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Video review of Villa Roma (The worst timeshare I've ever stayed at?) and Bethel Woods Peace love and Pumpkins

jp10558

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The best part of the trip could have been a night at the Hampton Inn and the Halloween displays!
 

rickandcindy23

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Sorry you had a bad exchange. You can always call II during the stay and see if they can find you something else.
 

klpca

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I went to see what the TUG reviews said about Villa Roma. Of course most were fine, but there were a few outliers who also thought it wasn't a good exchange. We had a similar experience at a place that most tuggers love - Island Park near West Yellowstone. We are pretty sure that they have a terrible unit that they give to exchangers. It was rundown and dated, and had a filthy stairwell, so once we returned I went and reread the TUG reviews. I felt like others, especially owners, were describing a different place. Another tugger exchanged in and received the same awful unit as us and had the same experience. I guess that some places are like that.

For the future, even though Interval *does* have nicer places than RCI (for the most part) not every resort is high quality. You need to do your research. I am glad that you made the best of it.
 

gravityrules

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Thank you for posting your video review, I see you gave it a '4' in the review section. Sorry your first II getaway was a flop. What II resort in Orlando is your next getaway? I expect that should be a major improvement!

Your experience at Villa Roma brings me back to a previous thread where we discussed review methodology, I think you are correctly applying the recommended criteria for TUG reviews since you said you would not return to this resort. But most of the TUG reviews are '8' or so ... so did you wonder what the other reviewers were seeing different? Kind of the same thing with TripAdvisor, Villa Roma is 3.5 stars ... not great but not horrible either. TA is likely taking in 'other than timeshare' reviews so not really reviewing the same product.

I have a yet to publish review of a resort in the Smoky Mountains where my experience was like yours, good reviews here on TUG and 4 stars (out of 5) on TA and I'm trying to decide if it merits a 5 out of 10 on TUG.
I feel a bit odd about being the negative outlier and am aware of the urge to bump my rating upwards a bit ... kind of like the 'data herding' in a lot of polls this season ... most don't want to be the outliers.
 

jp10558

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I went to see what the TUG reviews said about Villa Roma. Of course most were fine, but there were a few outliers who also thought it wasn't a good exchange. We had a similar experience at a place that most tuggers love - Island Park near West Yellowstone. We are pretty sure that they have a terrible unit that they give to exchangers. It was rundown and dated, and had a filthy stairwell, so once we returned I went and reread the TUG reviews. I felt like others, especially owners, were describing a different place. Another tugger exchanged in and received the same awful unit as us and had the same experience. I guess that some places are like that.
IDK where the "better units" would be - we did walk the entire "center building" to get to the hot tub and rec center as they are on the opposite side from where our unit was. Sadly, I didn't think to video walking through the main building, but aside from the main lobby, everything felt odd / old / similar. The hallways were "random", the floors were constantly sloping up or down and cross hallways would be sloped differently without a leveled "center". We were in an area of about 10 buildings that all looked the same from the outside anyway.

EDIT: And unless they're full of owners such that only the crappy unit is available, I think it's terrible marketing for them - I'm going to be basing most of my reviews on some sort of exchange, either inside HGVC/Wyndham or via RCI or II. But outside of the tiny reach of this forum and youtube - anyone going there is going to be taking that into account if they were ever going to think of buying. It's like - if you're running a used car dealership, don't have your 20 year old rustbucket as the test drive car / on the frontage of your lot.
For the future, even though Interval *does* have nicer places than RCI (for the most part) not every resort is high quality. You need to do your research. I am glad that you made the best of it.
I did my research - if you saw the photos in the video, read the TUG ratings and even see the trip advisor stuff in the next post after yours... there was every reason to think this was going to be at least slightly above average.
 
