# [2018] MVC Pulse San Francisco open for reservations



## Xpat (Dec 20, 2018)

It looks like this property will only have guestrooms. On the dates I checked in September, point requirements were 400 points on a weekday night and 675 on weekends for a city view king.

It’s interesting that rooms can be booked for cash on Marriott.com for $325/night incl tax whereas 675 points cost $390 in maintenance fees for trust points owners. It doesn’t look like a good use of points to me, especially on weekend nights.

I’m also not on board with this strategy to open guestroom-only properties.  Spacious accommodations with the comforts of home are core to the timeshare value proposition. Makes no sense for owners to tie up more capital in an ownership that gives access to rooms at a higher price than booking direct at full-service Marriott hotels.

Press release:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/marriott-vacation-club-pulse-san-140000594.html


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## Big Matt (Dec 20, 2018)

I don’t think any of the pulse properties are a good deal using points. I’ve stayed at the NYC for $150 per night with my owner discount. The one in DC shows similar rates especially on weekends. 


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## TravelTime (Dec 20, 2018)

This just gives us another way to use DPs. MVC offers many opportunities for using DPs at hotels and other places. Usually the cash rate is less than the cost in MFs. I am glad to have more options, even if I do not use them.


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## davidvel (Dec 20, 2018)

Just more smoke and mirrors to extoll the wonderous "flexibility" and "options" of DC points at sales presentations, while avoiding the true expense.   Factor in the upfront cost of developer sale points, and it's a complete joke. MVC jumped the shark after 2010. Ask SEADOC.


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## tschwa2 (Dec 20, 2018)

I don't like pulse.  If Marriott can make residence inns in these cities with decent studios and 1 BR with small full kitchens they could do the same with the vacation club units. The could also have connecting 1 BR and guest rooms for families.   Wyndham vacation clubs makes the full range of accommodations available from guest room to studio to one bedroom to two bedroom and even 2-3 bedroom presidential units in SF, NY, Chicago, Austin, San Antonio.


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## pedro47 (Dec 20, 2018)

This is great information. Please keeping on sharing more information.


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## JIMinNC (Dec 20, 2018)

Xpat said:


> It’s interesting that rooms can be booked for cash on Marriott.com for $325/night incl tax whereas 675 points cost $390 in maintenance fees for trust points owners. It doesn’t look like a good use of points to me, especially on weekend nights.
> 
> I’m also not on board with this strategy to open guestroom-only properties.  Spacious accommodations with the comforts of home are core to the timeshare value proposition. Makes no sense for owners to tie up more capital in an ownership that gives access to rooms at a higher price than booking direct at full-service Marriott hotels.



I think the way you have to look at the Pulse properties is as another alternative for using your points rather than a reason to buy points in and of itself. I know when we bought our first timeshare almost exactly 20 years ago, one of our big complaints was the concept worked well for resort vacations, but if we wanted to travel to an urban area, timeshare was virtually useless. MVC Pulse and the By Hilton Club properties at HGVC are addressing this. I actually like the MVC approach better than HGVC because MVC Pulse uses the same booking windows and structure as the MVC resorts, whereas By Hilton Club is really a Club within a Club and regular HGVC owners have very restrictive booking windows for the BHC properties. I would also think that the urban properties are a response to the growing purchasing power of Millennials (now the largest segment of the US labor force and the most affluent young generation in history). The Millennial generation is drawn to active, urban destinations, so MVC is responding to this demographic trend.

Having said all of this, it is disappointing that the points requirements are not more competitive with the cash rates. That is always something we compare before booking with points, unless we have points to burn (which we rarely, if ever have). As you noted, it does appear the weekend point cost of 675 DPs is rarely, if ever more cost effective than using cash, since like many hotels, weekend rates are cheaper than weekday rates. On the other hand, I searched three weekday nights in September (since we're trying to figure out another California destination to add onto our September 2019 trip to Newport Coast) and the cost comparison was much better. The three nights, using the Senior Rate would be $1156, but it would only take 1200 DPs for the same room - just under $700 using the 2019 DP maintenance fee cost. Even using the 7VC Marriott Vacation Club discount, the three nights would be $1020, so DPs still look better. That's a more attractive proposition and one we might consider.

But as someone who often listens to Marriott Vacations Worldwide's quarterly earnings conference calls, I think these new locations are as much about giving MVC a footprint at which to set up a city sales center than anything else. At least that is what they focus on when talking to the investment analysts on the call - they don't really talk about the new property itself, but they emphasize the fact that they have a brand new sales center opening up in XX city that will increase tour flow and closed sales.


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## Wei339 (Dec 20, 2018)

The Ritz Carlton Residences Destination Club in San Francisco is a much better use of points if you stay midweek.  The location is central in the Union Square area and parking is free.  Each residence has a fabulous kitchen.  There is a 24 Concierge Lounge with free refreshments although no breakfast provided.  Each evening there is a free wine tasting service in the lounge and freshly baked cookies available at the front desk.  Computer service and printing is provided there as well.  There are various sized residences.  In the evening there is an in house car service to drive you to locations in close proximity to the residence.


