TimeSharing Today
Page 17
May/Jun, 2011
Orange Lake Owners Comment on Resort
We have been “weeks” owners at
Orange Lake Country Club (“OLCC “)
for a very long time. Our unit was in the
West Village, Phase I, just a few doors
away from the founder, Mr. Wilson.
The first 10 years, there was an immediate response by a helpful staff member
or our “Sales Manager” addressing any
deficiency. They answered the phone
with a cherry, “Every day is a good day
at Orange Lake Country Club!” Then the
lack of unit renovation began, seemingly
because they were always physically expanding and building bigger and better
units, including multilevel condo type
buildings. We decided to start banking our
week and going elsewhere.
Eventually, we upgraded our original
unit to a new two-bedroom unit in the
North Village overlooking the Legends
golf course. We think it cost around
$4,000 to upgrade, but it was quiet and
near a pool which we liked.
Then came the Disney Animal park,
and Disney decided to create an animal
manure source just beyond the North
Village, which eventually gagged anyone wanting to sit outside when the wind
was blowing in the wrong direction. We
started banking our week again. Repairs,
maintenance, ants, roaches, torn screens,
new restaurants/closed restaurants/changes that were unpleasant... , etc., were
evident every time we came back.
After the original Founder had died,
his sons hired a former Fairfield executive to kick off the Points program. We
owned that program, and didn’t find it user
friendly. But we listened to OLCC’s first
“sales pitch,” and were awestruck that the
sales people intimated we would never be
able to use our week again since everyone
would be changing to their points system.
We walked out.
Two years later, we were accosted
again by a vigorous salesperson indicating a new regime was approaching the
promotion of the new Points program with
more professionalism. A two/three hour
presentation lasted 6 hours until they wore
us down. They had such a good deal for
us, but many managers had to approve the
wonderful “buy” they were going to offer
us. We were left sitting for long stretches
wondering if they were gift wrapping the
“crown jewels” for us. It cost $4,300
more and then an additional $99/yr, plus
the increased maintenance for the identical room.
Ultimately, they didn’t completely
explain the total program, because it is so
complicated; we succumbed to this brow
beating because we were worn out.
The “Quality Assurance Officer” said
she would personally help us if we didn’t
understand all the intricacies of the program. In the future, we found it difficult
to reach her after the first call.
Consequently, the last timeshare visit
in 2010 resulted in many, many trouble
reports and visits from maintenance,
housekeeping, customer service, bug control, etc., until we gave up and left early.
All the old time employees we talked to
agreed that nothing is the same as it was
when the Wilsons were running everything. They were disappointed in the lack
of service and attention to detail.
The bee and wasp problem we
encountered kept us locked inside our
unit. The renovations that were recently
done to the units were not user friendly.
For example, the new dining room table
decoration was so big you couldn’t leave it
on the table and still eat dinner. It was not
only huge, but very heavy, so we put it in a
corner. The new “looped” rug was already
suffering from a “run” from something
catching a loop and pulling it. The TV
wasn’t working, the phone wasn’t on the
wall, there were not enough knives/forks,
and we also had roaches. OLCC no longer
supplied dishcloths to wash the dishes, and
the liquid soap was terrible.
We had to run the gauntlet from the
car to the unit’s door to try not to get stung
by either the bees or wasps. We are in our
70’s and don’t know how many vacations
like this we can handle.
Yes, gone are the good old days when
service and caring for the timeshare owner
was of primary importance. I now realize
why there were signs on Rt. 92 nearby saying, “OLCC week for sale: $2000.”
Upgrading to points? You’ll get
zip. We have been persistent enough to
give back to other points systems all our
interest in their timeshares. I estimate
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we have lost $35,000 in other
point system timeshare give
backs.
Barbara & Fred Lyon
****
To those that want to exchange: beware. Orange Lake
is a huge resort with many
levels. Although our 2003
exchange was a positive one,
it was nowhere near a “gold
crown” level. Our assigned
unit was in the motel type
units just off the highway. Our
primary goal to visit Disney;
with the unit right off the highway it made
transportation very easy.
There was plenty of room for our
family and there was a pool nearby, but
the big pool and recreation area was not
close. There is a lake that is further into
the property and there was a lot or new
construction in progress. Because it is
such a big property, it is probably easy
to exchange into, but the units are not all
equal. If possible, get a map of the property to find out where they are assigning
you. I’m sure that RCI points and weeks
value play into the assignment. I just
don’t want everyone thinking that this is
a perfect exchange.
We have experienced similar exchanges that sound fantastic until we
actually got to the assigned unit.
My priority is the location of the
property not the location of the unit, and
then I’m not disappointed.
Lynda Pallone
****
We have been owners at Orange Lake
for about 20 years, starting out as a weeks
owner of a two-bedroom/two-bath unit.
We have stayed at the Resort several times
and have traded it many other times. The
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resort has been aggressive in continuing
development and improvement. It is
among the very best resorts we have seen
or stayed at. When they shifted to points,
we were invited to a presentation. It was
well and professionally presented, unlike
several others we have suffered through.
