The New Marriott Points System

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

I think Pat is talking about exchange requests with II as opposed to when our home resort weeks are available to reserve directly.

However, the blue week strategy can obtain 14+ month targets on the desirable dates with some work and at a reasonable cost. I'm following some DSV1 auctions right now...

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I think Pat is talking about exchange requests with II as opposed to when our home resort weeks are available to reserve directly.

However, the blue week strategy can obtain 14+ month targets on the desirable dates with some work and at a reasonable cost. I'm following some DSV1 auctions right now...

You know so much! Thanks a lot.

I give up on this new exchange program and will use our timeshare condo as we usually do or make a direct exchange with people I know or try to rent it. I signed up with www.ownertrades.com and am looking at it right now. The list is big enough for me to find something decent and I recognize some names and emails already which makes it even better.

Thanks Marriott but no thanks.

[ejommen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ejommen]

I signed up too. Perhaps the real power of non-points participants lies in our relationships? If my week is not in the points program, won't there be fewer points competing against me (and you) and reducing the value of my (our) investment?

[hliw Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close hliw]

I just talked to a new Marriott "points" buyer.. Purchased 1500 points for over $13,000! He had no idea what he was getting for that amount of money.. When I showed him the point charts he was furious!

Said the salesperson had thrown so much at them they'd gotten confused and thought they were actually getting enough points for a 2br villa..

It's a family of six that comes to Orlando almost every year.. That point total won't even get them a full week in a studio villa for some of the year (and with six they can't stay in a studio anyway!)

They were also told by the sales weasel that if they didn't buy points, they wouldn't be able to exchange in the future... They also got the same old story about Marriott buying back all the resale contracts, and that resale buyers often can't get clean title and find they owe thousands in back maintenance fees..

It's just sad.......

And to think the resale industry is the one with a bad reputation right now in the press....

They shoudl have just bought at the resort they wanted. This is really unfortunate. Can they rescind? My take on the points is that it may be nice to have more to AUGMENT what you have, but that they are not a good deal as the primary means of accessing vacation property. The question remains, will this impact the ability to purchase Marriott TS property? Hmmm.

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

Here's a couple of links to downloadable (.pdf) documents (currently, no login required):

2010 Buyer's guide

Exchange Procedures

[urple2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close urple2]

Here's a couple of links to downloadable (.pdf) documents (currently, no login required):

2010 Buyer's guide

Exchange Procedures

just great...More stuff to read.

[hliw Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close hliw]

More Info

If you didn't close by 6/20/10 on a 3rd party purchase, you will not be able to participate in the points program. Hats off to those who purchased early!

[d1950m Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close d1950m]

Ko Olina

I just finished a chat online. No special preference for owners at their home resort. So, if you want to do a family reunion, no extra help. Points gotten in a year are only useable that year and the next. The 800 bonus points are only good through 2011. 20% premium on points to try and book 13 months out. My points (at Ko Olina) would not be enough to get a room in the summer with Ocean View, which is what I bought. However I could get a mountain view.
Are most people with Ko Olina going to go with the point system or still trade into Interval? We really want to do the family reunion at Ko Olina in 2013, but not sure which system would give me the better chance of getting two extra rooms.

[pipet Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pipet]

Disappointed

I am disappointed with the new points program so far.

On the surface, it seems like the program is good for:
1) people who bought premium weeks on the resale market (where they will get a lot of points for their bargain purchase)
2) people with several Marriott weeks - they can now consolidate their II fees and qualify for the points plus program
3) people who really need the flexibility to take several long weekends, etc rather than full-week vacations
4) people with multiple lock-out units that trade them
5) people that frequently trade for lesser locations

I only have a single week of oceanview Waiohai purchased at the developer's price. I feel really shortchanged with the points program since I don't even get enough points to get back into an oceanview Waiohai a large portion of the time. They say don't use the point option to get back into your home resort, but my intent with Waiohai was to visit my home resort (I love Kaua'i) or trade exclusively for other premium resorts (otherwise why pay out the nose in purchase price/maintenance fees for Hawaii?). My points won't allow me to get an oceanview unit during popular weeks at many of the other Hawaiian resorts, either, unless I only travel off-peak, and with a kid in school I have to travel during the more popular travel times.

However, I haven't actually traded with II, so I don't really know how the experience is with a premium resort. I've only used my week (like I said I *love* Kauai) or given it as an anniversary gift to my parents!. If I were to trade with II, would I generally get non-view units anyway? When looking at the points, I see that I can get mountain/garden view during most weeks at other Hawaii resorts.

I am concerned that the new system will make it harder for me to get summer weeks at my home resort because I am competing with points people.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Now I'm even more confused.....

Has anyone figured out yet how they are determining how many points an owner gets for a conversion.. I was under the impression that Marriott was basing it on the deeded or inventoried week and unit- but I just saw an owner's "upgrade" paperwork and it still didn't add up..

