"Its not just points you loose "

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

Hi. I have sought advice on purchasing a Marriott timeshare Resale and you all have given me alot of guidance. I redirected some of your advice to my sales agent at Marriott and this was what i got. What do you all make of it ?

Sales agent :
1. You do lose the ability to trade for points. The points are of greater value
over time than the cost of the timeshare itself. Just the bonus points that I
gave you of 150,000 plus your 110,000 points is worth anywhere from $5,000 to
$8,000 in vacations. Unless you are an owner you cannot understand the package values of Airfare plus Marriott style accommodations, As a matter of fact I will help you book the package myself just to shut up the skeptics. In addition to a week of vacation every year, and with the use of the lock off option which no one seem to know about, you can also enjoy a bonus vacation about every three years (which includes airfare and ccommodations) using points. In ten years time Marriotts vacation plan can pay for itself just by using the points alone effectively. Bear in mind you own it forever.

2. You lose the personal concierge we assign to you. You are assigned a person
who manages your vacation for you i.e.. they track your points, help you plan
your vacations, airfare, cruises, rent a car, advise you on the best use of your
points, handle all your exchanges and give you valuable insights on your
destinations etc, etc. Those who do not own with Marriott can share their
frustrations just trying to figure who to call. Is it not nice to know you can
call the same person all the time to take care of your vacation plans while you
and your wife are busy with your work, family and business?

3. You are assured of clear title to the property. Many times people buy on the resale market only to find that the title has been entangled in some legal mess such as a probate or divorce settlement etc.and past annual dues owed by the previous owner. And these must be paid up before you can use it. There is no way for the resale market to check and even if they can they do not take the time to do it. So you lose.

4. If you do not purchase from Marriott, the company will not guarantee to
repurchase it from you should you decide to resell at a later date. You are on
your own.

5. You do not receive any special offers and updates from Marriott as the
company continues to develop new programs. Our owners receive special pricing and opportunities on new sites and developments for them to experience first before the public like the recent St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

6. No referral points. Whenever you give us referral names we give you points,
for every referral that purchase from us we deposit 40,000 points into your
account. Just five referrals that purchase can give you and your wife a nice
vacation package somewhere in the world.
Unlike some other resorts, Marriott spends a huge amount of money creating the
kind of luxury and providing the kind of service people have come to expect from
us. The company's commitment is to exceed those expectations. That's why
Marriott gives the preferential treatment to its members.


Resales are real, yes they are cheaper, but the value you lose from not
purchasing from Marriott is quite significant over a lifetime, those privileges
are lost to your children also. Do you think its worth the difference in price?


wHAT DO YOU ALL THINK ?

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

A sea of Weasel Dung flows

Sales agent :
1. You do lose the ability to trade for points. The points are of greater value
over time than the cost of the timeshare itself. Just the bonus points that I
gave you of 150,000 plus your 110,000 points is worth anywhere from $5,000 to
$8,000 in vacations.

First line is true. You knew that already. The rest - well it could happen but there is absolutely no way to be sure. They don't give away value you pay for it. If you're good at working the system to the max you could do it if not....

2. You lose the personal concierge we assign to you. You are assigned a person
who manages your vacation for you i.e.. they track your points, help you plan
your vacations, airfare, cruises, rent a car, advise you on the best use of your
points, handle all your exchanges and give you valuable insights on your
destinations etc, etc. Those who do not own with Marriott can share their
frustrations just trying to figure who to call. Is it not nice to know you can
call the same person all the time to take care of your vacation plans while you
and your wife are busy with your work, family and business?

OK. And they are on call 24hr/day/365? Come on. Maybe you'll get to speak to someone a few times but the value is virtually zero. They have to pay these people - where is the payback? A true Fluffernutter factor.

3. You are assured of clear title to the property. Many times people buy on the resale market only to find that the title has been entangled in some legal mess such as a probate or divorce settlement etc.and past annual dues owed by the previous owner. And these must be paid up before you can use it. There is no way for the resale market to check and even if they can they do not take the time to do it. So you lose.

