Best Value SVO Trader

[chalucky]

As a Marriott owner I never see most Starwood Resorts come up during II searches...I am sure that most of them go during the internal trading period...(exceptions include Westin Mission Hills, Kierland, and some Sheratons).

Assuming I wanted to add a SVO trader to my portfolio by buying a resale...what Resort and Season would folks recommend to maximize Trading Power? Do I need to buy at a "mandatory" resort? This whole Star Option and star Points thing is mind numbing.

We live in SoCal and love WMH, but it is an easy II trade and the MF's are high...any other thoughts?

Thanks

 

[DeniseM]

Whether a resort is mandatory or voluntary is only significant when you are making an internal exchange within the Starwood system. When trading through II, it doesn't make any difference. Since the mandatory resorts are significantly more expensive on the resale market, you will probably want to buy one of the voluntary resorts to use for II exchanges. Note that Starwood chooses the weeks that are deposited with II, so although some of the top Starwood resorts are deposited, the bulk deposits are almost all off-season.

This article is a good place to learn about Starwood and II - http://tug2.net/advice/starwoodexchangeprimer.htm

 

[tomandrobin]

If you are looking to use the internal system, buy a Kierland unit for $20-$23k and get 148k Staroptions. If wanting to trade via II and take advantage of the 72 hour priority, buy a Desert Oasis unit.

 

[Cathyb]

denisem: why are you making a distinction between mandatory and voluntary within the Starwood exchange process? Didn't I read Princeville is voluntary and are the newer Maui resorts voluntary?

 

[Cathyb]

chalucky: Beware, Starwood as a company does not care about you as an owner -- only to sell you the unit. As an owner of both, I warn you about spending big bucks into a company that will only strip you of benefits one by one as time goes on. I am a disgruntled Starwood owner

 

[SDKath]

I am on the other hand a very happy owner. So read lots of posts about Starwood to get a good perspective. I bought a cheap Sheraton Desert Oasis just to trade in II. It's a 2BR EOY and I think it cost me about $2200 on eBay.

I had Starwood deposit my deeded week (which is the Spring time, the highest demand time) and I traded the studio side to a 1BR at Westin Lagunamar for Spring Break in 2009.

I traded the 1BR side to a 2 bedroom at Kierland for March 2009 for my inlaws anniversary!

I have no complaints. I have seen Maui in the Spring and Sheraton Mtn Vista ski weeks with my SDO too. It trades very well and you cannot beat the price.

I would ignore the V and M system for now. Trading in SVN is not a good value unless you have to have your vacations at a very specific time and you are not flexible with your travel at all. The cheapest M resort is SVV, which is about $6500 for 81,000 SOs, enough for a week in a 1BR someplace.

I recently bought an EOY Marriott Shadow Ridge Plat. for the same purpose you are looking to buy Starwood -- to have that lovely 24d priority in II for Marriotts. I am looking forward to trading into NCV with it, which right now I only see on II after all of you Marriott folks already had your 24d dibs!

Katherine

 

[rickandcindy23]

Just put in a request with our full two bedroom unit at SBP (it's a lockout) to Westin Princeville for April-May. I requested a two-bedroom and hope to get it.

I think this will work for me, but I am still unsure about owning a lockout because the fees are very high at $849. I am planning to split the week for next year's use week. I will report on TUG as to how it trades.

 

[Cathyb]

Kath: Going to our Newport Coast in August -- I love Marriott

 

[Cathyb]

rickandcindy: You should get it without trouble -- April and May in Hawaii is off season unless Easter falls in April. We have owned in Maui and Kauai for over 20 years.

 

[tomandrobin]

rickandcindy: You should get it without trouble -- April and May in Hawaii is off season unless Easter falls in April. We have owned in Maui and Kauai for over 20 years.

Easter is April 12th in 2009.

 

[DeniseM]

denisem: why are you making a distinction between mandatory and voluntary within the Starwood exchange process? Didn't I read Princeville is voluntary and are the newer Maui resorts voluntary?

Hi Cathy - The OP asked this question and I was responding to it:

Do I need to buy at a "mandatory" resort? This whole Star Option and star Points thing is mind numbing.

Princeville is voluntary.

WKORV and WKOVN are mandatory.

We don't know about WKORVN-N, yet...

 

[pointsjunkie]

i also am a very happy starwood owner, i would get a SDO or SBP which will get you great trades. a small 1 br summer week at wmh"s got me a 2 br l/o week 7
at westin lagunamar. thought that was a great trade.

