Does Marriott have an official deedback program?

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I'm about to try dipping my toe into the Marriott system with the purchase of an EOY MGC for purposes of mostly trading within II for other Marriott properties. Before purchasing a timeshare I like to always make sure I have an exit strategy. Searching this forum I've found a lot of posts referencing Marriott buying back contracts, or offering deedbacks, but I can't find anything about whether they have a specific deedback program (google didn't help much either). Can anyone answer this question? Will they take a resale purchased deed back? Do they charge for this? Thanks in advance!

 

[Fasttr]

The below link doesn't provide a lot of info, but that's where one would start with an exit process through MVC. From my understanding, they CURRENTLY will accept deedbacks on most, but not all weeks. They will offer to sell certain weeks internally (i.e. bundled with points to purchasers) and charge a commission on the sale (seems I have seen 50% tossed around). And on a select few weeks, they may even offer to buy it from you. But none of this is guaranteed to be there when you want to exit down the road. I'm sure others will chime in as well.

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[Dean]

I'm about to try dipping my toe into the Marriott system with the purchase of an EOY MGC for purposes of mostly trading within II for other Marriott properties. Before purchasing a timeshare I like to always make sure I have an exit strategy. Searching this forum I've found a lot of posts referencing Marriott buying back contracts, or offering deedbacks, but I can't find anything about whether they have a specific deedback program (google didn't help much either). Can anyone answer this question? Will they take a resale purchased deed back? Do they charge for this? Thanks in advance!

No guarantees of a way out. It's a good idea to consider it but if a solid exit strategy is important, it's likely best not to buy in the first place. Just make good choices from a solid financial base with money you could burn every year such that it wouldn't mess up your overall life plan and you'll be fine. If major fee increases or a moderate sized (like $1K) Special Assessment would upset your apple cart, I'd just rent and forego any current savings for future stability.

 

[mjm1]

My gut reaction is they are more likely to take back an annual unit rather than an EOY, but depends on the resort, Season, and their needs at the time.

If you can buy a unit that doesn’t cost much and you use it enough to get your value or more out of it, you could try to give it away here on TUG if MVC wouldn‘t take it back.

 

[dioxide45]

Couldn't your exit strategy also be to sell the week on the secondary market in the same way you are looking to buy it today. There is resale demand for these weeks. That could disappear by the time you want to get rid of it, but so could the option to just deed it back to Marriott.

 

[Dean]

Here's the issue, there have been times in the past when one could not have sold or given back most weeks. For example, I bought Grande Ocean weeks at well under half what they are selling for today that cleared ROFR and that was just a few years ago. It is true that an EOY week is inherennty more risky in this aspect as an EOY has historically been far more likely to clear ROFR all else the same even adjusting parameters proportionally. Things are up right now including prices and ROFR but this will not last, it will cycle like all else. And with the fees being up a lot, over the next few years a likely change with increased sales, lower prices and properties clearing ROFR that haven't been going through are all possible if not likely. Personally I think it's likely things will pull back significantly over the next 2-3 years. Just another reason one needs to be on solid financial ground when buying any luxury purchase of which a timeshare (and even vacation) is, a luxury.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

No guarantees of a way out. It's a good idea to consider it but if a solid exit strategy is important, it's likely best not to buy in the first place. Just make good choices from a solid financial base with money you could burn every year such that it wouldn't mess up your overall life plan and you'll be fine. If major fee increases or a moderate sized (like $1K) Special Assessment would upset your apple cart, I'd just rent and forego any current savings for future stability.

Thank you. I can afford it, I just don’t want to be potentially stuck with something in perpetuity if the resale market collapses and it can’t be given away. It’s something to think about I guess.

 

[Dean]

Thank you. I can afford it, I just don’t want to be potentially stuck with something in perpetuity if the resale market collapses and it can’t be given away. It’s something to think about I guess.

I suspected that was the case and you're just trying to look at all the angles so as not to miss anything. Often the way I answer questions is in case others are reading as well now or later. I do feel it really smart to consider the highs and the lows but if everything goes south in general, you could be stuck with whatever you own. The risk is much higher with a lower season week at any resort and with ANY trading resort even Platinum. Still, if one truly makes good well informed choices on the front end, as it looks like you're doing, it's not likely one couldn't at least give it away paying the next years fees AND closing costs. There are always some level of risk with ANY timeshare. It seems that often potential buyers either mostly consider the best case scenario or the worst. The truth is usually in the middle, esp buying resale, retail can be a different matter though if one throws away tens of thousands of $$$ as is not uncommon buying timeshare retail.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Lol, after posting about the MGC I was looking to buy here someone started a bidding war on eBay. I wonder if it was someone who read this thread? Anyway, I’ll keep looking for an every year instead of EOY based on the advice in this thread.

