Just wanted to start by saying all comments below are from my personal experience and all facts provided are accurate. I've now experienced 2 of Royal Holiday Vacation resorts. Playa del Carmen Grand Riveria Princess and Park Royal Cancun. At both resorts they have EXTREME aggressive selling of their timeshares. When we checked into Riveria the moment you enter the food court on the lower level there were 2 Royal Holidays booths with aggressive selling agents enticing people w/ gifts. I later found out that it is illegal for timeshares to entice guests with gifts in exchange for your time listening to their timeshare presentations. Another policy I was told is you have to be married to listen to the presentations. They still sold me a membership. It was coerced because as we attempted to leave and ask for our gifts halfway into the presentation we were told we would not receive them because we didn't listen to the entire lecture. We stayed longer with more pressure tactics but I thought a vacation club was different then a deeded timeshare with a specific week of the yr. Vacation club would allow me to go anywhere so I sign the contract. At first they insisted my gfriend also sign the contract but we stated no. What seemed fraudulent even though my gfriend didn't sign is that they put MARRIED on my contract. Since I left Riveria I've attempted to book at some of their resorts and like all timeshare members have such a difficulty booking, however, if you're not member it's amazing how all of a sudden they have PLENTY of rooms available. I experienced this with Royal Holidays Lake Tahoe location. Went on Royal Holiday's website and just seems impossible to book a vacation. So again when going to Royal Holiday resorts be prepared to experience assertive pushy salespeople trying to sell you timeshares. As note if you do sign a contract that you MUST use your points every 2 yrs and can only carry over 3k points as customer service claimed. Interesting because when I originally signed my contract I received a 5yr gift certificate for unlimited use at Mexico resorts. The lie even though you received the certificate you could NOT save up your points to use anyway else beyond 2yrs worth. That was NOT explained to me because they were more interested in selling the timeshare. One thing I've noticed is the selling of timeshares made numerous claims NOT in writing but states you'd receive them in your membership pack in the mail (i.e they said free transportation to/from resort, express checkin, etc.). If you research so many reviews on the different engines by dissatisfied customers that are members there's a common them - rooms are always hard to pin down on the dates you want to travel, EXCESSIVE wait times when checking in because you have to goto the member desk and aggressive annoying employee harassing you about listening to timeshares while you're at the resort). I experienced all of the above on my most recent visit to Park Royal Cancun Dec 14th-19th. I checked into Park Royal and waited over 45+ mins at the member desk. For non-members there were folks in line. We walked over to ask if we could check in and told we had to wait at the member's desk. How is that customer service? After 45 mins of checking in Sandra Carolina our welcoming assistant literally asked when we could setup a time to review my contract. I own the cheapest one at $17k and she was attempting to upsell me to a bigger package. She even waited for us the following morning at the breakfast hall. My gfriend got pissed and told her to STOP bothering us as we didn't come to listen to more timeshares. We were not impressed with the member services over on the beach as they ran out of towels and we had to ask the employees 3x that they were out and we needed towels. After finally bringing us 2 towels then they were expecting a tip. REALLY? after asking the same 2 guys 3x they were expecting that. Negative! I've been on a few sites today and noticed 4 other people complaining about their elevators and boy was that the truth. Definitely a safety violation at this hotel why you ask? They were constantly out of service/not working. My 5 guests and I witnessed on numerous occasions where 10+ guests were cramming into the elevator to ride it down or up. We were in that crowd one time. We also walked down from the 8th floor a couple of times. To really say we experienced it, ONE of my friends actually got stuck in the elevator for 35mins. The incident happened on 12/17 at approxly 10pm. No mgr was called to address the issue. They had 2 technicians who did not speak English to manually heave an elevator from the 2nd floor all the way to the 10th floor for my friend to be let out. He was TRAPPED for 35mins. I didn't know because he didn't have his phone and I didn't find out til he was let out. At this same hotel one of my guests didn't have air conditioning for the entire 4 days they were there. They were sleeping in the room with a temp of 82 degrees. They asked to be switched to another room but told they were sold out and didn't have any. Wonder if they had any NON-member rooms they could have allowed them to move to? Oh and it seems reasonable they'd have portable fans in case of emergencies? NOPE! I asked and they did not have. The following morning I brought all this up with the General Mgr Jose Santacruz who wasted 20 minutes of my time taking notes. He was making excuses for all our complaints and stated I'd receive a survey from Corporate/Quality Assurance that I could share and someone would reach out to me. Guess what - it's been 13 days since the 6 of us left the resort and still not ONE response from the GM to follow up and NO ONE from corporate has followed up. Wow, and I paid $17k to be a member and to be treated like this. So in closing, BUYERS BEWARE! You've been forewarned based on all my person experiences above and I've noticed many many others have mentioned similar experiences as well. Be sure to read reviews before you stay at a resort. I am realistic and realize NO hotel will have all perfect ratings but when you hear common themes of aggressive and annoying timeshare people, enticing gifts to goto a timeshare (which is illegal in Mexico), fraudulent contract wording and they're ok with it but lastly and most importantly as members one doesn't see all the benefits and services you'd think you'd receive as a member for paying thousands of dollars up front you might consider looking at the next hotel. Feel free to ask my any questions because Royal Holiday nor anyone from Park Royal Cancun has reached out to discuss all of my factual points above. The one thing I have noticed is that under all the reviews - some have reached a generic auto reply from the Asst General Mgr who claims they appreciate honest feedback as it will allow them to improve their services but apparently they're not making that effort when you see the same theme occurring month after month of dissatisfied customers saying the same things. And it's funny how EACH of the replies end with "sorry we look forward forward to providing you with a positive experience on your next visit." Absolutely not as they just don't get that after paying thousands of dollars for a membership and they don't truly provide any resolution except for a generic online apology that we memberships will be telling everyone of which Vacation clubs to stay away from due to poor non-follow up customer service depts like Royal Holiday and the annoying staff that identify the non-members when they check in so they know exactly who to target on selling another timeshare. Good luck and you've been warned about Royal Holiday and the experience I've personally had with them.
No, we are well past salvaging a relationship. I was coerced into attending this presentation and signing a contract.
You had selling agents all over the perimeter of the food hall coercing and harassing patrons into going to your presentations. My friend and I went 4 days without going to your presentations and say no until you illegally enticed us with free jet skis. That's the only reason we went. One of your agents were honest and told us that if we weren't married we couldn't stay for the presentation, however, you had a deceitful unethical mgr who insisted we stay regardless just to listen.
We attempted to leave and told the agent that we wanted to think about it but told we were told if we left we wouldn't receive our enticing gift (which is illegal in Mexico to exchange gifts for listening to timeshare presentations) and that the rates would go up 100%. I told them that I was NOT married and they illegal and deceitfully placed married on the contract. LIES LIES LIES. Then our very FIRST experience using our timeshare we had a MISERABLE LOUSEY first experience.
I was lied to and by receiving my certificate where the selling agent said I would never have to use my points the first 5yrs I could use my certificate. LIES. Then I was FORCED into using my points otherwise I'd lose them all. LIES.
Then going to the resort (park royal cancun) we did NOT get express checkin like Sandra Carolina Castillo told us. I took 45+ minutes to check in. LIES. Then one of rooms didn't have air conditioning and my guest celebrating their anniversary burned up in the room from the unbearable heat.
The hotel did NOT switch them to another room because there were none. 3 miserable days for my guests. They've already told people on FACEBOOK about their horrendous experience. Then my friend and the gentlemen celebrating his anniversary got TRAPPED in the elevator for 35 minutes.
35 minutes wasted in an elevator when he could have been celebrating his anniversary with his lady. The saddest part of all this the hotel has done NOTHING to fix these problems. We departed from Park Royal back on Dec 19th and it's now been almost 19 days AFTER we left that hotel and I've emailed the General Mgr TWO times copying royal holiday corporate ofcs and NO ONE has responded until now when I've started posting all horrible experience on social media. I've contacted the better business bureau, pissedconsumer, trip advisor, Facebook, linked in etc.
I want everyone to be away of Royal Holidays unscrupulous sales practices, aggressive selling, illegal transactions of enticing patrons with gifts in exchange for listening to timeshare presentations, unethical contracts and verbiage used (married when really single - I have a copy of that fraudulent contract showing Casado), pressure sales practices with royal holiday's customer dept falsely pressuring to use my points when I had a certificate from your selling agent stating I did not have to use my points and all validated by customers who post on websites that all corroborates that numerous people have encountered the same. It's one thing if I had a couple minor problems at the resort and I entered into the contract without all the pressure tactics but I not only experienced that but a HORRIBLE experience the first time using your membership. Therefore, I do not want anything but a full refund. If you want me totally satisfied you'll refund my money paid which is approx'ly $11k.
