Attention to all Royal Savoy timeshare owners

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News
Thanks to Alison Macdonald for sending me this, and I hope it helps many of you.
Following the recent expansion of the Savoy Signature Group and the imminent reopening of the Royal Savoy, a new group has been set up to promote owners’ interests and to help with owners’ concerns.  The group is currently communicating on WhatsApp and a group email address has been set up.  On Wednesday the group held its first Zoom meeting.
If you would like to join us please send an email to royalsavoymember@hotmail.com.  You will need to provide your name, mobile telephone number if you wish to join the WhatsApp group, week number(s) and apartment number(s).  Please feel free to let other owners know, the more the merrier!  All information will be held privately by one group member, complying with UK data protection law, and will never be shared with anyone inside or outside the group.
The first issue we will be addressing is the demand for additional money to pay for the recent refurbishments.  Other subjects discussed at the Zoom meeting were Safeaway charges, access to the RS pools by other hotels in the group, and the reduced amount of wine and snacks at the Tuesday cocktail parties.
If you decide to join us please do share our email address with anyone you meet while on holiday at the Royal Savoy.
Looking forward to meeting you.
A big thank you to Tobi for including this message in his online news.

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Tobi Hughes

81 Responses

  1. OMG ‘demand for additional money to cover the refurbishments’, what an absolute disgrace!
    The amount of money already charged in maintenance per week is extortionate enough without the Savoy going cap in hand to it’s members yet again.

    1. Surely ‘Maintenance’ does not mean ‘Refurbishment’’? If u Google Royal Savoy Contract it clearly states ‘nothing more to pay than Maintenance fees!! I’d attach article but don’t know how!

        1. it will be interesting to see what the rooms now look like. The rooms and the public areas were very beautiful when the Royal Savoy was first launched and no doubt a very good interior designer was used. But when you look at the new photos on the website it would seem that this is no longer the case certainly with the apartments. They seem to have lost their way style wise and no longer seem to be on a par or better than other 5* resorts on the island. So whatever happens about the refurbishment bill this seems to have been a missed opportunity. If, as is clearly the case from their email, the resort is looking for people to extend their timeshares they should have produced a quality product.

          The things that caught my eye in the one bed apartments which is what we have, is
          whilst there are still net curtains there are no longer fabric curtains that would dress the room and block the light. Equally there no longer seem to be bedspreads or similar. The TV’s were in cabinets but they have been removed as larger TVs have been prominently installed so there now appears to be no storage in the living room for guests using the bed settee.

          I have been reflecting on this. Covid has been tough for everyone and I suspect that Madeira will have had a particularly tough time as travel has been so very limited. I can see that this made the idea of refurbishment attractive. It would get building work done whilst there were no guests about and provide much needed work for people. Had we ended up with a resort that was as beautiful as the one we bought into many years ago I think that under the current circumstances we would have been tempted to bite the bullet and pay the bill and perhaps even to have extended our contract. As it is we are left with a bad taste in our mouths and a concern that there will be a further deterioration both in the resort and in the way in which contract holders are treated.

  2. What a shock for club members to have to pay for the refurbishments. As if the maintenance charges are not enough at 500 to 600 euros a week. What a cheek by the Royal Savoy.

  5. We’re not happy either. Several of the RS furnishings in the apartments have needed repair and replacement for a long while but we didn’t expect that we’d be asked to pay up in addition to our already large maintenance fees.

  6. All news to me,my first question is, have they the legal right to do this. My second, is if I refuse to pay are they legally able to let my weeks.

    1. Good questions, I hope as a group you can all get answers. It’s like all the owner’s at Regency Club, now Savoy Next, a lot of them seem to have been pushed out.

  7. I note comments on this subject bought a very quick reaction yet the news of 52 new cases of Covid is still waiting the first.