 

[hcarman]

I think it is very smart to consider EXIT when buying. After all, it is extremely difficult to get rid of vacation clubs. We were told that Marriott periodically buys back Destination Club Points and some weeks. However, I have yet to hear any confirmation that Destination Club points have been bought back. Probably just another sales person's lie. They will try and sell the weeks for you but they do get 50% commission and the waiting list is quite long. My Mom has been doing that with one of her weeks and she is number 50 trying to sell a particular resort and season. Of course we also have it listed for sale ourselves. Marriott will also just take some of the deeds back - with a transfer fee paid by the seller.

 

[aka Julie]

I think it is very smart to consider EXIT when buying. After all, it is extremely difficult to get rid of vacation clubs. We were told that Marriott periodically buys back Destination Club Points and some weeks. However, I have yet to hear any confirmation that Destination Club points have been bought back. Probably just another sales person's lie. They will try and sell the weeks for you but they do get 50% commission and the waiting list is quite long. My Mom has been doing that with one of her weeks and she is number 50 trying to sell a particular resort and season. Of course we also have it listed for sale ourselves. Marriott will also just take some of the deeds back - with a transfer fee paid by the seller.

Can I ask what property your mom owns that she is 50th on their list to sell.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Going to hijack my thread here to ask another question. I see Marriott Grand Chateau platinum cannot book week 52 which has the highest Travel Demand Index per II. I don’t see any MGC’s with week 52 available to purchase anywhere, do these exist? What are they called, “Platinum Plus?” Would a regular platinum be a good trader? The travel demand index for the weeks other than 52 didn’t look great to me but maybe I’m misreading/misunderstanding the II TDI chart.

 

[Hindsite]

Going to hijack my thread here to ask another question. I see Marriott Grand Chateau platinum cannot book week 52 which has the highest Travel Demand Index per II. I don’t see any MGC’s with week 52 available to purchase anywhere, do these exist? What are they called, “Platinum Plus?” Would a regular platinum be a good trader? The travel demand index for the weeks other than 52 didn’t look great to me but maybe I’m misreading/misunderstanding the II TDI chart.

Yes its platinum plus and yes you are reading TDI correctly. The TDIs for the Platinum weeks are good, and there is much less overall variability in TDI than at many locations. It really depends on what you are going to try to exchange for. If you are going to lock-off and then try to consistently get 2-beds in peak season in peak locations, it might make a difference, but for most II exchanges its going to be fine. Especially if you plan early, and take advantage of the MVC preference period

 

[Dean]

Going to hijack my thread here to ask another question. I see Marriott Grand Chateau platinum cannot book week 52 which has the highest Travel Demand Index per II. I don’t see any MGC’s with week 52 available to purchase anywhere, do these exist? What are they called, “Platinum Plus?” Would a regular platinum be a good trader? The travel demand index for the weeks other than 52 didn’t look great to me but maybe I’m misreading/misunderstanding the II TDI chart.

It is called Platinum Plus as noted and they do exist. TUG members have posted about buying them. Someone who owns one can hopefully address their experience both in buying and exchanging. I would list 5 resorts as the "Usual Traders". These are Grande Vista, Grand Chateau, Willow Ridge, Manor Club (SEQUEL ONLY) and Harbour Lake all Platinum (+/_ Platinum Plus where applicable). With fees going up this year one might eliminate one or more of these resorts from their list though I wouldn't. IMO all of these will work as GOOD to very good (not super strong) exchangers but each have their nuances. My definition of a good trader in terms of Marriott would be Lock off, reasonable fees and DECENT trade power. It is important to understand that TDI is not absolute. A 52 in LV is not the same as a 52 in HI for example.

I think there are some nuances between these 5 resorts. 2 are Elite and 3 are Premier, fees vary somewhat, GC has a wider Platinum season, GV has the potential of the FL Club option and GC will get more points if enrolled. In terms of trade power, I do feel there are some differences but they will not impact results for many exchange options. We also don't have a great way to quantify WHEN these differences might impact your exchange chances. Assuming one is reserving a top TDI week for the resorts in question, my research suggests that GV will trade the best ignoring Platinum Plus and that MC & WR will be behind with GC & HL in the middle and about the same. I do believe the elite vs Premier status will have an effect in some situation but this is even more difficult to quantify. GV week 51 & 52 will likely be almost impossible to reserve as a single week so I'd assume a top summer or spring break week there. Also HL will not be able to exchange into DVC and neither will GV unless one is in the FL CLUB and reserves at a different resort.

