Wyndham appears to have lost control of one tower at OceanWalk.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

See my review for more details..
http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...cean-walk.html

According to a bartender, Wyndham has lost ownership and management of the North Tower at the OceanWalk Resort in Daytona.

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

See my review for more details..
http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...cean-walk.html

According to a bartender, Wyndham has lost ownership and management of the North Tower at the OceanWalk Resort in Daytona.

In many cases Wyndham deserves to lose management of resorts as they tend to way underestimate reserves (leading to special assessments - WAY too common with Wyndham). But in this case it sounds like the "cure" is worse than the problem.

This is a worry I have about a number of mega-resorts that are way over developed with costly to maintain amenities that owners over time will grow tired of paying to support (OLCC comes to mind). Once the developer stops paying for these monsters the owners will find out just how costly they really are and may, like you mention, simply abandon them. What a mess THAT leaves.

Stick with owner controlled resorts with reasonable amenities that fit the size and scope of the resort and you'll do much better. As for this resort I fear it will always be a challenge to keep up as both the area and the resort itself is on shaky support (not physically but financially) and mixed whole-ownership (which usually couldn't care less about fancy water-features or other resort level amenities) / timeshares have a history of butting heads and ending up with a contentious situation that neither side ever wins.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

I just read over this.. I actually reported the wrong tower was lost.. It is the original South tower (the one on the side next to the Shoppes at OceanWalk). The lobby, the eaterie, and the bar are still being used- as well as a converted villa on the 4th floor that is being used for sales presentations (The large sales floor that used to be there has been dismantled and just sits empty now). They still have the office that opens into the mall, but no longer seem to be bringing anyone in that way.

Sorry for the confusion..

I managed to talk to a few employees there, and nobody seems to know what is really happening or what the end result will be.. There is obviously quite a bit of employee angst and frustration- and one of the long term employees admitted to me that he wonders how long they'll keep staff on hand such as the bellman and some of the maintenance staff. Since it appears that Wyndham will no longer be able to use this resort as a heavy sales center- he wonders if they will start to cut back on non-essentials.

On the day I left both pools were being used again, but the slide and lazy river were not operational (the lazy river is green and nasty). One security guard was asking another is he was supposed to chase away anyone without the Wyndham bracelet from the North side pool. The other guard's response was, "Guess it depends on how they feel that morning.". Needless to say, none of the employees seem very happy..

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Orange Lake scares me too....

... This is a worry I have about a number of mega-resorts that are way over developed with costly to maintain amenities that owners over time will grow tired of paying to support (OLCC comes to mind). Once the developer stops paying for these monsters the owners will find out just how costly they really are and may, like you mention, simply abandon them. What a mess THAT leaves.

Stick with owner controlled resorts with reasonable amenities that fit the size and scope of the resort and you'll do much better.

This is REALLY good advice! Orange Lake specifically is one that worries me.. The only positive there is that they still have so much land for expansion, the developer will be able to build and sell for a long time.. However- with them being focused on internal sales now- you have to wonder..

As time goes by and sales diminish- the developer will always walk away- leaving the associations with the bills.

Just imagine what something like an onsite waterpark costs to operate and insure. Plus, with an amenity like that- the major maintenance and repairs will be deferred. Likely, the developer will leave before that bill comes due!

I just don't think that many timeshare owners ever really think about future budgets. I guess they just don't realize that in time, they will be the one's paying all the bills! Many still think of timeshares just like a prepaid hotel room.

[bkrueger3 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bkrueger3]

I am going to Ocean Walk March 19th - 26th and will give an update on what I learn. The Lazy River is temporarily shut down due to "Mechanical issues". The HOA/Fractional Owners in the South Tower do not believe they should pay the same rate as the timeshare UDI owners. It is currently in court and Wyndham has been subsidizing it and carrying it until the court decides. Could be a long battle in the South Tower. I will be staying in the North Tower so will see if the employee service is similar to what it had been in prior years.

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

This is not good news...we're booked for the week of July 3. Hopefully some of these issues will be worked out by then.

[bkrueger3 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bkrueger3]

Update on Wyndham Oceanwalk Daytona Beach

Just got back from Wyndham Oceanwalk and had a great time. Both pools, the baby pool, and the water slide were functioning. I asked about the Lazy River, and was told the part was in but they were coordinating with getting a crane and a permit from the city for permission to use the ocean walkway for access. The pump is underground and needs to be lifted up by the crane to make the repairs.
They had remodeled numerous rooms and had multiple people doing painting to the exterior of the building. I was told they had sold out the timeshare portion of Oceanwalk and the sales department was selling into other resorts.
I wouldn't be concerned about traveling or staying there in fact I plan on going back again next year. Without minimizing the legal battles between the timeshare owners and the whole unit owners, I believe the demise of this property and/or the removal of Wyndham from this property has been highly exaggerated.

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

I was told they had sold out the timeshare portion of Oceanwalk and the sales department was selling into other resorts.

Nice spin on the fact that sales had tanked (and they are NOT sold out) so it was among many Wyndham sales sites shuttered. They could not justify the overhead of the sales center for the small amount of sales being generated. Not due to lack of inventory but lack of willing (read uninformed or they'd be buying resale where the value is!) buyers.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

It's good to hear that everything seems to have resolved and the pools are both operating again.. This has always been one of my favorite getaway destinations. Now that it's not as infested with sales weasels, I'll probably like it even more!