I assume this was the article. Instead of just googling it and posting it, which I assume anyone could do, I went around the paywall (which also anyone could do too, but it makes me feel more useful). Hopefully the link works, but the copy and paste below should help:
https://archive.ph/hl2Lm
CLUB WYNDHAM BENTLEY BROOK
Club Wyndham Bentley Brook is closing and will be sold in a bankruptcy sale
Club Wyndham Bentley Brook at 1 Corey Road, Hancock, is closing at the end of the month and will be sold at a bankruptcy sale.
JANE KAUFMAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
HANCOCK —
Club Wyndham Bentley Brook, a timeshare with five buildings and 152 units at the base of Jiminy Peak, will close by the end of the month and will be sold in a bankruptcy sale.
“A majority of the ownership for this resort has voted to cease operations and close the resort at the end of the year,” a notice on Club Wyndham Bentley Brook’s website reads. “We encourage you to check out alternative locations in the greater New England area.”
It's one of 10 Club Wyndham timeshare resorts slated to close, seven of them on the east coast.
Club Wyndham Bentley Brook is closing at the end of the year. This will be the resort's last Christmas season.
JANE KAUFMAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
The Bentley Brook closing could create a ripple in the tourism market in Hancock, which relies on Jiminy Peak and Vacation Village as well as Ramblewild, Hancock Shaker Village and smaller camping and glamping venues.
The greatest immediate impact might be felt be at Jiminy Peak, as the ski resort's ownership estimates as many as 15,000 of its skiers stay at the timeshare complex.
Brian Fairbank, chair of Fairbank Group, which owns Jiminy Peak, said he has been told little about the closure and sale.
“What we know is that it's shutting down as of Jan. 10 and filing for bankruptcy,” Fairbank said. “We are probably not a candidate to look at buying it. We would hope that they would find another timeshare developer to take a look at it, but time will tell. In terms of its loss to Jiminy, it's probably 10,000 to 15,000 skier visits that we won't get that normally come from there.”
At Bentley Brook, longtime owners and visitors alike said they were deeply disappointed. They pointed out that the property has undergone significant renovations this year — improvements which now appear aimed at readying the property for a sale.
Club Wyndham resorts closing
- Atlantic City, N.J.
- Bentley Brook, Hancock, Mass.
- Branson at the Falls, Branson, Mo.
- Fairfield Bay, Ark.
- Fairfield Glade, Crossville, Tenn.
- Orlando International (OIRC), Fla.
- Newport Bay Voyage, Jamestown, RI
- Newport Overlook, Jamestown, RI
- Patriots’ Place. Williamsburg, Va.
- Shawnee, East Stroudsburg, Pa. (pending final owner vote, which is expected to pass by a majority)
Four more
Source: Club Wyndham
The decision to close Bentley Brook follows a
July announcement on Club Wyndham’s website that it would remove “a handful of resorts” from its portfolio, “to keep maintenance fees affordable, avoid costly special assessments, and ensure each and every resort sets the stage for memorable vacations.”
That announcement described the targeted properties as ones that requiring significant upgrades or are "located in destinations that aren’t as desirable as they once were.”
A Nov. 26 announcement titled "Your Resort Portfolio is Getting a Refresh" on Club Wyndham's website listed 10 resorts scheduled to close. It also addressed questions about what would happen to staff: "While many employees will relocate to other resorts in the portfolio, some will end their tenure with us as their resort closes."
ONE OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE
Alan S. Brown, of Dayton, N.J., has owned a timeshare at Bentley Brook for more than 15 years.
“I don't believe they needed to declare bankruptcy,” he told The Eagle. “If they had real structural issues, why did they put on a new roof, repair and fix the siding?”
“What they did with my maintenance dollars is fix it up so it's easier to sell to somebody else after booting me out," he said.
Club Wyndham’s media team declined comment and referred to the Nov. 26 announcement, "which answers your questions."
Roberta Abell, of Bethany, Conn., said she's enjoyed visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum and walking through Lenox's downtown during her stays at Club Wyndham Bentley Brook in Hancock. The timeshare is closing and will be put up for bankruptcy sale.
JANE KAUFMAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
STEPS TO CLOSING
While Wyndham Vacation Resorts Inc. is the majority owner of the Bentley Brook Interval Owners’ Association, it could not unilaterally shut down the resort. But as majority owners, it could push through its desired outcome at a meeting of timeshare owners. That took place virtually on Nov. 19.
“The finances of the Association are currently sound,” the meeting agenda reads. “However, some members favor the sale of the Property, instead of funding $13.2 million in estimated upcoming capital projects and renovations through increased maintenance fees and/or special assessments.”
At the meeting, owners were asked to vote on authorization of a bankruptcy filing for the association, closure of the resort as of Dec. 31, suspension of 2026 maintenance fees, and sale of the resort. Those measures passed.
Timeshare owners at Bentley Brook now have a choice: They can take cash from the distribution of the sale or trade their deed for Club Wyndham Access points to other resorts.
Joseph Bornmann said he likes the hot tub at Club Wyndham Bentley Brook, which is closing at the end of the year and will be sold in a bankruptcy sale.
JANE KAUFMAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
A VISITOR’S RESPONSE
Club Wyndham member Joseph Bornmann, of Westville, N.J., has been visiting Bentley Brook with his wife once or twice a year since about 2017. He doesn't ski, but he appreciates the easy drive: four and a half hours door to door.
“I don’t understand it,” he said. “They’re all tightlipped about it. Corporate’s not saying anything. So that has me a little frustrated. I would like to know why because it’s a great resort. It’s always full. It’s packed. "
"It’s a great location when you want peace and quiet," he said. “I’m going to miss it if they really do close it."
A year ago in October, he and his wife, Carole, rode a Can-Am Spyder for a visit to Bentley Brook. On their last day, the fuel pump gave way.
Carole and Joseph Bornmann have their final visit at Club Wyndham Bentley Brook. Joseph Bornmann told a story of the staff pitching in after his Can-Am Spyder broke down on the last day of their visit in 2024. "Everybody just went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of."
JANE KAUFMAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
“The resort was awesome,” he said. “The staff, they went out of their way. They were full but they still found a place to put us in a room for one extra day.”
One of the staff members drove the couple to a U-Haul dealer so they could tow the bike back to New Jersey because it couldn't be fixed immediately.
“This area and the people here are awesome,” he said. “I have no complaints. That experience with the Can-Am opened my eyes to there’s still really a lot of great people in the world. You hear a lot of bad stuff, but everybody just went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of.”
A FINAL VISIT
Harry James Sweet, of Watertown, N.Y., has owned a timeshare at Bentley Brook for 12 years.
“We made a lot of memories there with families and friends,” Sweet said. “We have taken my children, my grandchildren, family members. My late mom, she was blind, and we took her there, and they treated her like a queen.”
He said he feels worse for the staff.
Sweet is planning to return for a few days at Christmas, just before the last guests leave.
“It’s really a grieving process,” he said. “It’s like a loss.”
Jane Kaufman is Community Voices Editor at The Berkshire Eagle. She can be reached at
jkaufman@berkshireeagle.com or 413-496-6125.