    1. We were Recency members and were approached by the Savoy to transfer to the Royal Savoy at a cost. We decided to do so because we still wanted to holiday in Madeira.
      We also had 2 weeks banked from the Madeira Recency club and were going to use them last year , but Covid blocked that . Not sure yet if they will still honour the banked weeks as it’s now over 2 years.
      At the Recency we had to contribute to the sinking fund to help cover the costs from storm damage. We did not expect to have to contribute to maintenance costs at the Royal Savoy. It begs the the question what do our annual maintenance costs go towards?
      Pete woodbury

      1. sorry, that was supposed to be posted as a response to Mr Nabbs. Please don’t take offence, my error.

  8. It’s shocking . When my parents were unable to travel anymore , I handed all their weeks from Savoy, Carlton and Miramar in . The service charges put off other family members wanting the weeks . Does anyone know how the old Recency Club owners were treated after the buy out ?

    1. I’m not sure the Regency was a buy out; I thought the Regency group failed and the Savoy group took over the property between the Savoy and the Palace. My understanding is the Regency owners were offered a special rate for buying in to the Palace, but not sure how special it was.

  10. It is called Priorities in the eyes of The Savoy Group. .Fortunately, it does not involve us. We were accosted by a sales girl ??. to visit but declined as we prefer Cliff Bay to the Razzle and Dalzell of The Savoy. I do feel sorry for the people who are locked into this terrible situation.

  11. I agree Anna. Wouldn’t trust the other lot further than I could throw them
    This is from personal experience I walked away from mine and still awaiting money back from funds I put down years ago before this lot took over

  12. Thank you for publishing contact details for this group, and I have emailed them to join. Also emailed the Savoy group when they sent me details of proposed charges to ask where in contract it allows then to do this. My reading of contract is that only increase in service charge is by the Portuguese rate of inflation. Based on this I declined to pay charges they wished to impose for Madeira Safe service, and after some debate they eventually waived that charge.

  13. We are also furious at the Management’s flagrant breach of contract in demanding that Members pay for the recent refurbishments and renovations.This will do significant damage to the reputation of the Savoy Signature Group and potentially the Madeiran timeshare industry. These charges are in addition to another recent demand for grossly over-priced “health services” which the majority of us neither want nor need, as well as a demand for extra “utility” charges (our contract states utility costs are included in our maintenance fees). These arbitrary demands for extra money over and above our contract obligations are extremely concerning. What further breaches of contract are they like to throw at us over the remaining 11 years of the lease? We really had believed that the “timeshare bully boys” had been driven out of this industry many years ago – how wrong we appear to be!!

  14. I too refused to pay for the Safeway scheme and was told that they would ‘revisit’ the charges next year! I am shocked that they are now asking for money to cover the refurbishment – I do not recall being asked if I was prepared to pay or even if I was able to pay additional money? My understanding, like that of John Logan, is that the maintenance can be increased annually in line with the Portuguese rate of inflation and that no other additional charges are due…………

  16. This is becoming a nasty habit. Last year we were hit with a utility charge and an enforced subscription to a health service which I, and I suspect many members, certainly did not require or request. The arrogance of the RS in assuming they can arrange a health care package on my behalf without my knowledge or agreement is truly astounding. This year we are being hit with substantial maintenance and refurbishment costs (in addition to capital investment costs that should be financed by the RS, not it’s already highly charged membership). All of the above with no prior consultation. We have been paying fairly hefty maintenance fees for the last 12 years and apart from a new kettle, a couple of reupholstered chairs and new carpeting on the corridor floors, I am hard pressed to see a return on this expenditure. Looking at these issues, it’s difficult not to conclude that the Royal Savoy’s ‘esteemed’ members are now regarded as a ‘cash cow’ by it’s current management.

  17. Thanks Tobi for this posting, We will be joining the group, Hello everyone else, we have also refused to pay the ‘safeaway’ charge and agree they cannot make these additional charges, any solicitors out there who understands these contracts.

  18. Is this even Legal? It certainly isn’t morally.

    Last year I got so annoyed because without any prior warning, no discussions, no vote, nothing, the Management at the Royal Savoy, slapped on our already high maintenance charge, an extra €31.50 per week for a Safe Away healthcare plan.

