We made a purchase recently to get more points as it seems we never have enough...then we tried to use those points and couldn't! We waited until January to be able to use them and called immediately to do so and still need more points! IT IS A MONOPOLY! They tell you a certain number of points is what is required to get certain reservations. BUT when you have those points now it costs more!?* WE ARE DONE!
We have attempted to contact Holiday Inn and third parties regarding rental and resale. When we made our purchase of the timeshare it was expressly agreed that the timeshare would impact our credit in a positive way as it would provide a rental income opportunity.
After the first vacation we took the maintenance fees went up, the website is not user friendly and always requires a call which can take hours of your time to just be told there are no available dates or locations. The points are supposed to be usable for flights, car rentals and shopping, however we were told that was not true and that only special memberships allow for that.
We feel we have been lied to and have no options as we aren’t “special” members with “special” privileges. We have points but cannot use them, time but can’t get reservations, and continually get calls about fees, increased fees, and penalties.
Why should we pay fees when we cannot use the points?
We purchased our unit in Fox River IL and was told during a visit there that we must upgrade to get better units. The units at Fox River were very ‘used’ and not big enough to accommodate our family. We were told we needed to upgrade to get what we wanted. We were shown a presidential suite which was what we decided to purchase. We booked our first stay and used the suite and were very happy.
When we tried calling back the next year to do this again we were told we didn’t have enough points to get the suite. We did not understand this and as we have again tried to make reservations we are told we need 300,000 points to get the suite. We understood that we had purchased the suite and therefore could use it each year regardless of points. The points were to travel to other locations outside of our home resort.
If we have to have 300,000 points, we would have to save points and not take a vacation for three years to do so. This is not right and this is not what we were told. We purchased the suite and there was no discussion that we had to have a certain number of points to use it. Please correct this misunderstanding and contact us regarding our ability to make the reservation for the suite we purchased.
If we cannot get the suite due to not having enough points, we do not want to be owners. We can get the suite online without Holiday Inn or points. We can also book it on the days we want without Holiday Inn and the points online. The sole reason we purchased the suite was to use it each year and accommodate our family. If this cannot happen then we want to no longer be owners.
We would love to continue our ownership and take vacations however even though we have reported the last few issues to the front desk, in surveys and to the management, nothing has been done. We are wondering if any action has been taken to fix the issues we endured.
Galveston: I caught and killed cockroaches and took them to the front desk. This was in the morning. The front desk didn’t seem concerned and did not have anyone to come spray the room until late evening.
Galveston: The bathtub was shaky and the plumbing was obviously malfunctioning as the kitchen had a grotesque smell and again, obvious signs of little to no cleaning.
Las Vegas: Thin walls and floors that allowed the slightest sound to disturb us as well as poor electrical systems as turning on all the lights in the room would trip the circuit and take hours for someone to repair.
These issues are unacceptable and as they were reported we would expect they were handled. However, we do not wish to experience them again. We want guarantees that Holiday Inn has addressed these issues and if we continue to book reservations at these resorts that we will not be exposed to these issues again.
Since making our complaints known in writing, we have still not been contacted about these resorts being updated or changed.
We have been owners for some time now and have enjoyed many vacations with Holiday Inn. However, there are a few things that have created a negative feeling for us in regard to our overall experience. Over the past few years, we have been pushed and/or told the meetings are a required part of ownership when taking a vacation. Even if we request not to attend it is implied that there is not a choice.
The cost of ownership is continuing to rise each year and as we are planning our retirement, it is not something we see that we will be able to afford or use in the future. These costs include the booking fees, maintenance fees, and exchange fees etc. As for the maintaining of the units, we have stayed in some newer resort locations but have also stayed in some units that are in dire need of repairs and updating.
We would like to inquire about the ownership options available to us regarding buyback and/or resale. We understood that Holiday Inn has programs for owners who are unable to maintain or no longer desire ownership. We have asked for someone to contact us but Holiday Inn has not responded about anything but payments.
We are contacting corporate Holiday Inn as a way to bring some things to light that are causing more than a few raised eyebrows and stress for owners at their resorts.
