# Suggestions for Good Marriott Trader



## amy241 (Aug 1, 2017)

Can anyone tell me which Marriott resorts are amongst the strongest trading properties in the Marriott Vacation Club? We were initially considering another HGVC property but the destinations are more limited compared to Marriott locations. We live on the east coast and I feel that Marriott has more destinations that are easily reached by us including the Caribbean. Adding a Marriott property will offer up locations that can't be reached by HGVC.

I know Marriott trades in II and has the advance preference for trading with other Marriotts there. Can anyone tell me which Marriotts seem to have the best or strongest trade potential (assume a 2 bedroom platinum trade). While it does not have to be within driving distance for us, we would like to visit the home resort from time to time.

Thank you!


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## TXTortoise (Aug 1, 2017)

I'm sure someone with good trade experience will chime in, but you might find this useful. 

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/want-a-marriott-trader-please-help.236297/#post-1838466


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## amy241 (Aug 1, 2017)

TXTortoise said:


> I'm sure someone with good trade experience will chime in, but you might find this useful.
> 
> http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/want-a-marriott-trader-please-help.236297/#post-1838466



Thank you for the link. I was actually considering Lakeshore Reserve but was worried that since Orlando is overbuilt and there is an oversupply of hotel rooms and timeshares, that an Orlando property would not trade as well. I figured the same would hold true with Las Vegas and that units in areas with an oversupply would not fare as well for a trade. There were some interesting ideas discussed -- Grande Vista (also Orlando), Grand Chateau (Vegas) and some of the properties in the Palm Desert.


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## l0410z (Aug 1, 2017)

In 2015, I decided to add a trader to my portfolio.  After soliciting opinions, I decided on an EOY 2 Br at the Grand Chateau (all weeks are platinum).  It is just a trader because I have been to far to many conferences in Vegas over the years.    I purchased the Grand Chateau for a few reasons
1 - Marriott was not (and maybe still not) exercising Right of First Refusal so I picked up an inexpensive unit on Ebay. (1800 with closing costs included)
2 - MF's are not that bad.. 600 EOY
3 - I got good feedback that it traded well 
4 - If it didn't work out, minimal investment   

In year 1 of my ownership, I  deposited it into II as a 1 BR and Studio.  The 1 br I traded for a 2 bedroom at the Aruba Surf.  I leave in a few weeks.   The studio, I have seen Studios and 1 BR in just about all Marriott that have them.  If I could have travelled within 60 days, I could have gotten  HHI, St Kitts and St Thomas (all August).
I have a sense that the Chateau will be a good trader but I can't prove it yet.  If I was to do this again, I would have gotten an EOY 3 BR.  I still may.   

I have two summer HHI timeshares that I normally use or rent but the few times I traded (over my 25 year ownership of one of them), it trades very well.  I would not purchase HHI as a trader because they do not lock-off and you can pick up good traders for less money.


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## GregT (Aug 1, 2017)

To the OP, I wrote this a long time ago and I think the concept still applies.  Good luck with your search!

[2012] good resale recommendation needed for trade

Best,

Greg

Edited to add: I did end up buying two dedicated traders -- A Willow Ridge EOY that was basically free in 2013, and a Shadow Ridge Enclaves Deluxe in 2016 that I paid $4,000 for.  I always wanted a 3BR Grand Chateau but found the Shadow Ridge first.

If I could only keep one, I would keep the Shadow Ridge (because it was not easy to find and is very useful).  From a usage perspective, I leave the Willow intact as a 2BR for trade power, and break the Shadow Ridge into two 1BR deposits.  Good luck!


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## amy241 (Aug 1, 2017)

l0410z said:


> In 2015, I decided to add a trader to my portfolio.  After soliciting opinions, I decided on an EOY 2 Br at the Grand Chateau (all weeks are platinum).  It is just a trader because I have been to far to many conferences in Vegas over the years.    I purchased the Grand Chateau for a few reasons
> 1 - Marriott was not (and maybe still not) exercising Right of First Refusal so I picked up an inexpensive unit on Ebay. (1800 with closing costs included)
> 2 - MF's are not that bad.. 600 EOY
> 3 - I got good feedback that it traded well
> ...



Thank you for sharing your experience with Grand Chateau. That was one of the ideas suggested in another thread. And your point about non-lock off units is well taken.


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## amy241 (Aug 1, 2017)

GregT said:


> To the OP, I wrote this a long time ago and I think the concept still applies.  Good luck with your search!
> 
> [2012] good resale recommendation needed for trade
> 
> ...



That was an excellent analysis so thank you for the link. I may consider a 3 bedroom although I suspect you may be trading down on occasion unless you lock it all off and deposit it. Desert Springs Villa 1 is on the radar as a possibility. Your point about the predictability of getting a reservation, and the uncertainty with trades in II, is also well taken. I wish HGVC offered more locations than it does as I'm happy within that system. Just booked 2 weeks in Hawaii for next April and it was comforting to have a reservation instead of waiting endlessly.


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## bazzap (Aug 1, 2017)

l0410z said:


> In 2015, I decided to add a trader to my portfolio.  After soliciting opinions, I decided on an EOY 2 Br at the Grand Chateau (all weeks are platinum).  It is just a trader because I have been to far to many conferences in Vegas over the years.    I purchased the Grand Chateau for a few reasons
> 1 - Marriott was not (and maybe still not) exercising Right of First Refusal so I picked up an inexpensive unit on Ebay. (1800 with closing costs included)
> 2 - MF's are not that bad.. 600 EOY
> 3 - I got good feedback that it traded well
> ...


We have a very similar experience. 
We bought a Grand Chateau EOY 2 Bed Lock Off week almost 10 years ago now and have still to stay there.
It was a good initial price, even though we bought it Direct from MVC way back then. The MFs are reasonable and we have locked off every year to exchange it for 2 weeks through Interval to extend stays at another of our MVC "home" resorts.
It also has a reasonably good points allocation, so with Interval upgrade fees coming in we might consider electing it for points in future to secure earlier booking confirmation than with Interval.
On reflection, we too would probably have bought an EOY 3 Bed, but we are happy with what we have.


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## MOXJO7282 (Aug 1, 2017)

I'll throw my .02 in with  a Platinum Marriott Harbour Pointe.  _[Ad info deleted.]_  I know this is a good trader because I own the same week and I have gotten a Maui 2BDRM Feb 2017 outside of flex and July 6th GO for 2018 already.  I've also seen Newport and many other high-end Marriotts so II assigns a pretty good value to these for some reason.  The only downside is it is not a LO but if you love the Marriott HHI ocean resorts knowing what i know you can buy a HP and just trade in.

I don't think I'd consider an Orlando resort because they're very easy to trade into.


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## NiteMaire (Aug 1, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Thank you for sharing your experience with Grand Chateau. That was one of the ideas suggested in another thread. And your point about non-lock off units is well taken.



I had the same dilemma as you last year (Orlando or Vegas for trader).  I ended up purchasing a 3BR EOYE (LOs as 2BR and 1 BR) Grand Chateau for $2500. MFs are slightly above $900. I've been please with what I am able to see/exchange into with it. Haven't done an OGS so I can't shed any insight with this. I definitely see more Marriott's with better weeks with my Marriott than my non-Marriott.  Very happy.


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## pianodinosaur (Aug 2, 2017)

I am at the HGVC Elite plus level.   I purchased Marriott Valley Lodge summer season resale on eBay.  It has been an excellent trader.  MMVL is in about as good a location as it gets in Breckenridge and is a fine destination in its own right.   We have traded into The Royal Islander in Cancun, the Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta, Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg Virginia, Marriott's Summit Watch in Park City Utah, Marriott's Willowridge Lodge in Branson Missouri, and Marriott's Royal Palms in Orlando, Florida.  That is quite a bit of time sharing for a small purchase price.   Unfortunately, the MFs in Breckenridge are a bit on the high side.  The Mfs at MMC and MWL are lower but the initial cost might be greater. I think you will do much better in the resale market on eBay than direct from Marriott.


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## VacationForever (Aug 2, 2017)

nitemaire said:


> I had the same dilemma as you last year (Orlando or Vegas for trader).  I ended up purchasing a 3BR EOYE (LOs as 2BR and 1 BR) Grand Chateau for $2500. MFs are slightly above $900. I've been please with what I am able to see/exchange into with it. Haven't done an OGS so I can't shed any insight with this. I definitely see more Marriott's with better weeks with my Marriott than my non-Marriott.  Very happy.


The difference between Marriott vs. non-Marriott trader is primarily due to Marriott-Marriott priority trading period (22? days).  It is not an indication of whether that is a stronger Marriott trader as compared to a different Marriott trader.


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## Dean (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Can anyone tell me which Marriott resorts are amongst the strongest trading properties in the Marriott Vacation Club? We were initially considering another HGVC property but the destinations are more limited compared to Marriott locations. We live on the east coast and I feel that Marriott has more destinations that are easily reached by us including the Caribbean. Adding a Marriott property will offer up locations that can't be reached by HGVC.
> 
> I know Marriott trades in II and has the advance preference for trading with other Marriotts there. Can anyone tell me which Marriotts seem to have the best or strongest trade potential (assume a 2 bedroom platinum trade). While it does not have to be within driving distance for us, we would like to visit the home resort from time to time.
> 
> Thank you!


