Manhattan Club New Mandatory Service Fees

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

I doubt that RCI will do anything

I can only hope RCI will remind them that the RCI afiliation requires that all benefits the owner recieves are to be delivered to exchange guests as well. If they charge the owners those fees then they can rightfully charge the exchange guests. if not they can't.

They let Smuggs get away with charging that weekly rec fee ( which just went from $250 to $275 for the week ).

Although that is sorta/kinda optional but if you don't pay the fee you are very limited in the amenities that you are allowed to use.

It can also be argued that the owners at Smuggs payed in addition to the unit for the recreation package.

This MC fee sounds mandatory which does make a difference I guess.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Will this be a "going forward" thing? What about exchanges that were made prior to this notification, but where the exchange hasn't yet been used?

Sharon

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I just got my confirmation materials from the Manhattan Club for my 3/10 check-in, and it didn't say anything about extra charges.


Avery, is it impossible to get on the internet at the MC business center? I will be there next week, and will need to be online for work. I was hoping to use the computers at the Manhattan Club. If I can't, I'd better start scouting out internet cafes that have computers available (if they even exist anymore -- I don't plan to bring a laptop.)

Judy,

You should be able to get on, you may just have to wait for a few minutes if all the computers are occupied, and there is no privacy. There was one woman up there when I was there, she was speaking loudly on her cellphone the whole time sitting in front of one of the computers, while her laptop was plugged in to the port at another space. If there wasn't a free computer I'd have asked her to move. But I sure couldn't concentrate on what I was reading, so I gave up. There is a sign asking for users to be considerate and limit their time to 30 minutes; I'm sure if you have to wait you will get someone to get off for you. The Center is open until 11 pm, so you should find some times less busy than others.

[jancpa Member Find all posts View Profile Close jancpa]

I think the charge should be optional. Not everyone uses the business center. How much time are you in the rooms anyway?

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

I sent an email to II asking for a list of resorts that charge mandatory fees to exchangers. I don't really expect they will give me a list, but I am curious how they will reply.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I just checked my online confirmation for April. It has been CHANGED to include the mandatory "hospitality fee" of $25 per night for a 1 bedroom, $15 per night for a studio. I'm glad I printed out my original confirm and have the one mailed to me by RCI.

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

Don't worry, there will be more fees

If you are an RCI Points owner, here's what you pay:

- 93,500 points for a week. This is very high for a 1 bedroom unit
- $99 for your annual membership
- $99 for the exchange fee
- $175 for the new MC fee

Next year, they will add in the New York City and State Sales taxes and Occupancy tax. That is 8.625% for the state. 5.0% for the city. $2/night for the room.

In a couple of years, exchange fees will be higher than maintenance fees. Oh, I forgot, it already is in many circumstances.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I think the charge should be optional. Not everyone uses the business center.

Many of the better resorts have a business center and charge for usage seperetly, Even the money hungry Mayan Palace resorts does it that way. I know many of the resorts in Hawaii charge an energy fee for exchangers. But that is less than half of what MC wants.
The best thing to do is if you go there give them a negative report. By lowering there standard that will fix them.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

This cannot possibly be legal to get charged surprise mandatory service fees. Had we known about the fees, we would NOT have exchanged into the Manhattan Club.

Please, everyone, complain to RCI or your exchange company. (Is this just an RCI thing??)

Btw, we just returned from the HGVC in Las Vegas where everyone has free wireless internet access from the room ... absolutely no additional fees to use it!

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

What a rip off!!!!!!!

What a nice little bait and switch scam MC and RCI are pulling with this. $25 per day is some serious cash. You can be sure any new guest certs will have the new fees on them and they will be screwed.

This should not be allowed. My original certs have no fee but they changed the on-line confirmation. Is that legal?

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

How to deal with inappropriate fees

Whenever I get charged an inappropriate fee on an RCI exchange, I slam them on the resort report card sent back to RCI. I pick a couple of appropriate categories that are essential to the resort in maintaining GC or SC status, ''Resort Hospitality'' (on the theory that a resort that charges an inappropriate fee is not very hospitable) and ''Check-In / Check-Out'' (on the theory that these fees are a real aggravation on check-out) and pop them with a ''1'' in both categories. I follow it up with a specific comment on the inappropriateness of the fees, so they will know why they received those low numbers.

Unfortunately, I haven't figuring out a good way to get their attention on DAE exchanges yet, but I haven't needed to with their exchanges yet. Indeed, there was one Austrian resort that someone posted on the old TUG board charged certain extra fees to RCI exchangers but not DAE exchangers.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

We recently stayed at a resort (RCI exchange) where we were charged an additional surcharge because we were exchangers. However, since we were not informed of the new charge at the time we confirmed the exchange, RCI gave us a full credit.

However, the surcharge was much less in our case above.

I am not sure RCI would be willing to credit $175 per exchange for the Manhattan Club ... who knows.

[Bootleg Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Bootleg]

Mandatory fees are not unusual in the industry.

The Club Land'Or in the Bahamas has been charging $19 per person, per day for years. This is not an all inclusive, it's just a daily charge. This, plus the hotel tax and departure tax add $600 to the cost of an exchange week there for a family of four.

Smugglers Notch charges $250 for the family package.

Many Mexican all inclusives are cheaper for the owners than for exchange guests.

Timeos, you have the right idea; RCI should stand up to the resorts and demand that exchange guests be treated the same as the members who deposit those units.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Mandatory fees are not unusual in the industry.

The Club Land'Or in the Bahamas has been charging $19 per person, per day for years. This is not an all inclusive, it's just a daily charge. This, plus the hotel tax and departure tax add $600 to the cost of an exchange week there for a family of four.

Smugglers Notch charges $250 for the family package.

Many Mexican all inclusives are cheaper for the owners than for exchange guests.

Timeos, you have the right idea; RCI should stand up to the resorts and demand that exchange guests be treated the same as the members who deposit those units.

AND RCI should not allow the charges to stand against exchangers who confirmed before this policy was in place...

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Oh, Bootleg....aren't you glad you caused such a stir?