How Does Starwood Make Money from MFs?

It is really weird though - I am able to get Kona Brewing Co. beer cheaper in Maryland than I was able to find anywhere in Hawaii when I was vacationing there, even though it has to be shipped 5000 miles. Go figure.

spuppy said:

I've been to costco and walmart in hawaii. The prices are not that expensive.

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krj9999 said:

It is really weird though - I am able to get Kona Brewing Co. beer cheaper in Maryland than I was able to find anywhere in Hawaii when I was vacationing there, even though it has to be shipped 5000 miles. Go figure.

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It is weird. The only thing I can think of is tax stamps. Hawaii has gone nuts with all kinds of taxes.

krj9999 said:

It is really weird though - I am able to get Kona Brewing Co. beer cheaper in Maryland than I was able to find anywhere in Hawaii when I was vacationing there, even though it has to be shipped 5000 miles. Go figure.

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I may not be shipped to Maryland. It might be brewed on the east coast, under licensing agreement.

When we went to St John this past summer, we drank the Virgin Pale Ale, brewed on St John. I like so much, I found a place in New Jersey that sold it and found someone to pick me up a few cases for home. Anyway the beer was not good, didn't taste anything like what we had in St John. Come to find out, it was brewed in Boston (or somewhere up north) under a licensing agreement with St John brewers.

Fredm said:

It is weird. The only thing I can think of is tax stamps. Hawaii has gone nuts with all kinds of taxes.

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Maryland is Crazy nuts with taxes too!

update....From Kona Brewing website

Kona Brewing Company runs its flagship brewhouse in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, which produced more than 10,000 barrels of beer in 2008.

Under strict guidance, Kona Brewing Company also produces its bottled beer and mainland draft beer in Portland, Oregon, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as part of its partnership with Craft Brewers Alliance Inc.

LisaRex said:

Per the Owner's Agreement, all WKORV inventory not booked is turned over to SVO, who is free to rent it out for cash and/or StarPoints. And they get to keep all the cash, aside from a modest housekeeping charge ONLY IF extra housekeepers are called in to deal with the renters. We owners get nothing. Nada. Zilch.

It really irritates me that SVO wrote such a one-side agreement. We get all the downsides of owning (e.g. covering all the costs) and NONE of the upsides, such as rental income to offset our expenses. If FredM is correct, we're not only getting screwed by having to absorb the wear and tear of these renters, but we're also footing the bill for their energy usage -- their air conditioning bills, their hot water usage, etc.

And, of course, as delinquencies go up, we're now expected to foot the bill for delinquent owners. Which means MORE inventory for Starwood to rent out, more money in their pockets, and more OUT Of the owners. It's a great system. For them!

The whole system is wrong. And we should pressure our HOA to do something about it. We simply cannot sustain a 10%+ increase every year.

And if the HOA won't do anything about it, then surely there's an out-of-work attorney somewhere that could take up our cause to fight this usurious, one-side agreement.

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Lisa, you have it right. The agreement is completely one sided. The owners get the bills and do not benefit from any of the fallout.

During a difficult economy like this one the burden is magnified. The increased cost of non-performing shares is spread among the performing owners, the use reverts to Starwood for their benefit, while owners pay for the maintenance cost of renters. And, Starwood up-charges the cost of goods and services.

Unfortunately, the agreement is legal (at least I think it is).

The real option open to owners is to replace the OM.

The very tough part is initially organizing 4-5% of the owners at the resort. If that can be done, it has a chance of succeeding.
So, for a 200 unit resort, the challenge is to recruit 500 owners who are mad as hell, and are willing to do something about it.
All each has to do is get 10 ambivalent owners to sign a petition.

It can be the most discouraging exercise imaginable, when one encounters those who talk it up, but once in the fight won't do their part. It is exactly what an OM counts on.

Nothing tastes as good as it does on St John

Tom and Robin:

I agree with you about the Pale Ale, but come on, nothing tastes as good anywhere else as it does on St John. How else can you explain the way T'ree Lizard (Cinnamon Bay campground restaurant) hamburgers taste ok when they're obviously not prime beef and are probably frozen somewhere along the way. And don't get me started on Uncle Joe's B-B-Q.

Lori

Re: Beer - Note: I am a beer snob, a certified beer judge, and homebrewing used to be my hobby (took 1st place in Pale Ale twice for the California State Homebrewing Competition - as well as a 1st in Stouts and 1st in Strong Ale - over a 4 year period)

The STJ Pale Ale is not brewed on island - I suggest that it just seemed to taste better on STJ (like Rum drinks do...) - personally I do not like fruit flavored beers.

Big Swell (very hoppy IPA) from the Maui Brewing Co (brewed in Lahaina) is one of the best IPAs on the market - it comes in a can - so make sure you pour it into a glass before drinking or it will seem extremely bitter (has to do with taste buds...). Happy Hour (3:30 to 6PM) at the Maui Brewing Co in Kahana has beers at $4/pint and pizza slices at $1.50 - this is not posted.

