16% increase in Concierge points!

[tvwalsh]

We are staying at the American Club in Kohler this weekend. It cost $75 to make the reservation and 106 points for Friday and Saturday nights.

In 2004, it will cost $95 to make the reservation and 124 points!

That is quite an increase!

 

[Deb & Bill]

That's why we use our points at DVC resorts. Those points are pretty much fixed.

 

[1SickPupe]

Thanks for the heads up! We were going to look into The American Club, but now I think it's pretty much off the list.

 

[michaeln]

While I feel for everyone else I bought in just to visit Disney twice a year. LOL So it doesn't really matter that much to me.

Welllll. I take that back. One day we will want to sell the membership when we don't want to go to Disney anymore and if those points go up to much it could make it hard to sell.

Hrmm something to think about.

 

[dianeschlicht]

THe Concierge collection will tend to change on the whim of the resort you would be trading into. That is why Disney collection points change each year too. DVC must contract with each resort outside of its system. The price will vary each year, and thus the points needed for those exchanges will vary as well. DVC is best used for DVC ressies. That doesn't mean I would never do an exchange, but the only exchanges we have done was for Hawaii, and that was a straight II exchange. Those points are much more reasonable. I think the Concierge and Disney collection points are exhorbitant. Besides, you only get a hotel room that way, and with DVC or a II exchange, you will get a full timeshare unit. No comparison in value to my mind!

 

[dcfromva]

Originally posted by tvwalsh
We are staying at the American Club in Kohler this weekend. It cost $75 to make the reservation and 106 points for Friday and Saturday nights.

In 2004, it will cost $95 to make the reservation and 124 points!

That is quite an increase!

What kind of a room do you get for that?

-DC

 

[joepoe]

You don't state what kind of ressies you got. Rates go from 300-700 per night for two people, and this does not include the spa packages.

...but 17% year to year is a lot. I wonder how much it has gone ups in the last five years, that is a more telling comparison. Anyone have a point chart from 1998 or so???

 

[dianeschlicht]

In 2000 the points for a Friday and Saturday stay was 45 points per night at the Am. Club.

 

[PamOKW]

I'm not seeing the drastic rise in points. A weekend night in October this year is 43 points for Standard and 53 points for Deluxe. In 2004, it's 45 points for Standard and 53 points for Deluxe. For comparison, in 2001 we could only book Standard rooms. The cost in October was 45 points for a Standard room. The points actuallly went down from 2001 to 2003 and are now going back up to the same level for 2004.

The $95 fee has already taken effect for any new reservations or changes to existing reservations.

 

[joepoe]

So at $10 a point, 106 points for a two night stay is $1,060 plus $95. Pretty comparable to what the Deluxe room goes for.

 

[PamOKW]

The rates posted on the hotel's website through 10/31/03 are $299 per night Fri-Sat for a Standard Double and $370 per night for the Deluxe Double. With tax a Fri-Sat night stay is $657.80 (86 points) or $814.00 (106 points).

The $95 fee is especially annoying/troubling for short stays. Adding $95 for one or two nights makes one want to consider what it would cost to book a hotel purely with a cash discount. Spread over a longer stay, it's not so consequential.

 

[PamOKW]

TV Walsh -- I'm looking at the numbers again. Why will it cost you 124 points for next year?

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

3 possibilites:

The CC resorts are just following Disneys lead and gouging DVCers the same way we're gouged for a DC or DCL exchange.

OR

CRO increased their "take" of the point pie (i.e. handling fee) and the CC resort really didn't increase the dollar amount they charge DVC.

OR

Any combination of the above.


The price paid for traded in points is dictated by Disney, what is it now, $4-5/pt? If CRO rents out your DVC room at rack rate (or even at a big discount), they make a lot of extra cash on the transaction.

 

[tvwalsh]

The rate in a deluxe room for Friday and Saturday is 62 points per night during the highest point time. I am comparing oranges to oranges!

 

[PamOKW]

I don't think you can compare the cost of staying at two different times of the year and raise the question of an "increase". The increase is coming because of a decision by you to stay at a different time of year this year vs. next year. You mention you are staying there this weekend. If you stayed a weekend in October 2004 your only increase would be the increase in the fee.

The actual increases for Deluxe weekends using the three American Club seasons are pretty minimal:

2003 -- 40/53/60
2004 -- 44/53/62

The increases are 10%, 0% and 3%. (This doesn't include the fee increase from $75 to $95). It would be interesting to know what the cash increases are from 2003 to 2004 at the American Club by season.

There is info on the cash rates. They are only broken into Summer (5/1-10/31/03) and Winter (11/1-4/30/04) and there is no different weekend vs. weekday price in the rack rates. The rate for the Standard Room (double) and Deluxe Room (double) for "Winter" are $212 and $253 (plus 10% tax). The "Summer" Rates are $299 and $370 (plus 10% tax).

 

[tvwalsh]

I am comparing the highest point cost in 2003 with the highest point cost in 2004.

I am not comparing different times or nights.

 

[PamOKW]

The highest night in 2003 is 60 points. In 2004, it's 62 points. My math skills aren't the greatest but isn't that a 3% increase vs. a 16% increase?

The fee we pay for many of the trades went up 27% but, technically, that occured this year.

I'm not arguing, I just don't see the 16% and I'm wondering if you or I have something wrong on our chart.

I took your original post as meaning you would be at American Club Fri-Sat 10/24-25/2003 at a cost of 106 points. If you want to visit again on Fri-Sat 10/22-23/2004 (essentially the same weekend) it will cost you 106 points. I don't see the increase you mention.