13 month advantage fails

[SueDonJ]

I don't see HHI platinum owners (and even Gold ones) claiming they can't book their weeks, and HHI owners usually use their weeks instead of trade them.

The calender is old, with 4 seasons, and reflects demand a lot better.

I agree, our calendars leave more room for finagling at the 13-month and 12-month marks, but it's still possible to be shut out of exactly what you want even with a multi-week advantage. We might be competing with fewer folks who want the prime Memorial Day or Labor Day weeks, sure, but there will never be enough of those weeks.

But a platinum season in HHI starting in March all the way throught November is ridiculous.

Yep, what a nightmare that would be!

 

[m61376]

"Probably the worst calendar to date is Lakeshore Reserve. They have two seasons, platinum, and platinum premier. Premier goes from week 6 to 17, which is reasonable for the spring break travel season. However regular platinum takes up the rest of the year. So all owners for the 40 other weeks in platinum will be going after about ten prime summer, Christmas and New Year weeks. There will be some unhappy platinum owners at Lakeshore reserve in the next few years."

No kidding. I can think of only one good use for a platinum calendar like that and it is if you wanted to use the resort for trading almost all the time. While there are "lesser" power weeks within the platinum season, the trade of a platinum will usually trump that of another season. But, mostly I think the best use of the elongated platinum season is the money maker it is for Marriott.

Beverley

Except that II doesn't care that Marriott has designated a week as Platinum.

They evidently are doing a good sales job about that, though, since I have read posts from prospective owners thrilled that the season is so long so they will have their choice of any weeks. They lose sight of the fact that those school vacation weeks are going to be hard to get and, let's face it, a lot of people bought there because it is a high class resort with proximity to the parks; like you, I think those school vacation weeks are going to create a lot of unhappy owners.

 

[Beverley]

I agree. For trading purposes, platinum is platinum even though some of the platinum weeks do have higher demand indexes. If trying to take your family to the parks during a school vacation, it is bound to be a nightmare unless you are in the position to line up a few weeks at the 13 month mark. In a few years, as others have said, there will bound to be some unhappy/ irritated owners.

Beverley

 

[ldanna]

I do understand why Marriott did the Lakeshore Reserve calender the way Marriott did, but Cristal Shore, which is also a new resort, includes a silver season. Oceana Palms has gold, platinum and platinum plus.

Definitely, Lakeshore has the worst calender of all. I may be wrong, but I do think II considers the TDI more than the season itself.

 

[m61376]

Definitely, Lakeshore has the worst calender of all. I may be wrong, but I do think II considers the TDI more than the season itself.

II does not care what season Marriott has assigned to the week in question- they only care about the demand for the week (and of course the resort itself and unit size). So an off season October week, for example, that may be considered Silver at another resort isn't a better trader just because Marriott calls it Platinum at Lakeshore.

 

[Dave M]

I agree 100%. Even at the same resort, some Silver and/or Gold weeks (e.g., holiday weeks) will often be better traders than some Platinum weeks. You can prove it by looking at the II Travel Demand Index for resorts with multiple Marriott seasons.

 

[MOXJO7282]

update

After trying again today, I was able to score the much desired summer week at NCV. I didn't get my son's b-day week, but got Saturday 7/31/10, which is 3 days after, so I can't complain much.

 

[thinze3]

After trying again today, I was able to score the much desired summer week at NCV. I didn't get my son's b-day week, but got Saturday 7/31/10, which is 3 days after, so I can't complain much.

Don't forget you can call in on July 23rd to change your reservation and book the week of your son's B-day. It may cost $29.

 

[Cathyb]

Emmy: Are you back to 'normal' travel to Hawaii and Mexico now?

 

[Werner Weiss]

For trading purposes, platinum is platinum even though some of the platinum weeks do have higher demand indexes.

