# Check my HRC purchase plan



## Chy (Apr 28, 2022)

Hi

I’ve been reading up a ton on here about HRC and I’m ready to get my purchase plan critiqued.

1.Buy a diamond week at the cheapest price (which?) or with the cheapest annual fees. (Pinon?)

2. I plan to stay at high sierra off season annually around Easter. Since Easter fluctuates a lot a specific week doesn’t work. I can only take the week after Easter every year. I think I shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a week then?

3. If I trade for the above week do I keep the difference in points? So I can use them at Hyatt Carmel as well and get more than a week?

4. I would plan on some attempts at Hyatt maui in the future and a diamond week appears to be the only way to do that. Possibly also ski weeks. 

Thoughts?


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## Kal (Apr 28, 2022)

I would definitely buy a 2200 point diamond week, but wouldn't necessarily focus on the lowest M/F.  Go with a good quality resort.  Thinking long term, you can always stay at the week owned if things don't work out as planned.  Also, way down the road, you will get better resale value with a quality resort.

Pay close attention to the week you buy.  You need to work out a timeline where your points are available to book the target week when it becomes available in the system.  That availability is a minimum of 6 months prior to occupancy, but could be maybe 9-10 months.

If the resort-week selected costs fewer points than owned, the balance of points stays in your account for use elsewhere.

I wouldn't suggest you include Maui in your game plan.  For timing, it will be difficult to make that work.  Buying a cheap unit wanting to get maybe the best resort in the system is like a "free lunch".


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## ScoopKona (Apr 28, 2022)

Chy said:


> I’m ready to get my purchase plan critiqued.



I bought a week I will never, ever use. I won't stay there, ever. I bought a week in my home town -- I have better options if I ever return home.

That being said, I also recommend buying something you wouldn't mind using if nothing works out.

If at six-months and one day out, you come up empty, it's better to have a plan B. Plan B can always be, "deposit everything into Interval and get another year to play with the points."

If I could trade my Key West week, which I will never use for a Carmel week which I absolutely would use, I'd make that trade in a heartbeat.


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## Mongoose (Apr 28, 2022)

Kal said:


> I would definitely buy a 2200 point diamond week, but wouldn't necessarily focus on the lowest M/F.  Go with a good quality resort.  Thinking long term, you can always stay at the week owned if things don't work out as planned.  Also, way down the road, you will get better resale value with a quality resort.
> 
> Pay close attention to the week you buy.  You need to work out a timeline where your points are available to book the target week when it becomes available in the system.  That availability is a minimum of 6 months prior to occupancy, but could be maybe 9-10 months.
> 
> ...


You are much more likely to have ROFR issues with Diamond Or pay substantially more. I have Gold 1880 and it works well for me.


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## Kal (Apr 28, 2022)

For ROFR Hyatt wants cheap. They really don’t take modest priced weeks. 2200 points is really important as it doesn’t limit prime weeks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mongoose (Apr 29, 2022)

Kal said:


> For ROFR Hyatt wants cheap. They really don’t take modest priced weeks. 2200 points is really important as it doesn’t limit prime weeks
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I disagree. In my experience they have no interest in cheap seasons and EOY.  They typically get involved in 2000 and 2200 contracts and will take them at $4K.  I picked up a silver 1400 for $1 and a gold 1880 for $500 with now issues.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> I disagree. In my experience they have no interest in cheap seasons and EOY.  They typically get involved in 2000 and 2200 contracts and will take them at $4K.  I picked up a silver 1400 for $1 and a gold 1880 for $500 with now issues.


Hyatt's model is changing with time.  Right now, Marriott is hard to profile on ROFR.  The 2000 and 2200 point weeks seem to be of interest, but only if they can get them on the cheap.  I really don't think they would even look at 1400 or 1880 point weeks.  The big uncertainty is taking a week to feed Portfolio.  Somehow, they've got to stock up the Trust with some quality weeks rather than rely on HRC owner annual deposits.

For me, I'm watching the ROFR decision as I have "skin in the game".


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Where are you even finding 2000 and 2200 contracts at $4k?


