Wyndham is closing a handful of legacy resorts - dedicated chart/tracker located in the first post for this unfolding set of events

[Sandi Bo]

We went to Fairfield Bay a couple years ago because our trip to Sedona got canceled by the airline. We looked at somewhere we could drive fairly comfortably and so picked Fairfield Bay. We drove through a vicious thunderstorm to get there and it was still pouring when we got our key to the room. By the time we found our way to where we were staying the rain ended and we had a great time there. Yes, the room (on the golf course, I think it was Wyndham Fairways) was a little dated but nothing was decrepit. We found they played pickle ball at the gym so my wife and I joined there one time. We swam in the pools, hiked Sugerload Mountain in the middle of the lake. used the grills.. all in all a fine week. Fairfield Bay is far more than a Wyndham spot.. I think what it suffers from is the lack of people in driving range.

So, when I saw the eclipse was going to go right over that resort, I booked it immediately. Apparently not many other people did. I got 4.5 minutes of totallity sitting on the golf course. If you paid for a round of golf, you got to take the golf cart with a fried chicken basket for lunch to the golf course. There were probably 4 other people out there with us. Note that had nothing to do with Wyndham. They local government had scared the people there that they were going to get overwhelmed with people. Needless to say, they had no such innundation. I did get a video that a guy did with a decent sized Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope of the eclipse. The telescope had the ability to track the sun so it's pretty cool to see the moon occlude it.

So, we really enjoy Fairfield Bay and will probably go back there even if Wyndham isn't there.

When I whine about loosing Bentley Brook, my husband reminds me we can still go -- we'll just have to pay for it.

My sisters and I were discussing how hard Jiminy Peak works to keep things running there, making snow, other activities on the mountain. Climate change has not been kind to them.

 

[Twenty20]

I've never been there, but I could never imagine why anyone would go to that place. Nothing to do, no real major "nature" stuff nearby. A lake, I guess some golf. Not near ANYWHERE.

It was Fairfield's first resort back in the 70's I guess. I'm guessing cheap land back in the day.

I could see Fairfield Glade having more promise long term, but barely. Having been there I realize it's got some major limitations, but at least it's near some population centers. There's just better options nearby now.

Real estate sales have been pretty steady and solid at FF Glade. It's obviously a retirement community, and a pretty popular one, at that. Has the amenities that many are looking for in retirement, and with a very reasonable cost. A number of people I've met there are from the Midwest or East Coast and originally retired to Florida but decided to come halfway back.

How that translates to people wanting to vacation there is a different story, I guess. It's a great golf destination with 5 courses that are nice and very cheap to play. I took my young kids there for a week in summer and we had a nice time swimming in the lakes/beaches, renting a boat, etc . it's quiet and relaxing and a pretty area. But I could see plenty of people find it boring.

The location is pretty good. There are a LOT of population centers within a 6 hour or so drive. Was an easy spot for us to get away too, for several generations of family over decades. We'll miss it, even though we have also gone there rarely these days.

 

[Marianne g]

When I whine about loosing Bentley Brook, my husband reminds me we can still go -- we'll just have to pay for it.

My sisters and I were discussing how hard Jiminy Peak works to keep things running there, making snow, other activities on the mountain. Climate change has not been kind to them.

Me too!! Do you think you’ll just start on another part of the resort?

 

[paxsarah]

I think you need to know to watch and be sure the points go to the next use year. A careless action (by a VC or whoever is 'helping') can end with points returning to the year they came from (likely this year). If you know enough to ask, I don't think it's an issue to move them forward. (I was given points for a cancelled reservation for one of the hurricanes - it was October and I got current use year points - they were resale, so a struggle to use them). I read of others who got them reimbursed and moved forward. Hate to gripe too much about a goodwill gesture, they didn't have to do it at all (in my case). But pretty sure all I had to do was ask.

This depends on someone’s use year and the date of the reservation. Anyone with a January use year is going to be dealing with future year points anyway. (Are converted fixed weeks always January?) A March use year with a canceled reservation in Q1, then that request makes sense. But it probably won’t apply to most affected folks.

 

[HitchHiker71]

I think you need to know to watch and be sure the points go to the next use year. A careless action (by a VC or whoever is 'helping') can end with points returning to the year they came from (likely this year). If you know enough to ask, I don't think it's a issue to move them forward. (I was given points for a cancelled reservation for one of the hurricanes - it was October and I got current use year points - they were resale, so a struggle to use them). I read of others who got them reimbursed and moved forward. Hate to gripe too much about a goodwill gesture, they didn't have to do it at all (in my case). But pretty sure all I had to do was ask.