Exchanging is not for the faint of heart and one cannot count on getting the top options or larger units (esp 3BR) in most cases other than easier locations like Orlando & LV.. But there are ways to maximize chances including reserving and depositing early, getting a good week to deposit, being flexible on choices and being realistic. The studios will also be limited and work best for easy exchanges and/or short notice exchanges. Sometimes the best resort to own is one that is a balance between usage and exchanging. CA & AZ desert and Ocean Point come to mind here.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Yes its platinum plus and yes you are reading TDI correctly. The TDIs for the Platinum weeks are good, and there is much less overall variability in TDI than at many locations. It really depends on what you are going to try to exchange for. If you are going to lock-off and then try to consistently get 2-beds in peak season in peak locations, it might make a difference, but for most II exchanges its going to be fine. Especially if you plan early, and take advantage of the MVC preference period

View attachment 88151 View attachment 88153

Thank You!

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

It is called Platinum Plus as noted and they do exist. TUG members have posted about buying them. Someone who owns one can hopefully address their experience both in buying and exchanging. I would list 5 resorts as the "Usual Traders". These are Grande Vista, Grand Chateau, Willow Ridge, Manor Club (SEQUEL ONLY) and Harbour Lake all Platinum (+/_ Platinum Plus where applicable). With fees going up this year one might eliminate one or more of these resorts from their list though I wouldn't. IMO all of these will work as GOOD to very good (not super strong) exchangers but each have their nuances. My definition of a good trader in terms of Marriott would be Lock off, reasonable fees and DECENT trade power. It is important to understand that TDI is not absolute. A 52 in LV is not the same as a 52 in HI for example.

I think there are some nuances between these 5 resorts. 2 are Elite and 3 are Premier, fees vary somewhat, GC has a wider Platinum season, GV has the potential of the FL Club option and GC will get more points if enrolled. In terms of trade power, I do feel there are some differences but they will not impact results for many exchange options. We also don't have a great way to quantify WHEN these differences might impact your exchange chances. Assuming one is reserving a top TDI week for the resorts in question, my research suggests that GV will trade the best ignoring Platinum Plus and that MC & WR will be behind with GC & HL in the middle and about the same. I do believe the elite vs Premier status will have an effect in some situation but this is even more difficult to quantify. GV week 51 & 52 will likely be almost impossible to reserve as a single week so I'd assume a top summer or spring break week there. Also HL will not be able to exchange into DVC and neither will GV unless one is in the FL CLUB and reserves at a different resort.

Exchanging is not for the faint of heart and one cannot count on getting the top options or larger units (esp 3BR) in most cases other than easier locations like Orlando & LV.. But there are ways to maximize chances including reserving and depositing early, getting a good week to deposit, being flexible on choices and being realistic. The studios will also be limited and work best for easy exchanges and/or short notice exchanges. Sometimes the best resort to own is one that is a balance between usage and exchanging. CA & AZ desert and Ocean Point come to mind here.

This is really really helpful, I can’t thank you enough. So my goals here are:

1. Get something that will trade well into other Marriott’s all over the place so we can travel and try new places; and
2. Get something that will trade into DVC.

I am strongly considering MGV platinum, especially because we travel to Orlando constantly and I would be fine if we just used MGV week for MGV in a given year. The only thing holding me back from MGV versus MGC or the others you mentioned is:
1. Concern that DVC may restrict trades from other Orlando resorts. I read that used to be the case? I guess there’s no real way to quantify the risk; and;
2. The MGV annual dues look like they went up a phenomenal amount last year. I’m worried that it could become an albatross I can’t get rid of.

Any thoughts on those two concerns? All things being equal I’d much rather buy MGV and feel more comfortable doing so, especially given your post where you explain that it seems to be the best of the trader options.

Edit: I would also add that I just watched @cbyrne1174 s really neat video on YouTube about how she trades MGV for Marriott Frenchman’s Cove in USVI (which is something my wife and I really want to try), and that is really pushing me towards MGV.

 

[Hindsite]

I am strongly considering MGV platinum, especially because we travel to Orlando constantly

There is so much inventory for the Orlando area year round via II getaways for a lot less than maint fees that I'd think carefully about whether using MGV to go there is worth the maint fees.

 

[Dean]

This is really really helpful, I can’t thank you enough. So my goals here are:

1. Get something that will trade well into other Marriott’s all over the place so we can travel and try new places; and
2. Get something that will trade into DVC.

