Club FAQ

While you can (and should) never say never, indications are that subject to special assessments on individual resorts and the impact of the exchange rate, we have stabilised the maintenance fees with the increases that we have made to date.  Further information regarding the expenses of the Collection is being prepared as part of a new communication.

The benefits of II Gold membership are:

o £15 off the cost of all ‘Getaways’ giving seven-night stays in spacious resort accommodations that you can book without using your points
o Discounts on a wide range of hotels, restaurants, retailers, and attractions throughout Europe
o Gold Concierge^SM which can help you with almost any request — whether at home or on holiday. This personal assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
o After enrolment, skip the rental car lines with a complimentary Hertz #1 Club Gold^® membership
o Half price UK leisure breaks and De Vere hotel stays
o 2-Fore!-One golf discounts
o Savings on popular attractions and sightseeing in Costa del Sol and Tenerife
o Special travel discounts on annual travel insurance, car rental and some flights
o Member communications such as Interval World^® magazine, Go IntervalWorld.com newsletter, e-mails featuring travel updates, promotions, and members'-only offers and access to IntervalWorld.com

Each of the changes that have been made above was in compliance with the Rules and Regulations of the European Collection along with the change made by THE Club^® house regarding the recognition of transferred points.  The change regarding the payment when borrowing future years points has been made in the interests of members, where in the past points had been borrowed and used and then the member had defaulted on that year’s fees, meaning that they gained additional occupancy in the current year, and then never paid the fees for those points. 

In the US there is a special agreement with a company called Resortime, who offer primarily US timeshare and hotel properties for rent.  We believe that this might be what members have seen along with the monthly member rental eblast.  We don’t have an equivalent rental agreement with a provider in Europe at this time, but member rental specials are available every month on a special linked page included in the monthly EU Diamond Selections members benefits eshot.

The transfer fee for European Collection members is £200.00 per points certificate. 
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Yes and no.  Memberships can only be sold to a member within the same Collection.  This ensures that the purchasing member understands the resorts in the Collection and the booking window.  Selling across Collections between members would most definitely lead to confusion.

Yes, but the inventory offered is limited to a pool of inventory that is not in the European Collection, so that can restrict what can be offered.  This information is provided by us upon request – please contact the Owner Operations team on 0845 359 0007.

No, it will actually have the opposite effect.  Ensuring that the resorts can operate financially independently is a very important responsibility that the Management Company and resort committees have.  The increases in fees have been agreed by the Resort Committees to ensure just that, and while there are additional contributing factors too, such as the exchange rate impact and refurbishment plans, which must continue throughout to ensure that members have the holiday experiences that they expect and desire.  Taking this action will ensure that THE Club^® and European Collection will remain financially strong.

We have been monitoring the progression of the EU Timeshare Directive for a long time, and are very pleased with a number of the provisions that are going to be introduced which will protect purchasers and legitimate businesses in the timeshare industry. We are also comforted to note that resale companies are going to be subject to the legislation - a gap in the current legislation that has done members wishing to sell their ownership a great disservice. We need to wait and see how the UK government will implement the directive.  The process for any Directive that is issued from the European Parliament is that each Member State has two years in which to implement into national law.  That said, each Member State makes their own interpretation of the Directive during that period, and they may decide to implement just the minimum terms or something more stringent; it is at each Member State’s discretion.  Therefore, we feel that the prudent action to take, so ensuring that time, effort and money is not wasted, is to wait for the UK Government to make their interpretation, include whatever additional aspects they may add and then implement into UK law.  At that point, DRI will ensure that they are completely complaint with those laws and will ensure that a full communication plan is implemented with the membership at that time.

No, and we are aware that some members believe that they can.  The Articles of Association are very clear, in that they state that a member may resign, but in reading the following clauses, it does follow that they remain responsible for the maintenance fees for as long as those points are not sold and/or transferred.  For every member who requests to relinquish their membership we send an explanatory letter that advises them how to transfer their membership.  It is a very easy explanation of the options, whether they wish to dispose of all or some of their points:

• They can gift them or transfer them to a family member
• They can sell/transfer them to an existing member
• They can convert their points into a week(s) of timeshare at one of the DRI properties and then sell that week(s) via a reseller

There are also ways to offset maintenance fees too, such as:

• We have provided a new member benefits offering which enables Members to redeem their points in return for a reduction in their maintenance fees. (Details of this offering can be found in the Member Benefits booklet at page 15 and 16 and is available on our website).
• Members can book a week and then let DRI rent that week to another member through the call centre if they wish
• Members can book a holiday and let a guest use it. Although the use of our resort accommodation for commercial gain is forbidden, this is an easy way for a member to offset their maintenance fees.