So specific to these actions, assuming a calendar year use year, are you saying that future use year reservations made for 2026, when cancelled, should be deposited to 2027? I would assume the points for those reservations would be refunded to the same 2026 use year. That said, for those who have non-calendar year use years, especially April 1 or July 1, this point is more applicable, as they may want to request to have those reservations goodwill moved into the next use year if desired.


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[JulieB4]

I own at Fairfield Bay as well and as of Monday morning have received no emails from Wyndham

You should have gotten a proxy ballot in the mail by now. We have , as well as the email I had gotten. They have the exact same info for the user name and password for eballot.

 

[bnoble]

Question for folks who have seen ballots for resorts other than KBV. Does it include a provision to transfer intervals to the HOA before it declares bankruptcy?

 

[chapjim]

Question for folks who have seen ballots for resorts other than KBV. Does it include a provision to transfer intervals to the HOA before it declares bankruptcy?

No.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I wonder how this will affect competition in booking reservations. If owners agree to CWA and are still in the system, these owners will book ahead of many owners, and there will be fewer resorts to book just in general.

I would never take CWA, but I don't have to make that decision.

Bonnet Creek is booked for the entire fall season. I have been trying to piece together a few nights here and there for after our cruise in November. I am not good at remembering to look multiple times a day.

 

[paxsarah]

I wonder how this will affect competition in booking reservations. If owners agree to CWA and are still in the system, these owners will book ahead of many owners, and there will be fewer resorts to book just in general.

I would never take CWA, but I don't have to make that decision.

Bonnet Creek is booked for the entire fall season. I have been trying to piece together a few nights here and there for after our cruise in November. I am not good at remembering to look multiple times a day.

It seems to me that the counterbalance is that Wyndham will own fewer points that it can use for its own rentals. In practice, maybe that means more intense competition at 13 months for the most prime reservations adding these new CWA owners, and a little more availability inside 10 months with Wyndham scooping up less inventory for rentals (which I’ll admit I haven’t tracked closely, but I have to assume happens well inside 10 months).

 

[Floridaman76]

It's definitely going to be harder to book, and harder to get upgrades. Part of this is Wyndham has screwed their VIP program because even more people will be bitching about "never getting upgrades".

Especially in Williamsburg now, they removed 1/3 of all capacity. It used to be pretty easy to get upgrades there. I just got two there for my stay in October. These were not instant upgrades either, they were auto upgrades at my upgrade window (30 days)

It's going to make it real difficult to book at places like Steamboat where you had to have deeded or access to get really prime spots like Christmas and New Years with so many additional people being able to book at 13 months there vs 10 months.

 

[chapjim]

It's definitely going to be harder to book, and harder to get upgrades. Part of this is Wyndham has screwed their VIP program because even more people will be bitching about "never getting upgrades".

Especially in Williamsburg now, they removed 1/3 of all capacity. It used to be pretty easy to get upgrades there. I just got two there for my stay in October. These were not instant upgrades either, they were auto upgrades at my upgrade window (30 days)

It's going to make it real difficult to book at places like Steamboat where you had to have deeded or access to get really prime spots like Christmas and New Years with so many additional people being able to book at 13 months there vs 10 months.

Solution: Buy more points!!

 

[CO skier]

I wonder how this will affect competition in booking reservations. If owners agree to CWA and are still in the system, these owners will book ahead of many owners, and there will be fewer resorts to book just in general.

It seems to me that the counterbalance is that Wyndham will own fewer points that it can use for its own rentals. In practice, maybe that means more intense competition at 13 months for the most prime reservations adding these new CWA owners, and a little more availability inside 10 months with Wyndham scooping up less inventory for rentals (which I’ll admit I haven’t tracked closely, but I have to assume happens well inside 10 months).

It is not as though a dozen or so resorts worth of owners will be piling into the CWA resorts at 10-13 months. Looking at the occupancy levels at these resorts (actually the lack thereof), the owners are already booking at other resorts, and only a fraction of those are booking 9-10 months in advance.

Hamilton Cove at Fairfield Bay was worse - 68% vacany rate.

Then think about all the owners who are not planning to accept the CWA swap and are getting out altogether. No more competition from them.

The time is right for our family to cash out. This is really a gift for us to be free and clear.

Taking all factors into consideration, the effects on 10-13 month availability will be minimal, at most; i.e., the smallest fraction of a small fraction of a super-minority of remaining owners at the affected resorts.

 

[Floridaman76]

Solution: Buy more points!!

Maybe, but not from them

 

[Floridaman76]

It is not as though a dozen or so resorts worth of owners will be piling into the CWA resorts at 10-13 months. Looking at the occupancy levels at these resorts (actually the lack thereof), the owners are already booking at other resorts, and only a fraction of those are booking 9-10 months in advance.

Taking all factors into consideration, the effects on 10-13 month availability will be minimal, at most; i.e., the smallest fraction of a small fraction of a super-minority of remaining owners at the affected resorts.

