Why arent more independent resorts Dual Affiliated (rci and ii)

[2rebecca]

I've only traded it via II, but Tahiti Resort is dual-affiliated. When I first purchased it 20+ years ago, it was exclusively affiliated with II. Around 10 years later, they became affiliated with RCI. I'm not exactly sure why/how that came about. I think a different developer must have bought unsold inventory because they started calling every few months trying to get me to upgrade to RCI points.

 

[2rebecca]

Please share these hotels with kitchens and laundry in the suite for under $200 a night?

Sometimes you can get a 2-bedroom suite at Residence Inn by Marriott for under $200 ($199 after tax), especially if you're looking for Monday-Thursday and not in the heart of the city. They typically have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and a full-size kitchen. I don't recall ever seeing laundry in the unit, but they typically have it on site. We went to a FIFA game in Atlanta last week. Even with the FIFA games in town, it was $528 after tax for 2 nights with 5 people. That included breakfast--waffles, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, etc. They usually allow pets too. (I seem to recall you mentioned traveling with a small dog in one of your video reviews.)

 

[jp10558]

Sometimes you can get a 2-bedroom suite at Residence Inn by Marriott for under $200 ($199 after tax), especially if you're looking for Monday-Thursday and not in the heart of the city. They typically have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and a full-size kitchen. I don't recall ever seeing laundry in the unit, but they typically have it on site. We went to a FIFA game in Atlanta last week. Even with the FIFA games in town, it was $528 after tax for 2 nights with 5 people. That included breakfast--waffles, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, etc. They usually allow pets too. (I seem to recall you mentioned traveling with a small dog in one of your video reviews.)

I'm going to have to check one out at some point - I don't have Marriott stuff so would have to find on Priceline or something I think. Will keep an eye out. We did travel with a good friends dog once, that is right (VRBO stay) but it was a 110lb Newfie, not a small dog .

 

[easyrider]

I'm going to have to check one out at some point - I don't have Marriott stuff so would have to find on Priceline or something I think. Will keep an eye out. We did travel with a good friends dog once, that is right (VRBO stay) but it was a 110lb Newfie, not a small dog .

We have the Marriott Bonvoy card and use it for hotel stays. Our last stay was a new hotel in Salem with a loaded mini kitchen. We used the reward points so I'm not sure what the actual cost is.

Bill

 

[Alindoo]

Bluebeard's Castle, US Virgin Islands, uses RCI and II. No high cost sales programs going, just a "right to use", which means you pay your yearly maintenance fee and you keep on using it until you're done with it. No deeds, no lawyers, no closing costs, extremely simple. And you won't be stuck with a deed, trying to get rid of it someday when you can no longer travel.

 

[theo]

I own weeks at (3) different independent resorts, all of which are dual affiliated. We have not “exchanged” in about 20 years now (and did so only a few times before then). We now simply use what we own. Dropped RCI like a bad habit long ago and and would never consider rejoining RCI. In the unlikely event that we develop any future interest in “exchanging”, we will join and use Interval.

 

[jp10558]

I own weeks at (3) different independent resorts, all of which are dual affiliated. We have not “exchanged” in about 20 years now (and did so only a few times before then). We now simply use what we own. Dropped RCI like a bad habit long ago and and would never consider rejoining RCI. In the unlikely event that we develop any future interest in “exchanging”, we will join and use Interval.

I do think this points to something important that I hadn't considered.

While I thought it was potentially likely that non TUG owners at independent resorts may not even know about exchange companies, so it wouldn't really benefit the resorts that much, especially if they're not doing sales. And the owners would have to push for it I would guess - dual affiliation.

However, what this points to is that many independent resorts don't trade well. So trying to use them for exchanges ends in frustration. My experience with RCI and II maybe is not the common one. I get RCI via HGVC and Club Wyndham, both of which exchange well, but at a real loss in value on their fixed exchange rates. So I only use it there as a way to not throw otherwise unused points away. My other experience is a mid range RCI points deed from Grandview which so far exchanges for good to great values, at least among independents.

RCI makes the weakness of the independents clear, whereas IMHO II both hides that from you, and also because of how opaque it is, sometimes (maybe frequently for TUG people) you can win a great upgrade. So trading my Independents that are dual affiliated makes a lot of sense to do so with II. It'll basically never be worth it with RCI to me. If I did need (somehow) another RCI exchange, Capital Vacations, which now runs both of my independents, has TPL which seems to include RCI but gives you much higher trading power in RCI and lower exchange fees. To be honest, I don't really get why HGVC doesn't try and do some deal like Capital did with TPL. Wyndham I get as they own RCI and why would they give Wyndham owners a discount? Though MVC gives a discount in II so... maybe Wyndham is just greedy or doesn't really need RCI cause Club Wyndham does the internal trades for them.

