What will Diamond do to Bluegreen?

[mace]

I believe it has to be separate inventories, when and if BG members convert their BG ownerships to the Club then existing and new DRI members will be able to use those unit weeks. So really only thing that is at risk for BG owners who do not want to join the club is if many BG owners join the Club or MFs go up considerably. If many join the club it must be that DRI is offering value to their timeshare experience. As far as how the points will translate, don't you believe DRI will put a point value as viewed from DRI point currency on the BG resorts so we will have apples to apples and you will know what you are getting when and if you join the club.

[swirg53]

I thought the post about 10 months out that DRI owners would have access to the BG inventory was a really interesting statement. Why would that be the case? or was this just hypothesis on your part?

Whatever happens, it will take alot of time for them to iron out those details. But I think the last post sounded most correct from what I have heard of previous buy-outs of timeshares and similarly how I know the UDIs at Christmas Mountain Village and Shenandoah Crossings work after they have sold back to BG for points.

As BG owners, our right to use (points) is assigned to a specific week(s) and unit(s) at a specific resort. I don't know the legality of it all but I suppose if the BG Vacation Club ceased to exist, they could possibly not allow us to have our points which can be used at multiple properties but rather only our fixed week(s).

I have only read one posting from one former Sunterra Resort owner as to whether or not maintenance fees increased after being bought out by DRI and that said the maintenance fees had not increased. I don't know what the timing was for when M/F are due with DRI and when they were due with ST, so a large increase may not even have been experienced last year but will be this year. That remains to be seen. I certainly hope my BG maintenance fees do not go up considerably. It's the only thing about timesharing that I don't like is the uncertainty of what maintenance fee increases there will be.

[fnewman]

We are former Sunterra owners and Club Sunterra members, now reasonably happy DRI THE Club members - not perfect, but some substantial improvements in some areas. So far we have not seen huge across the board MF increases, although there have been some for maintenance at individual resorts just as in the past and there was an added fee this year for the Club membership.

It is interesting to see all the conjectures about the possible acquisition of BG by DRI, but based on the past and what is generally considered economic business practices, it is hard to believe the DRI would have a lot of interest in trying to run two different systems.

[swirg53]

Thank you for your reply.

When did the Sunterra buy-out occur?
Was Sunterra points based?
In either case, they changed your ownership over to an equivalent amount of DRI points?
How long after the official buy-out occurred did they begin to use only the one system?

What other resorts/timeshare systems/corps has DRI bought out?

Are you able to go to any of the 110 or so DRI properties?

To become a DRI owner, did you have to purchase some DRI points?

Sorry to inundate you with so many questions since you were so willing to reply to the first question! It's like when you are on a committee, you suggest something and soon you are chairing that event!

No wonder no one suggests anything new and exciting in volunteer organizations..........they know they will be the first and foremost volunteer.

Susan

[swirg53]

Also, was Club Sunterra members like being a Premier Bluegreen member, in that you get special benefits for owning a certain # of points?????

[jimbee]

When did the Sunterra buy-out occur?
It began early in 2007 and was finalized last fall. DRI already was making changes and influencing actions before then.

Q - Was Sunterra points based?
Sunterra had various types of ownership.
1. Some owned one or more deeded weeks in a Diamond Resorts
timeshare resort. They have to make trades through RCI or II.
2. Some who own deeded weeks have joined THE Club. This was the way THE Club (originally Club Sunterra) began, and is no longer available for becoming a member of THE Club. Each Jan 1 they get a previously agreed number of points for their week(s) which they can use to trade in THE Club or directly with II.
3. Some have ownership in a Trust instead of deeded week(s).
Most new members are in a Florida trust, but there are two others.
4. Some have a combination of the above. For example, they have
deeded week(s) in THE Club and also are in the Trust.

For those in THE Club:
1. Those in the Florida Trust can use their Trust points to make
reservations 13 months in advance at one of the 20 resorts that
are in the Trust. That number is growing.
2. Those with deeded weeks can make reservations 12 months in
advance at the timeshare resort where they own.
3. Reservations at timeshares that don't qualify for 1 or 2 can
be made 10 months in advance.

Q - In either case, they changed your ownership over to an
equivalent amount of DRI points?
A - Only those in Club Sunterra were changed to THE Club, which
for those in the US uses the same number of points as did Club
Sunterra. There was a conversion for those in the UK, since I
believe 650 points there was the same as 6,500 points here.

Q - How long after the official buy-out occurred did they begin
to use only the one system?
A - For those with points, the change was seamless.

Q - What other resorts/timeshare systems/corps has DRI bought
out?
A - DRI added about 15 resorts earlier this year, but nothing
was said about them buying out a company like Bluegreen. Sunterra had previously purchased Epic.

Q - Are you able to go to any of the 110 or so DRI properties?
A - Yes, as long as there is availability. There is no exchange fee when trading within DRI. We have the usual II exchange fee when we trade on II with DRI points.

Q - To become a DRI owner, did you have to purchase some DRI
points?
A - I did not. I know that people who want to purchase a newly
purchased timeshare they bought on the re-sale market may have
to purchase DRI points. I say may since the first answer I
received indicated otherwise, but a later answer says such is
necessary.

[swirg53]

Originally Posted by dale7

A BG person would get first choice for BG up until 10 months then the rest would be for the DRI Club and depending how many BG people join DRI Club.

This is the second posting I have read about a "10 month" rule. Why 10 months?

[Jya-Ning]

Originally Posted by swirg53

This is the second posting I have read about a "10 month" rule. Why 10 months?

Originally Posted by jimbee

For those in THE Club:
1. Those in the Florida Trust can use their Trust points to make
reservations 13 months in advance at one of the 20 resorts that
are in the Trust. That number is growing.
2. Those with deeded weeks can make reservations 12 months in
advance at the timeshare resort where they own.
3. Reservations at timeshares that don't qualify for 1 or 2 can
be made 10 months in advance.

I guess this part is like Wyndham, home resort get few month reservation lead, than inventory opens to all owners.

This will be assuming they try to put two into one and provide BG owner conversion to the Club. 10 month will be for the conversion inventories.

If I remember right, I believe Diamond provides conversion choice to its than existing owner before they purchase Sunterra (Polo Tower) to joint Sunterra Club (rename to Diamond)

Jya-Ning

[vintner]

Jimbee, great answers.

I had many of the same questions. Of course with the possible BG purchase, some things will be different, some things will be similar. With your answers, I have a better idea of what might happen.

[Carolinian]

I wonder if there are any resorts in the BG system that would be candidates for skimming; resorts where there are no deeded owners (or ones whose deeded ownership could be eliminated in a conversion to The Club) and which have high real estate values if they were sold.

The European Sunterra system had such a resort - Carlton Court in central London, one of most high demand and low supply areas in all of timesharing, but where real estate values are in the stratosphere. After DRI bought Sunterra, they closed Carlton Court to sell it off, claiming it was ''underutilized''. As a private company, there is no way to tell where the money from that sale will go or has gone.

Any BG resorts that would be candidates for a similar operation?