Abound Club Points strategy and desired resorts

[CPNY]

Now that the dust is starting to settle and we are getting more and more ideas around who’s in and who’s out, how will you use your VOI?
I can see myself converting one or two units and possibly renting more points if needed.

Which Marriott resorts are you dying to get your mitts on? In an ideal situation I’d be going for a few nights at the Ritz in STT coupled with a WSJ trip every or every other year. (Maybe it’s true, all of those Marriott people should have been worried about us Vistana people taking their best weeks….we’re coming!)

I’m also Interested in some long weekends at Lakeshore reserve, Beachplace towers, Crystal Shores or other Florida locations. Other than that I will be in the VSN as well as Interval!

Anyone use Club Points for Interval? Is it best to deposit points for a studio then pay the upgrade fee? Will studio points pull larger rooms? I’m really interested in Club Points in Interval for external exchanges my regular VOI wont pull.

 

[dioxide45]

Anyone use Club Points for Interval? Is it best to deposit points for a studio then pay the upgrade fee? Will studio points pull larger rooms? I’m really interested in Club Points in Interval for external exchanges my regular VOI wont.

Since we are Marriott owners, the first part doesn't really apply to our situation. As to this last point, you can deposit the minimum number of points to get a week placeholder deposit. Studio units will pull larger units, but they may not trade as well as larger units. You would pay the applicable upgrade fees, but it is probably a better way to get more exchanges than depositing more points. Just realize that you won't be able to exchange any Abound points through II for Marriott or Vistana resorts.

 

[CPNY]

Since we are Marriott owners, the first part doesn't really apply to our situation. As to this last point, you can deposit the minimum number of points to get a week placeholder deposit. Studio units will pull larger units, but they may not trade as well as larger units. You would pay the applicable upgrade fees, but it is probably a better way to get more exchanges than depositing more points. Just realize that you won't be able to exchange any Abound points through II for Marriott or Vistana resorts.

Yeah external exchanges only. Do you have to deposit points or can you do a vacation search first?

 

[travelhacker]

Now that the dust is starting to settle and we are getting more and more ideas around who’s in and who’s out, how will you use your VOI?
I can see myself converting one or two units and possibly renting more points if needed.

Which Marriott resorts are you dying to get your mitts on? In an ideal situation I’d be going for a few nights at the Ritz in STT coupled with a WSJ trip every or every other year. (Maybe it’s try, all of those Marriott people should have been worried about us Vistana people taking their best weeks….we’re coming!)

I’m also Interested in some long weekends at Lakeshore reserve, Beachplace towers, Crystal Shores or other Florida locations. Other than that I will be in the VSN as well as Interval!

Anyone use Club Points for Interval? Is it best to deposit points for a studio then pay the upgrade fee? Will studio points pull larger rooms? I’m really interested in Club Points in Interval for external exchanges my regular VOI wont.

I'm excited about the change. For me, the biggest loss is Maui becoming too expensive for me to want to trade in using Abound points (I may elect and bank SO to try and snag some Maui reservations in the future). Overall, I am really, really excited about having access to Abound.

Here's how we plan on using Abound points:

1) Crystal Shores. We go to Southwest Florida at least once per year (Hyatt Coconut Plantation / Hyatt Siesta Key). It will be nice to throw this in the regular mix.
2) Colorado. Previously, I had really good access to Colorado resorts (Hyatt + VSN) but housekeeping fees were a bit of a buzzkill (and in Hyatt, I had to pay booking fees). I see many short getaways in our future.
3) Orlando / Newport Coast Villas / Hawaii. I know that I am usually better off doing an interval exchanges for these destinations, but I like the added flexibility. If I need a night or two to fill in between exchanges, having all of that availability with no booking or housekeeping fees will be really nice. I'm a points cheapskate, but even if I have to spend 800 points to stay an extra night at Ko'Olina before my next interval exchange, I'll still feel good about that because it beats the alternative of moving to a hotel for a 1 night stay.
4) One time vacation destinations. There are a lot of places in Abound that I won't go to regularly, but will be fun to use for big family trips (Costa Rica,Carribean, etc).
5) Family visits. We have a family of 5. I think it's in everyone's best interest for me stay in our own accommodations. I'd prefer the Westin Kierland when we go to Arizona, but the points chart for Canyon Villas looks quite good during times when we'd visit. My parents will have a place just 8 miles from Ocean Watch, so it'll be nice to be close to them (and let them visit us and use the amenities).