    But this year the Management of the Savoy Signature Vacation Club really have dropped a bombshell.

    The Vacation Club members again, had no prior discussions with the Management at the Savoy Signature Vacation Club before they went ahead with their recent refurbishment.

    As members we never got the opportunity to have a say or even vote in favor of the refurbishment but the Management went ahead anyway.
    As far as I’m concerned the Management should have foreseen the cost and if they did not have the funds then they should never have gone ahead with the refurbishment work.

    And now the Management of the Savoy Signature Vacation Club are asking their members to ‘cough up’ to bail them out.

    I will definitely not be paying the renovation fee and feel morally they cannot ask the members to pay as our yearly maintenance fee together with the Reserve fund should have paid for the renovation work.

    This is what the Royal Savoy Management are asking members to pay per week owned – most contracts Expire in 2032.

    For example if you own 3 weeks in a 1 Bedroom apartment

    Annual fee €630 per week x 3 weeks = €1890
    Plus refurbishment at €723.79 x 3 weeks = €2171.37

    This means that this years Annual fee will be an exorbitant €4061.37

    This is an extract from their email

    The refurbishment is now completed and the Royal Savoy will open on 30th August 2021.

    The total budgeted cost of the renovation is 5,233,900.00€ of which 4,810,274.40€ is allocated to the apartments and common area costs. The Administrators were able to transfer the amount of 815,852.64€ from the contingency fund which leaves a total of 3,994,421.76€, to be divided between the Developer (Savoy Signature) and the Members of the Royal Savoy.

    The calculated values that each Member will be required to contribute, is based on the square meters of the different types of apartments for each Membership Agreement. The renovation fee will be sent to all Members together with the annual fee statement.

    The values are as follows:

    Studio apartment (T0) – 29,04€ per week, maximum of 348.45€
    One-bedroom apartment (T1) – 60,32€ per week, maximum of 723.79€
    Two-bedroom apartment (T2) – 85,71€ per week, maximum of 1,028.47€
    Penthouse (T1) – 60,49€ per week, maximum of

    This is taken from the FAQ Vacation Club website page and also in the brochure we were given when we purchased our timeshare.

    Once I have purchased my apartment, all I have to pay from then on is my Annual Fee?

    Yes! The Annual Fee includes maintenance, maid service, utilities, furniture and equipment replacement funds, electricity, insurances, management, etc. In fact everything that you would expect from the Club .

    1. Christine. Whilst I agree with your thoughts on this. I also feel you have misunderstood the additional charge.
      As I understand it this is the sum.
      For a one bed apartment it is an extra €60.32 per week on top of the €630 per week. Total €690.32 per week. €2070.96 for three weeks.
      Not ideal but a lot better than the €4061.37 that you feared

      1. Hello Richard, I have just telephoned the Savoy Signature Vacation Club and spoke with Anna and she confirmed that €60.32 will be charged per week for every year you’ve left on your contract because members have different time left especially when they sold the 10 year plans a few years ago.. I then wanted Anna to confirm that if my contract expires in 2032, I then have to pay 12 years at €60.32 for each week I own, and she said ‘yes’ that is correct.

      2. Hi Richard, I telephoned the Finance office today at the Savoy Signature Vacation Club and she confirmed that the €60.32 will be charged for every week that you have left on your timeshare contract, which in my case is until 2032. I then asked so I would pay €60.32 x 12 years on each and every timeshare we have’ and she told me yes, that’s correct.

  19. Its good there are group commication details .
    Thanks Tobi for publishing

  20. To add to the above observations, the total amount that would be received if all members were to “cough up”, based on every timeshare unit being currently owned, for every week (some with more than one week ,some with alternate year contracts) would be over €4.5m

    We, for one, want to know why borrowing the money is only mentioned as an option and one which appears not to have been considered.