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## BigMac (Dec 20, 2018)

Wei339 said:


> The Ritz Carlton Residences Destination Club in San Francisco is a much better use of points if you stay midweek.  The location is central in the Union Square area and parking is free.  Each residence has a fabulous kitchen.  There is a 24 Concierge Lounge with free refreshments although no breakfast provided.  Each evening there is a free wine tasting service in the lounge and freshly baked cookies available at the front desk.  Computer service and printing is provided there as well.  There are various sized residences.  In the evening there is an in house car service to drive you to locations in close proximity to the residence.



You are right. All you get with this Pulse is a coffee maker and mini-fridge. Not even a microwave.


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## JIMinNC (Dec 20, 2018)

Wei339 said:


> The Ritz Carlton Residences Destination Club in San Francisco is a much better use of points if you stay midweek.  The location is central in the Union Square area and parking is free.  Each residence has a fabulous kitchen.  There is a 24 Concierge Lounge with free refreshments although no breakfast provided.  Each evening there is a free wine tasting service in the lounge and freshly baked cookies available at the front desk.  Computer service and printing is provided there as well.  There are various sized residences.  In the evening there is an in house car service to drive you to locations in close proximity to the residence.



Good point. I always forget about that one. The points needed to book there are more than MVC Pulse, but not excessively more midweek. The issue there is availability seems more spotty than Pulse, but if it happened to sync-up with desired dates, it does appear to be a better value. Not sure I put much real value on the kitchen for a city stay, though. Doubt we would use it for anything other than maybe breakfast, and for a shorter stay, having to make do with breakfast out might be manageable. The extra space to spread out vs. a hotel room would be nice. It's good to have multiple options - Ritz, Pulse, or cash hotel.


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## vacationtime1 (Dec 20, 2018)

The Ritz Carlton Residences and the Pier 2620 Hotel are in *very* different neighborhoods.  Each is perfectly fine base of operations for tourists -- neither is on a hill and both are good for walking day or night.

The Ritz is at Third/Market/Kearny -- the intersection of San Francisco's Financial District and Union Square (shopping district):  congestion, buses, hoards of pedestrians, and locals going about their business.  The Pulse/2620 is at Columbus/Bay/Jones -- the edge of Fisherman's Wharf:  lots of tourists; locals avoid it.

Also, the Pulse/2620 is literally across the street from the Marriott Fisherman's Wharf.  One may wish to price compare before reserving at either.


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## TravelTime (Dec 21, 2018)

When calculating the cost using DPs, some of us are eligible for the points discount of 30%, although no one mentioned that.


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## ljmiii (Dec 21, 2018)

Big Matt said:


> I don’t think any of the pulse properties are a good deal using points. I’ve stayed at the NYC for $150 per night with my owner discount. The one in DC shows similar rates especially on weekends.


We stay in DC at the Mayflower relatively frequently and the MVCI rate is often better than the cash rate...sometimes significantly so.  Usually on weekdays (we've done 'split stays' of weekday points and weekend cash) but sometimes on the weekend as well - it depends on what what events/conventions are in town and at the hotel.  I can't speak to NYC since I live here.


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## Hi I'm new here (Dec 21, 2018)

I have great difficulty seeing value in the Marriott vacation point program, especially Pulse.  
We are frequent NYC visitors and almost always use Priceline for ridiculously cheap lodging.  Bidding is not all that blind anymore and property names and specific descriptions often appear in the listing.  I’ve seen midweek Pulse rooms listed by name in Express deals for $180, with additional 10% discounts available to frequent Priceline customers.  
Across the street from Pulse, on 37th Street between 5th and 6th, is a brand new Embassy Suite hotel, full cooked to order breakfast, mini fridge, etc.   We’ve gotten this Priceline express deal midweek for $130 per night.  The Priceline district is Empire State area. 
Weekend stays would be even less.  
I’ll bet Marriott salesman never mention Priceline.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 22, 2018)

So let me get this straight. MVC believes it's a good idea for someone to buy points at $14.10 a point (soon to go to $18/point if you believe the sales person we spoke with a couple of weeks ago) PLUS pay 58 cents/point yearly in perpetuity (plus yearly increases that average between 3-5%), just to book a hotel room that anyone can easily rent without the contract or yearly MF obligation? 

Perhaps they're looking at this as a way to sell trust points based on inventory most people aren't going to use? In other words, it's a way to pad trust points inventory without actually investing in building new timeshares. They get to claim trust point inventory is available to use, even though there are not enough true timeshare weeks to validate points inventory. If that's what they're doing, I see booking true timeshare weeks becoming more difficult in the next 5 to 10 years as most owners will want true timeshare units, but a good part of the trust inventory will be available in basic hotel rooms. 

Looking at new buyers, who in their right mind would buy 1,500 points at $14.10/point, or $21,500, PLUS agree to pay yearly MF, just to book a hotel room? Nope, I see the new buyers wanting to stay in timeshare units like all of us who have purchased over the years. That's going to put stress on true timeshare inventory and make booking what you want, when you want, all the more difficult once enough of the trust inventory wrapped up as Pulse Properties has been sold. This strategy will protect MVC legally from class action suits about oversold inventory as they can now claim all those "Pulse Properties" at trust inventory, even though they're just hotel rooms. Good for MVC, bad for owners IMHO.


