# [2009] VRI-Resort & MROP Owners! Look Here Quick!



## Ddee555 (Feb 4, 2009)

This wasn't here yesterday!!!  The website is up for the VRI*ety internal exchange and it looks exciting!

http://www.vrietyexchange.com/Default.aspx

VRI is closed at the moment, otherwise, I would be creating an online account with a reservation agent now!

I'm going to deposit my MROP 2010 week tomorrow and start looking online right away!

Take care, everyone!


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## lawtechie (Feb 12, 2009)

Great.  Thanks for that.


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## rkconnor (Feb 14, 2009)

*It's not VRI's website.*

I went on the VRI site the other nite and reserved a room that I had been looking for and it applied a week that I had deposited with TPI.  I then went to TPI website and noticed room had been confirmed.  After further exploration I found that some how the TPI website is opening on the VRI site and they are in no way related.  I called both VRI and TPI and neither exchange knows why it is happening other than it is actually the TPI website that is opening on VRI and VRI still has no plans for their own site.


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## Ddee555 (Feb 14, 2009)

*MROP vs. VRI*

Hi rkconnor,

I think you might have called the MROP owner number and not the VRI owner number.  I have been told that MROP has no immediate plans for their own exchange website, but the internal exchange mechanism that was handled by ORE (who managed MROP before VRI), was sold to VRI.

Then, for the past year and a half, VRI has been promoting this new internal exchange VRI*ety, which debuted last week.  It is being handled by TPI, but it is definitely for VRI-resort owners, including MROP owners.

I hope that makes sense?  If you have questions, just ask.

Take care.


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## skisnow&water (Feb 17, 2009)

*Membership Activated for VRI's Exchange Site*

I called VRI today and was given a user name and password for their new exchange site. I just logged in, it shows my deposited week and many weeks available for exchange. Looks pretty nice!


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## Ddee555 (Feb 17, 2009)

*Great, skisnow&water*

Great, skisnow&water!   

Hopefully, you will find a week suitable for you and your family to exchange for.  I think the new exchange is off to a great start with its inventory.

Take care.


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## rkconnor (Feb 19, 2009)

Hi again.  I can find no difference between the TPI website and the VRI*ety site, they are identical.  So the fact that your VRI weeks are on it is great since, in my opinion, TPI is a much better service to work with. Thanks Ron Connor


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## Arb (Apr 4, 2009)

*Exchange Fee?*

I've been exploring the site, but I can't find how much the exchange fee is!


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## timeos2 (Apr 4, 2009)

Arb said:


> I've been exploring the site, but I can't find how much the exchange fee is!



$99 as I recall


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## skisnow&water (Jul 11, 2009)

*Pending request nuance with VRI*

I did think VRI was worth a try and have succesfully traded a 2010 Jackson Hole week 11 for Christmas week this year at The Villages at Loon. Loon was one of my two preferred trade locations so we are very happy with the trade and the $81 exchange fee although I understand that it has gone up to $109 So here's the nuance:
When I put my request in back in February I asked for a 12/26 check in date which is a Saturday this year. Christmas is on Friday. As of 7/10, nothing had come through so I decided to do an on-line search on VRI to see if there was someplace else we would use my deposited week for since I thought the trade was becoming less likely to execute. The Loon week (2 BR which is what I was asking for) was there on-line but with 12/25 check-in ..not 12/26 Apparently VRIety's software does NOT do the +/- 3 day check in date like Interval's so it never "matched" in the system. 
I was just lucky that I happened to search on my own and find it to confirm the week.
Everything worked out but I don't know that I would deposit with them again for two or three reasons.
1. Limited resort availability compared with depositing with II or RCI
2. The exact date match issue I noted above
3. The exchange fee that I originally thought was $0 for exchanging within VRIety is now $109 so it's very close to II's fee
I don't see any real benefit to using VRIety and it's an exchange system that is much less mature in terms of functionality compared to the others and has many fewer resorts to pick from.


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## ecwinch (Jul 11, 2009)

skisnow&water said:


> I did think VRI was worth a try and have succesfully traded a 2010 Jackson Hole week 11 for Christmas week this year at The Villages at Loon. Loon was one of my two preferred trade locations so we are very happy with the trade and the $81 exchange fee although I understand that it has gone up to $109 So here's the nuance:
> When I put my request in back in February I asked for a 12/26 check in date which is a Saturday this year. Christmas is on Friday. As of 7/10, nothing had come through so I decided to do an on-line search on VRI to see if there was someplace else we would use my deposited week for since I thought the trade was becoming less likely to execute. The Loon week (2 BR which is what I was asking for) was there on-line but with 12/25 check-in ..not 12/26 Apparently VRIety's software does NOT do the +/- 3 day check in date like Interval's so it never "matched" in the system.
> I was just lucky that I happened to search on my own and find it to confirm the week.
> Everything worked out but I don't know that I would deposit with them again for two or three reasons.
> ...



Thanks for making that through report. I was thinking about giving them a try also, and it is good to hear someone else's experience.


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## ran-ran (Dec 31, 2011)

*VRI*ety EXCHANGE OPTIONS*

Hi All,

I have been an owner of a VRI managed resort for a year now and I did not think much of using VRI*ety to do any exchanges until I just noticed that they have units at the Mayan Group Resorts. I did not know that VRI handles their management. Does anyone know how they are related?

