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Marriott vs Wyndham

Niteflite

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After being a club Wyndham owner for 4+ years i decided to give up the points back to Wyndham. It was just 210k biannual so it made sense to me to give it back then selling it since brokers have a minimum commission.

Now I’d like to explore a higher end timeshare system like Marriott and Hilton. I was thinking Marriott because we are Bonvoy members and accumulate 100s of thousands of miles a year from work trips.

Can someone help answer these questions

Are they as high pressure as Wyndham at check in for those owner breakfasts?

Is there a way to get on a do not sell list so they don’t harass you like Wyndham?

Do they have point systems where I’m not locked into one property only?

How does the cost (resale price and maintenance) compare to Wyndham?

Am I correct that overall Marriott properties will be better maintained and have a higher end feeling?

Thanks
 

CPNY

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After being a club Wyndham owner for 4+ years i decided to give up the points back to Wyndham. It was just 210k biannual so it made sense to me to give it back then selling it since brokers have a minimum commission.

Now I’d like to explore a higher end timeshare system like Marriott and Hilton. I was thinking Marriott because we are Bonvoy members and accumulate 100s of thousands of miles a year from work trips.

Can someone help answer these questions

Are they as high pressure as Wyndham at check in for those owner breakfasts?

Is there a way to get on a do not sell list so they don’t harass you like Wyndham?

Do they have point systems where I’m not locked into one property only?

How does the cost (resale price and maintenance) compare to Wyndham?

Am I correct that overall Marriott properties will be better maintained and have a higher end feeling?

Thanks
Yes and no, they send you to owners lounge/concierge to get your parking pass when you check in. Here they try and sell you on doing an owners update (sales presentation). You say no thanks, not this trip everything is planned from morning until night. The answer is a hard no.

They generally don’t harass you at all from my experience.

Of course! Buy Marriott points resale!

Resale is much more than Wyndham but you get a lot of nice perks with resale points. Depending on how much you buy you’ll receive elite owner levels and bonvoy hotel status even on resale. Maintenance fees are probably similar or may just a bit more with Marriott

Yes, Marriott properties are excellent for the most part and you’ll be happy with the accommodations and resorts. Now they they added vistana properties to Abound, you’ll have access to Westin and Sheraton resorts. By next year Harborside at Atlantis as well.
 

dioxide45

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I have been to many Marriotts and several Wyndhams. Wyndham seems to be a little more high pressure to sign you up for a presentation, but Marriott also plays the parking pass game. Their goal is to get you to a presentation. How high pressure that is will depend on who the marketing person is you are talking to at any given time.

I know of no way to get on a do not sell list, but perhaps there is one.

Marriott does have a pure points system called Abound (formerly Destiantions Club). This is very similar to Club Wyndham Access except the points are deeded.

Marriott Abound Trust points will be much more expensive than most equivelant Wyndham offerings. $3-$4 per point resale and an additional $3 per point initiation fee to Marriott. Plus another $300 owner education fee.

Based on the four Wyndham properties we have stayed at, you will find Marriott is higher end feeling. Though you are paying for it in what is probably $200-$500 more in maintenance fees for an equivalent week.
 

montygz

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I will add that Marriott trades in Interval International which now has the Disney resorts along with Hyatt and Four Seasons. As the others have said, a bit more upscale with Marriott but a bit more expensive, too.

You might consider renting a couple stays somewhere you want to go in the Marriott system to see if you like it.

The best timeshare fit for you is the one you will use and learn how to maximize your points/weeks/exchanges, etc.
 
Last edited:

A.Win

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I have stayed in about 4 Marriott resorts and dozens of Wyndham ones.

Marriott is generally better, however it almost always costs quite a bit more than Wyndham. If you can get a Wyndham VIP upgrade plus a discount of 25 to 60%, you will find that a Marriott unit can cost 3X more. For example, Wyndham 2BR units in Williamsburg can be under $50 per night. The Marriott 2BR unit in Williamsburg is 3X to 5X higher than this.

Also, many Wyndham properties have Presidential units. If you are able to book these, then the cost and quality could even exceed Marriott's options.

The biggest factor to consider is which system has the locations that you like more. Also for exchanging, do you want RCI or Interval? Since Wyndham costs less, it is easier to find a trade that is equal or better. When you trade a Marriott, your options might be limited to something that is cheaper.
 

dioxide45

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I have stayed in about 4 Marriott resorts and dozens of Wyndham ones.

Marriott is generally better, however it almost always costs quite a bit more than Wyndham. If you can get a Wyndham VIP upgrade plus a discount of 25 to 60%, you will find that a Marriott unit can cost 3X more. For example, Wyndham 2BR units in Williamsburg can be under $50 per night. The Marriott 2BR unit in Williamsburg is 3X to 5X higher than this.

Also, many Wyndham properties have Presidential units. If you are able to book these, then the cost and quality could even exceed Marriott's options.