We initially made a purchase after a grueling five-hour meeting where it was obvious we were not leaving unless we ‘made a deal’. We made a deal after emphatically saying no to the hounding managers and salesmen only because we felt it was our only choice. We have made our best efforts to use the ownership and remain in good standing.
We were not aware of the maintenance fees as they were never mentioned and that first bill was shocking. Of course, when we inquired about it, we were told WE must have misunderstood and that we should have covered that information in our contract.
Like we mentioned, we have done our best to use the ownership since there was no way out of owning it. No matter how far in advance we call to book a reservation there is always a problem which causes us to compromise or simply not use it at all.
During our every vacation we have been met with issues beginning at check-in which causes so much stress and feelings of not even wanting to use Holiday Inn. We wait long periods to check-in and then are told we have to go to another desk after hours of travel to get the parking pass. We then have to fight with these people to simply get the parking pass and go to our room. The amount of rude behavior and abrupt reactions when we say NO, we are not attending a presentation, is ridiculous and should be recorded and watched by millions on social media.
It often will take 20 minutes or more to convince these front desk salesmen to give you the parking pass and that you are not attending the “update”. It isn’t an update of information it is a sales meeting where they simply are interested in getting more money and wasting your time.
On top of this very stressful problem that Holiday Inn obviously promotes, we do not have to attend the meeting as we have already paid for the room and time. We stated we were not attending and finally get the parking pass. We also ask not to be disturbed regarding the meetings. We go to our room to relax and begin our vacation. EVERY TIME, regardless of our request for DO NOT DISTURB, we receive a call to the room at 6 AM. Its not a wake-up call or a call because there is an emergency, no, its a call from the front desk about the meeting we stated less than 8 hours ago we were NOT attending. We ask again NOT TO BE DISTURBED. A few hours later before breakfast has even become a reality there is a knock at the door. Again, it’s not housekeeping, it’s not an emergency, it’s a front desk salesman putting his foot in the door insisting we go with him downstairs for a meeting!
This problem needs to be fixed! Furthermore, during our stay at Oak n Spruce we were astonished at the condition of the unit we stayed in. The furniture was filthy and showed visbile stains and tears. The shower and tub would not drain water and you had to stand in ankle deep water while trying to take a very quick shower. The floors had large cracks and soft spots and the rooms were not insulated well for sound as we made several calls to the front desk about the room and the noise above us. Nothing was done, nothing was fixed, we were just ignored.
The maintenance fees continue to rise each year and we continue to become more and more stressed with the idea of being harassed during a vacation rather than getting to RELAX.
Since bringing all of this to corporate's attention, we have heard nothing nor have we been contacted. The only calls we receive are to ask for payments or making reservations for $25. We are continually ignored.
During a vacation we took in 2016 at one of our favorite resorts, Ron Jon’s Cape Caribe, we were told at the front desk that it was mandatory that we attend a 60-minute presentation as Holiday Inn had acquired the resort and we needed to receive information regarding the merger.
We declined but were then told it was not an option if we planned to stay. We left our children in the room and went to the presentation. After it was over we went to a room where we were then hounded for the next five hours about the point system. We were told we had to convert to the points system to continue using the ownership.
We have taken one vacation over the last three years with Holiday Inn due to the repeated calls and harassment we experience each time we are able to book a reservation. We do not plan to ever book a vacation again as it seems with each stay the meetings are mandatory, there are more and more fees for anything and everything, and there are more people there to tour the facility rather than owners enjoying what they are paying for.
The resorts have become weekend money makers for teams of salesmen hoping to make a large commission by convincing people they must have what the resort offers. The reality is that the ownership actually provides very little to owners as the costs to even use the amenities on site are not even included.
We would like to exercise our rights as owners and sell the timeshare back to Holiday Inn as was stated in the presentation. We no longer wish to be owners and are ready to divest. Since contacting Holiday Inn we have been told we cannot divest it unless we hire someone else to sell it or give it away. To do any of that however, it has to be paid in full!
I made a purchase of points as I and my son were of the understanding that the week purchased many years earlier with Silverleaf was almost unusable and or prohibited future stays and options as the new system had changed to points. The purchase I made of 120,000 points has not lent us any better experiences nor has it allowed for a guaranteed week as the Silverleaf contract did. Furthermore, we made the purchase in IL and were not informed that the property or points would be deeded in TX.
