Interesting comments/observations. I would like to see a report presented that explores how our costs compare with the general holiday let market in the area….has any rise in cost had an impact on demand. I would also like the report to explore how the raise in management fee over that last two years has impacted on resale take up and if there has been a general increase in weeks being listed for sale due to the increased cost…(something we are actively considering)

My overall concern is: are we getting value for money? Value for money does not mean least cost but a combination of Efficiency, Effectiveness and Economy. Paying more for an effective and efficient service is worthwhile. As owners we do not get the full picture to answer this question. Also I am not aware of any Key Performance indicators which can contribute to assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the service. All we see is our annual fees and the yearly accounts and not the other two E’s
johnlorraine

Mark and JohnLorraine
Are your observations re costs inferring that in reality, since the changeover to managing the resort ourselves, that the potential benefits have been significantly outweighed by the subsequent increases in our management fees?
Are you concerned that the takeover in terms of owners outgoings has not been as successful as you would have hoped?
It’s difficult to appreciate what the economic aspirations were when taking over the management from Sykes and whether those economic benefits to owners might have been unrealistic from the outset.
Owners have only got their actual increases in their management fees to judge by, so the comparison of 4.7% increase for this year in addition to a 12% increase last year, is key here if comparing against other timeshare management fee increases…..

Having said all of that , it would appear that Sykes were not only concerned with their own self interests but also their website and marketing platform was never suited to multiple owners owning a specific lodge spread over the calendar year… Their existing website couldn’t cater for it so the decision to use Sykes in this regard appeared sadly questionable right from the outset. Plus it would appear in order to retain staff we obviously needed to pay equitable rates etc.

Presumably your concerns now relate to how we economically compare to other Lakeland timeshares, in terms of management fee increases and outgoings, and are we out of kilter with the proportion of employment costs that make up that fee, and is there scope for further efficiency, is that correct?

Mark, do you have any comparison before we took over the management of the resort? Obviously the staff costs would be less and we paid a management fee to the previous management company.