Westin St. John [Master Thread]

[DavidnRobin]

Cheap Airfare to the USVI on AA

http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/deals/stories/2008/09/24/virgin_islands_american.html

 

[CincyTravelers]

On site at Westin STJ

We just found this user group the other day, shortly after we arrived for 2 weeks. We own 4 weeks(April 1, October 2 and December 1) in the same 3 bedroom pool unit, bought 3 years ago. The renovations to the 3 bedroom units seem to be progressing on schedule.

Like many of you, we have had ups and downs here. Our perception is that things are on the upswing now. Part of the past problems seem to stem from miscommunicaiton or lack of communication to the owners.

On arrival, we noticed that the grounds looked better than we had ever seen. Additionally, the our unit was cleaner than in the past.

The living and dining room furniture in our unit is being replaced, as in others. It's a good thing because the wood has been scratched and gouged. After seeing condition of this furniture, we decided that we would make an effort to have damage deposits instituted. Other SVO properties have damage deposits, so why not here. We don't want our maintenance fees to go towards damage repairs. These funds are meant for upgrades and wear and tear. We assume that this will have to come from the HOA board of directors. So, we'll be working on getting this on the agenda for the next meeting. Hopefully, that meeting will NOT be here, but in Orlando.

The sales person who sold us our units, Jennifer Doran, has left the Westin and now works for a timeshare rental/resale agency that specializes in the Westin, OM Villas (www.omvillasstjohn.com). I mention this for any of you that may be interested in renting or buying(now is a good time) additional weeks.

We're here for another 10 days, so if we see/find out anything of note, we'll post it here.

Jeff and Kathie

 

[Ken555]

Other SVO properties have damage deposits

Really? Which?

(And welcome to TUG!)

 

[CincyTravelers]

We were told by Starwood Association Management office that other properties had damage deposits - did not say which.

 

[Ken555]

We were told by Starwood Association Management office that other properties had damage deposits - did not say which.

Interesting. I haven't seen this at WMH, WKR, WKORV, WKORV-N, WPORV, or Harborside. I agree that they should have a provision for checking rooms after a stay to determine if there were any damages and assessing appropriately. But this can be difficult to manage fairly.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Hurricane Omar - USVI

Hours away from STJ - Hurricane Cat. 2 (could be Cat. 3 soon)
see post on Carib forum
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83381

 

[DavidnRobin]

The Westin St. John Resort & Villas, regarding Hurricane Omar

Please regard this update on the status of Hurricane Omar. Late Tuesday night, Hurricane Omar was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. As of Wednesday morning, the center location was at 14.6N-67.7W with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, moving northeast at 7 miles per hour approximately 280 miles southwest of St. Croix. The current track projects Hurricane Omar to travel over the island of St. Croix, which is about 50 miles southwest of The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. At this time, we expect to experience greater effects of the storm on Wednesday night and through Thursday morning.

With your safety and wellbeing in mind, we are contacting all of our Owners and guests, urging you to follow the storm’s progress so you may make vacation decisions that best consider the welfare of your traveling party.

Again, please follow the storm’s progress prior to your travel departure to The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. Contact Owner Services at 888.986.9637 or visit mystarcentral.com for resort status updates to ensure the property is operational.


For more information on Hurricane OMAR, please visit the National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

 

[Loriannf]

Interesting

Several posters on VI message boards were reporting that they were evacuated from their villas (non-Westin) and moved to the Westin. This is due to the Westin's position on the island, and the fact that they have their own generator.

Last time they had a bad storm (hurricane), there was some flooding on the property and damage to the landscaping. I'm hoping the roofs hold, as we're going to be there in November.

Lori

 

[James1975NY]

do you know if those people on the board are owners or starwood employees?

Thorp Thomas and Paulette Temple are SVO employees. Not sure about the rest

 

[CincyTravelers]

Waiting for Omar at Westin STJ

We're here at the Westin St John, waiting for Omar to arrive. Probably around 2am Thursday.

