Which Marriott to buy? (rkpindia)

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

I know nothing about timeshares but the marriott vacation club idea has been in my head for 1-2 years. As a young family with kids ages 10,7,4 we want to do more traveling but need the 2 bedroom setup. Hotel rooms are getting cramped. We can afford to purchase some on the higher end and trade downhill (i.e. kauai to florida). we live on the east coast and will be more likely to use beach resorts than ski resorts. We like the europe availability that marriott has for when the kids are older. i not sure we would use points, we would just vacation a different year at a different place. My concern is how to insure that we can get the trades in the marriott system we want. We would book an average of 8 months in advance but could do 12-14 if necessary. Any advice on how to start, reslae versus direct from mariott. Which location to "buy" at. again i dont mind buying high and trading down. I just dont want the hassle of fighting to get say a week in feb in st kitts if we book in july the year before or is that not long enough

Moved from the 'introduction' thread....

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

rkpindia,

Welcome to TS4M's

There are a number of Marriott's to choose from, but I think taking everything into consideration, Williamsburg may be a good choice for you. If you do not have an interest in locking off your timeshare, than New Jersey "Platinum Season Only" is also a very good option. The prices are reasonable on the retail market, and the trading power for "Platinum" season is very good at both locations.

BTW.....DO NOT BUY directly from Marriott, it no longer makes any sense to do so. The option of trading in your week for points is even less desirable than it once was, and it was never really that great. Starting Jan 15, 09, Marriott will be increasing the number of points required for a 7 night stay, etc., considerably.....No way it is worth paying Marriott Prices for the option of trading for points!

Do you have an idea of where you'd like to travel most years? The reason I ask, is that it's always a good idea to purchase where you'd like to travel, opposed to having to rely on exchanges.

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

I know nothing about timeshares but the marriott vacation club idea has been in my head for 1-2 years. As a young family with kids ages 10,7,4 we want to do more traveling but need the 2 bedroom setup. Hotel rooms are getting cramped. We can afford to purchase some on the higher end and trade downhill (i.e. Kauai to Florida). we live on the east coast and will be more likely to use beach resorts than ski resorts. We like the Europe availability that Marriott has for when the kids are older. i not sure we would use points, we would just vacation a different year at a different place. My concern is how to insure that we can get the trades in the Marriott system we want. We would book an average of 8 months in advance but could do 12-14 if necessary. Any advice on how to start, resale versus direct from Marriott. Which location to "buy" at. again i don't mind buying high and trading down. I just don't want the hassle of fighting to get say a week in Feb in st Kitts if we book in July the year before or is that not long enough

Angela's suggestions make sense as for the next 8-10 years, you will want a 2BR unit when u travel.
Both those properties are excellent traders with average MFs (buy Marriott standards) and would be 'drive to' locations if you chose to visit.
You can buy a resale Platinum week in St Thomas, Aruba or St Kitts if you want to ensure that Caribbean vacation every year but the purchase price would be double or triple what the other 2 properties can be purchased for.

Another consideration would be the marriott property in Las Vegas - Grand Château - they have a 3BR unit that locks-off into a 2BR and a 1BR - you could use the 2BR for the 'tough' trades into Caribbean winter weeks and the 1BR into more overbuilt areas like Orlando - where a 1BR Marriott deposit would get you a 2BR unit most of the time.

Whatever you decide, advance planning is key to success with any TSing - if you are the type of person who waits until 6 months before travel to book something - then TSing is not for you - especially with high demand Caribbean resorts.

How it works.

1. Reserve a high demand week at your home resort 12 months before check-in. This is important as high demand weeks go fast.
2. Place your exchange request with Interval International 12-14 months before you want to travel.....

I am not saying that you can not get great trades in a lesser time frame but you are NOT the only east coaster who want to travel south during their kids vacation time .... take that into consideration when you purchase.

And to address Hawaii purchase - it is not necessary to purchase Hawaii to get great trades....and these weeks are generally more expensive and have the highest MFs in the Marriott system.

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

Good Advice

You have already received very good advice. Do NOT buy directly from Marriott. Right now the market is soft and you can get some great buys on Marriott resales. Go to Ebay (make sure that the seller is rated highly) or RedWeek.com. There are several other good resale sites.

Buy platinum. We bought a platinum at the Manor Club (Williamsburg) on ebay for about $7,000 in November of 2008. Amazingly Marriott did not exercise their right of first refusal. (Marriott has a right to buy the property for the agreed to sale price.) Also, make sure that your money is held in escrow until the sale is complete and that the closing is handled by a reputable THIRD party. Many states require that the money be held in escrow AND many lawyers, even in those states, are not aware of such. Carefully review the contract that you will sign and make sure that you will get back 100% of your moneys if Marriott exercises their Right of First Refusal (ROFR).

Make sure that you get a platinum unit. Book the unit 12 months to the day that it can be booked for the highest demand week. Interval International, the trade company, issues a booklet or you can go online to find the highest demand week(s) for your resort. Willliamsburg, for example, it is week 26 which is 4th of July week.

Immediately deposit with Interval. When trading you will contact the Marriott Interval desk. Marriott owners get priority for other Marriott properties around the world. But remember that you will be trying to trade for high demand weeks when your kids are not in school.

When you book you can upgrade to one additional bedroom for $99 if it is available. Thus if you book 2 bedroom you can upgrade to 3 bedrooms if the resort has such and if it is available. Even if it is not available at the time of your booking you can check back with the Marriott desk.

Marriott timeshares are a great purchase (if purchased through resale).

Good luck!!!