Pete H

Jun 5, 2025

Outdated and neglected properties not what was promised

I have to give Marriott Vacation Club the lowest review score possible for their dilapidated resorts, lack of transparency about what we were getting into, and the poor handling of our request to terminate our contract. The majority of the Marriott resorts we have stayed in, aside from Ko'Olina, simply failed to live up to what is expected of a luxury brand. During a recent stay at the Sabal Palms Resort for a conference at the Marriott World Center, the 2-bed room was subpar, not even matching the quality of a basic hotel unit. The carpet was worn and outdated. The kitchen sink had visible caulk along the edges. Multiple poorly repaired holes lined the walls. Both the chandelier and the ceiling fan blades were covered in thick layers of unsanitary dust, which was proof of the lack of proper cleaning. My coworker, who joined me, was equally shocked by the appalling condition of the resort. When we signed up for the MVC, we were under the impression that we would have access to hundreds of Marriott resorts. However, it was later revealed that our options are actually significantly limited, as the full inventory of Marriott resorts is withheld from us until we reach a certain point level. This critical info was not made clear when we agreed to it, which feels deceptive and misleading. We are currently paying $300 per month in maintenance fees, but it is evident from the poor upkeep of the properties that these funds are not being used appropriately to maintain the resorts. This ongoing cost, coupled with the poor condition of the properties, makes it impossible for us to justify continuing with the Marriott Vacation Club. Due to these major issues, we reached out to Marriott to request the cancellation of our contract. Any fair company would see this as the bare minimum to make things right. Instead of addressing our concerns, we were told the contract must be paid in full before any cancellation can be processed. It is unreasonable to expect us to continue paying for a service that does not align with what was promised at the time of purchase. Are they intending to keep us trapped in these rundown “resorts” forever?