Avalon Resorts Travel Club: What You Need to Know Before It's Too Late

Avalon Resorts Travel Club (also known under names like Avalon Vacation Resorts or Avalon Vacation Club) was pitched to people as a kind of exclusive travel membership. On paper, it sounded attractive: pay a hefty one-time membership fee (anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 or more), plus annual dues (usually $199 to $299), and in return, you’d get deep discounts on hotels, cruises, flights, and even concierge booking services. They even offered to “take over” existing timeshare contracts in some cases. For many, especially those already feeling trapped in a timeshare, this sounded like a golden ticket.

If you’re reading this because you or someone you know signed up with Avalon Resorts Travel Club, it’s worth taking a closer look at what this company really is, what went wrong, and whether it’s time to consider getting professional help to get out.

The Business Model: Big Promises, Bigger Red Flags

Avalon marketed itself not as a timeshare company, but as a "travel club" or "destination club." Instead of owning time at a physical resort, members were supposedly buying into access, access to luxury discounts, getaways, and concierge perks. But what made Avalon stand out, and not in a good way, was the bundle of unrealistic promises paired with vague fulfillment.

In many cases, members reported:

• Vouchers that never arrived or came with sneaky activation fees
• Concierges that didn’t respond or redirected people to third-party travel brokers
• Continued charges and dues even after cancellation requests

Some packages also involved handing over your existing timeshare to Avalon. They claimed they'd take over the management fees and obligations. But this often resulted in confusion over ownership, and in some cases, members found out they were still legally responsible.

Who’s Behind Avalon? The Shadowy Details

According to available public records and the Better Business Bureau, Avalon Vacation Resorts operated out of Deerfield Beach, Florida, doing business as "Vacation Rentals." The company isn’t accredited by the BBB and lacks a proper, functional website, their main domain (avalonvacationresorts.com) either doesn’t work or has serious trust issues flagged by scam detectors.

Digging deeper, the origins of Avalon appear to be linked to Michael K. Kelly, a name associated with Avalon Resorts Yucatán in Mexico. In the late 1990s, this entity rebranded as Avalon Vacation Resorts following U.S. investigations into securities fraud and misuse of investor funds. These are not the kind of historical footnotes you want to see from a travel company handling thousands of consumer dollars.

There’s no record of Avalon being part of any larger, reputable hospitality group like Wyndham or Marriott. It seems to operate privately and independently, further limiting accountability.

The Customer Experience: What People Are Really Saying

Just about every major complaint board, from the BBB to TripAdvisor to Ripoff Report, is filled with one-star reviews and allegations of deceptive practices. Here’s what real customers have said:

• High-pressure sales presentations that pushed people to sign up just to get promised “free” trips, which never came
• Attempts to cancel that went ignored, followed by continued billing
• Vague responses (or none at all) from the customer service team
• Credit damage after accounts were sent to collections over unpaid dues they thought they had cancelled

One particularly alarming trend is how persistent Avalon has been in pursuing collections, even when customers have tried everything to cancel properly.

Is Avalon Still Even Active?

This is one of the strangest parts. While there’s no clear evidence of Avalon currently marketing new memberships, they haven’t gone away either. Complaints as recent as mid-2024 suggest some part of the company is still operating,  or at least, still collecting dues.

Their website is basically defunct, and there’s no official corporate presence on social media or business listings. The most likely scenario is that Avalon has scaled down operations and now functions primarily to collect ongoing payments from members who haven’t figured out how to get out.

Why You May Need a Timeshare Exit Company

If you signed up with Avalon Resorts Travel Club, you're probably already aware how complicated it is to break away. Between non-responsiveness, unclear contracts, and aggressive collections, you may be dealing with something that feels more like a trap than a membership.

A legitimate timeshare exit company, one with a verifiable history and legal support, can help:

• Audit your contract and determine if it's legally voidable
• Navigate communications or disputes with Avalon on your behalf
• Put a stop to unwanted billing or collections activity
• Help you recover from financial or credit damage

It’s important to do your homework and avoid scams, but in cases like Avalon, trying to handle everything alone can be exhausting and ultimately ineffective.

Final Thoughts

Avalon Resorts Travel Club promised an easy alternative to traditional timeshares, but what many got was stress, confusion, and lost money. Whether Avalon is technically still active or not, the headaches they created live on for many people, and that’s reason enough to seek help.

If you or someone you know is stuck with an Avalon membership, it may be time to talk to a credible timeshare exit company. At this point, you’ve probably already paid more than you should have for something that didn’t deliver. The next step is making sure it doesn’t cost you any more.