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[2008] happy starwood posts

Grandmama

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I have total respect for the opinions of experienced Starwood owners, but when someone who doesn't even own a Starwood timeshare comes here and defends Starwood....it makes me wonder why... :confused:

I assume you are referring to Phillyphan as being a non owner? We are 5* and well educated about SVO and all the other timeshare/fractionals we own. I suppose I could find lots and lots to complain about if I really wanted to invest my time looking to experience frustration and regret. But I am a firm believer in "life is what you make it" and I much prefer to focus on the positive, and things I am thankful for, because it makes my experiences so much more pleasant. That is why I was enjoying this particular thread so much.

Let's face it, there are tons and tons of negative threads about SVO here on TUG. I read TUG to help me to become more informed for our travels, and in that way it is extremely helpful, but the consistent negativity does get old. There are several people here on TUG who "have fallen off the Starwood band wagon" and they like to remind us of that over and over and over again. I'm not suggesting that anyone promote something they aren't happy about but does the discontent have to repeat itself day after day?

Here's to happy SVO vacations!
 

DeniseM

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We are 5* and well educated about SVO and all the other timeshare/fractionals we own.

No, I wasn't referring to you. I know you are a long-time owner. :hi:

I'm not suggesting that anyone promote something they aren't happy about but does the discontent have to repeat itself day after day?

As long as Starwood Mgmt. continues to devalue Starwood ownership, I don't see that changing.
 

Grandmama

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As long as Starwood Mgmt. continues to devalue Starwood ownership, I don't see that changing.

Unfortunately the complaints on this board have not promoted any changes by Starwood Mgmt. at all. Maybe another approach needs to be taken. Apparently someone in SVO reads this board and have gained some valuable info about owners here, including that some owners use TUG as a sound board and obviously SVO mgmt. feels no threat here what so ever. So, maybe all of the energy that goes into all of the posts here needs to be channeled into a more productive and cohesive single action that will get mgmt. attention. "If you keep doing what you've always done, you will keep getting what you've always gotten"..........which, in this case, is nothing (from mgmt).

I just don't enjoy reading every day about what a disappointment SVO is. I'm glad you are making it work for you. It sounds like your WKORV is your best rental and that makes life good for you. I'm very thankful for every min. these vacations have given me to make memories. No matter what is going on in mgmt., the time spent at SVO resorts with family and friends far outweigh my concerns with SVO. In the grand scheme of things SVO's inadequacies are a blip on my radar screen.
 

DeniseM

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I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't post here with any hope of influencing Starwood in anyway. Recent attempts by Tuggers to contact Starwood directly just reinforced the fact that Starwood really isn't interested. (See the recent threads by CanadianStarwoodFan.)

I think the main purpose of this board is to share info. - good or bad. I enjoy it all. It's fun to talk about, but I don't take it personally and I don't expect everyone to agree with me. On TUG everyone is allowed to post their opinion as long as they follow the TUG rules. This board is actually one of the most civilized boards on TUG. Read some of the Westgate posts if you want to see the true meaning of negativity. :ignore: I guess all you can do if you don't like the negative posts is not to read them.

I wish you well, my friend! :hi:
 

Grandmama

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I guess all you can do if you don't like the negative posts is not to read them.

I suppose I wouldn't even register many of the posts as negative if:
a) they were productive
b) they weren't so repetitive (see point 'a')

But you are right; I can choose to ignore them, and at the same time you can enjoy them. It's a win/win. :)
 

DavidnRobin

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The tendency for most BBS's (I read a few outside of TUG) is too complain and point out the negative - as to a previous post. I have been somewhat successful with issues by taking a more narrow approach with SVO and that is to directly to the resort itself (like I did with WSJ a while back with mostly a positive outcome). The rest is windmill tilting (IMO). To me this is about the only workable approach - as the management above have different priorities (metrics) than the resort management (as observed) - this is true with many companies structured like SVO.