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## JIMinNC (Dec 22, 2018)

dougp26364 said:


> So let me get this straight. MVC believes it's a good idea for someone to buy points at $14.10 a point (soon to go to $18/point if you believe the sales person we spoke with a couple of weeks ago) PLUS pay 58 cents/point yearly in perpetuity (plus yearly increases that average between 3-5%), just to book a hotel room that anyone can easily rent without the contract or yearly MF obligation?
> 
> Perhaps they're looking at this as a way to sell trust points based on inventory most people aren't going to use? In other words, it's a way to pad trust points inventory without actually investing in building new timeshares. They get to claim trust point inventory is available to use, even though there are not enough true timeshare weeks to validate points inventory. If that's what they're doing, I see booking true timeshare weeks becoming more difficult in the next 5 to 10 years as most owners will want true timeshare units, but a good part of the trust inventory will be available in basic hotel rooms.
> 
> Looking at new buyers, who in their right mind would buy 1,500 points at $14.10/point, or $21,500, PLUS agree to pay yearly MF, just to book a hotel room? Nope, I see the new buyers wanting to stay in timeshare units like all of us who have purchased over the years. That's going to put stress on true timeshare inventory and make booking what you want, when you want, all the more difficult once enough of the trust inventory wrapped up as Pulse Properties has been sold. This strategy will protect MVC legally from class action suits about oversold inventory as they can now claim all those "Pulse Properties" at trust inventory, even though they're just hotel rooms. Good for MVC, bad for owners IMHO.



I agree that creating "cheap" trust inventory is probably one financial motivation for these locations, and it could have a downstream impact of more competition for the resorts. But don't assume the new buyer has the same motivation many of us legacy timeshare owners have. I know from talking to our Millennial and Generation Z kids, they aren't enamored with traditional resort vacations in condos. They want urban destinations with nightlife, bars, energy. If they go to the beach, they'll rent a cheap AirBnB. I think part of it is MVC responding to these trends and the increasing purchasing power of Millennials. We Baby Boomers who grew up on the resort experience are fading away in our influence. The future will be the desires of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 22, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> I agree that creating "cheap" trust inventory is probably one financial motivation for these locations, and it could have a downstream impact of more competition for the resorts. But don't assume the new buyer has the same motivation many of us legacy timeshare owners have. I know from talking to our Millennial and Generation Z kids, they aren't enamored with traditional resort vacations in condos. They want urban destinations with nightlife, bars, energy. If they go to the beach, they'll rent a cheap AirBnB. I think part of it is MVC responding to these trends and the increasing purchasing power of Millennials. We Baby Boomers who grew up on the resort experience are fading away in our influence. The future will be the desires of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z.



That might be their market focus, but a hotel room certainly isn't an airBnB. If that's their thinking, I believe they're missing the point with GenX, Millennial and GenZ. Airbnb works because you can rent a home for a few nights for the price of a hotel room. With the Pulse concept, you're buying a hotel room for the price of a house.


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## Swice (Dec 24, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> I agree that creating "cheap" trust inventory is probably one financial motivation for these locations, and it could have a downstream impact of more competition for the resorts. But don't assume the new buyer has the same motivation many of us legacy timeshare owners have. I know from talking to our Millennial and Generation Z kids, they aren't enamored with traditional resort vacations in condos. They want urban destinations with nightlife, bars, energy. If they go to the beach, they'll rent a cheap AirBnB. I think part of it is MVC responding to these trends and the increasing purchasing power of Millennials. We Baby Boomers who grew up on the resort experience are fading away in our influence. The future will be the desires of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z.



Nightlife, restaurants, etc are cool when you are young, single and have no kids.    But at some point, the "Millennials" will get married, have kids and their ideas will evolve.    Their wants and needs from a vacation will change.    I guarantee they will find having a second bedroom (where the kids can go to sleep earlier and mom and dad can stay up) will become a huge desire.   Same with a second bathroom.   They'll also find having at least a small kitchen, even if it's simply for breakfast, will make their vacation a LOT easier.     I've said it before, even if the family is just going to McDonald's for breakfast, the hassle of getting everyone up and rotating through the bathroom in a hotel room is enough to warrant the cost of a timeshare.      

I'm all for timeshares at urban locations.    They offer sightseeing and other experiences I would not get at a "beach/resort" location.   I understand they may not have a huge pool, giant kids club and other "resort" amenities, but I still want a little bit of extra space (compared to a regular hotel room).   I want a mini kitchen for breakfast foods, snacks and the ability to microwave restaurant takeout/leftovers.    If the "urban timeshare" only offers me the same space as a typical hotel room, then I might as well stay at the hotel and have maid service, room service options, spa, my elite benefits and in many cases, a premium location.   

I understand there may be certain times when I have leftover points and I may burn some at a "Pulse."    But I imagine, most people would rather use their points for other properties that are a better value.   I would also argue even those who really don't watch the "value" of every dollar would choose the luxury of a full service hotel rather than a Pulse location.     I'd use timeshare points for a cruise or tour before I would use them for a Pulse.

So I just don't get the business model of making a Pulse just another hotel (with fewer amenities).


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## SeaDoc (Dec 24, 2018)

davidvel said:


> Just more smoke and mirrors to extoll the wonderous "flexibility" and "options" of DC points at sales presentations, while avoiding the true expense.   Factor in the upfront cost of developer sale points, and it's a complete joke. MVC jumped the shark after 2010. Ask SEADOC.