Because I did use your membership one time and couldn't the other times I inquired about trips because you never had the dates I was wanting to travel available I am willing to accept $9,500. Otherwise, as you can see on TripAdvisor I already have 4-5 followers that have read my reviews and horrible experience and they've already decided not to stay at either royal holiday hotels in cancun. I will continue posting on every website I can so honest citizens like me aren't taken advantage of. Shame on Royal Holidays for be fraudulent and unethical on the way they do business.
Like they say a great satisfied customer will tell a couple of friends. A very dissatisfied will go to great lengths to tell everyone. I've already contacted my credit card company and closed my acct so you can no longer bill me. As I stated, I would have attempted to try my membership sooner but every time I called in or looked online under your website and attempted to book a vacation the rooms/dates we wanted weren't available.
That's not a membership if you can't book a vacation on the dates WE want to go. We should have to rearrange our dates to accommodate Royal Holiday. So with that this last horrible vacation at Park Royal Cancun in which you guys collected an addt'l $1500 in cash for our unlimited food/liquor, reimbursement of $9500 and a cancellation letter of my membership is fair compensation to me and would make me a fully satisfied customer who will discontinue my efforts on letting everyone I can know about my factual events dealing with Royal Holidays. Please do the right thing and make at least one customer happy with their request.
Those customers of yours that don't mind and are happy using your restricted membership and the limited hotels available for use good for you. For those dissatisfied customers why not make them happy and stop them from letting others know the horrible experience they had with you guys. I just want my refund and happy to walk away.
My name is Kevin Green. Member# 130****
Hi, we´re sorry to learn of your disappointment in your membership. We would like to work with you to resolve any issues you´ve experienced and ensure you feel satisfied with your membership. Please send an email at community@royal-holiday.com and include your member ID, our team will follow up with you as soon as possible.
Same response every time. How about you site the contract fine print as you do when ever a member requests something?
You asked for my name and member#. My name is Kevin Green.
Member# 130****. I have spoken with John Angel Fonseca who responded to my SE Florida BBB complaint. This is the second website that I complained on. I submitted complaints to the BBB and this website on the same day.
I attempted to settle this matter w/ some editing my attorney demanded to protect me, the member, but Royal Holiday did not agree to our provisions. The contract now is one sided and protects Royal Holiday only therefore I am choosing NOT to sign the contract. I was flexible on coming down from 9500 to 5k, however, since Royal Holiday is being inflexible my attorney advised me not to sign their contract. The provisions were fair and reasonable to protect both parties but as of now it's only protecting Royal Holiday.
I did temporarily suspended my postings as I thought this matter was resolved but since Royal Holiday is not being fair and equal as it relates to protecting both parties I will wait 72hrs for my proposed revisions to be approved, otherwise I will consider that we do not have an agreement and will proceed with answering the 16 emails I received from the travel website I posted on as it relates to my factual personal experiences. I noticed looking on TripAdvisor there are numerous complaints regarding the same matter which should let others see that Park Royal has not fixed these problems at their resort. Jose is the GM and after a month departing this resort he STILL failed to reply to 3 emails I sent him. As of now I have received 16 emails - 6 members have asked me about the Royal Holiday's aggressive selling practices.
3 asked about enticing gifts and asked if it was illegal. 4 asked if paying a membership outweighs going to a non-inclusive resort and the remaining 3 asked about the resort at Park Royal Cancun and my experience specifically the safety issues with the elevators and air conditioning that many other members posted and was going to respond as to what me and my 5 guests experienced while staying at this resort.
I am looking to finish this nightmare but if Royal Holiday isn't willing to be flexibility with my attorney's provisions that protect me than I finish building my new website similar to SqueakyWheel.com and should have it on up on the internet within the next 2 wks so others are made aware of my personal factual experiences. I can't speak for other vacation clubs and how they operate but I can factually tell them of the experience I had with the aggressive sales practices, illegal enticing gifts, fraudulent contract and the HORRIBLE vacation 2 of my guests encountered at Park Royal Cancun with the air conditioning and being trapped in an elevator for over 35 minutes.