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Also, let’s say I want to only book trips for spring and summer. Say April through august. Which weeks would I be best buying in general in terms of booking windows if I want to swap for other resorts?


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## Tucsonadventurer (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Where are you even finding 2000 and 2200 contracts at $4k?


We bought an 1880 week for 3,000 on myresortnetwork.com but once you hit 2200 points prices go up .


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Where are you even finding 2000 and 2200 contracts at $4k?


One place where Hyatt watches is the repo lists at the resorts.  Not all resorts are aggressive in selling repo weeks, but some are.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Also, let’s say I want to only book trips for spring and summer. Say April through august. Which weeks would I be best buying in general in terms of booking windows if I want to swap for other resorts?


The April thru Aug is a fairly wide range to create a strategy.  Let's look at the parameters.  A target week can appear as early as 12 months prior.  The large segment will appear 6 months prior.  So first off, you need to get on the request list for multiple choices.  When any of those become available, the first person on the request gets that unit.  The risk is if a lesser desired unit opens, that's the one you get.  So you have to be careful.  In any case you must have points available at that moment, otherwise your name will be passed over in favor of the next name on the request list.  So you have to think about the week you own as you will receive those points 12 months prior to the ownership week.  I would prepare a timeline to lay out all these options.  If you only want a specific target week, it becomes simple.  For multiple targets over 5 months, it becomes a real challenge making the numbers work. Then too, you have to own the right amount of points to book the target week point value.  Owning a 2200 point week gives you sufficient latitude to eliminate the points issue.  Owning a couple of HRC weeks gives you even more latitude especially when those owned weeks are sufficiently separated by time.

Ooooh, it makes my head hurt thinking about all this, but I have been doing it for sooo long it becomes second hand.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> We bought an 1880 week for 3,000 on myresortnetwork.com but once you hit 2200 points prices go up .


It's all about the price of poker.  The advantages of owning 2200 points over 1880 are significant.  For me, buy a quality resort at a reasonable price and you will ultimately have a chance of getting your money back.  But remember, timeshares are a "prepaid vacation".  It's NOT an investment.  It's up to you to extract good value from that sunk capital.


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## Mongoose (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Where are you even finding 2000 and 2200 contracts at $4k?


Asking price, is just that, offer them what you want, and they can accept or decline.  A lot of people that have had theirs listed for years will be happy to sell it at a bargain price, but if its two low, ROFR kicks in.  Also if you can get 1880 for $500 is it really worth it to pay $6500 for 2000 points?


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> ... Also if you can get 1880 for $500 is it really worth it to pay $6500 for 2000 points?


For me, is it really worth it to buy 1880 points?


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## Mongoose (Apr 29, 2022)

Kal said:


> For me, is it really worth it to buy 1880 points?


To each his own.  I get 4-5 stays with that.  More than worth it for me.  I can see if you need the 2000 for a seven day stay, but that's not how we like to travel . Personal choice, but its not worth the $6K upcharge for 120 points.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Also, let’s say I want to only book trips for spring and summer. Say April through august. Which weeks would I be best buying in general in terms of booking windows if I want to swap for other resorts?



Google a Hyatt point chart. See what the places you want charge for various times of the year. 

I just booked three weeks with my single Hyatt week. This isn't an exception. This is how it works most years. I started with 1,300 points, but my week got bumped up to 1,880 a few years ago. That works fine for me. You'll have to decide for yourself how many points you need. In general, it's better to have one week and one maintenance fee. But there ARE people who own two weeks (they need to be close to each other in time) and use the combined points to "punch above their weight class."


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> ... But there ARE people who own two weeks (they need to be close to each other in time) and use the combined points to "punch above their weight class."


I really like your use of terms.  Fun!


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> To each his own.  I get 4-5 stays with that.  More than worth it for me.  I can see if you need the 2000 for a seven day stay, but that's not how we like to travel . Personal choice, but its not worth the $6K upcharge for 120 points.


My understanding of what you are saying here is you put all your points in interval and don’t book at hyatts? Rather you use your points for quantity of nights with perhaps some reduction in quality? Or room size?


