Just got this from Orangle Lake re: Global Access

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

GlobalAccess™

GETS YOU THERE!

Whether it's the sun or the snow that beckons you, you really can have it all—the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want!

But that kind of freedom doesn’t come with your standard ownership. You can only get there with membership in GlobalAccess™.

With membership in GlobalAccess™, you can:

Exchange your week for another week and unit at Orange Lake without an RCI exchange fee
Upgrade to a larger unit
Exchange your week for another time
Stay for 7 nights or as little as 2 nights


One call gets you there!

Call 1.800.403.1498 ext. 1604

But hurry, because opportunities for our special introductory offer are limited, and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.


Don’t wait—call now and get Access!

Travel subject to availability and required GlobalAccess™ Points.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

GlobalAccess™

GETS YOU THERE!

Whether it's the sun or the snow that beckons you, you really can have it all—the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want!

But that kind of freedom doesn’t come with your standard ownership. You can only get there with membership in GlobalAccess™.

But hurry, because opportunities for our special introductory offer are limited, and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

hmmmm

Global Access gets you where?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I got mine, too, so wherever it is I guess I get to go along.

An owner who was recently there has shared some stuff with me, but I don't think I better pass it along until it becomes official.

Subj: Orange Lake Resort - Global Access Offer
Date: 9/29/06 1:07:25 PM Central Daylight Time
From: webmaster@orangelake.com

[cluemeister Member Find all posts View Profile Close cluemeister]

I don't understand

I don't understand why OL would charge you to pick a different week in the resort you own.

I have complaints about my Polo Towers unit in Vegas, but week availability is not one of them. I get a fixed week, or I can float that same week within the resort (exchange it at no charge) up to one year later at the 59 day window. I can even split my week into two parts, Fri-Sun and Mon-Thurs.

Why can't a fixed/float unit arrangement be instituted by the HOA/BOD at Orange Lake? Couldn't this be done in sold out sections without involving the developer and $$$?

[gjw007 Member Find all posts View Profile Close gjw007]

Why can't a fixed/float unit arrangement be instituted by the HOA/BOD at Orange Lake? Couldn't this be done in sold out sections without involving the developer and $$$?

My personal opinion is that this was developed by the developer and not the HOA in response to a number of complaints and comments; It also provides an sales opportunity. It had to come up in various sales presentations and I know it was used by points resorts as a sales tactic because I had been in a points resort's presentation that criticize the weeks program as not being as flexible as the points system. This is true but the points system also has more costs. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of how many people stay a whole week or just part of a week. I don't have a problem with a points system that sells points where based on your travel habits allow you to determine the number of points that you desire and you then purchase that amount of points. Disney's DVC and Hilton's Vaction Club fits this description. But other resorts that are essentially week resorts (Vacation Village at Parkway as an example) that sell a week but state an equivelent amount of RCI Points is a different creature. Unlike a weeks resort that allows you to exchange for any other week, you are limiting yourself to weeks that are of the same demand or less as the week that you purchased (number of points). I use Orlando week 50 as an example because it is a low demand week. In the week's arrangement, it can be exchanged for any other week as long as it was available. In the points system, it can only be exchange for other weeks that are low demand as there is not enough points to get the use of a mid demand or high demand week. The points system will allow you to also use it for fewer days at a higher demand period but then some additional cost such as housekeeping fees begin to appear. Since checkin can be any day, theoritically, there are additional workforce requires and as such, more expenses. It is more flexible than a weeks resorts but it is, in my opinion, still a weeks resort with points clothing. As far as OLCC, I also don't think the move reflected the wishes of most owners as I believe, without evidence mind you, that most owners were pleased with the weeks arrangement. I do understand that there are owners who would prefer a points system but given the number of owners, this would still be a large number. As such, my opinion was that this wasn't owner driven.

OLCC's move and charge is consistent with what I understand other resorts have done when they have switched from weeks arrangement to a points arrangement. In most cases, they charged too much for the change over. There is a cost that is involved in the acquistion of new computers, software, additional staff, etc for setting up an internal exchange program but a more reasonable fee would have been to keep the switch-over fee to less than $500 such as RCI does for Vistana Resort (personally given the number of owners, $100 per unit should have covered the cost and I think every owner would have bought into the program). When I did a tour of Vacation Village at Parkway, I remember the salesperson making a major point of the fact that the conversion for a week from a weeks resort to points resort was worth $3000. Of course he was full of baloney! OLCC's charge for entering into this program for people who brought resale is nuts! OLCC's GoGlobal was patterned after RCI Points and RCI Points charges an exchange fee.

The cost of the exchange is there someplace. Either it is included - hidden - in the maintenance fees or is done at the time of the exchange. Given a choice, I would rather know what the fee is rather than have it hidden but the expense will covered by the owner in either situation.