Marriott Maintenance Fee Increases

[Carlsbadguy]

I was going thru some old paperwork and found information from when I bought my Timeshare at Summit Watch in 1994. The fee for a 2 bedroom lockoff was $478 and for 2025 the fee was $2312. I wonder how that compares to the inflation rate over almost 30 years.

 

[Pennytx]

That’s insane

 

[StevenTing]

That’s 5.39% average per year.

 

[DanCali]

That’s a 5.2% annualized increase over 31 years.

We casually throw around on these boards that MFs increase by 4%-5% every year, but that does mean that (at 5%) they double about every 14 years. Give it a 3-4 decades and it becomes unsustainable. Most incomes don’t grow that fast with cost of living adjustments.

The CPI increased at 2.5% annualized over that same period. That doubles every 28 years…


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[Hindsite]

The CPI increased at 2.5% annualized over that same period.

There is very low correlation between the components in CPI and the items used to generate maint fees, so its a misleading comparison to use. To get the true impact of inflation on maint fees vs cost escalation, you have to find the inflation data for the specific commodity types that make up maint fees and then average that out.

 

[ljmiii]

That’s a 5.2% annualized increase over 31 years...

The CPI increased at 2.5% annualized over that same period. That doubles every 28 years…

There is very low correlation between the components in CPI and the items used to generate maint fees, so its a misleading comparison to use. To get the true impact of inflation on maint fees vs cost escalation, you have to find the inflation data for the specific commodity types that make up maint fees and then average that out.

To me the more interesting comparison is to the increase in travel costs for similar non-timeshare accommodations and so I looked at old files and emails to see what I could find. And unfortunately, while it was an interesting trip down memory lane my record keeping was not what it is today...in particular I didn't note the prices for anything.

I can tell you that in 2008 we paid cash to spend 8 nights in a 2BR at the Wilderness Lodge (now BRV) at WDW...but not the price. I just know that having to pay through the nose to stay with our extended family at WDW led to our buying at Beach Club Villas (and the price of that). And that the cost of staying in the same villa in the same week in 2026 would be a whopping $19,209.38.

Similarly, I can tell you that in 2010 we paid cash to spend a week in a 1BR in the Ali'i tower at Hilton Hawaiian Village...but not the price. I just know that it led to our buying 2BRs at the Lagoon Tower and Waiohai (and the price of those). And that the cost of staying in the same suite in the same week in 2026 would be $10,186.98.

That said...I do agree that the rise of MVC MFs is in some real sense unsustainable. And the purchase of additional Abound Points - even resale - a difficult value proposition.

 

[jp10558]

I don't have amazing records like that, but I do recall that in 2012 when I went to WDW with my dad, I was surprised the Hampton Inn was $79 a night to add nights. Looking now with my hazy memory of roughly where we stayed, it's now $141. Though some Hamptons in the area are as much as $277. Not sure I know the area well enough, but I think I'd drive a little further to save 50%.

Long and short of it, it does seem like hotels shot up more, but they're also starting to come down in some places to my checks. MFs never go down (that I know of) so it may become an issue for "expensive" TSs. I agree with @ljmiii - inflation isn't really a useful comparison, current alternatives are. And when you can frequently get a 2BR unit for less than a single hotel room in the same area and dates (if you plan ahead) I think there's still headroom.

 

[Hindsite]

To me the more interesting comparison is to the increase in travel costs for similar non-timeshare accommodations and so I looked at old files and emails to see what I could find. And unfortunately, while it was an interesting trip down memory lane my record keeping was not what it is today...in particular I didn't note the prices for anything.

Back before we purchased we were paying $1,800/week for 2 for vacation lodging, usually in suites that were larger than regular hotel rooms, but no kitchen and with at least breakfast included, but not evening meal.
This thread has prompted me to do the proper calculations for the +20 years we've owned and the all-up average per week, not accounting for inflation, just cleared the $1,800/week mark this year and the average annual increase rate is between 6.4% and 7.1% depending on the resort.
What we've got since we bought is much better quality resorts, larger units, more people travelling with us and the ability to save money on eating out by having full kitchens.
Every time I have to pay for hotel rooms for other travel requirements I wince at the cost, so just can't get to the place where I find the maint fees unsustainable. If we get to the point where we can't utilise the time we have available via timeshare then that will be a different issue and we'll let them go pleased with the great usage we've had.

