# Wyndham or Worldmark



## Lacardsfan (Oct 25, 2011)

I know the differences between Worldmark and Wyndham and how the operate seperatly but share some inventory with each other (very limited)

My wife and I just bought Wyndham because we go to Flagstaff every year for a week. We also go to Indio twice a year for vacation as well. I just noticed that Worldmark has a hotel in Indio, CA.

My questions are:

1. Is there a reason to pick wyndham over worldmark or vice versa? We live in CA...
2. Does anyone own both and can things get confusing if you own in both systems?
3. Wyndham's system seems pretty simple to use, is worldmark pretty compatible?

The wife and I already spend every year about 3k on hotels, we figured this would be a good way to try and save money and if we want to go anywhere else we could just look for a wyndham hotel. 

Thanks Tug you guys are great!!!


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## rrlongwell (Oct 25, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> ... Is there a reason to pick wyndham over worldmark or vice versa? We live in CA ...



Last heard, Worldmark was involved in a lawsuit with the vacation club owers.  I do not believe these are deeded properties.  Club Wyndham Access is also not deeded property.  Club Wynhdam Plus are deeded properties.  I believe one of the proposed settlement terms was the loss of some inventory from Worldmark.  You may want to line up with a VIP owner who does not want to use their inventory for a year or two to get VIP discounts if you are spending 2-3,000 dollars a year on hotels.


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## Lacardsfan (Oct 25, 2011)

We pay that much because we go on vacation 3 weeks a year. My sister has a timeshare with Wyndham and has loves it, always uses it. (She paid developer pice, ugh) That is why we bought Wyndham as well. For Flagstaff and if we ever want to vacation together we can go to the same hotel.

I am not really sure what you mean by all above?? 

So do you suggest worldmark? Or just stick with Wyndham only?


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## rrlongwell (Oct 25, 2011)

I am with Wyndham Club Plus.  I honestly do not which one I would go with if I were just starting out.  Maybe some others might pitch in with the answer.


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## nole9911 (Oct 25, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> I know the differences between Worldmark and Wyndham and how the operate seperatly but share some inventory with each other (very limited)
> 
> My wife and I just bought Wyndham because we go to Flagstaff every year for a week. We also go to Indio twice a year for vacation as well. I just noticed that Worldmark has a hotel in Indio, CA.
> 
> ...



Easy one.... As a Wyndham points owner, we have access to all of the World Mark resorts... As a World Mark owner  you would have access to a total of 10 of Wyndham's 165 plus resorts.  All of the Wyndham Resorts have gone to a points system, so they are all empty.... waiting to fill up.  A lot of the World Mark resorts are still on the fixed week system.. Full waiting for people to deposit their weeks into an exhange company... Wyndham wins hands down.


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## jbcoug (Oct 25, 2011)

Nole,
    I'm sorry but Worldmark has NO fixed week ownership. It is entirely a points based program. Also, Wyndham owners do not have access to all Worldmark resorts, and they only have access to a few units in the resorts they can book.

John


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## nole9911 (Oct 25, 2011)

jbcoug said:


> Nole,
> I'm sorry but Worldmark has NO fixed week ownership. It is entirely a points based program. Also, Wyndham owners do not have access to all Worldmark resorts, and they only have access to a few units in the resorts they can book.
> 
> John[/QUOT
> ...


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## presley (Oct 25, 2011)

You can go to:  worldmarktheclub.com/resorts/
to see all the Worldmark resorts.  

I chose Worldmark because it had more locations that I would use.  YMMV


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## cotraveller (Oct 25, 2011)

nole9911 said:


> Gotcha.... My Wyndham book shows 24 Worldmark resorts.. Are there more?  And you are correct in saying that some of the resorts say very limited availability on the website, but I have had no problem booking ten months out.  Good info on the fixed week thing though. Thanks.  I was told that Wyndham/Fairfield invented the points system in 1991.. Is that wrong too?



There are 71 WorldMark resorts.  The 24 you have access is comparable to the 25 Wyndham resorts I see available as a WorldMark owner on the WorldMark web site.  Typically there are 2 units per available Wyndham resort available for booking by WorldMark owners. There are a few exceptions with more units available.


