I don’t think they could override the Vistana limit of 12 month booking. It’s literally in the underlying deed restrictions for those properties.
Fixed week, fixed unit ownerships are typically booked at 18 months. That would include a number of weeks that are developer owned at WSJ. There are without a doubt exceptions that make loopholes they could take advantage of.
They just added ThirdHome to Hyatt and it already exists for Ritz-Carlton Destination Club. There are also a fair number of people owning Marriott weeks that have established their own independent accounts with ThirdHome to exchange their usage rights to the weeks. This doesn't seem insurmountable for them to set up an affiliation agreement, though I'm not sure how it would work out for points owners. Frankly, I use less expensive TSs to exchange with them; I don't get enough ThirdHome keys for my MF $ to use my Vistana or MVC ownerships there. Might be worth it if they negotiate some decent benefits, though.
I don’t think Bonvoy would license Ambassador status this way and give up the $23k spend requirement. The 100 nights is pretty easy to meet if you have a credit card, pick up stays during a 2-1 elite night bonus promotion or have a bunch of timeshare stays.
Yeah, it would seem with some resorts, even Sheraton Broadway which can reserve at 24 months they could get inventory in earlier. Perhaps something to do with VSN affiliation with Abound causes the restriction? Does the VGV at WSJ have 18 month booking?
VGV at WSJ has the 18-month booking for home weeks. Owners are supposed to be able to shift their home weeks to others in the season, subject to availability, from 8 to 10 months but MVC has pretty much broken that in the IT implementation and the poor training of phone representatives.
The benefits you receive from Abound Titanium are not always the same as Bonvoy.
Not really sure what you mean by this. As someone with an owner benefit level of Chairman's Club in Abound, I get Titanium status in Bonvoy. I also get 75+ nights a year from credit cards and stays in hotels and MVC/Vistana TSs, but Titanium is Titanium. There are without a doubt other bits of information they have about me in their customer relations software; after all, all Titanium members are equal but some are more equal than others based on the scuttlebutt in the loyalty program media. That is to say, having Bonvoy Titanium status merely as a result of Abound ownership might not be enough to rank me higher on the list of Bonvoy Titanium members eligible to get an upgrade when they are deciding who gets it, but I was still eligible under the Bonvoy terms and conditions.
There is no such thing as Abound Titanium. You have Abound Presidential and Chairman's Club which gets you Titanium status in Bonvoy.
Sorry to disagree. The hotels know and on many occasions I am treated differently. Especially if you are a life timer!
This is a distinction I've wondered about.
Some have suggested that hotels can see your Marriott spend for the year in addition to your status, and that they prioritize upgrades, etc. based on annual spend and not just status. But I don't know if that's true. Certainly it's true that Marriott does TRACK annual spend (as part of Ambassador qualification) and you earn Bonvoy points based on your "spend" on each stay. I think it would not be a good idea for them to let hotels know your total spend for the year, but that doesn't mean they don't do it.
How do you know you are treated differently? It is possible that properties can see your spend in addition to your status, and as a timeshare owner your spend with Marriott (the hotel company) isn't all that high. It is also possible that someone who is lifetime is treated differently than someone who gets to the status based on nights each year, but any such reports are going to be anecdotal.
The hotels could care less if you're a MVC member. Remember that MVC is no longer integrally connected to Marriott International. I wouldn't be surprised if the status option were to evaporate completely at some point. I wonder when the current agreement expires.
Why would a hotel care how much you spend with Marriott?
I think the reality is, there are no plans at this time for another tier. There’s not much they can do that will add significant value for the cost except for the status of being recognized as a big spender. For some that’s enough of a reason to make another purchase.
I would agree. We’re not in a trend of adding value but rather taking it away to reduce cost. We’re seeing it with housekeeping, towel changes, reduction of elite tier benefits.
No the banking deadline will stay the same. I always got late check out. Early check in was variable but never after 3 pm.
It’s good to be king!
You mean being cordial is a better approach than “Do you know who I am?” Interesting!!
I’ve found the existing waitlist system quite functional and have successfully used it to secure ‘hard to get’ reservations in Hawaii and the Caribbean. What new functionality are you looking for?