When they gutted the unique benefits of Chairman's Club / Premier Plus formerly, and gave the same benefits to Presidential which is 50% less in ownership, I knew that was the beginning of the end.  Having brought many during my successful tenure within this Company, I was proud and excited to get owners to this Chairman's Club level, as it truly was a unique benefit level.  Now, my ability to get 3rd Home properties has diminished to zero, now that Presidential level has full access as well as the ability to take advantage of 30% discounts has markedly decreased within 60 days has also been gutted as well.  I begged the powers that be in Orlando to do something unique for those who have spent 50% more than the Presidential level to give them something.  THEY DID NOTHING... But alas, I still work my Chairman's Club level as best as I can and still make out very well...  And I agree, RC San Francisco is one of my absolute favorite properties... If ever you can book it, do so, and who doesn't love free parking, free cappuccinos in the owner's floor lounge in San Francisco...  I'm in Newport Coast now for Christmas, June gloom in December, but nice to get away, then off to Ko' Olina Penthouse and the Royal Hawaiian for two weeks for my birthday in January... Forced Retirement is out of this world... Happy New Years everyone and Merry Christmas!!!


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## Steve Fatula (Dec 24, 2018)

Chairmans Club should have benefits, significant over Presidential, but it does not. Like Seadoc, I am very happy with the points I have and making out quite well. But you have to use the system, every points use this year was within 60 days for us making it a much better deal. It's strange that they have done nothing with Chairmans. For people at presidential level, like me, why would I want to get to Chairmans!? Seems like they are limiting sales as there is nothing they can even make up that would make it sound like a good idea to get to Chairmans. 

There still seems to be some decent ThirdHome deals out there, did there used to be a lot more? I never had the ability to use them until semi-recently so don't know how it used to be.


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## TravelTime (Dec 24, 2018)

I agree. MVC needs to enhance Chairman’s Club level. I think they should develop better deals for booking luxury options at the Chairman’s Club level. They could keep all else the same and make Chairman’s Club level geared toward luxury travelers. I know this will not benefit all the current Chairman’s Club members but it would probably entice many people, like myself, to upgrade to Chairman’s Level. I am currently Presidential Level and waiting for a reason to upgrade.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 24, 2018)

We’re 1,250 short of chairman’s level. You can see it in the sales persons eyes, they think it will be an easy sale....... but it’s not. There’s nothing at Chairman’s level we’re going to use. At least nothing worth $21,000 dollars plus additional MF’s


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## frank808 (Dec 24, 2018)

SeaDoc said:


> When they gutted the unique benefits of Chairman's Club / Premier Plus formerly, and gave the same benefits to Presidential which is 50% less in ownership, I knew that was the beginning of the end.  Having brought many during my successful tenure within this Company, I was proud and excited to get owners to this Chairman's Club level, as it truly was a unique benefit level.  Now, my ability to get 3rd Home properties has diminished to zero, now that Presidential level has full access as well as the ability to take advantage of 30% discounts has markedly decreased within 60 days has also been gutted as well.  I begged the powers that be in Orlando to do something unique for those who have spent 50% more than the Presidential level to give them something.  THEY DID NOTHING... But alas, I still work my Chairman's Club level as best as I can and still make out very well...  And I agree, RC San Francisco is one of my absolute favorite properties... If ever you can book it, do so, and who doesn't love free parking, free cappuccinos in the owner's floor lounge in San Francisco...  I'm in Newport Coast now for Christmas, June gloom in December, but nice to get away, then off to Ko' Olina Penthouse and the Royal Hawaiian for two weeks for my birthday in January... Forced Retirement is out of this world... Happy New Years everyone and Merry Christmas!!!



If you are in Waikiki, i will be at the Grand Islander from Dec 30- Jan 5 if you want to meet up.  Grand Islander is about 15 minutes walk to the Royal Hawaiian.  

If not, we can meet up here at mko from Jan 4 until i leave for fll on the 25th.  Would love to meet and talk with another tugger.  Have a happy birthday.

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk


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## Wei339 (Dec 25, 2018)

Here are some photos of the RC Club SF


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## turkel (Dec 25, 2018)

San Francisco yucky! Zero desire to stay there ever. It's a filthy dangerous place. Not my idea of a vacation spot. Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and maybe spend a day seeing the sites but don't look too closely you might see more than you planned. 

Yuck!


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## Big Matt (Dec 26, 2018)

turkel said:


> San Francisco yucky! Zero desire to stay there ever. It's a filthy dangerous place. Not my idea of a vacation spot. Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and maybe spend a day seeing the sites but don't look too closely you might see more than you planned.
> 
> Yuck!


This is why almost nobody who works there lives there.  My son and his girlfriend live in Oakland in Adams Point just north of Lake Merritt.  Great location, no homeless, no overt drug use, safe to walk at night.  The locals visit San Francisco on weekends like tourists.  Girlfriend works at Gap corporate HQ and takes the BART every day.


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## vacationtime1 (Dec 26, 2018)

Big Matt said:


> *This is why almost nobody who works there lives there*.  My son and his girlfriend live in Oakland in Adams Point just north of Lake Merritt.  Great location, no homeless, no overt drug use, safe to walk at night.  The locals visit San Francisco on weekends like tourists.  Girlfriend works at Gap corporate HQ and takes the BART every day.



