Does RCI award status REALLY mean quality?

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

RCI Award status is based on comment card scores in five categories:

Check-In / Out
Resort Hospitality
Resort Maintenance
Unit Maintenance
Unit Housekeeping

For SIlver Crown/RID, the criteria are only numbers from these categories. For Gold Crown, there are other criteria out of a multiple choice list, but any resort with the numbers in these categories can probably find a way to meet those without two much problem.

Comment card categories which are NOT considered in award status, either GC or SC are:

Resort Amenities
Resort Activities
Unit Quality
Unit Amenities
Overall Vacation
Weather

While the last two obviously should not be considered, it seems to me that most timesharers seem to use award status as a measure of the first four categories in the second list above, when in fact they are not. Unit Quality used to be on the list of categories considered but was deleted four or five years ago.

Award status really means a resort's office is efficient and courteous to exchangers and whatever facilities they may have are kept repaired and clean. For GC, it also means they have some of the things on the multiple choice lists.

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

I'm confused as to which criteria (comment card response or other feedback) that RCI uses for award status versus what they use to determine VEP.

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

Carolinian -
Your post is very enlightening. It doesn't make sense to me that a resort can be awarded Gold Crown status if the unit quality is not taken into consideration. Although friendliness of the staff is important, it surely is not more important than unit quality and amenities. Of course that's just my opinion.

Maybe the additional questions on the multiple choice list has some reference to unit quality and amenities?

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

I thought

Resort Hospitality sometimes will reflect a little of Resort Activities.
Resort Maintenance, Unit Maintenance, Unit Housekeeping will reflect Unit Quality and Unit Amenities and Resort Amenities.

However, by excluding thses, it discounts the developer, and put resposnibility to the HOA. Otherwise, for old resort, it maybe very hard to compete with newer resort in the Resort Amenities and Unit Amenities.

Jya-Ning

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

When there are specific categories for those things, IMHO it is rather unlikely that they will bleed over into other categories. I might tend to agree with you if the other categories that aren't considered were not also right there on the comment card.

Amenities are amenities, and may be present in new resorts or old resorts. Older resorts can and often do add amenities.

I thought

Resort Hospitality sometimes will reflect a little of Resort Activities.
Resort Maintenance, Unit Maintenance, Unit Housekeeping will reflect Unit Quality and Unit Amenities and Resort Amenities.

However, by excluding thses, it discounts the developer, and put resposnibility to the HOA. Otherwise, for old resort, it maybe very hard to compete with newer resort in the Resort Amenities and Unit Amenities.

Jya-Ning

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

The multiple choice list doesn't apply at all to Silver Crown status. For Gold Crowns, there is some impact on amenities from the multiple choice list, but the exchanger is not able to give any rating imput. RCI simply checks off whether those things are there or not. Some of them may not be important to many exchangers. One of them is babysitting, for example. The full list is on the TUG advise site. I provided a copy of the RCI brochure on award status a few years ago and another member put it up on the website over there.

Carolinian -
Your post is very enlightening. It doesn't make sense to me that a resort can be awarded Gold Crown status if the unit quality is not taken into consideration. Although friendliness of the staff is important, it surely is not more important than unit quality and amenities. Of course that's just my opinion.

Maybe the additional questions on the multiple choice list has some reference to unit quality and amenities?

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Gold Crown Status

Carefull when picking your resorts because of what RCI might rate them. We've had a few experiences where because of people not sending in information resorts kept GC ratings even though they either didn't have or amenities were not kept up. When we complained to RCI they informed us they just go by the information they get from the resorts and people's input and that they do no checking themselves.
We were at one resort that said it had a pool (when you are with a 13 year old boy, you need a pool) and we wouldn't have gone there without it. They had no pool.
Bart

[Republiman Member Find all posts View Profile Close Republiman]

I wouldn't want to see the original post in this thread misinterpreted. To be Gold Crown, you do need to have some pretty good amenities.

I have previously seen copies of the ratings criteria on the TUG BBS, and you can not qualify without having a certain number of amenities on site.

Unless those documents posted on the TUG BBS at http://www.tug2.net/advice/RCI_ratings_guide.htm are completely wrong and outdated, Gold Crown Resorts need to maintain some nice amenities on site, or be situated very close to lots of attractions, or be in an urban location (ex. Manhattan Club).

