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At owners presentation. Is this good offer?

Lookingtobuy

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Hi Guys. At Westin kaanapali north doing owners presentation. I have a resale two bdrm lockout. They offered to put my two bdrm into the system and add 85 k points at Nanea so I become 3 star elite (mine is every even yr). They offered it to me for 34.5k and 240 k spg points. Plus option to buy additional points four times for 1875. I am also Canadian. So would need to add more with conversion. My question is 3 star elite worth it? Are those additional points worth it?

Thx

Kuljeet
 

Lookingtobuy

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Hi Guys. At Westin kaanapali north doing owners presentation. I have a resale two bdrm lockout. They offered to put my two bdrm into the system and add 85 k points at Nanea so I become 3 star elite (mine is every even yr). They offered it to me for 34.5k and 240 k spg points. Plus option to buy additional points four times for 1875. I am also Canadian. So would need to add more with conversion. My question is 3 star elite worth it? Are those additional points worth it?

Thx

Kuljeet


Is it easy to rent as well if I added 85 k points. My plan is to rent it or share with a family member
 

vacationtime1

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Definitely not worth it. The 85K points at Nanea may get you a one bedroom resort view unit each year (I say "may" because the reports are that such rooms are difficult to reserve).

For the same $34.5K, you can buy an 2bd oceanfront unit at WKORV on the resale market -- or for less, a 2bd OF unit at WKORVN.

The value of requalifying your existing unit ("putting it into the system") is negligible because your unit already comes with StarOptions.

btw-- the offer was 240K Marriott points, not spg points. The value of those points is about a mid-level hotel in NYC for a week, perhaps $2100.
 
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DeniseM

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Nope - You can buy Maui on the resale market for a fraction of the price and still get Staroptions, because WKORV North and South are mandatory resort.

3 Star Elite really has no value.

DON'T DO IT!
 

Lookingtobuy

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Nope - You can buy Maui on the resale market for a fraction of the price and still get Staroptions, because WKORV North and South are mandatory resort.

3 Star Elite really has no value.

DON'T DO IT!


Thanks Denise. I was just thinking of it to be able to travel to the hotels. Ie convert star options to starpoints if we are not going any year. I guess the conversion is not good? The other thing the agent said was we can convert spg points to use on airlines? Assuming those are not good conversion either?

Thx

Kuljeet
 

DeniseM

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The conversion rate to Starpoints is not good at all - it favors Vistana - not the owner. If you can't use a timeshare every year - consider buying and every-other-year deed, or just renting.

It's almost never a good value to buy a timeshare, if you aren't going to use it for timesharing.
 

Maui_ed

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Thanks Denise. I was just thinking of it to be able to travel to the hotels. Ie convert star options to starpoints if we are not going any year. I guess the conversion is not good? The other thing the agent said was we can convert spg points to use on airlines? Assuming those are not good conversion either?

Thx

Kuljeet
Conversion to hotel in the US is not generally a good value, however if you plan travel to Europe, the value improves. Also, converting to airline miles can be good, if you are able to take advantage of opportunities when American Airlines, for example, adds bonus miles when you convert.
 

canesfan

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Conversion to hotel in the US is not generally a good value, however if you plan travel to Europe, the value improves. Also, converting to airline miles can be good, if you are able to take advantage of opportunities when American Airlines, for example, adds bonus miles when you convert.

But not enough to spend $34k. At that price buy the tickets yourself. You’ll never make up that initial investment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Maui_ed

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But not enough to spend $34k. At that price buy the tickets yourself. You’ll never make up that initial investment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought the OP asked whether converting was worth it if they were not using the property a given year, not whether purchasing for the purpose of converting only. Without getting into whether to purchase retail or resale, if you have the option to convert to the points system, there is generally better value converting to hotel for stays in Europe than for stays in the US. If Europe is not in your plans, then converting to hotel points is usually not a good value. If you have the option to convert to points, there are some deals at different times of the year that make the conversion to airline miles a better value.
 

