Worldmark Unveils Premier Membership Program - TravelShare

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

See it from Timesharebeat

Wyndham Vacation Ownership’s subsidiary, Trendwest Resorts, yesterday unveiled TravelShare, an exclusive membership program now available to all current and new North American WorldMark, The Club owners. Designed to enhance flexibility and expand vacation options, TravelShare offers owners who elect to join the program access to select Wyndham hotels and resorts as well as a myriad of other vacation benefits made available through the program.

TravelShare members may use their credits to stay at five select Wyndham hotels, which include the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa in St. Thomas, Wyndham Orange County in Costa Mesa, Calif., Wyndham Midtown and Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Atlanta and Bourbon Orleans in New Orleans.

TravelShare also offers a variety of other benefits to members including enhanced access to the following programs:

RCI membership – provides access to the world’s largest vacation exchange network via a toll-free number exclusively for TravelShare members to utilize and last minute vacation reservations at preferred low prices.

Connections – enables owners to use their WorldMark Credits that are TravelShare qualified to choose from a variety of tailored itineraries that may include cruises to locations such as Mexico, Alaska or the Caribbean or personalized tours through Rome, Paris London or the vineyards of California.

Fun Time – gives owners an expanded booking window to reserve WorldMark units at a low price without using their credits.

Quarterly Collection – presents an ever changing array of exciting vacation options which may include Harley-Davidson motorcycle rentals, European river cruises and cottages, houseboat rentals and all-inclusive vacation packages.

Don't know what is the requirements for "elect to joint". Look like it will be hide to sales team, and upto them to make and pitch.

Jya-Ning

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

I've been following the WorldMark board and it appears that the only way to become a TravelShare member is to buy some points from the developer. 5000 is the number being discussed. And, this purchase is required independent of where you purchased your previous credits.

Evidently, all credits purchased prior to Nov 6 will be eligible for TravelShare, but only credits purchased directly from Trendwest will be eligible after that date.

There is an extra fee that TravelShare members must pay on an annual basis based on how many credits they have that are TravelShare eligible. It's a bit like the Fairshare Plus assessment for Fairfield.

The different tiers of membership have diffferent benefits.

Platinum Elite is 63,000 credits. That is roughly equal to 1M FF points.

At that level, you get Free Housekeeping. If you only have to buy 5000 credits @ $1.80/credit to get to that level, then that benefit alone would make it worth it. I say that because no housekeeping accounts sell for more than that premium of the normal resale market. The premium you would pay for those 5000 credits would be $1.00/credit since they sell about $.80/credit today on the open market. So, that's a $5000 buy in to the program.

Trendwest included a bunch of travel related services that is probably equivalent to a AAA membership. I never think these are worth it. I've competely discounted them as having zero value.

But, there are 2 other benefits that appear to be interesting.

First, there is an enhanced bonus time feature called "fun time" which will allow various privileges based on membership level. For instance, Platinum elite will have access out to 42-days from check in vs. 14-today for bonus time. The rate will be $.06/credit. Given you can rent credits for $.06 each with unlimited reservation capabilities, the rate isn't compelling. But, it also explains why Trendwest colluded with the WorldMark board to put restrictions on credit rentals.

Second, and this is where it could get really interesting, TravelShare will have affiliated and associated resorts that will only be bookable with TravelShare eligible credits. This could get really interesting. This is how WorldMark owners can gain access to other Fairfield resorts and Pahio. I have believed from the start that Wyndham Vacation Ownership would be a separate Club. If WorldMark Platinum Elite is a backdoor way of getting into most FF, Pahio and Wyndham Vacation Ownership properties, then it could be the best VIP program in the all of WVO. That's because WM MF are so low.

But, only those who had the foresight to buy at least 58000 credits prior to Nov 6 will be granted this benefit. Did anyone do that?

If Trendwest does create this link into Wyndham and FF like I am hoping, then I think that Trendwest would have created an excellent VIP program for WorldMark owners. Far better than I would have expected. And, the 5000 credit buy in is a smart idea. This has the potential of becoming a very strong program.

In addition, I am predicting now that when WVO creates its own timeshare plan that it will offer an equity trade in program for Fairfield, Pahio and WorldMark owners. Developer credits/points will receive 100% trade in power and reale credits will receive squat. They will do it because they need to get a critical mass of WVO owners to be credible in the sales pitch. So, even though they would be offering cheap "upgrades" to FF and WorldMark owners, they will do it to meet their own needs for an initial owner count.

I believe something like what I have described will happen because that's what I would do if I were in charge. WVO would only be doing what's in their own best interest.

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

Platinum Elite is 63,000 credits. That is roughly equal to 1M FF points.

Just some random thoughts.

Not WM owner, but I believe II flexchange is 4000 credit, so the min. credit for this Elite club close to 16 week. Or 4 month per year if you can travel at off season. Which is when you retired. So anyone that want to purchase that many will either be for rent or a very big family or just want to get to new resort. If you really extend well, you will not have housekeep issue right?

Since the re-election of WM board is approaching, it maybe the reason of push.

Somehow, I think this is just RCI point for now.

As they push resell after 11/6/06 loss the right of this, they better keep gate of their sale's team.

As to FF resort WM together, I think they need several years to have their program support it. I will be interest to see how they pull the inventories from existing program. Since once they start the pull, it will eventually end the program. And if their sale's team is using this as bait, there will be all kinds of loophole created by sale team. That gives the reason why you should not buy any retail point from them a new meaning. Since they will very likely go out to another program which you can wait until you are able to use that many vacations.

Most of these programs I doubt can survive by their own. Since the sale team will either not create any funding or the entity that control the funds will not be able to keep up with inflation. So more likely, they need to rent out more inventories, it will be great opportunity when that happen. Maybe not good on the trust issue.

Jya-Ning

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

Jya-Ning,

There is an annual fee that owners must pay annually to stay as owners. So, there is a funding mechanism for it to continue.

I think it is quite easy to pull inventory. All Wyndham has to do is use their own credits to book prime weeks at the 13-month mark before the reservation lines are open and voila, instant prime weeks available for TravelShare.

I'll bet that Fairfield and Pahio have similar reservation rules that will enable Wynham to do it.

If they are aggressive in getting inventory for this program, it could be great for TravelShare owners. Conversely, it would be bad for normal owners.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

They've done the same thing for WMSP but call it the privileges program down under. Ratbags. I don't like it as regular resale premier members will be negatively impacted.

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

I am a WorldMark Platinum Elite Travelshare owner. WorldMark is a great club.

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

The access to the Wyndham hotels for booking was given to all Fairfield owners late in 2006, no cost or anything to use it. I really don't see any value in this Travelshare for WM owners. It is specious.

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

To me it's wortless program. it's not woth to spend anothe 9K to join and few hundreds dollar for the due.

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

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First, there is an enhanced bonus time feature called "fun time" which will allow various privileges based on membership level. For instance, Platinum elite will have access out to 42-days from check in vs. 14-today for bonus time. The rate will be $.06/credit. Given you can rent credits for $.06 each with unlimited reservation capabilities, the rate isn't compelling. But, it also explains why Trendwest colluded with the WorldMark board to put restrictions on credit rentals.



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This is an example of why all timeshare organizations should have independent boards, and developer control is an evil that needs to be overcome. There is always going to be a conflict of interest if the developer controls the board. It's sad that the campaign for independent directors at Worldmark failed last year.