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claraj

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@jp10558 I saw those recent trip advisor reviews and were very surprised at the praises.
 

jp10558

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Thank you for posting your video review, I see you gave it a '4' in the review section. Sorry your first II getaway was a flop. What II resort in Orlando is your next getaway? I expect that should be a major improvement!
Sheraton Vistana Villages. Here's hoping it's a step up, or I might try and change locations.
Your experience at Villa Roma brings me back to a previous thread where we discussed review methodology, I think you are correctly applying the recommended criteria for TUG reviews since you said you would not return to this resort. But most of the TUG reviews are '8' or so ... so did you wonder what the other reviewers were seeing different?
Yes - when I saw the 8s I was like - these can't be real. At least 25% of my rating was public shared spaces - the "Bowling Alley" was shut down blocked with stacked boxes - looked like they turned it into storage some time ago. The walkway to the main building was missing it's awning cover for 75% of it, 33% of the center railing on the stairs was literally barely attached and unsafe. The events were scheduled the night before - you were supposed to go after 6PM or something to pick up a new sheet for the next day. The hot tub was back in a corner in basically an attached shed. The "business walkway" wasn't open when we walked through, but it was older looking.

If I HAD to guess, people rating it highly aren't doing so because of the rooms or decor or even build safety, but because of the events and things to do (many of which seemed shut down for the season - fair enough - but that means that the "bump" is like 3 months out of the year). The shuttle for tweens and older getting to stuff without needing the parents to drive them might also be a plus. Or - maybe most reviewers see the place with "rose colored glasses" at a power level of like +100 lol. IDK. We were in a busy section of the resort - I think over 50% of the units were full, which is high for us on many getaways like this.

This all goes back to the review methodology - for me the room / unit is the core important thing if it falls outside of the 5.5-9 range. I don't care how amazing anything else is if I'm almost squicked out from the bed or bathroom. And... we almost were. Slightly worse and we'd have just left. And as cool as all the inside ping pong, pool table, shuffleboard, etc were - there's plenty of places that have those available (if not always inside) that have way way nicer units, AND more to do in the area. (I can't emphasize enough that Massanutten is a happening area by far with lots more food and store options than Villa Roma)
Kind of the same thing with TripAdvisor, Villa Roma is 3.5 stars ... not great but not horrible either. TA is likely taking in 'other than timeshare' reviews so not really reviewing the same product.
I did not get to see the inside of their "hotel rooms" in the hotel section, but the hallways were exactly the same as in the timeshare building, and some parts of the main building were also timeshares. I think a lot of the reviews are just not using a good methodology. I probably would have rated this lower "as a hotel".
I have a yet to publish review of a resort in the Smoky Mountains where my experience was like yours, good reviews here on TUG and 4 stars (out of 5) on TA and I'm trying to decide if it merits a 5 out of 10 on TUG.
I feel a bit odd about being the negative outlier and am aware of the urge to bump my rating upwards a bit
Yea, as I said, the rooms probably rated a 3, but I bumped it to a 4 because of the free activities and number of food options (we didn't try any though). I just feel like if I wanted to play ping-pong, go to the hot tub, sauna, etc I could stay for about the same price at Regal Vistas which are much nicer if a bit more of a drive.
 

klpca

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IDK where the "better units" would be - we did walk the entire "center building" to get to the hot tub and rec center as they are on the opposite side from where our unit was. Sadly, I didn't think to video walking through the main building, but aside from the main lobby, everything felt odd / old / similar. The hallways were "random", the floors were constantly sloping up or down and cross hallways would be sloped differently without a leveled "center". We were in an area of about 10 buildings that all looked the same from the outside anyway.

I did my research - if you saw the photos in the video, read the TUG ratings and even see the trip advisor stuff in the next post after yours... there was every reason to think this was going to be at least slightly above average.
I hear you. It was a weird experience when we got home. I couldn't square my experience with what others experienced. The only thing that I could think was that I was pickier than other people. Btw, at Island Park there were definitely units that had been renovated based upon what others posted. I have no idea if that was the case at Villa Roma.

With II what I was referring to about "nicer" resorts is that the Marriott/Westin/Hyatt/Sheraton resorts are definitely going to be nice. Some of the independents are as well, but you need to do some digging there. And even then you may find something that just doesn't work for you. So, I would chalk it up to a funny experience, hopefully never to be repeated.
 

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Thank you for posting your video review, I see you gave it a '4' in the review section. Sorry your first II getaway was a flop. What II resort in Orlando is your next getaway? I expect that should be a major improvement!

