The Club - Should we do it? And how much will it cost?

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

We currently own an annual float float , and an every other year float float at The Point at Poipu.

This equates to about 15000 points a year. I know that 12K points gets you a "waterfront". We are looking to spend maybe 10 days a year on Kauai

Should we go into the club? I know we want to stay in the Hawaii Collection to keep the 13 month window.

I know that DRI will make us buy some additional points to get into the club, but how many? and what will it cost?

Also, I have been told that we "keep the deed". Any truth to that?

Any help is appreciated.

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

Did you buy your ownership from the developer? If so, they may still offer the joiner fee route without buying additional points. A couple of years ago we brought our Polo Towers weeks into THE Club but elected not to convert to one of the DRI trusts. At that time the fee was $2,995.

The 13 month window is only for owners in one of the Trusts as far as I understand. Perhaps owners at The Point have a different set up that our ownership provides. As members in THE Club we can only reserve 12 months in advance. If we had joined one of DRI's trusts, we would have been allowed to reserve any resort in that trust 13 months in advance.

Whether or not it's worth it to you would be a personal decision. In our case, we were exchanging our Polo Towers weeks rather than using them. It has been well worth the $2,995 to join THE Club. By the end of next year we will have utilize our ownership to make the same exchanges we would have made, used excess points to lower MF's and saved enough on exchange fee's to offset the initial cost of joining. But, that's based on how we are using our ownership which is unique to us. You'll need to take a look at what you want to accomplish, how you can accomplish that with either THE Club or remaining as you are in order to determine if it works for you.

I have found THE Club to be extremely flexible. It has allowed us options we didn't have before. It's allowed us to tailor our Polo Towers ownership so that we can maximize our value and enjoyment. Because we own 5 other timeshares and because it's been a change in how we plan and use our timeshare I haven't yet maximized the value. Because timeshare takes advanced planning and because we own maybe one or two to many weeks, it's taking me awhile to switch gears so that I'm getting the most value from our DRI ownership. In another year I should be getting the best value for us with where we stand now but, it still won't be getting the full benefit I could squeeze out of our ownership.

Before making the decision, I took a look at the number of points we would have if we joined THE Club. I looked out how we had used our timeshares since we bought them. I then looked at how we would have accomplished the same results had we been a member of THE Club. What I found was that I was leaving money on the table by not being a member. I could have achieved all the exchanges and vacations we had taken with THE Club AND had points left over for other uses such as extra vacations, extra weekend trips, flight certificates, MF payments, rental cars, cruise discounts or FF miles. If we had used the excess points just for AA flight certificates alone it amounted to three RT flights. To me, that was a lot of money left on the table.

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

You have three options:

1. Keep your existing deeded ownership independent of the club
2. Join the Club by assigning usage rights for your deeds to club.
3. Surrender your deeds to the Trust in exchange for an undivided interest in the Trust

Options 2 and 3 will both involve paying something to join the club, whether a joiner fee or buying more points.

Only option 3 will allow you to reserve at the 13-month window. But for inventory control purposes, space at the resort is divided between trust usage and deeded owner usage. If you are not part of the trust, you will still be able to reserve from the non-Trust inventory at the 12-month window. So, at least in theory, Trust owners cannot scarf up all of the resort inventory at the 13-month window; they can only reserve that portion that has been assigned to the Trust.

If you do option 2 or 3, you need to press for a "grandfathering" letter that will allow you to reserve any available unit at Poipu, regardless of view category for the 10,000 points assigned to float-float. That recognizes that as a deeded owner you have that right, that right was promised when the units were sold, and you want to preserve that right. (We have that provision in our affiliation agreement.)

An advantage of Option 2 is that you will still have your deeds. That means if you ever need to sell (or otherwise dispose of your interest to someone other than a family member), you will be transferring a deeded ownership in the resort, not a more nebulous interest in some Trust. Personally I believe the deed will be more attractive and marketable.

Note that if you join the Trust, there is a trust maintenance fee that will get added on top of your regular Trust fees. (Regular trust fees are determined by adding up all of the resort maintenance fees charged to the trust for the units that are held by the trust, multiplied by your fractional ownership of the trust.)

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

Only option 3 will allow you to reserve at the 13-month window. But for inventory control purposes, space at the resort is divided between trust usage and deeded owner usage. If you are not part of the trust, you will still be able to reserve from the non-Trust inventory at the 12-month window. So, at least in theory, Trust owners cannot scarf up all of the resort inventory at the 13-month window; they can only reserve that portion that has been assigned to the Trust.

who knows what they do behind closed doors, but that's the way they say it works. The saleswomen insinuate that those with 13month priority can take whatever they want.