And finally, in very unfortunate circumstances, DRI even considers and accepts relinquished memberships for the following:

• In the event the death of one of the lead members
• bankruptcy
• over 75 years old
• long-term or terminal medical reasons

DRI is prepared to listen and consider every member’s request to relinquish their membership. Indeed, we believe that we are more considerate in taking into account the personal circumstances of our members than most other businesses that have customers who have entered into a long term contractual and financial commitment (such as the repayment of a loan or a mortgage).  We could not envisage a bank with whom you have a mortgage or a financial services company with whom your have your car loan being willing to consider all or any of the circumstances that DRI does.

The former company allowed members who had not paid their fees for 18 months or so to relinquish their membership in lieu of the outstanding debt.  Those memberships were foreclosed by the management company and the points transferred back to the former developer who was at that time willing to be responsible for the respective delinquent management fees and indeed the future charges payable.  However this may not necessarily happen in future and therefore the management company has to take every step they can on behalf of the members to ensure the fees are collected when due and the appropriate action necessary to relieve any outstanding debt.

We are now in the final throws of making THE Club^® global, but the Collections – and there are four worldwide (European, Hawaii, California and US) – do have their own Rules and Regulations.  An example of where the Collections rules differ is the 13 month booking which applies only to the resorts specific to each Collection.  All our advisers should be able to explain how these differ and determine whether the Collection they are selling matches the needs of the member, e.g. the frequency at which the member visits the US and how far in advance they book their European holidays.  We have many European members happy with their US Collection purchase, but it is not necessarily for everyone.

Absolutely!  We are searching and speaking to potential affiliates on a regular basis. 

The role of the concierge in Europe is new, and is based on our US service and marketing model, whereby a separate team to reception provide excursions, local information and special deals as well as book meetings with onsite sales representatives.  The reason for creating the team was to provide even better service to our members, so your feedback is very important to ensure that we achieve this objective. 

It was decided that our points system was just too complicated to be sold on through resale companies, who don’t understand, nor frankly care, whether what they are selling to a member of the public is appropriate and explained in detail during that sales process.  Therefore, the Articles of Association clearly stipulate points being sold by resellers and an option to convert points to weeks was included in the documents as an alternative and much simpler solution.

THE Club^® implemented this change (not the European Collection) to bring the recognition of points in line with that in the US, i.e. that points transferred between members cannot be used in THE Club^® for member benefits and reservations to any resorts outside that Collection.  This does not impact the maintenance fees in any way, since the fees for those points are only determined based upon the resorts in that Collection; there is no additional charge for the reservations made to resorts outside of a Collection.

At this time there is no defining point at which the Management Company would recommend or DREC Ltd. would either consider or undertake a special levy due to changes in the exchange rate.

• What are DRI’s Key Performance Indicators?

We take into consideration a variety of key performance indicators, such as the number of new members enrolled as well as the number of existing members who buy more points, which is always a good indicator of the satisfaction of our current membership.  Other examples are the number of additional member benefits added, as well as the usage of these by members, the growth of our affiliate resorts, which also demonstrates that external businesses are keen to work and be associated with DRI.  These are in addition to a variety of customer service measurements, such as call centre response times.

• What are DRI’s business objectives?

To be the most consumer-centric timeshare company in the world.

• Is Customer Satisfaction included in the above?

Absolutely, great customer service is fundamental to us achieving our business objectives and was the primary reason for issuing the member survey in December 2008 - to understand how we were performing in the eyes of our members.

• How are DRI currently performing in relation to these monitors?

We work on the basis that there is always room for improvement!  It was good to learn that the member survey results showed we are performing better year on year.

With effect from 1 January 2009 Diamond Resorts European Collection members can now book 13 months in advance – this is 395 days. 

