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We need infirmation on Spinnaker resorts? If you have bought in, are you getting what you were promised?

E

EWARREN221

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2025
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We are considering buying into Spinnaker Resorts. Since they only have 4 locations. Most of their business is fine by exchange through Interval International. The reviews we have found are not good. We need some help to avoid a possible disaster. We have been BlueGreen owners for 31 years and now Hilton has bought BlueGreen. We have already seen some negative changes to our BlueGreen ownership. We are being told that if we don't buy into Hilton, Hilton is going to take over all the best BlueGreen resorts and we will be left with very little. Has anyone heard of this happening?

Thanks for any help.
 
I spend a lot of time in Branson
There is one property here that’s a spinnaker
I would not recommend it, imho …
On the other issue blue green big cedar here is one of the most amazing properties
May I ask, what are they saying in regards to blue green/hilton?
 
EWARREN221 said:
We are considering buying into Spinnaker Resorts. Since they only have 4 locations. Most of their business is fine by exchange through Interval International. The reviews we have found are not good. We need some help to avoid a possible disaster. We have been BlueGreen owners for 31 years and now Hilton has bought BlueGreen. We have already seen some negative changes to our BlueGreen ownership. We are being told that if we don't buy into Hilton, Hilton is going to take over all the best BlueGreen resorts and we will be left with very little. Has anyone heard of this happening?

Thanks for any help.
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Sounds like the new salespeople are already hitting warp speed on the lies. A classic sales fear tactic is to scare you into buying into the new owner's system (HGV) by saying everything you loved about your old timeshare (BlueGreen) is about to change because that system was sold. I bet they would not give you anything in writing detailing their alleged imminent changes.
 
No, but I have already run Into some of the changes in booking myself. A free week we always got could be traded through RCI for something better. The free week with BlueGreen has to be booked in white or blue season- the off season. You could find something in a better time of year by trading through RCI. You can no longer trade that week through RCI such m which makes it basically useless. Bonus time-paying a certain dollar amount instead of using points, is gone. Big Cedar Lodge in Branson has already been rebranded by Hilton, making it unaccessable with Blue Green points. The next one is Christmas Mountain- the one we use the most and the one we use to get together with our grandchildren every year. If they make it a Hilton property, BlueGreen points are useless. So, you deal with the resorts Hilton doesn't rebrand or you" upgrade " to Hilton at quite a cost. It's already happening. That part is true.
 
Consider Hershey
Just a thought
 
Pennytx said:
I spend a lot of time in Branson
There is one property here that’s a spinnaker
I would not recommend it, imho …
On the other issue blue green big cedar here is one of the most amazing properties
May I ask, what are they saying in regards to blue green/hilton?
Click to expand...
They are saying that Hilton is going to rebrand the better BlueGreen resorts ar Hilton resorts, cutting out BlueGreen owners unless they upgrade to Hilton. I have already noticed changes that I don't like. A free week we got from BlueGreen every year can no longer be exchanged through RCI. The free week is only good in blue or white seasons( off seasons) in BlueGreen, but you could exchange for something better through RCI. Not anymore. Bonus time- paying a dollar amount for short term stays instead of using points, is gone. What I'm hearing is that if you don't upgrade to Hilton, you will be left with the BlueGreen resorts that aren't so popular and aren't updated as often. Christmas Mountain is a year round resort in WI. They offer golf and sking on sight', it's very popular and Hilton will rebrand that too, cutting out BlueGreen points. Eventually, you'll have to upgrade at quite a cost, or just live with what we spent years and a lot of money building up.
 
Where do you live? Where do you wish to travel?

I would not spend any money on a Spinnaker resort. None. Not $1.
If you want Branson, buy a resale week at the Marriott's Willow Ridge. You can stay at Branson, or you can trade it to other Marriotts, Sheratons, & Westins throughout the USA.
 
