Westin St John Master Thread - Part 3 [Dec. 2017 and forward]

[Jayco29D]

Caneel Bay is such a special place. I would love to see it reopen and provide jobs to hundreds (if not thousands) of local people.

I agree. Caneel Bay is among one of the most special places on earth. We will be the first guests to reserve when they re-open.

 

[Helios]

Sunset Bay Update...

April 2018

Dear Fellow Sunset Bay Owner,

The Annual Meeting of the Owners of the Sunset Bay Vacation Owners Association was recently held in Orlando, Florida. We wish to thank those of you who joined us in Orlando as well as the members of the Vistana teams that participated. Vistana presented a thorough and lengthy presentation reporting on the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma and the work that has been completed at the resort since Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the island last fall. Clean-up has been completed, debris has been removed and the construction and rehabilitation work is in progress. About three hundred people are working for the contractors and all possible effort is being made to reopen the resort on January 4, 2019. To view the presentation, please click here.To view videos that were also presented, please click on the links below:

• Storm Video
• Beach Video
• Drone Video

One of the most important messages we can share with you regards the usage of your 2018 StarOptions. Sixty-nine percent of Westin St. John owners have not yet made plans to use their 2018 ownership. There are upcoming deadlines for banking the StarOptions for future use. If you choose to save your StarOptions for a future year, the time for using them has been extended from two years to three so they will be good through the 2021 calendar year. The deadlines for banking your StarOptions are:

• Non-Elite: July 1
• Three & Four Star Elite: October 1
• Five Star Elite: December 31

You also have the opportunity to use your StarOptions at one of the other resorts in the Vistana network or to exchange your vacation ownership interest with Interval International. Vistana has set up a special group to work with Westin St. John owners. You can contact them at 888-986-9637 or 407-903-4635 or by email at ownerservices.usage@vistana.com. While owners cannot use their time on St. John in 2018, they do have the opportunity to use their time at other places or on future dates. Please contact Vistana to secure use of your StarOptions.

As reported last October, the Sunset Bay buildings suffered serious roof damage, as evidenced by the photos in the presentation and the drone video. Due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Irma, it will likely be some time before we know the final amount of the insurance claim and any financial impact it may have on the Association.

Vistana’s Human Resources team helped over 130 of the 270 resort associates stay employed during the clean-up phase at the resort. They also helped place a number of them at other resorts on the mainland and in Hawaii and provided items ranging from shower and laundry facilities to drinking water and holiday presents for their children. This was done in combination with Vistana corporate efforts and the volunteer efforts of many Vistana employees. Vistana’s Insurance and Facilities teams have been working closely with the insurance companies, claims adjusters, contractors and local authorities to continue to move the reconstruction process forward. General Manager Sam Hugli and the on-site team have put in countless hours managing the process and protecting our interests. Kudos to all and much thanks for your hard work. Vistana’s Owner Services team and all of the people in Orlando who support the resort are also due our thanks.

St. John is coming back. While we hear the positive reports from people who are on the island and are posting on social media, we recognize that the current experience on St. John is not the experience we have enjoyed in the past. While many restaurants are open, they may have limited hours and menus. There is limited room availability at other properties. Caneel Bay suffered greatly from the storms and does not have current plans for when they may reopen. Other properties in both St. John and St. Thomas are hoping to open later this year, but most are not scheduled to open until 2019. Click here to view a recent article in The New York Times on St. John’s recovery.

We all look forward to returning to our “home away from home” and enjoying our “island paradise.” Thank you for your continued support.

Your Sunset Bay Board of Directors

 

[sachia007]

When we went to Caneel a few years ago as day-visitors, we couldn't walk past certain points as security said it was for guests only (we wanted to see other beaches/see the rental properties from a respectful distance). Does anyone know if one can park (in Caneel parking lot or on road and walk in) and walk to the beaches? Or is someone stopping people from walking on property?

