• Welcome to the FREE TUGBBS forums! The absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 32 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 32 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 32nd anniversary: Happy 32nd Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    All subscribers auto-entered to win all free TUG membership giveaways!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Wish you could meet up with other TUG members? Well look no further as this annual event has been going on for years in Orlando! How to Attend the TUG January Get-Together!
  • Now through the end of the year you can join or renew your TUG membership at the lowest price ever offered! Learn More!
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Ritz Carlton St Thomas - Update - No Longer Disappointed

Yeah, I have a 2 bedroom residence upcoming and that has a full kitchen according to the site. Perhaps Traveltime picked the suite instead of the residence.
It sounds like they reserved a suite per post #7
We are in the 2BR suite on the second floor. I do not like the 2BR suite as much as the full 2BR we had a few years ago. It has a mini kitchen that is hard to cook in and the refrigerator is tiny and it barely has a freezer.
 
I do not know about the other properties in terms of resales. These are fractionals here with 3 weeks a year. I am assuming MFs are about $15K a year. The Ritz resorts that trade in MVC are St Thomas, Tahoe, San Fransisco, Aspen and Vail. It is nearly impossible to get Vail with DPs and Tahoe is very hard for more than a few days. We have stayed here in St Thomas, Tahoe and San Francisco. We lucked out with getting 8 nights in Tahoe in the 2BR during Spring Break. It was during Covid so that was an exception to the ability to book so many nights in a 2BR. They only have two 2BRs. The have more 3BRs which cost a lot more points. The 3BRs are easier to book but still hard to come by. During Covid, we also spent a weekend in San Francisco. For San Francisco, it is an amazing deal. As you probably know, it would be hard to find a 2BR with a kitchen in San Francisco in a nice property like the Ritz. I liked the location on Market St and we were able to walk all the way down to Pier 39, although we took a taxi back.

We almost bought a fractional at Four Seasons Costa Rica. We were waiting for the contract for 4 months to show up. The agent kept saying she was working on it. We were buying from the developer at reduced prices for $150K. The MFs were $15K. Because it was taking so long, we backed out. The real reason we backed out is at Four Seasons Costa Rica, they do not allow you to rent unused weeks. I know we would have rarely used 3 weeks and 2 weeks were platinum and 1 week was gold. It would have been hard to combine them into one 3 week stay.

As a Ritz fractional owner here, you get preference for the high floors. That is why we are on a lower floor. Last time we were here, we got 4th floor with an unobstructed oceanfront view. I guess I know now that is an exception. There are only 2 buildings with the 2BR suites. There are many buildings with the regular 2BRs. So I wonder if we had booked a regular 2BR like last time, if we would have gotten a higher floor.

It is very easy to rent weeks from owners but it would cost about double or so from what it costs from MVC. I could check on that in the FB group, if you want to know. Using MVC, we are paying 3750 points (I think but it might be 100 points less, I do not remember exactly). I think our average MFs right now is 0.54 pp. So the dollar value is a little over $2000 a week. That is extremely affordable for a week in a 2BR at the Ritz. June is off season but still, a pretty great price. I love June because the weather is great, the pool and ocean are warm and no hurricanes yet.

There is an ad on TUG2 for a fractional Ritz Carlton STT 2 BR Residence, quoting MF of $13,500 per year. The unit sold at some point prior to April and the broker selling it is just leaving it up to collect leads for the next time they get one. It was listed as being for a specific fixed unit and on a specific rotation - I had inquired about it as I did enjoy my stay there. Here's the rotation schedule they provided (best picture they had, though not all that readable). Based on my interaction with the broker, I believe that the fractional ownership is for a specific unit rather than just having the highest priority for unit location.

STT.jpg


There are also 16 fractionals there for sale through local brokers. All of the listings are for a specific unit number and rotation. IMHO, the fractional owner gets the unit they own when the use or rent the weeks in fraction - owner priority would only come into play for cash books of unreserved inventory within 60 days.


I believe there is an ability to exchange within the remaining Ritz Carlton properties (Aspen, Vail, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco). In addition to exchanging in MVC for points, owners can also use ThirdHome, which has been getting a fair number of Ritz Carlton weeks lately (4 weeks in Aspen, 1 in Vail, and 1 in St Thomas right now).
 