I am also interested in how to use Abound points in II. I see this more of a last resort when we have expiring points, but it is always nice to have a deposit here and there when something great comes up last minute.

 

[CPNY]

@travelhacker I will be clearing my point usage with you before I do anything since you have it locked down!

 

[travelhacker]

@travelhacker I will be clearing my point usage with you before I do anything since you have it locked down!

Sounds good! I've spent way too much time studying these charts the last few weeks. Happy to help.

 

[dioxide45]

Yeah external exchanges only. Do you have to deposit points or can you do a vacation search first?

You can setup searches or just search instant exchange inventory using points. In this case, you pay more points for higher season (TDI) and larger units. Where if you make a deposit of points, you can exchange into anything you can see or pull based on trade power and pay cash for any unit size upgrades.

 

[CPNY]

You can setup searches or just search instant exchange inventory using points. In this case, you pay more points for higher season (TDI) and larger units. Where if you make a deposit of points, you can exchange into anything you can see or pull based on trade power and pay cash for any unit size upgrades.

Ahh so it’s better to deposit points then pay the upgrade fee. The key is to use as little points as possible

 

[dioxide45]

Ahh so it’s better to deposit points then pay the upgrade fee. The key is to use as little points as possible

It depends. You can't really see what a deposit will pull without depositing it first. When you search with points you see everything available up to the point value, but when you search with deposited points, it is really a week deposit and what you can pull is based on trade power. If you are only booking Orlando, depositing 1,000 points as a low season studio may work to trade up to larger units, but it won't work for those harder to get trades.

 

[CPNY]

It depends. You can't really see what a deposit will pull without depositing it first. When you search with points you see everything available up to the point value, but when you search with deposited points, it is really a week deposit and what you can pull is based on trade power. If you are only booking Orlando, depositing 1,000 points as a low season studio may work to trade up to larger units, but it won't work for those harder to get trades.

Harder to get trades in orlando or other locations? I may have to go with a mid season studio point value since Orlando has a TDI between 100-150 for all but a few weeks.

 

[dioxide45]

Harder to get trades in orlando or other locations? I may have to go with a mid season studio point value since Orlando has a TDI between 100-150 for all but a few weeks.

Harder to get in other locations. Trade power is a moving target and without being able to search with the deposited points first, makes it a bit of a crapshoot.

 

[kozykritter]

In Vistana you can pull back/reverse an II deposit (for Flex, at least) as long as it's done before the end of the current use year of what was deposited and no exchanges have been done on it. How does it work with MVC points deposits?

 

[CPNY]

In Vistana you can pull back/reverse an II deposit (for Flex, at least) as long as it's done before the end of the current use year of what was deposited and no exchanges have been done on it. How does it work with MVC points deposits?

Great question…. @dioxide45, any insight?

 

[dioxide45]

Great question…. @dioxide45, any insight?

I am pretty sure tha MVC point deposits are final just like Marriott weeks. The difference compared to Vistana weeks is that Vistana isn't really deposiring anything specific to your ownership. At some point they give II something for your resort. This is why you can deposit into II up to 12/31 of your use year with Vistana.