We will have a positive SVO experience with our upcoming WKORV stay next month - even if it rains everyday - and the next and the next... This has been our experience 100% of the time. That is what we got into this for - great vacations and memories. It is too stressful trying to reflect expectations on SVO on what they change or don't -or should do or don't.

Next weekend - Westin Napa on SPs.

btw -I don't not think most posts here are negative - the forum has been taken a turn in regards to complaints - all well justified... but overall it is mostly information changing and advive giving (like if I ever go to HRA I will know to pretend like I belong in 'The Cove' - whatever that is... but sounds cool.) Overall - very informative and we are lucky to still have DM involved as a Mod.
 
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James1975NY

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Timesharing is kind of like parenting, you can love them and they can drive you crazy at the same time... The 3 things I listed as my favorite things about Starwood were not meant to be sarcastic - those are my favorite things about Starwood ownership. Even though I have fallen off the Starwood "band wagon" we are still making it work for us and I think we have been very successful. Right now we are timesharing with no out of pocket expenses at all and taking great vacations. I'm pretty happy with that or I wouldn't be here!

I have total respect for the opinions of experienced Starwood owners, but when someone who doesn't even own a Starwood timeshare comes here and defends Starwood....it makes me wonder why... :confused:

Denise, if you are speaking in my direction. I wasnt defending Starwood, just trying to promote the love!

Just about everything I hear or read about from the daily news to this forum is negative and this was refreshing....thats all.
 

DeniseM

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No Jim - you've established your credentials and we appreciate your input on TUG! :hi:
 

harzim

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Upgrading with Starpoints?

Can you elaborate? How do you upgrade a coach airline ticket with Starpoints? I would love to do that if I could. Thanks!

we were staying at the comfort suites in paradise island, we had three rooms.a toilet and a bed. paying a fortune,but having a great time at the atlantis.
walked through the lobby and saw a miniature version of the hra. we questioned what it was. bought sight unseen and it changed our lives for the better.


have 3 kids so the 2 br l/o would not be split equally so we bought another in svv. now had 3. went to wkv and they explained 3* benefits bought another .and then found TUG.

the vacations we now go on are incredible and sooo frequent. staying around the house and just hanging around during my DH's vacations are a thing of the past.he gets 5 weeks and we go away for 4.5 of them.

we use starpoints all the time and the freedom we have to go and come as we please is amazing.

my TS salesman gave me a great tip. buy a coach ticket and use your starpoints to upgrade to first class. can i afford first class, i don't think so . but with that little phrase i learned how to maximize my hard earned dollar and get airmiles for everything i purchase. so when we travel now we go first class and for free.

i had 5 first class tickets this year alone. i hardly ever pay for air travel anymore.

so without starwood none of this would be happening for us.

we leave for williamsburg va on saturday with an II trade.


life is good. :cheer:
 

Maui_ed

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We are still pretty new to the whole timeshare world, but we have traded our WPORV property twice now - once for WKORVN and once for WKV - and have had a flawless experience both times. I really like the easy trading within the system.

We have stayed at 3 resorts so far - WKORV, WKORVN, and WKV - and have found all 3 to be top notch. We echo the sentiments that many others have expressed in this thread - we are excited about every vacation that we take. We just got back from WKV and are already looking forward to WKORVN in February!

I like being able to exchange for points in the hotel system. Next year, or possibly the year after, we plan on taking our kids and grandkids on a pretty much all expenses paid trip to Disneyland using hotel points and airline miles. And I can't wait until we are able to travel to Europe and enjoy some of the great hotels in the UK, France, Spain, and Greece.

I haven't yet experienced the issues with SVN management that have caused the frustration that some TUGgers have expressed. Perhaps that is because we are still new to the game.

So far, though, it has been great and we are looking forward to many years of vacationing.
 

Henry M.

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Can you elaborate? How do you upgrade a coach airline ticket with Starpoints? I would love to do that if I could. Thanks!

You could convert Starpoints to airline points and then use those to upgrade.

