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I just noticed this in my II messages, didn't know the fee went up?
Exchange Fee Update
Effective February 15, 2017, the new Internal Exchange fee for properly submitted exchange requests has been reduced to $139 for Vistana Signature Experiences owners.
But that's an example of an off-season week at a high-end resort I was mentioning. Yes, I could do that with the school calendar, but I could also do the Four Seasons in Scottsdale in the summer. Great resorts at miserable times to be there.
Did you just compare a 90 degree Key West where you can jump in the water with a 105 degree AZ where you can jump in the sand? Sorry, not the same thing. Some areas don't truly have an off season and South Florida is one of those places. Less desirable than March? Perhaps. But it's not low demand by any means.
I often see two-bedroom Vistana weeks in II--usually Lagunamar, Orlando, and SBP, but still. We snagged a two-bedroom in Orlando over winter break two years ago, and enjoyed it, but found the units smaller and slightly less functional that the Marriott two-bedrooms we usually trade for.
Newbie question....as I'm considering buying at Lagunamar in a Platinum 1BR. I think I understand the whole mandatory vs. voluntary resort thing. But, still think we would prefer to own a week where we would want to stay at. We think the upfront costs of this purchase would be something we could live with, I'm wondering about exchanging into II. How well would a 1 bedroom platinum week exchange for at Lagunamar? And, what could I expect to get if we decided not to go to Cancun one year?
Hoping you guys can help. But, if this is the wrong place for this discussion, direct me where I need to be. Don't want to hijack the thread.
Newbie question....as I'm considering buying at Lagunamar in a Platinum 1BR. I think I understand the whole mandatory vs. voluntary resort thing. But, still think we would prefer to own a week where we would want to stay at. We think the upfront costs of this purchase would be something we could live with, I'm wondering about exchanging into II. How well would a 1 bedroom platinum week exchange for at Lagunamar? And, what could I expect to get if we decided not to go to Cancun one year?
Hoping you guys can help. But, if this is the wrong place for this discussion, direct me where I need to be. Don't want to hijack the thread.
As long as your heart isn't set on exchanging in to other Vistana properties, I think it would trade well. It will still trade in to other Vistana properties with the Vistana preference. It is just that there haven't been nearly as many Vistana deposits the last few years. Years ago, Vistana deposits in II were plentiful, but they have dropped off quite a bit. There are also very few 2BR Vistana deposits any more. If you need 2BR units, you would probably have to look at trading in to non Vistana properties.
I think a platinum week 1 br week would trade about as good as any one bedroom would in II. My problem with II isn't about finding something with a high trading power, its about finding something you want that is deposited into II. If you deposit and set up an ongoing request for a 1 br unit 12-18 months in advance you would be near the top of the list excepting for Marriott deposits that have Marriott priority. Vistana and Marriott have way cut down on their premier advanced bulk deposits. If you want to go somewhere that doesn't get any deposits when you want to go it doesn't matter how strong of a deposit you have.
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge and Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau; Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms(selling); WKORV-OF ,Westin Desert Willow.
But that's an example of an off-season week at a high-end resort I was mentioning. Yes, I could do that with the school calendar, but I could also do the Four Seasons in Scottsdale in the summer. Great resorts at miserable times to be there.
I would take either Key West or Phoenix in summer. Phoenix is similar to Denver. Believe it or not, our temperatures in Denver are high 90's and low 100's quite often. Although Phoenix is warmer than Denver, I can take the dry heat. We went to Sedona last summer, early July, and had cooler weather than their usual averages most of the week. I know Sedona is higher in altitude, so a bit cooler, but that was the Hyatt in summer, and it was an awesome trade. The average temperature was 90 degrees and it rained two days. I would do that trip again, except I feel we saw everything. We drove through the desert and mountains to/from Colorado, and the heat didn't bother us at our various stops.
Did you just compare a 90 degree Key West where you can jump in the water with a 105 degree AZ where you can jump in the sand? Sorry, not the same thing. Some areas don't truly have an off season and South Florida is one of those places. Less desirable than March? Perhaps. But it's not low demand by any means.
But the two are similar in some ways. With AC in the car and the accommodations, AC everywhere you go, and the pool, both are acceptable climates for summer. Rick wants to go to Phoenix this summer.
It was $139 when I became a member, $169 for exchange out of VSE. Exchange fees went up to $179 last year, now up to $189. They seem to have eliminated the online discount because it was $179 online, $189 call in. VSE probably went up to $149 (standard $30 discount staying in VSE). It took some digging to find the fee sheets, they are in the Discussion group section under Document Library.
Off topic, but this brings up an unresolved issue because I've seen answers both ways. Does the amount of time you have a search going in II give you any priority? Say with trading power and size of unit being equal?
With everything else equal priority should go to the person who had the OGS started first. It is rare that everything else would be equal so it would be easy to get bumped by someone with more trading power who started the search later.
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge and Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau; Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms(selling); WKORV-OF ,Westin Desert Willow.
With everything else equal priority should go to the person who had the OGS started first. It is rare that everything else would be equal so it would be easy to get bumped by someone with more trading power who started the search later.
For kicks, I entered an ongoing search for Maui over summer with my Foxrun spring week. I got a 2 bedroom Marriott Maui Ocean Club, not the one with the kitchens, but a great exchange nonetheless. This was last summer. I gave it back because we went to Hono Koa in August.
Hyatt High Sierra and Highland Inn
Disney’s Grand Californian and Hilton Head Island
Marriott Barony Beach and Mountainside
MVC Points
Sheraton Broadway Plantation
We are just back from a trip to Hyatt Highlands Inn in Carmel, CA. Two units- the one I booked using my Hyatt was way more expensive than the one I exchanged into via II using my SBP.
And while we were there, I was searching II for a summer Tahoe week. Managed to trade in to Welk Northstar (formerly Hyatt Northstar). Even paying the upgrade fee for the 2BR unit, it was a pretty reasonable week- around $1100, including eplus.
Whoops edited to add: it looks like the total cost for this week is actually around $900.
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge and Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau; Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms(selling); WKORV-OF ,Westin Desert Willow.
Where do you want to go? Where would you like to stay sometimes for a home resort. That is important. Don't buy somewhere just for trading power. Buy where you can go sometimes and enjoy your home resort.
It's tough to say with RCI. I like owning at Presidential Villas at Plantation Resort, Surfside Beach, CA, but the fees go up every year, and trading power goes down every year.
A number of people frequently write something along these lines. With the implication that the number of deposits is being reduced by Vistana (or Marriot, etc). I would submit that if there are less deposits available in II, then it is because there are less owners depositing their weeks in II. Vistana is obligated to deposit the same number of units that owners are trading into II, so the reduction in deposits is driven by owners, not by the developer.
A number of people frequently write something along these lines. With the implication that the number of deposits is being reduced by Vistana (or Marriot, etc). I would submit that if there are less deposits available in II, then it is because there are less owners depositing their weeks in II. Vistana is obligated to deposit the same number of units that owners are trading into II, so the reduction in deposits is driven by owners, not by the developer.
Not really sure if that is the case or not. We will never really know. Developers years ago had an abundance of unsold inventory. In some cases so much that they really didn't have an outlet for it except to bulk bank it in to II. Big bulks don't really come from owner deposits. They came from unsold inventory. Most of the big companies have slimmed down and the unsold inventory simply isn't there any more. They feed the sales machine as they go and now with an improved economy they rent out what unsold inventory they have.
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