# Can a Platinum member book a Gold week?



## Carolyn (Mar 23, 2014)

Can a Marriott owner who owns 1 floating week in Platinum season, book a Gold week instead? In other words they would be "downgrading". Thanks.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 23, 2014)

Carolyn said:


> Can a Marriott owner who owns 1 floating week in Platinum season, book a Gold week instead? In other words they would be "downgrading". Thanks.



No is the quick answer. I thought that would be the case when we bought a platinum week but then I found out that we couldn't book a gold week as those, quite rightly, are for gold week owners.

Felt a bit cheated actually because platinum is actually quite restrictive and we're more likely to use gold dates in the future particularly once the kids leave school.

The only option you have is trading via the parasitical II.


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## teshiachris (Mar 23, 2014)

Carolyn said:


> Can a Marriott owner who owns 1 floating week in Platinum season, book a Gold week instead? In other words they would be "downgrading". Thanks.




I think the answer is no.  Lets say you as a platinum owner book a gold week.  That is one less gold week for gold week owners.  And Gold week owners cannot book the platinum week you are not using.


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## jimf41 (Mar 23, 2014)

Reserving through MVCI the answer is definitely no. Trading with II is very possible. If you've opted into the points system then the answer is yes and in fact I do it every other year at Ocean Pointe. The fact that most Plat weeks get more points assigned than Gold or Silver weeks assures you can do it without the "skim" factor that upsets most folks.


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## Clark (Mar 23, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> The only option you have is trading via the parasitical II.



That is not correct.


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## ilene13 (Mar 23, 2014)

jimf41 said:


> Reserving through MVCI the answer is definitely no. Trading with II is very possible. If you've opted into the points system then the answer is yes and in fact I do it every other year at Ocean Pointe. The fact that most Plat weeks get more points assigned than Gold or Silver weeks assures you can do it without the "skim" factor that upsets most folks.



Really--our platinum Aruba Ocean Club weeks have a huge skim!


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## Bill4728 (Mar 23, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> No is the quick answer. I thought that would be the case when we bought a platinum week but then I found out that we couldn't book a gold week as those, quite rightly, are for gold week owners.
> 
> Felt a bit cheated actually because platinum is actually quite restrictive and we're more likely to use gold dates in the future particularly once the kids leave school.
> 
> The only option you have is trading via the parasitical II.





Clark said:


> That is not correct.



There are other ways of trading your weeks other than II. 

There is the TUG marketplace
There is OwnersTrade.com (a website which specializes in marriott to marriott trades.) 
And there are the independent  trading companies.


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## Seth Nock (Mar 23, 2014)

If you trade, you can usually get an accommodation certificate as well.  You will have your exchange fee, as well as an exchange fee for the Accommodation Certificate; but you will get 2 weeks of vacation.


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## SueDonJ (Mar 23, 2014)

jimf41 said:


> Reserving through MVCI the answer is definitely no. Trading with II is very possible. If you've opted into the points system then the answer is yes and in fact I do it every other year at Ocean Pointe. The fact that most Plat weeks get more points assigned than Gold or Silver weeks assures you can do it without the "skim" factor that upsets most folks.





ilene13 said:


> Really--our platinum Aruba Ocean Club weeks have a huge skim!



Using the most common definition of "skim" which is the difference between the DC Points amounts allotted for Weeks and the amounts required to book those same intervals, it's certainly true that the Aruba resort Weeks are among the most negatively affected of all resorts in the Marriott system.  But I think you may have missed Jim's point here.  The OP and Jim are talking about downtrading, using a Plat Week to book a Gold interval.  In the DC it's possible to do that with Aruban Weeks, too, although granted the Aruban Weeks owners who choose to do it will probably not be left with as many excess Points as owners at most other resorts:

Aruba OC and SC allotment for Plat 2BR OV Weeks:  5,225 DC Points
Aruba OC and SC requirement for 2BR OV intervals corresponding to Gold season, Weeks #9 and #28 for example:  4,650 DC Points
Difference:  575 DC Points

For some folks exchanging a Plat Week for a Gold doesn't make any sense but for those folks I'd guess that they wouldn't accept any downtrades at all, ever.  But for those who do want to do it, it's a more convenient option and there can be more exchange value in using the DC than in using II.  And at a select few resorts, such as Jim's OP example, the calendars can be very favorable for DC Points conversions.


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## SueDonJ (Mar 23, 2014)

Seth Nock said:


> If you trade, you can usually get an accommodation certificate as well.  You will have your exchange fee, as well as an exchange fee for the Accommodation Certificate; but you will get 2 weeks of vacation.