TravelTime, that is great news -- congratulations! Can you let us know the Room number of the original room? I typically will do room requests and I have a few favorites (and a few disfavorites). Would love to expand the knowledge base.

My son had the same reaction -- he loved our April trip and is eager to return, so we are going again next June when he graduates high school. Excited to return!

Best,

Greg

Current room is 6202. I have to admit, it is really not as terrible as in my original post. The view is through the trees but it’s fine. I hope our view will be above the trees and somewhat panoramic when we move to the 3rd floor on Thursday. I recommend trying to book the regular 2BR here. It has a full kitchen plus there are 4 buildings with the regular 2BR vs only 2 buildings with the 2BR suites. So you have a better chance of getting a higher floor if there are 4 buildings vs 2 building.
 
Yeah, I have a 2 bedroom residence upcoming and that has a full kitchen according to the site. Perhaps Traveltime picked the suite instead of the residence.

I picked the 2BR suite because that is what was available when I booked. I have no complaints about the kitchen. My only complaint was that with the 2BR suite, they seem to assign lower floors. I must admit I was wowed by our first room assignment here in 2019. It was the most amazing view ever. So compared to that, this room assignment was disappointing. Going forward, I would only book the regular 2BR.
 
There is an ad on TUG2 for a fractional Ritz Carlton STT 2 BR Residence, quoting MF of $13,500 per year. The unit sold at some point prior to April and the broker selling it is just leaving it up to collect leads for the next time they get one. It was listed as being for a specific fixed unit and on a specific rotation - I had inquired about it as I did enjoy my stay there. Here's the rotation schedule they provided (best picture they had, though not all that readable). Based on my interaction with the broker, I believe that the fractional ownership is for a specific unit rather than just having the highest priority for unit location.

View attachment 57220

There are also 16 fractionals there for sale through local brokers. All of the listings are for a specific unit number and rotation. IMHO, the fractional owner gets the unit they own when the use or rent the weeks in fraction - owner priority would only come into play for cash books of unreserved inventory within 60 days.


I believe there is an ability to exchange within the remaining Ritz Carlton properties (Aspen, Vail, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco). In addition to exchanging in MVC for points, owners can also use ThirdHome, which has been getting a fair number of Ritz Carlton weeks lately (4 weeks in Aspen, 1 in Vail, and 1 in St Thomas right now).

The owner I spoke to this week said they own a specific week and unit number but the resort does not go by that. She owns a 5th floor regular 2BR and she said they assigned her a 6th floor this week. She said that she asked for 3 weeks for this season and they made the switch for her. She said they are very flexible for owners in accommodating owner requests. The owner said they paid $8000 for the fractional. She said she can exchange into the other Ritz Carlton fractionals pretty easily.
 
I picked the 2BR suite because that is what was available when I booked. I

Don't you get free breakfast in your rooms because you have the mini-kitchen? Did you ask about this and is it a continental breakfast or is it an English breakfast?
 
Don't you get free breakfast in your rooms because you have the mini-kitchen? Did you ask about this and is it a continental breakfast or is it an English breakfast?

No free breakfast…unless you are kidding! LOL
 
No free breakfast…unless you are kidding! LOL
That actually sounds familiar. I don’t remember the details but something about free breakfast rings a bell from 20 years ago when I looked at this property. I don’t think it was a joke.

Also, how was your catamaran day? I think it was called the Lady Lindsey back then.
 
That actually sounds familiar. I don’t remember the details but something about free breakfast rings a bell from 20 years ago when I looked at this property. I don’t think it was a joke.

Also, how was your catamaran day? I think it was called the Lady Lindsey back then.

Oh now I remember. They used to provide breakfast at an owner’s lounge. As far as I know they do not offer that or they did not mention it to us.

The catamaran excursion was great. It is still the Lady Lynsey. We booked another excursion on Lady Lynsey for next week. It is expensive including the tip, well over $600 for 4, but we enjoyed it.
 