We did need to pay more for the points,
but this was not an increase in the cost of
our already-paid-for unit. Instead, we got
a studio unit at Orange Lake in Wisconsin
for a very reasonable price.
We are happy to have the Orange
Lake points because of the transfer program allowing moving unused points to
Holiday Inn Priority Club where they
never expire. We travel frequently and
are able to stay at hotels in the Holiday
Inn system and, with priority status, we
get upgraded to a suite, if available, and
they usually are.
At one time, we were offering out
Orange Lake unit up for sale. Now, with
their points system, and the addition of
additional resorts, we have no intention
of selling it. If only I could say the same
about our Diamond Resorts points!
Jack and Emeline Falke
****
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May/Jun, 2011
We bought our first timeshare
at Orange Lake 15 years ago.
Since the alliance with Holiday
Inns, we have noticed the push
towards conversion to their points
system. At check-in you are
encouraged to attend the update
session in order to receive $40
and some discount golf and other
incentives, plus get back the $30
that is charged to your credit card
to make sure you attend.
Three hours and four sales
people later, you get the impression that being a weeks owner is
not good for the future. To convert to the
new points system, one must purchase
another week or partial week, which can
cost from $5,000 to $30,000 depending
on how good a negotiator you are and the
amount of points you need to be flexible.
There are several levels of this system.
After four hours, we were still unsure, so we went back the next day before
we decided to buy in. Our decision was
based on the ability to use the points for
car rentals, hotel stays and additional
days at 0range Lake Orlando or one of
the new Holiday Inn Orange Lake Resorts
in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Tennessee
or Vermont. We now own a partial week
Geneva Wisconsin, which gives us the the
ability to add a few days to the two weeks
we already own.
Fifteen years ago, Orange Lake was
330 acres and one condo association. It
is now 1400 acres and four condo associations. We have noticed some changes
in maintenance and housekeeping in the
last two years that remind us of hotel
policies. Response to any problem is still
amazingly fast and is followed up with a
phone call. The upgrades to the unit are
still right on time and are beautiful. The
maintenance fees are among the lowest
in Florida.
It seems Points has taken over the
timeshare business everywhere. I feel it
is a new source of revenue for a developer
who has either run out of space to enlarge
or can no longer get the high prices due
to the the amount of giveaway weeks on
the resale market.
The system is very complicated, so
do the research before you buy into points.
It can be rewarding if it works for you.
Sid Strong
****
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Orange Lake Country Club (OLCC),
has nearly everything one can and “has
asked for.” The east property line adjoins
Disney World’s west property line. There
is even a road just north of the property
line which whisks us around the major
traffic of Disney’s main entrances.
Although our children are now all
adults, we still enjoy our home resort more
than any of the other 33 resorts to which
we have now exchanged. If you want to be
active, you can find it here and/or nearby.
If you want peace and quiet you can find
it here too (and nearby).
The property consists of over 1,450
acres. On property, there are 4 golf courses
two 18 hole and two 9 hole – including a
Par3 even night lit! In addition, there are
two 18 hole putt-putt courses. There are
8 tennis courts (6 lighted), a large white
sand beach on an 80 acre lake where one
can rent wave runners, ski boats, canoes
and more. With four villages, there are
swimming pools everywhere, including a
large 1,200-foot “lazy river.” In the West
Village (where we own) there is a huge
and magnificent Clubhouse containing a
theater, restaurants (a total of 10 on property), video game center, quieter gardentype conversational settings, some studio
and one-bedroom units, fitness center (3
on property), all with island-like friendly
staff to be found everywhere.
There are many more I have not mentioned. Let me just say the amenities here
and nearby are nearly endless including
hot air balloon rides, a large Publix grocery store on adjoining property and many
well-known restaurant chains nearby. Oh,
and of course, all those theme parks.
The resort is extremely well kept and
very responsive. The oldest phase, West
Village, where we own, is immaculately
maintained as is the newest phase, River
Island . One can hardly tell the entire property wasn’t built at the same time. There is
a replacement schedule which they follow
without exception, including property
amenities. That includes everything from
the carpet to the tiled roof and everything
in between. The Clubhouse, as well as
the surrounding pool complexes, has been
completely refurbished since we bought
in 1988. Without exception, anytime we
called maintenance (and we have) with
even minor adjustments needed, they were
there right away.
Each year when we receive our
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bill, they include a comparison of our
maintenance fees to more than a dozen
of the most popular area resorts. It would
seem constant oversight and conservation
enables our resort to fall below the midline every year. There has never been
a special assessment, which I believe
attests to excellent business sense and
foresightedness!
