# RCI Exchange and Last Call Reservations



## Kd311 (Jun 3, 2011)

Hello:

Can anyone provide any tips/tricks with regard to making reservations through RCI for HGVC owners?  

A few months ago, I paid for an "ongoing" search for Manhattan NY.  The club never called, and I ended up finding a reservation for this November at Manhattan Club MYSELF.  So I called and advised them about my ongoing reservation fee, and the availability.  The rep then booked my stay.  It's not like I was out any money as they applied the fee to my reservation, but I found it kinda irritating that there was time available, I paid up front for the service, and still ended up needing to monitor and find my own reservation.

We live in Oregon, and it seems like there is never any availability for Oregon when I check (for any resort)!  Of course there are no Hiltons, but lots of other properties on the coast, Bend, etc.

I would like to use the last call feature sometime to get an "extra vacation."  Is there any way to do it without having to call Hilton every time I think I might go away for a weekend?  I would appreciate feedback from someone who has used this successfully.

I have tried used the nightly rental feature, but never come up with anything.  I have changed the dates, number of nights, always leave the unit type as "any" etc.  Again, perhaps my location I'm searching for is the problem (Oregon) but I always get the feeling I'm not searching in the right way (it seems pretty straight forward, and I'm pretty compter savvy, but always getting "no availability" gives me pause).

Any tips for RCI reservations would be appreciated, especially for getting something via Last Call...Thanks Karen


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## alwysonvac (Jun 5, 2011)

Did you ask the rep why your ongoing search didn't match? 
NOTE: An ongoing search will only search availabiliity in the RCI Weeks inventory. It will not search the RCI Points inventory (aka RCI Nightly Exchange).

With HGVC, we have access to RCI Weeks and RCI Points. Some RCI resorts participate in one or the other or both.

With RCI Weeks, it's best to place an ongoing search. What is normally seen online are the leftovers. In RCI Weeks, exchanges can be made up to two years in advance (however it varies by resort).

With RCI Points, you can't place an ongoing search. For peak weeks it's best to book as soon as the reservation window opens. In RCI Points, exchanges can be made up to 10 months in advance.

For Oregon, I would suggest watching for availability in RCI Weeks and RCI Points to determine the pattern. Perhaps deposits are made well in advance and you're looking too late. Also keep in mind, HGVC has a quality filter as well, so we don't have access to the completed inventory of resorts available in RCI.

For RCI's Extra Vacations, you can try searching RCI's public rental site - http://www.endless-vacation-rentals.com then call the HGVC RCI desk to see if there is the same or additional availability for RCI Members. NOTE: If the RCI member rental rate is close to the rate quoted on the public website, you're better off booking at the public rental website since they have a better cancellation policy (see FAQ section on the public rental site).

Old thread on RCI's Extra Vacation, Last Call and Open Season - http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129869


Overall Exchange Tips
It is important to understand that exchangers only have access to what is deposited and not all weeks are deposited. If you assumed that you will simply be able to "exchange" into where you want to go, when you want to go there then you might be very disappointed". 

Some destinations will be harder to exchange into than others. It depends on supply and demand. 
For example, if you want to go to Orlando during the summer, you won't have any problems getting an exchange since there's an oversupply of timeshare resorts in Orlando.

With any exchange company you have to be a planner so you can be first on line with your request. From TUG's Timeshare 101 article, "Many TUGgers conduct their vacation scheduling two years in advance of the actual vacation days."

When you're looking to trade into a particular resort or destination, you may be more successful if you try to learn which weeks are typical available (i.e offseason weeks only) based on previous deposits and when do they become available for exchange (for example six months, one year or two years in advance). 

Also keep in mind that some resorts have access to both RCI and Interval International which may also impact the availability in which the bulk of deposits may be in one and not the other.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting


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## fishingguy (Jun 5, 2011)

*good tips*

Very good tips from AlwaysOnVac.

