Marriott Going to Point Syst

I suppose the devil is in the details. Would you please post with that information if you get it? Good luck.

ermanc wrote:

Greetings all, Just a bit of information on the deadline to enroll legacy Marriott weeks in the new DC point system. Marriott has extended the deadline thru 30 Nov 2011. Link below is to Marriott site with announcement. Erman

http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/landing/email/insider/2011/june/generic/special-offers.html

Hi All, I went to this link and was reading it over when a thought struck me. The ad says they have 145,000 weeks enrolled. That sounds like a lot at first until you think about the number of weeks in the system. Here is what I came up with but I am just using rough numbers from observations at locations that we have visited. I am open to being corrected if anyone knows the real numbers.

So, one of the smallest places I can remember has been Sabal Palms in Orlando. There was around 160 units there. Grand Vista is huge and has at least 46 buildings with 5 floors and (I am guessing 4 units on a floor) that is a whopping 920 units there. I am going to guess that the average for Marriott locations is somewhere around 500 units.

Take that 500 and multiply it by 53 (the number of resorts) that is 26,500 units. Now if that is multiplied by 52 weeks in a year, that is 1,378,000 weeks. I know this is all rough but I think probably not too far off and maybe even on the conservative side.

Anyway 145,000 is only around 11%. That is not a very high percentage of owners in the Destinations program.

Of all the discussions I have been reading (here on Redweek and on other user forums) there are only a couple of people that have actually thought this program was a good one for owners. I know that most of the time people will talk more about what is upsetting them than what makes them happy but this still seems very unfavorable.

Keeping in mind I do remember reading about working with our home resort board of directors; my question to everyone here is, does anyone know if there is anything else we can do as individuals or a group to make changes to this program?

Thanks for any thoughts.

carvana wrote:

Melissav66, you make a good point (no pun intended) about the value of Marriott Destination points. I see that these points are now being offered for .53 per point on the resale market. I am scheduled to attend a Marriott sales presentation while at Hilton Head next September where 1,000 points will be offered to me for $10,000 (long story as to why I agreed to this 90 minute presentation but my wife does like free gifts).

So, Marriott is offering destination points for $10 a point that are offered on the resale market for .53 per point. I don't know yet what Marriott incentives one gives up by buying resale but the difference in price is shocking. I hope I am missing something here and if so I hope someone enlightens me.

Where did you see the destination points listed for that price? Are they for sale or is someone transferring them to an account on a one time basis?

Marriott will let someone transfer to another person without restriction at this time. So, I am wondering if that is what someone is doing and not actually selling ownership of the points out right.

I read read in the paper somr time ago that Marriot is going out of the timeshare business altogether. I don't know how true that is, but at least it was in the paper.

Reply to lichael:

You ask good questions and I don't know the answers but I will tell you what I saw and you can draw your own conclusions

Go to Redweek Timeshares for sale and click Colorado. Go to Vail Timeshares for sale. You will note a listing for Marriott Destination Club points for sale. Click there and it will take you to the listing.

Point allotment: 3,375 points Banked: o Annv: Jan Type: Deed Price : $1,800 (.53/ea)

Looks to me like an offer to sale destination points. I have not contacted the seller and I know nothing more than what is in the ad.

Hey....did the point conversion tour this morning. I got $100 to use as I please on Hilton Head Island. If nothing else.....just say "NO" like I did and take the points or cash. That really burns them up....lol.

Anyway, the high desirable areas like Hilton Head and Hawaii in the platinum season will be of more value after this points program. Not many of us yearly users are converting to points. Therefore, we should see a higher value for us Legacy owners. I am dissapointed as it is in the resale value. I found a distress sale for a unit like mine here in HIlton Head "platinum" for $14000. Geez...i paid a little over $20,000 about 10 years ago. If it wasn't for the $1000 a year MF's, I would average in....lol.

Hold strong....dont convert to points. I did not clarify the points conversion as a lifetime choice. I should have...but ...I thought I saw someone write that this was a yearly choice. That would not make sense...then you would have to take the presentation every year and they would spend $100'sto try to convert you evey year. It has to be a lifetime conversion....once...you go to points...you are done. So hold on...take the money or points every year with the tour! I usually stand in the Marriotts bathroom mirror before the tour/presentation....and practice saying "NO" in at least 3 different languages....lol.

Joules

Joules message about points is misleading and wrong. Would require too much space to try and point out all the stuff that was wrong. Just don't pay any attention to what this person said.

j227 wrote:

Joules message about points is misleading and wrong. Would require too much space to try and point out all the stuff that was wrong. Just don't pay any attention to what this person said.

I was referring to taking the points or the cash for going on the tour/presentation which was bumped up to 15000 points or $100 in cash certs. I hope that clears up any confusion. Just say "NO" to the Destination program and take the freebies. Is that any better?