Management has always been receptive and responsive. When check-in was
not efficient, they separated owner checkin from guests due to owner comments
like mine which made a huge difference
for both interests. Any question we have
ever had, whether in person at the resort or
by telephone from elsewhere, OLCC has
always been very responsive with answers
and solutions. When OLCC began hearing
all the complaints regarding dealings with
RCI, they initiated a program to eliminate
owners from having to deal with RCI, by
ascertaining what we were looking for
then dealing with RCI directly on our
behalf. The process has since been greatly
refined and has further refinements to take
place in the near future.
Like most other timeshare resorts,
OLCC has always asked owners to attend a private conversation concerning
property updates, etc. Of course this is
always with a licensed sales rep. In the 23
years we’ve owned there, we have never
had to endure a high pressure “hard sell.”
If all we want is an update, then that’s all
we get, even when it takes some time to
update us. When we attended the update
in 2007, the rep explained the point conversion system, its purported benefits, and
costs. In the end, we agreed on purchasing
a nominal number of points which allowed
us to convert both our weeks to points and
access the industry’s point system. Of
course, they would have much preferred
we purchase another week within their
point system, but they were amenable to
a price far below other purported conversions offered by other resorts. As I will
point out later, we have not regretted this
at all.
Orange Lake Country Club was
founded by Kemmons Wilson, the founder
of the Holiday Inn hotel chain. According
to what we were told at the time of our first
purchase, Mr. Wilson’s business interests
turned to the development of Orange Lake
Country Club as a world class timeshare
resort, when he sold his interests in the
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Holiday Inn hotel chain for personal
health reasons. It was primarily due
to Wilson’s association with OLCC
that we felt comfortable enough
to purchase three of the four timeshares we now own. NOTE: the odd
timeshare out was to gain access to
Interval International which we have
utilized and enjoyed.
We purchased our first timeshare
week in 1988. We purchased our
second week in 1992. In 2007, in order to convert from weeks to points,
we purchased a nominal number of
points. Orange Lake was considerate enough of us as longtime owners to
allow us to do so with a reasonable buyin price.
By the time we purchased the point
conversion, we had grown very dissatisfied with attempts to obtain exchanges
from RCI. The stories reported by your
readers over the years are the same problems we encountered. We were at the
point of “throwing in the towel” (one of
the reasons we bought into an II affiliated
resort). A difference started to emerge
when Orange Lake made arrangements
with RCI to expand our choices beyond
what was indicated in RCI’s online system. Things did improve, but were still
barely satisfactory.
The most significant change took
place when Orange Lake Country Club
developed associations with the Holiday
Inn Hotel chain through Intercontinental
Hotels Group. With this new partnership,
the flexibility of using points under the
new timeshare name of Holiday Inn Club
Vacations has renewed our interest in and
love of timeshare.
We have wanted to visit San Francisco, CA for some time. The problem
which has always stopped us was that we
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could never get a resort in San Francisco
or even near it. This summer, we have now
made arrangements to stay at the Holiday
Inn at Fisherman’s Wharf for 6 days by
using our points through HICV and the
IHG hotel chain. Problem solved again
thanks to HICV and their partnership with
IHG hotels! So, I used a little more than a
week’s worth of points to do this, but now
we’ll stay in the heart of San Francisco for
one day less than a full week. With their
system, I could have stayed a full 5 days
for about the same number of points as one
of our week’s point values. I could also
have chosen a less expensive hotel from
the 7 brands within the ICG ownership
portfolio for fewer points.
“Weeks only” owners could only
trade their week for another full week.
With points, we have the opportunity to
divide our week down or up to spend just
the number of days we desire. In January
2012, we have already made arrangements to trade our two two-bedroom units
(including the nominal conversion points
purchased) for 5 consecutive weeks in a
one-bedroom unit at our home resort, and
still have points left over. How flexible
is that! Like unused “weeks,” unused
May/Jun, 2011
“points” can be carried over from
the previous year. In an attempt to
assist weeks owners to have access to the larger selection offered
to points members in RCI, HICV
has developed a program called
“GlobalChoice.” This program has
some restrictions, but does not require purchase of additional points to
convert into their points program. I
believe this provides clear support to
the notion that HICV and the Wilson
family as developers are willing to
do what is necessary to bring back
much of what has been lost in the
timeshare industry and with numerous
improvements and accommodations.
Their program allows owners of eligible
RCI Weeks affiliated resorts to turn those
weeks into Holiday Inn Club Points.
I’m not prepared to purvey the attitude that points are for everyone. Everyone
needs to make the decision of conversion
based upon how one wants to use their
timeshares, how flexible they want it to
be, and above all else, what it’s going to
cost! Thank goodness the Wilson family,
which put the interests of their owners
on a level par with their own and made it
reasonable for us to make the change. The
result is a win-win for all involved. To be
fair, Orange Lake weeks owners should
keep in mind the conversion price paid in
2007 and the conversion price per point
today likely has changed from what we
paid 4 years ago.
It’s easy to understand why OLCC
has consistently been at the top of your
ranked resorts. If it sounds like owning
points in Holiday Inn Club Vacations has
renewed our love of timesharing, well I
guess it has!
Don Shepard, Champaign, IL
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