Pure unadulterated FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt). This line alone tells me they are handing you a sales weasel package of lies. Now everything he said becomes seriously suspect.

4. If you do not purchase from Marriott, the company will not guarantee to
repurchase it from you should you decide to resell at a later date. You are on
your own.

Ask to see the written guarantee they give you to repurchase. And at what guaranteed price? The Weasel do do is getting much deeper now.

5. You do not receive any special offers and updates from Marriott as the
company continues to develop new programs. Our owners receive special pricing and opportunities on new sites and developments for them to experience first before the public like the recent St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

I never even purchased Marriott and I get those offers by phone, email and snail mail. Who is he kidding? They do that to SELL TIMESHARES they aren't about to ban someone from the offers. Help - the Weasel dung is almost neck high now!

6. No referral points. Whenever you give us referral names we give you points,
for every referral that purchase from us we deposit 40,000 points into your
account. Just five referrals that purchase can give you and your wife a nice
vacation package somewhere in the world.
Unlike some other resorts, Marriott spends a huge amount of money creating the
kind of luxury and providing the kind of service people have come to expect from
us. The company's commitment is to exceed those expectations. That's why
Marriott gives the preferential treatment to its members.

See # 5 I'm afraid we may be drowning here in a rather unpleasant smelling substance.

Resales are real, yes they are cheaper, but the value you lose from not
purchasing from Marriott is quite significant over a lifetime, those privileges
are lost to your children also. Do you think its worth the difference in price?

Quite significant to the Weasels' pay check and your bank account. There are some reasons to do careful study on the difference in value between developer and resale but most of those above are, at best, fluff and at worse Weasel manure. Look at the hard dollar factors only and decide what is best for you.

To think Marriott was once a company above this type of bull. They used to let the product sell itself. Now they're into the same lies and misrepresentations that most other developers seem to favor.

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

[QUOTE=khemy;77189]Hi. I have sought advice on purchasing a Marriott timeshare Resale and you all have given me alot of guidance. I redirected some of your advice to my sales agent at Marriott and this was what i got. What do you all make of it ?

Sales agent :
1. You do lose the ability to trade for points. The points are of greater value
over time than the cost of the timeshare itself. Just the bonus points that I
gave you of 150,000 plus your 110,000 points is worth anywhere from $5,000 to
$8,000 in vacations. Unless you are an owner you cannot understand the package values of Airfare plus Marriott style accommodations, As a matter of fact I will help you book the package myself just to shut up the skeptics. In addition to a week of vacation every year, and with the use of the lock off option which no one seem to know about, you can also enjoy a bonus vacation about every three years (which includes airfare and ccommodations) using points. In ten years time Marriotts vacation plan can pay for itself just by using the points alone effectively. Bear in mind you own it forever.

The initial point incentive of 150,000, is not worth the thousands of dollars more that you would pay for the timeshare. You can pay for the same vacation with the money that you saved, or buy another timeshare.....Now you own two! IMHO

Be aware that the 110,000 points that you would receive from Marriott for trading your timeshare for points, can not be used toward timeshare stays, only hotels. It's true, the hotel/airfare package Marriott offers for their points, can be a good deal, especially if you are traveling as a couple. However, you can still get points from hotel stays, Visa card, etc.

Marriott vacation plan will pay for itself, a lot sooner, if you buy resale!


2. You lose the personal concierge we assign to you. You are assigned a person
who manages your vacation for you i.e.. they track your points, help you plan
your vacations, airfare, cruises, rent a car, advise you on the best use of your
points, handle all your exchanges and give you valuable insights on your
destinations etc, etc. Those who do not own with Marriott can share their
frustrations just trying to figure who to call. Is it not nice to know you can
call the same person all the time to take care of your vacation plans while you
and your wife are busy with your work, family and business?


