New DRI THE Club Resorts/Affilliates

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

360,000 members, 14 resorts, 1000 unit weeks. DRI members will be very lucky to get into one of these new resorts if that's how it's going to break down. If that's really the way it is, then there's a lot of hype with only a little substance. Maybe techinquely what was promised by expansion but hardly worth the effort.

Keep in mind that there's still a reasonable amount of assumption at this point but, it doesn't look all that exciting to me.

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

360,000 members, 14 resorts, 1000 unit weeks. DRI members will be very lucky to get into one of these new resorts if that's how it's going to break down. If that's really the way it is, then there's a lot of hype with only a little substance. Maybe techinquely what was promised by expansion but hardly worth the effort.

Keep in mind that there's still a reasonable amount of assumption at this point but, it doesn't look all that exciting to me.

Again, there are not 360,000 members. There are 360,000 DRI owners. THE Club USA has ~102,000 members and Europe has ~48,000 members for a total of ~150,000 members, a subset of the 360K figure.

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

I suspect DRI owners will have access to only 1 or 2 units per week at each of the 14 affiliated resorts and that would give 700 to 1400 total weeks to DRI members. It will pay to be the first come on the first serve.

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

Esp

I suspect DRI owners will have access to only 1 or 2 units per week at each of the 14 affiliated resorts and that would give 700 to 1400 total weeks to DRI members. It will pay to be the first come on the first serve.

Given that we've seen a snippet saying 1000 weeks, I'd say your estimate of 700 to 1400 is right on. How in the heck did you come up with that figure in post #18, I bet you read post #13 didn't you .

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

Here's the start of an interesting news story but I can't seem to pull up the rest of it.

1000 unit/weeks doesn't seem like a lot to me. Hopefully this story will pop up somewhere else or we'll hear more about it.

OK here it is from GlobeSt.com:

HOUSTON-Raintree Resorts International has jump-started the year with a quid pro quo arrangement for 1,000 weeks with Las Vegas-based Diamond Resorts International as part of an expansion plan for timeshare members. In addition, the local firm has a 99-room hotel under contract in Puerto Vallarta, a 120-condo plan in motion in Scottsdale, AZ and additional condos moving into the portfolio in Telluride, CO.

The $60-million pipeline of acquisitions and development will generate $300 million in revenue for the company, Douglas Bech, Raintree's CEO, tells GlobeSt.com. As the 12-year-old club hoists its 2008 sails, Bech says a Boston-based investment banking firm is in the midst of negotiations with equity investors to finance Raintree's plan to acquire and develop additional resort properties.

The Diamond Resorts' agreement is "a test to see if this is a good way to facilitate exchanges other than through the big exchange companies," Bech explains. "It's all about member satisfaction at properties. We think they'll be happy with this. We think this is a good way to do it."

Raintree has 15 destinations in the Western US and Mexico. Diamond has 110 branded and affiliated resorts in Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. The 1,000-week exchange provides five more locations for Raintree members, setting up inroads in the Southeast and Lake Tahoe plus adding a second resort in Hawaii. Bech says Diamond is getting access to Raintree's seven resorts in Mexico and resorts in Palm Springs, CA, Park City, UT, Telluride, Whistler Bridge in British Columbia, Birch Bay, WA and its second Hawaiian resort.

"It's a reasonable kind of test arrangement," Bech points out. "Both run a club so this made it easy." Raintree's club has 50,000 members and Diamond has 360,000 members.

Raintree is poised to close on its 16th location for the vacation club. It has 30 finished condos under contract in Scottsdale and an option, which Bech says will be exercised, for another 90 condos at the same North Scottsdale resort.

Bech says a closing is at hand for the $6.5-million purchase of the 99-room Hotel Nautilus at Paseo de la Marina Sur 210, which will undergo a $3.8-million renovation and re-branding to Villa Vera, a Mexico resort chain that Raintree bought a few years ago. The company is projecting the retooled boutique hotel will generate $80 million of gross timeshare sales.

The Hotel Nautilus, completed in 1995, was branded as a Howard Johnson hotel three years ago. Located directly across the street from Raintree's Club Regina, the hotel has five four-story towers and is a five-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Its neighbors in the prestigious Marina district include four- and five-star hotels of Marriott, Westin, Mayan Palace and Melia.

Bech says Raintree's other 2008 plans include adding to its weekly inventory at the River Club in Telluride, where it also has a fractional ownership property, the Franz Klammer Lodge. On the development front, Raintree is planning to add 28 units to its 130-villa Club Regina in Los Cabos, Mexico.

It didn't officially publish until this morning. The publishing system has a glitch, that allows you to see headlines posted, but not the story until it's published.

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

Again, there are not 360,000 members. There are 360,000 DRI owners. THE Club USA has ~102,000 members and Europe has ~48,000 members for a total of ~150,000 members, a subset of the 360K figure.

I know. I was just using their numbers since they seem to be big on saying 360K members.

It still doesn't look so hot if you say 150,000 members, 14 new resorts and 1000 unit weeks to share between those 150,000 members. In the end if those numbers are accurate it's still not much more than smoke and mirrors.

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

I know. I was just using their numbers since they seem to be big on saying 360K members.

It still doesn't look so hot if you say 150,000 members, 14 new resorts and 1000 unit weeks to share between those 150,000 members. In the end if those numbers are accurate it's still not much more than smoke and mirrors.

If you know, then I don't understand why you would use their smoke and mirrors number where they insinuate that THE Club has more members than it does. 1000 unit weeks is a drop in the bucket but may well be more than the affiliation with Vacation Internationale!

