Original Message:
Re: Diamond Resorts International (DRI) "THE CLUB" Points Program & Converting your Week to Points (by Charles S.):
craigf89 wrote:I was pitched 2500 points for $10,950 and $750 maintenance. Use any resort in THE CLUB. I have a Starwood Timeshare from Westin Lagunamar Cancun that was in lieu of money someone owed me. Gee, I'm stuck with his mess. Anyway, DRI offered me 6500 points per year if I deposit my week with them. The 6500 points can only be used in DRI resorts or Interval, the 2500 can be used for anything. Hotels,Resort Stays,Spa,Golf (so they tell me). I doubt 2500pts is going to get me anything. We typically take lots of short stays 2-4 days, and 1 or 2: 1 week stays in resorts.What am I missing in this offer?
Well, you don't have to trade your Westin Lagunamar Cancun and stay there or trade in the Westin Family.
You must have a one bedroom if you are only getting a total of 6500 points or you don't have a 2 bedroom lockoff which you could get two set of points for the one unit.
2500 points alone in the DRI is not enough to do much with by itself in a year. You would only be able to do mostly studios and not much more unless you were to travel in low seasons. However, if you deposit your Westin property into DRI, you would then have 9000 points in a year and you will have more flexibility. You will have more options to travel and get one or two bedroom units. You also have the option of saving your 2500 DRI points from one year to the next, so you could have 5000 DRI points plus your deposit of 6500 points would now give you 11,5000 points in a year. You could get reservations for a really big trip live Europe. Depending on how you use your points, you could have accommodations for four weeks or more. It's all in how you utilize your points. The points can only be saved for one year. The points from deposit have to be used within a year and cannot be saved to the next year.
Also, please note that the deposit of your Westin week is into a system of DRI's called Club Select. Club Select is DRI's internal exchange system for DRI members who have timeshares in other timeshare systems (this is you since you have a Starwood property). Please note that it will cost you about $120 to deposit your Starwood. Other DRI owners will now have acess to use their points or cash to stay at your Starvood property for whenever you made the reservation for. In return you get those 6500 points. You could also use your 6500 points to snag a reservation in Club Select too. Unlike Interval International you can get accommodations for a week in locations all over the world for no exchange fee. They have basically sold you on using DRI resorts through your Starwood property and having you bundle it with 2500 DRI points.