Not quite.  The rents are so high ($2,500+ for a studio; $3,200+ for a one bedroom) because most of the well-paid techies who work here *want* to live here.

In fact, much of SF's new employment in social media is because Facebook, Google, etc. opened facilities here because many of their workers were already living here and commuting to Silicon Valley.


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## JIMinNC (Dec 26, 2018)

vacationtime1 said:


> Not quite.  The rents are so high ($2,500+ for a studio; $3,200+ for a one bedroom) because most of the well-paid techies who work here *want* to live here.
> 
> In fact, much of SF's new employment in social media is because Facebook, Google, etc. opened facilities here because many of their workers were already living here and commuting to Silicon Valley.



Bingo. If it's such a "yucky" place, why are the rents so high? They're high because a lot of people want to live there. Are there issues? Sure. Just like any urban area.

My son is a perfect example. Went to college in an urban environment at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Got a software engineering job in Atlanta and moved to a suburban mixed use development out near the belt line. It's a great development with apartments built atop a pedestrian-based area with restaurants, bars, and shops on the ground floor, adjacent to and within about a two block walking distance of the Atlanta Braves baseball stadium. It's the kind of place I would have loved to live when I was 23. He misses the city, and doesn't really like suburbia, even though the place he lives has a very "uptown" feel. He's looking to relocate when the time/job is right, and is considering New York City as his first choice, but was also considering San Francisco before deciding to focus most of his energy on New York. He wants to live in Manhattan rather than commute. In San Francisco, he would have also lived downtown. Many young people love cities and are turned off by suburbia. I prefer suburbia, but enjoy visiting places like SFO and NYC. Different generations.


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## Steve Fatula (Dec 26, 2018)

Well, it's a subjective opinion of course. Objectively, rents are high because of demand of course. So, clearly a lot of people do want to live there. This does not mean everyone should want to though, I would agree with turkel though as far as his base opinion, I would never want to live or visit there again. Been there many times for business, not for me. But obviously that doesn't make my opinion the better one. We're just all different and look for different things. As it relate to the OP, I would think the Pulse property will get a lot of business.


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## Dean (Dec 27, 2018)

It's low supply and high demand plus those they have an oppressive rent control for a section of the housing meaning those people aren't likely to move.  I saw a report that 46% of people in SF planned to move away up from 40% the previous survey, I'm guessing costs are a large % of the issue.  It's a nice city to visit but not somewhere I'd personally want to live.


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## Big Matt (Dec 27, 2018)

The cost of housing (rentals and purchase) in the Bay Area are highest in the United States.  Rent in Oakland is almost as high as in San Francisco.  A nice 3 BR house starts at 1.5 million and gets you no yard and may not be in the best areas.  That's just how the market is priced.  Demand doesn't drive the price of houses, it is supply.  Opposite for rents. 

There are really nice parts of San Francisco up near the Golden Gate Bridge, but there are some horrible and dangerous spots too.  Unlike cities such as NYC and DC, San Francisco has continued to look the other way in terms of homeless and heroin abuse.  If you haven't been there in a while some of it is shocking to be honest.


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## Swice (Dec 27, 2018)

Current News coverage of the state of San Francisco:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/27/health/drug-use-san-francisco-streets/index.html

http://fortune.com/2018/12/10/spotify-hq-san-francisco-safety/


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## ljmiii (Dec 27, 2018)

Big Matt said:


> This is why almost nobody who works there lives there.  My son and his girlfriend live in Oakland in Adams Point just north of Lake Merritt.  Great location, no homeless, no overt drug use, safe to walk at night.  The locals visit San Francisco on weekends like tourists.  Girlfriend works at Gap corporate HQ and takes the BART every day.


I can only wonder what city you are talking about. We have friends who live and work in the city. We have friends who live in the city and do the reverse commute down into the valley because living in SF in so much nicer. We have yet other sets of friends who became empty nesters, sold their homes in Marin (Tiberon and San Rafael), and moved into the city to live. 

We visit SF every year and miss it dearly. Though some of what we miss is gone forever - like NY's Times Square many of SF's downtown areas have been 'cleaned up' beyond recognition. That I can now just walk through the Tenderloin never ceases to amaze me.


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## turkel (Dec 27, 2018)

I am a recent transplant from Southern California to East Bay. My husband has taken me over to San Francisco to see the sites. The view over the Golden Gate Bridge was spectacular, the sites interesting in a sad and shocking way. 

We just went home for the holidays it's  expensive in SoCal but not as bad as Northern Cal. The cleanliness and overall feel of SoCal to up here is a world away. So is the compensation. Incomes are high due to all the tech jobs but I don't walk the 7 miles a day I did in So Cal.  My husband says it's not safe..
And it isn't.
We are here for a purpose...jobs.  It's not a destination for a vacation. 

Only my opinion but I would rather see Marriott expand by adding resorts purpose built from the ground up with accommodations we are used to enjoying 1,2 bed with a kitchen. We haven't stayed in any of the pulse properties but 
Would like to go to Boston someday.