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

Given that we've seen a snippet saying 1000 weeks, I'd say your estimate of 700 to 1400 is right on. How in the heck did you come up with that figure in post #18, I bet you read post #13 didn't you .

No, I missed the #13 info. When I read about the new affiliation agreement, it made me think of the Worldmark to Wyndham (Fairfield) affiliation agreement. They generally have only 1 or 2 units per week available to each other's members. So with the DRI / Raintree affiliation, 14 resorts x 50 weeks, 700 or 1400 units. If there are only going to be 1000 weeks, then that's less than 1.5 units per week.

In the WM/Wyn affiliation, the units become available at 6 to 10 months, nothing consistant. Hopely, DRI and Raintree will have a more definite schedule of when affiliated units are put into the system so their owners will know when to start looking to book them.

The early bird will really need to watch for that worm to stick his head up.

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

The relationship between VI and DRI is both interesting and murky as hell.

During the time when Sunterra was managing VRI, Sunterra was operating its sales program. Thus I presume there are VI members who fell for the pitch and surrendered their VI membership to the Trust. Thus the Trust probably owns some number of VI points. It would be interesting to know how the Trust manages and handles those VI Points.

Then there are likely some VI members who affiliated their VI memberships with the Club and for whom VI is then their "Home Resort". How does that work? What is "Home Resort Advantage" when the home resort lies outside Sunterra Management and the underlying ownership is a floating week? At what point does that VI member's reservation right become available to other Club members because the Home Resort Advantage has ended?

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

Cimarron Golf Resort takes on a Diamond

Cimarron Golf Resort takes on a Diamond
Property now affiliated with Raintree and Diamond resorts

Debra Gruszecki • January 4, 2008

Diamond Resorts International, a Las Vegas based vacation ownership company, has added Cimarrón Golf Resort of Palm Springs to its North American portfolio through an exchange it signed with Raintree Resorts.
Advertisement

The Palm Springs golf property is one of 14 new resorts that Diamond announced as part of a portfolio expansion offering more destination choices to its more than 360,000 owners worldwide.

Simon Crawford-Welch, president and chief operating officer of Diamond Resorts, said the no-cash deal involves a 1,000-week exchange with Raintree Resorts.

“We loaded weeks of Raintree into our timeshare inventory system, while they loaded weeks of Diamond Resorts into their time share system as part of the exchange,’’ Crawford-Welch said.

Crawford-Welch said the “seamless” affiliation makes good, strategic sense because Diamond’s resort offerings are primarily in Europe and North America. “We did not have a lot of offerings in Mexico,’’ he said.

The Raintree affiliation will enable Diamond to offer more destination choices to its members in Mexico and southern California. Conversely, Raintree vacation club members will have a chance to stay at a Diamond resort.

“Our owner surveys have consistently highlighted requests for more choice in two geographic areas, Mexico and North American ski and mountain resorts,’’ Crawford-Welch said. “These affiliations further solidify our position as a pure-play, 100 percent timeshare focused leader in the vacation ownership industry.”

Other properties included in the expansion are in Colorado, Hawaii, Utah, Washington and Canada.

MyDesert.com

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

If you know, then I don't understand why you would use their smoke and mirrors number where they insinuate that THE Club has more members than it does. 1000 unit weeks is a drop in the bucket but may well be more than the affiliation with Vacation Internationale!

I figure if they like to toss that 360,000 number out there then I'll let them use that number and make that 1,000 unit weeks look even worse than it really is.

IMO, a large number shouldn't be used by DRI to make themselves look better and then not use that number to make something they say look worse than it really is, even though using the true number makes it look bad enough.

Sort of like using a politicians own words against them.

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

no-cash deal

PALM SPRINGS -- The Cimarrón Golf Resort golf courses are unaffected by Diamond Resorts International's addition of Cimarrón Golf Resort timeshare properties to its North American portfolio.

Joe Dahlstrom, chief operating officer of Paradign Golf Group, made that distinction Monday, noting golf confusion over the news.

Diamond announced last week that it exchanged timeshare weeks with Raintree Resorts in a no-cash deal that put Cimarrón timeshare properties in its vacation ownership portfolio.

The 36-hole golf course, owned by Paradign Golf Group and CT Realty, is not affiliated with the timeshare exchange, Dahlstrom said. Its golf memberships, frequent player cards and packages will not change, Dahlstrom said.

Valley business briefs for Jan. 8 | MyDesert.com | The Desert Sun

[sb1070 Member Find all posts View Profile Close sb1070]

As I'm sure everyone is aware hyping resort availability is for the new SUCKERS at the sales centers.

Hilton does the same thing in SO FLA with a bunch of affiliated resorts that offer little to no availability, so Orlando and Vegas end up being the only places available through that system.

I guess it was a little naïve of me to think I would be getting more from Sunterra than I get from HGVC but it still !@#%& me off that, Powhatan, Cypress and Bent Creek are all I seem to find these days.

Scott

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

I know. I was just using their numbers since they seem to be big on saying 360K members.

It still doesn't look so hot if you say 150,000 members, 14 new resorts and 1000 unit weeks to share between those 150,000 members. In the end if those numbers are accurate it's still not much more than smoke and mirrors.

Creative math: 102,000 x 2 (husband & wife) = 204,000 members
plus the 48,000 x 2 (European members) (husband & spouse) = 96,000
plus the non Club members = 60,000
all total 360,000 members

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

Creative math: 102,000 x 2 (husband & wife) = 204,000 members
plus the 48,000 x 2 (European members) (husband & spouse) = 96,000
plus the non Club members = 60,000
all total 360,000 members

Creative math but I believe that 360,000 - 102,000 - 48,000 = 160,000 traditional owners that could be converted to THE Club.