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[Q=thomasp140] [Q=thomasp140] [Q=douglasd29] 2 bedroom lockoff phase 1 Harborside total homeowner's assessments: 2007 2231 2006 1889 2005 1675 2004 1519 2003 1451 2002 1382 This represents 61% increase over the last five years. We just visited on week 11, had a delightful time, asked about magnitude of increases , but did not really get satisfactory explanation. Upon returning home I have the bill in the mail, have read the pie graphs and explanation, but I am uncconvinced tha sufficient efforts are being made to control costs. I will be writing to SVO management and Board of Directors. I am interested in hearing if anyone has comparative costs for say St. John or other comparable resorts.[/Q] I have also written to the Kushner Corporation whom if you didn't know actually own the rights to Harborside under master lease through Starwood. Our Maintenance is paid to Kurshner HQ and not Starwood?? This should alert all of us to question the Board of Directors how much stock do we as owners at Harborside get?? The Maintenance Fees are "through the roof" because our fees also go to the Atlantis development as well. I guess this is one of the reason after I expressed my concerns I was not elected to the Condo Association Board last year. My fees for 2008 were $2,323.53 - ouch! Have you tried to reserve weeks at Harborside outside your Deeded week - well forget it!! Starwood and Kurshner in particular rent the units to the local public first - this is a shame as an owner we paying these kind of fees we don't get preference...[/Q] We as owners should also question? Why is it that the guests staying at the Comfort Suites across from Atlantis enjoy the benefits as those at Harborside to use all the facilities at Atlantis - It's because the Kurshner organization owns the Comfort Suites!! this was the deal made when the Atlantis was being built to local gov't and should have expired - but never did?? I have questioned this to the Board who quite frankly were puzzled.[/Q] This is Trish. I started this topic when we were deciding whether to buy at Harborside. We did buy a deeded week 12 in a 2 bedroom lock off in phase 1 and just returned yesterday. I think the maintenance fees are way too high for the level of service. We own at the Four Seasons Aviara and the fees are $2,100 a year. Four Seasons cleans your room daily and has a nightly turndown service. They have typical Four Seasons service and "free" fruit, ice cream bars, water at the pool. The whole experience is very upscale and you see from the way the units and grounds are maintained exactly where the fees are going. We also own at a Marriott where the fees for a 2 bedroom are $850.00 a year and the units are very large, updated every 3-4 years (DVD players, flat screen TV's, new bedding with down comforters, reupholstered furniture) and the grounds/pools are immaculate and beautiful. Clearly the waterparks at Atlantis are unique and quite spectacular and do justify some of the high fees. I agree with the above author that the number of outside guests having access to Atlantis is out of control. It is not just Comfort Suites but all the cruise people and day trip passes that literally add hundreds if not thousands of extra people per day and contribute to long lines at water rides and food venues. It is not fair to any guest paying to stay at Atlantis. I think the owners need to get much more involved in scrutinizing the fees because it is very difficult to determine where the money is going based on the pie charts they send with the bill. The insurance charges for one need to be justified--i work in insurance and it is a very soft market right now compared to 2004 and 2005. They can not continue to blame the costs of insurance without showing us the actual bill. Do they shop for quotes? Also, the amount we are charged for housekeeping is a joke. Our mid-week cleaning was terrible--they took our used towels but did not leave any clean ones and we had to call multiple times to try to get towels. They also make you pay for Interval International membership in your fee even if you are already a member--which we are since we own 2 other timeshares. Phase 1 at Harborside needs to be updated and soon. We were there 6 years ago and nothing has been replaced. They still have VHS recorders in the room--who has tapes to play in those outdated machines? The furniture, especially the bedding and pillows , carpet and every fixture is exactly the same as when it first opened. Clearly, there is different information about who owns the Comfort Suites and where our maintenance fees are directed and we should try to get good information and organize a group of owners who are willing to work on this. Harborside is a great resort which is in danger of losing its appeal for resale and renting if the owners do not insist that our extremely high maintenance fees are justified and used to maintain Harborside and contribute our fair share to the Atlantis Resort amenities but not to create profit opportunities for Kurshner or others. If others are interested in working on this, perhaps we can create an on-line working group to stay on top of this and once we get all the facts, we can send letters on behalf of a number of owners. Thanks, Trish