Least expensive way to purchase timeshare with II access

[CalGalTraveler]

I am intrigued by the Vistana/Marriott/Hyatt portfolio. I am reading that one way to access is to trade-in via II.

From the II material, unlike RCI where you can join for $99, one needs to own an affiliated resort to gain access.

What is the least expensive upfront (or free?), lowest maintenance fee, but reputable resort (to give away and someone will want to take over maintenance some day) to gain access? Of course the resort will also need to have enough trading power to enable trades to Hyatt, Vistana or Marriott.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

You implied that you don't need to own an affilliated resort to join RCI. I think that you are incorrect. On the RCI website, it says: "RCI’s core business is timeshare exchange – ...To enjoy the benefits of exchange holidays you must own timeshare."

In ii, Marriott owners have a preference period of 22 days. For some locations and lower demand times of the year, non-Marriott owners will see some Marriott inventory. But the inventory is more likely to be smaller units. For high demand locations like Hawaii, Phoenix or Palm Desert in February or March, etc. it would be unusual for inventory to sit out there so long that it still exists at the end of the preference period.

For Hyatt, I don't believe that there a preference period. You just need to have a good trader.

But, you have framed your objective in a manner that is challenging and contradictory - - you want to trade into a Marriott, you want to have high trading power and you want to pay the minimum cost (you didn't say whether you meant up-front or annually with MF). If you buy a platinum season Marriott it will cost you more but trades better. If you buy a Blue or Bronze (low) season Marriott it will be cheaper (purchase price) but won't trade as well. Many people recommend purchasing a platinum season unit. Even if you pay an extra couple of thousand, you will still pay the same maintenance fee annually and will have a stronger trader.

My suggestion is to buy a Marriott. Check out Dioxide's ROFR metric on the Marriott subforum. It'll show you how much people are paying for a Marriott. You can pick up a Grand Chateau (Vegas) 1 BR that will pass ROFR for perhaps $1K or less. If you buy an EOY, it will even cost less initially and annually. Personally, I wouldn't -- but it meets your criteria. One thing you have to ask yourself is whether you want to take one vacation EOY or once a year or twice a year, etc.

I periodically see Sheraton's for free on the Bargain forum. I suspect that they trade Okay. I suspect that you would still have the Marriott preference issue.

I own two 2-BR White/Gold season Marriotts in Palm Desert. I paid about $2K or less each (including closing). I may have been smarter buying a Red/platinum season and paying perhaps double. I split the units and get 4 weeks of vacation. So that lowers the cost per week. Also, having two units, I can reserve at the 13 month point - - so I reserve Thanksgiving week (TDI = 125), so it has reasonable trading power. I had traded into Hyatt's five or six times, Newport Coast, etc. So it trades okay.

 

[twinmommy19]

I don't think the question is contradictory. If the OP was asking about owning something that would trade into top tier brands only during prime season, that would be a different story. If you can / want to travel off peak (even during shoulder seasons), non-franchise affiliated properties work just fine. It really depends on how flexible your travel schedule is.

 

[spackler]

Quarter House would be an easy way to gain II access; you'll have far cheaper MFs compared to most other timeshares & it trades well.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I don't think the question is contradictory. If the OP was asking about owning something that would trade into top tier brands only during prime season, that would be a different story. If you can / want to travel off peak (even during shoulder seasons), non-franchise affiliated properties work just fine. It really depends on how flexible your travel schedule is.

In regards to my comment about being contradictory - - if you want to exchange into a Marriott you are (in most cases) only able to access Marriott inventory that was made available to Marriott owners for 22 days. (In flexchange, the duration is shorter). So if you want to go to the Marriott properties in Hawaii or Newport Coast, Ca. or other higher-demand locations, using a non-Marriott, you have slim chances. So the OP wanted to exchange into Marriotts (and some others high-end TS). So if you want to exchange into Marriott properties, the clearest way to do that is to buy a Marriott property. If you don't you have the deck stacked against you.