Last edited:
No free breakfast…unless you are kidding! LOL

Here is the reference to the free breakfast for the 2BR Suites by @GregT : https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/ritz-carlton-st-thomas.235224/

As noted before, the timeshare units are six buildings, two of which are referred to as Suites and the remaining four are Villas. The Suites lack a full kitchen, but have a free breakfast in to the Palazzo restaurant that sits in Building 6. The Villas do not get the free breakfast, but you can certainly go and pay, it's not private. The Villas are sized similar to the new units of Maui Ocean Club, and the Living Area is the same size as the Napili Villas 3BR living area (16 x 28 sffs). With respect to the suites, I understand that they have changed the second refrigerator in the Suites to now be a freezer, which I think is a positive, however I do not know how small the remaining refrigerator is.
 
This is what comes with the 2BR suite. They do not have two refrigerators. The freezer is tiny and takes up about 1/3 of the tiny refrigerator. The washer dryer is full size so that is okay. Dishwasher is tiny.

  • · Bistro style kitchen
  • · Two burner cooktop
  • · Convection oven/microwave
  • · Sub-counter refrigerator and freezer
  • · Dining table with four seats
  • · Convertible sofa bed
  • · Smaller washer and dryer
  • · Dishwasher
 
For anyone interested, here are all the excursions we are booked on this week. In my final review, I will include information about each excursion. That might be helpful since it took me a lot of time to research these and it can be hard to tell the difference between them all.

-Maho Bay Turtle Snorkel Sail (Maho Bay plus Captain’s Choice of Scott Beach/Caneel Bay in St John) - We saw several spotted rays at Scott Beach…this made it worth the trip!
-Dolphin Kayak at Coral World / Coki Beach (St Thomas)
-Cas Cay Kayak, Hike and Snorkel (St Thomas)
-Scuba Diving with Red Hook Divers (St Thomas) - I am currently planning this by myself since I am the only scuba diver in my family
-VI Cat Snorkel Excursion (Turtle Cove/Little Buck Island and Honeymoon Beach/Water Island in St Thomas)
-Pizza Pi Snorkel Sail with Lady Lynsey (St James island / St Thomas and Captain’s Choice for second stop)

We may add in a couple beach visits depending on how much energy we have left! Ha ha. I am debating between taking the ferry over to St John and hiking to Honeymoon Beach or visiting Magen’s Bay Beach on St Thoma….or both if we have energy.
 
Last edited:
Is this resort really great? Or really bad? I’m reading both opinions from the OP. Hard to believe it’s bad, given all the positive comments (especially from the OP!) in past threads. Makes one wonder…are reviews on TUG accurate? ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Is this resort really great? Or really bad? I’m reading both opinions from the OP. Hard to believe it’s bad, given all the positive comments (especially from the OP!) in past threads. Makes one wonder…are reviews on TUG accurate? ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
This thread is a case study in how unit placement can make or break a stay, and maybe more importantly, how the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
 
I'd add the expectations (in general, not just unit assignment) can also be make or break.
I own at resorts where they make it clear that owners get top priority for unit placements, but even among owners using their owned Weeks they implement a rotational system so that if you're placed into one of the "best" units one year then the next year you might be placed in one of the "worst." It works such that, using my Barony Beach Oceanfront Week as the example, one year I'll get a high floor placement and the next year a low floor. It's a fair process that gives every owner a chance at the "best" placements so I have no problem taking my turn in the "worst."

That doesn't mean I don't nicely ask if something better is available - it just means that if they tell me "no" then I don't post a bad review on social media to shame them into changing things. I know this isn't the typical TUG thinking but whenever I read threads like this I wonder how many times my "worst" placements weren't at all a matter of owners taking their turn in the "best", but instead a matter of entitled exchangers being the squeaky wheel that got the grease.
 
Last edited:
I own at resorts where they make it clear that owners get top priority for unit placements, but even among owners using their owned Weeks they implement a rotational system so that if you're placed into one of the "best" units one year then the next year you might be placed in one of the "worst." It works such that, using my Barony Beach Oceanfront Week as the example, one year I'll get a high floor placement and the next year a low floor. It's a fair process that gives every owner a chance at the "best" placements so I have no problem taking my turn in the "worst."