    Furthermore, as has already been mentioned, to have proceeded with the refurbishments, without the money and without having consulting the membership is tantamount to indescribable arrogance. Is there something in the “small-print” which leads the RS owners to believe that this conduct is OK? Insofar as the SafeAway charge is concerned, this was added in a way which breaches our contract as we did not agree to this contractual change in writing – all changes have to be agreed by both parties. Above you will note we said “RS Owners”, not RS Management. Who is the owner, or “Founding Member” as it is referred to in our contract? Is this someone from Koi Palace Limited? Our belief is that RS Management, who are in communication with us, are at most merely “middle management”, and whilst, yes, they have a job to do and it’s going to be unpleasant for some of them, they are surely the messengers, the monkeys, rather than the organ-grinder and in any dealings we have with “the staff” we will remain courteous, dignified and respectful. That’s not to say we’re absolutely fuming and will leave no stone unturned to resist this highly disputable charge.

  21. Our contract says we pay a maintenance fee and this has been advertised to us. If everyone refuses to pay then they surely will not be able to charge.

  22. Royal Savoy seems guilty of serious mismanagement. If they were incompetent in their budgeting such that the contingency fund was inadequate, they should have consulted members. Instead they decided to spend Eur 5m on renovations and then charge members for half of it. They fail to respond to most emails and blame it on the fact that the hotel is about to reopen. But they were equally unresponsive while the hotel was closed. I have requested copies of their Income and Expenditure reports, as is my right as a member. I have also asked them to furnish me with details of the AGM and who agreed to the renovations on behalf of members. They have failed to provide these. I have told them that the renovations should be standard works that should be covered by our annual maintenance fee, although some of them are additional facilities that RS hope will generate extra income eg a new spa treatment room and a new bar. No members requested those or expressed a willingness to pay for them. Additionally they are billing us for a Safe Away programme on which they failed to consult us. I have asked a number of times for the charge to be removed from my bill as I do not want or need it and it is nothing to do with the hotel or my room and is therefore not part of my contract. They ignore me. So their reluctance to provide documentation per our contract and the fact they are billing for items outside the contracts leads me to believe something is seriously wrong. Rather than providing a 5 star service to their long-standing members they are acting like some kind of low-quality, dubious outfit that gives timeshare a bad name.

    1. It will be nice if anyone in charge or the reopening if the Royal Savoy, were to be sent this link so they can read and take the comments in. Not that they probably care, they treat their staff like shit with a miserable pay, and the owner is to busy making money with all the concrete fir the roads and tunnels and other building projects, and probably the new hospital also.

      2. Hi Tobi.I am interested in seeing other replies to your post. If I had written that then there would probably have been a deluge of the usuall contributers moaning at me from all sides. So let’s see….In the meantime…looks like, judging by the comments ”Paradise” for some is hitting home. I DO feel sorry for those timeshare owners and how they are being treated. I hope there is,maybe, a European body of control they can go to for support. I also hope that maybe visitors whether timeshare or otherwise, read these posts on this subject and ttake a minute to think how these companies treat their staff, considering how they treat their customers.

  23. This seems no different in principle to what an owner would face on an apartment in Madeira. Who else is going to pay for repairs and renovations apart from the owners? ?

  24. Hi Anish. No difference except that 1) apartment owners are generally aware that capital expenditure will happen (many time share owners at the RS had no idea that this could happen and 2) nothing wrong with general repairs and upgrades but money has been spent on unnecessary things such as a cafe in reception, not needed and not wanted.

  25. Thanks to Tobi for facilitating this valuable news item, the significance of which stretches further than just the RS or the Savoy Signature group – the reputation of Madeira Tourism is at stake given that not too long ago the RS was in the top three hotels/resorts in the world. Furthermore, the vast majority of visitors to the island are from the UK and it’s a dangerous approach that the RS owners are taking through their cavalier attitude to written contracts….or are our contracts not worth the paper they are written on? Surely some members will have lawyers amongst family and friends. If not, what about consumer protection cover which is generally included in home insurance legal cover? The RS owners may find in due course, even if this matter is resolved, that the foul stench of such blatant disregard for timeshare members is difficult to shake off; people will retain long memories of this behaviour and in the short term, we certainly don’t feel very encouraged to spend anything other than time within the RS resort next time we’re there, no meals, no cocktails, no spa, no poolside refreshments – quid pro quo, what goes around comes around. No doubt scores of others will feel the same. We feel sorry for the wonderful staff, from the doormen, to the porters and maids, to the reception staff, to the waiting staff, to the pool attendants who may lose some job satisfaction when every day they’re faced with guests who are on holiday under such a cloud, rather than the Madeira sunshine. Tobi – you mentioned that the owner is involved with infrastructure projects. Who is the actual owner?