I find Starpoints to be more valuable, though. If you use Starwood hotels a lot, especially overseas, the value of Starpoints can be more than twice what the value of airline miles is. IT all depends on what your travel needs are.
 

harzim

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Good experience with Starwood

I am still new, I just bought at WKV last year. I didn't want to go there this winter, we wanted to go to Mexico. I made my reservation at one year out with no problem and easily traded my week with SFX. I got a Christmas week and was thrilled. We haven't gone yet, but I've heard good things about the Grand Mayan resort. So, so far so good with Starwood.

Anyway, I'm an avid reader but not an avid poster. I will say that there is alot of benefit to the "negative" posts. I think this board and those posts have saved a lot of people (myself included) from getting carried away and buying something they don't understand. I originally rescinded after buying from the developer after finding this board and I am forever grateful. I ended up doing a lot of research and reading. I finally did buy, but I bought resale and I understood a lot of the limitations that are glossed over in the sales presentation. I too would have had a lot more frustration if I had stuck with my original purchase. I would have ended up with something that didn't work for me.

Just one person's opinion...
 

pointsjunkie

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You could convert Starpoints to airline points and then use those to upgrade.

I find Starpoints to be more valuable, though. If you use Starwood hotels a lot, especially overseas, the value of Starpoints can be more than twice what the value of airline miles is. IT all depends on what your travel needs are.

you pay for a coach seat with cash and then use miles to upgrade to first class. this gives you a great bang for your buck(points). but you have to be careful because the rules have changed on some airlines( it has to be in a certain class to be able to upgrade. when i do this i am on the phone with a human being who hopefully speaks english and will walk me through the transaction so i get what i want. i have done this with USair several times.

now that i have so many miles i usually just use the 50000 miles it takes to go first class.

follow the blog to get more pointers.
 

DeniseM

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*Please note that this thread is a year old.
 

sherilah

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In 2009, our first year as Starwood owners we:

- Went to Palm Springs WMH for 2 nights
- Went to Cancun w/o our son for 5 nights
- Are going to Palm Springs in 2 weeks for 2 nights
- Are going to Maui for 4 nights
...and with all of this, we STILL have many, many Star Options left for 2009, which we are trying to decide what to do with.

Starwood gives you an incentive and a reason to travel!
 

Captron

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WHY? Let me tell you......

I too have my Starwood concerns but believe that I have done well.

Highlights:

Trading SBP 1BR for a Kauai 2BR FOUR TIMES!!! I could not have done this without Starwood quality!

Family time at SVR - and only going into the parks a few days in the week (not pushing young kids) because:

1) There are lots of things to do at the resort and still have fun. (unlike most hotels) - I love the new FUN programs at the resorts - bring on the tie dye!!!!!

2) We are NOT cramped into a hotel room with 4 - to be 5 in the next week or so!

3) We can afford more by eating in - breakfasts especially (and we freeze water bottles to take to the parks in the freezer - $3 water HA!!!! NOT US!!!)

4) A NAP room for little ones!!!!

5) I can go slow in Orlando because I KNOW WE WILL BE BACK! For a lot of families Orlando is a "once in a lifetime trip" but we have been ~10x (losing count) with more to come.:cheer:

That is why I love TS and Starwood is a big part of that. Sure I wish I would have done some things different. I wish there would be a SoCal resort, I wish Aruba would come back on track sooner, but I love what TS has done for us.

Like most of us here, I am planning the next 2 or 3... 6 vacations before even leaving on the next and TS has forced me (happily) to do this! You want to know my 2011 plans? They are coming together now! My to be born infant has 3 trips of 10+ days in it's first year - planned and booked!:eek:

I LOVE this board and have learned so much! I just picked up a SDO EOY LO to trade outside of SVN and enjoy priority - I wouldn't have done half of what I do without you folks THANK YOU!!!!!:clap:

:D HAPPY TRAVELS!!!!!:D
 

LisaRex

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In 2008, had an awesome vacation at WKORV-N with another family. Snorkeling, body surfing, hiking, hot tubbing, water volleyball -- it was a great visit.