Bla bla bla - digression over. TUG members probably think resorts should affiliate with as many exchange companies as reasonable. For us each one adds value. But we're not usually getting on boards trying to push anything, we're buying into "gem resorts" initially, and dumping them if they get massively worse. So we avoid being owners at the great mass of middling to poor independent resorts if we're interested in trading that resort. Or we're like theo and just want to go to that resort and if it had 0 exchange companies it wouldn't matter to us. For "everyone else" it's the normal - they don't know what they don't know and don't care enough to investigate so the masses aren't pushing in any particular way to the HOA / resort so they just coast along with whatever the developer set up originally.

 

[easyrider]

Maybe focusing on exchanges only shows how RCI and II have not been so much of an advantage as when using their cash option. We used our II account to purchase an extra week 2 bed unit through II at the Quarter House in New Orleans. The cost was really small , I'm thinking under $900. We went durring Jazz Fest and saw the Rolling Stones and enjoyed the company of our over 21 grand kids.

Inventory at the Quarter House New Orleans is dual affiliated with RCI and II.

This is just one example. We occasionally grab extra weeks at resorts through the cash programs at exchange company's.

Bill

 

[TUGBrian]

looking at it from another point of view, even a "lower" quality resort that doesn't normally or ever get traded within II might be given a much higher tpu/value simply because of the limited quantities available in the system. especially if its in an area not full of significant numbers of other timeshare options that would be available within Interval etc.

 

[gravityrules]

looking at it from another point of view, even a "lower" quality resort that doesn't normally or ever get traded within II might be given a much higher tpu/value simply because of the limited quantities available in the system. especially if its in an area not full of significant numbers of other timeshare options that would be available within Interval etc.

That hasn't been my experience with II, I deposited an independent dual affiliated prime summer week beachfront San Diego 2br (although only 5 months before reservation) and the exchanges offered online were bottom of the barrel. Finally got an acceptable exchange by calling II and asking about a week I could see on EPlus for another exchange I already had in place (a week that was not showing as available online for the San Diego deposit).
At least with RCI I would know the TPUs that week would be assigned before deposit ... but I haven't actually deposited anything with RCI so it's all 'in theory' at this point with RCI ...

 

[silentg]

Samoset is dually affiliated, as is Cold Spring. Both of those are OLD resorts. (Cold Spring is #0017 is the RCI numbering system.) I wonder if it has something to do with the age of the resort? My other two independents are only affiliated with one...Attitash with only RCI and Acadia Village with only Interval.

I thought Cold Springs was now part of Vacatia?

 

[Sunnydays]

You could also consider taking the train to Disneyland. There is a train from Oceanside to Anaheim. Or if you don't mind doing a transfer, you could take the Coaster from Pointsettia/Carlsbad to Oceanside. The train station in Anaheim is 3 miles from the park. I've taken the train from Oceanside to San Juan Capistrano and also to LA and it is a pleasant trip up the coast and avoids the traffic mess on I-5. But it is probably more convenient to just drive.

Man that’s a hard drive back after walking all day at Disneyland. Train is pricey if a family of four. I actually just looked at it today Anaheim to Old Town San Diego and I thought gas was expensive.

 

[Sunnydays]

I have two weeks in Carlsbad at Marbrisa for the kids' fall break. I did get them with Wyndham points that were going to expire, so that's positive, but now they want to be closer to Disneyland. The kids don't want to do the zoo and Legoland. Two weeks that we won't be using. I will cancel them, so another person can get them, but I didn't pay for the insurance. I am still thinking of keeping them and driving to Disneyland from there.