If you're using a Marriott corporate II account there are no fees, plus you may also get an XYZ in addition to the AC from II.  But between II's finicky-ness, their reps' incompetence and the fact that AC and XYZ values have deteriorated of late, the convenience factor that's important to some of us simply doesn't exist with II anymore.  For me II exchanging always has been a huge PIA that practically guaranteed downtrades and I won't mind if the only things I ever use them for are Getaways.


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## jme (Mar 23, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> No is the quick answer. I thought that would be the case when we bought a platinum week but then I found out that we couldn't book a gold week as those, quite rightly, are for gold week owners.



No is the *only* answer, quick or not. Each purchase is confined to a definite season. If you could book a week out of season, someone with an ownership week in that season would be knocked out, i.e., they cannot oversell the number of weeks in a season. It's a legal issue. 



> Felt a bit cheated actually because platinum is actually quite restrictive and we're more likely to use gold dates in the future particularly once the kids leave school.



Cheated? Not the right word to use, as you were never cheated. That's a faulty accusation. 
Restrictive? Certainly you saw the season you purchased. Did you somehow not know?  It is clearly defined. 



> The only option you have is trading via the parasitical II.



Not exactly. There are several options. And Interval Int'l, imho, has offered us some of the best trips we've ever had..... and if parasitic, at least it's symbiotic. And some of those fantastic trips were to your beautiful UK. Cameron House in Loch Lomond, Scotland for one---a place we would have never discovered or visited otherwise. 
Another was Walton Hall in Warwickshire, which served as a home base to drive all over England. 
http://www.hotels.com/ho234473/walt...ZzZz.sj8QMGAtd.0.12439079420.1020jze17894.d.c

Also Park City where we enjoyed ski trips with our kids for 7 years running. 
Our list is packed----all definite upgrades, never "just a substitute". All something we highly desired.  Most recently used a studio in Williamsburg to get a full kitchen/1-BR at Aruba Ocean Club in great season.  
And we have used many XYZ weeks in ADDITION to those, all courtesy of Interval (and we do look at it that way). 
And those were just the trades. There are Getaways, too.

There is also the DC program which is another option. No explanation necessary. One could also trade for Rewards Points if it meets needs, an option we don't use.





.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 23, 2014)

The only exception for being able to book a week outside of the season that you own is that at some resorts, owners of Platinum Plus weeks can also book regular Platinum weeks. I don't know how they really are able to do that but I guess they figure that there is a certain percentage of people that simply won't book their week?


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## jme (Mar 23, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> The only exception for being able to book a week outside of the season that you own is that at some resorts, owners of Platinum Plus weeks can also book regular Platinum weeks. I don't know how they really are able to do that but I guess they figure that there is a certain percentage of people that simply won't book their week?



Platinum Plus week owners should be able to take home the furniture for the utterly obscene price they paid. Booking in the regular platinum season is not exactly my idea of a benefit, so much. Instead they SHOULD rent and then rent the other, saving a bundle.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 24, 2014)

jme said:


> No is the *only*Interval Int'l, imho, has offered us some of the best trips we've ever had..... and if parasitic, at least it's symbiotic. And some of those fantastic trips were to your beautiful UK. Cameron House in Loch Lomond, Scotland for one---a place we would have never discovered or visited otherwise.
> Another was Walton Hall in Warwickshire, which served as a home base to drive all over England.



I'm not denying the benefits of being able to trade it's the constant money, money, money aspect of II that annoys me. All the additional fees, why for example shouldn't my exchange fee into Timber Lodge be refunded when the exchange didn't take place and I paid an additional fee to exchange into The Ridge Tahoe? It's not as if there was any work involved to undertake a computerised ongoing search for a match that never happened.

I dislike II and my heckles raise every time I have to call them.


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## jme (Mar 24, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> I'm not denying the benefits of being able to trade it's the constant money, money, money aspect of II that annoys me. All the additional fees, why for example shouldn't my exchange fee into Timber Lodge be refunded when the exchange didn't take place and I paid an additional fee to exchange into The Ridge Tahoe? It's not as if there was any work involved to undertake a computerised ongoing search for a match that never happened.
> 
> I dislike II and my heckles raise every time I have to call them.



A "request first" trade fee is definitely refunded in full if the trade doesn't happen, and if it was simply a pending request, you have two years to do another trade. You can add or subtract resorts and times as you please, with no additional fees. Bottom line, a new and separate fee should not have been charged as described. 