IMO it depends on whether you're trying to trade Marriott to Marriott or in general as well as to get access to more OR better places.  To judge true trade power you'd need to look at trading to non Marriott options.  II puts a lot of stock in resort quality somewhat independent of trade power so something with a high trade power still might not trade to X resort if the resort quality doesn't qualify (Harbour Pointe is a pretty good example of this on one end and GV/GC on the other).  In general there are good traders and good resorts to use (and some that are neither for a given person.  If you can find something that works well for you for both, that's often the best option even if it's not the perfect trading option.  But just looking at trading it depends on what you want to trade to.  Overall I like resorts that are highly rated with below average fees that can be locked off.  If one owns other Marriotts, I like a trader that can also be used for the 13 month reservation window.  If one is looking at converting to destination points, that is a consideration.  One Platinum is not necessarily the same as another.  Some Gold options will out trade some platinum options but in general, Platinum will trade better all else equal.  That said I tend to agree with the above info and think GV & GC are among the best options for many people, esp for a 2 BR or above. But sometimes you can get a resort that's not perfect but fits most options and is just a great deal, like legends edge Platinum for free.


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## NiteMaire (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> The difference between Marriott vs. non-Marriott trader is primarily due to Marriott-Marriott priority trading period (22? days).  It is not an indication of whether that is a stronger Marriott trader as compared to a different Marriott trader.


I agree that's the primary reason for seeing the additional Marriott units. I wasn't comparing to other Marriott resorts (since I own only one).  I realize it was slightly off topic based on OP's question.

My main reason for purchasing was to take advantage of the priority to trade into other Marriott resorts (primarily HHI) during better weeks...and Grand Chateau has proven useful for doing that.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

nitemaire said:


> I had the same dilemma as you last year (Orlando or Vegas for trader).  I ended up purchasing a 3BR EOYE (LOs as 2BR and 1 BR) Grand Chateau for $2500. MFs are slightly above $900. I've been please with what I am able to see/exchange into with it. Haven't done an OGS so I can't shed any insight with this. I definitely see more Marriott's with better weeks with my Marriott than my non-Marriott.  Very happy.



Thanks for sharing that, very encouraging to hear. Do you ever use the Vegas property or is it strictly a dedicated trader?


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

pianodinosaur said:


> I am at the HGVC Elite plus level.   I purchased Marriott Valley Lodge summer season resale on eBay.  It has been an excellent trader.  MMVL is in about as good a location as it gets in Breckenridge and is a fine destination in its own right.   We have traded into The Royal Islander in Cancun, the Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta, Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg Virginia, Marriott's Summit Watch in Park City Utah, Marriott's Willowridge Lodge in Branson Missouri, and Marriott's Royal Palms in Orlando, Florida.  That is quite a bit of time sharing for a small purchase price.   Unfortunately, the MFs in Breckenridge are a bit on the high side.  The Mfs at MMC and MWL are lower but the initial cost might be greater. I think you will do much better in the resale market on eBay than direct from Marriott.



I will have to check out MVL! It does sound like you got some nice trades out of it. Definitely buying resale.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> The difference between Marriott vs. non-Marriott trader is primarily due to Marriott-Marriott priority trading period (22? days).  It is not an indication of whether that is a stronger Marriott trader as compared to a different Marriott trader.



Good point of clarification and I did not realize this. So if you own Marriott and deposit in II, do you have access to any other Marriott deposits in that 22 day window? I had assumed some traded better than others, even within that window of priority.


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## NiteMaire (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Thanks for sharing that, very encouraging to hear. Do you ever use the Vegas property or is it strictly a dedicated trader?


I've stayed there for a business trip and was very impressed. Being an owner helped me get a room on a higher floor with a decent view. I traded my 2016 week (MBY for DW's birthday) so I haven't stayed for my use week.

We'll definitely use our week in the future. We'll use the 1BR primarily for NASCAR races (they go to LV twice a year now), and trade the 2BR (or vice versa if friends/family tag along)...and now with the Raiders move in the future, we'll have that option as well. It's a win for us since we'll both use and trade.

I picked LV over Orlando since Orlando has several Marriott resorts. In addition we've had several family trips to Orlando, but none to LV. We moved to FL earlier this year so I'm glad I went with Grand Chateau.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## VacationForever (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Good point of cTlarification and I did not realize this. So if you own Marriott and deposit in II, do you have access to any other Marriott deposits in that 22 day window? I had assumed some traded better than others, even within that window of priority.


That was what I had pointed out.  If you own a Marriott trader, it will see Marriott deposits in the first 22 days when Marriott deposits weeks into II.  How many Marriotts are seen has to do with the trading power of the Marriott.  I own 2 red weeks at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I and always lock off my deposits.  With the 1BR I have seen every reported Marriott week deposited into II.  With the studio it sees fewer Marriott deposits but it has since improved with II's upsize charge.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> That was what I had pointed out.  If you own a Marriott trader, it will see Marriott deposits in the first 22 days when Marriott deposits weeks into II.  How many Marriotts are seen has to do with the trading power of the Marriott.  I own 2 red weeks at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I and always lock off my deposits.  With the 1BR I have seen every reported Marriott weeks deposited into II.  With the studio it sees fewer Marriott deposits but it has since improved with II's upsize charge.



DSV1 was actually a property I was considering. I've read some posts on the property in various threads on TUG and it seems people really like it there. I hear the property is nicely maintained and that the units are larger. It's also nice to have access to the JW Marriott there. Is there a fee involved to use the hotel amenities if you own at DSV1?

I've never been to a desert so I think it would offer a vastly different experience than living in hot and humid subtropical FL.


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## VacationForever (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> DSV1 was actually a property I was considering. I've read some posts on the property in various threads on TUG and it seems people really like it there. I hear the property is nicely maintained and that the units are larger. It's also nice to have access to the JW Marriott there. Is there a fee involved to use the hotel amenities if you own at DSV1?
> 
> I've never been to a desert so I think it would offer a vastly different experience than living in hot and humid subtropical FL.



DSV I units are huge.  The 1BR is the most spacious of all Marriotts.  Even the studio is large and has a walk in shower in addition to a separate tub.  

The 1BR and studio do not have direct access to each other, which may not work for families travelling with little kids.  For us it is great because there is lots of privacy whichever unit we occupy. 

DSV I maintenance fees pay for JW Marriott access Monday to Friday.  Typically that means their spa, pool etc.  JW Marriott standalone spa building is very nice.  Other than fee based massages, facials etc, access to the spa is free (paid for by the Maintenance Fees).

Please note that DSV I maintenance fees are a bit higher than DSV II for the above reasons - larger units and access to JW Marriott Mon-Fri.

We love the Palm Desert area.  Just stay away in summer because it is really hot then.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> DSV I units are huge.  The 1BR is the most spacious of all Marriotts.  Even the studio is large and has a walk in shower in addition to a separate tub.
> 
> The 1BR and studio do not have direct access to each other, which may not work for families travelling with little kids.  For us it is great because there is lots of privacy whichever unit we occupy.
> 
> ...


 

I figured the platinum weeks would be the winter weeks there. Lol. Can you tell me if there are any hot springs in the area to visit and take a dip in?


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## VacationForever (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> I figured the platinum weeks would be the winter weeks there. Lol. Can you tell me if there are any hot springs in the area to visit and take a dip in?


Yes, very true with regards to red season (they call it red instead of platinum, go figure...).  However II usually has lots of cheap summer weeks in getaways where you pay maybe $400 for a week (not an exchange).  I have never gone to any hot springs in the area but you can google it. There are a ton of things to do in the Palm Springs/Desert area.  I think there is a recent thread on it in TUG.


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## Beachspace (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> DSV I units are huge.  The 1BR is the most spacious of all Marriotts.  Even the studio is large and has a walk in shower in addition to a separate tub.
> 
> The 1BR and studio do not have direct access to each other, which may not work for families travelling with little kids.  For us it is great because there is lots of privacy whichever unit we occupy.



What about a White Season DSV -1 as a trader? Not worth it? We probably wouldn't use it but you never know in 3-5 years. Seems like weeks 40-49 would be good to use? Halloween/Thanksgiving, etc.


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## jme (Aug 2, 2017)

The general consensus on TUG over the years (since the late '90s for me), and that includes the opinions of the handful of gurus whose wisdom I trust, suggests that a "dedicated trader" should be (but does not have to be) a lock-off for maximum flexibility now and later 
(as phases change in your life). Family vacations with younger kids usually come first, then kids grow up and leave, etc.....so as empty-nesters down the road you'll still be able to be creative with your trades whether children are still included or not. 

Some criteria to achieve best results: 

You want a high season week, Platinum preferred. 
You don't necessarily want THE absolute best trader, which would be Marriott Ocean Club, Aruba Surf Club, or Frenchman's Cove, etc, etc, 
because the initial cost is prohibitive, the maintenance fees are high, and that is overkill just for trading. 
You want a very good resort with good demand. 
You want a resort with mid-to-low maintenance fees. 
You want a week with a low initial purchase price (or "reasonable" as you might define it). 
A 3BR is probably better than a 2BR, but not absolutely critical. Weigh the different costs to see if the extra trade is worth it for you.
You might consider a resort that has a long Platinum season, increasing flexibility for many other non-trading situations along the way. 
(A short season is OK for just trading, but doesn't do a few things like booking consecutive weeks alongside another different week, then trading.)

After all is said and done, the resorts I have repeatedly heard recommended are Grand Chateau 3BR, Manor Club Sequel 2BR, 
and Harbour Point (not a lock-off, but it gets amazing trades and costs are low).  
There are others, everyone has a favorite, but these are always mentioned and still measure up. 

