Timeshare Information

Festiva Hospitality Group has announced the recent acquisition of Celebration World Resort in Kissimmee, FL, coming in the wake of troubled times for the resort and its owners.

Festiva is committed to making much-needed improvements to the property itself as well as to the management operations, so that the resort’s owners can enjoy the quality vacations they deserve.

“There was a 55% delinquency rate existing among the owners, along with several other cosmetic and operational challenges,” said Don Clayton, chief executive officer and co-founder of Festiva Hospitality Group. “Festiva has committed to fix those issues with financial contributions for renovations as well drastic operational changes and improvements.”

As part of the acquisition and overall improvements to the resort, Festiva has changed the name of the resort itself and its HOA to Festiva Orlando Resort. The new name represents the Festiva brand as well as the fantastic destination of the resort.

Several improvements are already underway at the property as part of the multi-million-dollar refurbishment and renovations project. These changes will ensure that the more than 11,000 Festiva Orlando Resort owners have the quality accommodations and amenities that they expect and deserve.

Festiva Hospitality Group became involved in this acquisition, which ultimately saved the property from bankruptcy, through CapitalSource Finance, LLC, a real estate and mortgage lending company specializing in commercial real estate that Festiva has previously worked with on several other acquisitions.

“CapitalSource reached out to Festiva because of our confidence in Festiva’s ability to deliver on the operational and administrative improvements necessary to turn the resort around,” said Brian Petronis, vice president of portfolio management for CapitalSource.

The acquisition and plans for improvements were made during a time of communication with the state of Florida as Festiva executives worked closely with The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) near the beginning of the acquisition process.

“Early on we recognized that the many issues the resort owners had been and would continue to deal with would cause ongoing operational, legal and managerial challenges. Therefore, Festiva decided to reach out to the DBPR to inform them of these many challenges and to work with them to ensure the best possible long-term outcome for the resort’s owners,” said Tobias A. Weas, Esq., RRP, vice president of government relations and general counsel of Festiva.

“Once our renovations and improvements are complete, the end result will be a high-quality and financially stable resort in one of the best vacation destinations in the world that can be enjoyed by its owners as well as Festiva’s existing members,” Clayton said.

During 2011 Festiva Hospitality Group worked on refurbishments and new construction at the Blue Ridge Village Resort in Banner Elk, N.C. These updates improve the long-term quality of the resort for all Festiva members and resort guests, and are part of a large improvement project taking place at several properties throughout Festiva’s network of resorts.

In 2008 Festiva began renovations at the Blue Ridge Village, taking it one building at a time. Improvements to the units included replacing all soft goods such as furniture, window treatments and bedding, replacing all cabinets, countertops and appliances in the kitchens, installing new televisions, replacing lighting and bathroom fixtures and updating the décor. These updates are completely funded by Festiva Hospitality Group at no cost to owners, members or guests.

In 2010, free wireless internet was installed in all units and throughout the resort. Several other improvements to shared amenities and common areas began near the end of 2010. Improvements to common areas include renovations to the pool area and the addition of a new spa, a repainted basketball court with a new adjustable goal, resurfaced tennis courts with new covered benches and new carpeting and landscaping at the mini-golf course. Additions to the resort’s grounds include new landscaping with a water feature, fire pit and pavilion complete with a large gas grill for guests to enjoy.

One of the most exciting additions to the property at Blue Ridge Village is Phase III of the resort. This will consist of luxurious stand-alone log cabins that will be located on previously undeveloped land on the property.

“We have received wonderful feedback from our guests on the improvements that have been made to date,” said a Festiva spokesperson, “and we are thrilled about the value we are adding to our properties for all of our members and guests.”

Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Festiva Hospitality Group manages and operates a dynamic collection of hotels and resorts in some of the most sought-after destinations throughout the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast and Caribbean. Festiva Resorts currently has more than 60,000 members among 25 vacation ownership resorts.

In January we reported that Festiva Hospitality Group and Festiva Adventure Club had launched a new web site, Festiva Complaints Resolution Center, aimed at resolving online Festiva Resorts complaints and providing information to owners and guests trying to resolve their various Festiva complaints. Festiva has experienced an immediate positive reaction from its resort guests who have used the new service.

“Since the launch of the Festiva Resorts Complaints Resolution site we have seen an overall decrease of complaints submitted to third-party websites as our customers are finding that when they contact us directly, their issues are resolved much faster and more effectively than when they submit their complaints to a third-party site that offers no resolution,” says Sara Little, Festiva’s Director of Corporate Communications.

One of the most significant accomplishments of the new site is the facilitated direction of complaints to the proper departments within the company for quicker resolution and away from false “Festiva scam” websites which were set up in the past to masquerade as the company’s complaints department.

Little explains, “We realized several years ago that in order to keep up with the fast-paced and ever-changing world of the internet, and specifically social media, we need to actively participate in the online conversations that are already taking place within our industry. We have since taken several steps to utilize various forms of technology to improve customer service and communication with our owners and guests, and festivacomplaints.com is the latest tool we are using to reach out to our web- savvy customers.”

Festiva Hospitality Group and Festiva Adventure Club’s family of resorts include a wide range of properties across the U.S. and Caribbean. Popular Festiva resorts with timeshare rentals include: Paradise Harbour Club and Marina on Paradise Island, Bahamas; Stormy Point Village in Branson, MO; and Church Street Inn in Charleston, SC, as well as many other Caribbean and U.S. destinations.

You can visit the Festiva Complaints Resolution Center at http://www.festivacomplaints.com

Festiva Complaints Resolution Center, a new online presence by Festiva Resorts, offers members and guests at Festiva’s timeshare resorts a unique opportunity to interface with Festiva’s customer care team to resolve problems, submit complaints, and read frequently asked questions and resolved complaints from other guests.

The timeshare industry’s online reputation has been inundated in recent years with various “consumer scam” and complaint sites, claiming to help consumers solve their problems. In reality, these scam sites are set up to produce ill-gotten advertising revenue for their owners and offer little value to the consumer trying to open a dialogue that ends in their complaint being resolved or to obtain more information about their issue.

“We’re trying to make a proactive effort to meet online complaints 'head-on.' We are able to resolve an overwhelming majority of the issues that our guests bring to our attention, and we constantly strive to improve our methodology and service as it applies to consumer complaints,” says Sara B. Little, Festiva’s Director of Corporate Communications.

Guests are able to read special announcements from Festiva; for instance, a recent letter to members regarding special assessment has been posted on the site, along with updated comments from members, in order to dispel confusion about the program. Along with various resolved Festiva complaints, member-specific information specially suited to resolving common issues can be found throughout the site.

Festiva Hospitality Group and Festiva Adventure Club operate a chain of resorts located in destinations across the United States and Caribbean. Offering a full range of resort locales from luxurious beaches to historic neighborhoods, Festiva’s timeshare resorts provide the utmost in comfort, service, and luxury, while maintaining a family-oriented environment.

Visit Festiva’s Complaints Resolution Center at: www.festivacomplaints.com.