DeniseM

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I thought the OP asked whether converting was worth it if they were not using the property a given year, not whether purchasing for the purpose of converting only.

The "conversion" would cost them $34.5k.
 

Maui_ed

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The "conversion" would cost them $34.5k.
No, the property would cost them $34.5K, after which, they have the option to use or to convert.
 

DeniseM

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We are talking about different kinds of conversions - I am talking about converting their property to Flex Options and you are talking about converting their timeshares to Starpoints.

The original post is asking if paying $34.5k to convert what they own to Flex Options is a good deal - it's isn't.
 

duke

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Hi Guys. At Westin kaanapali north doing owners presentation. I have a resale two bdrm lockout. They offered to put my two bdrm into the system and add 85 k points at Nanea so I become 3 star elite (mine is every even yr). They offered it to me for 34.5k and 240 k spg points. Plus option to buy additional points four times for 1875. I am also Canadian. So would need to add more with conversion. My question is 3 star elite worth it? Are those additional points worth it?

Thx

Kuljeet

SPG points no longer exist.
 

blondietink

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Run, do not buy!

Also regarding the conversion of any given week in the Vistana system currently is a question for those of us who bought direct or have mandatory resales: now that there are no more Starpoints, if Marriott does not adjust the current Starpoint value, the conversions would be worth a whole lot less (2/3's?) than in the original Starpoint charts, would it not?
 

okwiater

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Also regarding the conversion of any given week in the Vistana system currently is a question for those of us who bought direct or have mandatory resales: now that there are no more Starpoints, if Marriott does not adjust the current Starpoint value, the conversions would be worth a whole lot less (2/3's?) than in the original Starpoint charts, would it not?

All points conversions were increased by 3x. This is stated in official literature and is already reflected in the online dashboard.
 

Lookingtobuy

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We are talking about different kinds of conversions - I am talking about converting their property to Flex Options and you are talking about converting their timeshares to Starpoints.

The original post is asking if paying $34.5k to convert what they own to Flex Options is a good deal - it's isn't.


Actually Denise it would cost me 34.5 k to convert my current back into system and add 85 k staroptions at nanea. Hope that clarifies things. I did decline the offer today
 

Maui_ed

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Checked into WKV for a one week stay. Our concierge suggested (pushed pretty hard, actually) that we attend an "update", for which they are offering 20,000 points. He said that the VPs of the "new company" were on site last week and that there is lots of new information to share about "a new currency" that will be available for use within the system and hinted at something about access to more properties for timeshare owners. The 20,000 points is reasonable - about the same as 6,500 old points - but I don't like giving up 90 minutes when we are only here for 6 days, so declined their generous invitation. Will be in Maui for 2 weeks in Feb next year, and might feel like wasting 90 minutes of my life then.
 

rickandcindy23

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Of course Vistana (Westin or whatever) is going to try to get you to buy, and they are not offering any kind of bargain. I would definitely go and see Advantage Vacations in the Cannery Mall, while you are there, and see about getting more mandatory Staroptions. Nothing at Nanea is Mandatory.

"Starpoints" are now worth very little. Who cares how many SPG points you can buy for that much money. They are not worth much at all.

Case in points: I used to get Swan and Dolphin in Disney (Epcot resort with all of the privileges of staying at Disney) for 12K SPG points. It's now 50K. 50K + fees because you get Disney privileges. I will never go that route again. I can rent the same hotel room for about $235 per night + the same fees. 50K points is only worth $235. That is CRAZY. You would be nuts to fall for this pitch.
 

okwiater

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Case in points: I used to get Swan and Dolphin in Disney (Epcot resort with all of the privileges of staying at Disney) for 12K SPG points. It's now 50K. 50K + fees because you get Disney privileges. I will never go that route again. I can rent the same hotel room for about $235 per night + the same fees. 50K points is only worth $235. That is CRAZY. You would be nuts to fall for this pitch.

Not a fair comparison. All of your SPG points were tripled at the time of conversion. So you need to compare 36K to 50K -- still an increase but only about 40% not 400%.
 
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