If you are looking at exchanging into Elite-rated TS with a lower tiered resort, your chances aren't impossible. But they ARE reduced. It is the same when trying to use a blue or bronze property and hoping to trade into a Platinum or Red season. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Thanks for your comments. I am most interested in trading for II access to Hyatt and Westin during peak season.

 

[VacationForever]

Vistana (Westin) does not appear to do much deposit in peak season. Even when it does, only another Vistana timeshare will stand a chance to snag it because it also has a Vistana to Vistana exchange period (22 days?) where other non-Vistana resorts are blocked from being able to match or see. You are better off to buy a mandatory Vistana resort to book other Vistana resorts within its internal exchange system, i.e., not through II.

Hyatt does not not a priority period but usually requires a decent trader to see it.

 

[lrazor]

I just posted some free units on bargain basement forum that will trade on RCI or II. Dues are only $455 per year

 

[alexadeparis]

Thanks for your comments. I am most interested in trading for II access to Hyatt and Westin during peak season.

As both a Hyatt and Westin owner, I can almost guarantee that you will only see shoulder season in either. You may have a better chance with using a Westin deposit so you can get their preference, but Hyatt does not deposit anything prime in II.

 

[Panina]

As both a Hyatt and Westin owner, I can almost guarantee that you will only see shoulder season in either. You may have a better chance with using a Westin deposit so you can get their preference, but Hyatt does not deposit anything prime in II.

I have been able to trade into Hyatt beach house and Hyatt coconut plantation thru II late January and early February using my no brand name timeshares that are in prime locations and prime time.

 

[LisaH]

Consider Worldmark. It has good trading power in both II and RCI. M/F is reasonable.

 

[sue1947]

Your difficulty is the peak season issue. You can find other weeks/systems that are cheaper and trade well. However, getting a peak season week isn't all that likely. I own Worldmark and it is a good trader and I can frequently trade up in quality, but in the off seasons. Peak season, by definition, has more demand from owners and, therefor, fewer deposits. There are also more people competing for those limited deposits. As a result, if you buy another system with the intention of trading into the higher quality systems, you should adjust your expectations to off season with a peak season trade as a bonus. If you are can only travel in peak seasons, with most of the traveling public, then you need to buy in the system/resort you want in order to give yourself every advantage.
Even within the system as an owner, you won't be guaranteed to get a prime week. There are more owners who want those weeks than there are weeks so it's a matter of who is first in line or knows the best workaround to get a head start.

Sue

 

[e.bram]

Your difficulty is the peak season issue. You can find other weeks/systems that are cheaper and trade well. However, getting a peak season week isn't all that likely. I own Worldmark and it is a good trader and I can frequently trade up in quality, but in the off seasons. Peak season, by definition, has more demand from owners and, therefor, fewer deposits. There are also more people competing for those limited deposits. As a result, if you buy another system with the intention of trading into the higher quality systems, you should adjust your expectations to off season with a peak season trade as a bonus. If you are can only travel in peak seasons, with most of the traveling public, then you need to buy in the system/resort you want in order to give yourself every advantage.
Even within the system as an owner, you won't be guaranteed to get a prime week. There are more owners who want those weeks than there are weeks so it's a matter of who is first in line or knows the best workaround to get a head start.



Sue

If you want PRIME buy PRIME! End of story. Prime owners either use or rent. They do not deposit!

 

[Saintsfanfl]

In regards to my comment about being contradictory - - if you want to exchange into a Marriott you are (in most cases) only able to access Marriott inventory that was made available to Marriott owners for 22 days. (In flexchange, the duration is shorter). So if you want to go to the Marriott properties in Hawaii or Newport Coast, Ca. or other higher-demand locations, using a non-Marriott, you have slim chances. So the OP wanted to exchange into Marriotts (and some others high-end TS). So if you want to exchange into Marriott properties, the clearest way to do that is to buy a Marriott property. If you don't you have the deck stacked against you.

