Marriott TimeShare Worth It?

[ljmiii]

Ok I see. I will be purchasing a Platinum week. Is it 12 or 13 months in advance to call? I will be trying to reserve New Years next year and I'll make sure to call in advance. Thanks!

Ah...ok...more explanation is in order. If you own two or more MVCI weeks and are booking them consecutively or concurrently you can book 13 months out. Otherwise, 12 months out. So if someone owns two platinum weeks they can book weeks 51 and 52 four weeks before you can (consecutive). Or if they have two platinum weeks and want to book them both Christmas week - week 51 - they can do so 13 months out (concurrent). Or as in the example I gave previously, if they own a gold and a platinum they can book weeks 50 and 51.

I could be wrong, but if Ft. Lauderdale is a popular New Years eve destination then it will be very difficult to book at 12 months.

All that said, before you buy ANY MVCI resale week I would strongly suggest reading the FAQ - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/faq-marriott-vacation-club-weeks-system.391/

 

[Vacation fun]

First decision is where you want to go, and buy one. You can always add if you find you need more. Half of the inventory is put out 13 months head and the second half is put out 12 months ahead. ( I am not that sure Christmas and New Years are a top holiday at Beach Place...so think you would be able to get it.)

 

[Leeyoo]

I see and thank you both for the good info. It appears it will be hard to get some specific holidays to reserve even 12 months out. It is sounding like perhaps getting a fixed holiday is a better option (if there is one out there available). What if you have a fixed week like (Easter, 4th of July, Christmas, and New Years) at other TS resorts not Marriott, would trading power be better than have a floating Marriott week?

 

[vlapinta]

I will share from my personal experience. I purchased my Marriott Timeshare from the developer, pre construction at Ocean Watch in Myrtle Beach. We paid @ 15,000. I purchased a gold week in the garden section. It was not the best location (ocean front) nor the best season (platinum) I purchased that unit because it was a way to get into timesharing without making a huge purchase. I looked at it the same way as if purchasing a car. What I mean by that is it was not an investment, I figured the value might go down. I purchased there because If I could not rent or trade I could use it, and drive there, so I was able to get there without the purchase of an airline ticket for 5 of us. My kids were younger at the time. We did have quite a few great beach vacations, but better than that we got an incentive of points when we first purchased from Marriott, so my husband and I were able to go to Hawaii and stay for 2 weeks at two different Marriott properties for the cost of just an exchange. We have been able to get some great exchanges into Aruba, Arizona, Hilton Head, and now looking into Cabo. We have rented several times over the years,for over our the price of our maintenance fee. I am very happy with my purchase, but I did have realistic expectations. So far it has been a good trader for us. The one down side is the maintenance fees have gone up considerably, but so have the prices on staying at luxury resorts. The key to our success with trades is to try and put requests in early and travel on shoulder seasons. If you can be flexible in your travel plans then you will be successful with trading. I have learned so much from this site. Read and ask lots of questions. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Leeyoo]

I will share from my personal experience. I purchased my Marriott Timeshare from the developer, pre construction at Ocean Watch in Myrtle Beach. We paid @ 15,000. I purchased a gold week in the garden section. It was not the best location (ocean front) nor the best season (platinum) I purchased that unit because it was a way to get into timesharing without making a huge purchase. I looked at it the same way as if purchasing a car. What I mean by that is it was not an investment, I figured the value might go down. I purchased there because If I could not rent or trade I could use it, and drive there, so I was able to get there without the purchase of an airline ticket for 5 of us. My kids were younger at the time. We did have quite a few great beach vacations, but better than that we got an incentive of points when we first purchased from Marriott, so my husband and I were able to go to Hawaii and stay for 2 weeks at two different Marriott properties for the cost of just an exchange. We have been able to get some great exchanges into Aruba, Arizona, Hilton Head, and now looking into Cabo. We have rented several times over the years,for over our the price of our maintenance fee. I am very happy with my purchase, but I did have realistic expectations. So far it has been a good trader for us. The one down side is the maintenance fees have gone up considerably, but so have the prices on staying at luxury resorts. The key to our success with trades is to try and put requests in early and travel on shoulder seasons. If you can be flexible in your travel plans then you will be successful with trading. I have learned so much from this site. Read and ask lots of questions. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you for the great input.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Yes you're correct literally across the street. I've been around that area but not that particular Marriott. My thought is even if I can't go in a particular year/exchange it, I can see if I can rent it to break even with the MF or come up ahead. I do like Ft. Lauderdale area and also I maybe able resale it much quicker in the market in the future.