Your situation as you present it sounds screwy-----you may need to ask them-----it's NEVER been an Interval policy to charge a fee when a trade doesn't materialize. (I even called them just now to confirm what I already knew, just for your sake.)

I definitely don't understand the "money, money, money" comment, either.....there's an initial fee for a trade, and that's it.  They do provide a service. With my enrolled weeks, there are no more fees at all for individual trades, only an annual club dues fee for DC membership.  

Personally I have a wonderful relationship with II, and have used the same representative for many years, and occasionally others when he's not available.  I've never had "troubles" with anyone there, and they are most helpful. Without them, our travels would not have been as extensive or as pleasurable. You might try developing a relationship.....it works.




.


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## WINSLOW (Mar 24, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> Aruba OC and SC allotment for Plat 2BR OV Weeks:  5,225 DC Points
> Aruba OC and SC requirement for 2BR OV intervals corresponding to Gold season, Weeks #9 and #28 for example:  4,650 DC Points
> Difference:  575 DC Points
> .



I know this is off topic for the OP but:

For my Aruba SC allotment for Plat 2BR OV - I only get 4075 not 5225 (I wish),  So don't know if I'm getting SUPER Skimmed or not. Please let me know if I am?

But the requirements for a GOLD 2BR OV are 3500 or 2750, depending on week chosen in gold. The 4650 is for a Plat week requirement. Plat requires 4650 or 4125.  

Week #9 is Plat @ 4650 pts
Week # 28 is Gold @ 3500 pts


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## dioxide45 (Mar 24, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> I'm not denying the benefits of being able to trade it's the constant money, money, money aspect of II that annoys me. All the additional fees, why for example shouldn't my exchange fee into Timber Lodge be refunded when the exchange didn't take place and I paid an additional fee to exchange into The Ridge Tahoe? It's not as if there was any work involved to undertake a computerised ongoing search for a match that never happened.
> 
> I dislike II and my heckles raise every time I have to call them.



It is just how II tends to do things and how they have structured the fees. Running a computerized search isn't free. They have a lot of overhead involved. I don't like that a fee is charged when you include a non Marriott resort in a search even though the Marriott trade comes through. If II gave away all exchanges for free, they would go out of business pretty fast.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 25, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> It is just how II tends to do things and how they have structured the fees. Running a computerized search isn't free. They have a lot of overhead involved. I don't like that a fee is charged when you include a non Marriott resort in a search even though the Marriott trade comes through. If II gave away all exchanges for free, they would go out of business pretty fast.



I haven't suggested that all exchanges should be for free although one would ask what the annual membership fee is for if we still have to pay a fee for exchange. I don't understand why I pay a fee for exchange and then pay an additional fee because the resort I opted for is not a Marriott.
As for computerised searches costing anything, they don't really that's the beauty of them, having a member of staff click a few mouse buttons doesn't justify the large fee.

I just wish Marriott implemented an internal exchange system.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 25, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> I haven't suggested that all exchanges should be for free although one would ask what the annual membership fee is for if we still have to pay a fee for exchange. I don't understand why I pay a fee for exchange and then pay an additional fee because the resort I opted for is not a Marriott.
> As for computerised searches costing anything, they don't really that's the beauty of them, having a member of staff click a few mouse buttons doesn't justify the large fee.
> 
> I just wish Marriott implemented an internal exchange system.



Well if you think that an IT department and all that it delivers comes for free then you really ae mistaken. Quite the opposite, the IT deptment will probably be II single biggest expense.

I have 2 II accounts since one of my Marriott resorts is not part of the DC (Phuket Beach Club) nor are my MVCI Asia Pacific Points linked to a DC account and so they need a personal II account also.

Even since the DC was introduced to European owners I have had sme great trades with II. Without a service like II the TS business would be much less flexible and less attractive. It does cost to be a member and there are associated fees without which II would not exist. It is after all a business and needs to be profitable for us to make use of the services.

Finally, we do have a choice - we could cease our membership and use another service such as DAE for our exchanges or do i ourselves. This year I've done my first private exchange which without the advice I got here on TUG, I would never have even considered. However I will continue my membership of II since I accept that I cannot hope to do myself what II do to the extent that they do.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 25, 2014)

MALC9990 said:


> Well if you think that an IT department and all that it delivers comes for free then you really ae mistaken. Quite the opposite, the IT deptment will probably be II single biggest expense.



I'm not saying that the IT department operates with no cost, having worked in IT support I'm no stranger to that, however the cost of the annual membership and exchange fee's are not reflective of the operating cost of the IT department. There is also the additional fee of exchanging into a non Marriott resort on top of the normal exchange fee, I cannot see the justification for this.


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