The easiest way to work this out is as follows:

Firstly consider the date you would like to check in – work back exactly 12 months and add 30 days.  For example, to book a week commencing 14 August 2010 work back 12 months (365 days) taking you to 14 August 2009 then take 30 days back - so the first date a request could be made would be 15 July 2009.

Of course reservations can be made live online from 00:00 on any given date.

Care should be taken in leap years – if the period you want to travel is prior to 29 February it remains as 395 days (example above).  If not please use 396 days to take into account the extra day for that particular year.

If you haven’t already registered with Interval International then please open the Interval International registration page in a separate window, then follow the instructions below:

1. In the first field please enter your Interval International number (this is not the same as your DRI membership number. If you do not know your Interval number please call 0845 3590010 Mon-Thurs 09:00 - 17:30, Fri 09:00 - 17:00)
2. In the second field, enter your area code.
3. Enter you registered telephone number minus the area code (with no spaces) in the third and final field
4. Now enter submit and you should be taken through to a page where you can create your profile (username and password).

If you get an error message saying you have already registered please call Interval International on 0844 701 7026, give them your Interval membership number and explain that you have forgotten your log-in credentials. For data protection reasons Diamond Resorts International does not hold log-in details for the Interval International site.

With Pointsaver you can save 50% of the points cost listed in your portfolio if your travel date is within 59 days of your booking date (subject to availability). To make a Pointsaver reservation, you can either call 0845 359 0005 or book online

To borrow next year’s points 75% of the overall current year’s invoiced fee is payable prior to a booking being confirmed.

To make a booking in the following year using the following year’s points, a management fee deposit of £125 is payable prior to a booking being confirmed. This will then show as a credit on the following year’s management fee account.

Your annual points are credited to your membership account on the 1 January every year and are accessible by you upon payment of the respective management fee or management fee deposit.  However, you do have the option to save the current year's points to the following year and indeed borrow next year's points into the current year.  To borrow points there may be a management fee deposit payable.  Members can also purchase more points giving them a greater annual allocation if they find they need more points every year.

Please allow up to 48 hours for the system to update. If you wish to make a reservation during this time please call 0845 359 0005.

We know that you want to get in touch quickly and conveniently - whatever time that is. As such we have decided to invest in this automated service so you can choose when to get in touch. Initially you will be able to save points and check your balance but further options will be offered in the coming months. Call 0845 359 0051.

It's really very easy. Just call 0845 359 0051 and follow the simple instructions. If you do complete a transaction, then we recommend you have a pen at hand to note down the reference number you will be given.

The automated telephone service (known as IVR) links directly into our central member database.  It therefore automatically knows exactly how many points you have available, calculates how many points you can save and what your current balance is.  It is programmed to identify THE Club^®'s standard points saving deadlines so it may be that you cannot save the full amount of your points balance due to previous points savings and/or previous year's points showing in your account. Call 0845 359 0051. This is the same for paying for services/products over the telephone on an automated system.

If you cannot make your desired request (for whatever reason) then, during office hours, you will be transferred to a member services representative; out of office hours, you will be prompted to leave a message and you will be contacted the following working day.

All management fees are collected by Dimaond Resorts Management Limited, THE Club^®'s management company. The fees are then used to run resorts and, where appropriate, refurbishments, Interval International membership fees. Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd., our main commercial operation company, pays management fees on all unsold points.

Please contact Customer Services via email on: custserv@diamondresorts.com putting AGM Minutes in the subject field. These will then be emailed to you.

All Club accommodation is held by FNTC on trust for members of THE Club^® until 2054. A trust is simply a legal arrangement where one person (in this case FNTC or other companies in its group) holds property for the benefit of others. Diamond Resort International own the majority of the resorts' communal areas. At some resorts FNTC own actual property and at others it owns weeks.

Until 2054 when THE Club^® will cease and its assets are distributed accordingly amongst its members.

We are aware of companies that have contacted members and made them offers to purchase/sell points for large amounts of money; often these companies ask for an up-front admin fee and guarantee they have a purchaser. We actively write to these companies explaining to them the correct resale procedures for members and requesting that they refrain from advertising that they can purchase/sell points. We would strongly recommend that members are very cautious about such offers and contacts and remember that these companies cannot sell points. We would also urge any member regardless of what they own not to part with any money up-front. We do have details of what we believe to be reputable resale companies ­ please contact Owner Admin on 0845 359 0007 for more information.

