Using DRI points like Weeks

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

We've own deeded weeks at The Point and we are in DRI (and II by default). I am disappointed in DRI/II trading for those weeks that we don't use at our home resort. The best trade we have done was to Ka'anapali in DRI. There always seem to be openings, even less than 60 day openings at Ka'anapali. There does seem to be frequent availability in St. Martin and Tahoe and Sedona. Other resorts in DRI aren't too interesting to us. II is a big disappointment. The resorts available for DRI points within II are mostly out-of-season and out-of-the-way. We have "request firsts" in for Telluride or Jackson Hole next summer but I doubt anything will happen. There is never anything for those areas. I get the feeling that II is the last resort for individuals and TS organizations dumping weeks.

Has anyone tried reserving a week in DRI and then using that week to trade directly to another resort through II? As an owner, I'm sure that can reserve a high value week 12 months out. Is there a mechanism where I can offer that week for trading in II. Do you need a different type of membership in II?

The big question is; am I more likely to get a better (ie, in-season) trade to other high-end resorts that way rather than by trying to use DRI points in II?

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

I have never had any problems trading into Marriott's resorts in FL, Myrtle Beach, SC or Hilton Head Island, SC in high season.

What week do you own? I hope Spence read this thread and answer's your question because he is the expert about DRI Resorts.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

After 10 years with I.I. I have never had a problem getting into good resorts at decent times of the year. There are some area's where resort inventory is limited and, if you're looking in high demand season or for one particular week, I don't care what exchange company you use, you're likely to have issues.

With DRI, I know that I have the option to exchange the week I own through I.I. or exchange DRI points. I've had no problem seeing very good availability using DRI point.

What you're asking DRI to do is to allow you to choose the resort week you want deposited. The system is not set up that way. It is set up so that DRI controls the inventory deposited with I.I. and the inventory that DRI keeps for internal exchanges and/or DRI rental inventory. To allow owners to snatch up all the high demand weeks and deposit those weeks into I.I. would deny DRI owners the opportunity to exchange for and enjoy the high demand weeks. DRI points are going to be an average of all the resort weeks deposited with I.I. for exchange by DRI. No owner will have the highest exchange power but no owner will have the lowest exchange power either.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

One other thought would be to look into SFX for exchanges. I know that HGVC works similar to DRI as far as reserving weeks in that it is points based rather than deeded weeks based reservations. Hilton owners wishing to exchange through SFX must reserve a week and then deposit that reserved week with SFX.

I don't know if it can be done with DRI but, I have read that Hilton owners can reserve a week and then deposit the week they reserved with SFX (an independant exchange company) if SFX will accept that week. I do not recall if Hilton restricts owners to depositing weeks from their home resort or if they can reserve a week at any resort with Hilton. I've never really looked into it.

Hilton owners do not have the ability to reserve a specific week and then deposit that week with RCI as far as I'm aware. If DRI will allow owners to reserve a week and then deposit that week with SFX, it might be a way around having to use points or you're owned home resort week for deposit.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

If DRI will allow owners to reserve a week and then deposit that week with SFX, it might be a way around having to use points or you're owned home resort week for deposit.

If no one has done it then I would guess that it cannot be done. I doubt that I am plowing new ground here.

I believe that I can reserve a week and then rent it. Why not reserve a week and then trade it? Why should DRI care about how I use my reserved week?

After 10 years with I.I. I have never had a problem getting into good resorts at decent times of the year.

Using points? or depositing weeks?


Ryne 08 - I have float/float weeks so as along as I call early enough I can get good dates. Getting Major Holiday weeks in a float/float system is difficult but I do normally find summer or winter weeks easily 12 months out.

PS. I probably have to clarify that I don't have trust points, I have deeded weeks at a home resort (the Point) which I can use or trade DRI equivalent points. This points business at DRI is getting complicated.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

II will not accept your DRI Club reservation for deposit to my knowledge and even if they would/could you would have to have your own personal II membership and not the corporate one you have as being a member of THE Club.

