Impact of Destination Points on current Marriott owners

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

Just finished my week

We own in Kauai and we heard the deal as most of you have. On ours they skim about 6.5% off the top 3575 to book versus 3375 to give. We can buy more points which would allow us to upgrade to a nicer hotel, or just add days and keep our week. Another nice feature is that we were a third party owner and they will allow us with the points system to be a full owner. My main concern which was never addressed but I think is obvious is that point values for a nights stay will increase so that you are always chasing the points needed. Also, you cannot find a published list of the points on each hotel unless you own in the points system. I find that part a little sleazy since that information would be helpful on whether or not to make the decision. You can call and get the points on any week you ask but since it is just like the room rate it doesn't seem that hard for them to put the list out.

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

We own in Kauai and we heard the deal as most of you have. On ours they skim about 6.5% off the top 3575 to book versus 3375 to give. We can buy more points which would allow us to upgrade to a nicer hotel, or just add days and keep our week. Another nice feature is that we were a third party owner and they will allow us with the points system to be a full owner. My main concern which was never addressed but I think is obvious is that point values for a nights stay will increase so that you are always chasing the points needed. Also, you cannot find a published list of the points on each hotel unless you own in the points system. I find that part a little sleazy since that information would be helpful on whether or not to make the decision. You can call and get the points on any week you ask but since it is just like the room rate it doesn't seem that hard for them to put the list out.

This is a comment that should be sticken from Marriott's sales talk. I don't care who you bought your timeshare from, if you have the deed titled in your name, you ARE a full owner.

The only thing Marriott can add are a few trinkets and bright shinney objects, that are hardly worth the price of admission to most people. The salesmen are simply selling the illusion that you are less of an owner than those who bought direct. Do resale buyers not pay the same MF's and have the same rights to use their ownership as anyone else? Of course they do! They just can't participate in the benefit of converting their ownership to Marriott Rewards points. At the rate Marriott has devalued those points over the last decade vs how quickly MVCI resort MF's have increased, who'd want to pay a couple of thousand dollars more for that benefit?

If you pay the $1,995 (or whatever the fee might be), you'll be no more of a legitimate owners as you are an illegitimate owner now. The only thing that will change is that you'll be shorter a couple of thousand dollars but, you'll have a couple of more benefits added to your ownership. For some, it's well worth it to add those benefits. For others it's tossing good money after bad.

But, never let a salesmen tell you that you're less of an owner because you bought resale than someone who paid 10X as much buying directly from mother Marriott.

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

you are correct we are owners

I did not mean to imply that. What I should have stated was that last year we went and looked to upgrade our current unit to another Marriott and were not able to (at least we were told we could not because we were third party owners), with the points system, that is now available to us. Although we have not changed to the points system but I like to know what is out there.

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

I did not mean to imply that. What I should have stated was that last year we went and looked to upgrade our current unit to another Marriott and were not able to (at least we were told we could not because we were third party owners), with the points system, that is now available to us. Although we have not changed to the points system but I like to know what is out there.

Yes, and no. Trust points and points awarded to legacy weeks owners are not really the same. It's a thin line but, still a distinct line. There idea of upgrade will be to sell you additional DC trust points. Those points are expensive by comparison when looking at resale weeks and, the MF's at 40 cents per point are often more expensive than owning a week.

Rather than "upgrading" through Marriott by paying $1,995 to "legitimize" your current week and then paying a premium price (is it up to $10/point now?), I'd just look for another resale week and save thousands of dollars.

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

where is the inventory?

Every four years or so, we do a family reunion in Hawaii. So, we need extra rooms. Will they be more available with II, or with DC? Of course it is in the summer when the kids are out of schoo and there is limited availablility in the first place. We did it with II the last time, but that was before DC.

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

Every four years or so, we do a family reunion in Hawaii. So, we need extra rooms. Will they be more available with II, or with DC? Of course it is in the summer when the kids are out of schoo and there is limited availablility in the first place. We did it with II the last time, but that was before DC.

From what I'm seeing, all the threats that the sales staff are making that inventory won't be there unless you're in the DC just isn't true. If 1/3 of the legacy weeks owners join (I believe that was Marriott's prediction), then 2/3 of the weeks won't be controlled by Marriott. It's a percentage thing but I believe the distribution between DC and non-DC inventory will remain essentally equal. IOW, I don't expect to see a drop off in inventory secondary to the DC alone. There may be other outside factors that affect inventory but, you know the salesmen will try to scare owners by saying it's all because of the DC.

The only inventory I'd be concerned about is the few resorts that are mostly trust inventory units. Even then, I'm not to concerned. In order for the trust to obtain inventory outside of the trust, they must release trust inventory to I.I. for exchange. That means any trust owner wanting a week that's 100% legacy weeks (and there are far more of them right now than trust resorts) will need to have the trust arrange an exchange. That means trust inventory will be routinely deposited into Interval's inventory where legacy week owners will continue to have the Marriott preference.

In short, don't buy into the scary things Marriott sales staff is pushing. I believe that any fluctuations in inventory may be explained by other factors such as the economy and higher numbers or resort weeks that may be behind in MF payments or possibly even forclosure. It may even be that owners are cutting the cost of exchange fee's and electing to stay at their home resorts more often. The one thing I'm certain it isn't is the DC and/or Marriott making life hard on existing owners.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I 'drank the koolaid" and just enrolled basically to protect future options.

Going to read thru this thread and others, basically I am two years behind everyone else.

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

Perplexed!!!

I 'drank the koolaid" and just enrolled basically to protect future options.

Going to read thru this thread and others, basically I am two years behind everyone else.

Just returned from the Aruba ocean club, which I am an owner! Purchased on the secondary market, so I am not eligible for the destination points. Attended the 90 minute presentation, and was told that I would not be able to use interval international to exchange back into the Marriott system because the Marriott is not participating. Did not seem true. Had friends attend a session as well, and they were told pretty much the same. Is this a salesperson tactic, or a Marriott policy? Started to consider buying another unit from them, but came to my senses! This all seems like a lot of confusing information.

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

Just returned from the Aruba ocean club, which I am an owner! Purchased on the secondary market, so I am not eligible for the destination points. Attended the 90 minute presentation, and was told that I would not be able to use interval international to exchange back into the Marriott system because the Marriott is not participating. Did not seem true. Had friends attend a session as well, and they were told pretty much the same. Is this a salesperson tactic, or a Marriott policy? Started to consider buying another unit from them, but came to my senses! This all seems like a lot of confusing information.

This is not true. I am not sure why the salesman told you this other than to get you to buy from him. There are Marriott owners who are using Interval International that have received not only low demand resorts but high demand resorts in the summer as well. Remember the trust points inventory and the weeks inventory are separate. If you go to tug2.net on Timeshare Users Group and check the Marriott Forum, you will see threads where several Marriott owners like yourself have used Interval International to trade into other Marriotts.

I don't know when you bought you Aruba resale, but know that If you bought it resale before June 2010, you can enter it into the Destination Club.

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

Just returned from the Aruba ocean club, which I am an owner! Purchased on the secondary market, so I am not eligible for the destination points. Attended the 90 minute presentation, and was told that I would not be able to use interval international to exchange back into the Marriott system because the Marriott is not participating. Did not seem true. Had friends attend a session as well, and they were told pretty much the same. Is this a salesperson tactic, or a Marriott policy? Started to consider buying another unit from them, but came to my senses! This all seems like a lot of confusing information.

100% total lie by the salesman trying to scare you into buying something new from Marriott and never buy resale again. Marriott sales staff has become as unethical as the rest of the TS sales world.