The biggest factor to consider is which system has the locations that you like more. Also for exchanging, do you want RCI or Interval? Since Wyndham costs less, it is easier to find a trade that is equal or better. When you trade a Marriott, your options might be limited to something that is cheaper.
What if you are not Wyndham VIP? It doesn’t seem like this is apples to apples comparison. It doesn’t look like the OP was VIP.
 

Niteflite

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Does Marriott also have an exit service where I can hand it back to them at no cost?
 

jwalk03

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Does Marriott also have an exit service where I can hand it back to them at no cost?

Most Marriotts have some resale value so unless you own something really worthless (like a HHI Bronze week or a Ski Resort Mid Week) than you can resale for around what you pay upfront. A few hundred to a few thousand dollars per week. Or $3-$4/pt.

The cheapest way to own Marriott is to buy a good Marriott trader and lockoff and exchange through Interval. That is what I have been doing for the last few years and with the Marriott to Marriott preference I have gotten some really good exchanges that I have been very happy with. I got a platinum Harbor Lake week that I lock off and trade for two week long vacations each year.

The downside to this is you can only book full weeks, and you have to be flexible to play the exchange game. But the cost is significantly lower than even buying resale points which will cost you around $7/pt resale including the junk fees.
 

CaliSunshine

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We recently stayed at a Worldmark and they called the room phone every day. Never happened at a Worldmark before, but I'm definitely unplugging the room phone next time.

Marriott, in my experience, doesn't do that, but they do pay commission for each person who goes to an "owners update" so there will be some hard sells when you check in. They are generally higher end than Wyndham or Worldmark.

The real problem with the Marriott system is difficulty in getting resale weeks into points. If you buy a resale week with low MFs (you can find them in both Marriott and Vistana) you will not be allowed to enroll them in Abound without paying Marriott a bunch of extra money. You can buy into the various trusts: Marriott Destinations Club Points, Westin Flex and Westin Aventuras but the MF/point is going to be higher. I'm not 100% sure if DC, Flex, and Aventuras bought at resale will have access to the cross-booking options Abound allows, but they do have a bunch of resort options already. I know DC points you also have to pay Marriott a fee also, I think it's $3/point to transfer.

So there's a dilemma: if you go for the lowest MFs in these systems, you're basically limited to trading full weeks on II. If you want the flexibility of points then you'll have to pay a higher MF/point. And in general, the MFs are significantly higher than Wyndham or Worldmark for the same room size.
 

CaliSunshine

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Vistana does have "mandatory" resorts which are weeks that are automatically enrolled into a different points system (VSN, which technically still exists). Traditionally they've held their value pretty well. However, there was a cutoff to enroll them into Marriott Abound, so we'll see in a few years if they're actually going to retain their value.
 

A.Win

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The cheapest way to own Marriott is to buy a good Marriott trader and lockoff and exchange through Interval. That is what I have been doing for the last few years and with the Marriott to Marriott preference I have gotten some really good exchanges that I have been very happy with. I got a platinum Harbor Lake week that I lock off and trade for two week long vacations each year.

The downside to this is you can only book full weeks, and you have to be flexible to play the exchange game.
The cheapest way to STAY at Marriott is to get a low cost lockoff (cheaper place outside of Marriott) that trades well in Interval. Or even to book Getaways or Short Stays when they are available. Obviously, your choices are much more limited, but I am not sure if you only see 10% of the total Marriott inventory, or maybe 70%? does anyone have a better estimate? As a value traveler, the savings exceed the extra effort, and I am more flexible with my travel dates.
 

1Melanie

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After being a club Wyndham owner for 4+ years i decided to give up the points back to Wyndham. It was just 210k biannual so it made sense to me to give it back then selling it since brokers have a minimum commission.

Now I’d like to explore a higher end timeshare system like Marriott and Hilton. I was thinking Marriott because we are Bonvoy members and accumulate 100s of thousands of miles a year from work trips.

Can someone help answer these questions

Are they as high pressure as Wyndham at check in for those owner breakfasts?

Is there a way to get on a do not sell list so they don’t harass you like Wyndham?

Do they have point systems where I’m not locked into one property only?

How does the cost (resale price and maintenance) compare to Wyndham?

Am I correct that overall Marriott properties will be better maintained and have a higher end feeling?
 

