Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya pool for owners only

[PamMo]

We've exchanged ONCE into Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta, so I am no expert. We absolutely LOVED our experience, and have looked forward to returning one day. With all this discussion over what type of guest gets which privileges, I'm thinking it's become ridiculous. A true first class resort treats ALL guests with care and respect.

 

[hurnik]

I can see it kinda both ways:

If I bought a 2 BR Grand Luxxe (I was quoted $240,000 USD back in 2014 in Nuevo), I'd be a bit peeved if I went and there wasn't room at the GL only pool because too many exchangers/etc. were there.

On the other hand, let's say an owner deposited a week into an Exchange company and then the exchanger wasn't able to enjoy all the benefits (what difference would it make, it's an "owner's week").

I guess ultimately it's up to Vidanta and they do like to change the rules and treat various exchanges differently.

For example, I believe that II (Interval International) had no 1 in X rules restriction for quite some time, but RCI/SFX did.
Now we have II and RCI having the $12 USD /adult/day (I think it's $12) resort fee, but SFX still has the $75/unit flat fee. (which for 4 people makes a huge difference).

BTW, all the times we've stayed at Grand Luxxe have been on SFX exchanges, so it's entirely possible that II exchangers had more benefits or something.

I know we've never gotten the free spa treatment that owners get, except one time when one of my SFX bookings was an actual owner's week (vs. a Vidanta bulk deposit week).

Either way, I think Vidanta would be better served by letting folks know ahead of time, rather than "surprise" when you get there.

 

[holdaer]

RCI is now charging exchangers $30/adult/day to stay at GM Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya and Los Cabo.

 

[tschwa2]

I can see it kinda both ways:

If I bought a 2 BR Grand Luxxe (I was quoted $240,000 USD back in 2014 in Nuevo), I'd be a bit peeved if I went and there wasn't room at the GL only pool because too many exchangers/etc. were there.

On the other hand, let's say an owner deposited a week into an Exchange company and then the exchanger wasn't able to enjoy all the benefits (what difference would it make, it's an "owner's week").

I guess ultimately it's up to Vidanta and they do like to change the rules and treat various exchanges differently.

For example, I believe that II (Interval International) had no 1 in X rules restriction for quite some time, but RCI/SFX did.
Now we have II and RCI having the $12 USD /adult/day (I think it's $12) resort fee, but SFX still has the $75/unit flat fee. (which for 4 people makes a huge difference).

BTW, all the times we've stayed at Grand Luxxe have been on SFX exchanges, so it's entirely possible that II exchangers had more benefits or something.

I know we've never gotten the free spa treatment that owners get, except one time when one of my SFX bookings was an actual owner's week (vs. a Vidanta bulk deposit week).

Either way, I think Vidanta would be better served by letting folks know ahead of time, rather than "surprise" when you get there.

SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits. II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well). In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them. In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory. Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels. Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.

 

[ilene13]

We exchanged to the GL in NV once and the GL pool was very crowded. The 5 times we have exchanged to the GL in RM it was fairly empty.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits. II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well). In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them. In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory. Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels. Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.

IMO - Vidanta likely does developer "deposits" the way hotels and airlines list on travel sites . ie The same week is listed on more than one exchange company . As bookings come in they
update the listings . Call it "floating deposits" for a RTU float week system .

They also have to hold back enough inventory for their major ARP points in owner contracts (1 year / 6 months) before snowbird months .
My Mayan Palace contract has 6 month ARP - so Aug. 1 2018 I can book any Feb 2019 week ( using my 2018 registered owner week) . Aug 1 is a very busy day at their Neuvo Vallarta call centre .

Since Vidanta builds in pesos and collects MF in USD - they have built for peak snowbird season ; and have lots of shoulder season availability

******

FYI - I think there is a lower $ exchanger fee for children .

It is worth looking at the total cost of an exchange / not just the resort fee . For example :
Grand Mayan NV - 2 bedroom - April, May,June 2018 - 8 TPU's - RCI Weeks .

If your TPU cost is around $20 ; that is about $1300 for 4 ( TPU cost + RCI exchange fee + resort fee x 4 )
-in a spacious 2 bedroom , with full daily housekeeping and towel service, AND $ 210 (25% of resort fee) is credited back for restaurant etc use at the resort .

Assuming you eat -
$1090 - Net for the week .

******

FYI - they will bill the resort fee in pesos ( based on their daily posted USD - peso exchange rate )
this helps Canadians and others by not having to pay to convert twice via a credit card
ie Mx pesos to USD to $ CAD = xx / is likely more costly than Mx pesos to $CAD .

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits ...... Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels. Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.

System wide , all brands - the developer deposit number is likely higher .

If the RM : (recently opened) Grand Luxxe Jungle unit count is in the 160 range ., and you assume 5 months ( May, June & Sept , Oct , Nov ) are the "shoulder season and could be developer deposited .

This alone could be 3000 + units available through exchange channels . ( 5 months x 4 weeks x 160 units)

AND 3000 + prospects for a Vida sales presentation .