I am strongly considering MGV platinum, especially because we travel to Orlando constantly and I would be fine if we just used MGV week for MGV in a given year. The only thing holding me back from MGV versus MGC or the others you mentioned is:
1. Concern that DVC may restrict trades from other Orlando resorts. I read that used to be the case? I guess there’s no real way to quantify the risk; and;
2. The MGV annual dues look like they went up a phenomenal amount last year. I’m worried that it could become an albatross I can’t get rid of.

Any thoughts on those two concerns? All things being equal I’d much rather buy MGV and feel more comfortable doing so, especially given your post where you explain that it seems to be the best of the trader options.

Edit: I would also add that I just watched @cbyrne1174 s really neat video on YouTube about how she trades MGV for Marriott Frenchman’s Cove in USVI (which is something my wife and I really want to try), and that is really pushing me towards MGV.

DVC currently restricts trades from other Orlando resorts which is why I mentioned GV making sure it's in the FL club. You'd have to reserve at another FL Club location to do so on those years. DVC is not a difficult trade in terms of getting something. Any of the options I mentioned will pull what DVC deposits. The issue is that DVC generally deposits SSR & OKW mostly with some AKV and usually smaller than 2BR units. If you're OK with those options and don't need a 2 BR, anything on this list will work except for depositing HL or GV. Personally I expect Orlando dues to stabilize and once the reserves are fully funded, they may even go back down slightly. Of course you could always use a studio from about anywhere mentioned to get a 2 BR at an Orlando Marriott resort with the possible exception of Lakeshore and Christmas/NY. As I alluded to above, nothing will consistently get you the top resorts during truly peak times. Think 2BR Barony/GO/Surfwatch, HI peak weeks, Aruba peak weeks, Crystal Shores, Ski options etc. That's not to say it's not possible but that it can't be counted on. If you're truly flexible then you'll have much better chances but the reality is that most people are not truly flexible when it comes down to it, esp those looking at such a strategy who are just getting started. Flexible would be HHI June through August at any resort as an example.

Also realize that it's difficult to impossible to guarantee your check in day of the week in most cases so one needs that flexibility also. Generally this is a bigger issue if looking at concurrent or consecutive weeks. There are ways to manage this issue but for now it suffices to identify the potential outcome and realize it can further restrict choices. I don't think you'd see any different trading MGV or MGC for the Caribbean, I think the differences would come for the highest demand weeks, not the resorts themselves. An in reality you'd never know if you missed out on a week because II doesn't provide this information/data. GC Platinum is compelling because it's easy to buy at a fair price, second lowest dues on the list, has the highest points if enrolled and have a very broad platinum season.

Three other considerations. Where would you go routinely? You've already mentioned Orlando? I would not let a one off affect this decision. Would you'd you later enroll? Would you later buy another week somewhere, maybe one you'd use or rent that might be difficult to reserve thus the 13 month reservation option could be important. And then there's budget but you've already addressed that to your situation.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

There is so much inventory for the Orlando area year round via II getaways for a lot less than maint fees that I'd think carefully about whether using MGV to go there is worth the maint fees.

Thanks, I just meant if for some reason I couldn't pull off a trade one year I would be ok staying there. I agree there are cheaper ways to stay there.

As I alluded to above, nothing will consistently get you the top resorts during truly peak times. Think 2BR Barony/GO/Surfwatch, HI peak weeks, Aruba peak weeks, Crystal Shores, Ski options etc. That's not to say it's not possible but that it can't be counted on. If you're truly flexible then you'll have much better chances but the reality is that most people are not truly flexible when it comes down to it, esp those looking at such a strategy who are just getting started. Flexible would be HHI June through August at any resort as an example.

Yeah, we are flexible. My wife and I both get 27 vacation days per year and are willing to pull our (elementary school age) children out of school for a week for a vacation. We both have flexible jobs that allow us to use vacation time close to the last minute if necessary (and to cancel previously scheduled vacations if a better opportunity arises).

DVC currently restricts trades from other Orlando resorts which is why I mentioned GV making sure it's in the FL club. You'd have to reserve at another FL Club location to do so on those years. DVC is not a difficult trade in terms of getting something. Any of the options I mentioned will pull what DVC deposits. The issue is that DVC generally deposits SSR & OKW mostly with some AKV and usually smaller than 2BR units. If you're OK with those options and don't need a 2 BR, anything on this list will work except for depositing HL or GV.