You can only get an exchange through II using your Club points IF someone has deposited what you want and you are first to ask. I've had great luck with DRI points in II.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Werner,

So far I have not exchanged using DRI points. We only joined THE Club last year. However, I have done a lot of searchs using DRI points to compare with the weeks that provide those points. I have a personal account as well as the corporate account provided by DRI's THE Club. I can still do online searchs using my owned weeks and compare them with what THE Club points will turn up.

The area's you're trying to exchange into, Tulluride and Jackson Hole, are not necessarily the easiest of exchanges, even with strong weeks. I've looked using my Marriott's, my DRI points and other independant resorts and none pull either of these locations. I do find good availability in most other Colorado area's as well as Park City with both DRI points and indvidual weeks.

I do not think it's a trading power issue so much as a limited availability issue with where you would like to go. If there's nothing available, then not even the strongest of exchangers will pull it. If there is very limited availability then you will need something equally rare and desirable to get what you want.


Sometimes it's a patience issue. I know that, with Key West, Hyatt has everything that is desirable to me. Hyatt does not seem to release inventory until it's given all it's members first shot through internal exchanges. The point where Hyatt's start becoming available to all others appears to be around 6 months. I've learned that, if I want to exchange into Hyatt, I need to be patient up until 4 or 5 months before our travel date. I can't think of any time I've seen a Hyatt resort in one of my online searches outside of 6 months.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

Sometimes it's a patience issue.

Thanks for the info. I have had on-going searches for Manhattan Club (II only has penthouses) for nearly a year, and a few other searches that got nowhere. Maybe my expectations are too high. I assumed that if I have a lot of points because I own a high value resort, that I could trade into other high value resorts. But II is a commodity broker, getting the leftover weeks after the owners and the internal developer-run TS systems cherry pick the best weeks.

I do see lots of ski areas available in the summer and I know that Telluride and Jackson Hole are difficult because they have strong 4 season activities and are centrally located within their mountain regions. I am looking almost daily in DRI's Club Select listing hoping someone who owns out there will trade their week for DRI points. Right now all I see is an April week in Jackson Hole.

Thanks again,

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

You can only get an exchange through II using your Club points IF someone has deposited what you want and you are first to ask. I've had great luck with DRI points in II.

I do not think it's a trading power issue so much as a limited availability issue with where you would like to go. If there's nothing available, then not even the strongest of exchangers will pull it. If there is very limited availability then you will need something equally rare and desirable to get what you want.

DRI points will 'see' whatever is available, again, the key is, it has to have been deposited. I don't like the 'cherry pick' comparison because I think it assumes what you want got deposited.

I know that Telluride and Jackson Hole are difficult because they have strong 4 season activities and are centrally located within their mountain regions. I am looking almost daily in DRI's Club Select listing hoping someone who owns out there will trade their week for DRI points. Right now all I see is an April week in Jackson Hole. Thanks again,

I have a Jackson Hole 2BR for 4th of July 2009 that I exchanged for using other deposits in another exchange company, I might be tempted to trade it for something else.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

If there's nothing available, then not even the strongest of exchangers will pull it.

If you owned a fixed week at a strong exchanger why would you want to deposit it in a points system, like Club Select or II. If I owned a strong fixed week, or could trade my reserved floating week, I would think it would be better to offer it up in a system where you can swap with owners of other high value weeks, basically the old fashioned weeks trading systems. (I don't know all the terminology here because I have only used points systems and have only read about weeks trading).

Spence, my "cherry picking" comment comes from my concern that owners of high value weeks have far better options for trading that value than depositing them in II. First they can use them of course. Second, if they are part of a developers points system they can can chose to reserve elsewhere in the developers system and the developer can use the week for internal trades, or the developer can sell the week for cash. If they are not part of a developers system they can trade their week in a weeks TS system for equal value. Finally if all else fails the developer can dump the week into II for an exchange or a getaway for cash.