My personal favorite for your situation would be Grand Chateau 3BR.... higher initial cost is only drawback, which may have to be considered.

I have a Manor Club Sequel which does wonderful things for me. (Cost was $800, now probably cheaper, very reasonable mf, 
long platinum season, great trades). Harbour Point is next because of the very high demand for Hilton Head in summer.

My personal opinion---Orlando resorts like Grande Vista are popular, but Orlando is over-saturated, and so they remain down the list. 
Too easy a trade into, inconsistent trading out because many, many owners do it.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

jme said:


> The general consensus on TUG over the years (since the late '90s for me), and that includes the opinions of the handful of gurus whose wisdom I trust, suggests that a "dedicated trader" should be (but does not have to be) a lock-off for maximum flexibility now and later
> (as phases change in your life). Family vacations with younger kids usually come first, then kids grow up and leave, etc.....so as empty-nesters down the road you'll still be able to be creative with your trades whether children are still included or not.
> 
> Some criteria to achieve best results:
> ...




This is great advice with criteria for selection and some recommendations. Thank you! Do you happen to know if the South Carolina resort owners got hit with a special assessment for hurricane preparations recently. I caught wind of it somewhere and not can't remember where I had read that, it may have even been for HGVC resorts, not Marriotts. Wish I could remember where I saw that.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> Yes, very true with regards to red season (they call it red instead of platinum, go figure...).  However II usually has lots of cheap summer weeks in getaways where you pay maybe $400 for a week (not an exchange).  I have never gone to any hot springs in the area but you can google it. There are a ton of things to do in the Palm Springs/Desert area.  I think there is a recent thread on it in TUG.


 

I think we may try a week there in the future. The II AC has some properties, including DSV, available but the weeks fall in August. When I googled the average August temperatures for Palm Desert, it was hot, hot, hot . . .


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## jme (Aug 2, 2017)

amy241 said:


> This is great advice with criteria for selection and some recommendations. Thank you! Do you happen to know if the South Carolina resort owners got hit with a special assessment for hurricane preparations recently. I caught wind of it somewhere and not can't remember where I had read that, it may have even been for HGVC resorts, not Marriotts. Wish I could remember where I saw that.



SueDonJ would know better than me, and I think she has posted on this before. If we did at my resorts (Grande Ocean and Barony), it was negligible, but frankly I'm not sure if the slight increase was business as usual or because of any damage, or both.
Hopefully you already know that the resorts were not damaged much anyway, mostly cosmetic and clean-up related.


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## VacationForever (Aug 2, 2017)

Deleted


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## Quadmaniac (Aug 2, 2017)

jme said:


> Some criteria to achieve best results:
> 
> You want a high season week, Platinum preferred.
> You don't necessarily want THE absolute best trader, which would be Marriott Ocean Club, Aruba Surf Club, or Frenchman's Cove, etc, etc,
> ...



Well put, I was just typing the same when I had to take care of things and came back to the answer already done. 

I would suggest just focusing on a low cost Platinum 2 br L/O. I would avoid CA resorts - I used to own Shadow Ridge and I found other resorts with cheaper MF plus CA bills your for property taxes separately so in addition to the MF, you have to pay property tax. It was a pain in the butt and didn't make economic sense. Grand Chateau is a good option as the MF are fairly low. 

You might want to also look at Willow Ridge as it is the lowest and the prices have dropped so low on eBay, you can get it sometimes for next to nothing. You'll pay a bit more for Chateau, but if it does the same thing, why put in the extra money ? I thought about buying a GC unit as well as I go to Vegas all the time, but I can trade into a larger unit for a few bucks more than locking off the unit and using the small studio or a 1 br unit.

Most trades are fairly easy and I've had pretty consistent success trading into Maui and Oahu during spring break, Christmas and NY using my 1br and studio units. The key thing is frequency of searches. I don't search as much as I used to, but things pop up randomly all the time and the more you search the great the chance you will get it in conjunction with online request. I just placed a request for Ko Olina about a couple of weeks ago and it was filled just about the next day for one week and the other week I found in my searches about a day later. Worst case you can offer up the whole 2 br as a trade but I find that overkill thus far and I have only done it once as I had a 2br non lockoff to trade. 

I wouldn't discount FL units as they MF aren't bad and they trade just as well. For me, as I am just using it for trading, I'm going for the cheapest cost if I'm going to get the same benefit out of it. That's just my two cents on it.


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 2, 2017)

The very best trader is a waste because what it can get is generally not available. The DC for the most part killed that aspect of trading. The next best thing is value. A 3BR Marriott trades the best but to balance value, trading power, and availability you want something like a 3BR GV Platinum and book Ocean Pointe using the Florida Club. You might not get mid-Feb to Mar but you can get late Jan, early Mar, and early Feb. Those weeks are very powerful traders. Even those are probably overkill for what is available but buying a 3BR GV Platinum does not break the bank, so if you are after the best trader it is a decent plan.

The next step down is 3BR GV Gold or 2BR WR Platinum. Again in my opinion the GV Gold should cross book to Beach Place Towers or Ocean Pointe, but to be honest Grande Vista is not a bad trader on it's own.

If multiple trades are desired you can get 3 trades using a 3BR GV. You book the studio at GV, OP, or BP and then you book the 2BR at BP and you lock it off by calling. It is a double lock-off and you end up with one 1BR deposit and two Studio deposits. That goes against the idea of trading power but it is nice to know that one ownership week has the ability to either be a very powerful trader or the ability to book three exchanges with Marriott preference.


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## amy241 (Aug 2, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> The very best trader is a waste because what it can get is generally not available. The DC for the most part killed that aspect of trading. The next best thing is value. A 3BR Marriott trades the best but to balance value, trading power, and availability you want something like a 3BR GV Platinum and book Ocean Pointe using the Florida Club. You might not get mid-Feb to Mar but you can get late Jan, early Mar, and early Feb. Those weeks are very powerful traders. Even those are probably overkill for what is available but buying a 3BR GV Platinum does not break the bank, so if you are after the best trader it is a decent plan.
> 
> The next step down is 3BR GV Gold or 2BR WR Platinum. Again in my opinion the GV Gold should cross book to Beach Place Towers or Ocean Pointe, but to be honest Grande Vista is not a bad trader on it's own.
> 
> If multiple trades are desired you can get 3 trades using a 3BR GV. You book the studio at GV, OP, or BP and then you book the 2BR at BP and you lock it off by calling. It is a double lock-off and you end up with one 1BR deposit and two Studio deposits. That goes against the idea of trading power but it is nice to know that one ownership week has the ability to either be a very powerful trader or the ability to book three exchanges with Marriott preference.



Thank you, this is an excellent strategy as well. As a newbie, I just don't have this level of sophistication yet to know how it all works. I will definitely give this consideration. I need to learn more about how the Florida Club works. If you trade GV for a unit at a FC property, how do you then deposit the FC reservation in II?


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 3, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Thank you, this is an excellent strategy as well. As a newbie, I just don't have this level of sophistication yet to know how it all works. I will definitely give this consideration. I need to learn more about how the Florida Club works. If you trade GV for a unit at a FC property, how do you then deposit the FC reservation in II?



Using the FC is not a trade. It is a direct owner reservation. Within MVCI it is tagged as "sister resort" but it is a true owner reservation. 

The Florida Club is an actual resort code in II. Any FC eligible unit that is correctly added to an II account is under this code. When you try and deposit you have the selection of any of the five FC resorts. Once deposited it will change from FC to the actual resort.

I would say that most people do not use the FC because you have to wait until 6 months out to book online and the really high demand weeks will be long gone.


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## SueDonJ (Aug 3, 2017)

jme said:


> SueDonJ would know better than me, and I think she has posted on this before. If we did at my resorts (Grande Ocean and Barony), it was negligible, but frankly I'm not sure if the slight increase was business as usual or because of any damage, or both.
> Hopefully you already know that the resorts were not damaged much anyway, mostly cosmetic and clean-up related.



Yes, "Disaster Recovery" fees were assessed at most if not all of the HHI resorts following Hurricane Matthew.  Scroll down to the links in the first post of the 2017 Maintenance Fees sticky thread to find the dollar amount at each resort.


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## Dean (Aug 3, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> The very best trader is a waste because what it can get is generally not available. The DC for the most part killed that aspect of trading. The next best thing is value. A 3BR Marriott trades the best but to balance value, trading power, and availability you want something like a 3BR GV Platinum and book Ocean Pointe using the Florida Club. You might not get mid-Feb to Mar but you can get late Jan, early Mar, and early Feb. Those weeks are very powerful traders. Even those are probably overkill for what is available but buying a 3BR GV Platinum does not break the bank, so if you are after the best trader it is a decent plan.
> 
> The next step down is 3BR GV Gold or 2BR WR Platinum. Again in my opinion the GV Gold should cross book to Beach Place Towers or Ocean Pointe, but to be honest Grande Vista is not a bad trader on it's own.
> 
> If multiple trades are desired you can get 3 trades using a 3BR GV. You book the studio at GV, OP, or BP and then you book the 2BR at BP and you lock it off by calling. It is a double lock-off and you end up with one 1BR deposit and two Studio deposits. That goes against the idea of trading power but it is nice to know that one ownership week has the ability to either be a very powerful trader or the ability to book three exchanges with Marriott preference.


I own 2 Willow Ridge Platinum weeks and a Legend's Edge Platinum.  Clearly LE trades better even for the best weeks for both but it is not a lockoff though it is a Florida Club option.