It is true that you are assigned a personal concierge, and, they can be very helpful. However, after you hang around here a while, you will probably know more than they do. I haven't used mine in a while now. It's easier for me to do my own searches thru II, make my own request, etc.


3. You are assured of clear title to the property. Many times people buy on the resale market only to find that the title has been entangled in some legal mess such as a probate or divorce settlement etc.and past annual dues owed by the previous owner. And these must be paid up before you can use it. There is no way for the resale market to check and even if they can they do not take the time to do it. So you lose.

I do no see this as a legitimate problem. Have a title search done, etc.

4. If you do not purchase from Marriott, the company will not guarantee to
repurchase it from you should you decide to resell at a later date. You are on
your own.

Marriott will only give you up to 60% of what you paid, from what I have read. You will pay about 50- 60% of their cost, in most resales. So, no incentive there.


5. You do not receive any special offers and updates from Marriott as the
company continues to develop new programs. Our owners receive special pricing and opportunities on new sites and developments for them to experience first before the public like the recent St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

Marriott will sell to anyone willing to buy. You can easily find out when they are opening sales for new locations. I don't think being a current Marriott timeshare owner will make a any difference.


No referral points. Whenever you give us referral names we give you points,
for every referral that purchase from us we deposit 40,000 points into your
account. Just five referrals that purchase can give you and your wife a nice
vacation package somewhere in the world.
Unlike some other resorts, Marriott spends a huge amount of money creating the
kind of luxury and providing the kind of service people have come to expect from
us. The company's commitment is to exceed those expectations. That's why
Marriott gives the preferential treatment to its members.

I am not sure if this is true, or not. But realistically, how many people do you know that are going to buy a Marriott timeshare, directly from Marriott?


Resales are real, yes they are cheaper, but the value you lose from not
purchasing from Marriott is quite significant over a lifetime, those privileges
are lost to your children also. Do you think its worth the difference in price?

I have personally purchased two Marriott timeshares directly from Marriott. There are some benefits, such as trading in your timeshare for points. That is the only significant one, in my opinion. If you are getting in at the unset, the first phase of pre-construction prices, it might be worth it to you, for this option. Otherwise, I would buy resale.


You should not rush into anything. Read as much as possible before making any decision. Stick around here for while, and then you will feel that you have made a educated decision.

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

My son's in-laws own at Ko'Olina, a beautiful resort they purchased about four years ago after staying in Oahu at a hotel. They are very happy about their purchase and used to think the concierge service was great, but when they booked airfare through Marriott for a Kauai trip we took together, I beat Marriott's price by $200 per person by doing a two-minute search for the best deal using sidestep.com. We were all on the same plane. I booked our flights about an hour after them. I think that might be where the concierges makes their money. That concierge service is not worth much, if you ask me.

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

I will comment in BOLD below - Like Ang, I purchased my weeks (4) directly from Marriott

[QUOTE=ArtsieAng;77198]

Hi. I have sought advice on purchasing a Marriott timeshare Resale and you all have given me alot of guidance. I redirected some of your advice to my sales agent at Marriott and this was what i got. What do you all make of it ?

Sales agent :
1. You do lose the ability to trade for points. The points are of greater value
over time than the cost of the timeshare itself. Just the bonus points that I
gave you of 150,000 plus your 110,000 points is worth anywhere from $5,000 to
$8,000 in vacations. Unless you are an owner you cannot understand the package values of Airfare plus Marriott style accommodations, As a matter of fact I will help you book the package myself just to shut up the skeptics. In addition to a week of vacation every year, and with the use of the lock off option which no one seem to know about, you can also enjoy a bonus vacation about every three years (which includes airfare and ccommodations) using points. In ten years time Marriotts vacation plan can pay for itself just by using the points alone effectively. Bear in mind you own it forever.