 

[pointsjunkie]

I am on the other hand a very happy owner. So read lots of posts about Starwood to get a good perspective. I bought a cheap Sheraton Desert Oasis just to trade in II. It's a 2BR EOY and I think it cost me about $2200 on eBay.

I had Starwood deposit my deeded week (which is the Spring time, the highest demand time) and I traded the studio side to a 1BR at Westin Lagunamar for Spring Break in 2009.

I traded the 1BR side to a 2 bedroom at Kierland for March 2009 for my inlaws anniversary!

I have no complaints. I have seen Maui in the Spring and Sheraton Mtn Vista ski weeks with my SDO too. It trades very well and you cannot beat the price.

I would ignore the V and M system for now. Trading in SVN is not a good value unless you have to have your vacations at a very specific time and you are not flexible with your travel at all. The cheapest M resort is SVV, which is about $6500 for 81,000 SOs, enough for a week in a 1BR someplace.

I recently bought an EOY Marriott Shadow Ridge Plat. for the same purpose you are looking to buy Starwood -- to have that lovely 24d priority in II for Marriotts. I am looking forward to trading into NCV with it, which right now I only see on II after all of you Marriott folks already had your 24d dibs!

Katherine

what week in march will you be at wkv?

 

[rickandcindy23]

rickandcindy: You should get it without trouble -- April and May in Hawaii is off season unless Easter falls in April. We have owned in Maui and Kauai for over 20 years.

I definitely don't want to go to Kauai for Easter because we spend holidays with the grown kids and would miss that time with them terribly. I hope they don't offer that to us. Maybe I should have requested March, too. Hmmm....

I hope they aren't done with May bankings because there was a bulk banking of Westin Princeville a while back, but my week wasn't closed yet, so I couldn't take advantage of it.

We plan to spend one week at Shearwater and another at Westin Princeville. We can get the Shearwater easily because we own there, but the Westin is the concern.

I hope you are right.

 

[GrayFal]

Just put in a request with our full two bedroom unit at SBP (it's a lockout) to Westin Princeville for April-May. I requested a two-bedroom and hope to get it.

I think this will work for me, but I am still unsure about owning a lockout because the fees are very high at $849. I am planning to split the week for next year's use week. I will report on TUG as to how it trades.

Cindy, you don't need to 'reinvent the wheel' - it has been reported by many owners on this board how SBP trades - and most (I guess not you) are aware that during the Starwood 3 day preference period, a studio or 1BR will trade into a 2BR - the 'usual' II size restriction is dropped.

With FXR, you pay $590 + exchange fee 139 + 299 + tax for an AC for 1 'regular', unrestricted week and one restricted to certain areas and good for only one year second week of vacation = $1028 + AC tax.
With SBP, you pay $849 + 2 exchange fee for 2 weeks of unrestricted usage and the ability to trade up in size and exchange these 2 units in a 3 year period..... = $1127 - less then a $100 difference.

It seems like a no brainer that your SBP is a very valuable ownership....

edit, I plan to do the 2 Hawaii Westins in April/May 2010

 

[bugzapper]

Cindy, you don't need to 'reinvent the wheel' - it has been reported by many owners on this board how SBP trades - and most (I guess not you) are aware that during the Starwood 3 day preference period, a studio or 1BR will trade into a 2BR - the 'usual' II size restriction is dropped.

With FXR, you pay $590 + exchange fee 139 + 299 + tax for an AC for 1 'regular', unrestricted week and one restricted to certain areas and good for only one year second week of vacation = $1028 + AC tax.
With SBP, you pay $849 + 2 exchange fee for 2 weeks of unrestricted usage and the ability to trade up in size and exchange these 2 units in a 3 year period..... = $1127 - less then a $100 difference.

It seems like a no brainer that your SBP is a very valuable ownership....

edit, I plan to do the 2 Hawaii Westins in April/May 2010

What you're saying makes a lot of sense--this year. The wildcard with Starwood is the maintenance fees. While MFs can rise unpredictably at any resort, the 2008 Starwood Maintenance Fee thread makes it clear that Starwood management couldn't care less about the pain inflicted upon owners by drastically rising MFs. After a couple of years with 27 percent increases (as SMV owners experienced last year), your no brainer trader becomes truly brain dead.

 

[GrayFal]

What you're saying makes a lot of sense--this year. The wildcard with Starwood is the maintenance fees. While MFs can rise unpredictably at any resort, the 2008 Starwood Maintenance Fee thread makes it clear that Starwood management couldn't care less about the pain inflicted upon owners by drastically rising MFs. After a couple of years with 27 percent increases (as SMV owners experienced last year), your no brainer trader becomes truly brain dead.