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 3, 2017)

Dean said:


> I own 2 Willow Ridge Platinum weeks and a Legend's Edge Platinum.  Clearly LE trades better even for the best weeks for both but it is not a lockoff though it is a Florida Club option.



The only reason WR is touted as a Marriott trader is because it has the lowest fees of any Marriott on the planet, is lock-off capable, and is dirt cheap to buy. It is not for the high trading power but the summer weeks trade plenty well enough for most desires.

LE is also very cheap to buy but like you said it is no lock-off capable except for the FC, and the maintenance fees are not that low.


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## Dean (Aug 3, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> The only reason WR is touted as a Marriott trader is because it has the lowest fees of any Marriott on the planet, is lock-off capable, and is dirt cheap to buy. It is not for the high trading power but the summer weeks trade plenty well enough for most desires.
> 
> LE is also very cheap to buy but like you said it is no lock-off capable except for the FC, and the maintenance fees are not that low.


Thanks, that's the way I see it but your previous post seemed to suggest it traded better than I think it does.  The dues are not as cheap as they used to be though and have probably increased faster than many.


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## pchung6 (Aug 3, 2017)

I originally bought an Gold season EOY WR for $800 as trader.  Based on my limited experience, I was able to lock off 1 bed and studio and received really good trades in last 2 years, but I didn't get the best floor nor building.

studio to August 3br Frenchman Cove (received highest floor and stunning view)
1 bed room to April 2 br Ko Olina (2nd floor garage view)
studio to October 1 bed Ko Olina (12th floor partial oceanview)
1 bed room to July 1 br Ko Olina (6th floor golf course view)

This year, I just sold this Gold EOY WR and purchased an Ko Olina oceanview unit because I like to receive owner treatment of higher floor and best view, which you usually don't get from exchange.  I'm considering picking up another Platinum season EOY WR as trader now just for other marriott resorts I care less about view.


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## VacationForever (Aug 3, 2017)

pchung6, this is interesting.  We have nothing but the best trader views and we have zero complaints.. With our DSV I Red weeks, we lock off into 1BR and studio.  In June of 2015, we used a studio and 1BR to book 2 weeks back to back 2BR non-lockoff weeks at MKO for Dec 2015.  They were matched through OGS.  We were assigned 5th or 6th floor ocean view at Na'ia, where we could see the pool, lagoon and ocean.  Then last year, there were 3BR MKO sights for Feb and March of 2017.  I went ahead and used 2 1BRs to exchange with 2 back to back weeks for the 3BR units using instant exchange.  We were assigned 8th floor ocean view in Moana.  While that building is set further back than Na'ia, we have no complaints.  I do not know if it mattered that we own 2 Marriott weeks and also Gold Elite (which means nothing really...).


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## pchung6 (Aug 3, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> pchung6, this is interesting.  We have nothing but the best trader views and we have zero complaints.. With our DSV I Red weeks, we lock off into 1BR and studio.  In June of 2015, we used a studio and 1BR to book 2 weeks back to back 2BR non-lockoff weeks at MKO for Dec 2015.  They were matched through OGS.  We were assigned 5th or 6th floor ocean view at Na'ia, where we could see the pool, lagoon and ocean.  Then last year, there were 3BR MKO sights for Feb and March of 2017.  I went ahead and used 2 1BRs to exchange with 2 back to back weeks for the 3BR units using instant exchange.  We were assigned 8th floor ocean view in Moana.  While that building is set further back than Na'ia, we have no complaints.  I do not know if it mattered that we own 2 Marriott weeks and also Gold Elite (which means nothing really...).



When we traded to MKO, I received 2 island view and 1 oceanview exchanges back.  We were assigned to the exact room views coded from the exchanges.  Since these dates matched what we wanted, we did not try to eplus these exchanges (we saved $54 each time). I owned only 1 week that time but was also Gold Elite member.

We will be going back to MKO for the first time later this year under owner's reservation following with another week exchange stay in Westin Nanea and I already asked for higher floor and Kona building.  I will let you know how this will turn out.


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## VacationForever (Aug 4, 2017)

pchung6 said:


> When we traded to MKO, I received 2 island view and 1 oceanview exchanges back.  We were assigned to the exact room views coded from the exchanges.  Since these dates matched what we wanted, we did not try to eplus these exchanges (we saved $54 each time). I owned only 1 week that time but was also Gold Elite member.
> 
> We will be going back to MKO for the first time later this year under owner's reservation following with another week exchange stay in Westin Nanea and I already asked for higher floor and Kona building.  I will let you know how this will turn out.



The 2BR back to back weeks, one was ocean and one was island view.  But we requested at check in to not move us as we had requested in email to keep us in the same room.  The guest services (front desk) commented that since we were Marriott owners + gold elite, he checked with his manager and confirmed the following day that we would not be moved.  It was a bit of mix up on this as one week was in my name and the other in my husband's.  II randomly put in one name each in the confirmation.  I should have changed his name to mine with a (free) guest certificate.  The guest services said that the request to not move us did not come through because they were in different names.

I would typically throw back an island view week with 24 hours if we are matched for the first week to try again.  But with a second week, we don't want to go through the hassle of not grabbing a second week or sit and watch for an ePlus.  ePlus also does not allow one to cancel within 24 hours.


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## Dean (Aug 4, 2017)

pchung6 said:


> I originally bought an Gold season EOY WR for $800 as trader.  Based on my limited experience, I was able to lock off 1 bed and studio and received really good trades in last 2 years, but I didn't get the best floor nor building.
> 
> studio to August 3br Frenchman Cove (received highest floor and stunning view)
> 1 bed room to April 2 br Ko Olina (2nd floor garage view)
> ...


I think I've always gotten what I was looking for with my WR Platinum but I understand the system, I plan ahead and I'm realistic.  Not that I've purposefully run side by side searches but it seems whenever I'm searching for the same or similar options, my LE matches first.  And it seems I have less need for smaller unit searches than I use to.  As for villa assignments, I'm knowledgeable and realistic there as well but I see indications this has changed in a negative way the last year or so, esp at Ko Olina, we'll see if it plays out to be reality.  Ko Olina and Surf Club are the 2 properties I deal with the most from a Marriott exchange standpoint but I deal with a numbers of others using Destination points which should be the same assignment priority (at least in their eyes, not so much in mine).


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## taterhed (Aug 4, 2017)

Great thread.

I'd agree with many many points above.  I think any cheap, low MF, lock-off Marriott makes a great trader.  If you desire to buy a unit you MIGHT visit sometime (near your home or prime vaca spot for you) then considering the resort location is a factor.  If not (I have no plans to visit Orlando until I have Gndkids) then seems like any cheap etc... Marriott is a good one.  No ROFR is a bonus, 3br is a bonus, 1br+1br (or 2br+1br) is a bonus etc...   I would certainly discount the thought of buying a Florida Marriott for a trader; great trade power, Florida club etc....  The overbuilt argument only applies if you intend to rent or occupy the unit.    IMHO.

I wouldn't overthink it too much....  If a good deal (low ROFR etc...) jumps up and smacks you on the head, I'd buy it.  There are some really good options for buying a fire-sale Marriott without ROFR, with reservations available and maybe even  an incentive from the seller to sweeten the deal. Plus, Marriott prices seem on the 'low' side right now. 

Free advice, worth what you pay for it.  Nada.


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## Beachspace (Aug 4, 2017)

We just bought a 3 Bed Grand Vista Gold for trading purposes. We live in S. Florida and do visit Grand Vista/Harbour Lake every year since our family lives there. Sometimes we even go twice. We often use Friends & Family rates but that won't last forever.

We paid $1500+ closing off of Red Week (just passed ROFR yesterday). No usage in 2018 so the owner is reimbursing us the MF + 3% (in case of an increase) to pay our MF in January. 

Our plan is to do lock-offs and trade, using II short stays that I read about. We don't like to do 7 days at this time so if we can get multiple 3-5 night stays out of 1 $1600 week (MF), then  we're coming out way ahead. 

We bid $100 for a 2 bed platinum Harbour Lake and waiting to see the ROFR. We did the same for a gold week a few weeks prior with free 2017 usage (probably pushed the envelope) and Marriott exercised their ROFR. 

As our child gets older, having the 3 bed will be a good option for us later in life. From what I read on line and prices I've researched, I have never seen a 3 BR priced this low so I had to jump on it. They were asking $2k+ closing so I got the price down $500 as well. Very excited on this one and hope we get the Harbour lake one for us to use each year.

Now I'm looking to snap up a cheap DSV after what I read on here, hopefully get a cheap 1 bedroom HGVC South Beach (I'm a Realtor in Miami and can rent that out for top dollar each year) and one day get my Oceana Palms or Crystal Shores (under $4k) and we'll be all set!


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## Fasttr (Aug 4, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> We just bought a 3 Bed Grand Vista Gold for trading purposes.


Congrats!!!  Looks like its time to update your "Resorts Owned" in your user profile.  ;-)


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## taterhed (Aug 4, 2017)

Awesome.  Enjoy.  Great trading power. 

you'll love it


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## brianfox (Aug 4, 2017)

Boy, reading that OP bought back a lot of memories when I was digging into TUG to learn as much as I could.
That was about 9 years ago.

After buying "powerful weeks" and getting only a few successful trades, I wound up selling them and taking the advice of the sages at TUG: PURCHASE AT WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY.  I wish I had originally done that.