The staff has this all in hand. Management has put out 3 letters to guests and owners since last night, keeping everyone informed of what's going on. All beachfront facilities were closed today. The deli was open earlier and plans were for it to remain open for normal operating hours, depending on the weather. The Coast Guard ordered all boats off the water today. There is a 6pm curfew in effect. Not sure when this will be lifted. Besides non-Westin villa guests, some locals have checked into the hotel. Instead of the customary shuttles, SUV's were being used. This afternoon, free sandwiches were distributed at the Beach Cafe.

So far, all we've had is rain, coming straight down. No wind yet.

Many phone calls from the US to the Westin are being diverted to Westin central reservations. Cell service is still available, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.

I'll post an update tomorrow.

Jeff and Kathie

 

[DavidnRobin]

We're here at the Westin St John, waiting for Omar to arrive. Probably around 2am Thursday.

The staff has this all in hand. Management has put out 3 letters to guests and owners since last night, keeping everyone informed of what's going on. All beachfront facilities were closed today. The deli was open earlier and plans were for it to remain open for normal operating hours, depending on the weather. The Coast Guard ordered all boats off the water today. There is a 6pm curfew in effect. Not sure when this will be lifted. Besides non-Westin villa guests, some locals have checked into the hotel. Instead of the customary shuttles, SUV's were being used. This afternoon, free sandwiches were distributed at the Beach Cafe.

So far, all we've had is rain, coming straight down. No wind yet.

Many phone calls from the US to the Westin are being diverted to Westin central reservations. Cell service is still available, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.

I'll post an update tomorrow.

Jeff and Kathie

Thanks for the update - let's us know how things hold up.
Stormcarib has Omar bearing down on STJ - it has picked up speed - so it should go over quicker than initially projected. Which building/unit are you in?
Stay Safe.

 

[GrayFal]

I just returned home to a call from Starwood as I am due to check in on Saturday - fingers and toes crossed here!

AA.com doesn't have anything posted.

 

[DavidnRobin]

It will be far out to sea by Sat. as it is moving fast - it will be the aftermath that you will need to deal with. Moving fast means it will drop less water over a given time interval (so that is good) - winds are 90mph right now and Omar will tightened up as it passes over the USVI/BVI (based on the animated satellite images)

 

[GrayFal]

It will be far out to sea by Sat. as it is moving fast - it will be the aftermath that you will need to deal with. Moving fast means it will drop less water over a given time interval (so that is good) - winds are 90mph right now and Omar will tightened up as it passes over the USVI/BVI (based on the animated satellite images)

I am optimistic at this point - I agree with your assessment of the storm.
My DH is a"cup half full" kinda guy so of course we are not going

Will continue to check the website.

I also received an email from Starwood - if only they could find us when they send out those darn reservations.

 

[DavidnRobin]

In case you are reading this at 8:09EST
Results for St.John (18.35N, 64.73W):
The eye of the storm is about 124 miles (200 km) away. If the system keeps moving at its current speed of 17 mph and directly towards you, it will take around 7.3 hours (Thursday, Octover 16 at 3:18AM AST) to reach you. Given the current windfield (115 miles from the center), tropical storm winds will be felt in 0.5 hours (Wednesday, 8:30PM AST).

The approximate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) is located near 18.2N, 64.4W or about 24.2 miles (38.9 km) from your location. The estimated time of when the center of the storm will be at that location is in about 14.4 hours (Thursday, Octover 16 at 7:24AM EDT).

Winds are at 90mph and picking up some.

 

[CincyTravelers]

At Westin STJ

We're in one of the newer 3 bedroom villas. I have secured the outside furniture.

Just received another management update.

We get 2 free movies tonight.

Depending on conditions:
. Complimentary breakfast in the conference center tomorrow am
. Deli to open at 9am tomorrow

The wind is starting to pick up, but it is barely raining.

By the way, renovations started in building 43 on last Saturday. Building 44 is scheduled to be started on this coming Saturday.

