This article covers Royal Holiday, the Mexico-based vacation club with sales locations in Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, and other Mexican resort cities. It is not related to Royal Resorts, a separate company covered in a different article.
Own a Royal Holiday membership and wondering what your real options are? You’re not alone — this is one of the most common memberships owners want out of.
Is It a Deeded Timeshare or a Membership?
Royal Holiday isn’t a deeded timeshare. It’s a right-to-use vacation club membership, legally structured under the name Royal Experience. That means you don’t own real property — you own a contractual right to use the club’s benefits. This distinction matters a lot for how cancellation works.
What Rescission Rights Do You Actually Have?
Mexican consumer protection law gives you 5 business days from your purchase date to rescind your contract for a full refund, no questions asked. If you’re still inside that window, send written cancellation notice immediately by a trackable method. If your 5 days have passed, don’t panic — you still have paths forward, they just take more work.
What Owners Are Saying Online
Complaints about Royal Holiday follow familiar patterns: high-pressure sales presentations, promises of easy resale or rental income that never materialize, and difficulty getting a straight answer from customer service once you want out. Many owners report they didn’t realize the membership had little to no resale value until they tried to sell it themselves.
Who Is Royal Holiday?
Royal Holiday is one of Mexico’s largest vacation club operators, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Mexico City. The company is a subsidiary of Park Royal Hotels and Resorts and markets itself as an alternative to traditional timeshare ownership, offering members a points-based system for booking stays across its network. WikipediaLeadIQ
Where Is Royal Holiday Located?
Royal Holiday operates primarily out of Mexico, with sales offices that opened in Cancun and Cozumel in 1985 before the company expanded internationally. Today it markets memberships across more than 180 destinations spread across over 50 countries, including resorts throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond. WikipediaZoomInfo
Royal Holiday Is a Vacation Club, Not a Timeshare
Despite what you may have been told during your sales presentation, Royal Holiday sells vacation club memberships, not deeded timeshares. This distinction matters. A vacation club membership doesn’t give you ownership of any property — it gives you the right to book stays through a points system, subject to Royal Holiday’s rules and availability.
They Don’t Own the Resorts — So Why Are You Paying Maintenance Fees?
Royal Holiday reserves rooms from hotel and resort owners on behalf of its members — it doesn’t own the resorts itself. Since there’s no property ownership involved, there should never be closing costs or annual maintenance fees in the first place.
How Royal Holiday Sells Memberships
Royal Holiday’s sales process typically starts the same way for most members: an invitation while checking into a resort, at the airport, or through the hotel concierge to attend a “free” presentation. Owners have described these presentations as lasting several hours, with high-pressure tactics used to keep them in the room and push them toward signing before leaving.
Why Are So Many Royal Holiday Members Cancelling? Top Complaints
Members who want out of their Royal Holiday membership tend to cite the same handful of issues:
- Rising annual fees. Many members say they weren’t clearly told how much fees would increase over the life of the membership — some report committing to 30-year terms without understanding the long-term cost.
- Difficulty using the membership. Limited availability at relevant locations and strict booking rules leave many members unable to use what they paid for.
- High-pressure, multi-hour presentations. Some members describe being kept in sales meetings for several hours, with staff withholding promised gifts until the full pitch was heard.
- Promises that didn’t match the contract. Verbal assurances made during the sale — flexible cancellation terms, broad point usage for flights and hotels — often turn out not to be reflected in the actual signed agreement.
Can You Cancel a Royal Holiday Membership?
Yes. It doesn’t matter whether your membership is paid in full, still has a balance, or whether you’re well past the 5-day rescission period — cancellation is still possible. But it has to be done the legal way.
What Happens If You Cancel the Wrong Way
- You could face continued financial costs through your financial institution if the cancellation isn’t handled properly
- Royal Holiday does not issue refunds outside the rescission period — even when you’re legally in the right
- Because Royal Holiday is a Mexican company, your contract’s jurisdiction stays in Mexico, which limits what U.S.-based remedies can actually do for you
Your Options to Cancel
Since this is a Mexican-jurisdiction contract, U.S. credit reporting and cross-border debt collection generally don’t apply the way they would with a U.S. company — so pricing here uses one unified table rather than splitting by balance owed.
| Option | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DIY Cancellation App | $499 | Owners comfortable preparing their own documents using templates and step-by-step instructions |
| Document Preparation Service | $1,495 | Owners who want a personal contract review and custom-prepared documents |
| Attorney or Exit Company | $5,000–$10,000 | Complex cases, but slow and expensive |
About Me
I spent 15 years on the resort side of this industry across the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean, so I understand exactly how Mexican-jurisdiction vacation club contracts like Royal Holiday’s are written — and where the real exit points are. I’ve personally guided 230+ clients through cancellations since switching sides.
Ready to Get Started?
Not sure where you stand? I offer a free 3-question review to point you toward the right path before you spend anything. No pressure — just an honest answer from someone who’s done this before.