Your experience at Villa Roma brings me back to a previous thread where we discussed review methodology, I think you are correctly applying the recommended criteria for TUG reviews since you said you would not return to this resort. But most of the TUG reviews are '8' or so ... so did you wonder what the other reviewers were seeing different? Kind of the same thing with TripAdvisor, Villa Roma is 3.5 stars ... not great but not horrible either. TA is likely taking in 'other than timeshare' reviews so not really reviewing the same product.

I have a yet to publish review of a resort in the Smoky Mountains where my experience was like yours, good reviews here on TUG and 4 stars (out of 5) on TA and I'm trying to decide if it merits a 5 out of 10 on TUG.
I feel a bit odd about being the negative outlier and am aware of the urge to bump my rating upwards a bit ... kind of like the 'data herding' in a lot of polls this season ... most don't want to be the outliers.
It sounds like you're grappling with the challenge of being an outlier in reviews, which can be tough, especially when most people seem to have a different experience. It’s interesting how review platforms like TUG and TripAdvisor can vary, with each catering to different types of feedback—timeshare-specific versus general audience reviews. When considering whether to give a 5 out of 10, it’s good to trust your own experience, even if it feels uncomfortable to go against the trend. Ultimately, honest and thoughtful reviews help others make informed decisions, so staying true to your experience is valuable.
 

gravityrules

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It sounds like you're grappling with the challenge of being an outlier in reviews, which can be tough, especially when most people seem to have a different experience. It’s interesting how review platforms like TUG and TripAdvisor can vary, with each catering to different types of feedback—timeshare-specific versus general audience reviews. When considering whether to give a 5 out of 10, it’s good to trust your own experience, even if it feels uncomfortable to go against the trend. Ultimately, honest and thoughtful reviews help others make informed decisions, so staying true to your experience is valuable.

I added TUG reviews for Laurel Point (5.5 rating) and Westgate Smoky Mountain (8.5 rating). From previous TUG review ratings and from TA ratings you would have thought these are similar quality resorts but it's more like comparing an Econolodge to a Hampton Inn ... they are not in the same class! I can't just explain this away as 'my experience' at the 2 properties.

Perhaps this needs to go in the 'ratings methodology' thread that was active back in the summer ... but the current ratings are flawed.

First, few reviewers are treating the rating objectively based on the stated criteria. Perhaps making the criteria more obvious in the review process could improve results. I'm convinced most reviewers are actually submitting a satisfaction rating. It's not the same thing. But since the current database of ratings are satisfaction numbers it may be time to wave the white flag and drop the attempt at criteria based 1 to 10 ratings and just call this a satisfaction rating.

Second, a 1 to 5 star 'property class' rating like typically seen with hotels would be helpful.
I've seen previous opinions here that there are no true 5 star timeshares and only a few that would merit 4 stars. That leaves the majority in the 1 to 3 star range. And that determination could be criteria based.

In my example Laurel Point would likely be a 1 star while Westgate Smoky Mountains might be a 3 star. The satisfaction rating for each might end up similar since satisfaction is heavily influenced by expectation.
But you wouldn't compare ratings across property categories.
 

WaikikiFirst

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few reviewers are treating the rating objectively based on the stated criteria. Perhaps making the criteria more obvious in the review process could improve results. I'm convinced most reviewers are actually submitting a satisfaction rating
Oh boy. IMO, you're right. Whether it be a restaurant, hotel or a resort, if someone goes in expecting and paying for a 2* experience and they get a good one, they rate it highly. They are mostly "good value" or "nothing terrible happened" ratings. I won't repeat what my wife says about TA ratings of restaurants. It ain't pretty.
 

WaikikiFirst

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most of the TUG reviews are '8' or so ... so did you wonder what the other reviewers were seeing different?
I kid you not; I was once told by someone that they reviewed stuff like school grades, A thru F, but, wait for it ...
A+ = 10, A = 9, B = 8, C = 7, D = 6, F =5. And when you match the #s to the words, many reviews seem to use that paradigm.
So, not only is the subjective satisfaction vs objective category off, but the scale is off too, Caveat Emptor
 

jp10558

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I kid you not; I was once told by someone that they reviewed stuff like school grades, A thru F, but, wait for it ...
A+ = 10, A = 9, B = 8, C = 7, D = 6, F =5. And when you match the #s to the words, many reviews seem to use that paradigm.
So, not only is the subjective satisfaction vs objective category off, but the scale is off too, Caveat Emptor
Well, and part of the issue is how do you define a 5* hotel if the Hotel doesn't tell you? The reason I'm OK with the hotel telling me is I take it as the category the hotel is aiming for. I have never been to one. There's also the experience difference in general - my BIL family literally agree with the "Fancy Like Applebees" song - they see that as a fancy restaurant. I've taken people to a Hampton Inn who think it's the fanciest hotel they've ever seen.