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## amy241 (Aug 4, 2017)

Ideally, if I bought where I wanted to stay, I would buy Marriott Ko Olina. But I have read posts in other threads that have suggested Hawaii does not make sense as a trader because the MFs are typically much higher than other locations along with a higher purchase price. I read one post that quipped it would be like trading a Mercedes for a Chevy. While we would use it from time to time, I'm not certain it would be yearly since we live on the east coast. (I wonder how many east coast TUGGERS own Hawaii in this forum? Always interesting to see where everyone is located and the the resorts they own.) So I would likely be trading it and I'm not sure this is the best plan. But if I could buy where I wanted to stay, it would be MKO. I'm trying to rationalize this as a purchase but I'm not convinced it's a good move. It makes me wish I lived on the west coast.


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## VacationForever (Aug 4, 2017)

Amy, if we were to do it all over again, we would buy an every other year ocean view MKO as well, and an annual DSV1.  We end up trading one of the DSV1 for Marriott Reward Points for most years because we have too many timeshare weeks.  We have contacted the Marriott resales on our intention to sell 1 week through them.  We do return to Marriott Desert Springs and either Westin Mission Hills or Westin Desert Willow every year for several weeks for golf during the cold season. We also unloaded several Vistana weeks, also due to owning too many.  We love our Worldmark for West Coast summer getaway.  We also added cruising to our travel and we cruise every year, and there is only so much time that we want to be away from our pets.


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## pchung6 (Aug 4, 2017)

brianfox said:


> Boy, reading that OP bought back a lot of memories when I was digging into TUG to learn as much as I could.
> That was about 9 years ago.
> 
> After buying "powerful weeks" and getting only a few successful trades, I wound up selling them and taking the advice of the sages at TUG: PURCHASE AT WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY.  I wish I had originally done that.



That's exactly why I decided to buy MKO ocean view. Yes, it is expensive, yes HOA is high. But at least I know they won't put me in 2nd floor facing dumpster anymore. I probably can save few hundred bucks if I still do Interval trade, but I'm just don't want to deal with the hassle. My work is stressing me out enough, now with owning MKO, I can reserve 12-13 months ahead after I buy another trader week. 

My strategy is to use studio to trade for 2nd week and ask them not to move us from the owner 1st week. Again, we only need 1 bedroom and I don't like to take away 2-3 bedroom if 1 bed is available.


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## NiteMaire (Aug 4, 2017)

brianfox said:


> After buying "powerful weeks" and getting only a few successful trades, I wound up selling them and taking the advice of the sages at TUG: PURCHASE AT WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY.  I wish I had originally done that.



It depends. I currently own 3 weeks (6 if you include LO). I've always traded my timeshares (purchased 1st one in 2003) and have been extremely happy. Purchased  each with intent to trade (although I will both trade and use MGC).



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## amy241 (Aug 4, 2017)

pchung6 said:


> That's exactly why I decided to buy MKO ocean view. Yes, it is expensive, yes HOA is high. But at least I know they won't put me in 2nd floor facing dumpster anymore. I probably can save few hundred bucks if I still do Interval trade, but I'm just don't want to deal with the hassle. My work is stressing me out enough, now with owning MKO, I can reserve 12-13 months ahead after I buy another trader week.
> 
> My strategy is to use studio to trade for 2nd week and ask them not to move us from the owner 1st week. Again, we only need 1 bedroom and I don't like to take away 2-3 bedroom if 1 bed is available.



We are in the same position -- we really need only 1 bedroom -- so it would be nice to use the studio for a second week. Is that always an option or only if Marriott has lock off privileges available?


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## amy241 (Aug 4, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> Amy, if we were to do it all over again, we would buy an every other year ocean view MKO as well, and an annual DSV1.  We end up trading one of the DSV1 for Marriott Reward Points for most years because we have too many timeshare weeks.  We have contacted the Marriott resales on our intention to sell 1 week through them.  We do return to Marriott Desert Springs and either Westin Mission Hills or Westin Desert Willow every year for several weeks for golf during the cold season. We also unloaded several Vistana weeks, also due to owning too many.  We love our Worldmark for West Coast summer getaway.  We also added cruising to our travel and we cruise every year, and there is only so much time that we want to be away from our pets.



We do a lot of cruising too since we are in FL. With several cats at home, I hear you about not being able to be away from pets for a long time.  I have DSV1 on the radar too as a possibility. You must really like the area if you return for golf yearly.


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## VacationForever (Aug 4, 2017)

amy241 said:


> We do a lot of cruising too since we are in FL. With several cats at home, I hear you about not being able to be away from pets for a long time.  I have DSV1 on the radar too as a possibility. You must really like the area if you return for golf yearly.



Yes, we have cats too and our cat sitter comes everyday but it is not the same.  They need our company and we worry about them when we are away.

We do like the Palm Desert area but it is also far for you.  I do think you may want to look for a strong trader closer to you or possibly an every other year ocean view MKO.  I envy those who live in Florida.  The cruise prices drop alot after final payment - to sell the last cabins and we would be in cruise heaven if we live in Florida.  But then there are the cats...  cannot bear to leave them alone too often.


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## frank808 (Aug 5, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> Yes, we have cats too and our cat sitter comes everyday but it is not the same.  They need our company and we worry about them when we are away.
> 
> We do like the Palm Desert area but it is also far for you.  I do think you may want to look for a strong trader closer to you or possibly an every other year ocean view MKO.  I envy those who live in Florida.  The cruise prices drop alot after final payment - to sell the last cabins and we would be in cruise heaven if we live in Florida.  But then there are the cats...  cannot bear to leave them alone too often.


We would love to be local floridians.  We have to fly from hawaii tonget our cruises fix.  But that also means we won't  be able to stay at mko as much.  Such hard first world choices  

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk


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## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

frank808 said:


> We would love to be local floridians.  We have to fly from hawaii tonget our cruises fix.  But that also means we won't  be able to stay at mko as much.  Such hard first world choices
> 
> Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk


First world problems.


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## Dean (Aug 5, 2017)

brianfox said:


> Boy, reading that OP bought back a lot of memories when I was digging into TUG to learn as much as I could.
> That was about 9 years ago.
> 
> After buying "powerful weeks" and getting only a few successful trades, I wound up selling them and taking the advice of the sages at TUG: PURCHASE AT WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY.  I wish I had originally done that.


Hence my view there are resorts/seasons to own and those to trade with relatively little crossover.  If one can do sufficient volume, owning both together is often best, esp if the traders also facilitate securing the reservation of the weeks one only uses.  



amy241 said:


> Ideally, if I bought where I wanted to stay, I would buy Marriott Ko Olina. But I have read posts in other threads that have suggested Hawaii does not make sense as a trader because the MFs are typically much higher than other locations along with a higher purchase price. I read one post that quipped it would be like trading a Mercedes for a Chevy. While we would use it from time to time, I'm not certain it would be yearly since we live on the east coast. (I wonder how many east coast TUGGERS own Hawaii in this forum? Always interesting to see where everyone is located and the the resorts they own.) So I would likely be trading it and I'm not sure this is the best plan. But if I could buy where I wanted to stay, it would be MKO. I'm trying to rationalize this as a purchase but I'm not convinced it's a good move. It makes me wish I lived on the west coast.


HI and Aruba are tough because of the air and fees.  If I were going to one or the other EOY or more, I'd own there to use as in this discussion but I'd still likely trade in at least part of the time, esp if I also had a Marriott trading unit.  In part it depends on how flexible one is as to resort, location, week and lead time.


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## brianfox (Aug 8, 2017)

Five Marriott HI weeks here ($10K per year in MF!!)...  We know full well that just about any trade we did would be losing money, unless maybe we could trade into Disney, Harborside, or St. John.

However, we also know we can rent these weeks for $12K-$15K very easily.  So we would no doubt rent elsewhere rather than exchange if we wanted to skip Hawaii.
We are also under no illusion that this is a guaranteed money-maker; special assessment, hurricane, tsunami, or a crazy guy in North Korea could wreak havoc...


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## LynnaeK (Aug 11, 2017)

Has anyone recently purchased a Grand Chateau 3 bedroom?  If so, what was the price and where did you find the listing?  Thanks!


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## Hankmoon (Aug 12, 2017)

l0410z said:


> In 2015, I decided to add a trader to my portfolio.  After soliciting opinions, I decided on an EOY 2 Br at the Grand Chateau (all weeks are platinum).  It is just a trader because I have been to far to many conferences in Vegas over the years.    I purchased the Grand Chateau for a few reasons
> 1 - Marriott was not (and maybe still not) exercising Right of First Refusal so I picked up an inexpensive unit on Ebay. (1800 with closing costs included)
> 2 - MF's are not that bad.. 600 EOY
> 3 - I got good feedback that it traded well
> ...


I am a newbie. What does it mean when you say Marriott is not exercising Right of First Refusal? Does this mean they are allowing resales? Is this good or bad?


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## brianfox (Aug 18, 2017)

Hankmoon said:


> I am a newbie. What does it mean when you say Marriott is not exercising Right of First Refusal? Does this mean they are allowing resales? Is this good or bad?



Go HERE


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## NiteMaire (Aug 18, 2017)

LynnaeK said:


> Has anyone recently purchased a Grand Chateau 3 bedroom?  If so, what was the price and where did you find the listing?  Thanks!


