Resort Development International
Vacation Club

Article Submitted by:
Mike Dickson
mdickson@dpc.net
July 15, 1997

The information presented here is believed to be correct. However, it is my interpretation of the RDI Vacation Club's features. All information is subject to change!

History

Resort Development International (RDI) originated in 1982 and is headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida. RDI now manages and operates approximately 20 Vacation Club resorts for over 60,000 families. RDI's current staff includes 125 corporate employees with a total staff exceeding 1200.

Prior to January 1994, owners bought a deeded fixed or flex week at a specific RDI managed property. These owners are referred to as Founders.

Owners buying after January 1994 purchase points rather than a fixed week. These owners are not locked into a specific week or a even a specific resort. However, legally, the buyer is still deeded a specific week at a specific unit at a specific resort, known as their home resort. These owners are referred to as Vacation Club members.

All condominium unit-weeks must be owned debt-free prior to sale to Vacation Club members.

RDI Vacation Club Resorts

 

Alabama	Gulf Shores	Paradise Isle Resort Shoreline Towers
Florida	Anna Maria Island	Via Roma Beach Resort
	Daytona Beach	Dolphin Beach Club Fantasy Island Resort II
	Ft. Myers Beach	Mariner's Boat House Tropical Sands Resort Windward Passage Resort
	Gulfstream	Gulfstream Manor
	Holmes Beach	Resort 66
	Orlando	Orlando's Sunshine Resort
	Ormond Beach	Outrigger Beach Resort
	Panama City Beach	Landmark Holiday Beach Resort Ocean Towers Beach Club Panama City Resort & Club
Georgia	Big Canoe	Petit Crest Villas
South Carolina	Hilton Head	Player's Club Royal Dunes
Virginia	Gordonsville	Shennandoah Crossing Farm & Club
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Dells	Christmas Mountain Village

Points System

A Vacation Club member owns a set number of points. He decides the number of points to buy based on his desired accommodations. A typical resort's point schedule is:

Red Season Point Schedule
	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Week
Efficiency	325	325	325	325	1450	1450	800	5000
1 Bedroom	350	350	350	350	1800	1800	1000	6000
2 Bedroom	500	500	500	500	2400	2400	1200	8000
3 Bedroom	850	850	850	850	4200	4200	2200	14000

The members I've met have bought as few as 6000 and as many as 14000 points, with the typical purchase being 8000. Founders may convert to the point system for around $2000.

Your points are credited to your account on the first day of your personal fiscal year. The month following your purchase date becomes the first month of your fiscal year. For instance, if you bought on April 15, your fiscal year would always start on May 1.

Making a Reservation

Reservations are made by contacting a RDI vacation counselor at a toll free number.

Members may make a reservation at any of the RDI Vacation Club Resorts from eleven months to as little as two days in advance. Locations and dates are confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.

A Founder can make a reservation only at his home resort up to twelve months in advance. This results in a 30-day protection of the Founder's use rights in his home resort.

Requests for less than a seven night stay during red time can only be made five months in advance. However, requests for at least a 2 night stay during white or blue time can be made up to eleven months in advance. There is a 3 night minimum stay during Holidays.

Once you have made a reservation, the appropriate number of points is deducted from your balance. A written confirmation of your reservation and remaining point balance is mailed to you.

Should you cancel or change your reservation, a $35 fee will be assessed.

After your first reservation of the year, you will be charged a $20-$65 cleaning fee depending on the accommodations reserved.

Exchanging

The RDI Vacation Club is associated with the Resorts Condominiums International (RCI) exchange system. In order to exchange, you first make a reservation with RDI for a specific resort and week. RDI can then deposit your reserved week into the RCI SpaceBank pool. Or, if you prefer, you may contact RCI directly to make the spacebank request.

Once your week is spacebanked, the exchange is processed as any other RCI exchange. Refer to TUG's How to Exchange or RCI's Vacation Exchange pages for additional details on making a RCI exchange.

Saving and Borrowing Points

Points may be saved for one additional year. To save your point balance, you must contact RDI not less than ninety days before your fiscal year ends. Points are not automatically saved.

You may also borrow next year's points. However, next year's maintenance fees must be paid before your reservation can be posted. RDI will hold the reservation until you send in the fees. Or, you may pay over the phone using a credit card.

By saving and/or borrowing points, you can increase your vacation flexibility. For instance, if you don't have time to vacation this year, you could save your points and reserve 2 weeks next year.

In theory, you can triple the number of points you have to use at one time -- by saving last year's points, using this year's, and borrowing next year's.

Membership Fees

Please note all fees are representative and subject to change.

A.  Maintenance Fees

• Cover the common expenses of maintaining the club properties.
• Due on November 1.
• Consist of $170 base fee + 2.2 cents per point + Real Estate Taxes.
• Real Estate taxes are apportioned by the amount of your undivided interest in your home resort.
• Representative fees for an 8000 point owner:

 

Base Fee	170.00
Points Fee	176.00
Real Estate Taxes	34.00
Total	380.00

B.  Vacation Club Dues

• Cover the overhead expenses of the Vacation Club point system.
• Due on the first day of your fiscal year.
• Currently $79.00 + tax.
• Are given an RDI "Gold" Card which gives you access to Bonus Time (see below).

C.  Special Assessments

• Cover unexpected expenses such as natural catastrophes.
• Apportioned among all Vacation Club members.
• Last special assessment occurred when hurricane Opal did about $2.5 million dollars damage to the three Panama City Beach resorts. After insurance payments, there was about an $800,000 shortfall.
• Vacation Club members were assessed at a rate of 3/10ths of a cent per point. So, an 8000 point owner was assessed $24.
• Founder owners in the affected resorts paid a much larger assessment -- either $69 or $140 depending on which resort they owned.

Bonus Time

To give Vacation Club members added flexibility and access to unreserved time at the RDI resorts, Bonus Time may be bought for a quick getaway or to extend a regularly reserved vacation. Features of the Bonus Time program include:

• May be made at any of the Vacation Club resorts.
• Does not affect your point balance.
• May be reserved up to 10 days in advance.
• Has a two night minimum stay. Is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Is currently charged at a nightly rate of 1/7th of the requested resort's maintenance fees.

Miscellaneous Features

• RV and Wilderness campsites at the Christmas Mountain and Shennandoah Crossing Campgrounds are available for $1 per night.
• Discounts with participating merchants around the resorts have been negotiated.
• Membership in the Universal Studios and Anheuser-Busch Theme Park discount programs.
• RDI also operates RDI Vacation Rentals as a separate division. If you desire, you may contract with them to rent your reserved week. As long as there is no pending reservation of your week, you may cancel the contract at any time.
• RDI operates an in-house travel agency -- Vacation Shoppe Travel.