 

[hurnik]

SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits. II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well). In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them. In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory. Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels. Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.

Yes, you are correct on the SFX $299 uplift for Grand Luxxe. Forgot about that. (although for *me* it's still cheaper than the $2500 to rent a 2 BR from an owner).

I also forgot about the Platinum RCI stuff (I don't have that via my HGVC RCI account).

So it seems there's lots of variables here when exchanging and that Vidanta constantly changes things, so it does help to be aware of these things ahead of time, although it doesn't help much when you're not told that you can't access the pool/burger place prior to booking.

Although the resorts are still very ooh-la-la regardless and we'd still stay there anyway just because we like the extra nice accommodations.

 

[Eric B]

Depending on the GL unit (suite, spa, villa, loft, etc.), as an owner I can deposit with SFX, Registry Collection, or Elite Alliance. I might be able to deposit with RCI, but wouldn’t dream of it because it’s a bit tough to match the quality and the MF is a bit high. I’d rather rent one to hurnik for the $2500, or better yet go there myself. I might try out the direct exchange route sometime in the future, but it looks to me like I’ll have to go to other places renting myself instead of exchanging in RCI or use Elite Alliance to match the quality. The reason the rent is high is because the fees owners pay are high. We do get the occasional perk, though.

 

[bizaro86]

Rent also stays high because of the no stay-no pay feature. If they didn't have that, I think rents would fall a bit as there would always be a few owners who couldn't go this year trying to recoup fees, which would increase the supply of rentals.

 

[Eric B]

I was curious, so I tried using the RCI weeks deposit calculator for a GL NV Spa 2 BR, and it couldn’t figure out how many TPU that would get. Seems like they aren’t really equipped to accept them. While it’s an affiliated resort, there are probably contractual limitations that prevent an owner deposit.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

I was curious, so I tried using the RCI weeks deposit calculator for a GL NV Spa 2 BR, and it couldn’t figure out how many TPU that would get. Seems like they aren’t really equipped to accept them. While it’s an affiliated resort, there are probably contractual limitations that prevent an owner deposit.

As I understand it - A 2 bedroom Mayan Palace deposited as 2 units locked off gets 36- 39 TPU's ( 20+16 / 22+ 17 - range) If the MF is $ 875 ish ( older contract with the 3% MF cap are likely
less $ / I am not factoring the 5 year reno MF on older contracts ) . So a $ 22-25 per TPU range . Grand Mayan 2 bedrooms may get a few more TPU's but also have a higher MF , so likely in the same range .

If they were to gave you 60 TPU's and the MF is over $2000 for GL- you are closer to $40 than $20 per TPU .

I know there are focused TUG members who have TPU'costs below $15 . Personally I think low $20's probably works well for most folks doing one or two exchanges a year

 

[Eric B]

I suppose if I got 60 TPU for each side of a GL 2 BR suite, which is a lock off, that would be a decent return, but I don’t think it’d make much sense. I was just looking out of curiosity; the incentives are much better for Vidanta to make bulk deposits at the GL level than for owners.

 

[RLS50]

We booked a 1BR Grand Luxxe Jungle (LXJ) unit in April via an II accommodations certificate. I don't see anything in II about daily resort fees? Is there any? If so what are they?

I am assuming from the comments to date we won't have access to the GL pool and the Burger place. I am not sure what that means to us though since we haven't been to this property before.

Apologize if this II accommodation certificate daily resort fee question is answered conclusively somewhere, but I have seen multiple amounts mentioned (I guess due to the changes and depending on II, RCI, SFX, etc). So I am not sure what the charges are, if any.

 

[RLS50]

We booked a 1BR Grand Luxxe Jungle (LXJ) unit in April via an II accommodations certificate. I don't see anything in II about daily resort fees? Is there any? If so what are they?

So I got my answer. As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day. That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week. Good thing it's just the two of us. It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable. Lesson learned. If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate.

I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return. Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.

 

[dioxide45]

This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM

Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily. ‚ A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.

I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.

We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.

 

[Lingber]

So just went on II and tried to book LXR with both with an accommodations Cert and just using my points. Both now have the following language.

REQUIRED RESORT CHARGES
REQUIRED SURCHARGES (energy, accommodations/occupancy tax, bed tax, fees or other miscellaneous) ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OCCUPANT AND ARE PAYABLE DIRECTLY TO THE RESORT. Surcharges are subject to change without notice. Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits.

Its getting very expensive to go to these properties. Was a great deal at $75 per week. Not as great for a family at $11 a person but still went. Now at $30 a person, I am going to have to rethink the 2 bedroom I have a request in on for Nuevo LX2.

 

[RLS50]

This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM

Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily. ‚ A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.

I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.

We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.

Unfortunately we rented our WLR unit this year months ago because of a project I was on at work. Things went much better than expected and the opportunity to get back to Mexico for a week this spring came up. Unfortunately I couldn't find a WLR unit for the dates we can travel so I saw this in II and figured we would try out this property for the first time since the cert was only $300 and I haven't stayed at a Riviera Maya resort in 20 years. I also wanted to scout this out in case the kids (all in their late teens / early 20's) might like the bigger property (and close to Xcaret and Xel-Ha which they like).