I purchased one in July of last year. 3BR EOYE, $2500, www.redweek.com 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## ChazMan (Sep 3, 2017)

Hello all, I own a Marriott Grande Vista 3BR Gold and am looking to pick up another 3BR Gold/Platinum from RedWeek.  Are ALL 3BR at the MGV lock-off units?  If not, how can I tell if the listings on RedWeek are for lock-off units or not?  We purchased 15+ years ago and I don't recall the specifics regarding lock-off features on the 2BR or 3BR units.  Also, based on feedback from this amazing board, now considering 2BR at Willow Ridge - again, are all 2BR lock-offs or do I need to be careful about what I buy for purpose of lock-off?   TIA!


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## 1st Class (Sep 3, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> Hello all, I own a Marriott Grande Vista 3BR Gold and am looking to pick up another 3BR Gold/Platinum from RedWeek.  Are ALL 3BR at the MGV lock-off units?  If not, how can I tell if the listings on RedWeek are for lock-off units or not?  We purchased 15+ years ago and I don't recall the specifics regarding lock-off features on the 2BR or 3BR units.  Also, based on feedback from this amazing board, now considering 2BR at Willow Ridge - again, are all 2BR lock-offs or do I need to be careful about what I buy for purpose of lock-off?   TIA!



All floating weeks are lock-off capable, but at resorts that offer dedicated units, locking off is first come, first served.


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## hangloose (Sep 3, 2017)

At Grande Vista, all deeded 2BR weeks can be reserved with or without a lock-off I believe. As such, what shows on the actual deed I think is a moot point.  I think all 3BR may be lock-offs, as I don't think their is a dedicated single entry 3BR (not positive though).

The only thing to think about for Grande Vista resale weeks is whether the week you are purchasing has access to the Florida Club. Some do, some don't.  This option is based on the deeded week.  This may also be unimportant, if you never plan to use the MVC Florida Club option.


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## SueDonJ (Sep 3, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> Hello all, I own a Marriott Grande Vista 3BR Gold and am looking to pick up another 3BR Gold/Platinum from RedWeek.  Are ALL 3BR at the MGV lock-off units?  If not, how can I tell if the listings on RedWeek are for lock-off units or not?  We purchased 15+ years ago and I don't recall the specifics regarding lock-off features on the 2BR or 3BR units.  Also, based on feedback from this amazing board, now considering 2BR at Willow Ridge - again, are all 2BR lock-offs or do I need to be careful about what I buy for purpose of lock-off?   TIA!



At both Grande Vista and Willow Ridge there are a mix of dedicated and lock-off units but it doesn't matter for purposes of buying resales because all Weeks owners have the option of booking either, subject to availability at the time of request and on a first-come-first-served basis.  If you know as soon as the Reservation Window opens for a desired stay which type of unit you want, request it then.  If you don't know, or want to change a previous request, contact Owner Services as far in advance of check-in as possible.

Some re-sellers put a premium on the price of their Weeks by advertising the incorrect notion that unless the deed contains the number of a unit that's lock-off capable, the buyer won't be able to reserve lock-off components.  The reality is that the unit number in a deed only serves to confirm the unit size and view type (if there are variances at the resort) - buyers of floating Weeks don't purchase guarantees of either being placed in that specific unit or of being assigned to a lock-off unit for every stay.  Whether it's worth arguing with re-sellers over these realities is debatable, but I'd probably not deal with a buyer who's put a premium on lock-off capability.


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## Fasttr (Sep 3, 2017)

SueDonJ said:


> .....but I'd probably not deal with a [seller] who's put a premium on lock-off capability.


Unless of course, you buy the discounted non-lock-off unit from such a seller at a great price because they under value it.


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## ChazMan (Sep 3, 2017)

SueDonJ said:


> At both Grande Vista and Willow Ridge there are a mix of dedicated and lock-off units but it doesn't matter for purposes of buying resales because all Weeks owners have the option of booking either, subject to availability at the time of request and on a first-come-first-served basis.  If you know as soon as the Reservation Window opens for a desired stay which type of unit you want, request it then.  If you don't know, or want to change a previous request, contact Owner Services as far in advance of check-in as possible.
> 
> Some re-sellers put a premium on the price of their Weeks by advertising the incorrect notion that unless the deed contains the number of a unit that's lock-off capable, the buyer won't be able to reserve lock-off components.  The reality is that the unit number in a deed only serves to confirm the unit size and view type (if there are variances at the resort) - buyers of floating Weeks don't purchase guarantees of either being placed in that specific unit or of being assigned to a lock-off unit for every stay.  Whether it's worth arguing with re-sellers over these realities is debatable, but I'd probably not deal with a buyer who's put a premium on lock-off capability.



Thank you so much for the awesome information!  You'd think I'd know all of this by now - but surprisingly I've never used my entire 3BR at once - I've always locked-off and got 2 weeks for 1, so to speak.   I just learned, through this wonderful board, that I can actually do a 3-1 split with my MGV 3BR, utlizing MFC.  After 15 years - still better late than never.   Thank you again.


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## kds4 (Sep 4, 2017)

amy241 said:


> Can anyone tell me which Marriott resorts are amongst the strongest trading properties in the Marriott Vacation Club? We were initially considering another HGVC property but the destinations are more limited compared to Marriott locations. We live on the east coast and I feel that Marriott has more destinations that are easily reached by us including the Caribbean. Adding a Marriott property will offer up locations that can't be reached by HGVC.
> 
> I know Marriott trades in II and has the advance preference for trading with other Marriotts there. Can anyone tell me which Marriotts seem to have the best or strongest trade potential (assume a 2 bedroom platinum trade). While it does not have to be within driving distance for us, we would like to visit the home resort from time to time.
> 
> Thank you!


From a straight cost (purchase/MFs) versus benefit (locking-off/trading power) perspective, I would say among East Coast MVCI properties that 3BR Platinum Marriott Grande Vista units are among the strongest traders (in my experience).


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## taterhed (Sep 4, 2017)

And, don't let them fool you; there are good weeks available at the 6 month point for FC.  It's always a crap shoot of course, but I booked a spring break studio at 6 months at Beachplace towers (I think it was).  Great deposit or use or rental.


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## ChazMan (Sep 4, 2017)

Hi all, doing my DD on purchasing a trader unit at one of the Marriott Florida Club locations when I came across a statement noting that Florida Club option does not automatically transfer upon resale.   When I bought my MGV unit, directly from Marriott, the MFC option was included with my unit.  Is there any way I can tell if a resale unit does or doesn't include MFC (or do none of them include it?) or is it possible to enroll in MFC after purchasing a resale unit, without restriction?  Or would Marriott not allow MFC enrollment due to it being purchased resale?  Thanks for the help!


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## GM600 (Sep 4, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> Hi all, doing my DD on purchasing a trader unit at one of the Marriott Florida Club locations when I came across a statement noting that Florida Club option does not automatically transfer upon resale.   When I bought my MGV unit, directly from Marriott, the MFC option was included with my unit.  Is there any way I can tell if a resale unit does or doesn't include MFC (or do none of them include it?) or is it possible to enroll in MFC after purchasing a resale unit, without restriction?  Or would Marriott not allow MFC enrollment due to it being purchased resale?  Thanks for the help!


The Florida Club transfers with the unit. See Dioxide's info on the Florida Club here


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## ChazMan (Sep 4, 2017)

GM600 said:


> The Florida Club transfers with the unit. See Dioxide's info on the Florida Club here



Thank you - that is terrific info.  Any recommendations as to how best to verify if the resale week has the Florida Club 'attached', other than simply asking the current owner?  I'm not sure how one can determine if the resale unit is an ineligible Bldg and Villa #, as described in Dioxide's document.


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## GM600 (Sep 5, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> Thank you - that is terrific info.  Any recommendations as to how best to verify if the resale week has the Florida Club 'attached', other than simply asking the current owner?  I'm not sure how one can determine if the resale unit is an ineligible Bldg and Villa #, as described in Dioxide's document.


Most listings will have the unit number posted. I'm in the process of buying a 3 BR platinum at Grande Vista. Just make sure that it's one of the conditions in the sales contract that the unit is part of the Florida Club. You should see that verification on the estoppel from Marriott. If it ends up not being in the FC then you could always cancel the deal. Also the MF will be slightly higher for the unit then one that is not in the FC, since there's an extra fee ($25-$30 I think) for the FC.


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## ChazMan (Sep 5, 2017)

GM600 said:


> Most listings will have the unit number posted. I'm in the process of buying a 3 BR platinum at Grande Vista. Just make sure that it's one of the conditions in the sales contract that the unit is part of the Florida Club. You should see that verification on the estoppel from Marriott. If it ends up not being in the FC then you could always cancel the deal. Also the MF will be slightly higher for the unit then one that is not in the FC, since there's an extra fee ($25-$30 I think) for the FC.



Thank you!  Best of luck on the 3BR Platinum purchase!


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 6, 2017)

It is either FC or it is not. You can't add or drop the FC. The only FC resort with units not in the FC is Grande Vista and it is a minority of units.

These are the GV units *NOT* in the FC:

_Bldg 80, Villa Numbers: *0202, 0203, 0206, 0207, 0209, 0212, 0213, 0216, 0217, 0302, 0303, 0306, 0307, 0309, 
0312, 0313, 0316, 0317, 0402, 0403, 0405, 0408, and 0409 *

Bldg 81, Villa Numbers: *1101, 1103, 1105, 1107, 1109, 1111, 1201, 1203, 1205, 1207, 1109, 1211, 1301, 1303, 
1305, 1307, 1309, 1311, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1406, 1408, and 1410 *

Bldg 94, Villa Numbers: *4120, 4121, 4124, 4125, 4128, 4129, 4220, 4221, 4224, 4225, 4228, 4229, 4320, 4321, 
4324, 4325, 4328, 4329, 4420, 4421, 4424, 4425, 4428, 4429, 4520, 4521, 4524, 4525, 4528, and 4529*
_
All you have to do is look at your unit number that you are purchasing. If it is not listed above then it is part of the FC.