 

[SandyPGravel]

Interesting that they quoted 69% of owners haven't made plans for their ownership for 2018. I wonder what the percentage of those are voluntary resale owners?

 

[cubigbird]

Based on the Sunset Bay update I interpret the financial impact verbiage as they are leaving the door open for a special assessment. From updates from other phases like VGV there was verbiage to the fact they do not expect one.

 

[LisaH]

Interesting that they quoted 69% of owners haven't made plans for their ownership for 2018. I wonder what the percentage of those are voluntary resale owners?

I’m a mandatory owner and I have not made plan for 2018. Could not get anything I wanted for 95.7K points. Plan on going to WSJ for two weeks next year. Guess I should bank my SO points?

 

[DavidnRobin]

I’m a mandatory owner and I have not made plan for 2018. Could not get anything I wanted for 95.7K points. Plan on going to WSJ for two weeks next year. Guess I should bank my SO points?

Probably best to bank the SOs at this point (IMO) - you can bank w/o fee until 2021. When the announcement came out, glad I immediately booked WPORV during the same time as our annual STJ vacation (June) with our 2018 WSJ SOs.


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[DavidnRobin]

Informative article on STJ reef damage.

https://stthomassource.com/content/...orm-study-gives-snapshot-of-hurricane-damage/


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[Jayco29D]

We had been considering buying at Westin St John but we decided against it because of the distance from California and also we are assuming they will announce a special assessment in the future. I would assume the Caribbean resorts will need to increase their reserves, not just the affected resorts, but all the resorts, because insurance premiums will increase going forward.

 

[canesfan]

We had been considering buying at Westin St John but we decided against it because of the distance from California and also we are assuming they will announce a special assessment in the future. I would assume the Caribbean resorts will need to increase their reserves, not just the affected resorts, but all the resorts, because insurance premiums will increase going forward.

For a BV 2 bedroom loft the 2017 insurance reserve was $312. Not saying I’d be happy if it doubled but another $300 isn’t going to break us. So far our Board says we won’t have a special assessment. We’ll see what the future holds.


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[Helios]

Based on the Sunset Bay update I interpret the financial impact verbiage as they are leaving the door open for a special assessment. From updates from other phases like VGV there was verbiage to the fact they do not expect one.

That would be my interpretation as well. What year was your first ownership year. Mine is 2018 but purchased at the end of 2016. I will not be happy if I have to pay a SA because my ownership started after the storm...Probably MFs will also be high to create a reserve fund like the other phases.

 

[DavidnRobin]

That would be my interpretation as well. What year was your first ownership year. Mine is 2018 but purchased at the end of 2016. I will not be happy if I have to pay a SA because my ownership started after the storm...Probably MFs will also be high to create a reserve fund like the other phases.

Sorry - TUG is now a no whining zone...

 

[tomandrobin]

April 2018

Dear Fellow Bay Vista Owner,

The Annual Meeting of the Members of the Bay Vista Owners Association was recently held in Orlando, Florida. We wish to thank those of you who joined us in Orlando as well as the members of the Vistana teams that participated. Vistana presented a thorough and lengthy presentation reporting on the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma and the work that has been completed at the resort since Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the island last fall. Clean-up has been completed, debris has been removed and the construction and rehabilitation work is in progress. About three hundred people are working for the contractors and all possible effort is being made to reopen the resort on January 4, 2019. To view the presentation, please click here.To view videos that were also presented, please click on the links below:

• Storm Video
• Beach Video
• Drone Video

One of the most important messages we can share with you regards the usage of your 2018 StarOptions. Sixty-nine percent of Westin St. John owners have not yet made plans to use their 2018 ownership. There are upcoming deadlines for banking the StarOptions for future use. If you choose to save your StarOptions for a future year, the time for using them has been extended from two years to three so they will be good through the 2021 calendar year. The deadlines for banking your StarOptions are:

• Non-Elite: July 1
• Three & Four Star Elite: October 1
• Five Star Elite: December 31

You also have the opportunity to use your StarOptions at one of the other resorts in the Vistana network or to exchange your vacation ownership interest with Interval International. Vistana has set up a special group to work with Westin St. John owners. You can contact them at ownerservices.usage@vistana.com. While owners cannot use their time on St. John in 2018, you do have the opportunity to use your time at other places or on future dates. Please contact Vistana to secure use of your StarOptions.

