Downgraded RCI rating for Pahio Resorts

This is actually an offfshoot of the thread that Cindy started yesterday. I checked the RCI website and found the following for the former Pahio resorts:

Bali Hai Villas- Gold Crown
Shearwater- Silver Crown
Ka'EoKai- RCI Hospitality
Kauai Beach Villas- no rating

There was no mention of any of this in the letter we received with our maintenance fee notice or the request for proxy.

I thought I'd read before that Bali Hai now had no rating. Have things changed sicne yesterday? I wonder if RCI is updating their website again, and putting things back where they belong?

Dave

These are the ratings I saw on the online RCI resort directory this afternoon. Since we own multiple Shearwater weeks, we would be very pleased if it went back to Gold Crown! We'll just have to wait and see.

The Bali Hai rating has changed from what was shown online just two days ago. See message #15 in this thread ...

Earlier ratings

There is no chance that I overlooked a rating for Bali Hai when I posted that message. I both checked in the online directory and then did a Points search for what was available in Hawaii during October. In both cases, Bali Hai ... unrated.

How could Fairfield/ Wyndham sell Bali Hai for $38K for a two bedroom, if they allowed it to stay unrated.

Politics play a part in everything. I am sure PAHIO had a fit over the rating of Bali Hai, but what about the other resorts? They will still get their assessment, if they are determined to get it from weeks' owners.

How do the revised ratings comport with RCI's criteria for GC,SC, and Hospitality Awards? We have a copy of the criteria in the Advice pages.

I'm not too surprised with the results. I still enjoy our Kauai Beach Villas resort---but I always ask for a renovated unit and have gotten it. It does seem like KBV is the last to get anything---even though our maintenance fees have double in the last 10 years. They only upgrade a very few units a year. Then we've been promised a new pool and that's been on-again/off-again/on-again for a couple years. Seems like all our fees are going to make the new Bali Hai units Wyndham worthy and Wyndham doesn't care about the rest of us.

I emailed Jeff Iida, Assistant Resort Manager in Princeville, on Jan. 7th for an explanation on why Shearwater was downgraded to a Silver Crown. I also wanted to know what the resort/company is doing to get the GC rating back. I also asked if the maintenance fees will be lowered since Shearwater lost its GC rating. (Yeah, right). I have not received a response from Jeff regarding this matter.

As some posters have mentioned in other threads, I have a feeling a special assessment is coming.

If they do issue a special assessment, I'll find this kind of ironic because I asked Jeff a status on Shearwaters' refurbishments back in Sept. 07. His response was:

The refurbishments of The Shearwater units are being scheduled by the developer and the Board President David Walters. We will be notifying the owners when we know when and which units are scheduled for refurbishment. I do not know why there is a delay in this project as it was scheduled to start this year. If you have any other questions please let me know. Thank you







Jeffrey S. Iida
Assistant Resort Manager - Princeville
Wyndham Vacation Resorts
3970 Wyllie Road
Princeville, HI 96722
E-mail: jeff.iida@wyndhamvo.com

Phone: (808) 826-8161
Fax: (808) 826-6715
Cell: (808) 639-6762

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Coincidence??

I stayed at Ka'Eo Kai, it was a horrible timeshare. I wouldn't even give it the hospitality rating.

Really? Ka'Eo'Kai is supposed to be very nice. I think they have some cleanliness problems there sometimes, but I have never seen someone post such a bad experience.

Dave, did you write a review? What specifically was bad about it?

CaliDave said:

I stayed at Ka'Eo Kai, it was a horrible timeshare. I wouldn't even give it the hospitality rating.

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We stayed in Unit 14B in Phase II back in 2003. While the unit was VERY roomy, the furnishings were pretty dated. We also had an ant issue in the beginning. Plus, this unit's location didn't offer any privacy whatsoever. It felt a bit claustrophobic. Having said that, we felt we were lucky enough to get an exchange into a two bedroom with a blue week in Kauai. So, we didn't complain too much.

When we went on a timeshare tour with PAHIO, they showed us the Shearwater resort. It was love at first sight. We knew we would become Shearwater owners via resale. And the rest is history.

While we don't regret our purchase, we do regret PAHIO (now Wyndham) not bringing their units up to modern day standards. We certainly pay enough in maintenance fees.

bigeyes1 said:

We stayed in Unit 14B in Phase II back in 2003. While the unit was VERY roomy, the furnishings were pretty dated. We also had an ant issue in the beginning. Plus, this unit's location didn't offer any privacy whatsoever. It felt a bit claustrophobic. Having said that, we felt we were lucky enough to get an exchange into a two bedroom with a blue week in Kauai. So, we didn't complain too much.

When we went on a timeshare tour with PAHIO, they showed us the Shearwater resort. It was love at first sight. We knew we would become Shearwater owners via resale. And the rest is history.

While we don't regret our purchase, we do regret PAHIO (now Wyndham) not bringing their units up to modern day standards. We certainly pay enough in maintenance fees.

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As with many things, there's a strong matter of personal preference. We stayed in 14B last summer - right across the pool from 15B and enjoyed it. The units are close together, but the landscaping is lovely and affords privacy. The size of the units was good. The interior was starting to show age, but we still find it quite enjoyable.

We have friends who absolutely love Ka 'Eo Kai and would return in a heartbeat.