 

[kozykritter]

Back to your original question, I love to hike and plan to focus in on the two mountain properties where I spend the most time, Sheraton Steamboat and Marriott MountainSide. Being a dual owner, I already had multiple ways to access both and am excited to have the ability to directly convert my Sheraton Flex to Club Points. Now for each week I stay I can compare the various point and cash costs and flexibility of booking in VSN, booking through II with Flex home options or Getaways, converting ownership to Club Points to book MVC and/or Vistana properties or using my existing owned Club Points...whew! Good thing I have a degree in Accounting I've already figured out several sweet spots for me between all the systems due to different seasonalities when low, shoulder and high seasons crossover so any trip may be a mishmash of all of those options. Thanks Marriott for more options!

 

[DavidnRobin]

Thanks Chris (@CPNY) for starting this thread. I may just learn something.

For reference, can someone link what we know so far about the points giving for the various VSN resorts?

As mentioned before for our Ownership:
WKORV OFD (requalified resale Mandatory) — an exchange whether within VSN or Abound is a very poor value based on the high MFs (and best villa within VSN IMO). Plan to use the 1Bd side. Plan to either use or rent the studio side. I was able to rent 2023 usage (whale season) for $2800 which puts our 1Bd side at ~$100/nt.

WKV 1Bd Plat (x2, resale Mandatory) — generally rent, but also use to stay or exchange for a 1Bd WKORV/N (as intended when purchased). Perhaps I would use in Abound if there were a specific location we’d want to go (e.g.
Big Island).

WPORV EOY (Developer, Voluntary) — plan to use as we love North Kauai ever so often, and like WPORV. We do use studio side to get a 1Bd (thru VSN), or stay at Poipu, as I don’t like the studios (too confining). MFs too high to use in Abound.


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[TravelTime]

My biggest recommendations are:

1) Study the points charts to travel in off season since points are often half of the high season requirements. People say the Abound points charts are complicated but really it is easy once you get used to it. There is usually a big difference in points based on view category and unit size so you can also maximize points this way. Frankly you can get a lot out of your points if you maximize.

2) For high demand resorts, book at 13 or 12 months depending on what is allowed for that resort. There is no list of when inventory is released i.e. 13 vs 12 months, but you can ask on TUG what is typical and they can tell you. For example, I believe Aruba is released at 12 months. I have actually seen good inventory released in Aruba at 12 months. Some resorts have two releases, one at 13 mo and another at 12 mo.

3) Do searches yourself even if you are not planning to book there yet. That will give you an idea of release patterns and how soon you need to book.

4) For your home resort, it is almost always better to use the underlying week and not points, whether the week is in Abound or Vistana. I anticipate that the home resort booking availability will remain the same. I do not think Abound will try to steal inventory from Vistana. With MVC, weeks owners did not seem to have an issue with not being able to book their home resort.

If I think of any other strategies, I will add them to this list.

 

[CPNY]

My biggest recommendations are:

1) Study the points charts to travel in off season since points are often half of the high season requirements. People say the Abound points charts are complicated but really it is easy once you get used to it. There is usually a big difference in points based on view category and unit size so you can also maximize points this way. Frankly you can get a lot out of your points if you maximize.

2) For high demand resorts, book at 13 or 12 months depending on what is allowed for that resort. There is no list of when inventory is released i.e. 13 vs 12 months, but you can ask on TUG what is typical and they can tell you. For example, I believe Aruba is released at 12 months. I have actually seen good inventory released at 12 months. Some resorts have two releases, one at 13 mo and another at 12 mo.

3) Do searches yourself even if you are not planning to book there yet. That will give you an idea of release patterns and how soon you need to book.

4) For your home resort, it is almost always better to use the underlying week and not points, whether the week is in Abound or Vistana. I anticipate that the home resort booking availability will remain the same. I do not think Abound will try to steal inventory from Vistana. With MVC, weeks owners did not seem to have an issue with not being able to book their home resort.

If I think of any other strategies, I will add them to this list.

Very helpful

 

[TravelTime]

Thanks Chris (@CPNY) for starting this thread. I may just learn something.