As with everything costs do increase from year to year. A number of issues affect the calculation of THE Club^®'s management fees such as national inflation (in all the countries where there are resorts, in some cases this is higher than the UK), general wear and tear of resorts, exchange rate of sterling to euro.

All of the resorts/clubs within Europe have a sinking fund (with the exception of THE Club^®). The individual resorts/clubs set an annual budget in conjunction with the owners committee.  These annual budgets typically include an amount of approx 20% that is to be set aside as a sinking fund. A sinking fund is a contingency account for one-off resort expenditure that has not or could not have been foreseen or planned. A sinking fund element is included in every resort's management fee to ensure that members, resort operations and ourselves are not jeopardised by unforeseen and/or emergency work.

Every year the individual resorts in THE Club^® work out what their budget is for that particular year. Once these have been set and agreed at resort level they are added together and work out how much is pertinent to THE Club^®'s inventory. This is then audited and the price per point established.

Interval International membership, member service centre operations, etc.

Unfortunately the credit card service provider charges us on every transaction processed. Currently the surcharge is 2.5% of the amount being paid. Payments can still be made by VISA debit cards for no extra charge. Payments can of course be paid by cheque : for management fees payable to Diamond Resorts Management Limited and payments for travel related purchases should be made payable to Diamond Resorts Travel Limited. Please send these to the respective department at Head Office: Citrus House, Caton Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3UA.

Accommodation is secured for the use of members by the trust arrangement with FNTC until 2054. The trust system ensures that members rights are protected until 2054.

Your purchase money is initially to FNTC who verify that there is sufficient accommodation to back the purchase and then they pay the money to Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd. who buys resorts, invests in products and services, pays staff and normal company operating costs.

Pointsaver is member accommodation that has not been booked by members outside of 59 days. Pointsaver is only relevant to 7-night intervals only. It is booked for half the published points value irrespective of resort, unit size or date. Please note split weeks do not apply.

Some unsold weeks at our resorts are used for marketing purposes as these are owned and maintained by Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd. which pays management fees on these. The inventory used for any marketing campaign does not affect members' occupation rights. The trustees, FNTC, closely monitor our sales activities in terms of how many points are being sold/purchases completed and reconciling the inventory within THE Club^® accordingly. As more and more points are sold more and more inventory is released into trust for Club members use. It is therefore impossible for us to oversell points and the trustees are responsible for ensuring all members interests are protected.

The trustee ensures that there is more than sufficient accommodation in trust to satisfy the number of points owned by members.

Members have up to 24 months in which to use their annual points entitlement providing that they request to save points from the current year to the following year before the respective deadlines : up to 100% of your annual entitlement by 30 June, 50% by 31 August, 25% by 31 October. After 31 October no points can be saved. Points can only be saved from the current year to the following year and cannot be saved again. In addition to contacting Club Reservations you can also save your points via the website or the newly introduced automated telephone system (please make a note of the number: 0845 359 0005 (remember to have your full membership number ready!).

No, we don't operate a programme like this.

Then you should save them before the following deadlines: up to 100% of your annual entitlement by 30 June, 50% by 31 August, 25% by 31 October. After 31 October no points can be saved. Points can only be saved from the current year to the following year and cannot be saved again. In addition to contacting Club Reservations you can also save your points via the website or the newly introduced automated telephone system (please make a note of the number: 0845 359 0051(remember to have your full membership number ready!).

Charges may be made for additional services on offer which include (but are not limited to), watersports, organised activities, solariums and treatments.

Yes. We are always considering new destinations and resorts we believe to be suitable for our members; when these are acquired and have been assessed in terms of points values etc they are added to the portfolio. This allows Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd to 'sample' a certain area without committing to a full acquisition should demand and member feedback prove to be that that destination is, in fact, not suitable. In certain cases, where we believe it is necessary, resorts can be withdrawn. This decision is not taken lightly and there are always reasons for doing so. Members are always advised about this.