 

[dioxide45]

While CPI isn't necessarily a good measure, the things that drive the products that underly CPI are similar to what drive the costs assoicated with timeshare resorts. Labor is used to make and produce products that make up the CPI. Labor is also a primary driver of timeshare maintnanece fees. I recall 10 or so years ago that healthcare costs were a big driver of labor costs for timeshare resorts. Healthcare costs is also a driver of all labor costs across most products and services. The same with energy (oil). It is a big driver of all costs. So you would think that over the long haul, timeshare maintenance fees should somewhat equal CPI. However, CPI is a highly manipulated metric and can't really be relied on as a good measure of inflation.

 

[pedro47]

I feel maintenance fees increase are to maintain the resort to a higher standards than a basis hotel. I think about all the Marriott’s villas update over the past thirty years. Some time share resorts have not updated their resort units in twenty years.

 

[Hindsite]

the things that drive the products that underly CPI are similar to what drive the costs assoicated with timeshare resorts.

For some categories that can work, but Consumer Insurance and Energy costs are usually more controlled than commercial insurance and energy, and that's where I've seen the largest increases for the resorts I have. Labour is also a large component of Maint fees and that can be much more variable for the specific nature of Timeshare labour and dealing with labour shortages, which doesn't tend to make its way through to the CPI components to the same extent.
Every time I look into it I can't see radically unreasonable costs, yes there are glory projects, that don't suite what I would do, and you have illustrated examples of those previously, but that's normal human behaviour in my experience, so assuming they don't get out of control totally they are just how it is and people need to pipe up to address them specifically.
What concerns me more is the underlying owner behaviours that could be driving costs that we don't get to see but every now and then hear about. e.g rotating door visitor stays, pilfering and who knows what else.

 

[sconnnors]

That’s 5.39% average per year.

Steven, new to this site / forum. I saw you may have a way to offer direct point purchase where owners don't need to reserve first then hope to rent out? Just liquidate out some points that they won't be using that year with no maintenance attached for the sale of the points? If so I have and will have a lot of interested customers.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Steven, new to this site / forum. I saw you may have a way to offer direct point purchase where owners don't need to reserve first then hope to rent out? Just liquidate out some points that they won't be using that year with no maintenance attached for the sale of the points? If so I have and will have a lot of interested customers.

It’s a website called vacation point exchange.
Steven Ting runs it, but just google it to use it.
It’s for renting points, not selling them, which I think is what you are saying you want to do?

 

[TUGBrian]

brings up an interesting question.

If you were told ahead of time in 1994 at the time you bought that the fees would go up 5% a year every year...would you have considered that reasonable? or ran away screaming?

 

[DanCali]

brings up an interesting question.

If you were told ahead of time in 1994 at the time you bought that the fees would go up 5% a year every year...would you have considered that reasonable? or ran away screaming?

And what would’ve been the reaction in 1994 if you were told that in 31 years you would pay 4.5x that MF amount (which is saying the fee go up, 5% annualized, but in different words).

To put that in context MFs of $2000 today going to $9000 and 31 years…. Hard to say - three decades is a long time to think ahead. But compounding is a very powerful force and the 2023-2024 feet increases were devastating for many MVC owners.


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[TUGBrian]

yep, all in how you ask the question for sure!

it sure is even more jaw dropping to extrapolate that 30 years from now... whew... 9000 bucks for a week?

id also bet that in 1994 someone also said "whew, 2000 bucks for a week?"


lets put a feather in this and check back in in 2055!

 

[igopogo]

Asking (or answering) the question in another way…

I joined this family three years ago and felt like I was getting a great value. And still do. So from my perspective you all were in on a fantastic secret 30 years ago.

Granted, I bought resale except to enroll, and into some low MF resorts.

 

[Hindsite]

brings up an interesting question.

If you were told ahead of time in 1994 at the time you bought that the fees would go up 5% a year every year...would you have considered that reasonable? or ran away screaming?

Before we bought, I ran the numbers based on 10% year on year increased and threw in all the various membership, exchange and trading fees, and still it came out as better over 10 years than what we had been actually paying. We were also at the point of considering buying overseas, so I also compared the equivalent cost of annual purchase to what it would be to buy privately for the facilities I'd get and it also made sense that way.
+20 years on my all up average actual has only just reached the cost we were spending before we bought, and that's without accounting for inflation on the starting figure.
It works well for us, eventually we'll not be able to travel as much as we'll offer ours up for adoption with some sweeteners and hope someone else can get some value from them.
My compound increase rates are 6.4-7.1%.