For example, right now there are weeks available for less then 60 days out at DRI Ka'anapali (there is always availability there). Clearly not all of those are going to be used, yet there are none available in II. DRI is not doing to dump the family jewels into II. I still think that II is too far down on the list of choices for what to do with a high value week.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

I guess as far as "cherry picking", it depends on the resort or resort system. If they have a floating system then I can see that happening but, that sword can cut both ways.

For instance, I own in the Marriott system. At popular resorts or at any resort during popular times, owners will attempt to "cherry pick" the best weeks not to use but to exchange. They do this because the best weeks also have the best exchange power. One of the loudest complaints is that owners can't stay at the resort they paid developer pricing for because Marriott allows owners to do this. Getting a week is on a first come, first reserved basis.

Now, for management companies that utilize floating weeks, the developer often controls the inventory. Our HGVC unit works in such a system. By doing things this way, Hilton controls what is deposited with RCI. Hilton will hold the best, most popular inventory for it's owners and deposit what is typically not used by owners with RCI.

Hilton also allows owners a "home resort advantage" where owners of that resort have exclusive rights to reserve their unit. Then Hilton has an open season starting at 9 months for all other owners. I would imagine if you were attempting to trade into Hilton through RCI, you would see much, if any , inventory until somewhere between the 6 and 9 month window.

The things with Hilton is, they overdevelope 3 major areas. Those being Hawaii, Vegas and Orlando. They've built so many units in those areas over the years I would not doubt that Hilton now can easily release units further in advance. I do know that it has become a little harder to exchange into Hawaii as Hilton has built more and more units in Vegas and Orlando. Their sales teams are great at selling Vegas and Orlando and telling the customers to trade into Hawaii.

DRI is similar with their points system in that they control the inventory. This means the same thing for DRI owners as it does for Hilton owners. Your points are an average exchange power for whatever DRI chooses to deposit. It encourages owners to become members of THE Club as inventory given to I.I. is whatever DRI decides. By doing that, I can see THE Club members "cherry picking" the best weeks/units for their own personal use.

So it's not just I.I. but ANY system in which the developer can maintain control of inventory, allowing it's owners to "cherry pick" the best units for personal usage. I feel that more developers are moving towards floating weeks and points systems for this very reason. If you want to stay at their resorts, stay in the best seasons and be able to reserve the best units, you have to own with them. Exchanging in will be more difficult.

I can tell you that, years ago, when we purchased Polo Towers, one of the salesmen told us to buy Polo Towers because it was less expensive and use that unit to trade into the more expensive/higher demand resorts. Now, if you were a developer selling weeks that went for $50,000, would you want owners who paid $15,000 for a week to be able to "easily" exchange into your resort? Of course not, it would hurt sales. Thus some have made it so they keep control of the best, most desirable weeks, "cherry pick" if you will, to encourage people who want to stay with them to buy with them.

Timeshare evloves constantly and is a moving battlefield. What was true when we purchased in 1998 is not true now. Our first unit was a fixed week unit at Polo Towers. For several years it exchanged very well. Then, Marriott and Westgate started building large modern resorts next door. About the same time, DRI purchased Sunterra. We joined THE Club to protect our investment in exchanging. I could see with a few thousand more units available at newer, more modern resorts that offered far more amenities than Polo Towers, my exchange power was likely to go down in the next 5 to 10 years.

Marriott is apparently contemplating moving into a club point system theirselves. Although it's not apparent if they actually will or, if they do what it will look like, this is likely to have the same affect on their timeshare weeks as all other points systems. It's likely to reserve the best weeks for owners within the system and give the exchange company what's left over. Thus, if one wants to have the best shot at staying at the best Marriott's during the best seasons in the best units, one will have to own in the Marriott system.

So yes, I can see resort systems "cherry picking" the best weeks/units for their owners. They want to sell you a timeshare and, if they can make it a little harder for outsiders to exchange in, then it's better for their sales staff when trying to close a sale. But, it's not I.I. or RCI, it's how the developers have been moving these last several years towards exclusivity with their systems to promote sales.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

Now, if you were a developer selling weeks that went for $50,000, would you want owners who paid $15,000 for a week to be able to "easily" exchange into your resort?