The Points Certificate (individually issued to all members upon completion of a purchase) needs to be completed and signed by both registered members as the 'transferors' and then completed and signed [again] by yourself as the 'transferee'. This document needs to be forwarded to the Owner Operations Department, Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd., Citrus House, Caton Road, Lancaster, LA1 3UA. If transferring to an immediate member of your family ie spouse, parent, child there is a fee of £75 per Points Certificate. If transferring to another member the charge is £299 per Points Certificate.

The Points Certificate (individually issued to all members upon completion of a purchase) needs to be completed and signed by both registered members as the 'transferors' and then completed and signed [again] by the remaining member as the 'transferee'. This document needs to be forwarded to the Owner Administration Department, Diamond Resorts (Europe) Ltd., Citrus House, Caton Road, Lancaster, LA1 3UA. There is currently no charge for this service.

Apply to the Owner Administration Department at Citrus House for a resale information pack - 0845 359 0007. Upon receipt choose which week(s) you would prefer your points to be converted to and return your application form. Once returned you will be advised of which week(s) has been allocated to you, the registration of that week will be processed and a membership certificate issued. It is the week that can be offered by you for sale.

Yes providing that this is stipulated in your Will.

We don't know. We would suggest you consult a professional independent financial adviser/accountant on this matter.

Many people suggest this but you need to be aware that if you do this and book a holiday bringing the points forward again and subsequently have to cancel you can not carry the points forward again, they would have to be used that year! You are able to save all of your points at any time up until the end of June so there is no real need to bank them in January, by June you will have a much better idea what your holiday requirements for the current year are likely to be and be much more able to see whether you want to carry them all forward or not. You can carry forward up to 50% of your points by the 31st of August and
25% before the 31st of October every year.

Please allow up to 72 hours after payment for the system to update. If you wish to make a reservation during this time please call 0845 359 0005 (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 9am-5pm).

Yes. On the first page of the flights search you can search for an airport based on the resort you are visiting. Where once there were only a few airports on the Continent, there are now a bewildering number of places you can fly to ­ that's great for prices but it can be confusing when it comes to choosing the airport closest to your resort.

At present you can:

• save points
• check your points balance
• pay management fees

It's really very easy. Just call 0845 359 0051 and follow the simple instructions. If you do complete a transaction, then we recommend you have a pen at hand to note down the reference number you will be given.

Members can make reservations for their friends without staying with them by advising member services that a guest, with the member's authorisation, will be occupying the booked accommodation. A guest certificate will then be issued in the form of a confirmation email or letter. The first guest certificate following the points allocation will be free. All subsequent guest certificates for the remainder of that points allocation year will require payment of $35/£15 per guest certificate, payable by credit or debit card upon booking.

To change your address on our database we require written notification signed by all legal owners. If the ownership is held in joint names we require the signatures of both parties to enable us to action the required changes. This is solely to protect the interests of all parties as all parties must be agreeable to any changes being made on the ownership. Should you wish to change your telephone number and/or email address this can be done by emailing owneroperations@diamondresorts.com or you can call the Contract & Owner Operations department on 0845 359 0007. If you currently pay your annual management fee via monthly direct debit with Premium Credit Limited you will need to contact them directly to advise them of any changes to your personal details.

No. The minimum age to occupy Diamond accommodation is 18 years old. This means that the named occupant detailed on the reservation confirmation letter must be 18 or over. The minimum age to occupy Interval International booked accommodation is 21 years old. The named person on the confirmation letter must be aged 21 or over.

We know that you want to get in touch quickly and conveniently - whatever time that is. As such we have decided to invest in this automated service so you can choose when to get in touch. Initially you will be able to save points and check your balance but further options will be offered in the coming months. Call 0870 737 0990 now.

The automated telephone service (known as IVR) links directly into our central member database. It therefore automatically knows exactly how many points you have available, calculates how many points you can save and what your current balance is. It is programmed to identify THE Club^®'s standard points saving deadlines so it may be that you cannot save the full amount of your points balance due to previous points savings and/or previous year's points showing in your account. Call 0870 737 0990 now.

It's really very easy. Just call 0870 737 0990 and follow the simple instructions. If you do complete a transaction, then we recommend you have a pen at hand to note down the reference number you will be given.