Hilton also bought DRI - Development and Management of Resort. So long as we do not make the horrible mistake of buying MAX we retain all our Status, Rights, and opportunities with the DRI Resorts even if they are renamed HVC. They can not legally change our relationship with the Former DRI Resorts. This was recently confirmed when we attended a recent HGVC Sales Pitch at Marbrisa. If we decide we want access to HGVC Resorts we will buy a resell Deed. Mostly likely in Las Vegas and a Platinum Week.
 
EWARREN221 said:
They are saying that Hilton is going to rebrand the better BlueGreen resorts ar Hilton resorts, cutting out BlueGreen owners unless they upgrade to Hilton.
Click to expand...
Even if they rename them, they can't cut you out based on name alone. The underlying program still exists. Regardless of the FOMO the sales weasels spew, they won't and can't really destroy that. Many Diamond Resorts have been rebranded to Hilton Vacation Club, yet DRI owners can still use their points to make reservations there and owners can still use DEX to exchange into them.
 
EWARREN221 said:
Bonus time-paying a certain dollar amount instead of using points, is gone. Big Cedar Lodge in Branson has already been rebranded by Hilton, making it unaccessable with Blue Green points.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I understand your statements regarding bonus time reservations and inability to book Big Cedar with Bluegreen points. I am just a Basic Bluegreen points owner - I just checked my account and still have the ability to make bonus time reservations and make a reservation at Big Cedar.
 
They can put unsold inventory at Big Cedar (HOA inventory) into the Hilton trust. They can move inventory from those at Big Cedar that convert into hilton. If they want it bad enough they can certainly incentivize owners there to switch but the inventory from owners that don't switch will still be available in bluegreen. It should take several years before you see a huge difference unless there is a lot of unsold inventory due to defaults and depending on the cost and incentives offered, it may take even longer or may never happen.
 
tschwa2 said:
They can put unsold inventory at Big Cedar (HOA inventory) into the Hilton trust. They can move inventory from those at Big Cedar that convert into hilton. If they want it bad enough they can certainly incentivize owners there to switch but the inventory from owners that don't switch will still be available in bluegreen. It should take several years before you see a huge difference unless there is a lot of unsold inventory due to defaults and depending on the cost and incentives offered, it may take even longer or may never happen.
Click to expand...
Do we know if they are doing that though? Isn't much of the Bluegreen inventory in the different Bluegreen trusts already? I suspect much of the sales talk here is just a bunch of scare tactics. We are 15 years into the Marriott Vacation Club switch to points and all the doomsday talk by sales has really been a bunch of nothing.

From what we can tell, Hilton seems to be okay selling three different systems and letting them all just play together at six months in Max.
 
dioxide45 said:
Do we know if they are doing that though? Isn't much of the Bluegreen inventory in the different Bluegreen trusts already? I suspect much of the sales talk here is just a bunch of scare tactics. We are 15 years into the Marriott Vacation Club switch to points and all the doomsday talk by sales has really been a bunch of nothing.If

From what we can tell, Hilton seems to be okay selling three different systems and letting them all just play together at six months in Max.
Click to expand...
Didn't Hilton pick a resort or two out of Diamond to make it a full HGVC resort vs a HVC resort? If inventory can be added to a trust, I would think it could be removed and put in a different trust.
 
tschwa2 said:
Didn't Hilton pick a resort or two out of Diamond to make it a full HGVC resort vs a HVC resort? If inventory can be added to a trust, I would think it could be removed and put in a different trust.
Click to expand...
I don't think any resorts have gone from Diamond to Hilton Grand Vacations. I initially thought Cabo Azul, but nope. It is HVC. They are converting the Embarc resorts to Hilton Grand Vacations Club brand, but they will still play in their own system with just the 6-month Max window to book between former Embarc and other HGVC resorts. Hilton Grand Vacations Club properties are not in the Hilton Trust. The Hilton trust is just the Diamond Collections with a new marketing name.

Certainly it is possible to move inventory between trusts, but to date I am not aware of a major timeshare company that has actually done this on any scale. Or at all.
 
