We are residence club members, now with four weeks' ownership at this setting. Obviously we're committed to this location. Highlights -...
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We are residence club members, now with four
weeks' ownership at this setting. Obviously
we're committed
to this location. Highlights - Four Seasons
service; blending of the architecture, design
and landscaping with the setting; outstanding
meals; and Ronald Jean's guitar music (not
available our last visit in March '04). We
enjoy regular hikes at Pinnacle Peak and
workouts at the fitness centre. The poolside
service is exceptional. Scottsdale itself has
become a cultural oasis, a magnificent city. We
added our fourth week through Smartchoice
Timeshare Realty, and received excellent
service!
I have voiced concern for some time at the
limited exchange program offered by Four
Seasons, compared to other hotel-based
competitors such as Westin and Marriott, and
also compared to competitors at the high end,
such as
Exclusive Resorts. Additionally, the new
developments at Jackson Hole and Costa Rica are
no longer on a traditional "timeshare" model,
making exchanges at those locations considerably
more difficult. An alternative way of
facilitating exchange seems so far not to have
been considered by Four Seasons.
However, I find that this
situation has recently begun to improve. An
expanded exchange
program includes access to several western
mountain resorts, to Villa La Estancia in Cabo
San Lucas, to the Phillips Club in New York
City, and also, recently, on a limited basis to
available condominium units at Four Seasons
Great Exuma through 2007. There is also talk
that some new residence clubs will adhere to the
original Aviara/Scottsdale model, for example, a
development planned in Orlando at Celebration
(no specific date provided).
The lack of exchange options for settings of
equivalent quality has in my opinion always been
the greatest drawback to the Four Seasons
Residence Club program. Perhaps the company is
now addressing this concern with some
seriousness.