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## nole9911 (Oct 25, 2011)

cotraveller said:


> There are 71 WorldMark resorts.  The 24 you have access is comparable to the 25 Wyndham resorts I see available as a WorldMark owner on the WorldMark web site.  Typically there are 2 units per available Wyndham resort available for booking by WorldMark owners. There are a few exceptions with more units available.



Thanks for the Info Fred.  That makes sense.  I cannot ever seem to find availability in Harbortown Point.  If there are only 2 units, I can see why.  I still love my Wyndham Membership, but it never hurts to learn.


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## dr_adventure (Oct 25, 2011)

Traditionally people have said if you travel in the west - Worldmark is best and if you travel in the East Wyndham - and there is probably some truth to this.

The companies are owned by the same parent but are very separate.  I own both (mostly Whyndham) but I like some things about worldmark better.  Basically there is a small amount of inventory they share but each has more if you are a member of that club - so for example - I went to Cairns AUS to a worldmark resort on Whyndham points - but I wanted to stay longer than a week - with my worldmark ownership I was able to tack on 2 more nights.


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## nole9911 (Oct 26, 2011)

dr_adventure said:


> Traditionally people have said if you travel in the west - Worldmark is best and if you travel in the East Wyndham - and there is probably some truth to this.
> 
> The companies are owned by the same parent but are very separate.  I own both (mostly Whyndham) but I like some things about worldmark better.  Basically there is a small amount of inventory they share but each has more if you are a member of that club - so for example - I went to Cairns AUS to a worldmark resort on Whyndham points - but I wanted to stay longer than a week - with my worldmark ownership I was able to tack on 2 more nights.



Well, I think I made the right decision, because the majority of our vacations are on the east coast.  Maybe one day, when the kids are gone and I can explore the west coast without buying 8 airline tickets, I will look into the West Coast Kings of Timeshare... Worldmark.


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## GregT (Oct 26, 2011)

We own both, for different reasons.   We utilize Worldmark because we like to visit Big Bear, Indio, Tahoe, and Kihei.  Worldmark is my most cost-effective timeshare (by far) and it is incredibly flexible.  You can do almost anything with your Worldmark ownership.

I purchased Wyndham because there was a specific property I wanted to visit (Elysian Beach) that I really love -- and still do.  Interestingly, I can now access Elysian Beach via my Worldmark, but that's a separate topic.

I have also found the unexpected side effect that Worldmark is a phenomenally powered trading property -- it trades extremely well through both II and RCI.  Additionally, you can rent credits from other owners, so you just rent what you need, when you need it.

I've often said, if I could only keep one timeshare (besides my Marriott), I'd keep Worldmark -- I love it both for its good, SoCal properties, plus its tremendous trading ability.

Good luck with your research!

Best,

Greg


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## jdunn1 (Oct 26, 2011)

I own WM, but I like the Wyndham resorts much better, mostly because they have Myrtle Beach and some other east coast properties I would like to visit.  WM resorts tend to be not as nice as Wyndham, but WM has some gems.

With that said, I do not think there is a cheaper timeshare to own than WM.  The buy in costs are much more than Wyndham (which can typically be had for $1), but the WM dues are much more reasonable.

As a trader, nothing beats WM.  WM owners can trave via RCI or II for the same amount of points.  So, no matter what resort you want, you can exchange into it, no matter what trading company that resort is currently using.  I have not had much luck at all using WM to trade in II.  Sure, WM pulls very well, but all the best weeks are off limits to us because of Marriott and Starwood preference.  In RCI, WM pulls much better, in fact I think WM trades are filled first.  

The ability to rent WM points for the same cost as owning them is the benefit that sold me on buying into WM.  I only own 5k points, but I can rent as many points as I want whenver I want them and the cost to do this is the same as if I owned those points, but I didn't have the buy in costs and I do not have the ongoing dues commitment.

Hope that helps but in short I would say that if you want to use the Wyhdham resorts, then buy into that system.  If you mostly want to stay on the west coast or trade, then buy WM points.  If buy in costs is an issue, then Wyndham is going to be your only option.  There are no give away deals on WM points, even in today's market.