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## ChazMan (Sep 7, 2017)

Thanks, Saints Fan!  I'll keep an eye out for this - I presume that the Bldg and Villa would be on the estoppel letter.


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## icydog (Sep 7, 2017)

I tried to read this whole thread but I found it too long to get through.   My best trader for buy in price and price of maintenance fees is Marriott's Willowgrove two bedroom lockoff   I've gotten absolutely incredible trades when I locked my units off and even better when I keep the two bedrooms together. I have two of these weeks. In fact, someone was giving (2) EOY weeks on Tug's Bargain Board only a few days ago.


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## BJRSanDiego (Sep 7, 2017)

icydog said:


> I tried to read this whole thread but I found it too long to get through.   My best trader for buy in price and price of maintenance fees is *Marriott's Willowgrove* two bedroom lockoff   I've gotten absolutely incredible trades when I locked my units off and even better when I keep the two bedrooms together. I have two of these weeks. In fact, someone was giving (2) EOY weeks on Tug's Bargain Board only a few days ago.


Icy dog, did you mean Willow Ridge rather than Willowgrove?


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## Dean (Sep 7, 2017)

BJRSanDiego said:


> Icy dog, did you mean Willow Ridge rather than Willowgrove?


My Willow Ridge Platinum weeks have worked out to be good choices but they aren't quite the deal they were in the beginning and while I do feel they trade reasonably well, I don't think they trade great compared to some other exchange choices.


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## icydog (Sep 7, 2017)

Dean said:


> My Willow Ridge Platinum weeks have worked out to be good choices but they aren't quite the deal they were in the beginning and while I do feel they trade reasonably well, I don't think they trade great compared to some other exchange choices.



Yes, Willow Ridge, Duh! 

I am still getting great trades with mine.  I'm surprised you're not.


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## Dean (Sep 7, 2017)

icydog said:


> Yes, Willow Ridge, Duh!
> 
> I am still getting great trades with mine.  I'm surprised you're not.


It's not that I'm missing what I expect to get but it does seem to lag behind my other trader/using week.  Side by Side 2 BR it's good but not great, the best benefits for me are the lockoff feature and the fact it has a Thursday check in.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 8, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> Thanks, Saints Fan!  I'll keep an eye out for this - I presume that the Bldg and Villa would be on the estoppel letter.



All you really need is the unit number. The unit numbers do not repeat for different buildings so each is unique.


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## Dean (Sep 8, 2017)

icydog said:


> Yes, Willow Ridge, Duh!
> 
> I am still getting great trades with mine.  I'm surprised you're not.


Case in point.  This AM I got a exchange with my other 2 BR that was set up at exactly the same time with exactly the same parameters as my Willow Ridge exchange request.  I'm about 98% certain that I set up the WR exchange request first then the other.  This is C/W my other experience between the 2 for a HH week this past summer 4th of July.  The other is Legends Edge and I tend to get and deposit week 26 with each.  I use both WR & LE for exchanging but I have taken points on both at times as well.


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## Beachspace (Sep 9, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> It is either FC or it is not. You can't add or drop the FC. The only FC resort with units not in the FC is Grande Vista and it is a minority of units.
> 
> These are the GV units *NOT* in the FC:
> 
> ...



Thank you for this information! I just went through my closing documents and saw that my new 3Bedroom I got is not in the list above, so its a Florida Club unit...makes my great deal even better!


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## ChazMan (Nov 11, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> The very best trader is a waste because what it can get is generally not available. The DC for the most part killed that aspect of trading. The next best thing is value. A 3BR Marriott trades the best but to balance value, trading power, and availability you want something like a 3BR GV Platinum and book Ocean Pointe using the Florida Club. You might not get mid-Feb to Mar but you can get late Jan, early Mar, and early Feb. Those weeks are very powerful traders. Even those are probably overkill for what is available but buying a 3BR GV Platinum does not break the bank, so if you are after the best trader it is a decent plan.
> 
> The next step down is 3BR GV Gold or 2BR WR Platinum. Again in my opinion the GV Gold should cross book to Beach Place Towers or Ocean Pointe, but to be honest Grande Vista is not a bad trader on it's own.
> 
> If multiple trades are desired you can get 3 trades using a 3BR GV. You book the studio at GV, OP, or BP and then you book the 2BR at BP and you lock it off by calling. It is a double lock-off and you end up with one 1BR deposit and two Studio deposits. That goes against the idea of trading power but it is nice to know that one ownership week has the ability to either be a very powerful trader or the ability to book three exchanges with Marriott preference.



I just booked my 2BR at BP and called MVC to lock off the 2BR into a 1BR and a studio and was told by a supervisor that this is absolutely not possible.   Does anyone have any experience actually doing this - and if so - did you call the resort directly or MVC to get this accomplished?  TIA!


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> I just booked my 2BR at BP and called MVC to lock off the 2BR into a 1BR and a studio and was told by a supervisor that this is absolutely not possible.   Does anyone have any experience actually doing this - and if so - did you call the resort directly or MVC to get this accomplished?  TIA!



Did you book it online? BP has both lock-off and non lock-off units. You choose the type when you book. If done online you can select which 2BR type or a 1BR or studio and pay the lock-off fee without calling.

In either case, if you cannot lock-off it means your 2BR reservation is for a dedicated unit. It cannot be split. Your option is to cancel and rebook a lock-off capable unit if one is available.


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## ChazMan (Nov 11, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Did you book it online? BP has both lock-off and non lock-off units. You choose the type when you book. If done online you can select which 2BR type or a 1BR or studio and pay the lock-off fee without calling.
> 
> In either case, if you cannot lock-off it means your 2BR reservation is for a dedicated unit. It cannot be split. Your option is to cancel and rebook a lock-off capable unit if one is available.



Thanks for the quick reply!  So - I just reached out to MVC and then directly to the resort - spoke with two different people - each told me that all units at BP are lock-off capable and that they don't have dedicated units.  I questioned both about that several times, but both insisted that there are no dedicated 2BR units and that all are lock-off capable.   Not sure why MVC won't lock off the 2BR unit into a 1BR and a Studio.   The supervisor seemed more concerned about the fact that I'd get three separate confirmations from my 3BR Grande Vista than helping me.  Any additional insight would be very helpful.


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## samara64 (Nov 11, 2017)

I had same issue with Ocean Point. My GV 3BR split into a studio that I used in GV and a 2BR in Ocean point. I could not split that 2BR as it is a part of 3BR. It has to stay as a 2BR.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

samara64 said:


> I had same issue with Ocean Point. My GV 3BR split into a studio that I used in GV and a 2BR in Ocean point. I could not split that 2BR as it is a part of 3BR. It has to stay as a 2BR.



Yes but that happens because the 2BR portion of the 3BR at OP is not lock-off capable.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

For some reason i thought BP had dedicated. So i guess the issue is they don’t want to allow a second lockoff on the GV 3BR. That is interesting because it’s been reported that it has been done before. Maybe they no longer allow it. It must be a system issue because otherwise why would they care. 

Did you do the Rez by calling or online? I’ve noticed a difference in how the Rez shows in my account.


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## samara64 (Nov 11, 2017)

I called to book the studio and pay the lock off fee. The at 6 month out (I think as I no longer have the GV week), I called again to book the OP. Tried few agents to lock it off but they could not as the condo code is 2BR non-lock off.


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## ChazMan (Nov 11, 2017)

I made the reservation online.  Do you find it's generally better to make the reservation online or by calling - or does it not make a difference?   The folks I spoke to at MVC seemed to have no idea how to do it - claimed that they'd never seen that done before (in many years of working there) - and didn't seem interested in learning.  Maybe I'll try again on Monday and get someone who knows more and is more interested in helping.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

samara64 said:


> I called to book the studio and pay the lock off fee. The at 6 month out (I think as I no longer have the GV week), I called again to book the OP. Tried few agents to lock it off but they could not as the condo code is 2BR non-lock off.



Correct. With a 3BR GV when you book the 2BR master at OP you can only reserve the 2BR of the 3BR that has two twin beds and sleeps 6. There is no option to reserve a regular 2BR lock-off unit.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

ChazMan said:


> I made the reservation online.  Do you find it's generally better to make the reservation online or by calling - or does it not make a difference?   The folks I spoke to at MVC seemed to have no idea how to do it - claimed that they'd never seen that done before (in many years of working there) - and didn't seem interested in learning.  Maybe I'll try again on Monday and get someone who knows more and is more interested in helping.



It probably doesn’t matter but i    noticed that if i do an FC reservation on the phone the reservation in my MVCI account is tagged as “sister resort” but of i do it online it doesn’t show the designation.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 11, 2017)

FWIW I have never tried the 3 reservations with a 3BR. I have pointed it out and i was pretty sure there was a thread with someone reporting doing it but without a confirmation it’s possible it was never an option.


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## Beachspace (Nov 11, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> FWIW I have never tried the 3 reservations with a 3BR. I have pointed it out and i was pretty sure there was a thread with someone reporting doing it but without a confirmation it’s possible it was never an option.


