# How BIG is Your Home Group - RCI Points



## stonebroke (Dec 31, 2010)

I got my first points resort off of ebay this spring.  That is when I first discovered my home group of resorts.  There were three of them (maybe 4).  I made another points week purchase this fall and that finally got deposited this past week.  All of a sudden I have 57 listed (I think my count is right). Most I have heard of...most I had never seen before and most have good reviews and ratings.  There seems to be a good representation of British Columbia, Destinay Clubs and Minnesota, but some eastern Canada including one in Nova Scotia (there is a lot of availability in November don't think that will  be showing up as much come summer.  I would be willing to give my list if someone wants to develope a data base as it could be helpul when considering a purchase.

For those who don't know with RCI points you can make a reservation at  your home group 11 to 10 months out (standard reservations start at 10 months) and your home resort you get 12 to 11 months out  and your home week you get 13 to 12 month first crack.


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## fishingguy (Dec 31, 2010)

We've got 29 resorts in our homegroup. Most came from Daily Mgmt Group which has Grandview, the various Vacation Villages, etc.


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## stonebroke (Dec 31, 2010)

*Good to know*

I think it might be an important consideration when making a purchase.


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## chriskre (Dec 31, 2010)

fishingguy said:


> We've got 29 resorts in our homegroup. Most came from Daily Mgmt Group which has Grandview, the various Vacation Villages, etc.



Hmmmm.   

I've owned Vacation Villages for years and never knew anything about a home group advantage. :annoyed: 

Do you have a link to info on this?

Thanks.


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## Passepartout (Dec 31, 2010)

I had not given a lot of thought to this. I KNEW there was such a thing, but because I use the points, and not the week(s) per-se, I didn't feel it applied.

Now I looked, and see there are 81 resorts in my home group. Now, there aren't any Disneys or Marriotts in there, but that isn't what I own, so what.

This bears some looking into.....

Jim Ricks


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## Bourne (Dec 31, 2010)

chriskre said:


> Hmmmm.
> 
> I've owned Vacation Villages for years and never knew anything about a home group advantage. :annoyed:
> 
> ...



If you log into RCi points, you land up on a page stating that you can make Points/Weeks rez. One of the links on that page states that you can make Home/Home group rez. 

Under that, you'll see your "group" properties listed.


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## MichaelColey (Dec 31, 2010)

I have home group priority in Daily Management resorts thanks to Grandview, but have never taken advantage of it.

Is the only advantage that you can book further out?

1-10 months for everyone
11 months for Home Group (group your resort is in)
12 months for Home Resort (resort you own)

What Home Groups are actually beneficial to be in?  (To get access to which resorts?)  I've been able to find almost anything I want at the 10 month mark.


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## fishingguy (Dec 31, 2010)

chrisre,
I don't have a link, it shows up in my RCI Points account -- the vast majority of my properties are converted to points.  When I go to plan a vacation, I get a page that has Home Week, Home Resort and Resort Group on one side (and other types of exchanges on the other side like points and weeks from points).  At the top of the page is also a "calculator link" you can click on and it will tell you when the window opens for you to book at any of these preferred choices.  For instance, my Home Week at one resort has 13 to 12 months priority; and so on as Michael pointed out.

I've used the priority one time so far, to book a prime holiday week that I knew would go fast.

Michael,
I don't know how to answer your question, since needs will vary from person to person and even maybe vacation to vacation.  But, I was using the priority when looking at getting several BR in LV at Christmas for family next year, to use up a mountain of points I'm sitting on....

Some smaller resorts that are in high demand would be another place that may be nice to have group priority.  For example, you'll hardly ever see a 3BR pedistal at Sunrise Ridge come up at 11 months or less, because there aren't that many and they go quick (at holidays and peak summer).


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## chriskre (Dec 31, 2010)

Bourne said:


> If you log into RCi points, you land up on a page stating that you can make Points/Weeks rez. One of the links on that page states that you can make Home/Home group rez.
> 
> Under that, you'll see your "group" properties listed.





fishingguy said:


> chrisre,
> I don't have a link, it shows up in my RCI Points account -- the vast majority of my properties are converted to points.  When I go to plan a vacation, I get a page that has Home Week, Home Resort and Resort Group on one side (and other types of exchanges on the other side like points and weeks from points).  At the top of the page is also a "calculator link" you can click on and it will tell you when the window opens for you to book at any of these preferred choices.  For instance, my Home Week at one resort has 13 to 12 months priority; and so on as Michael pointed out.
> 
> I've used the priority one time so far, to book a prime holiday week that I knew would go fast.
> ...