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Kal said:


> The April thru Aug is a fairly wide range to create a strategy.  Let's look at the parameters.  A target week can appear as early as 12 months prior.  The large segment will appear 6 months prior.  So first off, you need to get on the request list for multiple choices.  When any of those become available, the first person on the request gets that unit.  The risk is if a lesser desired unit opens, that's the one you get.  So you have to be careful.  In any case you must have points available at that moment, otherwise your name will be passed over in favor of the next name on the request list.  So you have to think about the week you own as you will receive those points 12 months prior to the ownership week.  I would prepare a timeline to lay out all these options.  If you only want a specific target week, it becomes simple.  For multiple targets over 5 months, it becomes a real challenge making the numbers work. Then too, you have to own the right amount of points to book the target week point value.  Owning a 2200 point week gives you sufficient latitude to eliminate the points issue.  Owning a couple of HRC weeks gives you even more latitude especially when those owned weeks are sufficiently separated by time.
> 
> Ooooh, it makes my head hurt thinking about all this, but I have been doing it for sooo long it becomes second hand.


Ok, let’s make it a little simpler then. Let’s say I want to travel April only. What would be the ideal week for swapping to other Hyatt resorts, and if that doesn’t work to get the most out of the points? This is assuming never staying at the purchased resort.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Ok, let’s make it a little simpler then. Let’s say I want to travel April only. What would be the ideal week for swapping to other Hyatt resorts, and if that doesn’t work to get the most out of the points? This is assuming never staying at the purchased resort.


What about the Easter period?


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## ScoopKona (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Ok, let’s make it a little simpler then. Let’s say I want to travel April only. What would be the ideal week for swapping to other Hyatt resorts, and if that doesn’t work to get the most out of the points? This is assuming never staying at the purchased resort.



1) Interval or Hyatt? If "Interval," it doesn't matter. There are only three numbers you need to know with Interval. 1300 for a 2bd, 870 for a 1bd, 430 for a studio. It *can* be less during low-demand time. But just assume it's going to be one of those three. You have two years to use Interval points. So it simply doesn't matter.

2) If Hyatt, where do you want to stay in April? You should just buy it in that case.


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Kal said:


> What about the Easter period?



Yes, the week after Easter. But this is very different year to year and doesn’t seem to work well with a fixed week.


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> 1) Interval or Hyatt? If "Interval," it doesn't matter. There are only three numbers you need to know with Interval. 1300 for a 2bd, 870 for a 1bd, 430 for a studio. It *can* be less during low-demand time. But just assume it's going to be one of those three. You have two years to use Interval points. So it simply doesn't matter.
> 
> 2) If Hyatt, where do you want to stay in April? You should just buy it in that case.



understood for your points #1. For #2 my concern is I’m going to have to trade most years to get the week after Easter since it’s rather variable. So I’m trying tounderstand the best way to swap for Hyatt too. Primaries would be high sierra or Carmel, possibly Pinon or northstar.


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

Just a comment but $500 for a gold week and getting 2 weeks of 1 bedrooms with points seems
Like a great deal?


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## ScoopKona (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> understood for your points #1. For #2 my concern is I’m going to have to trade most years to get the week after Easter since it’s rather variable. So I’m trying tounderstand the best way to swap for Hyatt too. Primaries would be high sierra or Carmel, possibly Pinon or northstar.



The advantage of the Hyatt system is that it is fairly stress free. I don't really think about it. I have a gold week and always get multiple weeks from it. 

But a certain amount of flexibility has to be assumed. Anyone who says, "I must have such-and-such week at such-and-such location" is not going to be happy all the time.

I feel like I'm having to tease information from you -- what is it, precisely, you want to do? It would be easier for you to spell it out and then we can tell you how feasible that is.


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## Chy (Apr 29, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> The advantage of the Hyatt system is that it is fairly stress free. I don't really think about it. I have a gold week and always get multiple weeks from it.
> 
> But a certain amount of flexibility has to be assumed. Anyone who says, "I must have such-and-such week at such-and-such location" is not going to be happy all the time.
> 
> I feel like I'm having to tease information from you -- what is it, precisely, you want to do? It would be easier for you to spell it out and then we can tell you how feasible that is.


