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Timeshare Traveler Episode 132... WorldMark Owner Update Feb 2023

Clifbell

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I just completed an owner update of the Worldmark in Kona Hawaii and I wanted to share the updates... The new item on this owner update was the new Founders Level for Worldmark owners at 85000. I've listed the details of that level as they were explained to me. Because it is not fully documented, it is not clear what the value is.

The part that was of most interest to me is that the Club Wyndham family of timeshares / Hotels / etc... is positioned to be a one stop shop for all travel needs. This includes airfare, car rentals, homes, and timeshares... Of all the timeshare companies, Wyndham has a travel company so they have broad access to all of the travel services. I will be interested to learn more about this over time.

Timeshare Traveler Episode 132... WorldMark Owner Update Feb 2023

Map of all my timeshare reviews
 

Eric B

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The part that was of most interest to me is that the Club Wyndham family of timeshares / Hotels / etc... is positioned to be a one stop shop for all travel needs. This includes airfare, car rentals, homes, and timeshares... Of all the timeshare companies, Wyndham has a travel company so they have broad access to all of the travel services. I will be interested to learn more about this over time.

I have noticed a trend in RCI (owned by Wyndham) of there being a lot more hotel availability than timeshare exchange availability. Might be due to the high demand for exchanges, but I'm not really seeing the value in RCI to the extent it was there before. This isn't entirely related to WorldMark as Wyndham seems to be doing that in all their business lines, but it really doesn't make them all that attractive to me as a timeshare user any more than it would if they expanded to sell shoes and underwear - the core business of timeshares is really the only thing that I want them to be able to do and do well. I am interested in it, though, in order to stay away and use providers for whom it is a core capability.
 

Clifbell

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I have noticed a trend in RCI (owned by Wyndham) of there being a lot more hotel availability than timeshare exchange availability. Might be due to the high demand for exchanges, but I'm not really seeing the value in RCI to the extent it was there before. This isn't entirely related to WorldMark as Wyndham seems to be doing that in all their business lines, but it really doesn't make them all that attractive to me as a timeshare user any more than it would if they expanded to sell shoes and underwear - the core business of timeshares is really the only thing that I want them to be able to do and do well. I am interested in it, though, in order to stay away and use providers for whom it is a core capability.
I've noticed a drop in units listed.... I think there is a move toward in-house exchanges... Hilton Now has destination exchange... Whydham has Vacasa. Marriott has home rentals... Interval International and RCI seem to be losing favor... The high booking fees is more of problem when compared to AirBnb and other newer platforms.
 

Eric B

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Hilton Now has destination exchange
I saw that mentioned in a different thread as a tidbit from a sales presentation but have seen no changes to my HGVC Max account to support it. My understanding is that Destination Exchange is an exchange system formerly limited to Diamond (now HVC) and is different than Vacasa and the other vacation home platforms the other brands have. Vacasa is primarily through the hotel rewards program, Wyndham Rewards, too, isn't it?

My interpretation is not that RCI is losing favor for timeshare exchanges to vacation home exchanges run in house or affiliated with mini-systems but instead that RCI has added a lot of hotel inventory that is displacing timeshare exchange availability or making it more difficult to find. If you do any availability search in RCI for exchanges, you can limit the search to Extra Vacation Only, Last Call Only, Exchange Plus Only, or Exchange Vacation Only. If you select Exchange Vacation Only, you nevertheless get the Exchange Plus results, which are all hotel availability that has a much higher exchange fee for much less of a sort of accommodation that typically lacks kitchen facilities. The Exchange Plus fees run as high as $999 rather than a weeks cost of $289 or a $269 cost for a 7-night points exchange, which likely makes this more of a moneymaker for RCI, so I doubt Wyndham would ever eliminate it. It is, however, a step away from timeshare exchanges, which is why I used RCI from the beginning; I'm transitioning to using other systems for the most part now because of the evolution.
 

Clifbell

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I saw that mentioned in a different thread as a tidbit from a sales presentation but have seen no changes to my HGVC Max account to support it. My understanding is that Destination Exchange is an exchange system formerly limited to Diamond (now HVC) and is different than Vacasa and the other vacation home platforms the other brands have. Vacasa is primarily through the hotel rewards program, Wyndham Rewards, too, isn't it?

My interpretation is not that RCI is losing favor for timeshare exchanges to vacation home exchanges run in house or affiliated with mini-systems but instead that RCI has added a lot of hotel inventory that is displacing timeshare exchange availability or making it more difficult to find. If you do any availability search in RCI for exchanges, you can limit the search to Extra Vacation Only, Last Call Only, Exchange Plus Only, or Exchange Vacation Only. If you select Exchange Vacation Only, you nevertheless get the Exchange Plus results, which are all hotel availability that has a much higher exchange fee for much less of a sort of accommodation that typically lacks kitchen facilities. The Exchange Plus fees run as high as $999 rather than a weeks cost of $289 or a $269 cost for a 7-night points exchange, which likely makes this more of a moneymaker for RCI, so I doubt Wyndham would ever eliminate it. It is, however, a step away from timeshare exchanges, which is why I used RCI from the beginning; I'm transitioning to using other systems for the most part now because of the evolution.
I agree with your assessment. With all of the industry consolidation, the Timeshare companies are wanting more control over (and profit) from the exchanges. By having their own exchanges, they can compete with Airbnb on some level... I think airbnb is a big competition and the timeshare companies are responding.... And you are correct that Destination exchange is not yet on the Hilton website... Just the Diamond side.
 
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