The fees for this timeshare have only risen even though I was told they would not. My son signed as a member-only to use the ownership but has been contacted as an owner and is listed on the deed as a co-owner being liable for the loan. I relied upon the representations of the company and its agents during the meeting regarding the points. I also relied upon the word of the agents that day that my son was not to be a co-owner or liable for the loan in which he is. I was tricked and deceived by quick talkers and am not happy with the services or the actions of the agents.
I am asking that Holiday Inn Vacations Club remove my son and or retain the contract as I am willing to relinquish it completely. I am willing to work with Holiday Inn but I will not be making any further payments until a resolution can be agreed upon. Holiday Inn has not tried to contact me to work out the contract issues. They do call almost daily if not more to ask for payments.
In September of 2018, I received notice of a "new member's meeting” that would be held at Canyon Lake Hill Country Resort, San Marcos, TX. This meeting was to help new owners understand how the timeshare works and answer any questions that we may have.
The pictures of the location were very pretty and I thought it would be a nice trip, as my husband had recently starting having health issues, but mainly because I didn't understand how everything worked when it came to using the points, especially, how to trade them when the resort isn't owned by Holiday Inn.
I paid $199.00 over the phone for the reservation for our three day, two night stay. Upon checking in, we had to pay an additional, unexpected fee of $19.90. The two bedroom, two bath condo was right on the corner by the entrance of the resort with a "great" view of the office entrance. The lake was nowhere in sight. The outdoor deck was right on the front of the condo, meaning that every car that came and went, passed right by us, giving no privacy whatsoever.
Inside, the condo had obviously just undergone renovations, we saw several places that had been left unpainted, the light switches were in odd places and hard to find, the tv was not easy to turn on and the phone did not work, meaning if we had a question or an emergency, we would have to go to the front desk. The towel bars in the bathrooms fell off the wall with the slightest touch, and the smoke alarm wouldn't have worked if the place had been on fire, because all it did was chirp very loudly for a very long time. We did go to the front desk about the chirping but because we couldn't get anyone to replace the battery in it, we finally removed the battery ourselves.
There was no coffee maker in the room. We walked to the front desk and were told someone would bring a coffee machine right over. It never happened so on the last morning that we were there, we walked back to the office and stood there until they went and found a coffee pot. We attempted to eat at the restaurant at the resort and were greeted with the same soured service as the front desk, very underwhelming. It was literally one of the worst meals we have ever eaten.
One evening while we were attempting to enjoy the night air on the deck where all of the traffic seemingly passed by, a woman was shouting as if she were in trouble. The room phone didn’t work, and the internet and cell phone service was so bad we couldn’t get a call to connect so we went to the front desk for help. After pounding on an office door a security guard emerged and then went to see what was going on. He later reported it was a domestic dispute and that it had been “handled”. The lack of response and aid was astonishing as if we had had a real emergency the attempt to get help would have been futile and fatal.
We were scheduled for our meeting the day after we arrived. We had no idea where the meeting was to be held, and went to the main office, thinking it would be there. They gave us written instructions on how to get to the meeting. After driving all over the resort, we went back to the office for verbal instructions. Come to find out, the meeting wasn't even at the resort. We went to a building that had no signs or indication it could be the right place. Once we went inside, a very bubbly and happy woman showed us through a display of several pictures of locations that were available to stay. Of course, the more points you owned, the more beautiful the resorts with tons of amenities. She also showed us some graphs and charts that were not too different from the ones in the book that we had been given when we bought the timeshare.
As it ends up, that was the extent of the “training” on how to use our points.
This was not a "New Member's Meeting". The lady pushed us to buy more points and after I emphatically told her NO, we would NOT buy more because we didn't want to buy the one that we had, she became sullen and almost rude.
Needless to say, we did not enjoy our trip to San Marcos! We are bringing this incident to the attention of the managers and supervisors as we went with the intention of being educated on how to use the timeshare not buy more points. We feel that it was false advertising and want to be given the information we came for which is how to make the points work for us. We don’t need more points to learn how to use the points we have. We want the information we came for to know how to use what we have. Holiday Inn has not reached out to us regarding our experience or our requests for the information. They have called us multiple times a day regarding payments.
