Oh, so hard to answer via written exchanges. I've read and re-read and each time had different interpretations based on where I figured your intended inflections.
So, let's talk of timeshare "spheres of influence." Put any timeshare name inside a circle ... and draw at least 2 more large rings around that circle.
- The center circle, with the single timeshare, represents the strategy: I will always go back to my home resort. Maybe the same week or unit number for each visit or maybe not ... but always the same resort.
- The circle just outside the resort represents the resort's management company or developer, if the developer is still involved with the property. Perhaps the management company, which cares for one or many resort locations, offers owners at each resort an inside-exchange privilege across their 'family' of resorts. Examples of this would be VRI, Grand Pacific Resorts, Wyndham, etc.
The owner's strategy in this sphere: I can use my home resort ... or trade it w/in the Management's/Developer's family of affiliated properties. Cool.
- The next circle out represents the 3rd party exchange companies such as RCI Weeks, RCI Points, Interval International ("II"), SFX, DAE and others. A single resort might be affiliated with multiple exchange companies for added flexibility, and possibly, added costs. Some exchange relationships found in that sphere can only be contracted by the resort's management (such as RCI Weeks, RCI Points and II) ... some may be initiated by the individual owner (particularly with the smaller, private exchange firms).
As for point-systems ... some are "pure points" (like
Worldmark the Club) where owners hold 'points' but are not given a home resort or week. Their inner-most circle is a large pool of destinations created by a developer specifically as a family of points-based destinations; the inner circle is "purpose built" for points. Others are points systems created by the management company (middle sphere) among their family of resorts. Yet others are point systems created by the exchange company (outer sphere). Gets confusing, quickly ... right? FWIW, no two point-system companies or levels use similar point values. Each is their own 'currency.' Examples:
- A 1BR unit at Disney Vacation Club's Boardwalk Villas location (Orlando) in January is 200 DVC points.
- A 1BR unit at Worldmark's Kingstown Reef location (Orlando) in January is 9000 WM credits.
- A 1BR unit at Wyndham's Bonnet Creek location (Orlando) in January is 126000 Club Wyndham points.
I'm not overly familiar with
French Lick Villas. It doesn't
appear that their management company (the middle sphere) offers either a points-system or family of affiliated destinations for preferred owner exchanges. That may leave you two basic options, should you choose to accept this family gift:
- Use the resort for its own features.
- Exchange the interval through any affiliated exchange company (the outer sphere). You'll need to determine which exchange options are available for your resort and how strong is the [resort+week+unit type] inside that specific exchange system.
Just some light, fluffy research to keep you busy until the paperwork arrives, right?
And Yes to what I put in bold from when quoting you. It is especially wise, before accepting a given timeshare, to
comparison shop and see if you might do BETTER with a different
location, different
week, different
system (either pure points, developer points, or exchange-system points), etc. Try every combination as you research before commitment. (Most recommend spending at least 6 months studying TUG before making any timeshare commitment.)
My apologies if I completely mis-read your question and intentions.