Yeah I saw it on here too and I just bought a 3BR GV recently with the hopes of getting the 3 reservations out of 1. Get my 2 BR and studio, trade the studio, trade the 2 br for a 2 br lock off at another resort and then use the 1 BR and trade that studio as well.


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## VacationForever (Nov 11, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Yeah I saw it on here too and I just bought a 3BR GV recently with the hopes of getting the 3 reservations out of 1. Get my 2 BR and studio, trade the studio, trade the 2 br for a 2 br lock off at another resort and then use the 1 BR and trade that studio as well.


When you said use your 2BR to trade for a 2BR LO at another resort and then to lock it off as a 1BR and a studio, are you referring to a Florida Club resort or II?  With II there is no way to do so.  With Florida Club I don't know.


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## Saintsfanfl (Nov 12, 2017)

Assuming using the FC to get three reservations is possible, to me it is a better value to have one 2BR annual and one 2BR EOY. The cost is slightly more but every other year you get two 1BRs and a studio compared to one 1BR and two studios every year. Plus you aren’t relying on the FC to book at BP 6 months out.


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## kds4 (Nov 12, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Assuming using the FC to get three reservations is possible, to me it is a better value to have one 2BR annual and one 2BR EOY. The cost is slightly more but every other year you get two 1BRs and a studio compared to one 1BR and two studios every year. Plus you aren’t relying on the FC to book at BP 6 months out.


The out of pocket cost to buy the 2BR weeks versus a 3BR may be comparable based on recent listings I have seen, but I agree the MFs will be more.


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## Dean (Nov 12, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Assuming using the FC to get three reservations is possible, to me it is a better value to have one 2BR annual and one 2BR EOY. The cost is slightly more but every other year you get two 1BRs and a studio compared to one 1BR and two studios every year. Plus you aren’t relying on the FC to book at BP 6 months out.


You also get the extra month to book for the top trading weeks and the extra month in the FC potentially on the years of the EOY or one could just go for two EY.  It is more but if the issue is trading them, the 1 BR can be a pretty big advantage over the studio.


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## ChazMan (Nov 12, 2017)

I'll give MVC a call on Monday again to see if I can split the 2BR at BP into two separate reservations - still curious to know if anyone has personally done it.


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## VacationForever (Nov 12, 2017)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Assuming using the FC to get three reservations is possible, to me it is a better value to have one 2BR annual and one 2BR EOY. The cost is slightly more but every other year you get two 1BRs and a studio compared to one 1BR and two studios every year. Plus you aren’t relying on the FC to book at BP 6 months out.



I agree with you that having more 1BRs is a much better option than more studios.  While I have consistently gotten good trades with my studios, they have always caused some anxiety until I get my trades.  Studios may not get you some impossible trades.  With a 1BR, trading is alot less stressful.  As an example, there were a bunch of 3BR MKO deposited this year in Feb and Mar.  I deposited both my DSV I weeks so that I could use the 2 1BR units to get 2 weeks of 3BR at MKO in March.  There was no way no how my studio would get traded to the 3BR MKO.  It turned out that we really only utiilized 2BR as our plans did not materialize but we liked the 3BR option, plus my understanding is that 3BR are always Oceanview in II.  I was left with 2 studios, one of which we exchanged back to DSV I 1BR in Jan 2018 and the other next summer at NCV.  For the NCV, I suspect an agent wanted her commission and matched my studio to a summer week.


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## itchyfeet (Nov 12, 2017)

icydog said:


> Yes, Willow Ridge, Duh!
> 
> I am still getting great trades with mine.  I'm surprised you're not.



What are some of the trades you've received?


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## Dean (Nov 12, 2017)

itchyfeet said:


> What are some of the trades you've received?


As I stated earlier in this thread, I think there are better traders out there.  And the current prices and fees aren't as different as they used to be.  Having said that I've traded consistently to Marriott's on Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Aruba as well as Grande Vista and Harbour Lakes in Orlando (easy trades) and to Legend's Edge in Panama City.  These are generally what I was trying for and thought I had a reasonable chance of success.  I haven't had much luck trading for HH weeks 26 or 27 and my Legend's Edge week has gotten exchanges first when I was using Willow Ridge and LE for the same options.  But is is relatively cheap, the dues are lower, it has lockoff's and it has a Thursday checkin option.  I'm thinking of adding another trading option and there's no way I'd add another WL week given the current lay of the land.  And if I were starting from scratch, I likely wouldn't buy there as a trader because I think there are currently better options for not that much more.


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## Jayco29D (Jan 12, 2018)

amy241 said:


> Ideally, if I bought where I wanted to stay, I would buy Marriott Ko Olina. But I have read posts in other threads that have suggested Hawaii does not make sense as a trader because the MFs are typically much higher than other locations along with a higher purchase price. I read one post that quipped it would be like trading a Mercedes for a Chevy. While we would use it from time to time, I'm not certain it would be yearly since we live on the east coast. (I wonder how many east coast TUGGERS own Hawaii in this forum? Always interesting to see where everyone is located and the the resorts they own.) So I would likely be trading it and I'm not sure this is the best plan. But if I could buy where I wanted to stay, it would be MKO. I'm trying to rationalize this as a purchase but I'm not convinced it's a good move. It makes me wish I lived on the west coast.



We bought an EOY MKO oceanview 2 bedroom for $5500. That is very cheap. If that is what you really want, then go for it. You can trade it for places in the Caribbean and other Hawaiian Islands where the MFs are the same if you do not want to travel to Hawaii EOY. You do lose the view guarantee when you trade but the MFs are the same.


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## Jayco29D (Jan 12, 2018)

This thread is making me think I might want a cheap trader that would trade into nice locations and resorts in the various Marriotts, Westins, Hyatts and Hiltons. Would a Marriott Grand Chataeu 2 or 3 bedroom trade into all of these other brands too? Or would I be better off buying something different to trade across brands? How does the 13 month booking window work if you own 2 Marriotts?


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## LynnaeK (Jan 12, 2018)

We just purchased a resale Marriott Grand Chateau 3 bedroom.  We have a GC 2 bedroom that we enrolled in the DC points program and since then have elected for points every year.  We're not savvy on the best ways to maximize our unit as a trade, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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## bazzap (Jan 12, 2018)

LynnaeK said:


> We just purchased a resale Marriott Grand Chateau 3 bedroom.  We have a GC 2 bedroom that we enrolled in the DP program and since then have elected for points every year.  We're not savvy on the best ways to maximize our unit as a trade, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


We own a Grand Chateau 2 bedroom enrolled in the DC points programme.
Most years, we lock off and trade the Master and Guest suites for other MVC resorts to get 2 weeks typically in 2 bed units.
In the last couple of years, the Guest suite trade has been taking longer to get confirmed but still always does. The Master suite trade is never a problem.
For 2018, we wanted to be sure of getting what we wanted early so we elected for points and confirmed our booking at 13 months.
We may well switch between these two approaches in future years, dependent on our plans.


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## VacationForever (Jan 12, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> This thread is making me think I might want a cheap trader that would trade into nice locations and resorts in the various Marriotts, Westins, Hyatts and Hiltons. Would a Marriott Grand Chataeu 2 or 3 bedroom trade into all of these other brands too? Or would I be better off buying something different to trade across brands? How does the 13 month booking window work if you own 2 Marriotts?


Hilton is in RCI, the rest in II. Marriott has priority to trade into Marriott for 24 days when the weeks are first deposited into II, Vistana has about 21 days priority to trade into other Vistana resorts.  Hyatt has no block period for non-Hyatt owners.  There is no 13 month booking window in exchange companies.


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## Hankmoon (Jan 13, 2018)

I did not know you could enroll a Marriott Grand Chateau into DC points. What are the rules for doing that? How do you do it? Can you do it if you buy it on the resale market? How many points do you get? Is it better to convert to points than to exchange as a unit?


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## bazzap (Jan 13, 2018)

Hankmoon said:


> I did not know you could enroll a Marriott Grand Chateau into DC points. What are the rules for doing that? How do you do it? Can you do it if you buy it on the resale market? How many points do you get? Is it better to convert to points than to exchange as a unit?


You can enrol eligible Grand Chateau weeks into DC points.
How many you get depends on your unit size.
Our 2 bed unit gets 3275 DC points.
We enrolled online, but you can probably do it by phone too.
You can’t do it if you buy your week(s) on the resale market, except perhaps in conjunction with an MVC offer typically buying DC points.


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## VacationForever (Jan 13, 2018)

Hankmoon said:


> I did not know you could enroll a Marriott Grand Chateau into DC points. What are the rules for doing that? How do you do it? Can you do it if you buy it on the resale market? How many points do you get? Is it better to convert to points than to exchange as a unit?


The cutoff date on such a purchase is June 2010.  Anything bought weeks after that date cannot be enrolled without forking up $$$ to make that happen.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 13, 2018)

Hankmoon said:


> I did not know you could enroll a Marriott Grand Chateau into DC points. What are the rules for doing that? How do you do it? Can you do it if you buy it on the resale market? How many points do you get? Is it better to convert to points than to exchange as a unit?



As VacationForever said, the only resale weeks that can be enrolled are those acquired prior to June 2010. There are several ways to do that - paying Marriott a fee that can range from $595 to $2395 or so, buying an Encore package with free enrollment during a sales presentation, and maybe other ways. For resale weeks purchased after June 2010, the only way to enroll is to wait for Marriott to offer an enrollment promotion. Those promotions generally require the purchase of at least 3000 Destination Points from Marriott at a cost of $33,000 or so in order to enroll your post-2010 week.


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