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lawren2 · 07-09-2006, 09:11 PM

You are not the only one watching this one with interest from the sidelines...

The $40 dollar internal exchange fee is correct. We will have access to inventory in Europe, Hawaii, and some other really great locations that are already on board, more are in negotiations. The name Global Access and the toll free number launched the first week of June, while I was there, just not made public. Hectic training was going on, new software and lot's of meetings.

Poor Lawqs. Running up against Vickie and the rest of the rabid LOLs.

They even turn on their own it appears.

It will be interesting to see what this "Go Global" really is and what becomes of the OLCC/RCI relationship after they launch it.

mshatty · 07-09-2006, 09:23 PM

Hey JLB,

Have any of the Tuggers exchanging into OLCC replied to your post about what part of OLCC they were put in? Just wondering if they were all being put into the West Village?

Really, what is the fascination with OLCC that other GC resorts in Florida don't have?

lawgs · 07-09-2006, 11:16 PM

they are putting owner referrals and latitude exchangers into River Island.....you do not want to miss a sale now do you....te he

they were also placing exchangers into RIVER Island in May but it seemed to be the luck of the draw.....

supposedly with this roll out there will be four separate resorts under the orange lake banner.....wonder if they all will have different numbers under RCI....similar to the summer bay listings......where they break out the houses/villas/condos...

seems like they are using River Island as a carrot.....until it goes stale i guess
"regular" OL folk might be able to stay there if they "join" the new program and save up two years of points.....

did someone not say that one of the new head honchos ....brought in by the wilson family once worked for fairfield......probably why they are going to a points system....

we own at OLCC but are not fanatical about it......it has done us well over the years and more so since we have done our own exchanges using the internet .....to me it is too Large, although the last two times we have exchanged in we have stayed in the East Village and did not have to deal with the main areas since we used the back entrance ...we did enjoy the east village high rises....

JLB · 07-10-2006, 12:00 AM

To the first question, yes, folks are finding that thread and posting where they got placed at OL. The thread originally got hijacked and monopolized by LOLs, but as time passed and they moved on, folks have starting using the thread for the intended purpose. It's interesting that that occurred after one of the frequently-posting owners commented that the thread was obviously off-topic and was no longer useful, or something like that.

All it needed was for the distractions to quit. Those posting real information found it on their own without any encouragement from me.

Of course, my comments here will probably encourage those distractions to begin again.

We should encourage folks going to OL to post where they get placed. Just today I emailed the person asking about going there as an owner referral and asked her to post where they get placed. She replied that she would, and thanked me for the information I provide on that site.

As to the second question, the only fascination I can think of is that OL has always had a rabidly loyal owner or two, or at least someone posing as an owner, to monopolize and counter any discouraging comments about the place.

I have had numerous emails from those bothered by the way that topic plays out, many of whom question the identity, or the actual involvement at OL of the principal LOL.

I am not actively recruiting, but I know of several who have come Over Here because of the way OL is discussed elsewhere. Some have emailed me to say how much they enjoy it Over Here.

The management at OL has always had a feather in it's cap, has always commented how lucky RCI was to have them in the fold. I'm surprised it has taken them this long to venture out on their own, if that's what they're doing.

I guess I don't need to say how risky it is, how in harm's way it places their 100,000-plus owners. What if they really are breaking away from RCI. With all the bragging LOLs have done about their great trades through RCI, it seems obvious that they have more to lose than to gain.

But, everything now is just speculation, including my comments.

Originally posted by mshatty

Hey JLB,

Have any of the Tuggers exchanging into OLCC replied to your post about what part of OLCC they were put in? Just wondering if they were all being put into the West Village?

Really, what is the fascination with OLCC that other GC resorts in Florida don't have?

JLB · 07-10-2006, 12:04 AM

That's what we did when we stayed in the East Village, and the same thing when we stayed in the North Village last time.

But now the back entrance has the Sales Center and River Island on it.

Originally posted by lawgs

although the last two times we have exchanged in we have stayed in the East Village and did not have to deal with the main areas since we used the back entrance ...we did enjoy the east village high rises....

BocaBum99 · 07-10-2006, 10:03 AM

There is a ton of noise out there about this new OLCC point program. The only thing I got out of that thread is that OLCC will probably make the new program a benefit of purchasing from the developer ala many VIP programs. I think this is a mistake. It will just serve to de-value the current owners even more than they are.

The new management team comes from the industry (I thought it was HGVC, though) which should help out OLCC move from the fixed weeks concept of the 60's into the modern age of timesharing.

The River Island units are nice, but I like the Golf Villas and will gladly stay there every single trip. Since they plan to upgrade them, even better. I love my $200 weekly stays there. All current descriptions of this new Global points program point to the status quo for everything outside of River Island. That's fine by me. That means I will continue to get my $200 exchanges. Well, maybe it will be $225 since RCI is increasing its exchange fees.

As far as Cindi always insinuating that she has inside information, I think she probably does have a couple of friends there that provide her with info. My guess is that they are middle managers. It isn't hard to get. All you need to do is network around the resort and you will find people who know stuff. Even I know 2 people who are close friends with Spence Wilson. Last year I told one of them that I had a killer idea for making OLCC more money. I told him I could create an internal exchange, charge $79 and give half of it back to OLCC. My friend's response was, "how do you know that RCI isn't kicking back $$$ to OLCC already and what makes you think they aren't already working on an internal exchange capability." I guess he was right.

rapmarks · 07-10-2006, 10:54 AM

I would sure like to know which resort in Wisconsin in snow affiliated with Orange Lake.

klynn · 07-10-2006, 11:17 AM

I believe it is Marcus Vacation Club

Originally posted by rapmarks

I would sure like to know which resort in Wisconsin in snow affiliated with Orange Lake.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060629/20060629005758.html?.v=1

JLB · 07-10-2006, 11:18 AM

To give it it's just due, OL has a fabled story.