The initial point incentive of 150,000, is not worth the thousands of dollars more that you would pay for the timeshare. You can pay for the same vacation with the money that you saved, or buy another timeshare.....Now you own two! IMHO

It is true you lose the ability to trade for points - when I purchased my first week in 2001, you could take a 'World Trip" in any Marriott Hotel and get 120,000 FF points for 200,000 Marriott Reard points (MR) - the same trip now will cost you at least 280,000 - they have definitely 'watered down' the value of points - Also, the points you get for trading in your 2BR unit (must trade whole unit to get points, can not lock-off) will always be the same while marriott is always changing the number of points you need to get a nice hotel room. Just a thought......
The salesperson says he will help you with these arrangements using points - unfortunately this is NOT true.
He is however using the example of locking off your unit in year one getting 2 weeks vacation and by trading one of the halves into the following year you CAN get an extra week every third year = 4 weeks in 3 years using points BUT if you don't trade for points you can lock off EVERY ear and et 2 weeks per year = 6 weeks in 3 years.

Be aware that the 110,000 points that you would receive from Marriott for trading your timeshare for points, can not be used toward timeshare stays, only hotels. It's true, the hotel/airfare package Marriott offers for their points, can be a good deal, especially if you are traveling as a couple. However, you can still get points from hotel stays, Visa card, etc.

Marriott vacation plan will pay for itself, a lot sooner, if you buy resale!


2. You lose the personal concierge we assign to you. You are assigned a person
who manages your vacation for you i.e.. they track your points, help you plan
your vacations, airfare, cruises, rent a car, advise you on the best use of your
points, handle all your exchanges and give you valuable insights on your
destinations etc, etc. Those who do not own with Marriott can share their
frustrations just trying to figure who to call. Is it not nice to know you can
call the same person all the time to take care of your vacation plans while you
and your wife are busy with your work, family and business?

This can be a nice plus for new owners but the ONLY SERVICE YOU LOSE BY BUYING RESALE IS THE POINTS trade-ability - if you want a personal concierge, ask for one - it is available toALL Marriott owners. I have a friend that has used hers on several occasions-I found when I spoke to mine,she was not as knowlegdeable as I was having been an owner for 5 years.

It is true that you are assigned a personal concierge, and, they can be very helpful. However, after you hang around here a while, you will probably know more than they do. I haven't used mine in a while now. It's easier for me to do my own searches thru II, make my own request, etc.


3. You are assured of clear title to the property. Many times people buy on the resale market only to find that the title has been entangled in some legal mess such as a probate or divorce settlement etc.and past annual dues owed by the previous owner. And these must be paid up before you can use it. There is no way for the resale market to check and even if they can they do not take the time to do it. So you lose.

I do no see this as a legitimate problem. Have a title search done, etc.
When you purchase, have a title search done and buy title insurance.

4. If you do not purchase from Marriott, the company will not guarantee to
repurchase it from you should you decide to resell at a later date. You are on
your own.

Marriott will only give you up to 60% of what you paid, from what I have read. You will pay about 50- 60% of their cost, in most resales. So, no incentive there.
HA-Marriott NEVER guarantees they will buy your TS back or allow you to do an equity upgrade -I wanted to trade in my Gold Fairway Villas week and they refused to take it back.

5. You do not receive any special offers and updates from Marriott as the
company continues to develop new programs. Our owners receive special pricing and opportunities on new sites and developments for them to experience first before the public like the recent St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

Marriott will sell to anyone willing to buy. You can easily find out when they are opening sales for new locations. I don't think being a current Marriott timeshare owner will make a any difference.
I will say it again,you are treated exactly the same as a resale owner.


No referral points. Whenever you give us referral names we give you points,
for every referral that purchase from us we deposit 40,000 points into your
account. Just five referrals that purchase can give you and your wife a nice
vacation package somewhere in the world.
Unlike some other resorts, Marriott spends a huge amount of money creating the
kind of luxury and providing the kind of service people have come to expect from
us. The company's commitment is to exceed those expectations. That's why
Marriott gives the preferential treatment to its members.

