Original Message:
Re: Marriott Vacation Club "Destinations" - What I Like and What I've Done (by Edward L.):
We just get back from Maui and have taken a tour on the Marriott club Destinations presentation for the Marriott owners. To purchase a two bed room for non-prime time mountain garden view unit for one week is $53,010 for 4750 point, for prime time week is $61,380 for 5500 point. We have purchased a two bed room unit in gold season (Jan-May) when the project was just started before any building were built in Newport Coast, CA. and a two bed room unit in Palm Desert, CA in late 1987 in prime time including holidays, . The sales agent and manager told us, our Newport Coast 2 bed room unit converting to Marriott club point is only worth 2700 point which is not even good for a one bed room unit in Maui Island view and the Palm Desert unit is only worth 2900 point for a one bed room island view. He told us to buy more point so that we can get a two bed unit for 4750 to 5500 points. If you want an ocean front unit, it is 6500-7500 point. You can do your math, our prime location in Newport has the ocean view, and the Palm Desert prime time unit has down grade to a non-prime time one bed room unit in mountain garden view and the maintenance fee is more than double for what we paid as week owner in both 2 bed room units. We have no need to split our week into 3 or 4 days. We need at lease a week for vacation since air fare is high. He is using the strategic that the week owners will convert into point and less week owners to exchange. This is not true, we exchanged our Newport Coast 2 bed room unit to a Oahu Marriott 2 bed room unit several times, our last exchange was in Jan 2011 that would need 5000 club points. Also, I must point out that our week units are deed at that location and the club point is shared with all the owners in the Trust. Newport Coast property value is very high, we are not interested to convert into Marriott Club Vacation Destinations. Frankly, it is not fair that the week owners have made Marriott very rich and Marriott is running out units to sell and has created such method to sell more units in the point system. The Club Destinations conversion fee has increased to $2495 instead $595. I hope the week owners will study the exchange in detail before rush into the high pressure in sell presentation.