hyatt vacation club
Feb 26, 2003, 3:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: CLL
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, AA Plt, Hyatt Plt
Posts: 167
hyatt vacation club
folks:
just stayed at the hyatt resort in lake tahoe presidents day weekend. enjoyed our time there. should improve more when they complete the spa/pool area. while there we took the timeshare tour. semi interested in purchasing. is there a site somewhere where they discuss the pro/cons of hyatt timeshares vis a vis marriott/hilton etc? thanks.
just stayed at the hyatt resort in lake tahoe presidents day weekend. enjoyed our time there. should improve more when they complete the spa/pool area. while there we took the timeshare tour. semi interested in purchasing. is there a site somewhere where they discuss the pro/cons of hyatt timeshares vis a vis marriott/hilton etc? thanks.
Feb 26, 2003, 3:59 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: The Puget Sound, WA
Posts: 2,232
I've toured the Hyatt Vacation Club properties at Tahoe, Beaver Creek and Coconut Pointe. They are all nice. My only word of advice, if you want to get into Timeshares look at the resale market. They normally sell for a fraction of what the Timeshare sales people sell them for.
Check out the Timeshare Users Group for more info: http://www.tug2.net/
Check out the Timeshare Users Group for more info: http://www.tug2.net/
Dec 29, 2003, 11:34 am
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,253
I recently attended a weekend at the Coconut Plantation in Bonita Springs, FL. If you receive a good deal in the mail to attend (mine was $39/nt with a $25 resort credit), here's a few pro/cons of attending this one:
Pro:
- the timeshare resort is already built out for the pools/hot tubs/saunas, etc. and are heated year-round
- the presentation was not very annoying except for the last 5 minutes
- Prices don't seem THAT bad, until you hear what the maintenance fee is (see below)
- the Hyatt Vacation Club concept isn't as bad as other timeshare companies due to the ability to swap easily with other Hyatt properties or convert to GP points
- Very nice golf course on the property
- Secluded from the main highway and offers a private beach
- Everything is gold-plated. They spent big, big bucks on details like landscaping, fixtures, etc.
Con:
- Because only 2 of the 12 or so buildings have been constructed, it wasn't very crowded, hence many of the facilities were thinly staffed
- Located right between Naples and Ft. Myers, so a 20+ minute drive is required to get to anything
- The prices at the resort next door are obscene. A pair of 75 min massages at the spa run $400 with tip, so we went to a nice day spa in Ft. Myers for almost a third of that price.
- The no-pressure sales presentation turned a little hostile when the sales rep brought in the "manager" who repeatedly wanted to know "what they could do to make a sale today". It went from a high-class presentation to a used-car environment immediately, complete with 15% interest rates and some illegal sales tactics ("I guarantee you that these will be worth twice as much in 5 years")
- For a 2 bedroom, the prices ranged from $12,000 or so for off-weeks to $35,000 or so for the peak times. If you sum up all the weeks, each unit is being valued at about $1.0 million. That seems a bit steep, until you find out the maintenance fee:
- $150 PER NIGHT to start, or $900/week (6 nights)
- Owners are already selling their shares, at a pretty good discount to Hyatt prices
That last number caused me to head out the door. Why someone would be willing to pay tens of thousands for the right to pay $150/night is beyond me. Since I didn't see anyone on the golf course while I was there, I'm guessing that the owners are coughing up some big bucks just to keep that running. Since I value a week at the resort at about the price of the maintenance fee ($900 or so), I guess I would value the ownership share at about $0.
Are people that buy timeshares just too lazy to shop for their vacations? I've stayed at some incredible resorts for less than $1000/week, and I didn't have to pay the price of a nice car for the right to make the reservation.
I also couldn't figure out the targeted marketing. One question the rep asked me was, "How much do you usually pay for a top-notch resort? $300 to $500 a night?" Actually, I pay $0. When you have several hundred thousand Hyatt points banked, why would you spend tens of thousands of your hard-earned dollars on something you can get for free?