Sorry, I’m just trying to understand the system.

I’m trying to book the week after Easter. It could be Hyatt high sierra or Carmel, but I’m also interested in using the points to get multiple weeks like you so I’m trying to understand the exchanging of points. You are getting multiple weeks at hyatt with a gold week because you are booking hyatt studios or because you swap it over to Marriott weeks at the above mentioned 870 points for a week? I would be happy going elsewhere outside of hyatt too especially if I can get multiple weeks like you.

Thanks a lot for your responses they have been helpful.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> You are getting multiple weeks at hyatt with a gold week because you are booking hyatt studios or because you swap it over to Marriott weeks at the above mentioned 870 points for a week?



This is a fairly typical year for us -- we're doing a week in Carmel, then a week in Napa, and then a week in San Francisco. Napa and SF are both Interval studios, so 430 points each. And they take the oldest Interval points first, so I still have some leftover points for next year.

A week in a Carmel one-bedroom (Carmel is Gold, Platinum, Diamond only) is 1,240 to 1,450 points. Everything else was paid with Interval points I banked last year and needed to use anyway. And you can't move points back and forth -- you have to have some general idea what you want to do every year.

Last year, we did two weeks in Hawaii, through Interval, both 1bd -- so 870 times two. These were given to relatives so they weren't underfoot at the farm -- it's great when a resort is a few miles down the road.

All Interval properties cost the exact same thing. If you're good with studios, that's 430 points, maximum. Usually we find ourselves with a 1bd and a couple studios each year. Note: There is no "swapping to Marriott," except through Interval.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

Chy said:


> Yes, the week after Easter. But this is very different year to year and doesn’t seem to work well with a fixed week.


Make your focus on using HRC points to get the week you want.  If you own one April week that would enable you to use your unit if that week works for you.  Otherwise, use points for an alternate week.  The best option would seem to be owning the last week of April.  If Easter encroaches on that week, use the points to stay in one of the other three weeks.


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## travelhacker (Apr 29, 2022)

You had asked specifically about High Sierra, Highlands Inn, and Pinon Pointe. All three of those should have decent availability at the 6 month mark. 

I think you are a good candidate for a Hyatt week.

@Mongoose got a great deal on that gold Sedona week. I think a more typical price for that week would be somewhere between $3000-5000.

A diamond week gives you the most flexibility, but I lean towards getting 2 gold+ weeks if you know that you will travel a lot.


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## Mongoose (Apr 29, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> You had asked specifically about High Sierra, Highlands Inn, and Pinon Pointe. All three of those should have decent availability at the 6 month mark.
> 
> I think you are a good candidate for a Hyatt week.
> 
> ...


Offer this guy $2500 and see what happens.  https://www.myresortnetwork.com/Resort/ownerContact.asp?unitid=354446&ResortID=2284


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## ScoopKona (Apr 29, 2022)

In addition, the diamond week gives the most points for one maintenance fee. 

I didn't buy something I'd ever use. But if I could trade my deeded week for a deeded week in Hyatt that I WOULD use from time to time, I'd make that trade in a heartbeat. 

Also, think long term. When I bought my week, I thought I'd never leave my hometown. Now I live nearly 5,000 miles away. We used to be married to "school holidays." Now we actively avoid that -- less crowds, more us. 

If you buy a Hyatt week, you're jumping aboard a moving train (which may or may not derail with this whole Marriott foolishness). After a few years of using your week, all of this becomes second nature. Just ignore all the unnecessarily complex acronym soup. One year out, you get your points and can reserve what you own. Six months out, your week turns into points whether you do anything or not. If you let it go longer than a year, that's bad. At any time before that, you can dump everything into Interval and get another year to use them.

That's the whole system in 15 seconds.