  26. I’ve never stayed at the Royal Savoy (not my sort of place) but surely it’s almost brand new. How on earth can it be in need of “refurbishment”?!
    …or is this simply fixing issues that arose during the build? Most people call that “snagging”.

  27. Well said Penny and Dave, your sentiments are ours entirely, we feel very badly treated, conned in fact, to find the Contract we signed has in fact hidden clauses that absolutely none of us knew about…very shady…. ‘If’ we decide to still visit the RS we too will adopt the strategy of no extras whilst staying there.. shame on you RS…your total lack of integrity lets down the people of your lovely Island…

  29. The parent company of the Savoy hotels and resorts is a company called AFA the initials of the company President. His and his company’s main role before acquiring the Royal Savoy, the Savoy Palace building site and Savoy Gardens Hotel from the Bank after the previous outfit went bankrupt under a cloud of corruption which is still ongoing was mainly building and resurfacing our roads and building tunnels hence the previous comments from Tobi.
    Clearly from comments made they need their finance management and client services department overhauled or replaced as quickly as possible and communication skills training thrown in to boot

  30. Dear Tobi,

    I have tried to join your WhatsApp Group but your group email has been rejected. Can you tell me how to join.

    1. You nerd to jyst send a message to the email, and they should send you information. It’s not my group, I just put the post up for you all. ?

  31. Absolutely Jessica. Companies that ignore unhappy customers never do well. The RS management need serious customer relationship and communications training – shame I’ve retired, I could have designed and delivered some excellent courses!

  32. I think you are confusing the Royal Savoy, Savoy Palace and Savoy Gardens with the Regency Club which was bought from the bank after it went bankrupt, some time after the other hotels were sold by the then owners before they went bankrupt.

  33. The Regency also went bankrupt, indeed you are correct however the previous owners who started to build the Savoy Palace also had the same problem, there were investigations re Baniff Bank which also went under. You may remember that the building of the Savoy Palace was halted for many years and it was only late 2015 or thereabouts was the property recommenced by the now current owner AFA. The previous owner currently having appeared in Court is being prosecuted for various serious financial situations.

  34. I wonder if RS management read this blog. 4554 views of 51 very negative comments in 2 days might cause some panic in the boardroom?
    Tobi, can you expand on your comment of RS treating their staff like sh*t. We are very fond of many of the staff and feel very sorry for them.

    1. Long hours low pay, I don’t know what it was like before, but I have friends that have been for interviews as they are looking for staff all the time it seems at the moment, but expecting them to work 6 days a week, with up to almost 60 hours a week, and paying 700-800 a month…

      1. Yes Tobi, well said again. 700-800 a month is actually quite good compared to what others in the same position are getting, it’s still s**t but… Let’s consider, and I’m sure your friends have, the cost of transport (monthly pass, possibly 2 depending on where the worker lives), to get to work. Car? forget it. Parking is a no no, 60 hours a week remember! Here’s another gem that might interest you. Most hotel Companies that I have known in the past actually subtract, AT SOURCE, a surcharge from the staff for meals, wheather there is any food or time to consume it, mostly neither.
        Food for thought.

  36. Anish,

    For some people they represent excellent value for money. To stay in our timeshare apartment but as private paying “Joe Public” tourists, for the equivalent number of years of membership purchased, massively exceeds what we paid for it, even when the maintenance costs (without the latest disputed extra one-off charge) and flights are taken into account. We also have the flexibility to bank the week and take a fortnight every other year if we wish as well as being able to exchange the week to stay in any other timeshare of equivalent grade anywhere in the world for a reasonable fee via a separate exchange mechanism. We can also gift our week to friends and family or move it to another week if accommodation at the RS is available. The exchange mechanism also includes Getaway break deals some of which are incredibly good value. We’ve used it to stay 5* in Malta for £150 for two in a luxury apartment. Flights were £19 each return!