1Melanie

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We owned both at one time. We had a fixed week with Marriott and ended up giving it back. It was too much humbug to use. To get anything but our home resort we had to go thru II for a fee. Wyndham is far easier to navigate. They have more resorts and continue to acquire more. Some of their resorts are not as nice as others particularly with the newer acquisitions like the Shell Resorts and Worldmarks but housekeeping standards are pretty consistent at all resorts. To their credit upgrading and remodeling is ongoing. The ones built by Wyndham with Presidential Reserve are probably nicer than Marriott and in prime locations like Midtown Manhattan, New Orleans, Bonnett Creek in Disneyworld. The Honolulu resorts are in noisy Waikiki but close to all the action. Marriotts Oahu resort is nicer but requires a vehicle to get around. Sales seem to be equally aggressive. Because we use Wyndham more, we’ve been to more “owner updates”.
Wyndham is in talks with Hilton to take over the Hilton resorts so they may not be Hilton much longer.
Whichever you choose I would look at their inventory to see if they have resorts in places where you want to go.
There’s lots of resale available on eBay cheap. That would be a good place to start if you just want to try something out. I once won a Wyndham resort for a week on the Big Island in Hawaii on the water for $150. We ended up giving that one back but got our $150 + maintenance fees worth out of it before we did.
So far, Wyndham hasn’t disappointed us especially since they keep acquiring more properties.
Maintenance fees vary by location. Each state has different levels of taxation.
The grass is not always greener on the other side. Just different.

I
 

jwalk03

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The cheapest way to STAY at Marriott is to get a low cost lockoff (cheaper place outside of Marriott) that trades well in Interval. Or even to book Getaways or Short Stays when they are available. Obviously, your choices are much more limited, but I am not sure if you only see 10% of the total Marriott inventory, or maybe 70%? does anyone have a better estimate? As a value traveler, the savings exceed the extra effort, and I am more flexible with my travel dates.

Not sure what the percentage of inventory is but just watching the sightings and stuff on this board I think the preference is worth it. Also Marriott to Marriott gets a discounted exchange fee- so while the Marriott maintenance fees are higher than does help save some as well. I was able to trade a Harbor Lake Studio for a President's Day Ski Week 1BR at Marriott Summit Watch, no way that one happens without Marriott preference.
 

Swans5

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Not sure what the percentage of inventory is but just watching the sightings and stuff on this board I think the preference is worth it. Also Marriott to Marriott gets a discounted exchange fee- so while the Marriott maintenance fees are higher than does help save some as well. I was able to trade a Harbor Lake Studio for a President's Day Ski Week 1BR at Marriott Summit Watch, no way that one happens without Marriott preference.
I would love some help with definitions. I only really know the WYN and DVC systems.

What does "Marriott preference" mean?
What is the definition of a "lock-off trader"?

Thanks for any educators out there who can help me learn! ;o)
 

sponger76

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I would love some help with definitions. I only really know the WYN and DVC systems.

What does "Marriott preference" mean?
What is the definition of a "lock-off trader"?

Thanks for any educators out there who can help me learn! ;o)
1. Marriott preference means that in II, Marriott weeks have a preference period where they can only be seen for exchange using another Marriott week. After that preference period, it becomes viewable for exchange with other timeshare brands.

2. Some multi-bedroom units have the ability to be locked-off, which means you can split the different sides to use in different ways. Think of it like the hotel rooms you've probably seen where there is an internal door that has the ability to open into the next-door hotel room. For example, a 2-bedroom with lock-off capability can be reserved either as a 2-bedroom, or as two separate units (two 1-bedroom units or one 1-bedroom and a studio). When locking off you can reserve two weeks by using each side separately, or use one side and rent/exchange the other.
 

mike1moss

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Some of the MVW resort, Crystal Shores, Oceana Palms, … are really great but others like vistina villages, grande vista are not so great, almost like they are not in the same company.
 

cowboy

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Marriott is by far better overall than Wyndham in my opinion. Most of my experience has been Hawaiian.
 

dsanner106

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I have owned both and lean toward Wyndham for the value and variety. To use my Marriott takes planning and luck to get something I want and the quality, while better than 3/4 of the Wyndhams, it is not by much and the best timeshare rooms I have ever stayed in were Wyndham. With Wyndham a point is a point, if you can see it you can book it so you are not ever penalized for your home resort or the season. Yes, VIP owners have some earlier access to their home resort but never seen this lock everyone else out. I do like Marriott, don't get me wrong but I have had the option and put more money into Wyndham.
 

Vacay Smart

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After being a club Wyndham owner for 4+ years i decided to give up the points back to Wyndham. It was just 210k biannual so it made sense to me to give it back then selling it since brokers have a minimum commission.

Now I’d like to explore a higher end timeshare system like Marriott and Hilton. I was thinking Marriott because we are Bonvoy members and accumulate 100s of thousands of miles a year from work trips.

Can someone help answer these questions

Are they as high pressure as Wyndham at check in for those owner breakfasts?

Is there a way to get on a do not sell list so they don’t harass you like Wyndham?

Do they have point systems where I’m not locked into one property only?

How does the cost (resale price and maintenance) compare to Wyndham?

Am I correct that overall Marriott properties will be better maintained and have a higher end feeling?

Thanks
Just wondering if you have considered Ramada instead? Wyndham's Ramada brand hotel in Thailand will rent out when not in use so you earn passive income. 8.87% yield right now because of the rise in tourism. No monthly fees. 7 year buy back. In a nutshell.
 
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