Don't buy a TS with the intention of re selling it.
You likely won't make your money back.
Best to just rent the weeks you want if you are not sure long term.

If you buy a 2BR lock off you can divide it into a 1 BR and a studio.
You could occupy one of them and rent the other or deposit into interval and exchange for another time/ location. Or with both portions.

 

[ljmiii]

I see and thank you both for the good info. It appears it will be hard to get some specific holidays to reserve even 12 months out. It is sounding like perhaps getting a fixed holiday is a better option (if there is one out there available). What if you have a fixed week like (Easter, 4th of July, Christmas, and New Years) at other TS resorts not Marriott, would trading power be better than have a floating Marriott week?

The last question is the easiest to answer. No one knows...we wish II were that transparent. All we get to see is the TDI which is a week by week table of the relative value of each week across all resorts in the same region. Theoretically we can use it to choose which week to reserve if we want to trade. But there is substantial doubt that even that is 'true' - a week at Maui Ocean Club in Jan/Feb/Mar (whale season) is much harder to snag than a summer week even though the TDI in summer is much higher. Most of what we 'know' about the trading power of different resorts is anecdotal.

Another argument for a fixed week in your situation is the way week reservations work - you can't 'bank' or 'borrow' weeks. If you hang on to your week for the entire previous year and try to book week 52 at 12 months...and fail...you're left having to pick one of the 'leftover' weeks that no one wanted to reserve. Which will not have the trading power you are looking for. If you wanted President's week it would be different - you could just reserve a summer week that would be a good trader.

 

[Leeyoo]

Don't buy a TS with the intention of re selling it.
You likely won't make your money back.
Best to just rent the weeks you want if you are not sure long term.

If you buy a 2BR lock off you can divide it into a 1 BR and a studio.
You could occupy one of them and rent the other or deposit into interval and exchange for another time/ location. Or with both portions.

Thank you and you're absolutely correct. My intentions are not to resell my TS. However, things come up in life (health, age, etc.) Also, some years I may not be able to go (last minute cancellation, kids wedding/graduation to attend, etc.). It's reality, it happens! I'm just looking to see ways to minimize unforeseen circumstances.

As for the lock off, great info. Thank you!

 

[Leeyoo]

The last question is the easiest to answer. No one knows...we wish II were that transparent. All we get to see is the TDI which is a week by week table of the relative value of each week across all resorts in the same region. Theoretically we can use it to choose which week to reserve if we want to trade. But there is substantial doubt that even that is 'true' - a week at Maui Ocean Club in Jan/Feb/Mar (whale season) is much harder to snag than a summer week even though the TDI in summer is much higher. Most of what we 'know' about the trading power of different resorts is anecdotal.

Another argument for a fixed week in your situation is the way week reservations work - you can't 'bank' or 'borrow' weeks. If you hang on to your week for the entire previous year and try to book week 52 at 12 months...and fail...you're left having to pick one of the 'leftover' weeks that no one wanted to reserve. Which will not have the trading power you are looking for. If you wanted President's week it would be different - you could just reserve a summer week that would be a good trader.

Great read. Thank you!

 

[Quadmaniac]

Don't buy a TS with the intention of re selling it.
You likely won't make your money back.
Best to just rent the weeks you want if you are not sure long term.

If you buy a 2BR lock off you can divide it into a 1 BR and a studio.
You could occupy one of them and rent the other or deposit into interval and exchange for another time/ location. Or with both portions.

Thank you and you're absolutely correct. My intentions are not to resell my TS. However, things come up in life (health, age, etc.) Also, some years I may not be able to go (last minute cancellation, kids wedding/graduation to attend, etc.). It's reality, it happens! I'm just looking to see ways to minimize unforeseen circumstances.

As for the lock off, great info. Thank you!

