I am considering purchasing a Sheraton Vistana. If I do, I will not be able to exchange to a Sheraton in Hawaii via the Vistana membership?
First - there are no Sheraton Timeshares in Hawaii; there are Sheraton HOTELS, but the timeshare resorts are Westins.
But the Sheraton and Westin TIMESHARES are BOTH under the Vistana umbrella, and Staroptions from Sheraton and Westin are interchangeable.
Secondly - I am assuming that you are talking about buying RESALE and not from the developer - which is a terrible deal.
I would need to buy a Sheraton Key West (my next choice) to be able to exchange to Hawaii?
Sheraton Key West is
one phase at Sheraton Vistana Villages - not a separate resort.
You need to buy a timeshare at a "mandatory resort," which has enough Staroptions for the trade you want. You won't be able to use Staroptions for Christmas or New Years weeks, and the peak high season dates may not be available at 8 mos.
Hawaii:
Studio: 67,100 Staroptions
1-Bedroom: 81,000 Staroptions
2-Bedroom: 148,100 Staroptions
Would I need to purchase additional Starwood option points or membership so that I can stay at a Sheraton Hawaii?
Just to clarify, there are
future plans for a Sheraton timeshare on Kauai, but at this point in time, the 4 current Vistana resorts in Hawaii, are all Westins.
These resorts have Staroptions when purchased resale:
a. If a resort is Staroption "Mandatory," it means that when the week is sold to a new owner (resale) the Staroption value of the week transfers to the new owner, and the new owner has the right to exchange his timeshare in the Starwood Vacation Network. These resorts are Staroption Mandatory:
* Harborside at Atlantis
* Vistana Villages (Bella and Key West phases only)
* Westin St. John (Virgin Grand - Hillside only)
* Westin Ka'anapali & Westin Ka'anapali-North
* Westin Kierland Villas