    We bought our timeshare with open eyes when the RS was in the top three hotels in the world.

    Each to their own, having the choice is what matters.

  37. Tobi, that’s a real shock learning about the poor wages. It seems that this is a rate similar across Portugal.

    Please report back in due course if you discover, in the months ahead when Savoy group tourists are driven away because of the mindset of AFA towards attracting a different clientele, that local restaurants begin to complain at shrinking numbers of happy English visitors. After staying at the Savoy Palace last year and from some comments on T./Advisor, we felt that being both English and over 50, we weren’t particularly welcome until we stepped outside the building, as if we were being “designed out” of the future vision that Savoy Signature has for its prospective clientele. We visit for one week, once a year and local restaurants, taxis and businesses within around 0.75km from the Royal Savoy benefit by around €2000,- during that week from just us. There are also the much-appreciated tips (gratuities) for RS ancillary employees for which the English are well-known, which will dry up when we are all driven away, replaced by whoever AFA are trying to attract. There will be a knock-on effect, and local economy interests should be mobilised to put pressure on the AFA group to do more to “look after” the hands which have fed it over so many years. We know that there is a fairly good “grapevine” on the island: taxi drivers and local businesses usually know what’s going on. No doubt the RS staff will be under a “gagging order” not to be drawn into any contentious discussions with timeshare members!

    We can envisage the incumbent Hotel Manager, Luisa Correia being somewhat uncomfortable and perhaps reaching for the computer keyboard to edit her personal message on the RS homepage, part of which reads….”Long are the years of service that Royal Savoy has dedicated to you. Heart-felt is our gratitude to those who have repeatedly visited and preferred us.”. The full message can be seen here: https://www.savoysignature.com/royalsavoyhotel/en/hotel-manager-message/

    She will be stuck between a rock and a hard place but loyalty usually only heads in one direction. AFA have shot themselves in the foot whichever way we look at it, all for a vision which doesn’t exist in reality.

  38. I never pay my maintenance until I arrive in December for my Studio week. I have not received any mail from the Savoy and everything I read is new to me. When I receive my bill at Reception I will query any extra and at the top of my voice refuse to pay it. Should I be refused admittance then I will move to a hotel we have been using for the last couple of years and not use the Savoy. The Savoy is wonderful but when I compare the maintenance with a nightly hotel rate and I basically use the Savoy to rest my head, never using the bar or restaurants, then I shall be quite happy to do that. As to the value of my Time Share weeks, just who is going to buy them from me ? I tried selling 7 years ago and never got a sniff.

  39. Thanks for responding Penny and David. I still don’t really understand how it can be much cheaper than simply booking a hotel though. I book one in Lido area which as a regular visitor, I get for €350 a week including sea view with breakfasts included. And no contracts or hassle. And ultimate flexibility.

  40. Anish, we Don’t own anything, timeshare is much like a rental agreement whereby we pay a big chunk of money up front (which helps off set / pays for building costs) and then we pay a “maintenance” fee which is a bit like rent, in exchange all the facilities ie rooms, grounds and staff should be covered by the owner of the hotel, Actually the Royal Savoy is not even a hotel, it is registered as a condominium (apartments), hence why we have to pay 17% VAT more than say the Pestana members, another way the Savoy group have prioritised themselves over the members

  41. George,
    Were you really at the Royal Savoy last December ? I thought it was closed and we were all transferred to the “Palace”
    If you had your 2021 statement I am sure it would have had the Safeaway element on there, everyone else’s has.

    The Safeaway programme is not too dissimilar to a care package my father had in his retirement home, another reason I object to this payment!