With the prices of resale weeks being so low, I don't think the purchase price plays as big of a factor for many of the weeks. For high value weeks, it becomes more a consideration, but in most cases people are buying them for personal use and getting better value owning, than renting in high demand areas in peak periods. For me, even if I gave away my resale trader weeks, I still would have had overwhelming value out of them from trades I received by using them, but your thought about reselling / exiting is a valid one as everyone should consider how they would get out of it eventually. It should be a consideration that any resort has sufficient demand that you will be able to sell it when it does not meet your needs anymore.

As such, I like to target platinum lock off weeks with low MF. Platinum is the highest demand/popular weeks at that resort (why not have what would be the most popular there - more likely someone will want it vs lower demand week), lock off gives me the ability to split them for trades and low MF allows me to get the trades at the lowest cost compared to locations with higher MF. From a trading standpoint, most Marriotts trades well. If you are trying to get really really high demand weeks in high demand locations, you may require more trading power but from my experience, its not really needed for most trades.

For your particular travel goals, I think most platinum lock off traders would do the job. Whether you get a unit at that particular resort you want to stay at, is debatable. I think if it is a high demand resort and the weeks are difficult to get with trading, then buying at that resort might be better.

Best of luck in your search.

 

[JIMinNC]

From a trading standpoint, most Marriotts trades well. If you are trying to get really really high demand weeks in high demand locations, you may require more trading power but from my experience, its not really needed for most trades.

For your particular travel goals, I think most platinum lock off traders would do the job. Whether you get a unit at that particular resort you want to stay at, is debatable. I think if it is a high demand resort and the weeks are difficult to get with trading, then buying at that resort might be better.

Best of luck in your search.

The choice of whether to buy a "trader" to trade into the location you want (presumably because you can find a trader with a lower MF or purchase cost than the target destination) versus actually buying at that target location for a higher cost or MF is not just about whether the trader will be able get you into the target destination or not. If you own at the place you want to go, you can call or go online to book exactly what you want (subject to availability, of course). But if you try to trade into the location instead, more than likely you'll have to put in a search request and then start the waiting process. Even if the trade eventually comes through, you may be faced with several months of uncertainty, even for shoulder season trade requests. You may eventually get what you want, but have to wait for it rather than being able to lock it in with your ownership. So while a cheaper "trader" week may ultimately be able to get you into the same resort as if you owned there, the process of getting to that point is not the same. Trading in often is a much more stressful process due to the uncertainty - at least it is for me - and based on the threads I see all the time here on TUG of people expressing concern that their "trade has not come through", I think every person should seriously consider owning where they want to travel if they want to go to a particular place very frequently - even if it is not a super high demand resort/season. Now for folks who want to go to a variety of places, owning where you want to travel may be irrelevant. For them, a dedicated "trader" might work best if low cost is their primary goal. Or, if they want greater certainty and flexibility and still want to travel to a lot of places, then Destination Club points may be the right choice if the flexibility and the straightforward reservation process of points is, for that person, worth the higher cost.

 

[Quadmaniac]

The choice of whether to buy a "trader" to trade into the location you want (presumably because you can find a trader with a lower MF or purchase cost than the target destination) versus actually buying at that target location for a higher cost or MF is not just about whether the trader will be able get you into the target destination or not. If you own at the place you want to go, you can call or go online to book exactly what you want (subject to availability, of course). But if you try to trade into the location instead, more than likely you'll have to put in a search request and then start the waiting process. Even if the trade eventually comes through, you may be faced with several months of uncertainty, even for shoulder season trade requests. You may eventually get what you want, but have to wait for it rather than being able to lock it in with your ownership. So while a cheaper "trader" week may ultimately be able to get you into the same resort as if you owned there, the process of getting to that point is not the same. Trading in often is a much more stressful process due to the uncertainty - at least it is for me - and based on the threads I see all the time here on TUG of people expressing concern that their "trade has not come through", I think every person should seriously consider owning where they want to travel if they want to go to a particular place very frequently - even if it is not a super high demand resort/season. Now for folks who want to go to a variety of places, owning where you want to travel may be irrelevant. For them, a dedicated "trader" might work best if low cost is their primary goal. Or, if they want greater certainty and flexibility and still want to travel to a lot of places, then Destination Club points may be the right choice if the flexibility and the straightforward reservation process of points is, for that person, worth the higher cost.

