Biggest Bang for My Buck [Sarasota w/ 425,000 points from Holiday Inn Vacation Club]

[kencrog]

Hello, I have 425,000 points from Holiday Inn Vacation Club (owning a 3bed/3bath at Sunset Cove) and I have a buying power of 120 from my St George's Club ownership.

My HIVC - Points-Based system, can be exchanged for IHG (hotel rooms at 80% point exchange value), or RCI (50% point exchange value).

St. George's CLub is an RCI weeks exchange.

I want to spend my winters in the Sarasota area. What thoughts are there about getting the most weeks in the winter months using what I have for timesharing power? I could live with a 1 bedroom size set up. (I'm not interested in staying in Marco Island.)

Thanks, Ken Rogers

 

[tschwa2]

According to someone who has since been banned from TUG but had been tracking RCI availability of winter central and southern gulf side of Florida for the past 20 years, your chances at doing what you want through RCI is practically non existent. 10 years ago those types of deposits started drying up and now if you start an ongoing search for January-March 2017, you would be lucky to get 2 or 3 non consecutive weeks if you select every possible resort.

Really through RCI; Orlando and other central non coastal towns plus northern Atlantic Florida resorts are the only places you can reliably put together consecutive weeks at the same resort. Even then you probably need to put in ongoing searches. Pan handle and central Atlantic resorts show up sporatically and you could probably piece together a few multi week stays but not consecutive stays for a month or more.

Your best shot would probably be to convert to hotel points but I don't know how far that would get your in 1 br suites.

 

[theo]

According to someone who has since been banned from TUG but had been tracking RCI availability of winter central and southern gulf side of Florida for the past 20 years, your chances at doing what you want through RCI is practically non existent. 10 years ago those types of deposits started drying up and now if you start an ongoing search for January-March 2017, you would be lucky to get 2 or 3 non consecutive weeks if you select every possible resort. <snip>

I for one certainly do not "miss" the above-referenced banned TUG poster, but his observations and conclusions on this particular topic were (and remain today) absolutely and indisputably correct.

Gulf Coast SW FL in the winter months is of very high demand but relatively low supply for "exchangers". Because demand far exceeds supply, I strongly suspect that owners who can't use those weeks long ago figured out that they can extract much more "value" from renting out those weeks, rather than "depositing for exchange", with all of the inherent uncertainty, effort (and expense) of playing the "exchange game".

Also, there are not many timeshare facilities in and around Sarasota (yes, there are some --- and nice, but still relatively few in number). Accordingly, the value of what any would-be exchanger has to "deposit for exchange" doesn't really matter. Available exchange inventory rules over all else and available exchange inventory in that area in peak demand period is severely limited --- and much more so if seeking multiple consecutive weeks. Statistically, as already noted, chances for success with that are essentially zero.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Ken,

I began looking for Southeast Florida TS weeks about 9 years. I learned from my parents experiences ... they 'liked' being warm but never really enjoyed being out of their environment nor made even causal friends. I liked the idea of EVERYONE is on vacation ... trying to enjoy their warm weather and more outgoing.

Yes ... there are WAY more timeshares on the East Coast of Florida ... but many are smaller and OLDER (think the movie "Where the Boys Are" ... some of those motels are NOW timeshare resorts). The prices are TRENDING UPWARDS on those East Coast units as the management companies are trying to 'take back' all the Fixed Week units inventory to "seed" their points systems. These points systems "love" to play the lottery system for their owners ... just buy MORE points to increase you ability to BOOK your winter vacation or "home". It is a little HARD to do that now ... unless you have those old school fixed weeks. For example, Wyndham is selling points to people who spend over $225 per 1,000 points... so the standard PRIME week using 154K in points is costing developer buyers up to $34,650 plus MFs of almost $1050 per year. And the MFs have been increasing more so over the COLA ... keep and upgrading the resorts (and on other things as Wyndham controls the HOAs via either indifference or their block of CWA owned points).

And Ovations seems like a great thing to fixed weeks owners who have ONLY been using their weeks ... they know nothing of TUG or Redweek.

So yes, I own Wyndham points deeded where I want to vacation and fixed deeded (snowbird) East Coast Florida weeks.

I just wish I could quit working in the Northeast and spend the winter in South Florida.

 

[kencrog]

Biggest Bang for My Buck

Hi, WOW!, I am getting an education about TS. While the lesson was disappointing, I get it. I will have them do some searches. It won't cost me. In addition I'll explore the IHG route. Thanks for your responses. Ken