We purchased a timeshare at Orange Lake Country Club Villas in Orlando on March 18, 2015. We were solicited by someone at the hotel and encouraged to attend a pitch before our vacation ended for $100.00.
We did not get to see the unit we purchased because it was occupied. We were shown a similar unit as well as several other more lavish units that could be available to us with the appropriate points. The points could be purchased or obtained for referrals. We were shown how each referral could allow us to gain more and more points which would allow us to book more and more nights and or vacations.
Since 2015 we have attempted to schedule a vacation in our unit each year. Regardless of calling and speaking to someone or using the online system, there is nothing available on the dates that are convenient for us. We have even attempted using RCI which was supposed to give us even more options, but, alas, that program too has failed to provide anything.
We are disappointed to say the least and as of recent years Daniel has become disabled and I am solely his caretaker and am still working. We are just not able to use it even if we could get the dates we wanted. The unfortunate part is that we have paid for it for four years and have never seen the unit we purchased.
We are requesting that Holiday Inn provide the promised services regarding the ownership’s return and the possible recouping of our monies for a property that we have never seen.
I called to book a room at Holiday Inn. I was told I was being forwarded to a reward program but was sent to a time share rip off pitch instead. I got a high pressure sales pitch to come to a time share sales pitch at a later date.
Before I had the full details about all the dates that were blocked and before I had a reservation for a date, I stupidly agreed to the $200 fee. Now the company will not refund the fee even though I have not made a reservation for a stay with them and have explained that I have no interest in purchasing a time share.
I have learned an expensive lesson...and booked with Holiday Inn for the very last time. I see there are numerous reports of similar experiences dating back to 2013. This is an ongoing problem. I am surprised Holiday Inn is not suffering and suggest shorting the company since it is likely this will catch up with them sooner or later.
I called Holiday Inn to get hep using my "points and cash" option. After the call ended the assistant told me that they "want[ed] to offer ...[me] a free night at one of our hotels" and "would...[I] be interested?" So she switched me to another line where a man came on and began to describe how I was among the elite group of only 5% of callers chosen & how all their hotels had been recently updated to a more modern look. And began to offer me a "3-night/4-night" stay at a number of places for the cost of $249 (200 of which would be refunded after we listened to a 2 hour presentation). After failing to meet the minimum $50,000 income requirement, he told me I was not eligible.
I, then, asked him about the "free night stay" the first rep had enticed me with before switching me to this sales rep. He said that the "one free night" was actually the sales pitched which he had just given me to purchase 3 nights.
This is, in my mind, a classic bait & switch sales ploy! I received bupkis! Thankfully, it only cost me 15 minutes of my life.
I own a carpet cleaning company I was hired to clean the motel the lobby offices all the rooms in the hotel and do some repairs I was hired by the manager Ramon but in the process of doing the work he hired me he relocated to another motel and a guy under him named David took over his position David is very unprofessional at his job that he does he was very rude to me and my employer after completing the job he only wanted to pay me half I did not accept the money I was going to go to the owner Simon of the Holiday Inn but I didn't know how to go about it because I am SMI which is bipolar I felt a little intimidated by him I tried calling several times I tried dealing with his managers under him Rodney and one of the house cleaners Head house cleaners there I think her name is Sherry anyways we were eating at a Mexican food restaurant a few months afterwards and he had walked in with some of his employees and I'd noticed him sitting next to us and I finally went up to ask him if we was ever going to take care of the bill he told me to kiss his a*s that he wasn't going to give me nothing and that one of my employees that I had work in there was a dumbass and didn't know what he was doing and he was a drug addict the person I had working with me was autistic and schizophrenia that I had working with me which is also SMI which means severely mentally ill all I'm asking for is him to pay me for what I have cleaned and repaired I don't know how to go about any other ways of doing this but if you help me I greatly appreciate it so I remembered a good friend of mine Robert Schmidt his brother Mike Schmidt was a cameraman for channel 3 news and has been many years I have also cleaned some former employees will not say their names but if you please contact me my phone number is ***-***-**** and my name is Damon thank you
Holiday Inn Reviews
We made a purchase recently to get more points as it seems we never have enough...then we tried to use those points and couldn't! We waited until January to be able to use them and called immediately to do so and still need more points! IT IS A MONOPOLY! They tell you a certain number of points is what is required to get certain reservations. BUT when you have those points now it costs more!?* WE ARE DONE!