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## Kal (Apr 29, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> You had asked specifically about High Sierra, Highlands Inn, and Pinon Pointe. All three of those should have decent availability at the 6 month mark.
> 
> I think you are a good candidate for a Hyatt week.
> 
> @Mongoose ... I lean towards getting 2 gold+ weeks if you know that you will travel a lot.


2 Gold weeks = 2 maintenance fees


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## ivywag (Apr 30, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Offer this guy $2500 and see what happens.  https://www.myresortnetwork.com/Resort/ownerContact.asp?unitid=354446&ResortID=2284


That’s an every other year unit.


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## Mongoose (Apr 30, 2022)

Kal said:


> 2 Gold weeks = 2 maintenance fees


And 3760 points.  If you need that much it’s a great way to go.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> And 3760 points.  If you need that much it’s a great way to go.


I guess I'm old school where owning 2 weeks would only give me one 2200 point reservation.  And then paying the same M/F as the 2200 point week owners makes my wallet hurt.


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## Chy (Apr 30, 2022)

Kal said:


> I guess I'm old school where owning 2 weeks would only give me one 2200 point reservation.  And then paying the same M/F as the 2200 point week owners makes my wallet hurt.



reaistically, what’s the cheapest to get a diamond week? $13k? If you can get a gold weeks for 3k each, that’s a LONG time for the annual fees to be anywhere close to the higher purchase price. 2 gold weeks seems smart.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

Chy said:


> reaistically, what’s the cheapest to get a diamond week? $13k? If you can get a gold weeks for 3k each, that’s a LONG time for the annual fees to be anywhere close to the higher purchase price. 2 gold weeks seems smart.


 It will take effort to manage the two week points to get a 2200 point reservation.  The weeks need to be close together to get the leverage.  Then too, you need to see what week and resort you will get for gold weeks.  It might put you at a disadvantage given the actual weeks owned.  Now if you don't want any 2200 or 2000 point reservations, then it's a different story.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 30, 2022)

Chy said:


> reaistically, what’s the cheapest to get a diamond week? $13k? If you can get a gold weeks for 3k each, that’s a LONG time for the annual fees to be anywhere close to the higher purchase price. 2 gold weeks seems smart.



Assume maintenance fees of $1500 to $2000 per week. And copper pays the same MF as diamond. That's not a long time, at all. Six years. I've owned my week for nearly 20 years. It adds up. The beauty of leveraging one week into multiple weeks is that the fees sting less. Take this year: with two interval trades, the MF and one Hyatt trade, let's round it up to $2,000 in total fees for 2021/2022 -- 21 days of travel.

That's less than $100 per night to stay in Carmel, Napa and San Francisco. There is no other way possible to accomplish that. This is why if they ever monkey with the system to the point I'm out, I'll just walk away. I got my money's worth out of my week.

Do what you think is best. But I 100% agree with Kal to keep the MFs to a minimum.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

And M/F increase every year. Mine have more than doubled over time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

I’ll add my two cents. If you get two gold (or better) weeks you can get full weeks in diamond weeks, and you’ll have 1550 left over points that you can do some serious damage with. 

Let’s reduce it down to a single gold vs a single diamond week. If the price of a diamond week is 11k, and a gold week is 2k, once you factor in opportunity cost (say 6% return on 9k which comes out to $540) you are way better off with the gold week.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 30, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> (say 6% return on 9k which comes out to $540) you are way better off with the gold week.



I think your math is way off.

Diamond: 11K plus ten years of MF, starting at $1,500 per year and going up by 7% (doubles roughly every 12 years): $11,000 + $20,700 = $31,700

Two gold weeks at $4K total and two fees over the same 10 years: 2x $20,700 = $41,400 = $45,400

I would instead buy ONE gold week -- so long as I didn't have my heart set on mostly Diamond Hyatt week trades. If I was buying to do some Hyatt trades and mostly Interval, a single gold would be a good toe in the water. I don't expect timeshares to cover 100% of my vacation needs. So I don't want to be scrambling to spend points. (Or be in a real bind if nothing I want is available, with a ticking clock.) If it's New Year's ski weeks every year, buy a Diamond.


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## dsmrp (Apr 30, 2022)

Also consider a platinum or diamond week is easier to sell or get rid of when you don't need or want them anymore.