Note that if you join the Trust, there is a trust maintenance fee that will get added on top of your regular Trust fees. (Regular trust fees are determined by adding up all of the resort maintenance fees charged to the trust for the units that are held by the trust, multiplied by your fractional ownership of the trust.)

not a 'maintenance fee', it's an operational/overhead fee to run the Trust, something they gloss over by not calling it a maintenance fee when they are selling it to you.

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

who knows what they do behind closed doors, but that's the way they say it works. The saleswomen insinuate that those with 13month priority can take whatever they want.

The operative words in this statement are......"the saleswoman said". It's been a couple of years ago that we took an owners update tour. At that time even though we were relatively new to DRI's points based system I still found that I knew more than the salesman or his managers about how the system really worked.

not a 'maintenance fee', it's an operational/overhead fee to run the Trust, something they gloss over by not calling it a maintenance fee when they are selling it to you.

While I consider a fee a fee, the trust management fee is a flat fee that doesn't change with the number of points you own. MF's go up or down based on whether you own more or fewer points. The trust fee is a fixed expense whereas MF's are fluid depending on whether you buy or sell points.

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

The operative words in this statement are......"the saleswoman said". It's been a couple of years ago that we took an owners update tour. At that time even though we were relatively new to DRI's points based system I still found that I knew more than the salesman or his managers about how the system really worked.

nowhere did I say "the saleswoman said"
insinuate - to suggest by indirect allusion, hints, innuendo, etc.

While I consider a fee a fee, the trust management fee is a flat fee that doesn't change with the number of points you own. MF's go up or down based on whether you own more or fewer points. The trust fee is a fixed expense whereas MF's are fluid depending on whether you buy or sell points.

that doesn't change the point made about the saleswoman glossing over the Trust fee (yes, the same whether you own 1000 or 100,000 points in that Trust) and selling you on the fact that you are 'protected' from jumps and assessments at an individual resort in any certain year.

MFs are not 'fluid' they are fixed per point every year.

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

not a 'maintenance fee', it's an operational/overhead fee to run the Trust, something they gloss over by not calling it a maintenance fee when they are selling it to you.

It's still part of the "maintenance fee" that you pay for the Trust. To try to say that it is not a "maintenance" fee is like insisting that a Ford Explorer is not a "car" because it happens to be built on a truck chassis.

But it certainly correct that the trust fee is a flat fee per account. And the fee is ostensibly charged for the activities involved in maintaining the trust.

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

OK, the important part of you statement is saleswoman. Insinuated, stated, said, whatever. If your source is the sales staff you don't have a very good source.

[brisket lover Member Find all posts View Profile Close brisket lover]

I've taken this last year to read about The Club and understand it and I wanted to see if I have it right. I have a 2br float at Polo Towers Villas.

The Club price is somewhere around $3k to join. I may or may not have to buy more points depending on what kind of offer I get.

I give up my weeks and now use points to obtain vacation time at a DRI resort that is in the Club, or can use II. II membership is free as part of The Club.

The Club has a separate fee from my maintenance fees.

I should be able to see better trades in II with my Club membership than I do with my current II membership.

__________________________________________________
Questions that I have. I know I've seen the answers somewhere but I think at this point it is easier to just ask.

When I join I can either give up my deed or keep it, correct?

What are the current maintenance fees of points in The Club?

What is the annual cost of The Club currently?

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

I've taken this last year to read about The Club and understand it and I wanted to see if I have it right. I have a 2br float at Polo Towers Villas.

The Club price is somewhere around $3k to join. I may or may not have to buy more points depending on what kind of offer I get.

I give up my weeks and now use points to obtain vacation time at a DRI resort that is in the Club, or can use II. II membership is free as part of The Club.

The Club has a separate fee from my maintenance fees.

I should be able to see better trades in II with my Club membership than I do with my current II membership.

__________________________________________________
Questions that I have. I know I've seen the answers somewhere but I think at this point it is easier to just ask.

When I join I can either give up my deed or keep it, correct?

What are the current maintenance fees of points in The Club?

What is the annual cost of The Club currently?

When I join I can either give up my deed or keep it, correct?
those are options, whether they will offer them to you or not is negotiable

What are the current maintenance fees of points in The Club?
10.4cents per point, plus fixed club fee - no matter how many points, plus fixed trust fees if in one or more trusts

What is the annual cost of The Club currently?
somewhere around $255 but if you give up your deed to join a trust there is also a trust fee of about $200, figures are approximate

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

If you go to the same resort every year and have no plans on going elsewhere, it may not make much sense to join the club.

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

I've taken this last year to read about The Club and understand it and I wanted to see if I have it right. I have a 2br float at Polo Towers Villas.