Thanks.
I'm gonna go check my account now.  

Well isn't that handy dandy.  
I see one of my favorite resorts there in my homegroup and I truly had no idea.  
Yay!!!!  Now for sure I'm getting back into this place.
Thanks a millions.

Oh and by the way, my home group has 19 resorts including Golden Strand.  Yippie.


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## fishingguy (Jan 1, 2011)

chris,
Glad you found out about the various priorities, and can put them to use.

I figure, ...it's better to have and not need; than to need and not have!


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## fishingguy (Jan 1, 2011)

Chris,
I forgot, but along with the Daily Group resorts in your points account, you also get access to VV RCI Vacation guides/reps. They are seperate from the typical RCI Points guides.

I haven't had to use them as yet, I do 99% of my stuff on the site.  So I don't know much about what special things they bring with them or expertise they have. But instead of calling in on the typical points number, you an use 1-866-724-3333(?).


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## stonebroke (Jan 1, 2011)

*Here are mine*

I am not sure if there are any Gems in here or not.   
In doing some tests not all of these are showing availablity...and I have NO Idea what a Point to Point Master is....maybe some sort of RCI mistake.


*GROUP 1* 
AMERICANA VILLAGE
 ARROYO ROBLE RESORT
 ATLANTIC TERRACE
 BREEZY POINT TIMESHARE
 CAUSEWAY ON GULL
 CHARLOTTE BAY RESORT & CLUB
 CLUB CRANBERRY
 CRESTWOOD RESORT
 DEST @ FIRST FAIRWAY @ GULL
 DEST @ INVERNESS BY THE SEA
 DEST. @ AMERICANA VILLAGE
 DEST. @ ROYAL VICTORIA SUITES
 DESTINATION@ROSEDALE ON ROBSON
 DESTINATIONS @ BREEZY POINT
 DESTINATIONS @ GULL LAKE RES
 DESTINATIONS @ HARBOUR INN
 DESTINATIONS @ NORTH BEACH
 DESTINATIONS @ OLYMPIC VILLAGE
 DESTINATIONS @ PANORAMA RESORT
 DESTINATIONS @ RED WOLF
 DESTINATIONS @ RED WOLF LAKESD
 DESTINATIONS @ ST IVES
 DESTINATIONS @ STARDUST-TAHOE
 DESTINATIONS @ STONERIDGE RST
 DESTINATIONS @ TAPATIO CLIFFS
 DESTINATIONS @ WINDJAMMER
 DESTINATIONS @ WVC LAKE PLACID
 DESTINATIONS @ WVC TWIN PEAKS
 DESTINATIONS AT HOLIDAY PARK
 DESTINATIONS AT SOUTH PADRE
 DESTINATIONS CRESTWOOD RESORT
 DESTINATIONS/CAUSEWAY ON GULL
 FIRST FAIRWAY AT WALDEN
 GPR @ RED WOLF LODGE @ SQUAW V
 GPR AT RED WOLF LAKESIDE LODGE
 HARBOUR INN RESORT CLUB
 INVERNESS AT SOUTH PADRE ISLAN
 INVERNESS BY THE SEA
 LAW CRANBERRY
 LAWAI BEACH RESORT
 OLYMPIC VILLAGE INN
 PARADISE CANYON GOLF RESORT
 POINT TO POINT MASTER
  SEA CLUB V
 ST IVES ON SHUSWAP
 STARDUST TAHOE
 TELEMARK
 TELEMARK POINTE RED APPLE CLUB
 VACATION CONDOS@TAPATIO CLIFFS
 VILLAS ON THE LAKE
 WHISTLER VACATION CLUB @ L.P.
 WHISTLER VACATION CLUB @ TWIN
 WHITE POINT VACATION CLUB
 WINDJAMMER RESORT & BEACH CLUB


*GROUP 2*
HOLIDAY BEACH RESORT - PHASE 2
HOLIDAY BEACH RESORT- DESTIN
HOLIDAY BEACH RST - SOUNDSIDE
ROYAL HOLIDAY BEACH RESORT


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## fishingguy (Jan 2, 2011)

*...playing around in my group*



> stonebroke wrote:
> In doing some tests not all of these are showing availablity...