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## Big Matt (Dec 28, 2018)

ljmiii said:


> I can only wonder what city you are talking about. We have friends who live and work in the city. We have friends who live in the city and do the reverse commute down into the valley because living in SF in so much nicer. We have yet other sets of friends who became empty nesters, sold their homes in Marin (Tiberon and San Rafael), and moved into the city to live.
> 
> We visit SF every year and miss it dearly. Though some of what we miss is gone forever - like NY's Times Square many of SF's downtown areas have been 'cleaned up' beyond recognition. That I can now just walk through the Tenderloin never ceases to amaze me.



I'm not trying to be a jerk.  I have family who live there and I'm sharing their comments and those of their friends along with what I've seen for myself.  Sure there are nice places in SF, but you can't ignore things like:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/27/health/drug-use-san-francisco-streets/index.html

or

http://thefederalist.com/2018/03/16...ring-from-the-excesses-of-its-own-liberalism/

or 

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2...y-ill-homeless-worries-north-beach-residents/

and

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/is-san-francisco-dangerous-visit-sf-safe-crime-12995294.php


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## turkel (Dec 28, 2018)

I think it's a Northern California thing. Denying a problem exists.

Went to the grocery store at 5 pm last night. There was a homeless person standing by the entrance begging. No problem I just walked by and into the store. When I was loading my car the same guy started to walk towards me. Babbling nonsense.  I am sorry but it was scary. He veered away from me after coming within a foot of me.

It's not illegal to be homeless but the last  I checked loitering, trespassing, and deficating in a public place is and isn't a place I want to be.


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## gblotter (Dec 28, 2018)

We were visiting San Francisco earlier this week. If you restrict yourself to popular areas like Union Square and Fisherman's Warf, you are unlikely to encounter the worst of these homeless problems (drug use, defecating, etc). However, I have felt unsafe in other neighborhoods (Tenderloin, Mission District, Civic Center, etc) - it's a real problem. I will add that recreational marijuana is now legal in California, and the smell of pot was noticeable everywhere we went in San Francisco (even in the heart of Union Square). That smell was still on our clothes after returning home.


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## Fasttr (May 27, 2019)

Just returned from a  great week in San Francisco.  We were staying at the Ritz Club (great property... we are lucky to be able to book this using DC points), but while there, we happened to be walking near the new Pulse property in SF.  It just happened to open as a MVC Pulse property the day we stopped in.  Naturally, the sales presentation netting crew were casting a wide net, trying to load up the sales appointments, and offered us 35K Bonvoy points (among various other options) to attend.  Being a sucker for an easy load of Bonvoy points, we booked the first meeting of the day for a couple days later.  The pitch was very laid back, no pressure.... the usual.

The rooms are basically decent sized hotel type rooms, with the option to book what they call a Connected room (which is a King room with an adjoining door to a double Queen room...each with their own bathroom) which sort of makes it more "villa-sized", but still with no additional living room and no kitchen.  Not a bad attempt at offering a bit of a larger option in the city.  That said, if you need a 2br, the Ritz Club appears to be a better option, points wise, plus you get the kitchen and living room at the Ritz.  The SF Pulse really makes you pay up from a points perspective for the Connected rooms.  Here is the SF Pulse points chart for the rest of this year...  https://www.marriottvacationsworldw...elpfulTools/resorts/fs/pdfDisplay/2019_fs.pdf

The location is good, very near Ghirardelli square, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.  It sits across a side street from the Marriott Fisherman's Wharf hotel.  The Marriott hotel looks very dated from the outside....but the Pulse looks fresh and inviting, both from the outside and the inside.    Some pics below.

Nice to have another option in San Francisco, but if available, for my points, I'd take the Ritz Club because of the full villa with living room and full kitchen.  That said, if you want to stay in the heart of the tourist area (the Ritz Club is in the Financial District) and are fine with a hotel sized room, the new Pulse looks like a nice option.


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## mjm1 (May 27, 2019)

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you had a nice trip.

I had stopped by the resort in February when I was in the Bay Area and a staff person showed one of the units to me. I wasn’t impressed with it or the color or lighting scheme in that particular room. He said that wouldn’t be changing, but perhaps he was wrong. As you noted the location is pretty good. 

I agree that the Ritz would be a nicer option for those who have access and available points. That may be the only way I will get my DW to return to SF. Both of us grew up in the Bay Area and used to like visiting The City, but like others have become a bit disenchanted in recent years.

Best regards.

Mike


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## frank808 (May 27, 2019)

Fasttr said:


> Just returned from a  great week in San Francisco.  We were staying at the Ritz Club (great property... we are lucky to be able to book this using DC points), but while there, we happened to be walking near the new Pulse property in SF.  It just happened to open as a MVC Pulse property the day we stopped in.  Naturally, the sales presentation netting crew were casting a wide net, trying to load up the sales appointments, and offered us 35K Bonvoy points (among various other options) to attend.  Being a sucker for an easy load of Bonvoy points, we booked the first meeting of the day for a couple days later.  The pitch was very laid back, no pressure.... the usual.
> 
> The rooms are basically decent sized hotel type rooms, with the option to book what they call a Connected room (which is a King room with an adjoining door to a double Queen room...each with their own bathroom) which sort of makes it more "villa-sized", but still with no additional living room and no kitchen.  Not a bad attempt at offering a bit of a larger option in the city.  That said, if you need a 2br, the Ritz Club appears to be a better option, points wise, plus you get the kitchen and living room at the Ritz.  The SF Pulse really makes you pay up from a points perspective for the Connected rooms.  Here is the SF Pulse points chart for the rest of this year...  https://www.marriottvacationsworldw...elpfulTools/resorts/fs/pdfDisplay/2019_fs.pdf
> 
> ...


