TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Any News form Diamond about maintenance fees

I have heard that Flamingo and Royal Palm will not open before 2019- I have not heard a single word about the main fees or assessment. Any thoughts

Yep. Not opening till 2020. All us owners got the email stating that.

Do you have to pay AMF's even though they are closed? What do you get in return?

I have gotten absolutely no info from Diamond about anything since they told me (when I called them) that the resort was closed for our March 2018 weeks. They did sign me up for the Internal exchange program in that same phone call. I learned of the Flamingo closure thru 2019 on this and other websites. No info on damage to the resort, maintenance fees, or rationale for a 2+ year closure has been communicated by Diamond. We've owned fixed weeks since 1998.

You know, I know nothing at all about this situation, but something doesn't smell right to me. Why is there NO information about the status of what exactly is wrong with BOTH resorts, and why would BOTH resorts be totally closed for 2 1/2 years?? I think Diamond is up to something, like getting rid of all fixed price weeks, maybe getting rid of the whole owners, definitely getting rid of the lease on the restaurant at Royal Palm, something. They are up to something. Their maintenance fees have been sky high all along, and now this?? Has anyone tried to call them recently and asked them what the heck is going on, why there is no info??

Just a guess, Carol, but I’m thinking calling them would be a wasted effort and would probably lead to more frustration than reasonable answers. There’s a lot going on down there that escapes comprehension and the standard response seems to be to put the blame for everything on the insurance adjusters. I know they are beleaguered with all the storm damage that took place throughout the Caribbean not to mention in the US, but I don’t understand how places like BSV, Cupecoy Beach Club and Belair Resort, to name but a few properties, can get their repairs done but so many other properties are getting this kind of response and seemingly the timeshare resorts moreso than others. And some places are even offering rooms to rent but no availability to the timeshare owners? Something just doesn’t feel right. I’m not singling out just these two properties since so many places haven’t begun any repairs yet.

Pat--I agree that calling would probably be an exercise in futility, but I think I would do it anyway. Diamond in particular, I just don't trust, and they just have not provided ANY information as to why they should be closed for such an extraordinary length of time. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

I don't have a horse in this race other then we have rented from an owner at Royal Palm for many years now but I am with Carol on this one. Something just does not sound right and if I were an owner, I would be putting a lot of effort into trying to get some answer. Whether it would be an accurate answer might be a different story but not much of them being closed for the time period they are stating makes much sense to me. Considering The Atrium is located between the two resorts and is pretty much open for business, it does make one really wonder what is going on.

Best way to get a response is do not pay them........

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I agree with all you said... but the difference with the Atrium vs Flamingo and Royal Palm is that Atrium has storm shutters on all their units and they the other two don't so the wind blew right through those two properties with lots of water and wind damage. JMHO

Check your account on line. In the past they have stated your fees are do eveen if the don't send a statement.

I know Royal Palm had a lot of water damage and a lot of the sliding windows/doors were damaged but it still does not seem right they would be closed for as long as they are implying. This is not their first rodeo when it comes to a major hurricane.

The SBR buildings do not have storm shutters and, except for three buildings, the resort will be open for business in a few months. Villas much sooner.

Even the D building that had the roof completely torn off and interiors destroyed is tentatively scheduled to open by the end of 2018

(tried to add a Google photo link but it didn't work)

Carol, Unfortunately I think you're right. There's lots of chatter on various Diamond FB about their attempts to get rid of fixed week owners - not just on SXM but all over. Calling does nothing - all yo get is someone who has been given a script & really doesn't have the foggiest idea of what's going on. I've lived with the maintenance fees as we really are happy with the resort overall - but this silence is worrisome. I know our unit which is one of the villas - has the bedroom slider blown out so I can imagine the damage not only in our unit but in any of the lower units. I just cannot fathom a 2+ year closure. And I don't trust Diamond at all.

They would love you not paying them. That way they have another unit to rent or sell points with and also get rid of the fixed week owners too. Owners of points weeks at the two resorts also haven't received any info or MF billings which blows a lot of theories out the door of trying to get rid of the fixed week owners. Having talked to employees at the Flamingo in the know about the damage. It was massive. All rooms are gutted down to the studs and have to be completely redone along with all wiring. They plan on making a lot of changes to the configuration of the rooms. By doing so, new layout plans have to be made and all counters, cabinets and appliances have to be ordered and made up special to the configuration of the rooms. I can see the time line needed.

Sorry, I call BS. Regardless, that is NOT going to take two years... BS...

They would make ready rooms that weren't damaged too bad to have some occupancy. And then build on that room count. NOT close completely up and then completely open.

Wendell

Can't sell something that is not there....the question is will they ever rebuild? Will you ever have a place to go back to? Most appear to be skeptical.

Oh, they will rebuild, all right. Diamond is going to do what is in THEIR best interest, which to me looks like to get rid of fix week owners by keeping the resorts shut for two years, so people don't pay their maintenance fees. Like Wendell said, from a business sense, it makes much more sense to reopen in stages, like LaVista, Simpson Bay Resort, and Belair, and get some income coming in, and provide some accommodation for their timeshare owners. And why is Royal Palm necessarily linked to Flamingo??? Royal Palm is a much smaller property, all located within that one building, many less rooms. When Simpson Bay Resort just remodeled all their buildings, how long did each building take?? 6 to 9 months?? That's a much more reasonable timeframe to do what they claim they are going to be doing at Flamingo than two years. Diamond is up to no good...