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19 December 2011
5:13 p.m.
A Las Vegas-based executive has gone undercover for a reality television show that will air in January.
Stephen Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas-based timeshare company Diamond Resorts International, will be the subject of CBS’ “Undercover Boss” in the program's 2012 season debut. The episode is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Las Vegas time Jan. 15.
Cloobeck also is a prominent player in international tourism as chairman of Brand USA, the public-private company that will market the United States abroad.
He’s the second locally based tourism executive to participate in the show, which features a corporate boss donning a disguise and working among front-line workers to discover ways to improve the company and reward exceptional employees. MGM Grand PresidentScott Sibella was featured on the series last year wearing a wig and glasses while working as a dealer, clerk and slot floor representative. Sibella, in an episode that aired in March, bungled a hand when dealing blackjack, spun a ball out of a roulette wheel and failed to sign up slot players for the company’s loyalty club program.
On the CBS website, Cloobeck is shown in his disguise with a goatee, glasses, long hair — it’s a wig fromSerge’s Wigs of Las Vegas — and a baseball cap.
“It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot,” Cloobeck said of the two-week shoot, which took him to several properties in the Diamond portfolio.
Cloobeck, who hasn’t seen the final version of the show that will air, said he was in the midst of important business in the development of Brand USA at the time of the shoot, but he doesn’t know whether the tourism marketing effort will get a mention on the show.
The one negative of being the subject of a reality TV show is that Diamond Resorts is getting criticized on the "Undercover Boss" Facebook page over fees, maintenance and sales tactics.
Cloobeck said the problem is between timeshare owners and their homeowners association, not with the company. He said the sales occurred before he became associated with the property. The fact that the company has collected 99 percent of its revenues indicates the criticism is coming from a vocal minority among thousands of owners, he said.
"All I want is for any guest to contact me and I will fix any issue and make them happy," he said. "That's why my business card is at every front desk and matters come right here to me."
He’s excited for local residents to see the show.
"Las Vegas is going to be proud when they see it," he said.
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If Mr Cloobeck wants a real challenge he should meet with the owners of his Point of Poipu Resort not his employees who he can totally control. Diamond controls the Board of this resort(violating the State of Hawaii law) and refuses to release the names of the owners to the owners (yea I know that seems outrageous); and they do so by using the mother of a Diamond VP as their Board Member shill giving them control of 3 of 5 board positions. And Diamond then has the audacity to say "The Board made the decision not to provide the owners list in the interests of consumer protection.". CBS has some great crime dramas, and now they feature a CEO fostering criminal actions under the guise of "business practices". When might CBS take a look at the Undercover Boss to see the CEO really is. You will be seeing much more of Diamond in the news in 2012 but it will most likely be with Grand Jury's indictments and arrests when the truth of their management practices is finally vetted in the judicial system.
We are deeded owners at the Point at Poipu. This is unbelievable that something like this can be shown. All you have to do is google Stephan Cloobeck to see how many people are unhappy with his Diamond Resorts International, and how he is robbing the retiree's, things are going on in UK, Hawaii, etc. Google Diamond Resort Complaints. DRI gave us LESS than 90 days to come up with a Special assessment of 65 MILLION dollars, whereas $2,000 (depending on how much you own) is due Jan. 1, ALONG with your maintenance fees, for us that means approx. $4,000. As a retiree on a limited income how do you come up with that when there are health issues, the state of the economy, holiday's. The sad thing is that we were all threatened IF this wasn't done our timeshare would be foreclosed, credit ruined, etc. This is not just happening to "deeded" owners but anyone that was bamboozled into turning their deeds into the Points system for the Hawaii Collection which are NOT just Hawaii locations. Some of these individuals never stepped foot on Hawaii, nor will they probably ever be able to. They were brought in to "manage" the resort NOT OWN IT which Mr. Cloobeck is trying to accomplish. We can't sell the timeshare, no one would want to buy it anymore, they won't buy it back, all we have left is to leave this monstrosity to our heirs who will not be able to keep it up - SHAME ON YOU MR.CLOOBECK - go back to suing YOUR OWN Condominium for fiduciary duties etc. OH lets not forget about DRI also taking over our Boards which is against Hawaii laws. This can go on and on and on! As the song goes "There I've Said it AGAIN"
<<Cloobeck said the problem is between timeshare owners and their homeowners association, not with the company. He said the sales occurred before he became associated with the property. The fact that the company has collected 99 percent of its revenues indicates the criticism is coming from a vocal minority among thousands of owners, he said>>
Mr. Cloobeck ARE YOU AWARE that Diamond CONTROLS the board?? Isn't Cleana Dean the MOTHER of Linda Riddle who is the VP at Diamond. Isn't it true that Kathy Wheeler is a VP for Diamond? Jason Toste is another VP for Diamond? Marylin Windsor, Another VP for Diamond (I understand she just left?) Seems like the majority of our board Is DIAMOND??
Respectfully, I would say that Mr. Cloobeck is full of it. It does not matter that we purchased our timeshare interval before he arrived. The interval owners own the property, Mr. Cloobeck does not. Diamond resorts controls maybe 10% of all the intervals and he passes all the costs along to his "The Club". Mr. Cloobeck has 2 employees on the 5 member board and another board member is the mother of one of the officers in his company. He has given himself (subsidiary company) a 15% management contract and has jacked the office expenses sky high in the last 4 years. The Board which is controlled by Mr. Cloobeck will not release the owners list so that we can contact them in order to obtain their proxy. As far as his promise to correct any problem and contact any owner, that is pure fabrication.
1. A vocal minority only because the DRI controlled owners association uses at their discretion an owners list that they won't release to owners as they are obligated to do.
2. A $65 million assessment that includes $4 million that DRI charges the owners to manage the property repairs that they failed to fix in the six years since they identified them.
3. DRI has sold numerous memberships without disclosing this known property damage.
4. If they've received 99 percent of the payments as he says, why are we being charged a 10 percent delinquency fee? Those payments were all made under threat of steep fees, legal action, liens and foreclosures if not paid within 60 days of receiving the bill.
5. The disagreement IS with DRI, it's deceptive practices and serious irregularities regarding board decisions that are made magically during executive session when minutes are not recorded of DRIs interference and manipulation in order to line their pockets while letting our property fall into disrepair.
Mr. Cloobeck is a fat liar! Our problems are with him and Diamond Resorts. They continue to blame our boards but why don't you give a call to the board members who are not employed by Diamond? I would be happy to give you their contact information. I am sure that once they are informed that they will be named in the upcoming class action lawsuit, they will tell the truth about who really controls our board. Diamond is using every means possible to quiet those of us who are bringing the truth about them to the masses. They are attempting to buy us off. In addition, two very key employees just seperated from Diamond. I suspect Diamond Resorts is shredding documents this very moment. They are violating the law and we will get our day in court. No one in the media seems interested in his victims. But once they are hauled to court and the truth is uncovered, perhaps, our side of the story will be sought then.
The San Francisco Chronicle posted an informative blog entry about the Point at Poipu owners' struggle with Diamond Resorts International: http://bit.ly/scKpHc
My wife and I have owned a one-bedroom unit at the Villas at Polo Towers in Las Vegas since 2002. Our annual maintenance fee is $794. We wonder when it'll be our turn for a huge "special assessment" like the ones the Point at Poipu owners are stuck with. If you search Ebay, you will find that owners at BOTH resorts are offering to practically give their timeshares away in order to avoid maintenance fees and special assessments. In fact, I would be money ahead to pay someone's closing costs and transfer fee if I could find someone to take my timeshare. Sadly, there are few takers.