I am not sure if this is true, or not. But realistically, how many people do you know that are going to buy a Marriott timeshare, directly from Marriott?
Ang, I have received over 400,000 MR Points because a whole lotta friends bought in ARUBA!!!!
OP -you WILL receive MR points if a friend buys directly from Marriott and you have given Mar their name.

Resales are real, yes they are cheaper, but the value you lose from not
purchasing from Marriott is quite significant over a lifetime, those privileges
are lost to your children also. Do you think its worth the difference in price?

I have personally purchased two Marriott timeshares directly from Marriott. There are some benefits, such as trading in your timeshare for points. That is the only significant one, in my opinion. If you are getting in at the unset, the first phase of pre-construction prices, it might be worth it to you, for this option. Otherwise, I would buy resale.

Actually,I do plan on buying again directly from Marriott..I purchased my Aruba Surf Club Platinum from Marriott the first week of sales and the price has gone up $12,000. I am hoping that Marriott will build/convert in Cancun and I will be buying there (IF it is a lock-off!) on the first day of sale....this represents an excellent value for me. I didn't buy in St Thomas because it was NOT a lock-off - for the high MFs - I want 2 weeks of luxury vacations.

You should not rush into anything. Read as much as possible before making any decision. Stick around here for while, and then you will feel that you have made a educated decision.
YUP!

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Not Marriott owner, nor did I even study their system. But for what it worth, here are my 2 cents

Sales agent :
1. You do lose the ability to trade for points. The points are of greater value
over time than the cost of the timeshare itself. Just the bonus points that I
gave you of 150,000 plus your 110,000 points is worth anywhere from $5,000 to
$8,000 in vacations. Unless you are an owner you cannot understand the package values of Airfare plus Marriott style accommodations, As a matter of fact I will help you book the package myself just to shut up the skeptics. In addition to a week of vacation every year, and with the use of the lock off option which no one seem to know about, you can also enjoy a bonus vacation about every three years (which includes airfare and ccommodations) using points. In ten years time Marriotts vacation plan can pay for itself just by using the points alone effectively. Bear in mind you own it forever.

How many weeks you can forsee you own Marriott? And as of now, how many days you take for family vacations you will stay in Marriott and its related hotel? Can you rent out these points?

If you will own weeks that less than all the vacation time you can take, then most of the time, you can use the timeshare thus without worry loss the benefits. Very few times you can not use the week yourself you can choose to deposit to II (extend 2 year), other exchange company (extend 3 year). Or rent out (extend forever). So add point option although give you more flexiblility, may not help too much. However, another option you can have is to sell the TS if it no longer fit your needs. Buying resell at right price will reduce your risk of lossing, but buying retail will not.

Unless you can rent out the points, it is very hard to assess the true worth of the point.

If today, you can find hotel deal you will go with that, then a point will not help too much in that regard too. My wife's United FF point has blockout day, it usually is not that cheap. The value is reduce a lot when the Airline increase the points need for business upgrade. It used to be valued at 2cent, now is 1 cent.

The other consideration is Is M owns the airline company? M maybe able to hold its hotel end, but can it guarantee the airline partnership? Also, although if we use United to travel, the point deal can give us great deal, but it may not be the best deal we can find if use other airline. There introduce more uncertainty. We are talking about different inflation ratio, MF for TS, hotel fee, and airline ticket. Which may or may not go the same directions. You may need to be able to save 30% or more today to make it worth to look into point deal along.

2. You lose the personal concierge we assign to you. You are assigned a person
who manages your vacation for you i.e.. they track your points, help you plan
your vacations, airfare, cruises, rent a car, advise you on the best use of your
points, handle all your exchanges and give you valuable insights on your
destinations etc, etc. Those who do not own with Marriott can share their
frustrations just trying to figure who to call. Is it not nice to know you can
call the same person all the time to take care of your vacation plans while you
and your wife are busy with your work, family and business?