[This message has been edited by Tino (edited Dec 29, 2003).]
Pro:
- the timeshare resort is already built out for the pools/hot tubs/saunas, etc. and are heated year-round
- the presentation was not very annoying except for the last 5 minutes
- Prices don't seem THAT bad, until you hear what the maintenance fee is (see below)
- the Hyatt Vacation Club concept isn't as bad as other timeshare companies due to the ability to swap easily with other Hyatt properties or convert to GP points
- Very nice golf course on the property
- Secluded from the main highway and offers a private beach
- Everything is gold-plated. They spent big, big bucks on details like landscaping, fixtures, etc.
Con:
- Because only 2 of the 12 or so buildings have been constructed, it wasn't very crowded, hence many of the facilities were thinly staffed
- Located right between Naples and Ft. Myers, so a 20+ minute drive is required to get to anything
- The prices at the resort next door are obscene. A pair of 75 min massages at the spa run $400 with tip, so we went to a nice day spa in Ft. Myers for almost a third of that price.
- The no-pressure sales presentation turned a little hostile when the sales rep brought in the "manager" who repeatedly wanted to know "what they could do to make a sale today". It went from a high-class presentation to a used-car environment immediately, complete with 15% interest rates and some illegal sales tactics ("I guarantee you that these will be worth twice as much in 5 years")
- For a 2 bedroom, the prices ranged from $12,000 or so for off-weeks to $35,000 or so for the peak times. If you sum up all the weeks, each unit is being valued at about $1.0 million. That seems a bit steep, until you find out the maintenance fee:
- $150 PER NIGHT to start, or $900/week (6 nights)
- Owners are already selling their shares, at a pretty good discount to Hyatt prices
That last number caused me to head out the door. Why someone would be willing to pay tens of thousands for the right to pay $150/night is beyond me. Since I didn't see anyone on the golf course while I was there, I'm guessing that the owners are coughing up some big bucks just to keep that running. Since I value a week at the resort at about the price of the maintenance fee ($900 or so), I guess I would value the ownership share at about $0.
Are people that buy timeshares just too lazy to shop for their vacations? I've stayed at some incredible resorts for less than $1000/week, and I didn't have to pay the price of a nice car for the right to make the reservation.
I also couldn't figure out the targeted marketing. One question the rep asked me was, "How much do you usually pay for a top-notch resort? $300 to $500 a night?" Actually, I pay $0. When you have several hundred thousand Hyatt points banked, why would you spend tens of thousands of your hard-earned dollars on something you can get for free?
[This message has been edited by Tino (edited Dec 29, 2003).]
Dec 30, 2003, 6:46 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Baltimore - Hyatt Lifetime Diamond/Courtesy Card, UA 2M
Posts: 994
I have been to a couple of these over the years. I won't go to any others, as it is not worth the little "freebie," and I haven't yet heard of a deal that makes sense for me. I agree with you, and I don't understand why people buy these things at these prices.
If you are into real estate speculation, there are better investments. If you can work a calculator and browse the internet, there are better, cheaper vacations. $900 per week? Ha! To top it off for me, I have about a million GP points which I am trying to burn (it is difficult with FFNs coming again and again.)
Perhaps the resale market might be more affordable. Just look at all the money they are spending to get all the people in the door! I wonder what percentage they convert? I swear at the last one I was at, they had a planted "buyer" who pretended to purchase two weeks for the benefit of others.
If you are into real estate speculation, there are better investments. If you can work a calculator and browse the internet, there are better, cheaper vacations. $900 per week? Ha! To top it off for me, I have about a million GP points which I am trying to burn (it is difficult with FFNs coming again and again.)
Perhaps the resale market might be more affordable. Just look at all the money they are spending to get all the people in the door! I wonder what percentage they convert? I swear at the last one I was at, they had a planted "buyer" who pretended to purchase two weeks for the benefit of others.