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## cruisin (Oct 26, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> I know the differences between Worldmark and Wyndham and how the operate seperatly but share some inventory with each other (very limited)
> 
> My wife and I just bought Wyndham because we go to Flagstaff every year for a week. We also go to Indio twice a year for vacation as well. I just noticed that Worldmark has a hotel in Indio, CA.
> 
> ...



I think asd a part of the lawsuit, Wyndham is getting some Indio units?, if that is the case, you should be good with just Wyndham.


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## presley (Oct 26, 2011)

I just noticed your location.  I am 100 miles south of you.  I don't know anything about Wyndham, but here are some things about Worldmark that are good for me.

1.)  Lots of locations on the west coast.
2.)  Bonus time specials (able to book nightly stays for very reduced rates.
3.)  Monday Madness (Special offers each Monday for different resorts that you can book for cash - reduced rates, which include the housekeeping.
4.)  Still in demand for sales.
5.)  Owners overall seem very happy with their memberships.
6.)  Pretty good community between members (wmowners.com)

Bottom line for you though will be to buy what you will use.


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## Lacardsfan (Oct 26, 2011)

Thanks for all the knowledge guys/gals....

After talking with the wife this morning I think we are going to see what happens with our 250k points of Wyndham every year and how far that takes us/if we use all of them.

Like earlier said I am a TS novice, but my sister uses hers to its fullest. If we do the same, it sounds like owning two different systems can be benificial.

The only part is keeping it all in order, because Wyndham can already be confusing with all their rules. Throw in WMs rules and it can become a cluster....

Here is another quick question: (I know I could look it up, but maybe someone can answer faster than it takes to look up, and in more simple terms)

1. With Wyndham you can book with use year points and "borrow" from the next year. Dont use your use year you lose them. How does it work in WM? I see on ebay right now that some people get 6k a year but have "banked" 24k points??? That seems like a lot to be banked.


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## Lacardsfan (Oct 26, 2011)

presley said:


> You can go to:  worldmarktheclub.com/resorts/
> to see all the Worldmark resorts.
> 
> I chose Worldmark because it had more locations that I would use.  YMMV



I have looked at this map and unfortunately it does not help. It lists all the Wyndham hotels as Worldmark. Is there a place to go that ONLY has the worldmark hotels?


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## rrlongwell (Oct 26, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> ... Here is another quick question ... With Wyndham you can book with use year points and "borrow" from the next year ...
> 
> You can pool your points for a three year use period or you can borrow regular year use points to complete a reservation and under other circumstances.
> 
> If you and your Sister's points are bought retail, there may be a way to add both to one deed, merge the accounts, and walk off with VIP discounts that range from 25 to 35 to 50 percent, depending on the VIP Level.  Before you do this, you may want to contact Wyndham Title and make sure this option still exists and what the proceedures are.


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## cotraveller (Oct 26, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> I have looked at this map and unfortunately it does not help. It lists all the Wyndham hotels as Worldmark. Is there a place to go that ONLY has the worldmark hotels?



It's not a map, but you can find a list of the WorldMark resorts by state here.  The list is for WorldMark only, no Wyndham resorts are included. Note that the WorldMark resorts are condos, not hotels.


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## Lacardsfan (Oct 26, 2011)

rrlongwell said:


> Lacardsfan said:
> 
> 
> > ... Here is another quick question ... With Wyndham you can book with use year points and "borrow" from the next year ...
> ...


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## Lacardsfan (Oct 26, 2011)

cotraveller said:


> It's not a map, but you can find a list of the WorldMark resorts by state here.  The list is for WorldMark only, no Wyndham resorts are included. Note that the WorldMark resorts are condos, not hotels.



Well great, after looking at the list I think I should have gone with Worldmark instead of Wyndham. Oh well too late now.


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## LLW (Oct 26, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> Well great, after looking at the list I think I should have gone with Worldmark instead of Wyndham. Oh well too late now.



Buying Wyndham 250K would not have cost too much - the challenge is in the annual dues that you have to pay. You can sell on ebay at any time but may want to try it out first.