As many of you know, RCI, in conjunction with the Mayan Group Resorts have a 1 in 5 rule to exclude RCI ex-changers from visiting the Mayan Group Resorts within 5 years. I looked on the VRI*ety site to see if they have such an exclusion but could not find one. Does anyone know from experience or knowledge if you have used RCI to trade into the Mayan Group Resort within the last 5 yeas if you would be excluded from trading into the Mayan Group Resorts using the VRI*ety system during that 5 year period?

Also, has anyone had any luck in exchanging a studio lock off for a 1 bedroom without upgrade fees or do they consider them the same?


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 31, 2011)

ran-ran said:


> As many of you know, RCI, in conjunction with the Mayan Group Resorts have a 1 in 5 rule to exclude RCI ex-changers from visiting the Mayan Group Resorts within 5 years. I looked on the VRI*ety site to see if they have such an exclusion but could not find one. Does anyone know from experience or knowledge if you have used RCI to trade into the Mayan Group Resort within the last 5 yeas if you would be excluded from trading into the Mayan Group Resorts using the VRI*ety system during that 5 year period?


I'm pretty sure that the 1-in-5 rule is specific to RCI exchanges.  While I haven't used VRI to exchange into Grupo Mayan properties, I (as well as many other TUGgers) have exchanged into the Mayan resorts through SFX without being subject to the 1-in-5 rule.  We have stayed at Grupo Mayan resorts in the Puerto Vallarta area three times in the last five years without problem via SFX.


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## gravityrules (Jan 7, 2012)

*Give VRI*ety a try!*

VRI*ety exchange is run for VRI by Trading Places International so it seems VRI*ety gets some inventory through that relationship.  I have exchanged into Stormy Point Village in Branson through VRI*ety and that is not a VRI managed or associated property.  I also see Worldmarks and Wyndhams in their drop-down lists.

VRI*ety generally operates on the 'like for like' principal so you may have a size upgrade fee.  The exchange fee is quite a bit lower than RCI so even adding an upgrade fee doesn't put you much past RCI's exchange fee alone.  I don't think the 1 in 5 RCI rule applies to VRI*ety (or any other exchange company outside of RCI).

I like VRI*ety and hope it continues to grow.  Hope you can get that Mayan!


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 7, 2012)

gravityrules said:


> VRI*ety exchange is run for VRI by Trading Places International so it seems VRI*ety gets some inventory through that relationship.  I have exchanged into Stormy Point Village in Branson through VRI*ety and that is not a VRI managed or associated property.  I also see Worldmarks and Wyndhams in their drop-down lists.



Though I haven't made specific tests to verify this, my impression is that everything that is in the TPI spacebank shows up in the VRI*ety spacebank.  But there is VRI*ety spacebank inventory that does not appear in the TPI system.  

I have done three trades so far through VRI*ety - just did my third yesterday.  Lower cost, and I love being able to split my week. I have found that VRI*ety is great for creating weekend getaways or filling in a few days on the front or back of another trip to be able to match up to lower air fares.


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## JudyS (Jan 7, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Though I haven't made specific tests to verify this, my impression is that everything that is in the TPI spacebank shows up in the VRI*ety spacebank.  But there is VRI*ety spacebank inventory that does not appear in the TPI system.


That is my impression, too: Everything that Trading Places has is also available in VRI*ety. However, VRI*ety has additional inventory that is not available via Trading Places. This additional inventory is generally at VRI-managed resorts, and some of it is quite desirable.

As for the Grupo Mayan question, I don't think there is any relationship between the VRI management company and Grupo Mayan. Trading Places gets a fair amount of Grupo Mayan inventory, and that inventory is available to VRI*ety members. I don't think any 1-in-4 type rule applies to any resorts booked with VRi*ety or Trading Places.



T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I have done three trades so far through VRI*ety - just did my third yesterday.  Lower cost, and I love being able to split my week. I have found that VRI*ety is great for creating weekend getaways or filling in a few days on the front or back of another trip to be able to match up to lower air fares.


I've done a batch of VRI*ety trades, but I haven't tried their split-week option. Back in the days before VRI bought out ORE, there was a split-week option for ORE owners, but it always seemed too complicated to me, with several fees involved. Steve, when you split your week with VRI*ety, do you just pay a second exchange fee, or are other fees involved? (I know that you can only get one weekend for each deposited week; the second exchange has to be for four weeknights.)


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 7, 2012)

JudyS said:


> That is my impression, too: Everything that Trading Places has is also available in VRI*ety. However, VRI*ety has additional inventory that is not available via Trading Places. This additional inventory is generally at VRI-managed resorts, and some of it is quite desirable.
> 
> As for the Grupo Mayan question, I don't think there is any relationship between the VRI management company and Grupo Mayan. Trading Places gets a fair amount of Grupo Mayan inventory, and that inventory is available to VRI*ety members. I don't think any 1-in-4 type rule applies to any resorts booked with VRi*ety or Trading Places.
> 
> I've done a batch of VRI*ety trades, but I haven't tried their split-week option. Back in the days before VRI bought out ORE, there was a split-week option for ORE owners, but it always seemed too complicated to me, with several fees involved. Steve, when you split your week with VRI*ety, do you just pay a second exchange fee, or are other fees involved? (I know that you can only get one weekend for each deposited week; the second exchange has to be for four weeknights.)


IIRC - when you make the first reservation you pay the exchange fee plus a splitting fee.  You don't pay anything extra for the second exchange fee because it's not a new new exchange; you're just using the unused portion of that previous exchange.


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