We buy a case of Sierra Nevada at Costco when in HI - hard to go wrong with SN.

Friends don't let friends drink Corona... lol

Loriannf said:

Tom and Robin:

I agree with you about the Pale Ale, but come on, nothing tastes as good anywhere else as it does on St John. How else can you explain the way T'ree Lizard (Cinnamon Bay campground restaurant) hamburgers taste ok when they're obviously not prime beef and are probably frozen somewhere along the way. And don't get me started on Uncle Joe's B-B-Q.

Lori

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Everything is better in St John!

(Except the Maintenance fees)

Just remember, its 5 o'clock somewhere....and right now its in Maryland!!!

Cheers!

jerseygirl said:

Nodge ---

We need you. I'll chip in $100 to pay some garage bad to record a song if you'll write it. It needs to hit home ...

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I'm on it.

I'm toying with the idea of us SVO owners and SVO singing a duet like Elton John and KiKi Dee did in 1976. This is what I have so far . . . .

Elton John/SVO Owners: "Don't go breakin' my heart!"

KiKi Dee/SVO: (insert sound of crickets chirping)

Elton John/SVO Owners: "Oh Honey, if I get restless?"

KiKi Dee/SVO: (insert sound of crickets chirping)

Well, you get the idea. . . . The video could look something like this.

Who's in charge of getting the pig to play SVO's part? Oh wait, SVO is already playing that part.

-nodge

tomandrobin said:

update....From Kona Brewing website

Kona Brewing Company runs its flagship brewhouse in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, which produced more than 10,000 barrels of beer in 2008.

Under strict guidance, Kona Brewing Company also produces its bottled beer and mainland draft beer in Portland, Oregon, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as part of its partnership with Craft Brewers Alliance Inc.

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May I just say that Kona Brewing Co. on the BI is a GREAT place to eat (and drink!) They have a lunch special which is a huge piece of pizza, a big salad, and a beer for a few bucks - great deal!

nodge said:

I'm on it.

I'm toying with the idea of us SVO owners and SVO signing a duet like Elton John and KiKi Dee did in 1976. This is what I have so far . . . .

Elton John/SVO Owners: "Don't go breakin' my heart!"

KiKi Dee/SVO: (insert sound of crickets chirping)

Elton John/SVO Owners: "Oh Honey, if I get restless?"

KiKi Dee/SVO: (insert sound of crickets chirping)

Well, you get the idea. . . . The video could look something like this.


Who's in charge of getting the pig to play SVO's part? Oh wait, SVO is already playing that part.

-nodge

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Nodge -- that video is perfect!!! I wish we could just dub over it but we'd probably get in trouble with EJ and JH's estate.

Nodge -- I've got a potential. See this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3086KqeP80o

You have to watch the whole thing. Marlene is getting a little fiesty in her old age (is she alive?).

Here's my first stab at the lyrics:

Where have all the good weeks gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the good weeks gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the good weeks gone?
Starwood’s picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the owners gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the owners gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the owners gone?
Declared bankruptcy every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the exchangers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the exchangers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the exchangers gone?
Gone for cruises every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the employees gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the employees gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the employees gone?
Work at McDonalds every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the SVN executives gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the SVN executives gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the SVN executives gone?
Hiding in Uruguay every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

TOO FUNNY! :hysterical:

This is my favorite video of 2009 (note -- you must be 40+ too appreciate it). This is what I have in mind for a spoof about Starwood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA&feature=player_embedded

They're getting away with dubbing over the original lyrics, so I think there's hope for us yet.

jerseygirl said:

This is my favorite video of 2009 (note -- you must be 40+ too appreciate it). This is what I have in mind for a spoof about Starwood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA&feature=player_embedded

They're getting away with dubbing over the original lyrics, so I think there's hope for us yet.

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Hey Jerseygirl!

OK, I've finally stopped laughing enough to be able to respond.

I agree that the "Bright Eyes" video should get top humor honors, but this one is definately a close second. "Jazz hands. Jazz hands. Jazz Hands. Jazz Hands."

As for Marlene, she died on May 6, 1992, but, judging from the looks of it, I'm not sure if that was before or after they filmed her singing in that video. Your proposed lyrics are outstanding!

Maybe we can dub over one of those inane videos in the "multimedia" section of MSC. Too bad that they removed the one filmed with what appears to be extras from "the Sopranos" giving a tour of the Vistana Resort upgrades. That one would have been easy, and we could have kept a lot of the original words in.

I'll keep looking.

“Bad Gold Tooth” nodge

Nodge -- Loved the battlefield! Hadn't seen that one yet.

Thanks for the update on Marlene's passing. I think they must have filmed that video on May 5, 1992!

Keep thinking -- I know we can come up with something great !!!