For reference, can someone link what we know so far about the points giving for the various VSN resorts?

As mentioned before for our Ownership:
WKORV OFD (requalified resale Mandatory) — an exchange whether within VSN or Abound is a very poor value based on the high MFs (and best villa within VSN IMO). Plan to use the 1Bd side. Plan to either use or rent the studio side. I was able to rent 2023 usage (whale season) for $2800 which puts our 1Bd side at ~$100/nt.

WKV 1Bd Plat (x2, resale Mandatory) — generally rent, but also use to stay or exchange for a 1Bd WKORV/N (as intended when purchased). Perhaps I would use in Abound if there were a specific location we’d want to go (e.g.
Big Island).

WPORV EOY (Developer, Voluntary) — plan to use as we love North Kauai ever so often, and like WPORV. We do use studio side to get a 1Bd (thru VSN), or stay at Poipu, as I don’t like the studios (too confining). MFs too high to use in Abound.


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Actually, MF conversions seem to be better for Abound. For example, my WKOVRN week gets 8300 points. The MF is approx $3000. So the MF per point is approx $0.36. The trust point MF is about $0.68 (or more, can’t remember the exact number). Also cost per point in upfront fees including closing costs for my EOY week works out to $3.40 pp (annualized for EOY) vs $15 if you buy retail through MVC in sales office or approx $7-$8 pp for a hybrid package or approx $6 pp if you buy resale trust points. This is why insiders were buying VSN weeks.

I was about to purchase a second WKOVRN 2BR OF EOY week in 2021 and I didn’t. I had an offer accepted but then I changed my mind for all the reasons I have described before about why I do not really like Vistana or even Maui. Now I am kicking myself since the points come out to be so cost effective.

Someone said the cost per point in upfront fees is even more cost effective with IV/OV in Maui. I can see that but I think the MF pp comes out higher if they are paying the same MF as OF. I am not sure what the MF is for other view categories in Maui.

 

[dioxide45]

Once you start depositing into Abound, you are leading to the diminishing inventory available in VSN. You lead to the very thing many here seem to be rallying against.

 

[Red elephant]

After looking at the point charts you can get almost 2-3 weeks in certain locations off season with a Maui week. That’s even better than renting that week in certain cases. I might just convert my week to Abound and purchase a resale for personal use. Because it’s mandatory I can use one week in Maui and use the other week for Kauai .

 

[CPNY]

Once you start depositing into Abound, you are leading to the diminishing inventory available in VSN. You lead to the very thing many here seem to be rallying against.

I’m converting SVV units, I doubt anyone would care lol

 

[TravelTime]

Once you start depositing into Abound, you are leading to the diminishing inventory available in VSN. You lead to the very thing many here seem to be rallying against.

Yes. The way I look at this is we live in a free market economy in a democracy. Abound and VSN can be viewed as either competitive or complimentary. If they are competitive then may the best one win. If Abound is designed to be better, then many of us are lucky to get our week enrolled with no cost. Others can enroll their week if it makes sense or use their home resort week or exchange in VSN or II, or sell if not happy. But rallying against another product because it is better and may hurt the old product sounds pretty authoritarian to me.

 

[TravelTime]

After looking at the point charts you can get almost 2-3 weeks in certain locations off season with a Maui week. That’s even better than renting that week in certain cases. I might just convert my week to Abound and purchase a resale for personal use. Because it’s mandatory I can use one week in Maui and use the other week for Kauai .

I have been saying this all year! No one listened until now.

 

[dioxide45]

Yes. The way I look at this is we live in a free market economy in a democracy. Abound and VSN can be viewed as either competitive or complimentary. If they are competitive then may the best one win. If Abound is designed to be better, then many of us are lucky to get out week enrolled with no cost. But rallying against another product because it is better and may hurt the old product sounds pretty authoritarian to me.

I am just playing off many of the posts in the forum over the last week or so. More out of sarcasm than anything...