On the other hand, I've also wondered if it made any sense to rate timeshares by hotel ratings, if there are basically no 5*, what use is having a rating that we'll never use? I think the resorts don't have an industry standard like hotels (sort of) do, so in that case I feel like what gravityrules says makes some sense - i.e. there should be 2 scales for voting. 1) what star from 1-4 or 5 you think the timeshare is shooting for (though from what I can tell, we really would only use 2-4) and then the satisfaction number.

If I had my druthers I'd also like to see a checklist of the common amenities such as hot tub, pool, ping pong, steam room, sauna, fitness center, etc with a star rating there too (1 star = present but non-functional, 2 star = minimum expectations met, 3 star = beyond minimum). Mostly because in a lot of ways these are different axis. Or at the very least I'd like to see unit quality and expectations separate from amenities because multiple times I've felt frustrated that either the resort amenities are great but the unit is iffy or vice versa. And depending on if you're there for a place to sleep, cook, eat, work and otherwise planning to leave the resort for activities OR if the resort is the destination for fun this will matter differently to you.

Of course this is all meta discussion.
 

gravityrules

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I kid you not; I was once told by someone that they reviewed stuff like school grades, A thru F, but, wait for it ...
A+ = 10, A = 9, B = 8, C = 7, D = 6, F =5. And when you match the #s to the words, many reviews seem to use that paradigm.
So, not only is the subjective satisfaction vs objective category off, but the scale is off too, Caveat Emptor

Wow!

But I'm sure the ratings distribution here reflect that, a very non-normal distribution. Not many 1-4 ratings (all various shades of you don't want to stay here) and few 5 'average' ratings. 5 certainly isn't the mean of the distribution.

I have noticed in Amazon's 5 star rating system that most products, unless truly awful, have ratings around 4.5
 

jp10558

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Wow!

But I'm sure the ratings distribution here reflect that, a very non-normal distribution. Not many 1-4 ratings (all various shades of you don't want to stay here) and few 5 'average' ratings. 5 certainly isn't the mean of the distribution.
I think too many people think of "average" as described on TUG as minimum, not only because it's the starting point of "you would want to go here". It doesn't help that the rating legend's confused parts of the scale almost preclude a 5.0 if there's anything "right" with the resort, like it has an activity even if you have to pay etc... I also do wonder in my specific experience of TS there's not really a normal distribution because the total numbers seem too low to me. I'm comparing to a theoretical average which I'm kind of bumping down per the TUG scale suggesting 5.0 is the minimum "you want to go here" score. That's non-mathematical right there IMO - I would figure at least some 4s in the mathematical sense would still be "you want to go here" - maybe for location, maybe it's cheap and fine, heck plenty of people want to go to a Motel 6, yet I would probably put that around a 3.5 if I tried to apply a distribution of possible "want to go there" scale. However, then there's the numeric - I think there are way more Hampton Inns than Motel 6s from my travels, but I don't KNOW that. Or are we assuming "Hampton Inn" as a quality level and then averaging among Quality Levels such that Hampton Inn only gets 1 entry as opposed to the number of Hampton Inns there are? IDK. Statistics are hard.

Though I still don't get how Villa Roma gets the "satisfaction" scores it gets either. I'm guessing it's also conflating things for the reviewers, but all else being equal, I'd certainly rather go to Ocean Enclave than Villa Roma, yet the scores are pretty close. And right there - I think THAT's the implied point of the ratings - do you want to go there, not how satisfied were you. Because most people are prospectively checking the reviews before going. It's the difference between should a newbie buy a timeshare and how satisfied are you with your timeshares. Very different things actually.
I have noticed in Amazon's 5 star rating system that most products, unless truly awful, have ratings around 4.5
Amazon has so many fake / paid reviews as well as product switched reviews that I don't believe the star value and try and read a few text reviews and also send through reviewmeta...
 
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