That doesn't mean I don't nicely ask if something better is available - it just means that if they tell me "no" then I don't post a bad review on social media to shame them into changing things. I know this isn't the typical TUG thinking but whenever I read threads like this I wonder how many times my "worst" placements weren't at all a matter of owners taking their turn in the "best", but instead a matter of entitled exchangers being the squeaky wheel that got the grease.
MGO uses a similar rotational system, I bet Surfwatch does also. I've dealt with this for years almost every year at MGO with owned units, II exchanges and points exchanges (DP). Also with OF & OS units in the mix as well. We've had 13, 14 then 15 units the last 3 yrs (this year 16). No next year it will not be 17, LOL. I must say they do an amazing job but still stay within their stated parameters. My only requests are best view possible for the OF units and same building (or 2) if at all possible. I do ask they give me ahead of time the specifics on the units which they've always been good about doing but without giving out the unit numbers themselves. They'll let me know building, floor with view type, 1 or 2 beds in 2nd BR and HC or not. That helps me to give them the list of who is where ahead of time since some rooms will have more than others and we're talking different family groups so they can be grouped closer together. Again, they've always been amazing, not because they give me more than they should be because they are honest, consistent and follow through which is all I should expect.
 
I do not consider myself to be an exchanger in the II sense of the word. We do not own a fractional here but MVC has always honored my request and I have never been disappointed with Marriott. MVC DP owners, in my experience, are treated almost as well as resort owners, sometimes better from what I have read here on TUG.

Drum roll please…I decided I like our unit compared to other possible 1st and 2nd floor placements. We walked around today and I noticed that in the four buildings with the regular 2BRs, the 1st and 2nd floor units are set further back than this building and most have zero view. At least the 1st and 2nd floor units in the 2BR suite buildings have a view through the trees, even from the 1st floor. The first floor in the 2BR suite building next to us is as high as the 3rd floor in this building.

I got spoiled in 2019 when they put us on the 4th floor in the highest building so it was as good as it gets with views. At that time, I did not walk around and look at other units because I was happy where we were. I just assumed every unit here had the same spectacular view. I never minded the small kitchen except the refrigerator is small.

Now that I know people using DPs will get lower floors, I would actually want a unit in the two buildings that have the 2BR suites. I prefer a better view over a full kitchen.
 
I do not consider myself to be an exchanger in the II sense of the word. We do not own a fractional here but MVC has always honored my request and I have never been disappointed with Marriott. MVC DP owners, in my experience, are treated almost as well as resort owners, sometimes better from what I have read here on TUG.

Drum roll please…I decided I like our unit compared to other possible 1st and 2nd floor placements. We walked around today and I noticed that in the four buildings with the regular 2BRs, the 1st and 2nd floor units are set further back than this building and most have zero view. At least the 1st and 2nd floor units in the 2BR suite buildings have a view through the trees, even from the 1st floor. The first floor in the 2BR suite building next to us is as high as the 3rd floor in this building.

I got spoiled in 2019 when they put us on the 4th floor in the highest building so it was as good as it gets with views. At that time, I did not walk around and look at other units because I was happy where we were. I just assumed every unit here had the same spectacular view. I never minded the small kitchen except the refrigerator is small.

Now that I know people using DPs will get lower floors, I would actually want a unit in the two buildings that have the 2BR suites. I prefer a better view over a full kitchen.
Regardless a points reservation is an exchange in every sense of the word even if one owned another unit there. Whether the resort lumps them together or puts points ahead of II exchanges varies with the resort.
 
Regardless a points reservation is an exchange in every sense of the word even if one owned another unit there. Whether the resort lumps them together or puts points ahead of II exchanges varies with the resort.
I am new to the Marriott timeshare world so maybe I have a different perspective. My understanding is the trust owns a number of units and booking using DPs is essentially booking what the trust owns. If that is the case, I don’t understand why a DP reservation should be treated as an exchange, less than an owner. I guess the waters are muddied in cases where the unit was reserved via an owner elected points vs owned by the trust. If it was an owner elected week deposited into the trust, I guess I can see that as an exchange.
 
I do not consider myself to be an exchanger in the II sense of the word. We do not own a fractional here but MVC has always honored my request and I have never been disappointed with Marriott. MVC DP owners, in my experience, are treated almost as well as resort owners, sometimes better from what I have read here on TUG.

Drum roll please…I decided I like our unit compared to other possible 1st and 2nd floor placements. We walked around today and I noticed that in the four buildings with the regular 2BRs, the 1st and 2nd floor units are set further back than this building and most have zero view. At least the 1st and 2nd floor units in the 2BR suite buildings have a view through the trees, even from the 1st floor. The first floor in the 2BR suite building next to us is as high as the 3rd floor in this building.

