Worldmark/Fairfield Direct Exchange Resorts

[coatrack Member Find all posts View Profile Close coatrack]

Boca,
Thank you for starting a new forum for Worldmark owners to get helpful information and tips/tricks to using their membership, or for potential new owners to get some great information to help them decide if Worldmark is for them

Worldmark has an agreement with Fairfield where we give them a couple units in some Worldmark resorts and they give us a couple to book. Here is the resorts for the coming year that can be exchanged into:

Here is the information from the WorldMark The Club forum in regards to how many units we are recieving and giving to Fairfield for our direct exchange 2007 contract.

FF Ocean Blvd 2 units
FF Wisconsin Dells 1 unit
FF Palm Aire 2 units
FF Majestic Sun 2 units
FF Kingsgate 2 units
FF Pagosa 2 units
FF Skyline Towers 2 units
FF Smoky Mountains 2 units
FF Waikiki Beachwalk 2 units
FF Sedona 1 unit
FF Nashville 2 units
FF Flagstaff 2 units

WM Oceanside 2 units
WM Lake of the Ozarks 1 unit
WM Seaside 2 units
WM Coral Baja 2 units
WM Windsor 2 units
WM Steamboat Springs 2 units
WM Cascade Lodge 2 units
WM Rancho Vistoso 2 units
WM Kihei 2 units
WM Canadian 1 unit
WM Galena 2 units
WM Fiji 2 units
It looks like both Worldmark and Fairfield will get the best of both worlds.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Coatrack,

Thanks for the posts. I split off your posts because I believe they deserve their own thread.

I love the Direct Exchange resorts. I just booked Fairfield Waikiki using this direct exchange features.

I have been arguing that resort groups and mini-systems will start expanding their direct exchange features between themselves and other resort groups. This is an example of what I have been predicting will occur much more in the future.

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

does thi s mean we can book back to WM from FF too?

And what would the procedure be?
Thanks
JOAN

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

And what would the procedure be?
Thanks
JOAN

Joan:

Yes, you can if you are FF owner. Look at the on-line or call a VC. If you are not VIP, you can book 10 month or within. If you are VIP, you can book x times at 12 month or within (depends on the level). It is 2007 ones.

Jya-Ning

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

The way it works on WorldMark is the Fairfield resorts are added into the online reservation system. Of course, you can call as well. You see and book the available units just like any WorldMark resort.

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

It works the same way on Fairfield's website. However, because of the small amount of units, it is difficult to book a WM on Fairfield unless you are in the right season and at the earliest opportunity to book a WM unit.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

It works the same way on Fairfield's website. However, because of the small amount of units, it is difficult to book a WM on Fairfield unless you are in the right season and at the earliest opportunity to book a WM unit.

Mike,

It just dawned on me that we could use this sight as a direct exchange vehicle between many different resort groups.

Fairfield owners could direct exchange with WorldMark owners and vice versa. Then, there is no artificial limit of inventory. What do you think?

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

Is Worldmark also owned by Cendant?

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

Trendwest who is the developer for Worldmark is owned by Cendent.

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

Direct exchanges between WM and FF

Boca,

I think that a WorldMark / Fairfield direct exchange facility here would be a great service. Do you think we have enough WM and FF owners to implement it? Would we want to come up with some suggested guidelines for exchanges, like WM points = FF points?

I know with FF the new resorts are really upping the amount of points to book. Is WM doing the same thing?

I would be glad to try to help set it up here. Compared to your TS experience I am a newbie.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Boca,

I think that a WorldMark / Fairfield direct exchange facility here would be a great service. Do you think we have enough WM and FF owners to implement it? Would we want to come up with some suggested guidelines for exchanges, like WM points = FF points?

I know with FF the new resorts are really upping the amount of points to book. Is WM doing the same thing?

I would be glad to try to help set it up here. Compared to your TS experience I am a newbie.

Yeah, the new WM resorts are starting to escalate in cost per credit (i.e. point). I'd like to add Bluegreen in that mix so that we can get more activity. I like the idea of an exchange rate between the point systems. It should probably be just a guideline as others will surely negotiate.

I own at least VIP amount of points in FF, Bluegreen and WM. We could also offer direct exchanges with non-FF, BG and WM owners. This would greatly enhance the appeal and market for direct exchange.

Interesting. I wonder if this is how many of the exchange companies got started.

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

The exchange ratio

In FF, the point you get for a week deposit and they point you need to get a week in theory can be changed. In reality, I never see it changed for the resort marked as FF owned or affliate resort. However, I do see the large increase for associate hotel, it looks fair in my guess, since they probably need to pay the hotel with real money, and judge from the rental site, it probably will take a lot of efforts, the problem is, with increase in MF that close reflect inflation if not higher, and increase in point value that more than inflation, it is double loss.

I look at the associate resort point table from FF side, look like for the last 3 years, points needs for all WM-FF associated unit has not been changed (of course, some units are new to FF, so there is no comparison base, but the points required for these "new" units are not as high as FF's own new developed units). So at least from this point of view, the company is trying to keep it for associated resorts.

Jya-Ning

[PA- Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PA-]

A direct exchange program might be interesting. Here are some random thoughts:

1) One of the advantages vs. using an exchange company. Both FF and WM allow less than 1 week stay (with certain restrictions). The exchange companies generally don't have such an option.

2) Another advantage; unlike regular exchange programs, you have the ability to book any size unit, any resort, any week with FF and WM, so it makes direct exchange a lot easier than trying to find someone that has what you need and happens to want your fixed week/resort/unit.

3) One problem; look at TUGs direct exchange. It's just a long list of Wants/Haves. Better than nothing, but you have to find an exact match. The huge advantage of the exchange companies is they can do a 10 way trade, if necessary. I want your unit, you want joe's, joe wants shelly's, and shelly wants mine, so everybody gets what they want. Harder to do with a list.

4) Course the other problem is critical mass.

5) I see the currency valuation as the least of the problems. People will just negotiate.

6) Another thing is that it seems 99% of people want to rent you their unit, rather than do an exchange. Not that it's a big deal to get unwanted email, but it hardly ever seems to result in a match. Perhaps you'll be sucessful though.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I really like the idea of a 10-for-1 matching system. It wouldn't be hard to develop it. The biggest problem would be getting 10 people to agree since if anyone in the chain bails, then the whole chain fails.

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

Good point Boca. Just look at our mug order.