The more you watch an area to see any patterns in deposts or bulk deposits, the clearer things will become as to availability.  Then you can apply what you've picked-up to future exchanges. This is easier to do for your favorite resorts, vacation time or specific area; the longer you keep at it, the better you'll get.  Some of the forum members also have good insight into specific areas and resorts, just make a post and ask.

Sometimes when I know I'm close to a period when deposits will likely occur (i.e. a 10 month window on the RCI Points side or 6-12 months bulk deposits on the weeks side), then I begin watching several times a day.  I've also had a couple cases where an on-going search didn't pick anything up, but I saw when the deposits were made and grabbed some.

By the way, if you can plan up to 24 months in advance, you can even pick-up some real bargains.  Sometimes you'll see an outlyer that is going for unbelievably low points or TPU (when compared to the rest); but you need to snag them up quickly because they dissappear in the blink of an eye -- don't even leave or refresh the web page!  We've snagged some great vacations this way, for essentially last-call prices.  A glitch in the system I suspect; that either gets nabbed immediately by someone else or corrected.  I've learned that "if you snooze, you loose applies" in this case! So that's another reason to have vacation plans nailed down early, or at least be aware of available windows when you can travel.


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## PigsDad (Jun 5, 2011)

fishingguy said:


> By the way, if you can plan up to 24 months in advance, you can even pick-up some real bargains.  Sometimes you'll see an outlyer that is going for unbelievably low points or TPU


Thanks for the advice, but that does not apply to HGVC owners since we do not use the TPU point value to book weeks through RCI.  We still use a fixed HGVC point value based on the size and season of the week.  The switch to TPUs did not change anything for HGVC owners.

There is good and bad with this -- we don't get to see any of the great bargains that you mention, but we also have a shot at snagging some of the high TPU weeks without paying a premium.

Kurt


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 5, 2011)

I regularly look for Oregon resorts because my family is there. I look often, but not daily. I have seen an Oregon resort only 2 or 3 times and all have been in the middle of winter. Eagle Crest in Redmond is the resort that I have seen. I think that you are not seeing it because those weeks get used rather than deposited. 

Less frequently, I also search on the Last Calls and I have never seen any resort in Oregon on last call. Last week, I saw a resort in Washington state, close to the Oregon border. That is as close as I have come.

elaine


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## alwysonvac (Jun 5, 2011)

Karen,

I've posted what I see in RCI Extra Vacations today using my WorldMark RCI account which has online access. 

See this thread on the sightings forum - http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148554 
(Note: Only TUG members have access to the sightings forum). We can't discuss details about exchange company sightings on this forum otherwise the entire thread will get moved to the sightings forums - http://tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

I can provide more details if you're interested in a particular resort or area. Either send me a Private Message (PM) or post a reply to the thread in the sightings forum.

Keep in mind, that all resorts are not created equal (including RCI Gold Crown resorts), you'll have to decide which features/amenities are most important to you. Some folks rank location (i.e. beachfront access) higher than upscale amenities/furnishings and vice-versa. There's no right or wrong. It's a personal choice

I suggest reading the Oregon resort reviews available on the TUG Resort DB - http://tug2.com/RnR/ResortsGrid.aspx?ResortArea=6&ResortGroup=62 before you book. You may also find additional reviews & photos on the TUG forums and Tripadvisor.com

Phyllis


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 5, 2011)

*Oregon resorts*

So embarassing, soon after responding to this post, I went to RCI exchange and saw a ton of resorts that I have posted in the sightings forum as well.

elaine


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## alwysonvac (Jun 5, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> So embarassing, soon after responding to this post, I went to RCI exchange and saw a ton of resorts that I have posted in the sightings forum as well.
> 
> elaine



Thanks for posting the sighting


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## yumdrey (Jun 5, 2011)

Karen (OP),
Maybe you need to consider buying WorldMark. You don't need a big package, but a small one and use bonus time (short trips) as a owner.
WM has most resorts on westcoast including Oregon.
You don't have to "exchange" to oregon resorts, you can just use your WM credits to stay less than 1 week - so you can save exchange fees.


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