Frequently Asked Questions

What happened?
Effective March 27, 2012, Orange Lake Resorts closed on a transaction with Escapes! Inc. expanding the resort network of Orange Lake Resorts to Tropical Breeze in Panama City Beach, FL and Gulf at Galveston in Galveston, TX. This means that Escapes Travel Choices (ETC) is no longer available to owners at these two resorts.

However, this does not apply to owners who possess an active ownership at another Escapes-affiliated resort not included in this acquisition. These owners still possess an active Escapes membership, but the inventory from these two acquired resorts does not qualify to be used within the Escapes program.

>> What’s Next?

What’s Next for my Resort?
We have been working closely with your Homeowner Association to maintain your resort as a prime vacation destination and plans or projects to make improvements are already underway. On December 21, 2012, the resort was renamed to Holiday Inn Club Vacations Galveston Beach Resort.

Prior to your resort being rebranded, you may book reservations to your Home Resort (Galveston) and no reservation fees will apply for the remainder of 2012.

As an owner at this location, you also have the option of becoming a member of Holiday Inn Club—for a nominal, one-time $100 enrollment fee and annual dues which are currently $104—once your Escapes membership paid-through date has passed. Depending on your particular ownership, the timing at which you are eligible to join the Club differs.

What changes can I expect at my resort?

Prior to your resort being rebranded, all units on property were enhanced. These included fully furnishing 31 empty units, as well as refreshing the remaining 47 units with new upholstery, carpeting, window treatments, lighting, artwork, interior paint, bedding and accessories. The resort’s interior corridors also were painted, re-carpeted and furnished.

How does this affect my current ownership?
The Escapes Travel Choices (ETC) program associated with the timeshare interest you own in Galveston on the Gulf Resort was terminated on March 27, 2012. Because of this, your HOA has implemented a temporary reservation system to ensure your continued, flexible use of your timeshare. This system will be administered by Orange Lake Resorts. You will be assigned points based on the week you own, which can be used to:

  • Book reservations at your resort.
  • Access inventory through Escapes that has been set aside at other Escapes resorts.
  • Also note we are working with external exchange companies to create a program to enable you to book an external exchange. We hope to have this program available to you soon.

Click here to view the HOA Reservation Point Values that have been assigned to each unit size and week for the resort. Additionally, all saved 2011 and transferred 2012 ETC points have been brought over to your new account and are available for use. Please note that saved ETC points expired at the end of 2012.

Booking windows
The booking windows you experienced in the past are now different and closely resemble the Holiday Inn Club system. For your week, you have three main windows in which to book your reservations:

  • The Home Access window, from 3 years to 13 months prior to your desired arrival date, allows you to lock your week for your use.
  • This is followed by the Resort Access window, from 13 months to 10 months prior to your desired arrival date, which allows you to book any week at your resort provided you have sufficient points.
  • The Open Access window, from 10 months to 1 day prior to the desired arrival date, allows you to book for as little as two nights to as many nights as you have points to use.

This temporary reservation system will be in place as long as you have a “paid through date” with ETC, which is the date through which you paid your annual dues to ETC. For example, if you paid your ETC dues on time in February 2012, then your paid-through date would be Jan 31, 2013.

Holiday Inn Club membership availability
You have the option to enroll in Holiday Inn Club now, as long as your ETC paid-through date has passed. For more information, call us at (888) 253-5678 and we’ll be happy to let you know when Club membership is available to you.

Holiday Inn Club benefits available to you
Below are just some of the benefits of being a Club member:

  • Book nightly reservations at any Holiday Inn Club Member Resort for stays as short as two days with check-in any day of the week.
  • Guarantee your Home Week at the resort you purchased, or choose to visit at a different time.
  • Enjoy access to over 4,500 RCI Points and RCI Weeks resorts worldwide.
  • Automatic enrollment as a Gold Elite Member in Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s largest hotel loyalty program. This gives you access to more than 4,500 IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) family of brand hotels worldwide, merchandise from top retailers and once-in-a-lifetime experiences using transferred Club Points, which never expire in this program.
  • Use your Club Points for real-time airline reservations, cruises, championship golf at Orange Lake Resort, rental cars, spas, hot air balloon rides, and more through our Club Partners program.
  • Receive secure access to our exclusive member website to view special offers and information about your ownership including Club Point statements and reservation confirmations, make payments, review member updates and book reservations.
  • Access to POINTShield™ protection for Club reservations, giving you the ability to cancel your reservation up to 48 hours in advance of your trip and receive 100% of your Club Points back.
  • Access to a dedicated Owner Support team to help you get the most out of your Vacation Ownership.