  42. Hello Alan 695. Are you ok? Thanks for your response but it didn’t make a lot of sense to me…..

  43. As an owner of a 2 Bedroom apartment at ‘Regency’ for 30 years and a contract to run to 2065, I have been offered a studio with hotel room lock off as my original apartment no longer exists. As well as maintenance I will be expected to pay a refurbishment charge of £4,000 per week for 2 bedroom and goodness knows what else as Savoy is very quiet and dictorial.

    As I understand the situation, if I decline the one off offer, I will not receive a maintenance invoice for 2022 and will be expected to send my ownership certificates to the Savoy for no compensation.

    I wait to see what will transpire.

      1. There is a very active group, private members, called Royal Savoy Members on WhatsApp. Seriously suggest you join to get more important updates.

    2. Faythe, it sounds like you need specialist advice. There’s a company called Kwikchex who apparently look into timeshare-related issues. You’re unlikely to be alone (we seem to recall a previous news item here on Tobi’s blog along similar lines to what you have described. Maybe a similar fate awaits us a RS if we don’t all stand together to challenge what’s happening to us.

  44. Interestingly, some people have commented under this news item that they weren’t directly informed by RS about the intention to charge a renovation fee. We know of one other member who wasn’t aware. What are other contributor’s thoughts on that? Could it be that so many members are being notified at first to see what the reaction is, or maybe it’s done in some sort of systematic order or by whether a 2021 reservation has been made. It’s possible that non UK members are outside of our loop and are raising hell in their own respective countries. As far as we know, there aren’t any members from USA (maybe the planes are too large to land at CR-Aeroporto!)

  45. I own 3 weeks in January at RS. My apartment is on the curved atrium. It has 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms a living room and kitchen and a huge balcony. This is really worrying me as the sq.footage is a lot and there is nothing else to compare it to. It was bought off plan before the RS was built. I look forward to my annual holiday there and this year was the first time I’d missed. I never change my weeks and love all the staff. I’ve talked to them over the years and I know how badly they are paid. Some of them have become friends.
    I have told RS of my objections and said that I will not pay these extra charges. I can’t even imagine how much they will be, and I can’t get a proper answer from anyone. I don’t think they know themselves. I am a 73 year old widow and I really hope that I don’t have to give up my apartment. It’s certain that no-one will buy them now!

  46. With all these objections and comment on the Royal Savoy and Signature group….who in their right mind would sign up and pay a sizeable sum to these people only to find their contract terms are not worth the paper they are written on?
    Ultimately RS will have a large empty hotel with little income to offset their costs. They will need to change and respect these agreements or suffer the consequences.

  47. Just thought I would post a quick update. The WhatsApp group has grown significantly, members at the Royal Savoy are not happy. We have made good progress and would still welcome anyone else who wants to join. Just send an email to royalsavoymember@hotmail.com with you name, mobile number, room number and weeks. Let’s fight these unjust, and probably illegal, charges together.

    2. Hello, I have just emailed again asking to be added to your WhatsApp group as had heard nothing from the group.

  48. Not sure how us ‘owners’ should proceed, getting as many as poss to sign up to email address ASAP is crucial. Numbers of suites at the RS: 101 junior suites, 41 T1 suites & 20 T2 suites. Assuming average of 45 weeks sold (guess), gives 4,550 JS owner weeks sold, 1,850 T1 weeks & 900 T2 weeks approx. Rough total of refurb ‘tax’ charges around 3.3m euros over 10 years? If average owner has 1.5 to 2 weeks, then more than 7.3k RS owners involved?

  49. Thinking of effective action, with so little time to get a chunk of 5k or 7k owners on board & agree measures? If folk just pay their maintenance whilst refusing the refurb ‘tax’, then the company gets a huge sum of money & could threaten owners’ accommodation rights? Unlikely maybe? Action for a chunk of owners NOT to pay anything until this refurb ‘tax’ withdrawn could have an effect? Alternative, pay nothing in fees but offer 50% of this new annual charge, if they guarantee NO other charges? Just one’s own thoughts. The NO pay, but quick settlement if 50% agreed is still risky brinkmanship!