I own at Spinnaker Bluewater Marina (Hilton Head). that I purchased resale for $1k with very nice amenities . Not on the ocean but on the Intracoastal Waterway). I enjoy my 2BR-52 week floating unit with MF about a 1/3 of the cost of a MVC weekly rental) I agree would not buy new!
 
Pennytx said:
I spend a lot of time in Branson
There is one property here that’s a spinnaker
I would not recommend it, imho …
On the other issue blue green big cedar here is one of the most amazing properties
May I ask, what are they saying in regards to blue green/hilton?
Click to expand...
They are saying that Hilton is going to force current BlueGreen owners to buy into Hilton. Also, that Hilton. Is going to rename the best BlueGreen resorts and BlueGreen owners will have no access. We have since found out this is not true. BlueGreen has legal . contracts with us members allowing us to use that list of resorts and Hiltin cannot dissolve that, unless of course you buy into Hilton- then you may give up your ownership in BlueGreen. Hilton is not forcing BlueGreen members to do anything.
 
EWARREN221 said:
They are saying that Hilton is going to force current BlueGreen owners to buy into Hilton. Also, that Hilton. Is going to rename the best BlueGreen resorts and BlueGreen owners will have no access. We have since found out this is not true. BlueGreen has legal . contracts with us members allowing us to use that list of resorts and Hiltin cannot dissolve that, unless of course you buy into Hilton- then you may give up your ownership in BlueGreen. Hilton is not forcing BlueGreen members to do anything.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for that information ease my mind a lot
 
This is a follow up to our previous question. We did allow ourselves to be scared into buying into Spinnakers. Two days later, we went back to the office saying we wanted to cancel. We were never given the required information about how to rescind the contract. Missouri state law requires an 18 point build face typed explanation of how to exit the timeshare. There is also. Not one word in the contracr- not one word, regarding rescinding the contract. We are told in not so many words, that we had missed the deadline to cancel- 2 days later and that was the supervisor, John saying this. We did finally find out through other sources that we had 5 days to send a certified letter saying we wanted to rescind. We are doing every thing we can to get out of this, including filling a complaint with the State Attorney Generals office stating that there is not one word about recision. In revision in the contract and that we were not given the state mandated information. Also- they told us they could rerurn.our deeds to BlueGreen for $1 000 in legal fees for each of the 5 deeds. The page in the contract regarding this, states that Spinnaker has 2 years to return the deeds and we are expected to keep the maintenance fees during this time. If the 2 years go by, there are all kinds of conditions regarding whose fault it was- none of them favorable to us. We now firmly believe they intended to try and sell our deeds and the wrote themselves a way out of they couldn't do it.

Do not buy with Spinnakers under any circumstances. If you are in the Branson office, and get Dustin Reynolds, either ask for someone else or leave. Dustin lied to us for hours about what Hilton was going to do with BlueGreen owners. He was lying the entire time.
 
I have experience with two TS companies - Spinnaker and Wyndham.
We own a Spinnaker float week in Hilton Head. I always get the week I want, including 4th of July. We own a 2br but on many occasions I have upgraded to a 3BR for just $300.
Maintenance fees have been under $1000/year. In addition, we have picked up an extra week in the winter for just $150. The property is just as nice as Wyndham and in a plantation close to the beach.
Wyndham does a much poorer job of managing maintenance fees, IMO.
 
First, DON’T BELIEVE THE SALESMEN! They’re lying. They’re using FEAR to get you to make a BAD decision.

Listen to all of us here that have experience in these matters. The number one trick in the salesmen’s book is to use fear to separate you from your money. The CAN’T take away any of the rights guaranteed in your original contract.

As to Spinnaker. We own at French Quarter. FQ wasn’t originally a Spinnaker resort. The original developer went bankrupt and Spinnaker took them over in bankruptcy court. Spinnaker hasn’t upgraded the resort and hasn’t replaced the furniture since they took over. They barely do the minimum maintenance. On the plus side MF’s are low and the resort is clean. It’s not a resort group I’d consider buying. FQ trades poorly but is at least comfortable to stay in, if not luxurious, and has a good location.
 
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