Actually, as m61376 and Dave M noted, Interval International does not care how Marriott categorizes a week for floating week sales and reservation purposes. Categories such Platinum, Silver, or Sport Season, are used by Marriott, but have no meaning with II.

II has a secret formula involving actual demand for a particular week, resort quality, deposit timing, and probably some other factors. So, in the case of NCV, the middle of July and the middle of November do not have the same trading power, even though Marriott considers both to be Platinum.

Also, a Marriott season category at one resort does not equate to the same Marriott season category at another resort. Chances are that an Easter week at NCV (Gold) has better trading power than many lesser Platinum weeks at other resorts, assuming both are deposited at 12 months.

 

[taffy19]

Emmy: Are you back to 'normal' travel to Hawaii and Mexico now?

Are you referring to my husband's stroke? We still travel but it will never be normal again like it used to be. No more diving or even swimming or snorkeling and walking on the beach either. He is handicapped but he is better off than a lot of other stoke victims, we constantly see.

I make him go to our timeshares and hope it will continue. Don't take your health for granted because it is a gift.

Cathy, how is Maui? I know you are there.

 

[jlp879]

Don't forget you can call in on July 23rd to change your reservation and book the week of your son's B-day. It may cost $29.

I don't understand. The OP had a hard time getting any week in July and now he can call back later and get a week that he couldn't get earlier. How would that work?

 

[SueDonJ]

I don't understand. The OP had a hard time getting any week in July and now he can call back later and get a week that he couldn't get earlier. How would that work?

Because the 13-month advantage for multi-(consecutive or concurrent)-week bookings allows for 50% of the available inventory to be held back for the 12-month booking date. Since only 50% of the inventory is released prior to that 12-month mark, any owner can try for any week at that mark [edit: within the constraints of the particular resort/unit configuration they own, of course.)

 

[Hal]

I tried to make my first 13-month booking today, but was told that the weeks had to be at the same resort. I thought you could string together weeks at different resorts?

As it is I will be phoning back at the 12-month window, and yes I was told that it was from 2pm Cork Time (9am EST).

 

[AMJ]

You can use the 13 month reservation at different resorts. I do it every year and so do many other TUGgers. Maybe you can call back again and speak to another rep.

Joyce

 

[Hal]

You can use the 13 month reservation at different resorts. I do it every year and so do many other TUGgers. Maybe you can call back again and speak to another rep.

Joyce

Thanks Joyce - having been rebuffed I didn't want to miss a good reservation on my other resort, so I used it for another date now. That is really, really annoying, but at least I stand a chance with the 50% held back for release at the 12mth window. Thanks for your help.

 

[IuLiKa]

You can use the 13 month reservation at different resorts. I do it every year and so do many other TUGgers. Maybe you can call back again and speak to another rep.

Joyce

Joyce, I do not understand your post. What do you mean you can use the 13 month reservation at different resorts? You mean that you own 2 different resorts (at least) and you can use the 13 month advantage to reserve ( you do not have to own at the same resort)

Iulika

 

[SueDonJ]

Joyce, I do not understand your post. What do you mean you can use the 13 month reservation at different resorts? You mean that you own 2 different resorts (at least) and you can use the 13 month advantage to reserve ( you do not have to own at the same resort)

Iulika

Yes, you can use the 13-month multi-week advantage to book at different resorts if the available weeks you book are concurrent or consecutive. This is from the Marriott Timeshare FAQ sticky post up there.

It's very rare that someone will come here and say that they were unable to book at different resorts. When it does happen, as Joyce said, the general advice is to call back and try again with a different rep.

(I saw your questions about your friends' Timber Lodge Platinum Plus Week 7 and a Maui to match up with it, but I'm not sure how the rules apply to Platinum Plus so I hope a Timber Lodge owner helps you out there. It didn't seem, looking at the calendar, that a Platinum Plus could be consecutive with a Thanksgiving week?)

 

[indyhorizons]

Yes, you can use the 13-month multi-week advantage to book at different resorts if the available weeks you book are concurrent or consecutive. This is from the Marriott Timeshare FAQ sticky post up there.