Well add up what the gas costs going back and forth will be. And the long drive when you’re tired. Might just be a a wash if you’re going to hang out in Anaheim Disney area more often. Or maybe get something in Huntington Beach is central to everything. Being here two weeks there are lots of fun things to do with the kids in this area. Check out Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and Bubba Gump restaurants both are in Anaheim or Long Beach areas. Have you gone to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, or rented bikes at Huntington Beach pier and done a bonfire there, lots of restaurants on Main Street. Balboa Fun Zone in Balboa Island, arcade, pizza, saloon with pool tables, you can rent bikes go on bike trail to Newport Beach and back is fun and easy, or tours to go whale watching. At Sunset Beach you can rent kayaks or a Duffy boat and go around Huntington Beach Harbor, catch an Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball game if they’re playing at home, it’s a beautiful field, Saturday nights are fireworks. Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags are still fun too check out our mountains there’s a nice cabin like Worldmark Big Bear resort up there if you can get a night stay there. There’s a beautiful lake you can rent a pontoon boat, hiking trails, bowling place and a zoo there. There a Scenic Sky Chair ride on the ski lifts up there too ( I haven’t done it I’m afraid of heights) There’s Temecula wineries The grapevines are still green, South Coast Winery is a pretty place to have lunch. Crystal Cove is a nice state park, hiking and beach area with restaurant Beachcomber on the sand (reservations in advance) or walk to the Shake Shack in same area. Check out Corona Del Mar beach there’s free parking on top of hillside you just walk down the stairs. There’s little Corona to the left with tide pools and Big Corona sand beach to the right. Restaurants everywhere on Pacific Coast Highway use Yelp! Recommend Avila’s El Ranchito, Bandera , Prime Cut, Sunset Pizza and Pasta, Sushi on Fire, Duke’s, Sandy’s Beach Shack

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Man that’s a hard drive back after walking all day at Disneyland. Train is pricey if a family of four. I actually just looked at it today Anaheim to Old Town San Diego and I thought gas was expensive.

Yeah, both driving and transferring the trains is a bit brutal.

 

[WinniWoman]

Ours isn’t independent (Innseasons Pollard Brook), but it is affiliated with RCI and II. But we don’t belong to either. We use our week every year at the resort and rent other timeshares when we want to go to additional places.

As an aside, we got the week for free in 2015.

 

[jp10558]

Maybe focusing on exchanges only shows how RCI and II have not been so much of an advantage as when using their cash option. We used our II account to purchase an extra week 2 bed unit through II at the Quarter House in New Orleans. The cost was really small , I'm thinking under $900. We went durring Jazz Fest and saw the Rolling Stones and enjoyed the company of our over 21 grand kids.

Inventory at the Quarter House New Orleans is dual affiliated with RCI and II.

This is just one example. We occasionally grab extra weeks at resorts through the cash programs at exchange company's.

Bill

I don't have an RCI TPU account, but my understanding is other than being the "different currency" the actual use is very similar to the points account I do have. For something like the Grandview week I got that gives 98,000 pts on the 2BR MF, it's actually been really good so far. I've managed to book multiple weeks per the 2 use years I've had it. The overall costs have been quite reasonable IMO - especially with RCI Platinum discounts on GCs or Exchange Fees. That also lets you get the discount on the Extra Vacations so really useful IMO.

As a user, I have found RCI a lot easier to understand and use given the known points values of my exchanges and the points for each trade. II is completely opaque and I mostly guess about what might ever match an OGS. The problem with pulling an OGS is I can't actually plan for that, so it's competing more with the under 10k points / Last Calls at RCI, or at least I kinda have to pull the search in time for alternate plans.

That said, running the OGS can work for me in drivable locations but I tend to give up at idk, 8 months out or so for fly to as I need to have some hope of getting an alternate for a potential trip, or at least before I book flights.

 

[missyrcrews]

I thought Cold Springs was now part of Vacatia?

Vacatia manages it....but we still have our own HOA board. For now. :/

 

[amycurl]

@jp10558, and some independent resorts trade very, very well….just sayin’.


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[timeshare trader]

In the past Interval required the resort give its database of owners to Interval. That was something that they were not flexible on. Interval would waive the affiliation fee and normally would waive reserve unit requirements. The larger management companies typically have agreements with the exchange company. There could be revenue share or other benefits attached to staying solely with one exchange companies. Most of the large independent resorts have a large % of members who come back and use their weeks at their resort and exchange is less important. To affiliate there are contracts that need to be reviewed and signed and hopefully a board member would have an attorney review the agreements to ensure the HOA is protected. In my opinion the main reason more don't dual affiliate is once they are our of sales exchange is less important as most independent sold out resorts have a low % of exchange. I have a bit of experience in this field.

 

[TUGBrian]

i guess i dont see the downside to having an independent resort be dual affiliated to allow the owners the option of which of the two major exchange companies they want a membership in?