If you are looking at exchanging into Elite-rated TS with a lower tiered resort, your chances aren't impossible. But they ARE reduced. It is the same when trying to use a blue or bronze property and hoping to trade into a Platinum or Red season. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

Most of the really hard stuff can't be had with a Marriott either, so Marriott ownership for exchanging is overstated here. As an avid Marriott owner and trader I would say that 90% of Marriott inventory in II can be had with with non Marriott deposits. Chance favors the prepared as always but even with owning a Marriott trader everyone is not remotely going to get when they initially wanted.

 

[taterhed]

As an avid Marriott owner and Worldmark owner, who trades extensively, I would disagree with Saintsfanfl.

Many Marriott trades drop under preference (instant exchange) and leave the exchange (presumably) under preference in seconds or minutes. There are, in fact, a good number of Marriott units that appear without preference. I think the '90%' is not accurate, but couldn't dispute it with facts.

I would make a TLAR guess that more than 50% of the instant-exchange Marriott properties are off/shoulder week studios or resorts that simply have excess inventory and frequently appear on the exchanges. I wouldn't encourage anyone to buy a Marriott with explicit expectations of making peak-week, peak-resort exchanges simply based on having Marriott preference. But, I think the odds of getting the 'really hard stuff' without Marriott preference are about as good as getting a 'really hard' Westin with a Marriott; not good.
IMHO.

 

[VacationForever]

I also disagree with Saintsfanfl. When Marriott deposits are dropped into II, some studio units show up for non-Marriott traders. The larger units cannot be matched unless you have a Marriott trader within the "protected" period (22 days?). I bought my Marriott weeks because I wanted to be able to trade into larger than a studio size at Ko Olina. With my non-Marriott weeks, in no way could I have gotten 2BR and 3BR, or even 1BR MKO, unless it is literally last minute cancellations/deposits - like within a week of stay.

 

[tschwa2]

Most of the really hard stuff can't be had with a Marriott either, so Marriott ownership for exchanging is overstated here. As an avid Marriott owner and trader I would say that 90% of Marriott inventory in II can be had with with non Marriott deposits. Chance favors the prepared as always but even with owning a Marriott trader everyone is not remotely going to get when they initially wanted.

I agree. I go back and forth with owning Marriotts for this reason. I initially bought for Easter break in Hilton Head. Yes I can get one at 12-13 months at one of the ocean front locations easier but I don't mind the shelter cove and Harbor Town ones either and most of time we need a 3 br now anyway so one week and one resort (Surfwatch) with an upgrade from a 1 or 2 bedroom still impossible. We did an instant upgrade from a 1 br to a 3 BR at Grand Vista instead for Easter week 12 months in advance. While a 3 br Marriott Orlando Easter week is doable, I don't know if we would have gotten Grande Vista.

There are specific instances when owning a Marriott to get a larger unit at specific shoulder season season will be much easier (although still not guaranteed and you still need a decent amount of flexibility and early planning) For most the impossible will still be impossible and the easy will for the most part still be easy with or without a Marriott.

 

[taterhed]

The MP is 'up to' 22 or so days. Often less. Often still present for short periods of time in flex. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. MP today, no MP tomorrow. Same unit presumably. Others have reported similar findings here. Of course, the 'man behind the curtain' at Interval won't confirm these facts.
MP is real. Whether it's really worth anything is up to the eye of the (deed) beholder.

 

[VacationForever]

The MP is 'up to' 22 or so days. Often less. Often still present for short periods of time in flex. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. MP today, no MP tomorrow. Same unit presumably. Others have reported similar findings here. Of course, the 'man behind the curtain' at Interval won't confirm these facts.
MP is real. Whether it's really worth anything is up to the eye of the (deed) beholder.

When a Marriott unit under Marriott Priority gets released back to II inventory by a trader, the unit loses Marriott priority, and becomes visible to all with enough trading power. A programming loophole that II has not bothered to fix.

 

[taterhed]

Could be that many of these non-MP's are 'recycled.'

As long as I get my trade, I could care less!
Sorry, that was the 'me' program.

