Question about resort services fees..

I am very excited...used my mothers timeshare, Carriage House Pocono Manor to exchange into Lighthouse KeY resort in Orlando in January. I had a request for DVC, a few Marriotts and this. never thought I would get anything outside of the 60 day window, so i was shocked anything came through.
Her studio got us a 2bedroom..even sweeter.
My question is I know the resort charges a $7 a day resort services fee...do exchangers pay these resort fees also?

That is a brand new resort, so I doubt many would know about those fees. So II obviously said you would need to pay $7 per day? I wonder why? That doesn't seem right, for a resort to charge for no added services.

It's pretty common in many areas - I think we pay $12 a day in resort fees at the WKORV on Maui. And this summer we stayed at the Kona Hawaiian Resort, and they charged a resort fee too. They claim it's for parking, the work out room, etc.

the owners didn't pay?

DeniseM said:

It's pretty common in many areas - I think we pay $12 a day in resort fees at the WKORV on Maui. And this summer we stayed at the Kona Hawaiian Resort, and they charged a resort fee too. They claim it's for parking, the work out room, etc.

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This type of fee is total bs. The owners paid for the servivces already. Mark any resort that pulls this very poorly in your scores. Any owner that trades out should also be flagged for a penalty fee at any resort they go to. This type of nonsense is why exchanges are dying.

Fairfield Waikiki Beach Walk charges $25 a day for parking!

timeos2 said:

This type of fee is total bs. The owners paid for the servivces already. Mark any resort that pulls this very poorly in your scores. Any owner that trades out should also be flagged for a penalty fee at any resort they go to. This type of nonsense is why exchanges are dying.

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John I can't speak for this resort but many hotels do charge an extra resort fee even when you are paying cash. I know I paid a similar fee at Disneyland last Oct and at Amelia island a couple of years ago. It is a way to increase the rental price without increasing the price so on that measure I would agree it's no right. Far worse, IMO, is shifting energy costs or similar to the guest even if they owners have to pay the same fee when they use their week.

rickandcindy23 said:

Fairfield Waikiki Beach Walk charges $25 a day for parking!

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And I'll likely be paying that fee come January as I have a 1 BR exchange for there. And I'll still be way ahead given what I traded to get it.

when we staued at Hiawatha @ Lake Tansi, in Tennessee a few years back, they charged us to use the swimming pool! There were 6 of us and the cost would have been (calculating the US/Candian exchange rate), over $100!

I was furious, and needless to say, gave the resort a very low rating.

Dori

timeos2 said:

This type of fee is total bs. The owners paid for the servivces already. Mark any resort that pulls this very poorly in your scores. Any owner that trades out should also be flagged for a penalty fee at any resort they go to. This type of nonsense is why exchanges are dying.

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Did the owners pay for these services already? Or is the resort charging the fee to help subsidize the services for the owners? If they dropped the fee, the revenue would have to be made up somewhere, most likely in increased MF to the owners. Unless the fee is pure proffit, then I don't think the owners have already paid for those services in full.

At Fairfield Kingsgate in Williamsburg there is a $5 fee per night now for use of the activities (including free video game room.) From what I have heard, this is charged automatically and RCI warns that it is required. Our kids like the idea of the video games room but I can see some people would be annoyed by this fee if they came for the sights and not the resort activities.

bookworm said:

At Fairfield Kingsgate in Williamsburg there is a $5 fee per night now for use of the activities (including free video game room.) From what I have heard, this is charged automatically and RCI warns that it is required. Our kids like the idea of the video games room but I can see some people would be annoyed by this fee if they came for the sights and not the resort activities.

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If you tell them at check-in that you have no intention of using the activities center, they will not charge you the daily fee. I was there in May of this year and we were not charged when we told them that we would not be using the onsite services there (primarily the games and pc/internet access).

bookworm said:

At Fairfield Kingsgate in Williamsburg there is a $5 fee per night now for use of the activities (including free video game room.) From what I have heard, this is charged automatically and RCI warns that it is required. Our kids like the idea of the video games room but I can see some people would be annoyed by this fee if they came for the sights and not the resort activities.

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Absolutely an option. Yes they will add it if you don't decline but it is NOT mandatory. If you plan to use the game room it can be a deal compared to feeding quarters in but, again, not required of anyone.

timeos2 said:

Absolutely an option. Yes they will add it if you don't decline but it is NOT mandatory. If you plan to use the game room it can be a deal compared to feeding quarters in but, again, not required of anyone.

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This is good to know. Actually, I think we'll like using the game room. It's not a big fee. We will not likely be staying the whole time for the week we have booked. Do they charge by the days we are there?
Thanks.

dioxide45 said:

Did the owners pay for these services already? Or is the resort charging the fee to help subsidize the services for the owners? If they dropped the fee, the revenue would have to be made up somewhere, most likely in increased MF to the owners. Unless the fee is pure proffit, then I don't think the owners have already paid for those services in full.

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Removed as I was confused about which threat I was on thinking it was DVC related.

