# Worldmark Question



## zuzu (Aug 3, 2011)

Hi All,

In the newbie area I posed a question on where to look to buy and someone suggested Worldmark (maybe two someones now that I think of it!). I spent the evening reading over at wmowners.com as suggested. 

When I looked at the resort reviews there I was a bit surprised. The folks there have rated most of their resorts as 2 stars and under. Here is the link where I was looking:
http://www.wmowners.com/worldmark/resorts/list/WM

Before I spend more time researching Worldmark I thought I should ask some questions. I thought about posting at mwowners.com but the people there seemed rather "intense" which made me then think my questions would not go over well. 

So my questions for the Worldmark owners here are:

1) Do you think the ratings there are accurate? Seriously not many resorts had higher than 2 or 3 stars although a small handful had 5.

2) A lot of the pictures made the resorts come off poorly. I know this could be due to poor photography though. Are the resorts as old and outdated as they looked in the photos?

3) When we travel we either user our DVC points at the resorts in Florida or stay in hotels such as W or Hilton. How do you think the Worldmark resorts compare furnishings & comfort wise to these sort of places.

I really like all the locations Worldmark has but those overall reviews and pictures on wmowners.com really scared me off.


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## nightnurse613 (Aug 3, 2011)

Wow, all the time I spent looking at WorldMark and I don't recall ever looking at those ratings!  Thanks for pointing that out.  Unfortunately, I have never been to any of those resorts (that's why I was looking!!) so I can't comment but, it will be interesting to see what some TUG members have to say!


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## LLW (Aug 3, 2011)

zuzu said:


> Hi All,
> 
> In the newbie area I posed a question on where to look to buy and someone suggested Worldmark (maybe two someones now that I think of it!). I spent the evening reading over at wmowners.com as suggested.
> 
> ...



There is a recent glitch with the ratings calculations. If you look at the detailed ratings of each review that back up the overall ratings, you will see 4s and 5s, when the average says 1.something.

They are updating the web page, and it's suspected that this is an unintentional result of those ongoing updates.

Read the reviews also, don't just look at one overall average number for each resort. You will find a lot more information that may answer your questions.


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## BocaBum99 (Aug 3, 2011)

I have stayed at a lot of WorldMark resorts.  And, I have also stayed in many of the high end hotel timeshares.  There is a big quality between a WorldMark and a Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton or Starwood timeshare.  However, I would never hesitate staying in a WorldMark condo.  I love them.  They are comfortable, well equipped and consistent.  The feature I love most about WorldMark is the murphy bed in the living room.  I also like that they have high speed internet available for a fee, coffee in the lobby and a system where it is possible to get just about anything you want with a bit of planning.  They also have spices in the kitchen.

I would give WorldMark's a mid tier ranking of quality.  If Hyatts and Marriotts are 4 and 5 star, WorldMarks are 3 and 4 star.  Mostly 3 stars.

I don't care about luxurious accommodations. I care more about location and view.  In the area of location, WorldMark is hard to beat.


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## Cathyb (Aug 3, 2011)

*Been to a bunch of places*



zuzu said:


> Hi All,
> 
> In the newbie area I posed a question on where to look to buy and someone suggested Worldmark (maybe two someones now that I think of it!). I spent the evening reading over at wmowners.com as suggested.
> 
> ...



We love Worldmark -- been to Fiji; Vancouver; Victoria, BC; Depoe Bay; Seaside; and about five other sites.  We also own at Westin and Marriott.  In my opinion, the WM units are average quality, average furniture; very well stocked kitchens; activities vary; grounds well kept.  What we REALLY like about Worldmark is how easy it is to get the location you want -- if you play the game right!  That means get on the phone the minute you can at 13 months out and learn the tricks of the trade :ignore: .  Also the fees are quite reasonable -- we own 10,000 credits.

At Marriott we love the better furnished units and grounds;  but hate the hoops you jump through to get the timeshare week you want.  Our fees have skyrocketed on both Marriott and Westin.  Hope this info helps.


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## Passepartout (Aug 3, 2011)

zuzu, 
WM may not be for you. If DVC, Marriott, Hilton and W have the minimum required amenities for you, I think you will probably be disappointed by WM, or Vacations Internationale's style or quality of resorts. Imo, they are well located, well appointed, very well managed and maintained, but they don't strive to be top-of-the-line resorts.

This slightly lower tier works well for us and has allowed for many weeks/months of great vacations- exchanges into Europe, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and nearly anywhere in the USA (mine won't pull NYC). We are more into location and use the TS to see the local attractions. Hanging out at the resort enjoying granite counters, hot tubs that have been used by others, stainless appliances and 1000tc sheets, while nice, isn't why we travel.

Good luck with your quest.

Jim Ricks


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## ChrisandBeth (Aug 3, 2011)

As stated above, there is a glitch in the WMowners.com rating system-read the reviews not the overview ratings for an acurate rating. If 5 star is your style WM is not for you, but if you want clean, well maintained units for a very reasonable MF then WM is worth a look. 