Jeff and Kathie

 

[DavidnRobin]

On the bright-side - you have a story to tell. Westin is well-equipped (well-built, own generator) and well-positioned for a Hurricane approaching from the west. Be safe - it looks like you will be in for about 8 hours of excitment - starting in about an hour or two.

 

[DavidnRobin]

From USVI/BVI reports - it seems like all went well (considering) - how was your night?

 

[CincyTravelers]

Westin STJ after Omar

We awoke this morning to sunny skies. Omar slid off to the east and spared STJ, but not St Croix.

In the 3 bedroom villas there were some dead palm branches down and water running off the hillside. No water inside our unit. Engineering is inspecting all rooms.

Management and staff did a good job with this. The biggest thing was keeping guests informed.

We walked down to the beach to see what if there was any damage. At the entrance to the hotel, there is now a palm tree without a top. By the administration building, a few small palms uprooted. Between the pier and building 21, a big tree is down - shallow roots and saturated soil. This could have happened without a hurricane. Didn't see anything else of note.

The 3 birds spent the night in the dive shop. Apparently Repo didn't like this as he was talking up a storm today.

At noon, there was surf at the beach. I've never seen that before.

Never saw so many people at the pool. All the chairs were taken, plus a lot of the chairs from the beach were by the pool.

We just had a brief downpour and it looks like more is coming.

The curfew was lifted at 2pm today, but there was plenty of traffic on the road before that. Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow. A lot of the staff lives on St Thomas, so with no ferries, they couldn't get to work today.

If you're coming down this weekend, I don't see anything to worry about.

Jeff and Kathie

 

[GrayFal]

Just received this....

Hurricane Omar Update: Your Upcoming Vacation at The Westin St. John Resort & Villas

Dear Thomas & Pat,

We have received new information from The Westin St. John Resort & Villas regarding Hurricane Omar. The resort has resumed normal operations and is ready for your arrival this weekend. Fortunately, the main force of Hurricane Omar did not affect St. John. The resort received no damage and is fully operational.

The airport on St. Thomas is now operational and the public ferries are expected to be operational on Thursday afternoon. Please check with your airline carrier to ensure that there have been no changes to your planned itinerary.

We look forward to your stay at The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. Rest assured, an exceptional vacation experience awaits you.

Be Well,

Sincerely,
Suzanne Clark

Vice President, Owner Services
Starwood Vacation Ownership
starwoodvacationownership.com

 

[jerseygirl]

Yeah for Pat!!!! :whoopie:

 

[DavidnRobin]

WSJ Tax Bills?

Who has received their 2006 WSJ Tax Bills?

I just spoke to the Tax Assessors office after going to their website - and was informed that the tax bills were sent out in August and are currently due!

They had my address correct, but I never recieved a tax bill.

The real bad news is that the tax bills are more that double between 2005 and 2006! Ours went from $129 to $280 - yikes!

 

[tomandrobin]

Who has received their 2006 WSJ Tax Bills?

I just spoke to the Tax Assessors office after going to their website - and was informed that the tax bills were sent out in August and are currently due!

They had my address correct, but I never recieved a tax bill.

The real bad news is that the tax bills are more that double between 2005 and 2006! Ours went from $129 to $280 - yikes!

http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/2008/10/propery-tax-bil.html

 

[DavidnRobin]

Thanks - I have been reading the articles and as I said - I have even spoken with the Tax Assessor's office.

The question still remains - did anyone actually receive a tax bill?

if you have the proper information - you can check out the tax bill info for 2006 and prior years.

http://ltg.gov.vi/office-of-the-tax-assessor-cadastral.html

the search link is on the bottom of the page - you can see yours and others with the right input

 

[Loriannf]

As with everything VI, don't rely too heavily on the DB

I just checked our bills; yes they did go up. But they also show we owe for years that I have a paid receipt. Guess I'll have to go visit them when I'm down there in November. Sending things in via mail has not taken care of the problem.

Lori