Oh, don't get me wrong. If we couldn't get into Shearwater, we would definitely go back to KEK. We would just request a different area. The pond was nice, but it brought a lot of mosquitoes and bugs. So, we couldn't enjoy the lanai as much as we wanted to.

I agree. We all have different preferences. That is what makes everyone unique.

I have just received a response from Jeff regarding Shearwater's Silver Crown status:

We were actually very close to keeping out Gold Crown status for this year; we think that part of it was the closure of the airport check-in desk when Alaska Airlines came into that space and part of was due to the change in how RCI ratings are now calculated. RCI increased the point value needed to attain the Gold Crown status. We feel very confident we will attain the Gold Crown status for next year as were only 0.1 or 0.2 off from retaining the Gold Crown status. The maintenance fee amount for this year is what is needed for us to complete some work that will be done this year and to provide the owners/guests with the necessary services. Thank you for your support and patience.



Mahalo,



Jeff

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CaliDave said:

I stayed at Ka'Eo Kai, it was a horrible timeshare. I wouldn't even give it the hospitality rating.

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Thats too bad you had such a bad experience. I have stayed at the Royal Mayan, Marriott Grande Ocean, Marriott Mountainside, for example and I loved Ka Eo Kai so much that I bought an every year to go with my every other year. Im sure Kauai has something to do with it but other places Ive visited have thier strong points, too. I must admit that I am confused why some hate it and others love thier units. I think that Phase III has alot to do with it. I made sure the unit I am now buying is in Phase III. I own Sands of Kahana and I like Ka Eo Kai as much except that its not right on the beach.

I dont really care about RCI's rating as I will use these weeks and I wouldnt deposit them with RCI anyway. Does SFX use RCI's ratings?

There was another post on another thread about writing to voice your opinion. Since then I have wrote to the local grocery store, google for a bad cd and now to Pahio/Wyndham. Maybe I will be lucky to get 3 out of 3, responses (Im currently at 2 out of 3).

If you are buying an older resort and your mfs are $400-even $600 you can tolerate some worn furnishings. Never, never, ever should we tolerate dirty units. With mf's over $1K, worn furnishings even in Hawaii should be in the process of being taken care of.

MY KEK unit was dirty, not maintained at all.. the pools were a mess and way over chlorinated. Road noise really bad and many roaches.

I requested a newer unit , week ahead.. I got some old unit, ground floor, near the road. Exchangers beware.

If the RCI scores have gone down so much, I'm guessing others agree

If I used it a a base to visit Kauai, it might be "ok".. but if you want to relax at the resort with kids for a couple days.. this place is not for you.

Nothing in the way of activities, pool was not swimmable.

It was by far the worst place I have stayed.

If I had a new clean unit, overlooking the golf course.. and the pool was refurbished, it might be ok.

I concur with the 'dirty' evaluation. We had reservation in March 2007 and were forced to stay 1 night at KEK. We were ready to pay to change our flight reservations home because it was so bad. Upon opening door to the unit, we found an industrial fan blowing and an Ionic Breeze machine. Mold and mildew were rampant if anything was turned off. Dead bugs on the kitchen counter. Thankfully RCI got us out of there and into Bali Hai the next morning. Carpeting was torn in many places, mold in the bathrooms. We're not usually picky but filth doesn't work. Stairs to the unit were also rotted and very little light at night creating a hazard. We would have flown home rather than stay. Can't believe KEK has any RCI rating at all.

CaliDave said:

I stayed at Ka'Eo Kai, it was a horrible timeshare. I wouldn't even give it the hospitality rating.

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I own in Phase III and Iwould give it a GC anyday of the week. In fact, I loved it so much I bought an every year to go with my eoy. I made sure it was in Phase III. When I read the reviews, the poor reviews came from phase II and the excellent reviews came from phase III.

Its a shame and it makes me angry that the two phases are so different.

Agree with CaliDave on KEK

I totally agree with CaliDave on KEK. The units are not very well maintained and are badly in need of refurb as stated in my 2005 review. If they have not even begun the refurb process since then - I can definitely see why the property may have lost its GC status. It appears that several Wyndham properties (including my Palm-Aire location) may have lost their GC status. It will be interesting to see how Wyndham responds.....does not look like they will be very proactive based on the stock response I received to my inquiry regarding the downgrade:

Dear Mr. Nelson,
Thank you for contacting Wyndham Vacation Resorts with your concerns. We are constantly striving to improve our resorts and their amenities to match our owners needs. However, the RCI "Gold Crown" award standards are set within the RCI system. These standards are set based upon guests comments, resort and unit amenities, housekeeping standards, and much more. To get information regarding the RCI "Gold Crown Rating" codes and requirements, please contact RCI directly at 800-572-0931.

We truly value you, and want to ensure that you, your family and friends may fully enjoy all that your vacation ownership with Wyndham Vacation Resorts has to offer. For personal assistance, our Vacation Planners are ready and waiting to assist you at 1-800-251-8736, option 1, then 1 or 954-935-4382 if outside the United States. You may also log on to WyndhamVacationResorts.com for the latest news and information about your program. We look forward to assisting you with your future vacation needs, and appreciate the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,

LaTanya Joseph
E-Commerce-Owner Resolution Division
Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Inc
(800)251-8736 Ph
(407)345-6501 Fx
"Wyndham Vacation Resorts, A Wyndham Worldwide Company