Caribbean Islands

[swit29 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swit29]

Mark,
I have a general question regarding exchange opportunities into the Caribbeans anytime between January 1 and March 31/08. I am quite flexible in terms of the destination island ( excluding the Dominican Rep. and St. Martin Isl. -we have been there !) but naturaly have my own preferences.
My specific questions are:
a) could you list in order of priority those three island where your normal supply/demand would rate my chances as good to very good ?
b) would my exchange opportunity into a better resort be significantly higher if I agree to downgrade my two bdr. deposit with SFX and take a one bdr. unit ?
c) if I am willing to go to any one of three different islands ( lets say they are Aruba, St. Kitts, St. John ) how do I list my priorities on your grid without excluding any one of them ?
I hope you can respond in specific terms. Thanks.

Swit.

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Mark,
I have a general question regarding exchange opportunities into the Caribbeans anytime between January 1 and March 31/08. I am quite flexible in terms of the destination island ( excluding the Dominican Rep. and St. Martin Isl. -we have been there !) but naturaly have my own preferences.
My specific questions are:
a) could you list in order of priority those three island where your normal supply/demand would rate my chances as good to very good ?
b) would my exchange opportunity into a better resort be significantly higher if I agree to downgrade my two bdr. deposit with SFX and take a one bdr. unit ?
c) if I am willing to go to any one of three different islands ( lets say they are Aruba, St. Kitts, St. John ) how do I list my priorities on your grid without excluding any one of them ?
I hope you can respond in specific terms. Thanks.

Swit.

Swit - thank you for your post.

a. There is a very simple formula to determine whether or not your odds may be better or not for securing an exchange. The more resorts there are in a location means there may be more weeks deposited by their members for others such as yourself to trade into. As an example... it is much easier to get an exchange into Sint Maarten than it is St. John.

There are of course other variables, such as the trading power of your week, and how many other timeshare owners are competing with you for the same place and dates etc. You could look at a timeshare resort directory, count how many Crown or 5 star rated resorts are in each island, and that will give you an idea. Obviously an island with only 3 or 4 properties is going to be very difficult. Sint Maarten and Aruba probably have the most inventory. Also keep in mind, Jan through Easter week is Premium Demanded time in that region, and much more difficult to secure space than other less demanded times of the year... and Flexibility on travel weeks and islands is important for results.

b. Possibly yes, as there are typically more 1 bedroom units than 2's.

c. When placing your request, in the comments box you can list any preferences you may have.

Hope this helps...

[swit29 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swit29]

Mark
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your point that if there are more resorts on a given island it should be easier to trade into them. That's basic. But how would anyone know if ANY resorts on a given island are in fact traded via SFX ? Who knows, maybe you have some special relations with some resorts and not with others. Mexico comes to my mind.

I know that T/S exchange service is a competitive business and that you may not wish to disclose certain facts that SFX may consider as proprietary. While respecting this obvious limitation, can you be any more forthcoming in terms of SFX ability to secure exchanges into specific Caribbean islands ?

You also said: When placing your request, in the comments box you can list any preferences you may have.
OK, but can you explain why don't you keep my comments in that box as long as my request remains active ? Without that record I have no idea if your staff is uptodate on what I have requested. And my experience suggests that I have a valid concern.

Thanks
swit29

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Mark
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your point that if there are more resorts on a given island it should be easier to trade into them. That's basic. But how would anyone know if ANY resorts on a given island are in fact traded via SFX ? Who knows, maybe you have some special relations with some resorts and not with others. Mexico comes to my mind.

I know that T/S exchange service is a competitive business and that you may not wish to disclose certain facts that SFX may consider as proprietary. While respecting this obvious limitation, can you be any more forthcoming in terms of SFX ability to secure exchanges into specific Caribbean islands ?

You also said: When placing your request, in the comments box you can list any preferences you may have.
OK, but can you explain why don't you keep my comments in that box as long as my request remains active ? Without that record I have no idea if your staff is uptodate on what I have requested. And my experience suggests that I have a valid concern.

Thanks
swit29

swit29 - thank you for your reply.

I am not quite sure I understand what you are trying to say ...."can you be any more forthcoming in terms of SFX ability to secure exchanges into specific Caribbean islands ?".......

Subject to availability, we can access any resort on any island, in any system. Our directory, which is still a work in progress is only at the Beta v.1.3. however, you may request any Crown or 5 Star rated resort you see in any other industry directory.

If you are asking that I imply odds or probabilities, I am sorry but I am not allowed to do that, nor will any other credible exchange company. The process is simple... you place your request, try and be as flexible as possible ... and we start a search for your unit. The inventory can come from a host of multiple resources... Member deposits, directly from developers, management companies, and other exchange companies, as we are networked.

Ability to secure is Subject to Availability. Hope this helps.

Any specific resorts can be listed in the Comments box. At this time any comments you submit in the comments box are viewable only to the agent and not online in your account. One of the upcoming upgrades will allow Members to see their comments online in their SFX Account.

Hope this helps...