We have attempted to contact Holiday Inn and third parties regarding rental and resale. When we made our purchase of the timeshare it was expressly agreed that the timeshare would impact our credit in a positive way as it would provide a rental income opportunity.
After the first vacation we took the maintenance fees went up, the website is not user friendly and always requires a call which can take hours of your time to just be told there are no available dates or locations. The points are supposed to be usable for flights, car rentals and shopping, however we were told that was not true and that only special memberships allow for that.
We feel we have been lied to and have no options as we aren’t “special” members with “special” privileges. We have points but cannot use them, time but can’t get reservations, and continually get calls about fees, increased fees, and penalties.
Why should we pay fees when we cannot use the points?
We purchased our unit in Fox River IL and was told during a visit there that we must upgrade to get better units. The units at Fox River were very ‘used’ and not big enough to accommodate our family. We were told we needed to upgrade to get what we wanted. We were shown a presidential suite which was what we decided to purchase. We booked our first stay and used the suite and were very happy.
When we tried calling back the next year to do this again we were told we didn’t have enough points to get the suite. We did not understand this and as we have again tried to make reservations we are told we need 300,000 points to get the suite. We understood that we had purchased the suite and therefore could use it each year regardless of points. The points were to travel to other locations outside of our home resort.
If we have to have 300,000 points, we would have to save points and not take a vacation for three years to do so. This is not right and this is not what we were told. We purchased the suite and there was no discussion that we had to have a certain number of points to use it. Please correct this misunderstanding and contact us regarding our ability to make the reservation for the suite we purchased.
If we cannot get the suite due to not having enough points, we do not want to be owners. We can get the suite online without Holiday Inn or points. We can also book it on the days we want without Holiday Inn and the points online. The sole reason we purchased the suite was to use it each year and accommodate our family. If this cannot happen then we want to no longer be owners.
We would love to continue our ownership and take vacations however even though we have reported the last few issues to the front desk, in surveys and to the management, nothing has been done. We are wondering if any action has been taken to fix the issues we endured.
Galveston: I caught and killed cockroaches and took them to the front desk. This was in the morning. The front desk didn’t seem concerned and did not have anyone to come spray the room until late evening.
Galveston: The bathtub was shaky and the plumbing was obviously malfunctioning as the kitchen had a grotesque smell and again, obvious signs of little to no cleaning.
Las Vegas: Thin walls and floors that allowed the slightest sound to disturb us as well as poor electrical systems as turning on all the lights in the room would trip the circuit and take hours for someone to repair.
These issues are unacceptable and as they were reported we would expect they were handled. However, we do not wish to experience them again. We want guarantees that Holiday Inn has addressed these issues and if we continue to book reservations at these resorts that we will not be exposed to these issues again.
Since making our complaints known in writing, we have still not been contacted about these resorts being updated or changed.
We have been owners for some time now and have enjoyed many vacations with Holiday Inn. However, there are a few things that have created a negative feeling for us in regard to our overall experience. Over the past few years, we have been pushed and/or told the meetings are a required part of ownership when taking a vacation. Even if we request not to attend it is implied that there is not a choice.
The cost of ownership is continuing to rise each year and as we are planning our retirement, it is not something we see that we will be able to afford or use in the future. These costs include the booking fees, maintenance fees, and exchange fees etc. As for the maintaining of the units, we have stayed in some newer resort locations but have also stayed in some units that are in dire need of repairs and updating.
We would like to inquire about the ownership options available to us regarding buyback and/or resale. We understood that Holiday Inn has programs for owners who are unable to maintain or no longer desire ownership. We have asked for someone to contact us but Holiday Inn has not responded about anything but payments.
We are contacting corporate Holiday Inn as a way to bring some things to light that are causing more than a few raised eyebrows and stress for owners at their resorts.