I have 2 "gold" type weeks in Vistana system, 
and while MFs are among the lowest, I hope to be able to deed back to Marriott when the time comes. Gonna to keep longer to average what we paid into it. Fortunately, we still find some value in exchanges.


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> I think your math is way off.
> 
> Diamond: 11K plus ten years of MF, starting at $1,500 per year and going up by 7% (doubles roughly every 12 years): $11,000 + $20,700 = $31,700
> 
> ...


Reread my post. I boiled it down to a week by week comparison. Yes you get 320 fewer points but you will earn $540 by investing your 9000 in cash. 

You can’t not take into account opportunity cost of tying up cash in a diamond week. 

If you get the right price, a diamond week is preferable, but prices are high right now and there is a significant premium on higher point value weeks.

I think we are on the same page that a single gold week is preferable unless the OP wants to regularly try to exchange into diamond weeks.


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

dsmrp said:


> Also consider a platinum or diamond week is easier to sell or get rid of when you don't need or want them anymore.
> 
> I have 2 "gold" type weeks in Vistana system,
> and while MFs are among the lowest, I hope to be able to deed back to Marriott when the time comes. Gonna to keep longer to average what we paid into it. Fortunately, we still find some value in exchanges.


This is a great point and particularly true with Vistana. 

However, the difference in points isn’t nearly as pronounced in the Hyatt system. A gold week gets 85% of the points of a diamond week.

In Vistana, a gold week gets about 55% or the staroptions of a platinum week.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 30, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> Yes you get 320 fewer points but you will earn $540 by investing your 9000 in cash.



And pay $21,000 more in maintenance fees over 10 years. I'd rather have $21,000 than $540.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

The poster needs to provide some further details on the unit size he wants to occupy.  His preference is Carmel and Maui.  Maui takes 2200 points so unless he owns 2200 points, Maui is off the table.  A 2 BR in  Carmel during April takes 2000-2200 points.  So that is questionable.  That leaves Carmel with a 1 BR.  The availability of a 1 BR unit further limits success.

With two Gold weeks, there will be considerable points to manage during the year.  That would mean the poster would have to plan multiple trips during the year.  Coupled with his other non-Hyatt holdings, vacation planning could consume lots of time and energy.  All the while hoping for available units.  Then remember, the only reasonable way to success is using the Waitlist where you add your name 18 months in advance.  Some folks rely on the concept of KISS (Keep it simple stupid).  This whole process is far from simple.  Life is too short, just get a 2200 point week and enjoy.

And by the way, the M/F for a Gold week is the same as a Diamond week.  Gold week owners are paying more per point at a resort than Diamond week owners.


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> And pay $21,000 more in maintenance fees over 10 years. I'd rather have $21,000 than $540.


You missed the part where I boiled it down to a single week.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 30, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> You missed the part where I boiled it down to a single week.



But that assumes the new owner is OK never getting a Diamond 2bd. We don't know the answer to that. 

I'm fine with a single gold week -- and I said so above. But I also don't ski. And I don't want to be around crowds of people for New Years or any of the heavy tourist crush seasons which are typically Diamond.

If someone wants to ski Colorado with two kids on a school vacation week, it's Diamond or pay a lot more in maintenance fees.


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

Kal said:


> The poster needs to provide some further details on the unit size he wants to occupy.  His preference is Carmel and Maui.  Maui takes 2200 points so unless he owns 2200 points, Maui is off the table.  A 2 BR in  Carmel during April takes 2000-2200 points.  So that is questionable.  That leaves Carmel with a 1 BR.  The availability of a 1 BR unit further limits success.
> 
> With two Gold weeks, there will be considerable points to manage during the year.  That would mean the poster would have to plan multiple trips during the year.  Coupled with his other non-Hyatt holdings, vacation planning could consume lots of time and energy.  All the while hoping for available units.  Then remember, the only reasonable way to success is using the Waitlist where you add your name 18 months in advance.  Some folks rely on the concept of KISS (Keep it simple stupid).  This whole process is far from simple.  Life is too short, just get a 2200 point week and enjoy.
> 
> And by the way, the M/F for a Gold week is the same as a Diamond week.  Gold week owners are paying more per point at a resort than Diamond week owners.