 

[CAron1022]

Your difficulty is the peak season issue. You can find other weeks/systems that are cheaper and trade well. However, getting a peak season week isn't all that likely. I own Worldmark and it is a good trader and I can frequently trade up in quality, but in the off seasons. Peak season, by definition, has more demand from owners and, therefor, fewer deposits. There are also more people competing for those limited deposits. As a result, if you buy another system with the intention of trading into the higher quality systems, you should adjust your expectations to off season with a peak season trade as a bonus. If you are can only travel in peak seasons, with most of the traveling public, then you need to buy in the system/resort you want in order to give yourself every advantage.
Even within the system as an owner, you won't be guaranteed to get a prime week. There are more owners who want those weeks than there are weeks so it's a matter of who is first in line or knows the best workaround to get a head start.

Sue

How does one learn the workaround/head start steps to better get their choice. Many thanks.

 

[Bucky]

I own a great inexpensive trader. It's a small 1br at Sheraton Broadway Plantation. A platinum week for weeks 9-43 and 45. My MF are in the low $400's and they can be picked up cheap. The only negative is if you want to stay there. It's ridiculously small but it's still treated as a 1br in II, not a studio. In addition you get priority for any Sheraton (Vistana) property through II.

Over the last 13 yrs I have traded it for Marriott Grande Vista many times. Also Marriott Aruba Ocean Club twice, Westin Mission Hills, Westin Ka'anapali, Marriott Cypress Harbour, Harborside, Marriotts Oceanside at Grande Dunes, Marriotts Barony Beach Club and others. Like I said, a strong trader.

 

[Lanswitch]

A few years back, I purchased an annual 1 bedroom Hawaiian timeshare on EBay for $1 including the seller paying for all associated transfer costs, so my out of pocket cost WAS just $1. It was at The Gardens at West Maui.
Annual maintenance fees have been about $2 day, or about the price of a cup of coffee at a restaurant.
Since we already owned at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, I thought that we could use it to extend our vacations on Maui.
It turns out that we never used it for that, HOWEVER, we have deposited it in II and exchanged that one bedroom unit for a two bedroom at the Marriott Newport Coast Villas in the Summertime, a one bedroom Marriott Ko'olina on Oahu during Spring break and currently have an upcoming stay in a two bedroom unit at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas 2 this year for a week between Christmas and New Year.
I think that much of this is partly good luck, partly due to checking II listings frequently and due to the fact that we have a HAWAIIAN timeshare to exchange.
Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with The Gardens as we have stopped and walked into a lovely unit there. It's just that trading it into II has worked out better for us.

 

[lilliand]

We owned at a resort years ago that was part of II. After a few years we "traded it" in for a different resort and got a new II account. We periodically get notices in the mail from Interval International addressed to "Former Interval International Member." It states you can still get getaways without owning a timeshare. They call the program Leisure Time Passport and it is www.leisuretimepassport.com 800-977-7116. One offer I received was for $49 for 2 years for "former II members" but that was in 2015. It says Getaways are priced as low as $299 for a week. We still own a resort that is in II and exchange pretty often so I have never checked it to. Sort of made me mad that you don't have to own to get getaways but maybe they get the bottom of the barrel. Has anyone participated in this?

 

[karenslattery]

I am intrigued by the Vistana/Marriott/Hyatt portfolio. I am reading that one way to access is to trade-in via II.

From the II material, unlike RCI where you can join for $99, one needs to own an affiliated resort to gain access.

What is the least expensive upfront (or free?), lowest maintenance fee, but reputable resort (to give away and someone will want to take over maintenance some day) to gain access? Of course the resort will also need to have enough trading power to enable trades to Hyatt, Vistana or Marriott.

I have a prime week at the Seamist in Cape Cod. It trades very well and is also a very nice place to be in the summer. I actually own two of the same week for one to use and one to trade. I am considering selling one and have listed it on sellmytimeshare.com. The maintenance fees are around 600. We've traded to beautiful resorts in FL.