Marriott's Vac Club Reservation System - prejudiced against owners

I just finished a second frustrating experience trying to reserve my Platinum week for 2013 at Marriott Mountainside in Park City UT. This same situation faced me last year reserving for 2012. First, it took the computer I was using about 3 minutes to get into Marriott's system at 7 am mountain time on 2/1. OK, a lot of people logging in at the same time - Marriott should improve their system to handle this load don't you think? Then, by the time I was in, about 4 minutes after the system was "open", only a Sunday arrival was available. That is, all the Friday and Saturday inventory was sold in less than 5 minutes!! There are more than 180 suites in this building - so 120 were gone in less than 5 minutes? Not really as I found out. I called later that day and finnaly got through to a human. As the conversation went along I was told that Marriott holds back some suites to sell as "hotel" rooms to outside guests - i.e. non owners. That means that Friday and Saturday suites are available - but not to owners!!! How can they do that? I asked to speak to a supervisor but after 15 minutes of hold time I just hung up. I will call again during the coming week - but do not expect any resolution. Yesterday I responded to the survey seeking feedback on my "experience" making the reservation. I vented in that survey and asked to get a call back. Again, I do not expect a satisfactory resolution. I never have believed the new point system was anything but a money making angle for Marriott and now I discover they sell suites to the general public at the expense of the people who bought units. What do you make of this? Is it written anywhere in the sale contracts that they have the right to sell units like this? My contract for Mountainside Park City was signed in Feb 2000 before the building was completely finished and I don't recall seeing this anywhere.

Still a problem. I called today the first minute the vacation advisors phone line opened and was told there was not availability for Feb 7, 2026. Today we the first 13-month release date for the Marriott Aruba Surf Club where we have owned two weeks for 10+ years. Weeks owners are now "legacy" owners, and yes, "inventory is held for Destination/Abound and Bonvoy bookings. This is pure BS. We used the think the world of Marriott, but the evolution of weeks ownership has significantly degraded value, and our opinion of the Marriott brand in general.

From Jeff R's comments on this forum of a year ago:

... "Weeks owners are now "legacy" owners, and yes, "inventory is held for Destination/Abound and Bonvoy bookings".

Has anyone received an official word on this from Marriott HQ?

Hello, You're right that a delay in the system during peak booking times is frustrating. Marriott should ideally invest in technology to handle high traffic more effectively, especially for popular properties. The practice of holding back suites for general public bookings, while frustrating for owners, is not uncommon in the hospitality industry. However, it's understandable that you'd feel overlooked as an owner when inventory is made available to non-owners. Regarding the sale of units to the general public, this should ideally be outlined in the purchase agreement or the terms of ownership. If you don’t recall seeing this information, it may be worth reviewing your contract or reaching out to a legal expert who specializes in timeshare agreements.