A couple of points of clarification. For the full week a 2 bedroom in Carmel in April is 2680 points. 

Carmel 2 bedrooms are hard to get because there are just 3 units. 

Gold week and diamond week owners do pay the same in maintenance fees. You will absolutely pay less per point with a diamond week. 

It isn’t as clear cut when you factor in opportunity cost. If the rate you think you can earn elsewhere is 0%, it’s clear cut to get diamond, if it is anything above a few percent it isn’t as clear cut. 

This is ignored in almost all posts on the subject and that’s why I specifically called it out. 

KISS principle is a good point to call out here, Diamond wins hands down.


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## Mongoose (Apr 30, 2022)

Chy said:


> reaistically, what’s the cheapest to get a diamond week? $13k? If you can get a gold weeks for 3k each, that’s a LONG time for the annual fees to be anywhere close to the higher purchase price. 2 gold weeks seems smart.


You should be able to get Diamond for less than that.  Suggest you contact Bill Gabrielli <billgabrielli@me.com> and tell him what you want.  He's high volume for Hyatt.  I purchased from him for one.  You can also buy one Diamond EYOE and one Diamond EOYO for maybe $6-7K. You would have to pay any extra club fee of $193 each year which would still be substantially less than $13K.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

This whole concept of "opportunity cost" suggests timeshares are an investment.  Not on your life.  It is prepaid vacations.  If you are a believer in travel and vacations, you are going to spend $$$ either now or in the future.

If you are concerned about the value of money, then buy a quality resort/week.  People are furious about Puerto Rico and concerned about hurricanes and climate change on the Florida resorts.  How will those values hold over the next 10 years.  One Cat 4 hit on Key West and the town is TOAST.  By my arithmetic, the ROI is zip.  How will Sedona do with increasing temps and water issues??  Texas?  I dunno.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 30, 2022)

Kal said:


> One Cat 4 hit on Key West and the town is TOAST.  By my arithmetic, the ROI is zip.




Indeed. Any time I met someone who pulled out phrases such as "the price of money" and "return on investment" on a timeshare, I knew timesharing simply isn't for them.

It's a toy. That's all it is. A fun toy that if used well, will yield decades of enjoyment. 

Key West *will* be hit by a big storm. It's not a question of "if." Every Keys resident knows what the Labor Day Hurricane did to the Overseas Railroad and the town of Islamorada. Sea water floods the town these days just from normal tidal activity. It's Key West's second worst-kept secret. (Water quality being number one. And the presence of criminal activity on Duval Street -- T-shirt and perfume stores being number three.)

Buy the toy for as little as possible and enjoy it while it lasts. Any other strategy is certainly overthinking it.


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## Kal (Apr 30, 2022)

Oh, what about Maui?  Here's what _*The Eagles*_ said:

You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"


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## alameda94501 (Apr 30, 2022)

Our family over time has strictly gone for resale Platinum/Diamond in an effort to maximize MF$/pt, but here's a 180 degree option, that proves the point that timeshares aren't investments - a free Hyatt 2bd Diamond week 7 at Hacienda Del Mar (Brand New, they just Remodeled!):






						Free Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar Timeshare For Sale - FREE
					

Free timeshare for sale at Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Pay $0 for a timeshare at Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar. 100s of free timeshares to choose from.




					www.timesharenation.com


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## travelhacker (Apr 30, 2022)

Just to clarify -- I was in no way stating that timeshares are any type of investment.

I do think it's always worth taking into account opportunity cost with any purchase -- whether it's a car, timeshare, vacation home, etc. 

Hyatt is unique in that the spread between Diamond, Platinum, and Gold is a significantly lower percentage than other system that I'm aware of:

A few examples:
Hyatt Platinum vs Diamond is 91% of the points
Hyatt Gold vs Diamond is 85% of the points
HGVC Gold vs Platinum is 71% of the points
Vistana Gold vs Platinum is 55% of the staroptions

In any of those systems, I don't know that I'd consider buying anything but the best season. 

