SEC college town hotel on football weekends.

But Wyndham closed a bunch of resorts under the guise of "trying to get away from very seasonal resorts".

It doesn't get any more seasonal than "10 football weekends" out of the year
Click to expand...
I don't really know about the sports stuff that much, but college sports seems for any given location inherently pretty niche. I know plenty of people who subscribe to a bunch of channels for watching sports stuff on TV, I know some that are 100% dedicated to seeing their alma maters games, again, on TV. The problem with even the people dedicated to their college's teams is that those teams travel. Not every game is at the college. So it's a very limited number of days you would be in town to see the games in person if you were even inclined. And here's the rub for me, if you're expecting to come a few times in the year - buying doesn't make a lot of sense in the timeshare model right? You're not coming for a week. You're not sure exactly when you'd be coming so you'll be competing for limited availability. There are going to be years when the team does badly and stops playing or gets out of the running or whatever. You're going to have life happen and can't necessarily guarantee your own availability for what is a bit of a random schedule.

For the people I know who "go to every home game", they tend to live in the area. So they're not buying I don't think.

I also think that sports themes are exclusionary in a way Las Vegas, Orlando or even the Poconos aren't. What I mean is - to have the theme, you're going to need to lean in to the local teams right? So is someone who's in town for what for them is an away game going to want to be in a location that's all RAH RAH their rival team? OTOH, if you bought in to the your team system, are you going to want to see a rival team themed area? Then there's the possibility that those of us who aren't into Football or whatever are going to be like, nah, I'd rather stay in a "normal" resort / hotel.

I almost think this is a misunderstanding of the "experiences" trend in the market per ARDA and whoever. I actually think HGV's special events whatever they're called is more on the money there.
 
Came across this blurb in the T&L 10k statement today as it relates to the SI Tuscaloosa location:

1776781042468.png
 
todays story:

www.si.com

Sports Illustrated Resorts Expands With New Baton Rouge Destination

Sports Illustrated Resorts is expanding its national footprint with a new destination in Louisiana.
www.si.com www.si.com

he property will continue operating as a hotel through 2026, with renovations expected to begin in early 2027. Upon completion, the resort is expected to include a mix of accommodations, including vacation ownership units, traditional hotel rooms, and full-ownership condominiums.
Click to expand...
 
paxsarah said:
OMG this is the first time I've really looked at the SI resorts directory beyond just the points charts and I have many thoughts about elements that are either confusing or are just stupid.

First of all, does every element of normal timeshare policies have to have its name changed to something sports-related? Must everything be a gimmick?
Owners = "MVPs"
Program fee = "Facility fee" (which is also dumb because "facility" implies a resort location, but this is apparently the corporate program fee)
Prime, High, Value, Quiet seasons = "Legend," "Hall of Fame," "All Star," "Rookie" seasons
Directory = "Playbook"

Things that are confusing:
- On Page 61 it says "This is a multisite, trust-based timeshare plan," and also "Maintenance fees will be blended across all resorts," but then there is also an ARP window from 14-12 months for "home" resort. Is there a designated home resort even though the maintenance fees are blended and it's a trust?
- It does specifically say there's no borrowing points, and there's no mention of a Points Deposit type benefit. RCI is available, and hopefully the deposit deadline is the end of the use year (but I didn't see where it specified that).

Things that are dumb:
- It seems like they copied a lot of glossary stuff over from the Club Wyndham directory, some of which is pretty arcane, but the difference is there's a lot of content on the program in the Club Wyndham directory and then the glossary is just extra at the very end, whereas the content in the SI directory is pretty sparse so the weird glossary items are like half of it. It ends up talking about the Nightly Unit Limit in 3 different places (as if booking 10+ units is a regular issue for regular owners).
- The dumbest thing (and already one of my biggest pet peeves about the CW directory) is that the Vacation Planning calendar HAS FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY COLUMNS. Why is that necessary? This is a brand-new club that never had fixed weeks.

One thing that's interesting:
- Owners sorry, MVPs can rent points at $12 per 100 points - so maybe it's intended to operate at 1/10 the points as Club Wyndham?

Really, the directory doesn't seem ready for prime time.
Click to expand...
"Really, the directory doesn't seem ready for prime time."
Amen to that.
Just like when they decide to "update" or "Improve" the website - never has so much weeping, gnashing of teeth, and other forms of frustration, disappointment, and anger
been generated by anything as bad as that.
 
We can probably thank A.I. for all those "Corporate-speak Sports Terms" used to describe the new brand's features.
It will certainly be better than CW's so called I.T. "Experts"
 
Maybe an easy way to get marks to buy Wyndham points. That is the first reason why resorts are built where they are.
 
I know this doesn't really mean anything but found the mention interesting. Here's a conversation with Louis Acosta SVP Sports, Entertainment, Event Marketing & Sales at Travel + Leisure. He was asked about exchanging between the different brands. "Not all of them yet, but that's probably something we're looking into".
 
I know it probably doesn't help sales, but if I was making a new brand as opposed to buying an existing one, I would think I'd want to plan for a way to easily trade between them. Even if you just want to be able to add to ClubPass for retail purchasers. That said, I'd also think given Wyndham's (and all the TS companies) IT woes, I would do all I could to keep the least amount of systems I legally have to. Added complexity has not been their IT friend.
 
jp10558 said:
I know it probably doesn't help sales, but if I was making a new brand as opposed to buying an existing one, I would think I'd want to plan for a way to easily trade between them. Even if you just want to be able to add to ClubPass for retail purchasers. That said, I'd also think given Wyndham's (and all the TS companies) IT woes, I would do all I could to keep the least amount of systems I legally have to. Added complexity has not been their IT friend.
Click to expand...
I think Eddie Bauer is the only property being sold right now. I know you can't answer this, but question in general. Do they have their own website? Is it based on the same architecture as Club Wyndham?
 
dioxide45 said:
I think Eddie Bauer is the only property being sold right now. I know you can't answer this, but question in general. Do they have their own website? Is it based on the same architecture as Club Wyndham?
Click to expand...
Seeing that Eddie Bauer has closed all its stores and is on-line only, I have to wonder if Wyndham regrets hooking up with EB.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top