We initially made a purchase after a grueling five-hour meeting where it was obvious we were not leaving unless we ‘made a deal’. We made a deal after emphatically saying no to the hounding managers and salesmen only because we felt it was our only choice. We have made our best efforts to use the ownership and remain in good standing.
We were not aware of the maintenance fees as they were never mentioned and that first bill was shocking. Of course, when we inquired about it, we were told WE must have misunderstood and that we should have covered that information in our contract.
Like we mentioned, we have done our best to use the ownership since there was no way out of owning it. No matter how far in advance we call to book a reservation there is always a problem which causes us to compromise or simply not use it at all.
During our every vacation we have been met with issues beginning at check-in which causes so much stress and feelings of not even wanting to use Holiday Inn. We wait long periods to check-in and then are told we have to go to another desk after hours of travel to get the parking pass. We then have to fight with these people to simply get the parking pass and go to our room. The amount of rude behavior and abrupt reactions when we say NO, we are not attending a presentation, is ridiculous and should be recorded and watched by millions on social media.
It often will take 20 minutes or more to convince these front desk salesmen to give you the parking pass and that you are not attending the “update”. It isn’t an update of information it is a sales meeting where they simply are interested in getting more money and wasting your time.
On top of this very stressful problem that Holiday Inn obviously promotes, we do not have to attend the meeting as we have already paid for the room and time. We stated we were not attending and finally get the parking pass. We also ask not to be disturbed regarding the meetings. We go to our room to relax and begin our vacation. EVERY TIME, regardless of our request for DO NOT DISTURB, we receive a call to the room at 6 AM. Its not a wake-up call or a call because there is an emergency, no, its a call from the front desk about the meeting we stated less than 8 hours ago we were NOT attending. We ask again NOT TO BE DISTURBED. A few hours later before breakfast has even become a reality there is a knock at the door. Again, it’s not housekeeping, it’s not an emergency, it’s a front desk salesman putting his foot in the door insisting we go with him downstairs for a meeting!
This problem needs to be fixed! Furthermore, during our stay at Oak n Spruce we were astonished at the condition of the unit we stayed in. The furniture was filthy and showed visbile stains and tears. The shower and tub would not drain water and you had to stand in ankle deep water while trying to take a very quick shower. The floors had large cracks and soft spots and the rooms were not insulated well for sound as we made several calls to the front desk about the room and the noise above us. Nothing was done, nothing was fixed, we were just ignored.
The maintenance fees continue to rise each year and we continue to become more and more stressed with the idea of being harassed during a vacation rather than getting to RELAX.
Since bringing all of this to corporate's attention, we have heard nothing nor have we been contacted. The only calls we receive are to ask for payments or making reservations for $25. We are continually ignored.
During a vacation we took in 2016 at one of our favorite resorts, Ron Jon’s Cape Caribe, we were told at the front desk that it was mandatory that we attend a 60-minute presentation as Holiday Inn had acquired the resort and we needed to receive information regarding the merger.
We declined but were then told it was not an option if we planned to stay. We left our children in the room and went to the presentation. After it was over we went to a room where we were then hounded for the next five hours about the point system. We were told we had to convert to the points system to continue using the ownership.
We have taken one vacation over the last three years with Holiday Inn due to the repeated calls and harassment we experience each time we are able to book a reservation. We do not plan to ever book a vacation again as it seems with each stay the meetings are mandatory, there are more and more fees for anything and everything, and there are more people there to tour the facility rather than owners enjoying what they are paying for.
The resorts have become weekend money makers for teams of salesmen hoping to make a large commission by convincing people they must have what the resort offers. The reality is that the ownership actually provides very little to owners as the costs to even use the amenities on site are not even included.
We would like to exercise our rights as owners and sell the timeshare back to Holiday Inn as was stated in the presentation. We no longer wish to be owners and are ready to divest. Since contacting Holiday Inn we have been told we cannot divest it unless we hire someone else to sell it or give it away. To do any of that however, it has to be paid in full!
I made a purchase of points as I and my son were of the understanding that the week purchased many years earlier with Silverleaf was almost unusable and or prohibited future stays and options as the new system had changed to points. The purchase I made of 120,000 points has not lent us any better experiences nor has it allowed for a guaranteed week as the Silverleaf contract did. Furthermore, we made the purchase in IL and were not informed that the property or points would be deeded in TX.