I spent a little time looking through my various "grouped" resorts the past couple days. I think there may be a few different explainations for what you've seen in some of yours:

_*Background:* I have multiple resorts that obviously belong to different resort groups. Just don't ask me to do a strict accounting as to which one goes with what  group, or resorts in a group. There is some obvious overlap, that I suspect that may be contributing to what you saw or even user activity involved. So read on._

1.) There appears to be a programming glitch on the RCI website, that can allow you access into the resort group to look for a preferred vacation -- even though you are outside of any preference windows for doing so (and shouldn't be able to do it). It doesn't happen on all resorts however, just 4 in my 29. [I can recall when I had my first couple resorts that were both in the same group, and you were only allowed to enter the group preference booking window during the preference period. But somewhere along the way this has obviously been changed or there is a programming glitch now, which allows me to search outside of any windows as some of my new groups were added.]

Unfortunately, when I do a search in the group preference outside the allowed window, there are no results to show.  The software must know that you are outside of that specific resort group preference window, and you won't see anything.  

[By the way, I did verify at a couple resorts during a valid group preference window, you do see more vacations that won't show up in the other booking options (e.g. points and weeks from points). So the preference is for real, and could be useful.] 

2.) Some resorts are very small, and if you are trying to search toward the end of your preference window, you may have already missed out.  I've noticed that vacations during some preference windows at certain resorts do go fast; as owners obviously take advantage of this period for nailing down what they can.  It makes sense that group preference seems to be actively used at the the smaller highly-rated and higher-demand resorts.

3.) Maybe some resorts don't participate in group preference? Just a guess on my part -- but I admit I'm no expert in some of the resorts that show in my list. Especially some that have mutiple HOA designation and RCI codes for essentially the same resort. But it makes sense that the group listed might not have an associated preference.

Now my head hurts from messing around in there! :hysterical:


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## stonebroke (Jan 2, 2011)

*Glitch or no glitch*

_ There appears to be a programming glitch on the RCI website, that can allow you access into the resort group to look for a preferred vacation_

Not sure why you would say there is a "glitch" there may or may not be...or these are the resorts that are in my group.   I have only looked in my preference window and those are the dates that show up.



_Unfortunately, when I do a search in the group preference outside the allowed window, there are no results to show.  The software must know that you are outside of that specific resort group preference window, and you won't see anything.  

So the preference is for real, and could be useful._

Having a preference would be the point of having a home group and I agree potentially be very useful.

_2.) Some resorts are very small, and if you are trying to search toward the end of your preference window, you may have already missed out.  _


I believe the window is constantly moving forward.  So today the search window is Nov.  to Dec 2nd but yesterday it was Nov. 1 to Dec. 1.  So I may have missed out on a specific window that window is in fact dynamic and I have a new theoretically equal window.   I would guess it is like any of the searches the early bird gets the worm...so if you want Nov.3 then you better be on the computer early a.m. tomorrow.   

If there are smaller resorts or even a larger one with only a limited number of points members at that resort...then it is possibly that even though a resort might shows up in a home group list an actual search may never show any availability. It is possible that someone with the Home Resort preference grabbed it.  There are those who might even argue that RCI took it and put in the rental pool (you didn't hear that from me). 

_Now my head hurts from messing around in there!_ 

Good luck with the headache - I know what you mean.


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## chriskre (Jan 2, 2011)

fishingguy said:


> chris,
> Glad you found out about the various priorities, and can put them to use.
> 
> I figure, ...it's better to have and not need; than to need and not have!



You are so right.  :whoopie: 

Knowledge is power to get those great trades.
Thanks for sharing.   



fishingguy said:


> Chris,
> I forgot, but along with the Daily Group resorts in your points account, you also get access to VV RCI Vacation guides/reps. They are seperate from the typical RCI Points guides.
> 
> I haven't had to use them as yet, I do 99% of my stuff on the site.  So I don't know much about what special things they bring with them or expertise they have. But instead of calling in on the typical points number, you an use 1-866-724-3333(?).



See that.      You learn something new everyday.   

That's why I love TUG.


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