Fred

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

I wouldn't want to see the original post in this thread misinterpreted. To be Gold Crown, you do need to have some pretty good amenities.

I have previously seen copies of the ratings criteria on the TUG BBS, and you can not qualify without having a certain number of amenities on site.

Unless those documents posted on the TUG BBS at http://www.tug2.net/advice/RCI_ratings_guide.htm are completely wrong and outdated, Gold Crown Resorts need to maintain some nice amenities on site, or be situated very close to lots of attractions, or be in an urban location (ex. Manhattan Club).

Fred

That one was last updated on April 2003. You can also see Carolina's post regarding the new way RCI use comment card.

However, if you look at the one that in comment card which should be fill by the exchanger, all the item are subjective. You like the way check-in and out is done, you like the maintaince ...

The thing that left out is Amenities, which you either have or you don't have, and it may depends on the area that can dertime if a missing stuff really means something, and I believe I read that RCI also has some way to standardize these item into overall consideration. These are pretty objective, and depends on exchange to put a grade to me should not be necessary. A good inspector from RCI should do the job and the result are much reliable.

I just feel that even though in the comment card, they say Amenities don't count, I doubt if I put in a comment card, I can really think give out a great grade in Maintainace if I saw a low quality bath towel or wood counter top in the unit there.

I think RCI just try to allow exchanger to determine only on the subjective area.

Jya-Ning

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

not to hi-jack this thread in anyway but II ratings don't necessarily mean a hill of beans either. I have stayed in 5* resorts that wouldn't come close to meeting the standards at a Motel 6.

I often wonder about new resort ratings with RCI. They all seem to be GC and maybe it is a "bone" that is thrown them to join the network.

That is another reason why independent user resort reviews are so important on forums like here, OY and places like TripAdvisor.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

No time to post details now but the required levels for the various RCI awards go up 1/1/07. They are really high in a couple areas.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

No time to post details now but the required levels for the various RCI awards go up 1/1/07. They are really high in a couple areas.

TEASE!

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

Can a new resort under construction be granted GC status base upon amenities to be built on the resort?

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

I posted the new levels on these boards some weeks ago. At the same time, they are adjusting the meaning of the numbers on the scale, and both of these adjustments are supposed to be a wash. Under the present scale, 4 is defined as ''very satisfied'', while on the new scale 5 is defined as ''very satisfied''. Their beta testing has shown that this new scale will increase the average numbers, and they have adjusted the requirements for award status to reflect these new levels. As I recall, they also change in September 2006 rather than January, and will first impact the award status list that will be announced in the Fall of 2007.

No time to post details now but the required levels for the various RCI awards go up 1/1/07. They are really high in a couple areas.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Heres a summary

The form sent to guest is changing and may result in overall higher scores thus the claim being a "wash". But he new levels required to meet the three standards is going up on 1/1/08 using the results from 9/1/06 - 8/31/07.

The comaprison is:

Check In/Out 2006 GC 4.0 SC 3.9 2008 GC 4.6 SC 4.5
Hospitality 2006 GC 4.2 SC 3.9 2008 GC 4.5 SC 4.4
Resort Maint 2006 GC 4.0 SC 3.7 2008 GC 4.5 SC 4.3
Unit Maint 2006 GC 4.2 SC 3.9 2008 GC 4.4 SC 4.2
Housekeeping 2006 GC 4.0 SC 3.7 2008 GC 4.5 SC 4.3

To get these new levels the new wording on the guest questionaire changes
from Extremely Satisfied (value 5) Very Satisfied (4) Satisfied (3) Somewhat Satisfied (2) Not At all Satisfied (1)

The new scale: Very Satisfied (5) or (4) or (3) or (2) Very Dissatisfied (1)
Yes there are no labels next to 4 - 3 -2 values.

I think it unlikely that this new scale will result in the massive increases needed to get 4.4 or better on the 2008 GC rankings vs the 4.0 or better needed now. It only takes a 3 or less once or twice and a few 4's (which many may choose just because "nothing is perfect") and the ranking is lost.

I could see changing the questionaire but I'm not at all sure the massive result level increase was required. I think they are trrying to squeeze out older resorts and newer ones get the ranking by "expected" results and planned features vs the real world of guest markings. By the time the guests results count the buildier is gone and the resort now becomes unranked making the new one they started building up the street "better" because it has a ranking. This seems to be a sales driven change not one reflecting the needs of guest/owners.