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scooterbug44

SoWal Expert
May 8, 2007
16,732
3,330
Sowal
If you choose to rent your place through other channels then either your guests can't use certain amenities or you pay a fee.

And kudos to the classy folks who rent their units to people, list all of the amenities, then leave it up to the poor staff to inform them they can't use something. :roll:
 

passin thru

Beach Fanatic
Jun 12, 2007
344
126
This is a rational, business decision. The amenities affected are those that use Joe/Nobel House employees and are not owned by the HOA. The employees, maintenance, etc are expenses supported by the rental fees charged to guests staying through the resort. If you choose to rent your place through other channels then either your guests can't use certain amenities or you pay a fee. I think this is only fair. The increasing popularity of Watercolor, etc has put additional stresses on these facilities which need to be supported. No free rides anymore.

It's a rational, but poor, business decision, IMO.

If the amenity provider wants to charge rental households more than non-rental households, that may be OK. But, all renting households should then have the same upcharge applied, IMO. To cut yourself & your "friends" a better, insider deal is exactly UNfair.
 

Paula

Beach Fanatic
Jan 25, 2005
3,747
442
Michigan but someday in SoWal as well
Tourists are a raw, unnatural force of pure, poorly dressed destruction. ;)

You may be joking (sometimes jokes go over my head), but I can't help but step in here and say that I have told many people that the renters we've had at our cottages have taken very good care of our cottages over the past 6 years, and many are even gentler on our cottages than we have been with our own home). I imagine that Watersound would get renters who take care of places, too. Like many people, I had assumed that renters would be really hard on our cottages, but it has turned out that the opposite is true. They've been respectful and very appreciative of the cottages and SoWal. They feel like vacationers who are lucky enough to have found a special place on earth with an uncrowded beach where they can thoroughly enjoy their friends and families. For me, it feels good to offer people a place they can escape to and feel welcome. And when I travel, I hope the people I rent from feel the same way about me.

Of course, we use a management company and they do all the maintenance and cleaning, so I don't see the occasional mess left by someone. As far as I'm concerned, having vacationers in SoWal seems to bring much more good than the occasional problem.
 

melscuba

Beach Fanatic
Apr 22, 2009
260
38
Roswell, Ga hoping SoWal someday
It's a rational, but poor, business decision, IMO.

If the amenity provider wants to charge rental households more than non-rental households, that may be OK. But, all renting households should then have the same upcharge applied, IMO. To cut yourself & your "friends" a better, insider deal is exactly UNfair.

I absolutely agree. Each homeowner pays the same association fee and they, as well as their guests, should have the same access to all areas. The common areas are owned by the home owners and leased by Noble House. The owners of such areas should not be denied access (nor their guests). It really turned me off at Watercolor. Any stress to the amenities is from overcrowding, which is due to improper planning for load. We ended up renting through another management company other than Watercolor because I could not justify the almost $2,000 "amenity fee" we would have been charged for the duration of our stay. It burned my butt when denials were handed out to those who didn't know better going in, and even though I knew, it still felt "elite-est" to me when I was paying a hefty fee for my visit as it was. I don't like being strong armed, and I wouldn't like it as a homeowner. Just my two cents as a renter. If/when the time coms for us to own, we'll see how I handle it.:dunno:
 
You may be joking (sometimes jokes go over my head), but I can't help but step in here and say that I have told many people that the renters we've had at our cottages have taken very good care of our cottages over the past 6 years, and many are even gentler on our cottages than we have been with our own home). I imagine that Watersound would get renters who take care of places, too. Like many people, I had assumed that renters would be really hard on our cottages, but it has turned out that the opposite is true. They've been respectful and very appreciative of the cottages and SoWal. They feel like vacationers who are lucky enough to have found a special place on earth with an uncrowded beach where they can thoroughly enjoy their friends and families. For me, it feels good to offer people a place they can escape to and feel welcome. And when I travel, I hope the people I rent from feel the same way about me.

Of course, we use a management company and they do all the maintenance and cleaning, so I don't see the occasional mess left by someone. As far as I'm concerned, having vacationers in SoWal seems to bring much more good than the occasional problem.

Yes, I was joking....but with a tone of regretful truth to my jest. The condo next to me is rented throughout the summer and for every respectful renter, there regretfully are also loud, drunk, obnoxious renters who leave broken beer bottles throughout the property and ruin the serenity of my home with their drunken antics. This area we live in is very special. Unfortunately all who visit here are not. I can easily understand how renters would be considered harder on the amenities then owners. At least for where I live, I wish there were more of the thoughtful visitors who appreciate the magic and beauty of our surroundings. When I wake and see the back forest littered with beer cans, it makes me angry...and incredibly sad.
 

Paula

Beach Fanatic
Jan 25, 2005
3,747
442
Michigan but someday in SoWal as well
That would make me sad (and a bit nuts), too. I haven't had that experience, but then again I don't live in SoWal much of the time (yet). I run into visitors when I'm there, and they seem as awed and caring about the area as I do, though I'm sure there are exceptions. Unfortunately, you've seen more than your share of the problem people.

Personally, I wonder if larger rentals are more likely to have problems because larger groups can pool their money and rent them. Smaller places may be more likely to be rented by couples and smaller familes, who may not be as hard on the rentals. But, I'm hijacking this thread which is about ammenities, so I'll stop now.
 

Koa

Beach Fanatic
Jul 17, 2010
260
56
melscuba, Though I'm not positive, I don't think the issue is with common areas. I think it is with the usage of things such as bicycles, boats, campfire meetings, golf, etc, which are owned by Noble House, not the HOA.
 

melscuba

Beach Fanatic
Apr 22, 2009
260
38
Roswell, Ga hoping SoWal someday
melscuba, Though I'm not positive, I don't think the issue is with common areas. I think it is with the usage of things such as bicycles, boats, campfire meetings, golf, etc, which are owned by Noble House, not the HOA.

I think you're right. Noble house owns the bicycles, kayaks, and pays the staff. However, everyone (guests not staying through Noble House) is denied access to things such as Camp Watercolor where the Camp Pool and Pool house (for lack of better word) are owned by homeowners as well as the boat house that houses the kayaks and the bike barn that holds the bikes. To clarify before I go further, homeowners get access to everything (but for how long?), just not their guests. And the building themselves are not closed off, just the activities within them. It's splitting hairs. Noble House profits from each guest's stay. They are simply trying to monopolize the rental market at the cost of homeowners who don't use them as their management agency. The reason people went elsewhere is because Noble House was taking 40% plus fees while other rental companies were taking between 20-28%. The irony for me is Watercolor Vacation Rental Co. does a superior job as far as client care and care/cleanliness of homes. They should be competitive in their rates from the homeowners who use them and win out on quality of service. Apparently their strong arming has worked and now it's going to spread to Watersound. Who cares about the client, or the home the co. is using for it's profit, money is what matters right? Sorry, this matter has struck a nerve with me.
 
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