The fees for this timeshare have only risen even though I was told they would not. My son signed as a member-only to use the ownership but has been contacted as an owner and is listed on the deed as a co-owner being liable for the loan. I relied upon the representations of the company and its agents during the meeting regarding the points. I also relied upon the word of the agents that day that my son was not to be a co-owner or liable for the loan in which he is. I was tricked and deceived by quick talkers and am not happy with the services or the actions of the agents.
I am asking that Holiday Inn Vacations Club remove my son and or retain the contract as I am willing to relinquish it completely. I am willing to work with Holiday Inn but I will not be making any further payments until a resolution can be agreed upon. Holiday Inn has not tried to contact me to work out the contract issues. They do call almost daily if not more to ask for payments.
In September of 2018, I received notice of a "new member's meeting” that would be held at Canyon Lake Hill Country Resort, San Marcos, TX. This meeting was to help new owners understand how the timeshare works and answer any questions that we may have.
The pictures of the location were very pretty and I thought it would be a nice trip, as my husband had recently starting having health issues, but mainly because I didn't understand how everything worked when it came to using the points, especially, how to trade them when the resort isn't owned by Holiday Inn.
I paid $199.00 over the phone for the reservation for our three day, two night stay. Upon checking in, we had to pay an additional, unexpected fee of $19.90. The two bedroom, two bath condo was right on the corner by the entrance of the resort with a "great" view of the office entrance. The lake was nowhere in sight. The outdoor deck was right on the front of the condo, meaning that every car that came and went, passed right by us, giving no privacy whatsoever.
Inside, the condo had obviously just undergone renovations, we saw several places that had been left unpainted, the light switches were in odd places and hard to find, the tv was not easy to turn on and the phone did not work, meaning if we had a question or an emergency, we would have to go to the front desk. The towel bars in the bathrooms fell off the wall with the slightest touch, and the smoke alarm wouldn't have worked if the place had been on fire, because all it did was chirp very loudly for a very long time. We did go to the front desk about the chirping but because we couldn't get anyone to replace the battery in it, we finally removed the battery ourselves.
There was no coffee maker in the room. We walked to the front desk and were told someone would bring a coffee machine right over. It never happened so on the last morning that we were there, we walked back to the office and stood there until they went and found a coffee pot. We attempted to eat at the restaurant at the resort and were greeted with the same soured service as the front desk, very underwhelming. It was literally one of the worst meals we have ever eaten.
One evening while we were attempting to enjoy the night air on the deck where all of the traffic seemingly passed by, a woman was shouting as if she were in trouble. The room phone didn’t work, and the internet and cell phone service was so bad we couldn’t get a call to connect so we went to the front desk for help. After pounding on an office door a security guard emerged and then went to see what was going on. He later reported it was a domestic dispute and that it had been “handled”. The lack of response and aid was astonishing as if we had had a real emergency the attempt to get help would have been futile and fatal.
We were scheduled for our meeting the day after we arrived. We had no idea where the meeting was to be held, and went to the main office, thinking it would be there. They gave us written instructions on how to get to the meeting. After driving all over the resort, we went back to the office for verbal instructions. Come to find out, the meeting wasn't even at the resort. We went to a building that had no signs or indication it could be the right place. Once we went inside, a very bubbly and happy woman showed us through a display of several pictures of locations that were available to stay. Of course, the more points you owned, the more beautiful the resorts with tons of amenities. She also showed us some graphs and charts that were not too different from the ones in the book that we had been given when we bought the timeshare.
As it ends up, that was the extent of the “training” on how to use our points.
This was not a "New Member's Meeting". The lady pushed us to buy more points and after I emphatically told her NO, we would NOT buy more because we didn't want to buy the one that we had, she became sullen and almost rude.
Needless to say, we did not enjoy our trip to San Marcos! We are bringing this incident to the attention of the managers and supervisors as we went with the intention of being educated on how to use the timeshare not buy more points. We feel that it was false advertising and want to be given the information we came for which is how to make the points work for us. We don’t need more points to learn how to use the points we have. We want the information we came for to know how to use what we have. Holiday Inn has not reached out to us regarding our experience or our requests for the information. They have called us multiple times a day regarding payments.