I believe a good company should be able to promote good employee. If a PC is good, (s)he should be reward accordingly, at certain point, (s)he should be move to another level. Although I like the idea to have someone there to help you for 20 years, in reality, a good running company will only have that person in for 5 to 6 years. While you will definitely out-growing your PC. It is very helpful if you got one while you have no idea how to work with the system. But what is the realistic change you got one as regular end of line owner?

3. You are assured of clear title to the property. Many times people buy on the resale market only to find that the title has been entangled in some legal mess such as a probate or divorce settlement etc.and past annual dues owed by the previous owner. And these must be paid up before you can use it. There is no way for the resale market to check and even if they can they do not take the time to do it. So you lose.

This is quite true, that is the reason when people advice on resale, one thing is to have a good closing company. Also, knowing who you are dealing with is very important.

He forget to mention that M could enter the picture through ROFR, which wastes all your work.

4. If you do not purchase from Marriott, the company will not guarantee to
repurchase it from you should you decide to resell at a later date. You are on
your own.

I don't believe M guarantee that. They have ROFR, but it means if they see fit they can take it, you still need to find a buyer first. Or does I heard wrong, you can just come to M and ask them to buy your week?

Resales are real, yes they are cheaper, but the value you lose from not
purchasing from Marriott is quite significant over a lifetime, those privileges
are lost to your children also. Do you think its worth the difference in price?

I believe you need some hard work to make it worth, since you have put down a lot more upfront money. If translate to opportunity loss, you do need look at that.

On the other hand, you may not think of that since it maybe more convienet to make one call and have someone setup all your travel plan. Then all M's benefit with the back of M maybe worth it.

Jya-Ning

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

Jya-Ning

Marriott Reward points are not like RCI Points or Disney Vacation Club Points where you need 100 points to stay 5 days in a 2BR in a certain season.
Marriott TS at this time is a 'weeks' system so you can't 'rent' out points as you can with DVC....what you can do if you own at a resort that has 'lock-offs' is split your unit and have 1 weeks vacation in one part and another weeks vacation in the other. This doesn't work well if you have more then 4 people in your travel party.....unless you take your 1BR side and trade it into a 2BR (which CAN be done at times)

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

Ang, I have received over 400,000 MR Points because a whole lotta friends bought in ARUBA!!!!

................... You did, that's a whole lotta referrals. You sales machine you! Maybe, like the salesman there told me.....it's an easy sell. Or, maybe you should be considering selling timeshares for a living........

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I d/n like helping the salespeople learn how to combat our arguments, and I would hate to see Marriott impair the value of resale weeks by instituting more 'bought from developer only' benefits.

You have soom good 'point by point' rebuttals, I hope you will use them to make a good decision without empowering the developer. Then again, who knows who anybody really is around here, anyway.

That said, I can also add that I have accumulated enough Marriott points for a 'round the world' trip without buying from Marriott, or even referring a single buyer. It took time, but I did it with a Marriott visa. Now I'm kicking myself that I wasn't racking up Frequent Flyer miles instead... I have never been able to use the points to book anything other than a hotel room, the Vacation Club locations I wanted were always unavailable. And you could easily book yourself the kind of trip they are talking about for far less than the value they are quoting you.

Good luck with your research

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

I d/n like helping the salespeople learn how to combat our arguments, and I would hate to see Marriott impair the value of resale weeks by instituting more 'bought from developer only' benefits.

You have soom good 'point by point' rebuttals, I hope you will use them to make a good decision without empowering the developer. Then again, who knows who anybody really is around here, anyway.

That said, I can also add that I have accumulated enough Marriott points for a 'round the world' trip without buying from Marriott, or even referring a single buyer. It took time, but I did it with a Marriott visa. Now I'm kicking myself that I wasn't racking up Frequent Flyer miles instead... I have never been able to use the points to book anything other than a hotel room, the Vacation Club locations I wanted were always unavailable. And you could easily book yourself the kind of trip they are talking about for far less than the value they are quoting you.