It is a fact that it is old, being one of the first mega-resorts that started in Orlando in the early 80's. Anyone who has been there has watched OL TV, so they know the story of Kemmons Wilson, a strong personality, who was developing OL at the same time another strong personality, David Seigel, was developing Westgate across 192. Add Vistana and you have the Orlando triumvirate from the early hey-days of timesharing.

Both Westgate and OL have tried to cling to their youth by maintaining control of their resort(s), always offering a new and better product to place the focus on. Both Westgate and OL are fairly decent at indoctrinating enough of their owners that they can pull off just about anything they want with the majority of them.

In OL's case they did that by stair-stepping new developments (Villages) at their one location, each better than the last, giving their existing owners an opportunity to upgrade to the better product. Westgate did it first by building WVV to the hilt, and then by acquiring new properties, giving them a chain of resorts that owners can go to.

Westgate, too, has offered existing owners the opportunity to take advantage of upgrades. Several years ago when I wanted to swap two consecutive Fall weeks for two consecutive summer weeks, Westgate responded by having a slick-talking saleslady call one Sunday evening at 9:00 PM. Her offer was to take our two weeks back and sell us one lockout at Westgate Lakes, for $20,000! She said we could bank it the same as the two weeks we already owned. She failed to mention that we would lose our ability to go through RCI.

(I did the swap I wanted, eventually, through CFI's mortgage administrator, for recording fees, $20. I have since jettisoned all of our CFI weeks.)

I mention Westgate because a similarity they have with OL is that existing owners have always been a prime market for new products. I have always referred to them a those developers' cash cows.

OL has always been the largest single-campus timeshare in the world, not a chain with other resorts to internally trade into. Perhaps that bragging point was finally seen to be a detriment, as regardless of how nice a resort is, one of the main sell points of timesharing is having other resorts to go to.

Originally posted by mshatty

Really, what is the fascination with OLCC that other GC resorts in Florida don't have?

JLB · 07-10-2006, 11:22 AM

Good one Pat. I believe Dr. Freud is watching.

Originally posted by rapmarks

I would sure like to know which resort in Wisconsin in snow affiliated with Orange Lake.

BocaBum99 · 07-10-2006, 11:27 AM

Originally posted by JLB

To give it it's just due, OL has a fabled story.

It is a fact that it is old, being one of the first mega-resorts that started in Orlando in the early 80's. Anyone who has been there has watched OL TV, so they know the story of Kemmons Wilson, a strong personality, who was developing OL at the same time another strong personality, David Seigel, was developing Westgate across 192. Add Vistana and you have the Orlando triumvirate from the early hey-days of timesharing.

Both Westgate and OL have tried to cling to their youth by maintaining control of their resort(s), always offering a new and better product to place the focus on. Both Westgate and OL are fairly decent at indoctrinating enough of their owners that they can pull off just about anything they want with the majority of them.

In OL's case they did that by stair-stepping new developments (Villages) at their one location, each better than the last, giving their existing owners an opportunity to upgrade to the better product. Westgate did it first by building WVV to the hilt, and then by acquiring new properties, giving them a chain of resorts that owners can go to.

Westgate, too, has offered existing owners the opportunity to take advantage of upgrades. Several years ago when I wanted to swap two consecutive Fall weeks for two consecutive summer weeks, Westgate responded by having a slick-talking saleslady call one Sunday evening at 9:00 PM. Her offer was to take our two weeks back and sell us one lockout at Westgate Lakes, for $20,000! She said we could bank it the same as the two weeks we already owned. She failed to mention that we would lose our ability to go through RCI.

(I did the swap I wanted, eventually, through CFI's mortgage administrator, for recording fees, $20. I have since jettisoned all of our CFI weeks.)

I mention Westgate because a similarity they have with OL is that existing owners have always been a prime market for new products. I have always referred to them a those developers' cash cows.

OL has always been the largest single-campus timeshare in the world, not a chain with other resorts to internally trade into. Perhaps that bragging point was finally seen to be a detriment, as regardless of how nice a resort is, one of the main sell points of timesharing is having other resorts to go to.

In other words, it's friggin' huge.

JLB · 07-10-2006, 01:01 PM

From the just-out OL enewsletter:

-----
Keeping our customers connected.

On Thursday, June 28th, Orange Lake launched a new member exchange program offering greater flexibility-GlobalAccess.

GlobalAccess offers our owners …
more fun!

more flexibility!
more out of their vacation!

Coming next month, you'll hear more about this new product what it can do for you.

http://www.orangelake.com/E_News/07_2006/Owners_04.html
- - - - - - -

As long as folks are citing clandestine sources wearing black capes and lurking in dark alleys, I might as well cite mine. He says they are starting a club and signing long-term with RCI!

Did I say cash cow up yonder?

JLB · 07-10-2006, 01:04 PM

(Bad link deleted)

T. R. Oglodyte · 07-10-2006, 01:39 PM

Originally posted by JLB

(Bad link deleted)

There are a lot of bad links from my youth that I would just as soon delete. So can you share how you did that?

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