We purchased a timeshare at Orange Lake Country Club Villas in Orlando on March 18, 2015. We were solicited by someone at the hotel and encouraged to attend a pitch before our vacation ended for $100.00.
We did not get to see the unit we purchased because it was occupied. We were shown a similar unit as well as several other more lavish units that could be available to us with the appropriate points. The points could be purchased or obtained for referrals. We were shown how each referral could allow us to gain more and more points which would allow us to book more and more nights and or vacations.
Since 2015 we have attempted to schedule a vacation in our unit each year. Regardless of calling and speaking to someone or using the online system, there is nothing available on the dates that are convenient for us. We have even attempted using RCI which was supposed to give us even more options, but, alas, that program too has failed to provide anything.
We are disappointed to say the least and as of recent years Daniel has become disabled and I am solely his caretaker and am still working. We are just not able to use it even if we could get the dates we wanted. The unfortunate part is that we have paid for it for four years and have never seen the unit we purchased.
We are requesting that Holiday Inn provide the promised services regarding the ownership’s return and the possible recouping of our monies for a property that we have never seen.
I called to book a room at Holiday Inn. I was told I was being forwarded to a reward program but was sent to a time share rip off pitch instead. I got a high pressure sales pitch to come to a time share sales pitch at a later date.
Before I had the full details about all the dates that were blocked and before I had a reservation for a date, I stupidly agreed to the $200 fee. Now the company will not refund the fee even though I have not made a reservation for a stay with them and have explained that I have no interest in purchasing a time share.
I have learned an expensive lesson...and booked with Holiday Inn for the very last time. I see there are numerous reports of similar experiences dating back to 2013. This is an ongoing problem. I am surprised Holiday Inn is not suffering and suggest shorting the company since it is likely this will catch up with them sooner or later.
I called Holiday Inn to get hep using my "points and cash" option. After the call ended the assistant told me that they "want[ed] to offer ...[me] a free night at one of our hotels" and "would...[I] be interested?" So she switched me to another line where a man came on and began to describe how I was among the elite group of only 5% of callers chosen & how all their hotels had been recently updated to a more modern look. And began to offer me a "3-night/4-night" stay at a number of places for the cost of $249 (200 of which would be refunded after we listened to a 2 hour presentation). After failing to meet the minimum $50,000 income requirement, he told me I was not eligible.
I, then, asked him about the "free night stay" the first rep had enticed me with before switching me to this sales rep. He said that the "one free night" was actually the sales pitched which he had just given me to purchase 3 nights.
This is, in my mind, a classic bait & switch sales ploy! I received bupkis! Thankfully, it only cost me 15 minutes of my life.
I own a carpet cleaning company I was hired to clean the motel the lobby offices all the rooms in the hotel and do some repairs I was hired by the manager Ramon but in the process of doing the work he hired me he relocated to another motel and a guy under him named David took over his position David is very unprofessional at his job that he does he was very rude to me and my employer after completing the job he only wanted to pay me half I did not accept the money I was going to go to the owner Simon of the Holiday Inn but I didn't know how to go about it because I am SMI which is bipolar I felt a little intimidated by him I tried calling several times I tried dealing with his managers under him Rodney and one of the house cleaners Head house cleaners there I think her name is Sherry anyways we were eating at a Mexican food restaurant a few months afterwards and he had walked in with some of his employees and I'd noticed him sitting next to us and I finally went up to ask him if we was ever going to take care of the bill he told me to kiss his a*s that he wasn't going to give me nothing and that one of my employees that I had work in there was a dumbass and didn't know what he was doing and he was a drug addict the person I had working with me was autistic and schizophrenia that I had working with me which is also SMI which means severely mentally ill all I'm asking for is him to pay me for what I have cleaned and repaired I don't know how to go about any other ways of doing this but if you help me I greatly appreciate it so I remembered a good friend of mine Robert Schmidt his brother Mike Schmidt was a cameraman for channel 3 news and has been many years I have also cleaned some former employees will not say their names but if you please contact me my phone number is ***-***-**** and my name is Damon thank you