In a rush I saw the $11 per person fee, which matched some things I had read last year on TUG, and missed the raise to $30 per person as of April 2. It was my fault being in a rush trying to book something fast before we had to leave for an event. But $30 per day? Per person? Really? That seems excessive. Unless the place totally blows us away I can't see us returning. And with a family of 6? Forget that.

 

[Lingber]

Actually, the only way I will book it again is if I find it on a cert at a time we can go that isn't crazy hot and its just hubby and I. Otherwise I am paying for my Hyatt points, then the II fee and now the new, crazy high Vidanta fee. Not a good use of my points! BTW we were at Grand Luxxe last week. No access to the GL Pool or Burger Custom made and need to be at beach club by 9:30 and wait online until they open at 10 if you want a nice seat.

 

[RLS50]

Actually, the only way I will book it again is if I find it on a cert at a time we can go that isn't crazy hot and its just hubby and I. Otherwise I am paying for my Hyatt points, then the II fee and now the new, crazy high Vidanta fee. Not a good use of my points! BTW we were at Grand Luxxe last week. No access to the GL Pool or Burger Custom made and need to be at beach club by 9:30 and wait online until they open at 10 if you want a nice seat.

Thanks for that info. Since I have never been I have no idea what we are missing out on when folks talk about access being denied to the GL Pool and Burger Custom made.

 

[Lingber]

Thanks for that info. Since I have never been I have no idea what we are missing out on when folks talk about access being denied to the GL Pool and Burger Custom made.

The Beach Club is beautiful. Just getting there early is pain. It’s a beautiful place overall and we enjoyed our stay very much. Have fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hurnik]

So I got my answer. As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day. That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week. Good thing it's just the two of us. It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable. Lesson learned. If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate.

I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return. Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.

DAMN, that's expensive. They typically consider "adult" anyone over 12 (even for occupancy). 4 people that's an extra $840 for the week. Makes it almost prohibitive to go there, IMO, by the time you pay your exchange fee and your MF for your week that you deposited.

Guess they probably only want owners to be there and not exchangers.

 

[Eric B]

They do give a 25% credit towards room charges on the resort fee actually paid, though, so 4 people would effectively be $630, unless you don't eat at any of their restaurants or buy anything in their stores. It's set up as 25% of the actually paid resort fee because one of the ways they try to get you to attend a sales pitch is by offering reduced resort fees.

Vidanta does a pretty good job of monitoring social media (including TUG) to manage their reputation. My guess would be that someone actually took note of the postings here or elsewhere by folks that are dedicated exchangers into Grand Luxxe via II (or RCI) commenting that they'd never buy since they can exchange in for less than half the cost to an owner of going there. I forget who it was, but someone posted fairly recently that they were getting into the loft or spa units for half the cost of folks that bought in and were staying there without exchanging; the post included saying they had extensive conversations with the owners, too, I believe. It also wouldn't take much for an organization like Vidanta to realize that this is a major disincentive to sales that they should address; it doesn't make much sense from a business perspective to run a resort of the quality they do for the Grand Luxxe ones with a discount for stays their for people paying maintenance fees to other resorts and exchanging in II. I think you're on the right track with the preference for owners, but they do want exchangers coming in with appropriate incentives to help turn them into owners.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM

Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily. ‚ A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.

I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.

We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.

We are not going back either. They make it difficult to get off grounds without a taxi. We felt like we were sneaking off campus when we learned the beach route to get off grounds. There are some very nice features and non-sales staff are wonderful but I felt like I was on a cruise ship. And this is just our personal experience. Most folks there seemed to love it and be quite happy. Owners seemed to be trading up often and we did love many things about it such as the fireworks and nightly entertainment on the beach. The pavillion where the shows were, charged a 2 drink minimum per person which excluded us. My husband doesn't drink and after happy hr at the pool and a glass of wine with dinner I am not able to drink 2 drinks.

 

[Eric B]

We are not going back either. They make it difficult to get off grounds without a taxi. We felt like we were sneaking off campus when we learned the beach route to get off grounds. There are some very nice features and non-sales staff are wonderful but I felt like I was on a cruise ship. And this is just our personal experience. Most folks there seemed to love it and be quite happy. Owners seemed to be trading up often and we did love many things about it such as the fireworks and nightly entertainment on the beach. The pavillion where the shows were, charged a 2 drink minimum per person which excluded us. My husband doesn't drink and after happy hr at the pool and a glass of wine with dinner I am not able to drink 2 drinks.

Interesting; the detailed explanation in RCI for the Nuevo Vallarta resorts says the resort fee includes "cover to the 'Santuario'." That's not included in the discussion of the Riviera Maya ones. Didn't know they had a minimum drink at the pavilion in Riviera Maya, but then again, we didn't go to any of the shows there last time we were down. Good to know.