Good Morning, Good Morning! You guys, I am thrilled to be sharing with you today a service that I have used for visiting friends and family a multitude of times. Their customer service is fantastic, their rates much more reasonable than those on the regular rental market or Airbnb and, by renting your stay at the Westin Resort through St. John Condos, you still get access to all of the incredible amenities and location-based bonuses offered by one of the only resorts in Love City. Let’s take a look at how this awesome secondary rental company operates and what benefits you’ll see by booking your next stay with them.
I’m going to first re-cap my personal experience in dealing with St. John Condos. Now, the Westin isn’t necessarily my ideal place to stay if I were vacationing on St. John (I’m more of a treehouse/hostel kinda gal;). But the majority of our visiting friends have small children in varying age groups or older parents along for the ride. And the beach access, pool, on site food and beverage services, spa, gym, childcare, dedicated taxi and ferry services and handicap accessibility on site makes this incredible resort an absolutely ideal lodging facility for families.
The flexibility in size of units, ranging from studio to three-bedroom pool villas, on site also make it super easy for multiple families to travel together without having to share indoor common areas. Everyone gets a separate unit for their family, but on the same property. So, it is easy to coordinate and hang together while also enjoying your privacy.
So, last winter, we were on the hunt for accommodations for some dear friends of ours who were visiting. They planned to bring their mother (65+) and their two kiddos (5 & 8). We immediately knew that the Westin would be the place for them but as I started searching around on Airbnb for a rental for them, the nightly rate for a three bedroom was in excess of $1100/night! Wowsgers.
I recalled the St. John Condos business model as they advertise with me here on News of St. John. And I reached out to the owner, Amie Bass, to see if she could help. Boy, could she! Within 24 hours she sent me all of the two- or three- bedroom units that they had in inventory for the week of my request along with the full description, location on the property and the pricing breakdown for each. Our friends ended up booking a three bedroom for…Wait for it…$770/night! They ended up saving almost $2k on their week-long stay due to booking with St. John Condos. According to Lauren Bass, travel coordinator with St. John Condos, renters will typically save between 20% and 40% on their stay at the Westin by booking with them vs booking direct on the website or via a different secondary rental company.
After receiving this statement, I got a little curious and started doing a little online digging to get a comparison for this winter. I searched on AirBnB, VRBO and the Westin St. John Resort website for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit for the week of February 18-25, 2023. This is what I found:
- AirBnB- $15,510.67 after fees and taxes
- VRBO- $13,581 for the week – includes fees, not taxes
- The Westin- No inventory available
Do you know what the rental rate is for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa at the Westin St. John is when booked through St. John Condos?
$11,195 – includes all taxes and fees except for the $25/day resort fee.
If you include the resort fee for seven days, the total would be $11,370. That is a minimum of $2,200 in savings for your accommodations!
Ok, so we are talking about a family owned and operated company that has been in business on St. John for 18 years and were the first company to specialize in Westin St. John Villa Rentals. In 1989 the family began vacationing annually at their timeshare condominiums at the Westin. In 1999, they purchased a home on St. John and began renting out their personal timeshare weeks. Over time, other Westin owners asked them to handle the rental of their unused and they now have over 300 units at the Westin Resort St. John in their inventory
Oh, and I did mention all of the access to the resort facilities by booking with St. John Condos, right? Well, when you book with a different secondary rental provider, make sure to read the fine print! St. John Condos guarantees their renters 100% usage of all of the resort amenities without restriction and at a more affordable price. You might find in booking with say Airbnb you lose some access to specific benefits on the property.
Here’s how it works:
- Go to the St. John Condos Website Reservation Form to submit an availability request.
- You will receive a detailed email from Lauren or Lynn with a breakdown of condos by size, price and location on the property.
- Reply to the email to get your Westin St. John Villa booked!
It’s that easy…
Oh, and St. John Condos’ website has a ton of information about St. John activities, rental car providers and travel insurance. This family has been on St. John for thirty plus years and can answer any questions you might have in regard to your upcoming trip.
If the Westin is your location of choice for accommodations while visiting St. John and you do not own a timeshare there directly, St. John Condos is a service you absolutely must utilize for your next stay on island. Take a look at their website and submit your reservation request for this winter. It’s going to be a beautiful season here on St. John.
Hello, we have stayed at the Westin on 4 visits to St. John. Love it – beaches in the morning pool in the afternoon. I am curious though why more people don’t take advantage of the Ferry that drops you off at the downtown Port ($20pp) as opposed to Red Hook? The boat ride is longer but the taxi ride to the airport much shorter. Thoughts.
Randy Raymond
Great information ! Thanks for sharing. I will be sure to use them next time..