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Original Message:
Re: Trading Marriott Branson (by Susan H.):
I just want to make one comment about buying "where you want to stay." We bought 4 Marriott weeks over the years, the first 3 all in Orlando between 1988 and 1992 or so. Back then, the sales team repeatedly said it didn't matter where you bought as Marriotts were all sought-after exchanges and Orlando was one of the most popular destinations. Why pay more at other prime locations if you could have the same trading value and still go anywhere you wanted on internal exchanges, or so they said? We bought back then primarily for points because we loved traveling all over the world using air/hotel/car rental packages. Going to Orlando every year certainly was never our reason for buying. Along comes Destinations Points, lower valuation on the Orlando weeks, threats of not being able to get into new Marriott properties unless you buy into the program, etc., etc. Because we bought early and believed all the sales hype, we are disillusioned now because we hear things like you shouldn't have purchased where you did if you didn't intend to go there regularly . . ." We're at the stage in our lives that travel closer to home at Marriott villas in the U.S. -- and sharing a 2-bedroom with friends -- is more appealing. We still have had some nice II exchanges because we are so flexible on when we travel; but it is hard to hear in points presentations that we either join Destinations and buy trust points or plan on spending a lot of time in Orlando! Enough said. You get the idea.