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SkyAuction now selling off RCI Weeks for even less
As many of you know, SkyAuction has long served as one of RCI's many outlets for renting weeks.
In the past, they have had some desirable timeshare weeks that go in the $500-$800 range. I have no idea where they get that inventory from. They also, however, have some low-priced inventory that clearly comes directly from RCI. Most notably, they have had "Ready, Set, Go" weeks that sell in the $200-$300 range per week. (I don't know how much of that money SkyAuction gets, and how much RCI gets.)
SkyAuction now has a class of timeshare rentals going for even less than their Ready, Set, Go auctions. Their new "Getawayweeks" (shouldn't II have that name trademarked?) are in the $100-$200 range, with $100 of free gift certificates for food or travel thrown in. You can find these auctions by searching for special combination deals under names like "Surf and Turf," "Land and Seafood," "Room and Board," and "Home and Away." I first noticed their "Surf and Turf" (a timeshare week and a $100 cruise certificate) about a year ago, but at the time I thought the timeshare inventory was the regular "Ready, Set, Go" weeks. I just found out about these cheaper Getawayweeks a few days ago.
I was trying to compare Ready, Set, Go and Getawayweeks inventory to RCI's online exchange opportunities, but the system that searched availability crashed in the middle of my attempt!
(this is RCI, afterall! 
)
I did figure out a few things. There were 45 resorts in Orlando aarea in the next 10 weeks in Ready, Set, Go. Getawayweeks might have had a few less; not sure. There were some dates, mostly notably around 9/16, that were available in Ready, Set, Go but not in Getawayweeks. Many of the resorts available were "the usual suspects" of low-rated Orlando resorts, but there were a few high-end resorts, including a Fairfield (not Bonnet Creek) and Cypress Pointe (although not Cypress Pointe Grandvillas), which were available in both Ready, Set, Go and in Getawayweeks.
I didn't get to search RCI for these days, but I did previously search later out (late October) and there were definitely RCI exchanges for Orlando that did not show up for these cheapo SkyAuction deals. These tended to be at high end resorts, including at least one Marriott. A few of these resorts were "weeks resorts" that showed up on the weeks sides of Points and should qualify for 7500 Point deals in RCI Points if they still have availability 45 days out, namely OLCC, Vistana Villages, Cypress Pointe Grandvillas, and Bluegreen's The Fountains.
As I said on another thread here, "Even with some great weeks available on SkyAuction, I'm still happy to own timeshare. The SkyAuction weeks are only from RCI, and I get many of my best trades via II. Also, the cheap SkyAuction inventory is left-over stuff, and lots of good weeks will never show up there. However, I do feel that SkyAuction is taking value from many timeshare owners."
I said on that other forum, "Cypress Pointe's MF are what -- $680 a year? I really feel it's unfair for RCI to get those weeks by making owners think they'll get good trades for their 'Gold Crown week', then offer them nothing and rent the week out when the owner gives up and lets their week expire."
I'm not one of the people who is staunchly opposed to RCI; I trade in both Weeks and Points there, and get some nice stuff. But, to take someone's $680 mf week, not let them know that they are going to get little or nothing in trade for it, and then rent their week out for $100 so that there's no market when owners give up and want to sell the week -- well, isn't that going rather a bit too far?
I'm wondering if there is anything resorts can do. Maybe if VRI uses ORE for internal exchanges, Cypress Pointe can disaffiliate from RCI? Or threaten to, to get RCI to stop renting out their weeks for next-to-nothing? (Fairfield won't do anything; they are RCI, more-or-less.)
If anyone wants to check out SkyAuction's cheap timeshare availability, the URLs are:
www.skyauction.com/resort/readySetGo/search.go
-and-
www.getawayweeks.com
(I'm also posting on TUG)
In the past, they have had some desirable timeshare weeks that go in the $500-$800 range. I have no idea where they get that inventory from. They also, however, have some low-priced inventory that clearly comes directly from RCI. Most notably, they have had "Ready, Set, Go" weeks that sell in the $200-$300 range per week. (I don't know how much of that money SkyAuction gets, and how much RCI gets.)
SkyAuction now has a class of timeshare rentals going for even less than their Ready, Set, Go auctions. Their new "Getawayweeks" (shouldn't II have that name trademarked?) are in the $100-$200 range, with $100 of free gift certificates for food or travel thrown in. You can find these auctions by searching for special combination deals under names like "Surf and Turf," "Land and Seafood," "Room and Board," and "Home and Away." I first noticed their "Surf and Turf" (a timeshare week and a $100 cruise certificate) about a year ago, but at the time I thought the timeshare inventory was the regular "Ready, Set, Go" weeks. I just found out about these cheaper Getawayweeks a few days ago.
I was trying to compare Ready, Set, Go and Getawayweeks inventory to RCI's online exchange opportunities, but the system that searched availability crashed in the middle of my attempt!
(this is RCI, afterall! )I did figure out a few things. There were 45 resorts in Orlando aarea in the next 10 weeks in Ready, Set, Go. Getawayweeks might have had a few less; not sure. There were some dates, mostly notably around 9/16, that were available in Ready, Set, Go but not in Getawayweeks. Many of the resorts available were "the usual suspects" of low-rated Orlando resorts, but there were a few high-end resorts, including a Fairfield (not Bonnet Creek) and Cypress Pointe (although not Cypress Pointe Grandvillas), which were available in both Ready, Set, Go and in Getawayweeks.
I didn't get to search RCI for these days, but I did previously search later out (late October) and there were definitely RCI exchanges for Orlando that did not show up for these cheapo SkyAuction deals. These tended to be at high end resorts, including at least one Marriott. A few of these resorts were "weeks resorts" that showed up on the weeks sides of Points and should qualify for 7500 Point deals in RCI Points if they still have availability 45 days out, namely OLCC, Vistana Villages, Cypress Pointe Grandvillas, and Bluegreen's The Fountains.
As I said on another thread here, "Even with some great weeks available on SkyAuction, I'm still happy to own timeshare. The SkyAuction weeks are only from RCI, and I get many of my best trades via II. Also, the cheap SkyAuction inventory is left-over stuff, and lots of good weeks will never show up there. However, I do feel that SkyAuction is taking value from many timeshare owners."
I said on that other forum, "Cypress Pointe's MF are what -- $680 a year? I really feel it's unfair for RCI to get those weeks by making owners think they'll get good trades for their 'Gold Crown week', then offer them nothing and rent the week out when the owner gives up and lets their week expire."
I'm not one of the people who is staunchly opposed to RCI; I trade in both Weeks and Points there, and get some nice stuff. But, to take someone's $680 mf week, not let them know that they are going to get little or nothing in trade for it, and then rent their week out for $100 so that there's no market when owners give up and want to sell the week -- well, isn't that going rather a bit too far?
I'm wondering if there is anything resorts can do. Maybe if VRI uses ORE for internal exchanges, Cypress Pointe can disaffiliate from RCI? Or threaten to, to get RCI to stop renting out their weeks for next-to-nothing? (Fairfield won't do anything; they are RCI, more-or-less.)
If anyone wants to check out SkyAuction's cheap timeshare availability, the URLs are:
www.skyauction.com/resort/readySetGo/search.go
-and-
www.getawayweeks.com
(I'm also posting on TUG)
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