  50. There must be someone in our membership who has knowledge of Portuguese civil law!
    It would make sense for them to advise us, or we bite the bullet and agree to share the cost of a lawyer to represent us, surely less cost than the ransom they want.
    Also, bad publicity, I.e. TripAdvisor might make them think
    The key is as few strategies as poss, not everyone going alone.
    John Jones

  51. Hi we have a T2 at The Royal Savoy, because of Covid we banked our 2 weeks, so had 4 weeks this year 2021, we had to have our 1st week in the Savoy Palace, so, so disappointed, why, the whole place is Style over substance.
    We were excited to move back to our 8th floor 2 bed apartment, expecting to see amazing changes in the apartments, apart from new TV’s which they had to change to increase their technology infrastructure, nothing had changed, apart from we lost our DVD & surround sound in the apartment, so NO REFURBISHMENTS. What they have done is spend €6 million euro’s
    On what was poor infrastructure that was dangerously needed, like the new sea defences, they have also refurb’d the bar downstairs, which was such a poor design in the first place & opened the reception bar,& terrace, which I do approve of.
    But why should we pay for this, we need:-

    To get rid of the antiquated & noisy Air Conditioning, the current ones are not fit for purpose and may pose a serious threat of Legionaries disease.

    Steam irons, which are fit for purpose, the current ones are not

    Nespresso coffee machines, basic for modern living

    New carpets & redecorate the apartments

    These would have been “easy fixe’s” and with this we might have been happy to pay a contribution towards the costing, but my main concern is the arrogance of the new owner to not inform us before he went ahead and authorised such spending, without our agreement or consent, it’s not in my contract that this can be actioned, I DONT BELIEVE THIS IS EVEN LEGAL
    Also nobody want SAFE AWAY, what it cover’s is a rubbish initiative.
    When we purchased off plan in 1999, we were told, No major refurbishments till 2032 when our “ownership” ceases.
    My daughter would no longer bring her friends here, because it’s like an rich old folks home by the sea.
    She’s right it’s no longer a 5* luxury hotel, when you regularly stay in other 5* establishments in Funchal, it’s only saving grace is it’s wonderful position by the sea, everything else is looking very shabby.

  52. This thread seems to have petered out? We’re at the Savoy now checking out ‘improvements’. The new bar in the 8th floor reception may create income for them? The sea wall defence improvements involve 2M+ increase in concrete sea wall height, focused along an approx 50m+ stretch leading Westwards to the ‘fort’ with the WCs. It may need extending East in years to come but is protecting their freehold investment – we just have 11 yrs left so shouldn’t be picking up infrastructure repair costs! The ground floor dance area & indoor pool has all been levelled into one level area with open plan view out to the lido pool. It could make the cocktail / entertainment area more commercial, but that’s their choice & hardly maintenance. Some hard landscape work on the lido, again not our concern. We’ll ask about internal refurbishment of the apartments & make it clear they need to explain what they have done to improve every apartment!

  53. Sorry, we wouldn’t agree about sniping comments that suggest the Royal Savoy is shabby or that it’s not a 5 star hotel. Stays in some well known much vaunted South Coast 5 star UK hotels leaves us longing to come back here to Funchal for decent value & service! This is not about slagging off our resort, surely it is about us owners getting shafted for unfair, borderline illegal charges? The Royal Palace is really nice with some super smart suites. In truth, these very modern spaces may lack some practical touches with annoying lighting arrangements & inferior kitchens compared to our 1 bed & 2 bed gems at the RS? The strange choice of pool tile colour for the truly massive Palace pool makes the water appear green & badly maintained – just saying.

  54. Great news everyone. The Royal Savoy have backed down. You no longer need to pay for SafeAway, unless you want to, plus owners will not be charged for the refurbishment. We just heard yesterday. However the WhatsApp group will continue in order to push for improved communication and representation of members, plus other issues that have been identified over the last few weeks. You can still join us. Email royalsavoymember@gmail.com to be added.

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