I think maybe you don't understand how it works or don't grasp what's coming.

These owners largely weren't staying at the resorts which are closing, although certainly some were. But they were booking at other resorts at some point after the 10 month mark passes.

They will now have the ability to book those locations at 13 months instead of < 10 months. There will be pressure on high demand dates.

Look at it like this, most of us were fighting for a finite number of spots at high demand resorts for prime dates (Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, etc) at exactly the 10 month mark. That inventory we were expecting to be there at 10 months to the day, is going to be booked up by new access owners at some point before the 10 month mark even hits.

Those owners don't have to stay up at midnight at the 10 month mark, they can book 12 months and 3 weeks out.

Watch, its gonna happen.

 

[CO skier]

It used to be pretty easy to get upgrades there.

That is the problem (from Wyndham's point of view). VIP RENTERs are using their discounts and upgrades to outcompete Extra Holidays. See post #881 for an example at Bentley Brook.

 

[rickandcindy23]

That is the problem (from Wyndham's point of view). VIP RENTERs LOL are using their discounts and upgrades to outcompete Extra Holidays. See post #881 for an example at Bentley Brook.

Discounts at a year out? When did that happen? Prime dates and resorts I can book for guests? I don't think so.

The only guests I have added are reservations for people who are taking my Bali Hai contracts, since Wyndham will not get those transferred anytime soon. I have points to burn.

Interesting to see you and Troy in this thread. Sometimes you agree, sometimes you disagree with one another. You can both agree how horrible the "mega renters" were.

 

[CO skier]

Watch, its gonna happen.

Pick your resort(s) as the poster child for this (nonexistent) "phenomenon." So take some reference points now and let us compare the 13 month availability in a year.

This reminds me a lot about when WorldMark changed the less than 7 night minimum from a 90-day booking window to 10 months -- all kind of wailing and gnashing of teeth about "there go the weekends at 10 months." Turns out all the popular weekends were already booking before 10 months, and the change had zero effect on weekend availability.

 

[chapjim]

Since Wyndham is in the process of culling low occupancy resorts, one place might have been missed -- Galena, IL. Granted the town has tons of history but I wouldn't think the resort has a high occupancy rate. Being three hours from Chicago maybe keeps it busy?

 

[rickandcindy23]

Since Wyndham is in the process of culling low occupancy resorts, one place might have been missed -- Galena, IL. Granted the town has tons of history but I wouldn't think the resort has a high occupancy rate. Being three hours from Chicago maybe keeps it busy?

That one is also in WorldMark, I believe. I have no desire to stay there, but I know there are TUG members who love that one.

 

[chapjim]

That one is also in WorldMark, I believe. I have no desire to stay there, but I know there are TUG members who love that one.

Like Bentley Brook, Fairfield Bay and Glade, Patriot's Place, Skyline Tower, etc. But apparently there aren't enough people who love any of those to keep them running.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I feel really badly for the people who took our ownerships at Fairfield Bay that we gave away 2.5 years ago. Some actually bought for the location, as it was close to family, close to home, etc.

 

[CO skier]

Look at it like this, most of us were fighting for a finite number of spots at high demand resorts for prime dates (Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, etc) at exactly the 10 month mark. That inventory we were expecting to be there at 10 months to the day, is going to be booked up by new access owners at some point before the 10 month mark even hits.

Those owners don't have to stay up at midnight at the 10 month mark, they can book 12 months and 3 weeks out.

Watch, its gonna happen.

What you are really missing is that owners who take the CWA swap will be "fighting" only with other CWA owners for "spots at high demand resorts for prime dates." There will be zero increased competition for Advance Reservation Priority with regard to owners deeded at a specific resort. Deeded ARP and CWA ARP are two different buckets of inventory.

You do know sales is selling CWA memberships every day of the year? I have not seen any posts about the lack of CWA ARP availability over the last ten years. The number of owners who will choose to accept the CWA swap will be dwarfed by the corporate annual CWA sales.

 

[hjsweet2002]

Has any owner of Bentley Brook receive notice of HOA meeting to vote on closure

 

[CO skier]

Since Wyndham is in the process of culling low occupancy resorts, one place might have been missed -- Galena, IL. Granted the town has tons of history but I wouldn't think the resort has a high occupancy rate. Being three hours from Chicago maybe keeps it busy?

As another example of how transparent Wyndham is with WorldMark members, there are 69 WorldMark units at Galena, IL.

69 units * 50 weeks * 7 nights/week = 24,150 unit nights

In 2024 there were 1292 vacant nights Sun. through Thurs. and 328 vacant nights Fri. & Sat.

That works out to a 6.7% vacancy rate, or 92.3% occupancy rate.