It's very rare that someone will come here and say that they were unable to book at different resorts. When it does happen, as Joyce said, the general advice is to call back and try again with a different rep.

(I saw your questions about your friends' Timber Lodge Platinum Plus Week 7 and a Maui to match up with it, but I'm not sure how the rules apply to Platinum Plus so I hope a Timber Lodge owner helps you out there. It didn't seem, looking at the calendar, that a Platinum Plus could be consecutive with a Thanksgiving week?)

So Sue, just so I'm clear, if I owned 2 platinum weeks at diff resorts that both have week 13 as a platinum week, then I could reserve week 13 for both? Obviously I can't occupy both at same time (personally), so my reason for doing so w/b to:
1) exchange or
2) give to friend or family to occupy

Did I get this right?

 

[AMJ]

Yes that is correct. I usually use my fixed week 26 at Harbour Point to reserve a week 27 at either Barony or OceanWatch 13 months out. I have also reserved a week at Cypress Harbour and the next week at Ocean Watch using the 13 month reservation. Once when I wanted to exchange my HP week, I reserved week 26 at 2 different resorts.

Joyce

 

[indyhorizons]

Yes that is correct. I usually use my fixed week 26 at Harbour Point to reserve a week 27 at either Barony or OceanWatch 13 months out. I have also reserved a week at Cypress Harbour and the next week at Ocean Watch using the 13 month reservation. Once when I wanted to exchange my HP week, I reserved week 26 at 2 different resorts.

Joyce

Joyce,

That is not my question. I am asking could you reserve both week 26 (concurrent) at 2 different resorts at 13 months out?

 

[Cathyb]

Dave - a lifesaver

That explains what at first seemed to be a violation of Marriott policy. The reason you were able to reserve your weeks is that you called on the second possible day for making your reservations. Had you called on May 11, the first possible day for reserving your dates, you would not have been able to make a reservation until 9:00 a.m., EDT.

When is the first day you can call? 13 months in advance of the first possible check-in date for the first week you want. Because Marbella has Friday check-in dates, the first day you could have called was 13 months ahead of Friday, June 11, 2010. That would have been May 11, 2009. Since you didn't call until May 12, you weren't subject to the 9:00 a.m. EDT limitation.

Would it be any different when calling a local office in Europe than when calling a local office in the U.S.? No. If European resident owners at European timeshares could call five to six hours earlier on the first day than U.S. resident owners of European timeshares, the European residents would have an unfair advantage in making reservations, both at 13 months and at 12 months. That's why Marriott uses the 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time rule for that first day. It puts everyone on a level playing field in trying to make a reservation.

DaveM what would we do without you! You make things SOOO clear that even I can understand them :hysterical:

 

[Cathyb]

davevel--Where in the deed?

I can only speak for Shadow Ridge, but IT IS IN THE DEED. All owners (resale/direct) have equal reservation rights.

If bored, read the Declaration : http://www.veljovich.com/homeweb/index.php?page=tug

davevel: What part of the Deed -- Section;paragraph, etc? We own at DSV I and Newport and I want to check it out. TIA

 

[IuLiKa]

SueDonJ,

I am kind of confused, because the sales people told my friend that if they buy the second week 7 at timberlodge Marriott, they can have the 13th month advantage and somehow get a week at thanksgiving in Maui.
And I know that you can only use the 13th week advantage at the resorts you own!

I am pretty sure there is a rule for season overlap, because I remember hearing about that at one of the presentations, and I also saw someting here on the board. Anyway, the sales rep will say anything for you to buy this days. They do have however some good deals on weeks which are not available for resale.

IuLika

 

[AMJ]

indyhorizons,

I am sorry that I wasn't clear. If you read my last statement, it says I reserved
week 26 at two different resorts. I should have added that I did that 13 months in advance. I hope that helps.

Joyce