The person who only spent 15K doesn't have enough points or trading power to reserve a 50K unit. But there is the fallacy in owning a high value unit and trading it in a non-developer run points trading system like II. You have a zillion points but all that means is that you can trade for more weeks in lower value units, it does not mean that you can get into other high value units. A Ocean View Poipu week in DRI points can be traded in II for at least 2 weeks anywhere in high season (if you can find one), sometimes for 3 or 4 weeks during off season and for up to 5 or 6 weeks if you reserve all of them < 60 days out. But nearly all of the available weeks are the stuff that nobody else (owners, internal system members, or developers) wants so why would I want them?

I would rather take my Poipu week and trade it even for a mid-winter ski week at a quality Jackson Hole, Telluride, or Vail resort. Yet despite all my points I will never see a week like that in II. Search now over the full date range and all you will find are summer or "stick" season weeks. Yet I would bet that there are ski week owners out there that would love an occasional week at a 5 star residential condo on Kauai in summer, winter, spring or fall.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

The person who only spent 15K doesn't have enough points or trading power to reserve a 50K unit. But there is the fallacy in owning a high value unit and trading it in a non-developer run points trading system like II. You have a zillion points but all that means is that you can trade for more weeks in lower value units, it does not mean that you can get into other high value units. A Ocean View Poipu week in DRI points can be traded in II for at least 2 weeks anywhere in high season (if you can find one), sometimes for 3 or 4 weeks during off season and for up to 5 or 6 weeks if you reserve all of them < 60 days out. But nearly all of the available weeks are the stuff that nobody else (owners, internal system members, or developers) wants so why would I want them?

I don't understand what you are saying. Points are points, there is a grid in the GRD that says what everything costs and if its available and you're first in the request, you can get it. I have had a Christmas trade to Breckenridge, exchanges to Paris, Marriott Custom House, Ocho Cascades; all through DRI points and II.

I would rather take my Poipu week and trade it even for a mid-winter ski week at a quality Jackson Hole, Telluride, or Vail resort. Yet despite all my points I will never see a week like that in II. Search now over the full date range and all you will find are summer or "stick" season weeks. Yet I would bet that there are ski week owners out there that would love an occasional week at a 5 star residential condo on Kauai in summer, winter, spring or fall.

Good luck, the problem is finding that private trade.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

Good luck, the problem is finding that private trade.

I was hoping that there was a mechanism for depositing reserved DRI weeks and seeing if they would attract better trades on a week for a week basis than by searching in points catalogs. I thought there was a mechanism where weeks owners can deposit their weeks and get back responses (hits?) from owners who want to trade. Isn't that the original TS system?

Points are points, there is a grid in the GRD that says what everything costs and if its available and you're first in the request, you can get it.

The key word is "available". It doesn't matter how many points they cost or how many points you have if the high value units aren't available.

My issue isn't with DRI's resorts. I can usually find availability in the few DRI resorts I might be interested in trading into like Ka'anapali, Sedona.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

I was hoping that there was a mechanism for depositing reserved DRI weeks and seeing if they would attract better trades on a week for a week basis than by searching in points catalogs. I thought there was a mechanism where weeks owners can deposit their weeks and get back responses (hits?) from owners who want to trade. Isn't that the original TS system?

No, it's not. In an exchange company the deposited week has always gone into a 'pool' where everyone has a chance at it. You can go to a place like here, redweek.com, TUG classifieds, etc. etc. and post what you have and what you want and hope.

The key word is "available". It doesn't matter how many points they cost or how many points you have if the high value units aren't available.

My issue isn't with DRI's resorts. I can usually find availability in the few DRI resorts I might be interested in trading into like Ka'anapali, Sedona.

The availability aspect would have the same ramifications if you were to deposit a fixed week into any of the big exchange companies.