Glad to hear.  Will be staying at the pulse at the end of July.  If they are going to offer 35k mrp I will do the tour.  If anyone has questions, PM me and I will get you the answers if possible.  

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## tahoe (May 28, 2019)

Just returned from a short trip to SF.  The Marriott, the MVC Pulse, and a Courtyard are located within 2 blocks, with the Courtyard being closer to the coast/wharf.  There is also a Sheraton further east. (Tip: You can prepay parking with the attendant at the Anchorage parking lot for $39 a night with in and out privilege and no added tax: https://www.anchoragesquare.com/park/).  

I stopped by the lobby of the Pulse, which felt much livelier than the Courtyard.  The sales office appeared to take up most of the first floor.  I wasn’t able to compare rooms, though on paper I suspect it is similar to the Courtyard, though the Pulse will have newer stuff.  (Both also lack free breakfasts.)

Before booking the Pulse, I would suggest comparing cash prices (+ tax) between the properties.

Regarding comparisons to the Ritz, note that they are also in different parts of town.


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## 4Sunsets (May 28, 2019)

Wei339 said:


> The Ritz Carlton Residences Destination Club in San Francisco is a much better use of points if you stay midweek.  The location is central in the Union Square area and parking is free.  Each residence has a fabulous kitchen.  There is a 24 Concierge Lounge with free refreshments although no breakfast provided.  Each evening there is a free wine tasting service in the lounge and freshly baked cookies available at the front desk.  Computer service and printing is provided there as well.  There are various sized residences.  In the evening there is an in house car service to drive you to locations in close proximity to the residence.



RC SF is VERY nice. It's not exactly centrally located, as it's in the business district, just past the financial district. Gets very quiet on the weekend around there.

RC SF concierge services are very nice, they will help you find places in the city, good restaurants, everything. The upstairs lounge has good views and free cappuccino/espresso. In the evening there are wine tastings and other events, but not every evening.

If you are at RC SF, you need a metro pass every day and will need to get very good at transiting the city. From RC SF it's 1 mile to the ferry building, almost 2 miles to the wharf. You could/can walk this if you are in good health, but stay on the main street to avoid unpleasant surprises.

In contrast, the new pulse on right near the wharf--2 blocks. You can do a lot without every having to get on metro/transit, and you might not need a metro/transit pass every day. The location is very good. The rooms themselves are nicely appointed but nothing compared to RC SF.

I don't think there's much difference between the city/courtyard view. But the NO VIEW option is exactly what it says. NOTHING.

Someone mentioned the connected room option, which is basically 2 rooms put together for you via the hotel-style lock-off door. BUT it is 2X the points (because you are getting 2 rooms put together).

As far as SF being yucky/dirty??? I guess turk has never been to a big city before. Washington DC, New York, Boston, are pretty bad as far as big cities go. But comparatively? SF is more like Honolulu/Waikiki. Stay in the tourist areas. Watch yourself as you would in any big city.

The actual problem in SF are the TECH PEOPLE and the TECH companies. They've driven up the prices of everything from a cup of coffee to a meal and driven out so many local favorites because the small business owners can't afford rent/lease at 3-4-5 times what they were paying a few years ago.


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## MabelP (May 28, 2019)

(Tip: You can prepay parking with the attendant at the Anchorage parking lot for $39 a night with in and out privilege and no added tax: https://www.anchoragesquare.com/park/). 

Thank you, Tahoe.
MabelP


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## taxare (May 30, 2019)

Fasttr, thanks for sharing this information. We have stayed at the RC at least 10 times and Love it. However, unless one is lucky or plan well in advance they have very limited availability. Looking at the Pulse midweek DC points when we need to go in December there is no way we would find a decent hotel room for close to the value they are offering. As most of you know, if you are in SF during a large convention week, good luck in finding a hotel room for less than $500/night (including all of the crazy taxes they add in SF).


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## Big Matt (May 31, 2019)

4Sunsets said:


> RC SF is VERY nice. It's not exactly centrally located, as it's in the business district, just past the financial district. Gets very quiet on the weekend around there.
> 
> RC SF concierge services are very nice, they will help you find places in the city, good restaurants, everything. The upstairs lounge has good views and free cappuccino/espresso. In the evening there are wine tastings and other events, but not every evening.
> 
> ...



I really don't consider DC to be yucky or dirty.  It certainly was 25 years ago, but most of the yuck and dirt has been pushed into PG county.  Other sections have been razed and replaced.


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## 4Sunsets (Jun 5, 2019)

Big Matt said:


> I really don't consider DC to be yucky or dirty.  It certainly was 25 years ago, but most of the yuck and dirt has been pushed into PG county.  Other sections have been razed and replaced.



DC tourist areas is where I'd recommend staying within that area.


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## Carlsbadguy (Jun 6, 2019)

I noticed this morning there was an August week on II at the SF pulse that went very quickly.


