Any Info Available Re Shawnee -> Fairfield?

[Republiman Member Find all posts View Profile Close Republiman]

Anyone know what will be offered to Shawnee owners regarding conversion to FFld Points? Thinking of buying a Shawnee week or two if I can convert them cheap into points. I would like non-resale points if I am going to bump up to Platinum. Currently have 616,000 points.


Thanks for any info out there.

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

I am not a Shawnee owner, just FF owner, so what I say could be wrong. As my understanding, they (FF) did not offer to convert all the units there. Just a few selected ones. Also, they require to have a retail purchase packaged with the conversion. If you want to pick a unit or two for that purpose, make sure you get a contract number, and check with the resort, ask them if that contract can be converted or not, and what will be the conversion requirements.

Jya-Ning

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

That is an intersting question and if I get the time I may give them a call to see. I own at Shawnee and we will be up there in a few weeks so if I can't check before then I will see if I can get an answer when we are there...

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

I am an owmer at RVII. Got a newletter from the board with updates recently.

FF wants the individual hoa board sign an "affiliation agreement" that will allow FF to market ther program to the owners. The detail of this agreement and the cost involved was not disclosed to the owners. One of the hoa has retained the service of an attorney to review the "complex" agreement and is sharing the information with other hoa boards.

The concerns with the hoa are: increase MF to maintain FF standard and negative impacts to owners who do not wish to join FF.

[Republiman Member Find all posts View Profile Close Republiman]

Admittedly, what I am most interested in is the opportunity to use my points for another resorts in driving distance (I live in Southwestern CT).

But I will tell you that having Fairfield operate "my" resort in Newport (the Onshore) has been a benefit.

None of the services have changed, and we did have some serious additional expenses for upgrades to the facility, but it was long overdue.

In total, we paid surcharges of about 2.5 years worth of maintenance fees to replace carpets, drapes, furniture, etc. Thie was assessed as double maintenance fees in 2004; double fees in 2005, and the rest in 2006.

The results, however, have been worth it. I had been told for years that Newport zoning and fire restrictions limited the ability for our units to have "full kitchens". We always had the space, but never had the actual stove/burner. Somehow Fairfield got this done, and it has meant extra money in my pocket every time I rent the unit.

Our resort was International Distinction for a few years and then we lost the designation. Now we are Silver Crown again.

What Fairfield has done for me is let me take 2 blue 3 bedroom weeks and convert them into points (yes, there was $$ involved). But now instead using those two weeks for long weekends (which is what we used to do), they translate into 250,000 points. This is the equivalent of 4 long weekends (Friday, Sat , Sun nights), and with VIP Gold discounts we turn it into 5 or 6.

In addition, while we love our resort in the summer because of the balconies, that look out over the Newport Harbor, in the winter we prefer the Long Wharf Resort down the street because it has easier access to the indoor pool.

In addition, I "regret" that when I converted my weeks I did not convert all of my summer weeks into points. Because I consistently rent some of them, I figured it wasn't worth it.

Now, of course, I realize that it is a benefit to be able to send a renter a guest confirmation (free for Gold and Platinum VIP), and if I don't rent it (which hasn't happened, but is always a possiblity) I could always cancel and at least get some Limited Account points which I can throw into an RCI week.

I think the most significant thing I discovered was that because I converted one fixed summer week, I have protected ARP on that week for the entire 13 to 10 month period. What this means (yes, I am sure of this), is that no matter what, if I call up before 10 months out, I am assured of getting my week. I know this because I called up 12 months out and the counselor said my unit had been taken, but a call to owner relations and some additional research on their part said that even if someone did book that unit during the ARP period, they would be forced to remove that person if I called up before 10 months and booked it.

So if and when Shawnee does convert to points, I hope their HOA strikes a good deal for them and lets fixed week owners get these same benefits. The white weeks which I purchased at resale grew in value (value to me, at least) significantly once I converted them, and the red weeks maintained their value with some nice added benefits.

I don't know what the negative impacts would be for fixed week owners who do not convert. As I said, I have 2 fixed weeks in August which I did not convert and there has been no difference to me in my ability to use them/rent them.

[Republiman Member Find all posts View Profile Close Republiman]

I am an owmer at RVII. Got a newletter from the board with updates recently.

FF wants the individual hoa board sign an "affiliation agreement" that will allow FF to market ther program to the owners. The detail of this agreement and the cost involved was not disclosed to the owners. One of the hoa has retained the service of an attorney to review the "complex" agreement and is sharing the information with other hoa boards.

The concerns with the hoa are: increase MF to maintain FF standard and negative impacts to owners who do not wish to join FF.

I happened to speak with a Ffld sales person tonight. He said that "many of the sections are going to require special assessments to bring the properties up to standards."

Take this for what you think it is worth. It doesn't come from a source at Shawnee, but from a salesman at another Fairfield Resort.