Dean said:

The fee is essentially to run the exchange program. While it's labeled as a "resort services fee" and years ago when not every had access to all transportation as a "transportation/resort services fee", it is to pay for the section to accept requests from exchangers, make dining reservations and the like. As noted above, even members who have free access to these services otherwise even when NOT staying at DVC, must pay the fee if they exchange in. The fee is not charged at HH or VB.

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HUH??? That is not the case at FF/Wyndham Kingsgate.

Timeshare Von said:

HUH??? That is not the case at FF/Wyndham Kingsgate.

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Sorry, you're correct, I got confused about which thread this was. My apologies.

DeniseM said:

And this summer we stayed at the Kona Hawaiian Resort, and they charged a resort fee too. They claim it's for parking, the work out room, etc.

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That must be new, as they didn't charge it in April 06. I know they charge the transient occupancy tax that Hawaii assesses, but that is all we paid.

rainy~daze21 said:

I am very excited... Lighthouse KeY resort in Orlando in January.... My question is I know the resort charges a $7 a day resort services fee... do exchangers pay these resort fees also?

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Many Orlando area resorts (the nicer ones) charge a resort fee to nightly rental guests, like at the Sheraton Swan & Dolphin, Marriott Orlando World Center and I think, Gaylord Palms. These may or may not be mandatory - sometimes, they're for valet parking, concierge or other special services.

Some timeshares have extra fees too. Some of them are mandatory for everyone (owner, exchanger or renter), when they actually use the space. Some are only for exchangers, like at the Manhattan Club or some of the Disney resorts. Some are only for guests who use certain amenities, like parking a car in urban settings, like Manhattan Club, Wyndham Waikiki or a San Francisco location. It's getting pretty hard to tell who pays when.

Where did you learn of this fee, RainyDaze? If the II exchange confirmation letter mentions it, then yes, you do have to pay it. But if it doesn't, you should not have to. Since it's a new resort, and in active sales, I'd think they'd be more reasonable about waiving it, if you ask them to, at the front desk. The website looks very nice - please write a review when you return.

More and more resorts seem to be shifting part of their operating (ie maintenance) costs on to the exchangers. Some of them I understand, because they are services that are not usually included at other timeshares - things like daily maid service. Others, like most of the mandatory "resort services" fees, should be part of the maintenance fees, because the rest of us pay for those same services at our home resort.

I do understand some cultural differences - like most of the timeshares in England change an energy fee. If most of the exchangers were originally coming in from other English resorts, they were all still paying their respective fees. But now that exchanging has truly become international in scope, there should be more consistency. Perhaps we in the US should move to have all our resorts charge a utility fee, and remove it from our maintenance fees. They can charge it to whoever uses the unit, just like in many other areas. I don't see the resorts that currently charge these fees changing their own structures. Unfortunately I also don't see it happening where I own, because it would be suicide for only 1 or 2 resorts to move that direction while the others in the area stay as they are - trade power could decline significantly as people would avoid those 1 or 2 resorts.

Throw the mandatory extra fees into the mix, and we really aren't trading life for like any more.

Resort Fees

Any resort that forces me to pay an unreasonable extra fee will receive an unreasonably negative RCI feedback score. Plain and simple.

This is a condominium complex that is set up as wholly owned. So you can buy a unit there and rent out your weeks as you want, or you can put up to four per year into Interval International. So you get the best of both worlds: a quality timeshare for trading purposes and a property you can either stay in full time or rent.

This wasn't set up as a timeshare in active sales.

I called and talked to the sales team at this place and had some literature sent, though that was weeks ago and nothing in the mail. But I did tell them I probably couldn't afford owning.

It seems very nice, according to the floorplans and photos on the website.

I don't understand the fee, unless they feel that the exchanger benefits from the exchange week and should pay for part of the cost.

thanks for the replies...I really don't mind if I have to pay $7 a day, if we are using the facilities. My confirmation came and it doesn't state the fee specifically, just says there may be resort fees you are responsible for..I don't know if that is typical language on the confirmation or not, it is my first exchange. But I will write a review when we return as in depth as I can get. It does look like a great place, so we are psyched to stay there.

A bunch of Vegas Casinos are now charging 'Resort Fees",even to their comped guests. Its just a sleazy way of keeping their rates low,same as the $3 a day energy surcharge many impose.

John: I think it is more common than you think. The Whaler in Maui charges parking fees to exchangers and not owners.

Cathyb said:

John: I think it is more common than you think. The Whaler in Maui charges parking fees to exchangers and not owners.

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The 2 dozen or so domestic resorts that pull it are (thankfully) a drop in the bucket out of the 2500+ that exist. Again if they pull that penalize them in the scores. They will get the message or their owners will pay the price in reduced trade value. Either way it's a fair outcome. If the owners also pay the same fee for every stay (not just as an exchange) then the story is different. It also will most likely get axed as owners HATE to be nickled & dimed when they check in - while we all know exchange guests love it - so usually after a time or two they demand the cost be put into the annual fees.

In any case any fee that is prepaid by the owners - meaning they don't pay separately for it at check in - should also not be charged to exchange guests. Period. If it is get out the red pen and get those 1 or 2's flowing for check in, quality, hospitality, etc. You can leave weather alone as that doesn't count in the scores anyway. They'll learn if enough people do it. They deserve no better.