Getting a small WM account would cost $2,000-$3,000. The annual dues are much cheaper than most any other timeshares. You can rent as you go, as the small account would not be enough. But you can rent at lower than dues cost (because Wyndham has an over-abundance of rental credits).


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## LLW (Oct 26, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> rrlongwell said:
> 
> 
> > Here is a good ? for you, is there a similar restriction buying re-sale with WM as with Wyndham, i.e. no VIP?
> ...


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## nole9911 (Nov 2, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> Well great, after looking at the list I think I should have gone with Worldmark instead of Wyndham. Oh well too late now.



I could be wrong, because I was wrong on this topic before, but it seems that if you vacation primarily on the west coast, Worldmark is the best option.  If you spend most of your vacations on the east coast, Wyndham is the best option.  If you can go wherever you want whenever you want it would be prudent to own both.


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## mstoyanov (Nov 3, 2011)

I own large accounts with both WorldMark and Wyndham and my recommendation will be without a hesitation WorldMark.
The only reason why I even bother to have Wyndham is because I live on the east cost. WorldMark is much better trader in BOTH RCI and II, cost much less as MFs, have a limit of 5% maximum increase of MFs in the governing documents and allows credits to be rented to/from other owners.
It is true that in general most WorldMark properties are slightly less luxurious than newer Wyndham properties (Bonnet Creek, National Harbour, Cantenbury) but that is more than compensated by the stays in much better Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt properties via II and prime locations of some WorldMark resorts - ski, Yellowstone, prime beach locations on the west coast, Maui and South Pacific.

Wyndham is expensive in MFs, horrible trader currently limited to RCI (new points requirements for exchanges are absurd) and does not allow points to be transferred between owners. Unless you need to use specific Wyndham resort during prime time there is no point in Wyndham ownership as you can rent many weeks from VIP owners for less than MFs.

All this is of course already reflected in the selling prices - you can get Wyndham points for free (except newest resorts with low MFs) while even the smallest WorldMark account will cost you ~$2k but the beauty of the WorldMark is that you can rent unlimited amount of credits from other owners so no need to buy large account.



Lacardsfan said:


> I know the differences between Worldmark and Wyndham and how the operate seperatly but share some inventory with each other (very limited)
> 
> My wife and I just bought Wyndham because we go to Flagstaff every year for a week. We also go to Indio twice a year for vacation as well. I just noticed that Worldmark has a hotel in Indio, CA.
> 
> ...


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## GregT (Nov 3, 2011)

mstoyanov said:


> I own large accounts with both WorldMark and Wyndham and my recommendation will be without a hesitation WorldMark.
> The only reason why I even bother to have Wyndham is because I live on the east cost. WorldMark is much better trader in BOTH RCI and II, cost much less as MFs, have a limit of 5% maximum increase of MFs in the governing documents and allows credits to be rented to/from other owners.
> It is true that in general most WorldMark properties are slightly less luxurious than newer Wyndham properties (Bonnet Creek, National Harbour, Cantenbury) but that is more than compensated by the stays in much better Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt properties via II and prime locations of some WorldMark resorts - ski, Yellowstone, prime beach locations on the west coast, Maui and South Pacific.
> 
> ...



I agree with these comments, and definitely prefer my Worldmark to Wyndham for all the same reasons.

However there are two things about Wyndham that make it a very good system for me -- Wyndham has good (basic) properties in St. Thomas, and has a very nice property in Waikiki.  Worldmark's Waikiki presence isn't nearly as nice, and Worldmark doesn't have a Caribbean property.

Good luck!

Best,

Greg


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## mstoyanov (Nov 3, 2011)

Greg,

I know you are also Marriott and Starwood owner. Wyndham affiliates on St Tomas are way below Frenchman's Cove and Harborside and while exchanging in these properties is not very easy during peak times with Marriott priority in II and Staroptions in SVN you can get into either of these during the rest of the year.
As for Waikiki - points requirements are huge and resort is way below Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is worth to own small Hilton timeshare just for HHV (and 57th street). 
Even gold Hilton week will give you cheaper MFs in better property than Wyndham in Waikiki.
The only strength in Wyndham for me is Bonnet Creek - best location of non DVC resorts and high quality and Wyndham Alexandria (no other timeshare there). The rest of Wyndham resorts either cost too much as a MFs (Cantenbury, National Harbor, Waikiki) or are substandard compared to alternative from other timeshares.

