Using DRI points like Weeks

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

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.

I can get more milage out of points for what I want than I could out of just our week. This year I'll get 2 two bedroom exchanges and use the left over points to reduce my MF's by $675.

Before joining THE Club, I went back and looked at all the personal usage and exchanges we made with our two resort weeks, both of which have become strictly exchange weeks for us as we've added more ownership weeks along the way. If I had the ability to have been in Sunterra's Sunoptions from day 1, we would have received a lot more benefit out of our weeks in the form of discounts from excess points.

Keep in mind that Polo Towers has been a solid exchange week in the past. The future might not be as bright. Currently under construction within a block are the new Marriott Grand Chateau (currently open but only 50% complete) and Westgate Planet Hollywood towers. When these two are complete, it will add in excess of 2,000 timeshare units within easy walking distance of Polo Towers. Plus, these will be newer resorts with nicer units and more amenities on the resort property. I could see what was once a good exchange week suddenly losing value in the next couple of years.

So, for us it was a combination of getting more value out of units we trade, the fact we don't usually attempt really difficult exchanges and the preobablity that our exchange value will go down in a weeks based trading system when these two new resorts reach build out in the next few years.

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

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.

I hate to burst your buble but, we only spent $14,900 and have 12,500 points. I can pull resort weeks that sell in the $50,000 with either that week trading on a week for week basis or using 6,500 DRI points.

Price paid for a unit has nothing to do with exchange power. Location and desirablity has much more input into exchange power. That $14,900 week is one of the few that actually on the Las Vegas strip, is a top floor unit with a view facing the LV Strip. I might not have paid all that much for the unit itself but the unit week, view and location have made it a desirable exchanger in the past.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

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?

Dredging up this old thread again. The answer to this question in the replys above was clearly NO!. I just found the DRI booklet of rules and regulations here:

https://www.diamondresorts.com/pdf/m...ers_Manual.pdf

I think it says that the answer is yes.

13.1 Rules Prohibiting Members From
Making Rental Reservations

Members are not allowed to make a reservation and pass on or
exchange the booking with a third-party company (other than
to our appointed exchange company, Interval International®).

Later, In section 19 it describes II procedures for trading points through II but there are no procedures for trading reserved weeks through II.

Has anyone done this?

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

Dredging up this old thread again. The answer to this question in the replys above was clearly NO!. I just found the DRI booklet of rules and regulations here:

https://www.diamondresorts.com/pdf/m...ers_Manual.pdf

I think it says that the answer is yes.



Later, In section 19 it describes II procedures for trading points through II but there are no procedures for trading reserved weeks through II.

Has anyone done this?

I wonder if this is a violation of anti-trust laws? While I can see them prohibiting the reservation of a unit not owned by the member and wanting to exchange with an outside company (essentially exchanging something they don't own), it could be an issue if the member was wanting to exchange the week they actually own with an outside company.

I'm no expert on this subject. I'm just thinking out loud. I do remember reading something from, I think, SFX that indicated they were in business because resort management companies could not legally dictate that independant companies could not be used.

Fact of fiction I don't know. I have no real desire or need to find out as I've been content to either make internal exchanges, stay at my owned resort or use I.I. for outside exchanges.

[Werner Member Find all posts View Profile Close Werner]

All I'm trying to do is get access to better exchanges. A non-club member deeded owner can exchange weeks. This new booklet suggests that club members can do it also, but only with II; that would be fine.

Since starting this thread a few months ago we exchanged into a lock-off in the Marriott in Aruba for points and once again got the least desirable unit in the resort. When I started the thread we were trying to get into Jackson Hole or Telluride with a "request first". Of course, it never happened. We even got a phone call from II telling us that it was never going to happen and suggested we change it or kill it. We killed it. The success rate on "request firsts" is now 0 for 4, (Manhattan Club penthouses; Turks and Caicos; Harbor Club, in the Bahamas; Telluride or Jackson Hole).

I have read reports that DRI club members who also own high value weeks at resorts unaffiliated with DRI and who deposit those unaffiliated weeks into II for an Accommodation Certificate see more and better exchanges when they select the A/C as the trade than when they select their DRI points account as the trade. Can anyone confirm this?

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

While you could certainly read what you quoted the way you want to read it, that's not what DRI means. When you are in the Club, your ownership is subject to DRI's Rules and Regulations and DRI does not let you deposit with anyone even with II to my knowledge.

The question could come up, what if you're in the Trust and not in THE Club, like you bought resale, then Club rules do not apply, can you deposit those points reservations into another exchange company?

Dredging up this old thread again. The answer to this question in the replys above was clearly NO!. I just found the DRI booklet of rules and regulations here:

https://www.diamondresorts.com/pdf/m...ers_Manual.pdf

I think it says that the answer is yes.



Later, In section 19 it describes II procedures for trading points through II but there are no procedures for trading reserved weeks through II.

Has anyone done this?

I wonder if this is a violation of anti-trust laws? While I can see them prohibiting the reservation of a unit not owned by the member and wanting to exchange with an outside company (essentially exchanging something they don't own), it could be an issue if the member was wanting to exchange the week they actually own with an outside company.

I'm no expert on this subject. I'm just thinking out loud. I do remember reading something from, I think, SFX that indicated they were in business because resort management companies could not legally dictate that independant companies could not be used.

Fact of fiction I don't know. I have no real desire or need to find out as I've been content to either make internal exchanges, stay at my owned resort or use I.I. for outside exchanges.

All I'm trying to do is get access to better exchanges. A non-club member deeded owner can exchange weeks. This new booklet suggests that club members can do it also, but only with II; that would be fine.

Since starting this thread a few months ago we exchanged into a lock-off in the Marriott in Aruba for points and once again got the least desirable unit in the resort. When I started the thread we were trying to get into Jackson Hole or Telluride with a "request first". Of course, it never happened. We even got a phone call from II telling us that it was never going to happen and suggested we change it or kill it. We killed it. The success rate on "request firsts" is now 0 for 4, (Manhattan Club penthouses; Turks and Caicos; Harbor Club, in the Bahamas; Telluride or Jackson Hole).

I have read reports that DRI club members who also own high value weeks at resorts unaffiliated with DRI and who deposit those unaffiliated weeks into II for an Accommodation Certificate see more and better exchanges when they select the A/C as the trade than when they select their DRI points account as the trade. Can anyone confirm this?