So we are definitely ok (and would be happy with) 1 br units at SSR & OKW. Let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly. If I purchased MGV, and wanted to trade into DVC, I would first have to use my MGV week's Florida club status to book something in a Florida resort outside of Orlando? I would then deposit that, and try to use it to trade into DVC? What resort should I be trying to trade into within the Florida Club for this purpose?

Three other considerations. Where would you go routinely? You've already mentioned Orlando? I would not let a one off affect this decision. Would you'd you later enroll? Would you later buy another week somewhere, maybe one you'd use or rent that might be difficult to reserve thus the 13 month reservation option could be important. And then there's budget but you've already addressed that to your situation.

We'd like to eventually travel to tropical locations, to California, maybe to Hawaii, to Europe if possible. We currently own a decent amount of Wyndham points and 300 points worth of DVC, but what we own now is not enough to take the number of vacations that we take each year (we usually take about 5 weeklong vacations, usually around various federal holidays that let us conserve some vacation time), so we still end up doing cash bookings. By enroll, do you mean in abound? Looking at the maintenance fees for that I can't seem to make the math work versus just paying cash for bookings off of Marriott's website, but is there something I'm missing there? We might buy another week. Honestly, if Marriott works well for trading into DVC, we might dump some of our current DVC points, since trading in seems cheaper/more cost effective than the maintenance fees and amortized cost of the contracts we own (we currently own at Saratoga Springs.)

 

[Dean]

So we are definitely ok (and would be happy with) 1 br units at SSR & OKW. Let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly. If I purchased MGV, and wanted to trade into DVC, I would first have to use my MGV week's Florida club status to book something in a Florida resort outside of Orlando? I would then deposit that, and try to use it to trade into DVC? What resort should I be trying to trade into within the Florida Club for this purpose?

Correct. If DVC is going to be a routine consideration, I'd buy either WR or GC, likely GC only Platinum. I'd only buy the plus week if the price were dramatically more.

We'd like to eventually travel to tropical locations, to California, maybe to Hawaii, to Europe if possible. We currently own a decent amount of Wyndham points and 300 points worth of DVC, but what we own now is not enough to take the number of vacations that we take each year (we usually take about 5 weeklong vacations, usually around various federal holidays that let us conserve some vacation time), so we still end up doing cash bookings. By enroll, do you mean in abound? Looking at the maintenance fees for that I can't seem to make the math work versus just paying cash for bookings off of Marriott's website, but is there something I'm missing there? We might buy another week. Honestly, if Marriott works well for trading into DVC, we might dump some of our current DVC points, since trading in seems cheaper/more cost effective than the maintenance fees and amortized cost of the contracts we own (we currently own at Saratoga Springs.)

Yes Abound. The fees should work out as you'd get the underlying fees of the resort enrolled, not the per point fees. The issue is the cost to enroll and that very likely will not work out unless you either go big with a bunch of resorts or there are options that come available different then this past year (actually you'll likely need both to make it work). As for selling DVC, do you own more than one contract on separate deeds? If not, you wouldn't be able to sell part.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Correct. If DVC is going to be a routine consideration, I'd buy either WR or GC, likely GC only Platinum. I'd only buy the plus week if the price were dramatically more.

Ok, so you think GC platinum is good enough for my purposes here? This is really helpful. If I buy platinum GC and book a week (obviously that’s not 52) but still shows as high demand on the TDI (looks like Easter week, middle of June, and October are all high demand times if I”m reading the TDI chart properly), then that will be good enough to trade into other Marriott’s and also DVC SSR & OKW?

As for selling DVC, do you own more than one contract on separate deeds? If not, you wouldn't be able to sell part.

Yes, I originally had 3 (resale) DVC contracts I picked up over the years, a 60 point poly, a 100 point SSR, and a 200 point SSR. I am in the process of closing on the sale of my 60 point poly right now. I could see further downsizing and unloading the 100 point SSR if this works out.

 

[Dean]

Ok, so you think GC platinum is good enough for my purposes here? This is really helpful. If I buy platinum GC and book a week (obviously that’s not 52) but still shows as high demand on the TDI (looks like Easter week, middle of June, and October are all high demand times if I”m reading the TDI chart properly), then that will be good enough to trade into other Marriott’s and also DVC SSR & OKW?

I do with the caveat's above.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I do with the caveat's above.

Thanks again.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their helpful advice in this thread. I just had an offer accepted through redweek for a 2 week Marriott Grand Chateau Platinum EY based on the advice in this thread. Thanks again, @Dean, @Hindsite , @dioxide45 , @Fasttr @hcarman , and @mjm1 . My wife and I are very excited to be entering the Marriott system!

 

[Dean]

Congratulations and good luck