I got spoiled in 2019 when they put us on the 4th floor in the highest building so it was as good as it gets with views. At that time, I did not walk around and look at other units because I was happy where we were. I just assumed every unit here had the same spectacular view. I never minded the small kitchen except the refrigerator is small.

Now that I know people using DPs will get lower floors, I would actually want a unit in the two buildings that have the 2BR suites. I prefer a better view over a full kitchen.
I don't know what you've been reading on TUG about Marriott's Destination Club but unit placement is discussed quite often, and very rarely is the claim made that DC Points users will be treated equal or better than owners using their Weeks. I'm one of only a few TUGgers who believe that DC Trust Points owners should be equal to Weeks Owners when using their points to book DC Trust inventory, and there's zero support for DC Points members using the DC Exchange Company to be treated equal to Weeks Owners.

Whether you consider yourself to be an exchanger when using DC Points means nothing - the fact is that the overwhelming majority of reservations using DC Points are confirmed via the DC Exchange Company. That's why the Rooms Controllers at the resort level see them as exchanges, maybe not as low on any priority placement lists as II exchanges but certainly not as high as Weeks Owners using their ownerships.

I guess it's good that you've had a couple days to calm down and now you're happy, but, you got results because you lashed out unfairly against the resort for all the world to see (and to find, very quickly, by someone searching for resort reviews.) I just hope an owner's legitimate priority for a better placement hasn't been usurped by your upcoming move.

In my earlier post I used Barony Beach Oceanfront as the example for my resorts' rotational system when placing owners. It's maybe not the best example because all Barony Oceanfront units directly face the ocean from the two buildings closest to the ocean - "best" and "worst" there is basically the difference between high and low floors. Maybe SurfWatch Oceanside is the better example. From the "best" of those units in the two buildings that have them, you get a high-floor expansive view of the marsh and out to the beach/ocean; from the "worst" you get a low-floor placement that overlooks the pool. Like I said, I hope that all of my "worst" placements when using my owned Weeks at SurfWatch happened because of the owner priority placement rotational system, and not because an exchanger like you came in and kicked up a fuss that couldn't be ignored.

I realize this might all sound very harsh. But unit placements are probably the most misunderstood aspects of timeshares considering that no two units are equal, and it's so frustrating to be willing to follow the resorts' direction all the while knowing that people who are willing to kick up a fuss are routinely rewarded for it. I really wish the resorts would just stand firm instead of giving in.
 
I am new to the Marriott timeshare world so maybe I have a different perspective. My understanding is the trust owns a number of units and booking using DPs is essentially booking what the trust owns. If that is the case, I don’t understand why a DP reservation should be treated as an exchange, less than an owner. I guess the waters are muddied in cases where the unit was reserved via an owner elected points vs owned by the trust. If it was an owner elected week deposited into the trust, I guess I can see that as an exchange.
I agree with you that DC Trust members (owners of purchased DC Points) who use those points to book DC Trust-conveyed inventory are more like Weeks Owners, especially when compared to DC Exchange Members who use their points from enrolled/elected Weeks to book DC Exchange Company inventory. Over the years as we've hashed this out on TUG we've come to an understanding that with the overwhelming majority of DC reservations being processed through the DC Exchange Company - and the confirmations indicating "DC Exchange" - it might just be a matter of the resort personnel not being able to verify the situations where DC Trust Members are staying in DC Trust-conveyed units. IMO if any owners have a right to claim that they deserve to be placed higher on any resort priority placement lists, it's those DC Trust Members.
 