I also like Ocean boulevard but it is expensive point/MF wise and may require ARP for prime weeks. Seawatch is good deal for the MFs but it is never available outside ARP during summer.




GregT said:


> I agree with these comments, and definitely prefer my Worldmark to Wyndham for all the same reasons.
> 
> However there are two things about Wyndham that make it a very good system for me -- Wyndham has good (basic) properties in St. Thomas, and has a very nice property in Waikiki.  Worldmark's Waikiki presence isn't nearly as nice, and Worldmark doesn't have a Caribbean property.
> 
> ...


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## JohnPaul (Nov 10, 2011)

*Thanks for Info*

I own Worldmark (and a lot of other stuff).  I've looked at Wyndham (at the WM presentations they try to tell you the only new stuff that is developed will be Wyndham - so you better buy WM now).

Wyndam sounds much more complicated that WM if you want to use various resorts.

Based on everyone's comments (and the fact that I live in the West) if I do anything it will be to round up my WM points.  WM MF only change at every 2500 points.  I own 13000 now so am barely in the 12501 - 15000 bucket.  If I buy 7000 more I'll be in the top of the 17501-20000 bucket and my fees will only go up about $200/year.


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## CalifasGirl (Nov 14, 2011)

Lacardsfan said:


> Thanks for all the knowledge guys/gals....
> Here is another quick question: (I know I could look it up, but maybe someone can answer faster than it takes to look up, and in more simple terms)
> 
> 1. With Wyndham you can book with use year points and "borrow" from the next year. Dont use your use year you lose them. How does it work in WM? I see on ebay right now that some people get 6k a year but have "banked" 24k points??? That seems like a lot to be banked.


This is from my memory. Things could have changed. I haven't looked up the current rules. In WM, you bank up to 2 previous years in credits without losing them. Upon the 3rd year, it's possible to use 3 years of credits during your anniversary month before losing the old credits after the anniversary month passes. (Not sure if this is still applicable as many rules have changed.) You can also borrow a year ahead, possibly using 3-4 years of credits.

In your example, most likely the person didn't use the credits if s/he has a 6k account and banked 24k. Most likely, s/he banked the credits into a RCI account which preserves the credits for another 2 years. Therefore, if you have credits that you aren't using, you can bank them into an RCI account to give yourself another 2 years.

A 6k account with 24k banked sounds like 18k were banked with RCI (2 years previous plus current that rolled in) and the 6k borrowed for the future year. (Or only 12k banked with RCI and 12k that remain in the WM bank, current and future.)

I only had experience with banking two years when I first started using my newly bought WM account (many years ago). No one that I knew had time off to travel. No one I knew who did have the time off had money to travel. I traveled alone sometimes, but I preferred to have a companion. I ended up banking the points with RCI to keep them alive until I used them.

Eventually, I met a man who loved to travel as much as I did--now my husband--and I never banked points again. I am always borrowing points instead. I will be buying more WM points to add to my account in the future. I still look around and do some timeshare presentations, but I'm pretty happy with my WM purchase.


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## GregT (Nov 14, 2011)

mstoyanov said:


> Greg,
> 
> I know you are also Marriott and Starwood owner. Wyndham affiliates on St Tomas are way below Frenchman's Cove and Harborside and while exchanging in these properties is not very easy during peak times with Marriott priority in II and Staroptions in SVN you can get into either of these during the rest of the year.
> As for Waikiki - points requirements are huge and resort is way below Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is worth to own small Hilton timeshare just for HHV (and 57th street).
> Even gold Hilton week will give you cheaper MFs in better property than Wyndham in Waikiki.



I agree with your comments completely -- I really like Elysian Beach Resort in St. Thomas, but am realistic that the 7.6 rating in TUG is accurate.

I also really like HHV and was just there last month.  That is a terrific property (and a great use for my HGVC points!).   You are correct that Waikiki Beach Walk has a pricey points requirement, that doesn't make it a good value, but it is well located and is a good property to have in the system.

All the best,

Greg


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