Due to a combination of Operating Fund surplus and insurance contingency funds held by the Association, we are pleased to report there are sufficient funds available to cover our insurance deductible and future replacement needs without having to ask owners for either the full maintenance fee for 2018 or an additional assessment.

Vistana’s Human Resources team helped over 130 of the 270 resort associates stay employed during the clean-up phase at the resort. They also helped place a number of them at other resorts on the mainland and in Hawaii and provided items ranging from shower and laundry facilities to drinking water and holiday presents for their children. This was done in combination with Vistana corporate efforts and the volunteer efforts of many Vistana employees. Vistana’s Insurance and Facilities teams have been working closely with the insurance companies, claims adjusters, contractors and local authorities to continue to move the reconstruction process forward. General Manager Sam Hugli and the on-site team have put in countless hours managing the process and protecting our interests. Kudos to all and much thanks for your hard work. Vistana’s Owner Services team and all of the people in Orlando who support the resort are also due our thanks.

St. John is coming back. While we hear the positive reports from people who are on the island and are posting on social media, we recognize that the current experience on St. John is not the experience we have enjoyed in the past. While many restaurants are open, they may have limited hours and menus. There is limited room availability at other properties. Caneel Bay suffered greatly from the storms and does not have current plans for when they may reopen. Other properties in both St. John and St. Thomas are hoping to open later this year, but most are not scheduled to open until 2019. Click here to view a recent article in The New York Times on St. John’s recovery.

We all look forward to returning to our “home away from home” and enjoying our “island paradise.” Thank you for your continued support.

Your Bay Vista Board of Directors

 

[cubigbird]

That would be my interpretation as well. What year was your first ownership year. Mine is 2018 but purchased at the end of 2016. I will not be happy if I have to pay a SA because my ownership started after the storm...Probably MFs will also be high to create a reserve fund like the other phases.

@Helios I got my Sunset Bay unit earlier in the year last year with first usage year in 2020 so I am in the same situation. Also see the Bay Vista update above and verbiage regarding no assessment. The Sunset Bay update seems to be very open ended and I would expect a special assessment at this point based on the update verbiage from the other phases. I too will be very upset about a special assessment on a villa I have yet to use. There will need to be some form of concession from VSE on their part. Additionally, how far can maintenance fees be raised to fund a hurricane reserve? They are already very high!! There will need to be cuts elsewhere in the budget otherwise owners could just start walking.....The STJ maintenance fees are some of the highest in the system. I'm curious to how the 2018 MF for Sunset Bay will shake out....

I'm rather disappointed in the SB HOA BOD as they do not seem to have any idea on financials whereas it seems the other phases have all sorted this out.

 

[GrayFal]

April 2018

Dear Fellow Coral Vista Owner,

We recently participated in the Annual Meeting of the ownership of the Coral Vista Association at the Westin St. John which was held in Orlando, Florida. We wanted to thank those of you who joined us in Orlando and especially thank the members of the Vistana team that participated. Vistana presented a very thorough, detailed report and photographic update of the work that has been completed at the resort after Hurricanes Irma and Maria came through in the fall. The clean-up has been completed, debris has been removed and the construction and rehabilitation work is in progress. About three hundred people are working for the contractors and all possible effort is being put forth to allow us to reopen on January 4, 2019. We will give you periodic updates on the work as we receive them from Vistana. To view the presentation, please please click here. To view videos that were also presented, please click on the links below:

• Storm Video
• Beach Video
• Drone Video

One of the most important messages we can share with you regards the usage of your 2018 StarOptions. Sixty-nine percent of the owners have not yet made plans to use their 2018 ownership for the year. There are upcoming deadlines for banking the StarOptions for future use. If you choose to save your StarOptions for a future year, the time for using them has been extended from two years to three so they will be good through the 2021 calendar year. The deadlines for banking your StarOptions are:

• Non-Elite: July 1
• Three & Four Star Elite: October 1
• Five Star Elite: December 31

You also have the opportunity to use your StarOptions at one of the other resorts in the Vistana network or to exchange your vacation ownership interest with Interval International. As you may remember from prior newsletters, Vistana has set up a special group to work with Westin St. John owners. You can contact them at 888-986-9637 or 407-903-4635 or by email to ownerservices.usage@vistana.com. While we are all disappointed that we cannot use our time on St. John in 2018, we do have the opportunity to use the time we own either at other places or at future dates. Please contact Vistana to secure use of your StarOptions.

The ownership did re-elect Jim Miller to a two-year term. Jim had been elected to a one-year term a year ago as we have staggered dates for completion of terms on the Board.

We are also happy to see that balconies have been added on to the studio units that previously did not have them. This is a correction that had been planned before the hurricanes (at no cost to the owners) and the concrete work has already been completed, outside of the scope of the other work that is being done.

One of the strengths of our association is the level of operating surplus we hold. This enabled us to fund our insurance deductible and our future replacement needs without having to ask owners for either the full maintenance fee for 2018 or an additional assessment.

The Board did a review of our budget and financial position during our meeting and we are on target. We also heard detailed reports from the Vistana Human Resources team and other members of the Vistana group who work on the Westin St. John property. We were very proud of the work that Human Resources did to help over 130 of our 270 team members stay employed during the clean-up phase at the resort. They also helped place a number of team members at other resorts on the mainland and in Hawaii and provided items ranging from shower and laundry facilities to drinking water and holiday presents for the children of our associates. This was done in combination with Vistana corporate efforts and the volunteer efforts of many Vistana employees. Our heartfelt thanks go to all of them for helping the St. John team get through these difficult times.

Our Insurance and Facilities teams have done an amazing job of working with the insurance companies, claims adjusters, contractors and local authorities to get us back in business. General Manager Sam Hugli and the on-site team have put in countless hours managing the process and protecting our interests. Kudos to all and many thanks for your hard work. The Owner Services team and all of the people in Orlando who support the resort are also due our thanks. When we hear of other properties that do not have the support infrastructure that we do, we become acutely aware of how much our management team is doing to support the reconstruction and return of a $167 million dollar property to full operational status. That we will be able to be up and running in 15-16 months after two storms of this magnitude is amazing.

St. John is coming back. While we hear the positive reports from people who are on the island and are posting on social media, we recognize that the current experience on St. John is not the experience we have enjoyed in the past. While many restaurants are open, they may have limited hours and menus. There is limited room availability at other properties. Caneel Bay suffered greatly from the storms and does not have current plans for when they may reopen. Other properties in both St. John and St. Thomas are hoping to open later this year, but most are not scheduled to open until 2019. Click here to view a recent article in The New York Times on St. John’s recovery

St. John is coming back. While we hear the positive reports from people who are on the island and are posting on social media, we recognize that the current experience on St. John is not the experience we have enjoyed in the past. While many restaurants are open, they may have limited hours and menus. There is limited room availability at other properties. Caneel Bay suffered greatly from the storms and does not have current plans for when they may reopen. Other properties in both St. John and St. Thomas are hoping to open later this year, but most are not scheduled to open until 2019. Click here to view a recent article in The New York Times on St. John’s recovery.