The Club price is somewhere around $3k to join. I may or may not have to buy more points depending on what kind of offer I get.

I give up my weeks and now use points to obtain vacation time at a DRI resort that is in the Club, or can use II. II membership is free as part of The Club.

The Club has a separate fee from my maintenance fees.

I should be able to see better trades in II with my Club membership than I do with my current II membership.

__________________________________________________
Questions that I have. I know I've seen the answers somewhere but I think at this point it is easier to just ask.

When I join I can either give up my deed or keep it, correct?

What are the current maintenance fees of points in The Club?

What is the annual cost of The Club currently?

We joined a littel over 2 years ago. The fee to join was a flat fee of $2,995. This was to join THE Club and keep our deeded weeks. About a year later they offered to convert us into one of the DRI trusts at a "special" rate because it wasn't offered to us initially. That would have required us to buy more points. IMHO, you'll be at the mercy of the salesman as to what is or is not offered. I don't believe the sales staff makes a lot of money on straight conversions without the purchase of points. You may have waited to long for the straight conversion into THE Club for $2,995 without buying into one of DRI's trusts. DRI does not sell deeded weeks anymore that I'm aware of. If they require you to buy points you'll be buying into one of the trust memberships and you'll get to pay THE Club membership PLUS the trust management fee's.

Both of our Polo Towers weeks show in our personal Interval Account even though we've joined THE Club. I see no real difference in trade power between THE Club's corporate account or the deeded weeks showing in our personal account. However, because points are flexible, we can stretch more usage out of DRI's corporate account using points as the medium of trade rather than trading in Interval's weeks based system. I much prefer DRI's points based program for exchanging, even if there's not really any more exchange power.

[brisket lover Member Find all posts View Profile Close brisket lover]

What does DRI sell as a benefit to giving up my deed and being in a trust? From what I have read I can't see one. I see the benefit to DRI but not to me.

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

What does DRI sell as a benefit to giving up my deed and being in a trust? From what I have read I can't see one. I see the benefit to DRI but not to me.

I didn't see any benefit that was worth converting into one of the trusts. That's why we joined THE Club, kept our deeds and left it at that. We sat though an owners update a little over a year ago (maybe two years, I lose track of time) and they still couldn't convince me that joining one of the trusts was in my best interest.

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

You may have waited to long for the straight conversion into THE Club for $2,995 without buying into one of DRI's trusts. DRI does not sell deeded weeks anymore that I'm aware of. If they require you to buy points you'll be buying into one of the trust memberships and you'll get to pay THE Club membership PLUS the trust management fee's.

Both of our Polo Towers weeks show in our personal Interval Account even though we've joined THE Club. I see no real difference in trade power between THE Club's corporate account or the deeded weeks showing in our personal account. However, because points are flexible, we can stretch more usage out of DRI's corporate account using points as the medium of trade rather than trading in Interval's weeks based system. I much prefer DRI's points based program for exchanging, even if there's not really any more exchange power.

As recently as last month DRI sales stated that the ability to hold on to your deed and join THE Club is still offered. If the price is still $2995 I don't know but haven't heard of any change in that. They do not sell deeded weeks anymore but you can easily get one resale.

We found the value of trades within II to be much better using the DRI priority than it had ever been as a mere paying II member. So much so that we dropped our paid II membership and only use the corporate one that DRI attaches to THE Club. That means we cannot put our non-DRI weeks into II but we really don't want to do that anyway as the value is far better on those with RCI or other non-II groups.

We also found no benefit to us to be a Trust member rather than holding our deeds and joining THE Club for additional trade options. We also like holding on to the voting rights deeded ownership gives us at the resort vs the far more limited value of a single member vote in the Trust. Overall our calculations also show that annual fees would be higher (by a considerable amount) if we were in the Trust vs the cost of our resort fees + annual Club fees.

The overhead of the Trust and the "blending" of fees from all the member resorts results in a higher fee than simply owning at our resort, holding the voting rights and then paying for the Club fees. We wish that the silly "Gold" II membership - which added $69 to the annual Club fees - would be dropped and return us to a regular II membership as the "Gold" stuff is basically worthless as most of those programs tend to be. It should be an option if you want it not forced on Club members if they want it or not. That type of one sided decision we cannot control is another reason we prefer to hold a vote in our own deeded ownership rather than one in a Trust. Unfortunately the Trust is so large that your vote will have virtually no chance of making any difference. While you still have to have a majority on your side at the deeded resort level your chances of success are far greater as the pool of votes is much smaller.

Overall we are happy with our decision in 1999 to join what was then the Sunterra points system while holding on to our deeded week. Looking at things today we would still consider joining Club but we would never give up our deed to do so.