***

They currently own a 2br lockout at Grande Vista deeded as week 11.

They were told that if they convert and upgrade, they will receive 2,775 MVC Points (400 less than required to use their own week- or any other platinum time of year!) for the week they currently own..

They were then told the minimum purchase requirement is going to be 1500 Points at $9.20 / Pt= $13,800, but if they upgrade within the next three days they can purchase only 1,000 additional points at $9,200.!

So basically- these owners would trade their platinum season week- and then pay over $9,000. just so they would have enough points to book back into their resort during the platinum season?

***

Has this made sense to anyone yet? Is Marriott offering conversions that are always less points that the week is actually worth based on their own calendars just as a way to try and sell more points?

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

At my resort, NCV, which is not sold-out, it appears that they simply took the currrent (to the best of my knowledge) retail prices and divided by ten.

Hence, Gold season, at 2700 points, was selling, with late 'discounts' for the slow market, at 27,000 and Platinum, at 3475 points, 34,750. I paid 21,500 and 25,400, respectively, seven years ago.

3475 + 2700 = 6175 x 10 = 61,750

Which any normal person would clearly see as insane

[deputyski Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close deputyski]

I can confirm the information you posted...we just yesterday went through a presentation at Hilton Head...and we also own at Grande Vista, platinum level. One point though...if you don't "convert" for a given usage year, you can still use your week at your resort or in the "florida family" during any week...but if you convert, you get the 2775 points, which yes, will NOT get you back into your home resort during more than 1/2 of year yet you paid for a platinum week!!! This new system is a power hungry money grab by Marriott and we are not happy!!!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

So they are softening the drop in value from conversion by allowing owners to choose to use the old "weeks" system at their home resort.. If you go with Marriott's points- you'd simply have to take the value loss with your exchange.. So I guess that you save a hundred bucks or so a year by being able to drop interval- but in turn loose a few days of vacation..

I suppose if you are extremely unhappy with interval exchanges, you might be tempted.. But it just sounds to me like trading one bad exchange system for another!

I guess the age old advice always stays true- buy a week at the resort where you actually want to go!

I have another theory though that may make sense (at least to Marriott).. If we add up all the points required to reserve a specific unit type for the entire platinum (based on the weeks calendar) season- and then divide that number by the total number of weeks contained in the season- perhaps that will come out to the conversion number.. This would mean that owners who were given a deed showing a lower demand week would benefit, while owners who were given a deed showing a higher demand week would lose value.. I just haven't seen enough conversion contracts to tell one way or another..

I started a new thread asking for data along these lines and hopefully we'll be able to see the trend soon..

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...your-week.html

The 1 beneficial interest = 250 points doesn't apply to these conversions..

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

So they are softening the drop in value from conversion by allowing owners to choose to use the old "weeks" system at their home resort.. If you go with Marriott's points- you'd simply have to take the value loss with your exchange.. So I guess that you save a hundred bucks or so a year by being able to drop interval- but in turn loose a few days of vacation..

I suppose if you are extremely unhappy with interval exchanges, you might be tempted.. But it just sounds to me like trading one bad exchange system for another!

I guess the age old advice always stays true- buy a week at the resort where you actually want to go!

I have another theory though that may make sense (at least to Marriott).. If we add up all the points required to reserve a specific unit type for the entire platinum (based on the weeks calendar) season- and then divide that number by the total number of weeks contained in the season- perhaps that will come out to the conversion number.. This would mean that owners who were given a deed showing a lower demand week would benefit, while owners who were given a deed showing a higher demand week would lose value.. I just haven't seen enough conversion contracts to tell one way or another..

I started a new thread asking for data along these lines and hopefully we'll be able to see the trend soon..

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...your-week.html

The 1 beneficial interest = 250 points doesn't apply to these conversions..

All I can say is that it seems to be a complicated system and you will lose days if you would use points instead of the other choice you have like before if you want to stay a full week. You would only use the points option if you want to make your stay shorter or longer than a week or for some of the other choices that they have added. I doubt if they are good deals either as they never are.

From what I understand is that you will have lost the request first option that you have with II today. Since we have used this option only with the few exchanges we have made over the years, I do not want to use the points or making reservations through a Marriott Rep.

The system is too complicated for me and we bought in Maui with the idea to lock off the unit and make our stay last two weeks instead of one. This will be a lot harder now with a fixed week/unit. I did an II search today and nothing was available but I may be too early or too late to do a search or the inventory isn't there. Thank goodness that there are other options for us besides the Marriott or II. If all fails, we go back to Maui and use our 2 BR condo. We will find friends to go with us.

I posted a link to all the PDF files that Marriott came out with but you have to be a member or you cannot access them. Would you be able to access these PDF files or not? If not, send me a PM and I have them available for you.

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

Does anyone have any ideas what will be the median number of points to stay seven (7) nights for platinum or gold weeks ?