DCTraveler

I am curious if there is a member (or representative) out there that has some view into the availabiltiy of the Orlando property at Reunion Resort and the 2 bedrooms in Cabo San Lucas at Esperanza for the August - November timeframes. Private Escapes seems to have terminated its Orlando lease pending the merger and the only other DC with a unit in Orlando is booked solid in August, but better in the fall. Cabo is usually quite open in August and September, but booked later in the fall after the humidity finally dissipates around mid-October. Thanks for your insight!

DC4MS

As someone that has spend MANY nights in the Orlando area, I can tell you that home rentals, luxury hotels, condo rentals, timeshare rentals (except Disney) are pretty inexpensive.

The Ginn Reunion area is very nice, but it located a bit out of the way (West on I-4) if you are interested in Disney, Universal, or the Convention areas.

Depending on where you want to visit or conduct business, there are a plethora of housing options.

I guess HCC is the only current DC with property in Orlando (Villas at Omni Champion Gate) and their buy-in price was probably in the $600k or lower range. It is actually located just north of the Reunion area but not as developed or gated.

Therefore, any Destination Club can buy huge homes in Orlando, but most families want to be near Disney or Universal.

I don't know if Celebration allows Destination Clubs to buy property there or not, but that location would be high on my list if I was a DC considering purchasing in the Orlando area.

Desties

I doubt Celebration would allow DCs in. I don't know if things have changed since Disney cashed out of the place, but originally you couldn't even buy a place there until you agreed to live there an x number of months a year. They wanted a true residential community.

I'm someone who would love more DCs in Orlando, with the time that I too spend there, but it's just not feasible. There is an abundance of properties available at dirt-cheap prices. I stayed at an amazing 6 bedroom-5 bath lakefront pool home (in Windsor Hills) a year ago and paid less than $200 a night. There are too many vacation home owners there who have to practically give away the rent.

For an unlimited model like PE or Lusso it makes sense because it's a popular destination and the per night breakdown is attractive. Where I think this may work is the Four Seasons property that is going up on Disney property. It's not set to open for another two years (out where one of the Lake Buena Vista golf courses used to be, I believe), but the plan there is to build the luxury hotel and also sell vacation properties. Maybe there an ER can come in, grab a handful, and make it work, because the per night rates there are likely to be quite high.

DC4MS

This announcement was made in March 2007, but not a lot of new information has been released. Here is a press release.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will build a luxury hotel and 18-hole championship golf course along the northeast border of Walt Disney World, theme park officials said Thursday.
The Toronto-based luxury hotel chain is part of two expansion plans that will take eight to 10 years to fully develop and will include single- and multifamily vacation homes, fractional ownership homes and a 450-acre retail, dining and lodging district, said Meg Crofton, Disney World’s president.

“This is a first-of-its kind development for our company,” Crofton said. “Four Seasons is a world-renowned brand known for its luxury and appeal.”
The number of jobs the two developments will bring to the area is unknown, Crofton said. Disney currently has 60,000 employees.

Four Seasons, with 74 hotels in 31 countries and two locations currently in Florida, will anchor a 900-acre development which already houses two golf courses. The hotel planned to open in 2010 could break ground later this year, Crofton said.

One of the existing golf courses will be upgraded into a championship course and the other will be renamed after the Four Seasons brand.
The second development will be roughly the size of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and be located just outside the western entrance. About 4,500 time shares and hotel units will surround a pedestrian-friendly retail village that includes restaurants, shops and small-scale entertainment venues. Construction is slated for later this year.

“We chose this area because it’s a great opportunity to further enhance the western entrance of our resort,” Crofton said. “We’re currently putting the finishing touches on the design and then we will give this development a strong brand name.”

DCTraveler

Great thoughts, but is there anyone who could speak to my query about UR's availabilty for their Orlando and Esperanza properties? I have heard UR's availability can be challenging and I wanted to check out a few samples.

Kagehitokiri

DCTraveler, you might try PMing the UR members here, and asking if they would mind checking for you. perhaps they read the other forums more, since this one hasnt been quite as active.

im also glad FS is coming to WDW. hopefully theyll have some great residential villas.

puffpuff

UR Orlando is open whole of July , Aug, Sept except 14-17, and Oct except 9-13.

UR carbos has 6 homes ( the website does not allow speficic property selection ) shows availability in some or all of the homes for july thru Oct 08.

pm me if you need more details.

Kagehitokiri

you can pick the development you want, cant you?

puffpuff

you can make a request, and they are pretty good about it . Not a problem overall. Officially, the avalablilty is guarnateed for the destination once confirmed but not for specific house.

TarheelTraveler

PuffPuff - just curious, but what's the rationale for guaranteeing the destination but not the house? Is this because of the merger or has this always been the case?

puffpuff

dont know the reason. not merger related. good question. sorry dont have the answer for you

Kagehitokiri

that seems really odd to me... but i dont know how other clubs compare...

(i certainly wouldnt want to be stuck in a property i wasnt interested in...)

jam

In Tanner and Haley people often selected specific properties. UR tried to make reservations more destination and less property specific. You can still make a specific request for a 4BR vs a 3 BR property. With some persistence they will let you know where you have been booked but the web site just shows destination availability and not house availability.

DestiFan

Wonder how that will work post-merger? PE definitely lets you choose per house...

DCTraveler

I would always want to pick the specific unit, like for PE, you would definitely want to know if you were in a 1 bedroom at Trump or a 2 bedroom in Hell's Kitchen -- same with having the efficiency at 1600 Broadway or being at another NYC location. I am surprised that is UR's policy. Why not let the people booking first choose? I can see trying to accommodate larger parties in larger houses, but then again all members should be treated equally -- otherwise it leads people to cheat the system by saying they have 10 people to get the ocean front house rather than a 3 bedroom ocean view house. Big differences between 2 bedroom at Esperanza and 4 bedroom house (not all in favor of the house, by the way).

Desties

Exactly.

I know that I can't be the only one who hated Ben Stiller's Heartbreak Kid remake, but loved the Esperanza resort enough to jot it down on the short list of UR properties I want to hit if/when the merger is complete.

The wide open availability of the Orlando home during the peak summer season is also intriguing, to say the least.

jam

In UR the 3BRs at Esperanza are in the Elite Club, the two BRs in the other clubs. Still your point is valid that there are differences between 3BR Esperanza and a 4BR house. In old Tanner and Haley the original Private Retreat Houses were farther from the water and smaller than the Distinctive Retreat houses. The 2BR Esperanza units were in Private Retreats and the 3BR in Distinctive. When my wife and I traveled alone the amenities of the resort were pretty nice, but it is hard to beat the privacy of the houses.