I just spent $100/night on an AirBNB to visit family. 1-bed apartment with no outside space or resort facilities, it was well placed near a nice town with good shops and restaurants, clean but very dated, bed not comfortable but did the job. I'm happy to pay my maint fees of 3 times that for vacation lodging for a much larger unit with good outside space and fantastic pool facilities.

I know I'm not getting the absolute best value for money compared to some owners who bought resale or have good traders or can rent out for double the maint fees, but I'm doing OK and happy with that. There are other areas of my life where I can focus to make or save more money.

 

[sondave]

I was going thru some old paperwork and found information from when I bought my Timeshare at Summit Watch in 1994. The fee for a 2 bedroom lockoff was $478 and for 2025 the fee was $2312. I wonder how that compares to the inflation rate over almost 30 years.

That is awful! Compare to my timeshare - Rams Horn Village Resort, an RCI Gold Crown for over 30 straight years!. The MF for our 2 BR unit in 2005 were $460 including an amount for the reserves fund. The MF for 2025 are $977 including the reserves fund amount. Our owners elect the board and the board hires the GM... that's it. There is no corporate profit component and the board & management are extremely competent.

 

[rickandcindy23]

That is awful! Compare to my timeshare - Rams Horn Village Resort, an RCI Gold Crown for over 30 straight years!. The MF for our 2 BR unit in 2005 were $460 including an amount for the reserves fund. The MF for 2025 are $977 including the reserves fund amount. Our owners elect the board and the board hires the GM... that's it. There is no corporate profit component and the board & management are extremely competent.

But you have to use RCI to trade. That is a turnoff right there. You should ask the HOA board and management to add II has an option for exchanges. You would be much happier. Not much available in II for anything Estes Park, same with RCI, but at least II has lower exchange fees, the ability to re-trade, and you will have nicer resorts to choose from.

The problem with Estes Park is it's a very seasonal area, as everything is in the CO mountains. Highest season weeks will have the very best trading power.

Colorado law allows timeshares to set lower fees for lower seasons, higher fees for the highest seasons, unless the HOA documents say something different. At Val Chatelle in Frisco, CO, the low-season weeks pay much less than ski season weeks.

Our fees at Val Chatelle have increased vastly over 40 years, that's for sure. Still, a ski week is $1,350.

 

[tonyg]

I do recall that in the mid to late 1990s there was one year where my fees at the Royal Mayan in Cancun went down $ 40. That only happened that one time. Current fees at my present resort are now around $ 600 which is less that $ 100 per day.

 

[DRH90277]

I look at this in the aggregate meaning I look at my cost of the underlying week coupled with the annual maintenance fees. We get a lot of value out of our portfolio.

One could ask our kids and 21 grandchildren about the non-monetary value. One young 8 year old is asking why is it so long before our OceanWatch reunion this year - answer that one.

 

[gpj555]

Does this make you consider : The Rent Do Not Buy Model? How much is the Presidential Suite, Best view in the Place. Worth? I suppose it varies with the Person.

 

[austdav]

Same with Magic Tree. $625 for a 2bd in early 2000's, $625 today. They knocked off $25 during covid and just went back to $625 last year. It seems that inflation-deflation is not the problem. But greed. The large point systems pay millions of $ to ceo's, cfo's and the like and then have to increase profits to keep shareholders happy. Magic Tree went from a subpar resort to a gold crown resort while keeping MF's the same. By the way if i want out of my timeshare all i have to do is walk in and tell them. While they ask for 2yr MF's, around 1k for 1bd 1200 for 2bd. I asked what if someone dont pay they said it's not worth pursuing, it would cost more than MF's and tie the unit up.

 

[pedro47]

Timeshare maintenance fees are liked buying a new automobile.
The Maintenance on a new automobile are very low the first few years. But the maintenance on a new automobile will gradually increase year after year. IMHO

I, can remember when maintenance fees for a two bedroom Villa were under $300.00 per year. Now, that same two bedroom Villa maintenance fees are over $2000.00 per year.