This January, we traded our unit for a 2 bdrm at WSJ. This time it was adults-only and another couple and we had a great time detoxing at a beautiful resort on a gorgeous island. Really enjoyed the snorkeling, the pool, the tennis courts, playing Euchre at night and watching the SuperBowl oceanside.

Next year I've booked a week at our home resort the end of June and the 8 of us are heading back to Maui. (This will be the third trip for our friends. They're enjoying our ownership as much as we are!) We're starting out with 3 nights on Big Island, a first for us, and we're really looking forward to seeing the live volcano. My friend is a geologist and he's super excited.

The good news is that Starwood has created beautiful resorts which I'm very proud to own. I do have my complaints, which I believe to be very valid (the overarching theme being that they try to control too much instead of focusing on creating great resorts), but it's very nice to go on a vacation knowing that the resort will be spectacular.
 
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Henry M.

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I have few complaints about Starwood. I have been enjoying my Hawaii ownership every year since WKORV opened, sometimes more than once a year.

I wish the value of the timeshare had held up better, but I don't worry too much about it and view it as part of the cost of having such a nice place to visit. If I had to outright own such a nice place year round my costs would be much higher than the price decline plus maintenance fees that I pay and I wouldn't have time to visit it any more than I do now. I could potentially rent a unit for less, but I do get recognition for my 5* status and I have gotten very significant value out of my SPG Platinum level. Ownership may not the right thing for everyone but it works very well for my circumstances.

I just finished 3 weeks in Maui and I had a great time. I'm looking forward to whale season early next year and perhaps another couple of weeks there next summer. My 22 year old son commented when we got there that he was so glad we had decided to get something in Maui. He may even move to the island for a while after he finishes college. The memories we all have are priceless.
 

Tider

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My wife and I have been SVO owners since 2002 when we vacationed in Hawaii on our 25th anniversary. We stayed at the Westin Resort and participated in a WKORV presentation. At that time, WKORV was just a hole in the ground. We bought an EY 2BR LO OV (I hope I have all the initials correct) for about $41,000. We went back in 2004 with our 4 children, went through an owners presentation and bought a EOY deluxe 1BR for about $14,000, after taking into consideration the StarPoints and other toss ins. I didn't have a clue what TUG was until about 1 week ago. Did we overpay? Based on what people have indicated about resales, I guess we did. And I've now decided that if I buy again, it will be through the resale market. However, have I been happy with Starwood. Yes I have, in every sense of the word. It has forced us to plan and take vacations that we would only talk about before. We have taken vacations that we would never have taken had it not been for SVO. Through StarOptions or StarPoints, we have vacationed in Hawaii, Cancun, St. Johns, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Colorado along with numerous hotel stays on short trips within the US. Next spring, my wife and I, two children, one son-in-law and 3 grandchildren are spending a week at WKV to visit our son and my wife's siblings. We have never been to the WKV yet. I have some extrs SOs left for this year that we have to use up so with StarPoints, my wife and I will be taking a long weekend sometime this fall, all paid for. It has been wonderful. My only frustration is trying to get into prime resorts at prime times. Have not been able to get into Harborside yet at a time that works out for us as my wife is a teacher and her times off are always popular times. We plan to retire in a few years, and hopefully this will no longer be a problem. All in all, maybe we paid too much up front, but I haven't regretted it. The times together with my wife and other family members have been priceless.

Finally, to all you Tuggers who post, and to all who help make this site what it is, thank you. I find the information very relevant and valuable. Keep up the good work.
 

Tider

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I forgot (how careless of me) to mention in my last post about places we have vacationed at because of SVO, that 3 years ago we also spent a week at the Sheraton Moorea in the South Pacific, using StarPoints and some additional $$. Had it not been for SPG and SVO, this vacation would never have even entered our mind. I understand that this resort is no longer part of the Starwood family, and as a vacation spot, that's unfortunate.
 
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