MRMarriott
newbie
But you can only get it in theory because all valuable inventory will be booked 12 months in advance.
From the Marriott survey:
"Reservations can be made 12 months before date of occupancy, with a requirement to make reservations of 7 nights or more
· At 6 months before date of occupancy reservations can be booked for 3 nights or more
· At 1 month before date of occupancy, reservations can be booked in nightly increments".
At 6 months (the earliest you can reserve less than 7 nights)no summer weekends at the beach or long weekends at a ski resort in january will remain because all prime weeks available will have been booked the first day by all points owners who had enough points to reserve them. The theory is great, the reality is that only dog weeks will remain available for points reservations at 6 months and especially 1 month before check in. I don't care if you are a points member or a deeded week owner, there never has and never will be any prime inventory available 6 months before check-in. Anyone who has tried to reserve a 4th of july week at the beach one day after the first day you were allowed to reserve can tell you how much prime inventory is left if you are 24 hours late, much less 6 months.
You're right, but I see three advantages that make this new system sound good, even for prime weeks like the 4th or other holidays.
1. More prime weeks available. A lot of these prime weeks are fixed. Now fixed owners will get so many points it will be like a spending spree. Should they get the one big item they're used to, or should they get a lot of smaller items and more vacations? It will be hard to resist all those other options. Besides that, the price for prime will be significantly higher. Has anyone out there read the book "The Price of Everything?" Raising the price of prime will make some owners think twice about booking. Those who want it will get it and pay for it, but 50% of the owners thinking twice means 50% more inventory.
2. More options. If you own in Hilton Head and call for the summer, maybe your resort gets booked up. With internal exchange, though, you can look at all of the resorts 12 months (or 13 months) in advance. So, Surf Watch may be gone, but then you can try for Barony Beach without having to go on an II waitlist.
3. More flexible. Back to the Hilton Head example. Most clubs are 2-bedrooms that don't lock off. With points as mentioned in the thread, you now have the option to find other beaches and book one room, or a studio, a garden view to save points, or an ocean view. Before you were in this tiny 2-bedroom ocean view box. Now you have all the inventory fit to release at 12 months, including that of the big spenders who are electing to take 3 weeks in a low season for the same cost as the 1 week prime you want.
I do hope they change the booking rules, though. I agree with that. 1 month out for 1-2 nights doesn't make sense at all. They should make it all 12 months out, regardless of # of nights booked...