Diamond Is Making a Strong Effort

[Carlos Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carlos]

This summer I have gone to two DRI properties. I had not been to either before, but I can say that I would visit both of them again. I was at Ka'anapali Beach Club in Maui and the Polo Towers Villas in Las Vegas. In both situations I was very, very pleased with the accommodations and the overall environment at each resort. The staffs at each local were very helpful and positive. The locations of each were central for their respective areas. There were plenty of places to eat and shop for groceries and other necessities. Polo Towers is right on Las Vegas Blvd. so everything was really accessible there.

Inside the units, they are well equipped. Everything you need is in the room. Polo Towers had cusinart coffemakers and blenders. The bathrooms are spacious and are renovated. There were flat screen televisions in all of the rooms in Polo Towers. The units are very spacious and very well maintained.

I own both Marriott and Diamond. I am not at a point where I can say the DRI is on the level of my Ko Olina property. However, they have closed the gap where I am more comfortable with their accommodations. I love the newspapers in the mornings and now the free internet although Polo Towers has yet to get wired for owners to have it in their rooms.

If the maintenance fees don't increase as they have in the past, then all should be well. I am seeing what I thought would happen, Diamond is making a strong effort to make its timeshare worth an owners update.

[Tommyboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tommyboy]

I agree that Diamond is making the effort to keep the properties to a high standard. We were very pleased with the Point at Poipu this spring and Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort is very comfortable and a great location.
Tom

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Sunterra, at least IMHO, underfunded their resorts or, they funded them to maintain them at a level lower than what is acceptable for DRI. At any rate, so long as the only complaints are about MF's and not about the quality of the resorts, that should be a good sign. Now, if owners start complaining about the MF's and the quality of the resorts and/or service they recieve, then there's a problem.

High quality resorts require higher MF's. I own examples of both high quality and standard quality resorts. On our last visit to what I consider one of our standard quality resorts (French Quarter in Branson, MO), I actually went out and bought toilet paper to replace the John Wayne toilet paper the resort provided.

Why do I call it John Wayne toilet paper? Because it was rough, it was tough and it woudln't take Sh*t off anyone.

[frank808 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close frank808]

John Wayne toilet paper! Now I know what to say when the tp isn't to standard. Did point @ poipu finish their renovation? I haven't stayed their in 4 years since I own EOY odd. Was there a special assesment? thanks

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Why do I call it John Wayne toilet paper? Because it was rough, it was tough and it woudln't take Sh*t off anyone.

I probably can't count the number of times I've had a deja moo feeling when I've been at a resort. Mostly it happens during the "owner update", when I realize that I've experienced this bs before.

[Tommyboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tommyboy]

When we were at the Point at Poipu this May, we found the room very well done with flat screen TVs and updated kitchen. The only resturant on the grounds is the poolside bar, with limited selection but good food. We went to the "breakfast buffet" our first morning and did not go back. Omlets and the usual breakfast stuff on paper plates. Expensive for what you got. The resturants at the Hyatt are outstanding (very expensive, but worth it). There are lots of good resturants in the area. The country club at the nearby golf course has a great breakfast.
Tom

[keepercjr Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close keepercjr]

We were at the Point in June for 3 weeks and while we liked our room just fine, there wasn't a flat screen in it or new furniture. Maybe they hadn't gotten to it yet? My complaint about the property is that internet isn't free and there should be a TV in the 2nd bedroom (and air conditioning in the 2nd bedroom for the ones on a bend). But even with what I consider the negatives, we loved it enough to become owners last year (great eBay score!)

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Just got home from a 2 nit stay at Lake Tahoe Valley Resort. I had never stayed there before but needed a place for a quick trip to attend a reunion.

Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the rooms and the amenities offered. The linens are top of the line, flat screen TVs, decent utensils and kitchen ware, and top notch appliances. One thing that really is a plus over the Marriotts for me as a Diamond Club member was FREE parking and FREE in-room internet access. Exchangers pay $16 per day to park and a fee (don't know how much) for internet. There is also 2 FREE computers in the lounge for use by all guests as opposed to the 25cents per minute charged at the Marriott where we recently stayed. For stays of a full week, there is a free mid-week tidy service whereas Marriott provides none unless you opt to pay extra. The resort had a nice on site restaurant and bar with reasonable prices. Can't review the food since we didn't try it. As an aside the toilet tissue was extremely thin but I think the quality is dictated by strict environmental laws in Lake Tahoe due to attempts to reverse decades of pollution from overdevelopment.

As long as I can see that my MF and Club fees are producing high quality resorts I have no objections to paying. I am happy with Diamond at this point and think that the direction they have taken is a good one. It is the rapidly rising MF with degrading of quality and amenities such as I have experienced at Starwood managed resorts that I am angry about. Exactly how an owner's group can wrestle control away from these developer controlled HOA is a quandary.

[winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close winger]

..., I actually went out and bought toilet paper to replace the John Wayne toilet paper the resort provided.

Why do I call it John Wayne toilet paper? Because it was rough, it was tough and it woudln't take Sh*t off anyone.