We all look forward to being able to return to our “home away from home” and to enjoying our “island paradise”.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.
David Futransky
david.coralvista@gmail.com
Nancy Gerding
nancy.coralvista@gmail.com
James Miller II
james.coralvista@gmail.com
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[TravelTime]

I am waiting for Caneel Bay to re-open. I know it will be many years, if ever. Caneel Bay is my happy place.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Caneel is beautiful, but it is a hotel. It will not be open for quite a while based on recent reports. Certainly not sooner than Westin St John (WSJ).

However, TUG is a Timeshare forum and this specific thread is for WSJ.

WSJ has self contained villas that have a Kitchen and Washer/Dryer - whereas to my understanding Caneel does not (thus hotel).

For those wanting a Hotel experience - Caneel is great (albeit - expensive).
WSJ is not that experience.

Personally, we like to have a kitchen and W/D - especially for our 2 week stay.

YMMV

I do not think Caneel has a forum or thread - they do not even have a resort as it stands now. Hopefully, it will come back sooner than later. The access to Honeymoon thru Caneel was nice to have.


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[Helios]

Sorry - TUG is now a no whining zone...

Sorry - Did not get the memo......first world problems after all...money comes money goes

 

[Helios]

I'm rather disappointed in the SB HOA BOD as they do not seem to have any idea on financials whereas it seems the other phases have all sorted this out.

I agree, they don’t have a good handle. It shouldn’t be too hard to at least provide an estimate.

 

[TravelTime]

Caneel is beautiful, but it is a hotel. It will not be open for quite a while based on recent reports. Certainly not sooner than Westin St John (WSJ).

However, TUG is a Timeshare forum and this specific thread is for WSJ.

WSJ has self contained villas that have a Kitchen and Washer/Dryer - whereas to my understanding Caneel does not (thus hotel).

For those wanting a Hotel experience - Caneel is great (albeit - expensive).
WSJ is not that experience.

Personally, we like to have a kitchen and W/D - especially for our 2 week stay.

YMMV

I do not think Caneel has a forum or thread - they do not even have a resort as it stands now. Hopefully, it will come back sooner than later. The access to Honeymoon thru Caneel was nice to have.


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For St John, I have read it is very important for Caneel Bay to come back to help the economy. Let's all hope Caneel Bay recovers for the greater good of the St John economy, even though it is not a timeshare. Hotels and timeshares should be partners, not competitors.

 

[DavidnRobin]

For St John, I have read it is very important for Caneel Bay to come back to help the economy. Let's all hope Caneel Bay recovers for the greater good of the St John economy, even though it is not a timeshare. Hotels and timeshares should be partners, not competitors.

There not competitors really - 2 different clientele for most part. Caneel is largest employer - and both Caneel and WSJ contribute to a very high percentage of visitors (and employees)
. With both closed - no matter what - STJ will not be back to pre-Irma visitor levels until post-2018.
Math...

My point was merely that this is a WSJ thread - everyone wants Caneel back....


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[canesfan]

That would be my interpretation as well. What year was your first ownership year. Mine is 2018 but purchased at the end of 2016. I will not be happy if I have to pay a SA because my ownership started after the storm...Probably MFs will also be high to create a reserve fund like the other phases.

I’m totally guessing but I’d think the situation with Sunset is complicated. Construction was still going on, so they might have different insurance involved for certain units. Then the developer own units, some units were sold. It’s going to take some calculating. Plus how much burden do they really pass on to new owners who haven’t even stayed there yet? I understand you want answers but I’d try to trust the process that they won’t take themselves out of the market with Sunset. They still have units to sell there.


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[tomandrobin]

We booked a room to St John this morning to go over Thanksgiving Week. We need our island fix and really can't wait another year.

We are still hoping to book a room next July, hopefully for two weeks, using all those staroptions from this year.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Sorry if this was covered already.

Has anyone confirmed a reservation for early 2019 (Jan-Feb) for SB or CV phases?


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[Helios]

Sorry if this was covered already.

Has anyone confirmed a reservation for early 2019 (Jan-Feb) for SB or CV phases?


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Speaking for SB floating, they cannot be booked with check ins before 3/16.