Good luck with your research

Thanks for all the responses . The thing with points is whether or not they will depreciate or appreciate in time. No one knows .

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

The thing with points is whether or not they will depreciate or appreciate in time. No one knows .

What are you talking about, you've already been given evidence above of their depreciation... you will never get more without buying more from the developer and Marriott has and will increase the number needed for the various awards. Are you reading all of the info you've been given above??

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

What are you talking about, you've already been given evidence above of their depreciation... you will never get more without buying more from the developer and Marriott has and will increase the number needed for the various awards. Are you reading all of the info you've been given above??

I hear you and i ubderstand . What i was saying is that in time to come , when they realise that people realise that the points are not worth it that they mey change their policy regarding points. i know this may never happen but who knows !

Thanks for all the input and i do understand that points have been watered down considerably.

[TalkToMeForAdvice Member Find all posts View Profile Close TalkToMeForAdvice]

Ahem...

It really depends on what resort you're looking at. The points only make sense at certain resorts to purchase developer.

I'd say St. Kitts is worth purchasing developer right now because they are offering 200,000 points for any interior weeks. And look at those people who bought the Caribbean back with Marriott awhile ago.

It's not as simple as "resales are simply better than developer". It comes down to the dynamics of every angle of the purchase including your personal situation. Typically, resales are a great deal if you've done your research and determined a resort you definitely want. But there are some resorts just worth buying developer because the points are "watered down" but by no means impotent.

[Dave M Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dave M]

Thanks for all the responses . The thing with points is whether or not they will depreciate or appreciate in time. No one knows .

True. No one - at least no one outside of Marriott - knows. However, let history be your guide. Marriott has had at least three point devaluations since I have closely followed the program. There have been no changes to the program which have enhanced the overall value of the points.

The most significant point change was about five years ago, with a significant devaluation. Many rewards, including the lucrative hotel-air travel packages were significantly devalued. Those devaluations match what has happened in the airline industry. As airfares have gone up, the cost in FF miles for various awards has gone up. UA, for example, had a new devaluation effective the first of this month.

Further, the lack of value compared to what you pay for the points is made even worse by the fact that you pay for those points currently, through a higher purchase price and by giving up the use of your high-annual-fee week for points. That means you have lost significant earning power on the dollars spent for a benefit that won't be used until years later!

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

True. No one - at least no one outside of Marriott - knows. However, let history be your guide. Marriott has had at least three point devaluations since I have closely followed the program. There have been no changes to the program which have enhanced the overall value of the points.

The most significant point change was about five years ago, with a significant devaluation. Many rewards, including the lucrative hotel-air travel packages were significantly devalued. Those devaluations match what has happened in the airline industry. As airfares have gone up, the cost in FF miles for various awards has gone up. UA, for example, had a new devaluation effective the first of this month.

Further, the lack of value compared to what you pay for the points is made even worse by the fact that you pay for those points currently, through a higher purchase price and by giving up the use of your high-annual-fee week for points. That means you have lost significant earning power on the dollars spent for a benefit that won't be used until years later!

Great to see you here Dave M .....

I purchased my first & second developer Marriott week in January 2001...because I would be getting 75,000 pts per week every other year.
What that meant for us at the time was a TS 2BR vacation EVERY year and every other year we would have a hotel room for 7 days for our family of 4 plus 120,000 FF miles - enough to fly the 4 of us anywhere in the US or Caribbean. Only the top 25 Marriott Hotels worldwide would be exempt from this 150,000 Mar Reward points trip - the top hotels could be had for 200,000 Points.
It sounded like a great deal for us...and then that summer Marriott drastically changed the requirements for the hotel/air packages.

So OP, do your research and take your time...and make sure you are getting the best value for your vacation dollar. The Marriott experience is wonderful - just be sure to get in at the right price point.