Well, the one exception being John Wayne himself, of course.

We have been to Kaanapali, Lake Tahoe, Williamsburg (Powhattan), Sedona Summit, Polo Towers (before the recent major upgrade), San Luis Bay Inn, and Seapointe in Carlsbad. San Luis is not wholly owned by DRI and Seapointe is an affiliate only. I can tell you the DRI resorts' quality is noticeably higher than both of the last two.

Yes, the rapid rise of MF's is hard to swallow for, especially in hard economic times like this and even more so for single income families like ours, but it does seem DRI is trying to control the increases. At least, we are seeing some quality for our money.

Note, Polo Towers (if the OP is referring to the Suites, which entails the first tower facing the LV Strip and the second wing connecting the first wing to the Villas (the third wing, furthest from The Strip) funded its recent major upgrade through a special assessment - that was such a downer for owners : (

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Product innovation is the engine that drives growth and prosperity for many companies. It is also one of the most difficult undertakings of the modern corporation..Last edited by bigfrank; Yesterday at 10:47 AM. Reason: removed ad link on hotels

why not just delete the whole SPAM posting. Makes no sense (not deleting the whole SPAM post).

[winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close winger]

why not just delete the whole SPAM posting. Makes no sense (not deleting the whole SPAM post).

AaaAgh. Now, I see. - was wondering what that guy was talking about.

[needtosell Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close needtosell]

Need to Sell Points in DRI

Would you or anyone you know be interested in buying my 3000 point U.S. collection membership? I need to sell. I have not used any of the 2010 points, so they are still available. As of January 1, 2011 another 3,000 points will be available. My asking price is $3,000 which makes this $0.50 per point on January 1. I will pay the closing and transfer fees. There are no outstanding fees for 2010 and the membership was paid in full at the time of purchase.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Would you or anyone you know be interested in buying my 3000 point U.S. collection membership? I need to sell. I have not used any of the 2010 points, so they are still available. As of January 1, 2011 another 3,000 points will be available. My asking price is $3,000 which makes this $0.50 per point on January 1. I will pay the closing and transfer fees. There are no outstanding fees for 2010 and the membership was paid in full at the time of purchase.

Your post will likely be deleted as an ad. Should that happen, though, you can list your unit in the timeshare For Sale Classifieds. The goal here is to keep this forum from getting cluttered with notices from people who want to sell their units.

That being said, a 3000 point US collection membership has at most zero value, and likely is negative value.

Your best option is visit the forums at the DRI.com and inquire as to whether you can simply surrender the ownership back to DRI. At times in the past they DRI has been willing to accept relinquishments, and your situation matches their criteria (no mortgage, current on annual fees, and no reservations booked on the current points).

[regatta333 Member Find all posts View Profile Close regatta333]

Really enjoying our stay at Villas de Santa Fe

My husband and I are currently staying at the Villas de Santa Fe and have been really impressed by the quality of the accommodations and the helpfulness of the staff. Although we did have to pay $30 for a week's worth of WIFI, they have a complimentary coffee/tea/juice station in the reception area that we think is a real plus. They even offer a free shuttle service into town, although we have been happy enough just to walk, since the location is so convenient.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

My husband and I are currently staying at the Villas de Santa Fe and have been really impressed by the quality of the accommodations and the helpfulness of the staff. Although we did have to pay $30 for a week's worth of WIFI, they have a complimentary coffee/tea/juice station in the reception area that we think is a real plus. They even offer a free shuttle service into town, although we have been happy enough just to walk, since the location is so convenient.

VdeSF is nice for its location within three blocks of the Plaza, but it is a converted Homewood Suites or the like and has no real estate attached and no resort feel, I used to own there but sold before the crash.

This summer I have gone to two DRI properties. I had not been to either before, but I can say that I would visit both of them again. I was at Ka'anapali Beach Club in Maui and the Polo Towers Villas in Las Vegas. In both situations I was very, very pleased with the accommodations and the overall environment at each resort. The staffs at each local were very helpful and positive. The locations of each were central for their respective areas. There were plenty of places to eat and shop for groceries and other necessities. Polo Towers is right on Las Vegas Blvd. so everything was really accessible there.

Inside the units, they are well equipped. Everything you need is in the room. Polo Towers had cusinart coffemakers and blenders. The bathrooms are spacious and are renovated. There were flat screen televisions in all of the rooms in Polo Towers. The units are very spacious and very well maintained.

I own both Marriott and Diamond. I am not at a point where I can say the DRI is on the level of my Ko Olina property. However, they have closed the gap where I am more comfortable with their accommodations. I love the newspapers in the mornings and now the free internet although Polo Towers has yet to get wired for owners to have it in their rooms.

If the maintenance fees don't increase as they have in the past, then all should be well. I am seeing what I thought would happen, Diamond is making a strong effort to make its timeshare worth an owners update.

I, too, see the effort being made to upgrade and 'brand' the resorts but are they making effective use of the gobs of maintenance fees? Its the owners who must make the payments for the improvements that are mandated by DRI with little or no oversight by the owners. Nothing is really worth an 'owners update' sales presentation.