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## BocaBoy (Jun 8, 2019)

SeaDoc said:


> When they gutted the unique benefits of Chairman's Club / Premier Plus formerly, and gave the same benefits to Presidential which is 50% less in ownership.......


This is an extremely misleading statement.  Many Presidential level owners have only slightly fewer points than needed to qualify for Chairman's Club.  We were Chairman's Club and sold a week, which dropped us a couple hundred points below the cutoff and we are certainly not unique.  I do agree, however, that they should add some additional benefits to the Chairman's Club level.


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## Ggatorgirl (Jun 17, 2019)

Just returned from a SF stay at the Pulse.  Wow!!  In a bad way!  The room decor is Industrial Grunge...wallpaper mimicking rough concrete, Edison bulbs everywhere. In place of a closet or armoire, there is a cheap metal locker with 2 small drawers.  Looks like a 60's youth hostel.  On the plus side, the staff was fine and the location, great...but the decor was a HUGE turn-off.

Contrast that with a stay at the Pulse at the Mayflower Hotel in DC just 2 weeks previous...what a world of difference, elegant decor, closets, more refined light fixtures, etc.

Overall, based on these 2 visits, I would say that the Pulse Brand is struggling, trying to find an identity.  Or at least it should establish an identity.  Walk into any Courtyard and you generally get the same feel, amenities, etc..you know what to expect.

The Pulse brand is all over the map.


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## Big Matt (Jul 28, 2019)

Ggatorgirl said:


> Just returned from a SF stay at the Pulse.  Wow!!  In a bad way!  The room decor is Industrial Grunge...wallpaper mimicking rough concrete, Edison bulbs everywhere. In place of a closet or armoire, there is a cheap metal locker with 2 small drawers.  Looks like a 60's youth hostel.  On the plus side, the staff was fine and the location, great...but the decor was a HUGE turn-off.
> 
> Contrast that with a stay at the Pulse at the Mayflower Hotel in DC just 2 weeks previous...what a world of difference, elegant decor, closets, more refined light fixtures, etc.
> 
> ...



New York brand is also nothing better than the Spring Hill Suites next door.  Custom House in Boston is awesome.


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## JIMinNC (Jul 28, 2019)

I think I read that the goal of the Pulse brand is to reflect the style of the city in their decor. Given that, I would expect a location in the wharf area of San Fran to reflect a different more eclectic vibe than a historic old hotel in DC.


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## pedro47 (Jul 28, 2019)

Thanks Big Matt and Ggatorgirl for your comments. I just eliminated the Pulse in SF for a laid over stay to Hawaii.


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## BigDawgTUG (Jul 28, 2019)

Ggatorgirl said:


> Just returned from a SF stay at the Pulse.  Wow!!  In a bad way!  The room decor is Industrial Grunge...wallpaper mimicking rough concrete, Edison bulbs everywhere. In place of a closet or armoire, there is a cheap metal locker with 2 small drawers.  Looks like a 60's youth hostel.  On the plus side, the staff was fine and the location, great...but the decor was a HUGE turn-off.
> 
> Contrast that with a stay at the Pulse at the Mayflower Hotel in DC just 2 weeks previous...what a world of difference, elegant decor, closets, more refined light fixtures, etc.
> 
> ...



I was at the SF Pulse in June 2018.  The decor, as described by Ggatorgirl, is dead-on accurate, but I really liked it.  I thought it was edgy and modern and, as it was all recently refurbished, very clean and new.  My only negative comment was that the rooms on the exterior of the hotel get a lot of street noise.  SF Pulse is only three stories tall so you can't escape the noise by going higher.  So, my strong recommendation would be to book a garden view room, which is an inner courtyard room and does not get the street noise.


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## leanne51282 (Dec 23, 2019)

We are here at the Pulse in SF right now and we are already upset we traded for this. I 100% agree with the comments previously made about the decor.  There's no storage for clothing other than a couple of little metal drawers and a few hangers. There's not even a microwave or any type of dishes in the room (even basic studios at other MVC locations or Pulse locations (Boston and San Diego) had them. Only a little tiny 1 cup coffee maker with paper/plastic cups.  We've stayed in many Marriott timeshares and this is by far the worst experience.  We stayed in Napa at a Fairfield Inn just a couple of days ago and that room was a significant step-up than this room is.  Very disappointed there is no laundry facility, or even a table where you could eat any type of to-go food.


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## taxare (Dec 24, 2019)

I was there last week. I am not as negative as leanne but it didn't do much for me. I stayed there because I had some destination points in a holding account (which I had from using the Puck Trick) and they expired on 12/31. We stayed in a courtyard room so it was quiet. I understand the comment above that it is supposed to reflect the style of the city. The issue that I have is that the amenities are not the same from Pulse to Pulse. So you have to read very carefully what is included. We went to SF for the birth of our granddaughter and for that purpose, a clean quiet room with friendly staff it was fine. We brought in dinner one night after going to the hospital and sat in an open area with tables on the first floor. They do have coffee and sweets in the mornings and every afternoon they offer some type of treat, chocolate, cookies, etc. We found a very reasonable and good little cafe a couple of blocks away and also a Harris Teeter so we could put a few things in the mini fridge. I know some people enjoy Fishermans Wharf, but it is not an area we usually go to. Therefore, it is not likely we will return unless we needed to go in a pinch and it was a bargain like last week.


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