Joules

rickk116 said ,"We will be getting ready to sell our weeks if we found out that Marriott is playing tricks on owners. It's doesn't worth it to own it anymore. "

Good Luck rickk116......wish I could sell.....but they are worth about 50 cents on the dollar now. I have even owned mine for 10 years in a great area and still cant get out even. Every January when the $1000 maintenance fee comes out....I get grumpy. Why don't they send me the maintainence fee bill in May or June ...lol. I have 2 weeks...so....its $2000 in Jan. arghhhh.... I could stomach it a lot better if I knew I was paying just before using my vacation time.

Joules

josephc300 Not only that, we purchased 2 weeks so that we had an advantage to reserving a strong week at our home resort 13 mo in advance and now we are competing w/ points owners for that privilege. The week that we have always reserved in the past is valued at 2900 pts and Marriott has valued our weeks at 2475pts.

Josephc300:

I went through the presentation yesterday and I was told that the inventory for the Destination points and the Deeded legacy week owners are separate. Therefore, I was led to believe that we dont have to compete with the point owners. However, if many of the deeded owners convert to points, then our selection of deeded vacation weeks could dwindle. Hopefully, most will stay with the original deeded legacy program.

Joules

j227 wrote:

This is a game changer if Marriott no longer is in the timeshare business. The value of the properties will take a nose dive.

Try to sell your timeshare on the resale market and its already in the dive. In fact, it was in the dive 10 years ago when I drove it off the lot....oh....that was my car....lol....but it seems as though the timeshare has the same problems. It loses half its value as soon as you sign the deed. Marriott was good at selling ....they got me twice. ouch! I bought a platinum and then a bronze for trading through II. I guess time will tell if this was a good strategy.

Joules

jtdillian wrote:

What if the new points owner could get 3 weeks from off season reservations in a one bedroom or 2 bedroom. Let's say they purchased 4500 points at .40 per point for main fee which would be $1800 a year. If they got 4 weeks out of the 4500 points that would be about $450 per week for main fee. I don't think that is to shabby do you? For example: 2 bedroom villa for 7 nights at Manor Club for 1400 points, 3 bedroom villa at Surf Watch for 7 nights for 1000 points, 1 bedroom at Mountain Valley for 7 nights for 625 points, 1 bedroom at Canyon Villas for 7 nights for 1450 points. Total points for that years usage 4475. Keep in mind most of these weeks are being reserved in the off season. But you get my point (No pun intended)

jtdillian:

Sure..... I love to come to Hilton Head in January.....lol..... maybe the Canadians would. I tried Myrtle beach, SC one year in January and it was like 30 degrees. I flipped my bronze January Hilton Head Island unit for Myrtle beach. Had no choice it was expiring the 3rd week in Jan in Interval. Use or lose it.... "Oh.....this is unusually cold", the Marriott employee said, as I ran from the outdoor hot tub to the lobby forming ice sickels....lol.

I bought the off season week to trade with and I guess we will see what happens to the II inventory as time goes on.

Joules

Erman said "One question to all, has anyone had experience with MVCI's current rental process where you offer your unit for Marriott to rent and they provide an offer that you can accept or decline? Do they offer a fair rental for units or is the Redweek rental process better? Thoughts? Thanks in advance to those who respond. "

Erman:

Every time I have tried to rent my unit through Marriott they tell me that I am too late and they are not accepting any more rental units. I have even tried like 8 months in advance. I personally do not believe they even want to try. They have been more concerned with selling than renting. Especially since we are already on the hook as an owner.

Even at the presentation I went to yesterday he said that I had so much value in HHI for my summer week that they are getting $500 a night. lol...I said...if you can get me $400 ...you can pocket the other $100 and I would be happy. He said, no they cant do that. hmmmmm sound like crap to me. I would not pay $500 a night.

Joules

add note: After I posted this I had a brainstorm breakthrough...lol. Maybe they will take my rental this time and put it into the Destinations point pool to make available for its new point customers. This could work out better for me with this new program. I might try again to rent this next year. Ofcourse, I wonder what they are willing to pay?

Paul1616 said,

"From Marriott's site:

As an Owner who purchased prior to the launch of Marriott Vacation Club Destinations™, you have the option to enroll in an exchange program providing for your existing use options plus access to the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Exchange Program with an additional use election, Vacation Club Points."

Paul1616:

Well...since Marriott fine print says it reserves the right to change the rules.....what if they decide that point owners can not occupy their home week unless they have the points availble to buy back in? We already know from others that they seem to be short a couple hundred points to get back into their own units. Not to mention that inflation could increase the amount of points needed to go to a particular resort which could force you to have to buy additional points to have the same thing you paid top dollar for years ago.

I dont want to start a panic...but....rules can change if the majority become destination point members. It may not be for 10 years...but...it could change if Marriott is inclined to do so. Just food for thought.....