Why I chose WM:

1. Very flexible system that allows for mini vacations and single nights
2. Amazing trading power
3. Very liquid-if you want to sell your WM there is always a market.
4. MF very reasonable while resorts well maintained
5. Locations
6. Great web site for booking etc
7. Kitchens-better stocked than any units we have seen. 
8. Staff-by and large very good.


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## zuzu (Aug 3, 2011)

LLW & ChrisandBeth, thanks so much for point out that there is a glitch there. I had started by reading reviews on TUG and then went to wmowners. Seeing those low stars there seemed super odd coming from owners and immediately made me think there were issues. 

I will say though outside reviews (meaning other than TUG or wmowners) were not so hot either. I try to take things like that with a grain of salt though - often people who review things are doing it so they can voice a complaint. This is why I wanted to pose the question here and get some more opinions.


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## zuzu (Aug 3, 2011)

Thanks all for your replies! Looks like I need to do more reading and maybe look at some other pictures. Of the resorts I read reviews on so far perhaps they are not good examples of WorldMark as a whole. 

As I mentioned in my newbie thread - I really do not need to be surrounded by bright and shiny surfaces. What I do like though is something that does not feel a couple decades old and has nice site amenities.


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## JohnPaul (Aug 3, 2011)

*Worldmark Quality*

All Worldmark units will be clean and well furnished.  In fact we have a friend that owns at Marriott and the Wordmark kitchens are better supplied (at least Marriott Tahoe vs Wordmark Tahoe).

However, at Worldmark you will probably have white appliances rather than stainless steel.  You will have formica counters rather than granite.  The master bathroom may have a single sink rather than a double.  Your shower may be plastic rather than tile.

If all of those upgrades are important to you, you may find them in Worldmark Penthouses and Presidential suites.  However, they will cost you a lot more points and not all resorts have them.  We stayed in the Presidential Suite at St George and it is absolutely gorgeous and high quality.

Having said all that I like Worldmark a lot.  Some people hate Lake Tahoe III (the one at the top of the hill with registration) but I really like the one bedroom units.  I find them to be very cozy (for 2 - crowded for 4) and I really mean cozy - not just small.

Like any other decision, it's all about what's important to you.


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## LLW (Aug 4, 2011)

zuzu said:


> Thanks all for your replies! Looks like I need to do more reading and maybe look at some other pictures. Of the resorts I read reviews on so far perhaps they are not good examples of WorldMark as a whole.
> 
> As I mentioned in my newbie thread -* I really do not need to be surrounded by bright and shiny surfaces. What I do like though is something that does not feel a couple decades old and has nice site amenities*.





JohnPaul said:


> All Worldmark units will be clean and well furnished.  In fact we have a friend that owns at Marriott and the Wordmark kitchens are better supplied (at least Marriott Tahoe vs Wordmark Tahoe).
> 
> However, at Worldmark you will probably have white appliances rather than stainless steel.  You will have formica counters rather than granite.  The master bathroom may have a single sink rather than a double.  Your shower may be plastic rather than tile.
> 
> If all of those upgrades are important to you, you may find them in Worldmark Penthouses and Presidential suites.  However, they will cost you a lot more points and not all resorts have them.  We stayed in the Presidential Suite at St George and it is absolutely gorgeous and high quality.



In addition, WM tries to keep their resorts in a "like new" condition. Updates are done every five to eight years. There are some rare exceptions in resorts that they share with other timeshares, but there shouldn't be more than 2 or 3 in the system. 

WMO and TUG reviews are what you need to rely on, because they are done by timeshare owners who know what to expect in a timeshare. Reviewers on sites such as TripAdvisor are mostly hotel-users, and may downgrade a property for no daily maid service, etc.

It sounds like WM may be a good fit for you, especially since you reside in the PNW.


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## PClapham (Aug 4, 2011)

I have stayed in many wm resorts.  the Hawaii locations are wildly underrated.  I agree that if Marriott is your style maybe skip Worldmark.  
In fact we  were  in the Red River. Nm last night.  I was unhappy to hear the manager say that Wyndham wants to meld the 2 systems.

anitak


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## RIMike (Aug 4, 2011)

*WM resorts ratings*

As a WM resort owner, I choose the system because of the locations of the resorts which are located near National Park locations. As such they tend to me more modest than say the big resorts in a resort location like Orlando.

This aspect is fine with me as I think that they blend better with the surrounding environments.


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## cruisin (Aug 7, 2011)

We love worldmark, our motto is that we drive to worldmark and fly to other resorts, worldmark is unbeatable in most of their locations, when it comes to Hawaii, Florida, Mexico (fly to) they are not the best, I also think they are a 3, great clean rooms, but very little amenities compared to 4 and 5 star properties.


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## Rent_Share (Aug 7, 2011)

RIMike said:


> As such they tend to me more modest than say the big resorts in a resort location like Orlando.


 
Which can easily be traded into for 40 % of what a Worldmark week requires in points


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