You make good points. We do need to point out that booking where you own is also subject to availability as you mention and during popular times, you have to book at the 12 month mark to just get it or 13 month with multiple weeks. While most times it does work no problem, there are times where people are shut out as well - there are a number of threads that people have complained about it.

Trading is more work and takes patience. Trading has become more difficult lately but great trades are available. I can confirm I have been able to trade into Maui and Ko Olina during springbreak and Christmas / NY multiple years but it did take alot of constant checking and takes patience. If you don't think you have that patience or prepared to do that, then buying where you want to go is probably an easier option.

Points are the more expensive option and it has its benefits too, but I would still put it behind owning the weeks. My reasoning is that you could have 10,000 or 40,000 points, if a resort is not available, any amount of points will not help. The difference being with weeks is that you are entitled to one of the 52 weeks depending what the terms of your purchase was (whether it was fixed, floating and when it floats). Where as with points, you're all in the same pool and if everyone wanted to go to say Maui the same week, the majority will not get what they want as there is an additional bottle neck of how many of those 52 weeks are in the trust for you to book. Some resorts have limited availability in the trust as they might be high demand where weeks owners have not deposited them into the trust for points. There are also threads where people have not been able to find what they want with their points.

There are pluses a minuses in every system, but my thoughts are to try the cheapest option and keep moving up if you aren't getting what you need / want. Like they say, you don't need a rocket ship to get around the corner. There are always options to spend more money later if need be. The great thing about cheap traders is that they don't cost you much. My average is now way below $1000 and the prices have dropped even more since then. I have seen numerous cheap traders on ebay for $1 with current year's usage!!! I see it as low risk and high returns. If the trading does not work out well, buying a week at the destination resort would be my next step. If I couldn't get the week I wanted on a regular basis, I would check to see if others can book this week with their points - if they can't book it either, than there would be no point in purchasing points if you are shut out there as well.

 

[Hi I'm new here]

Timeshare usage, trading and working to maximize value takes a lot of time and effort. And you must have a lot of flexibility in your schedule. If you purchase a floating week there is no guarantee you will get what you want. Kind of a big headache IMO verses paying as you go and booking vacations if and when you feel like it. Not all vacations revolve around timeshares.

Take a day and read through several pages on this board to understand the challenges. Also read the big Marriott timeshare forum on trip advisor which is very enlightening.

 

[JIMinNC]

You make good points. We do need to point out that booking where you own is also subject to availability as you mention and during popular times, you have to book at the 12 month mark to just get it or 13 month with multiple weeks. While most times it does work no problem, there are times where people are shut out as well - there are a number of threads that people have complained about it.

Trading is more work and takes patience. Trading has become more difficult lately but great trades are available. I can confirm I have been able to trade into Maui and Ko Olina during springbreak and Christmas / NY multiple years but it did take alot of constant checking and takes patience. If you don't think you have that patience or prepared to do that, then buying where you want to go is probably an easier option.

Points are the more expensive option and it has its benefits too, but I would still put it behind owning the weeks. My reasoning is that you could have 10,000 or 40,000 points, if a resort is not available, any amount of points will not help. The difference being with weeks is that you are entitled to one of the 52 weeks depending what the terms of your purchase was (whether it was fixed, floating and when it floats). Where as with points, you're all in the same pool and if everyone wanted to go to say Maui the same week, the majority will not get what they want as there is an additional bottle neck of how many of those 52 weeks are in the trust for you to book. Some resorts have limited availability in the trust as they might be high demand where weeks owners have not deposited them into the trust for points. There are also threads where people have not been able to find what they want with their points.

There are pluses a minuses in every system, but my thoughts are to try the cheapest option and keep moving up if you aren't getting what you need / want. Like they say, you don't need a rocket ship to get around the corner. There are always options to spend more money later if need be. The great thing about cheap traders is that they don't cost you much. My average is now way below $1000 and the prices have dropped even more since then. I have seen numerous cheap traders on ebay for $1 with current year's usage!!! I see it as low risk and high returns. If the trading does not work out well, buying a week at the destination resort would be my next step. If I couldn't get the week I wanted on a regular basis, I would check to see if others can book this week with their points - if they can't book it either, than there would be no point in purchasing points if you are shut out there as well.