The resort is now rebranded. If your paid-through date has not yet occurred, you will continue to have access to the temporary reservation system until your paid-through date.

If you choose not to join Holiday Inn Club after your ETC paid-through date ends After your paid-through date occurs, external exchanges are only available through a Holiday Inn Club membership. If you choose not to join the Holiday Inn Club, then your access to the temporary reservation system will end on your paid-through date. From then on, you will have access to your timeshare interest on a Fixed-Week basis and will be eligible to return to your resort only for the week that you own.

Does Interval International know about this?
Yes, Interval International is aware of the acquisition.

Where do I send my scheduled payments?
You will soon receive a letter regarding the transition to Orange Lake Resorts with important contact information for managing your maintenance account. If you have signed an auto-draft authorization for monthly prepayment of maintenance fees, then your authorization remains in effect. However, you’ll notice that your bank statement will reflect a payment made to Wilson Resort Management, which is affiliated with Orange Lake Resorts. Be sure to indicate your name and account number as it appears on your account statement. Recent account payments will be automatically forwarded and applied to your account.

Beginning March 28, 2012, please send current and outstanding scheduled payments as noted below.

  • All Mortgage Payments:
    Orange Lake Resort & Country Club
    P.O. Box 791362
    Baltimore, Maryland 21279-1362
  • All Maintenance & Tax Payments:
    Capital Management Maintenance
    P.O. Box 538314
    Atlanta, GA 30353-8314

Be sure to indicate your name and account number as it appears on your account statement. If you made any recent account payments, they will be automatically forwarded and applied to your account. A letter from Capital Management has been sent to all owners with important contact information for managing these payments.

If you need to speak to an agent about your mortgage or maintenance fees, please call Orange Lake Capital Management at (800) 298-3706 (in U.S.) or (407) 477-7101 (outside U.S.).

>> Can I enroll in Holiday Inn Club now?

How do I know if I’m eligible to enroll into Holiday Inn Club?
Former Escapes members with a membership paid-through date that has passed are eligible to enroll NOW. The "paid-through date" is defined as the date through which you paid your ETC dues. For example, if you paid your ETC dues on time for February 2012, then your paid-through date would be January 31, 2013.

Your resort has been fully renovated and is now officially renamed Holiday Inn Club Vacations Panama City Beach Resort. And as the newest member of our resort family, we want you to fully enjoy the benefits of being part of our growing Holiday Inn Club.

Unfortunately, the deadline for the special offer to become a member of the Club for a one-time $100 enrollment fee and annual dues ($104) is now past. However, if you missed the deadline, we welcome you to call (888) 253-5678 today to discuss what we can do to help you become a member.

I’m eligible to enroll now. What do I need to do?
Beginning March 28, 2012, eligible owners can enroll in Holiday Inn Club by calling a Vacation Counselor at (888) 253-5678 and paying a nominal, one-time $100 enrollment fee and annual dues which are currently $104.

Once enrolled, when will my full Club benefits become effective?
As noted in the “What’s Next?” section, your Club benefits will become fully activated once your ETC paid-through date has passed and home resort is rebranded to Holiday Inn Club Vacations. After these conditions are met, you will be notified of the exact date when your full Holiday Inn Club benefits become available.

Following the resort re-branding to Holiday Inn Club Vacations, what other membership benefits access will I have as a Club member?
In addition to previously listed benefits, you will receive a member card and have access to all member benefits associated with your level of membership, member website access and IHG® Rewards Club membership benefits and transactions, as part of the alliance with IHG.

 

Updated February 2013