I Attended a Timeshare Presentation at Secrets Moxche

When we arrived at Secrets Impression Moxche, we were asked if we were interested in attending an ownership meeting. I don’t remember the exact words used, but we were told the presentation would last 90-minutes, that there would be no hard pressure and that it would begin with breakfast the following morning. We were also shown some sort of sign which showed that owners could win raffles for additional prizes, emphasizing the festive and family nature of vacation ownership.

Always curious (and a bit of a glutton for punishment), we said yes and agreed to meet the rep for breakfast early the next morning. When we arrived at the morning meeting place a women outlined what the day would be like. She promised that the tour would last 90 minutes and that, if we decided not to purchase, all offers would be forever off the table. For this, we would receive a $500 voucher for use anywhere at the resort (such as for spa treatments or premium meals).

I forgot everyone’s names, so I’ll just call them rep 1, 2, 3 etc. We met rep 1 and went to the resort buffet restaurant for breakfast with him, which was fine. We talked chit-chat, and a few others stopped by to say hello. It was not until we were finished eating, that rep 1 started generally discussing the program, pointing out all of the resorts that were part of Unlimited Vacation Club. It really is quite impressive.

He walked us around the grounds a little, then took us to meet rep 2 in a smoky restaurant room, which, by night, was the resort’s steak restaurant. We met rep 2. We were questioned about our vacation preferences, costs and habits. We were shown some beautiful photos of some of the resorts.

Rep 2 then took us to see what a room would look like if you came to Secrets Moxche as an owner. Except the model room he brought us to was not the base-level suite, but a premium suite in the Impressions building. I found this a little misleading because, if you were an owner, and wanted to stay in this upgraded room, you’d have to pay extra. This was never disclosed to us.

We were then brought to another room where we were seated with rep 3 and maybe rep 4. This is where the detailed sales pitches began. Let me preface by saying everyone we met was very nice, perhaps even charming. The pressure was subtle, but it was most certainly there and it was beautifully orchestrated.

This is the main working sheet. It lists levels of ownership from the highest level Impression to the lowest Silver.  Each level had certain rules, like how many weeks you could visit, the units that were available, and various extra benefits.

I found it most interesting that vacation ownership comes with World of Hyatt status! If you purchase the Impression level, you are given World of Hyatt Globalist membership. The next level, Diamond, is given World of Hyatt Explorist membership. Each lower level is given World of Hyatt Discoverist membership. In other words, ownership has its privileges!

Occasionally, we heard the pop of a bottle of champagne and a whoop of excitement which meant someone had actually signed a contract. The whole room applauded.

Then the reps started with the numbers. I honestly can’t remember all of the variations, but the prices began well over $100,000, and with each time we said the price or offerings were more than we wanted, they made another offer.

Most interestingly, the woman who we met first that morning now joined us at the table. She started rattling the numbers and offers to us. What impressed me the most was the fact that this rep wrote everything from across the table upside down!

When all was said and done, the bottom offer for us to purchase, which began at well over $100,000 was now only $4,000!

The resort is beautiful and buying a timeshare (a word they never used) was tempting, but, as I explained, it was my first day here, and I needed time to acclimate. Again, she reiterated that, if I left the meeting without making the purchase, the offer was gone.

She wanted to take away the note-papers below, but I said I wanted to keep them.

True to their word, when I said no, I received what I was promised: A voucher for $500 to be used at the hotel, and an offer to return to a member resort for $199 or $299. The presentation took about 150 minutes.

We used the voucher money to sign up for dinner at the hotel premium restaurant Teodora, which was very nice. With the little that was left over, we bought two overpriced t-shirts in the hotel store. We didn’t activate the offer to visit a member resort for only $199 or $299, because we were wary of all of the terms and conditions of the offer.

I need to say this. Say what you will about timeshares, this form of vacation ownership seems to work for some people. I met a number of owners who were more than thrilled with their ownership and the value they received from it. To each his own.