All good points. I would agree that points are not a good solution for someone who wants to go to a particular location many/most years. In that case, I think owning a week where you want to go is by far the best. We're considering adding an EOY Maui week for this very reason. Points shine in providing access to a wide variety of locations, with the convenience of direct booking, without the waiting and uncertainty involved in trading - albeit at a higher cost. Both points and trading are, of course, capacity/availability/demand constrained, so the prime distinction is a tradeoff between the higher cost of the points-based immediate/direct booking model, versus the lower cost deposit/trade/wait model. As you say, depending on your individual patience tolerance for trades, and your willingness/ability to pay the price for points, one model may be a better fit for any particular person than the other model.

 

[JIMinNC]

Timeshare usage, trading and working to maximize value takes a lot of time and effort. And you must have a lot of flexibility in your schedule. If you purchase a floating week there is no guarantee you will get what you want. Kind of a big headache IMO verses paying as you go and booking vacations if and when you feel like it. Not all vacations revolve around timeshares.

It's true that not all vacations revolve around timeshares, and I don't think even the most ardent timeshare advocate says timeshares can meet every vacation need. They can be a part of your vacation "tool box", and when properly used in the places where timeshares exist, can save you a lot of money. At other times, hotels will meet your needs better. We just returned home today from a three day weekend in Charleston, SC at the Belmond Charleston Place hotel. It is a wonderful hotel with outstanding amenities, great rooms, a great location, and it's pet friendly. But it's not cheap, and those three nights in a hotel room cost us more than our total annual maintenance fee for a full week in a 2BR condo at Marriott's Barony Beach Club in Hilton Head. Some of the beachfront hotels in HHI can cost about the same as Charleston Place, and I wouldn't want to pay Charleston Place-type rates for a full week in HHI. Both Charleston Place and Barony are outstanding properties with their own purpose, and one is not a substitute for the other, but there can be a place in someone's travel/vacation plans for both.

And also, there's no guarantee you're going to get what you want with pay as you go bookings either. While at Charleston Place we had the idea that it would be a great place to spend New Years Eve, so we went online to check. Six months out, only one category of room is still available for New Years, with a two night minimum at over $700/night after taxes and fees.

When I take a hotel trip like the one we just took, and realize what many people actually pay nowadays for hotel rooms, it becomes a bit easier to understand how Marriott can be as effective as they are selling points at the prices they sell them at!

 

[Kevin Fun]

I'll try to address your questions specifically as best as I can:

1.) Are they worth it? Value is in the eye of the beholder. If it meets your needs, it is worth it for you. You have to analyze your specific case. There are ways to vacation that cost more and ways that cost less, but each comes with its own advantages, risks, disadvantages, etc. You can visit Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and stay in Ritz Carlton hotels or you can stay at Motel 6. You can rent a luxury beachfront condo, or a cheap apartment behind a shopping center. Same with timeshares. It's all in what you want. Understand your options before buying. In a simplistic form, take your purchase cost, net out what you think you might be able to sell it for in the future, and then spread this net cost over 10, 15, 20 years - however long you think is a reasonable use window. Add in the annual maintenance fee and then divide that total annual cost by 7 nights to arrive at a nightly cost. Does that seem like a good value for what you are getting?

2.) Generally, Marriott timeshares hold their value a little better than most timeshares because of the Marriott brand. If you buy at a good price resale, whenever you sell, you should find it easier to sell a Marriott than a non-branded timeshare. The trading power has more to do with season and location than just the brand, but I think because of the brand, you'll find that Marriott's probably have better trade power than other non-branded properties in the same location and the same season.

3.) As far as why not to pick another property with a lower MF? Is the quality equal to Marriott? Do their brand standards require that they maintain the property in the same way that Marriott brand standards dictate. Does this even matter to you? Some people care more about price and are willing to accept fewer amenities and less luxurious furnishings in order to get that lower price. Other people value the quality and amenities of Marriotts. Still others consider Marriott to be too mass market and prefer higher end properties like Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons.

Analyze your own personal needs.

Spot on! I am rookie, but this I couldn't agree more.