The advice to always buy the best season is solid advice, but certain factors can make that advice not as clear cut. 

For example, I'm a buy a used car type of guy so that I avoid the depreciation. Due to weird market circumstances, that isn't as clear cut now (but it probably will be good advice again in a few years).


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## Mongoose (Apr 30, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> Just to clarify -- I was in no way stating that timeshares are any type of investment.
> 
> I do think it's always worth taking into account opportunity cost with any purchase -- whether it's a car, timeshare, vacation home, etc.
> 
> ...


I understood and appreciate your point.  Sometimes the week you want to own isn’t a Diamond.   I wanted week 22 to align with the end of school and it’s a gold.  Week 12 which is spring break in Sedona is a Platinum.  Diamonds don’t always align with your needs.  There are only 5 Diamond weeks in Sedona.


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## SteveinHNL (Jun 24, 2022)

travelhacker said:


> A couple of points of clarification. For the full week a 2 bedroom in Carmel in April is 2680 points.
> 
> Carmel 2 bedrooms are hard to get because there are just 3 units.
> 
> ...


How much are the annual MFs for the 2BR in Carmel?


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## Sapper (Jun 24, 2022)

SteveinHNL said:


> How much are the annual MFs for the 2BR in Carmel?


There is a maintenance fee sticky at the top of the Hyatt page. Here’s what you are looking for: https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/2022-hyatt-maintenance-fees.327176/post-2710615


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## SteveinHNL (Jun 24, 2022)

Sapper said:


> There is a maintenance fee sticky at the top of the Hyatt page. Here’s what you are looking for: https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/2022-hyatt-maintenance-fees.327176/post-2710615


Thank you, Sapper.  I had checked that but it is only the MF for th 1BR in Carmel.  Not the 2BR


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## Sapper (Jun 24, 2022)

SteveinHNL said:


> Thank you, Sapper.  I had checked that but it is only the MF for th 1BR in Carmel.  Not the 2BR


Ah, I missed the 2bed part. I don’t have a solid answer for you on a two bed unit, sorry.


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## SteveinHNL (Jun 25, 2022)

Sapper said:


> Ah, I missed the 2bed part. I don’t have a solid answer for you on a two bed unit, sorry.


Thanks The Carmel 2BRs come with up to 2680 points sit I am trying to figure out if the increased MF is worth it.


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## Kal (Jun 25, 2022)

SteveinHNL said:


> Thank you, Sapper.  I had checked that but it is only the MF for th 1BR in Carmel.  Not the 2BR


I believe the Carmel 1BR is 2200 points.  That might be enough to meet your goals.  Windward + Carmel would get you 4400 points total.


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## SteveinHNL (Jun 25, 2022)

Kal said:


> I believe the Carmel 1BR is 2200 points.  That might be enough to meet your goals.  Windward + Carmel would get you 4400 points total.


I think 4400 would be a lot too. I’m not enamored of 2200 points for $2100 MF so wondering what the MF is for 2680 points is.


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## Sapper (Jun 25, 2022)

SteveinHNL said:


> Thanks The Carmel 2BRs come with up to 2680 points sit I am trying to figure out if the increased MF is worth it.


Highlands Inn has the 2 bed deluxe, which for a platinum unit equals 2950 points.  That may make it more interesting for you. 


			http://www.bywindkal.com/Hyatt/HRCPointsChart_2017.pdf


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## SteveinHNL (Jul 16, 2022)

ScoopKona said:


> I bought a week I will never, ever use. I won't stay there, ever. I bought a week in my home town -- I have better options if I ever return home.
> 
> That being said, I also recommend buying something you wouldn't mind using if nothing works out.
> 
> ...


Carmel weeks aren’t very expensive due (I’m guessing to high MFs).  Wouldn’t you be able to sell your KW gold week and purchase a Carmel gold week for roughly the same price?  Although you might be out the closing and transfer costs, that just about $1K, not a huge deal.


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