The "Suites" product at The Ritz-Carlton Club, St. Thomas was a byproduct of an acquisition by The Ritz-Carlton Club/MVCI, of two buildings that were previously owned by The Ritz-Carlton (hotel), St. Thomas. The "suites" in those buildings were converted by RCC/MVCI into "residences" that RCC/MVCI referred to as "suites," to differentiate them from the original RCC, St. Thomas offering, of a spacious two or three-bedroom residences, with a full kitchen. The "suites" residences are smaller than the original RCC product, in STT, and the "suites" lack a full kitchen. When the "suites" were originally sold by RCC/MVCI, they were sold with two "food presentations" per day, to overcome the absence of a full kitchen in the "suites" residences; those two food presentations included breakfast, and an afternoon service of hors d'oeuvres and a single alcoholic beverage (and soft drinks). If my memory is right, given the high cost associated with the two food presentations, per day, that were catered by the neighboring Ritz-Carlton hotel, with no meaningful discount provided to the (very) distant cousins of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, those distant cousins being, The Ritz-Carlton Club (really, MVCI, NOT Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company), the (RCC) members of the "suites product" voted to eliminate the two food presentations per day. When initially conceived, guests of members, occupying a member’s residence in the "suites," and those RCC members using "reciprocal usage (not to be confused with "timeshare term," "exchange"), into the suites product, received the benefits that accompanied "suites membership" for the original members. Some RCC members and guests enjoyed the "suites" buildings residences, and amenities, and others did not. THEN, MVC turned The Ritz-Carlton Club into an upper-tier timeshare product, with access to that "timeshare product" by MVC Owners. The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands members, many of whom believed that they purchased an "exclusive membership" in a Private Residence Club, "for the exclusive enjoyment of members and their guests," operated by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, were surprised to learn that The Ritz-Carlton Club was a subsidiary of Marriott Vacation Club, and NOT The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, and that their "private residence club" would be turned into a polished/upper tier Marriott Vacation Club timeshare resort. The group most outraged by this evolution of The Ritz-Carlton Club, were probably the members of The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands. See this: https://www.aspendailynews.com/ritz...cle_21422fe7-f341-5d18-b132-634bdf7846ee.html
 
I agree with everyone that owners at the Ritz Carlton Clubs should have priority. They are paying $15K in MFs and many paid six figures for their entry fee.

I know this next comment with be controversial. I do not understand why resale weeks owners at MVC should get priority over anyone else. I really think people who buy direct from MVC or re-qualify their weeks should have priority. Just my opinion.

This resort does not appear to be full at the moment. I can see into some units and they are not occupied. If it was full with owners, they would not move us to a new unit. They made it very clear that owners have priority and they they would NOT allow a DP owner to take away a better unit from a resort owner.

What is wrong with asking for something once you are at the resort? They can say yes or no. I hear all the time that Tuggers have asked to move rooms.

Believe it or not, I would rather stay in this room right now than move but since they are already planning the move, I do not want to complicate things further. I do not think moving one floor up in the same building is going to be very different.

If anyone is concerned we are taking away a better unit from an owner, then last time we were here, we certianly were assigned one of the best units. That was the choice of the resort. We did not ask to be given a 4th floor panoramic oceanfront unit in the regular 2BR with full kitchen in the tallest building here.
 
I am new to the Marriott timeshare world so maybe I have a different perspective. My understanding is the trust owns a number of units and booking using DPs is essentially booking what the trust owns. If that is the case, I don’t understand why a DP reservation should be treated as an exchange, less than an owner. I guess the waters are muddied in cases where the unit was reserved via an owner elected points vs owned by the trust. If it was an owner elected week deposited into the trust, I guess I can see that as an exchange.
The reality is that very few of the resorts are trust only and that a large % of the inventory comes from enrolled members who trade their week for DP points. The name of the program is "Marriott Vacation Club Destinations® Exchange Program" and it's a registered exchange company which is what allows it to operate and we members to use it. That's the technical answer. The other is that the only other option is to treat them the same as owners at that resort which I think everyone would view as unreasonable. Some resorts assign DP reservations above exchangers and others at the same exact level. They also do not take into account Bonvoy status for unit assignments, at least not officially. It's no different than owning DVC and reserving a non home resort using points, that too is an exchange in every sense of the word even though most DVC members wouldn't see it that way or realize that it is.

As for trust vs DP points, they would have to separate out the trust units vs elected units. So IF a reserved unit assigned were actually in the trust AND one use ONLY trust points to reserved AND the points were from an ownership at that resort, I could see that argument. I think if any of the variables are not 100% true, the idea that one should be treated the same as an owner at that resort would be invalid IMO. Thus given the trust has no home resort and the administration is done through the exchange program, we're back to this simply being an exchange.

This is similar to one feeling they should get priority for unit assignments based on being Chairman's club or their Bonvoy status. IMO that's actually a more value argument in some ways but is also not reality.
 
Top