Bug, Foxrun MFs were $340 in 2003/04, they are now $590 with a special assesment on the horizon for deferred maintanance in the next year or two.

The Starwood lock/off with 2 1BR units that are good to exchange without restriction in a 3 year window are still better then 1 2BR exchange and possibly getting something good with the AC (which is not guarenteed to continue - II determines year to year whether they will give them or not) that is only good for 12 months.

Sometimes there is an agenda for posting about how good or bad a certain resort trades ...

 

[rickandcindy23]

Bug, Foxrun MFs were $340 in 2003/04, they are now $590 with a special assesment on the horizon for deferred maintanance in the next year or two.

The Starwood lock/off with 2 1BR units that are good to exchange without restriction in a 3 year window are still better then 1 2BR exchange and possibly getting something good with the AC (which is not guarenteed to continue - II determines year to year whether they will give them or not) that is only good for 12 months.

Sometimes there is an agenda for posting about how good or bad a certain resort trades ...

Pat, I hope they don't have an assessment at Foxrun, but if they do, that would be okay. I have talked to board members that are sure that isn't the case, but if they feel the need to get back Silver Crown with RCI, they may assess us.

I have paid lots of assessments on my timeshares, especially the older ones. It is getting to be a common thing.

Yes, I bought the Sheraton for the Starwood preference. I haven't owned a lockout unit before, and I really want those two bedrooms. I want to believe there is no risk to splitting it because I want the two bedrooms in exchange for at least my mother-in-law to have her own room.

 

[bugzapper]

Who oversees Starwood MFs?

Bug, Foxrun MFs were $340 in 2003/04, they are now $590 with a special assesment on the horizon for deferred maintanance in the next year or two.

The Starwood lock/off with 2 1BR units that are good to exchange without restriction in a 3 year window are still better then 1 2BR exchange and possibly getting something good with the AC (which is not guarenteed to continue - II determines year to year whether they will give them or not) that is only good for 12 months.

Sometimes there is an agenda for posting about how good or bad a certain resort trades ...

I wouldn't even try to express an opinion one way or another on Foxrun ownership. However, at $590, Foxrun's MFs are within the normal range for a 2 bedroom. Foxrun also appears to have a board that is concerned with keeping costs under control.

On the other hand, MFs at some Starwood resorts have reached $1500, $1700, and even $2200. At those prices even a lockout doesn't look like a very cost effective trader. Now, I have no idea whether MFs at SDO or SBP would reach that high anytime in the near future, but Starwood management doesn't seem to have a very good track record at holding down costs, prompting several SVO owners here on TUG to express a certain feeling of contempt directed at them from management.

 

[DeniseM]

On the other hand, MFs at some Starwood resorts have reached $1500, $1700, and even $2200.

I think you are comparing apples to oranges here. The maintenance fees that you are quoting are for the top Starwood resorts, mostly in expensive, off-shore locations, and their MF's are comparable to other top of the line resorts in the same areas. There is no logical reason to think that Starwood would suddenly raise the MF at the mainland properties, like SDO and SBP, to that level.

 

[DavidnRobin]

what week in march will you be at wkv?

We have reservations for March 14 - anyone else?

 

[SDKath]

Us too! But I may give the week to my husband's relatives to use. We have too many vacations lined up for Spring otherwise.

Katherine

 

[dr.debs]

We have reservations for March 14 - anyone else?

My daughter and I are reserved for April 5th at MCV provided that Marriott does not exercise it's ROFR. I am considering trying to trade to the week of March 23rd, but know it might not be available.

 

[pointsjunkie]

we will finally all be able to meet, we will be there 3/13-3/20.cool.

katherine, if you are not staying there but will be in AZ you must come over so I can buy you that drink.

barbra

 

[rickandcindy23]

Bugzapper, are you still trying to decide where to buy? If you are interested in Starwood, SBP two bedrooms that aren't lockouts have fees of $680, and you get that preference with II.

I don't think that fee is very high for what you get.

Foxrun could very well have an assessment. It's anyone's guess what will happen. All older resorts are prone to SA's, as it is the nature of an older resort to need refurbishments.

All higher-end resorts have higher fees. It is the quality of the management, facilities, and customer service that people are paying for, and that quality is worth the money. It's nice to trade into that quality with a regular resort most of the time, but I wanted to have that internal trade preference.