As a side note: I remember one year I deposited my Summer HHI week into Interval not expecting to go to HH. However, things changed later on in the year and I decided to try to get back in. No such luck...I couldn't even get back in using interval. Not to mention I would have had to pay an additional $139 to get back into the same unit if I could. So it is possible to have to try and buy back into your own home resort and be short of points. Lesson learned...dont deposit until you are sure....lol.

Joules

From a dollars and "sense" perspective, I just don't see buying points as a benefit. In 2004, we purchased two weeks/gold season/lockoff/oceanside/Aruba at $20k per week. Under the DC program, the value of that property to me is 3075 pts, but to trade into it, the valuation is 3500 per week or at $9.82 per point, $34,370. Marriott appears to have figured a 10 percent increase per year to get to that figure. The valuations on Hawaii properties are ridiculous. I paid my fee to become a member of DC because there are some benefits (I think) to that. But, what would possibly be my incentive to buy more points? Things work fine for me as they are.

I agree with you. The Points system has devalued our timeshares. I have a very desirable Marriott timeshare Platinum week during the few ski weeks in Utah on the mountain of Park City. Even Before the points system - there were years I would call at 9:00am the first day I could book 12 months out and I couldn't get the week wanted. Now with the Points system it will be even harder. (Good ski weeks are very limited. Two weeks during my season they have the Sundance Film Festival in town- making it even harder to reserve those weeks with all the movie stars running around town with all their cash.) I think at my resort there also may be a larger group of owners with more than one week so they can reserve 13 months ahead. I only have one week at that resort so I have to call 12 months out to reserve. So the new Points system is going to allow points owners to take more weeks - leaving less weeks for me - the legacy owner to get. And like you I paid Lots of money to Marriott to get this Platinum timeshare week so that I could ski at this resort. I have never traded my ski week away. I own a Platinum Orlando, FL week that I trade all the time. I bought into the points because I can see the handwriting on the wall - eventually that is going to be the only way Marriott timeshare owners will be able to trade. Because Marriott will rig the trading system so it will be next to impossible to trade using Interval. I don't like that all Marriott timeshare owners are getting taken but, Marriott has a monopoly and that is what happens to the little guy.

I have a question. Can someone give me a knowledgeable answer? If I buy Destination pts today & decide that one day I no longer need or want them...How can I sell those pts? Basically can someone eventually buy these pts off someone else on the resale market or will Marriott's give you back something for them or do you simply stop paying your fees & kiss your investment good buy?

I have called Marriott's owners services several times since the sale of Destination pts because I have a question. Even after checking with their supervisor, they answered me that because the program is new, they in fact do not know. Marriott's has sold many pts so far. Is this not a question that new buyers ask??

Anyway, I was given the sales department telephone number... I have had a very bad experience with them at the Oceana Palms. Don't want to call...at all! Does anyone know & is there a mention of some sort of restriction for resale on the Destination Pts purchase contract? thanks

I wanted to let folks know that the new program does actually work for some as most of the blogs are so negative. We own Maui, EOY Shadow Ridge, and DSII Palm Desert - so 2 1/2 weeks. We were hesitant to join based on all the negative feedback I was reading and the pushy horrible sales presentation we listened to. However, after thinking about it more and realizing we had 30 days to cancel, we enrolled. It was an entirely different experience talking to one of the Destinations Advisors on the phone. Helen Baird was extremely knowledgeable, courteous and even explained more benefits to our enrollment vs our pushy sales person who said it was not worth it for us to enroll if we didn't buy more points. We tranferred our Maui into the points program (5,550) and were able to book Spring Break for next year in the desert (the week prior to Easter) with no problems. The property is no longer available through normal reservations (with or w/o MOD rate) nor is it available through Interval but we got it immediately upon request. We have enough points to book Spring Break the following year as well. Upon enrollment, we also received 800 points which covers the $695 we paid. We historically use Interval once a year for trade or getaway so the $199 club dues for us are equal to what we've been paying. Again, it is not a program for everyone and if someone doesn't ever use Interval, it is probably a push. Legacy owners in my mind still have the best deal. But for some, especially with highly desirable properties such as Hawaii, it will actually save us money (assuming we don't use our legacy week). I really appreciate how much I learned from everyone's input on this forum as it helped me ask very specific questions.

As I had predicted it is confirmed that another benefit of ownership has been taken away. "The Gift of Time"... when the calendar year allowed, week 53 was offered to owners as an additional week that could be used for the cost of the maintenance fees. Not any more...

The point system has given the Marriott another outlet to release those dates so owner will no longer have the opportunity to book them.

Clearly, the point system is only going to get better and have more inventory but it's at the cost of us owners who have invested large dollars in the Marriott name only to be a force fed whatever new idea for income that the management has dreamt up.

Disappointing to say the least.

MVC has been separated from Marriott (the company). Marriott focuses on managing hotels not property ownership. They now have two companies and separate Boards of Directors