"New" Westin Flex - Includes WPORV, WKORV, WKORVN

[DeniseM]

1/24/19 Update: Further research shows that Nanea and Westin Flex do not overlap - they are separate.

I am not sure as I did not pursue Nanea, but what is Nanea Flex?
By Nanea Flex - do you mean just Nanea ownership without the ability to make a Flex reservation using Flex inventory at another Flex Resort ? Otherwise, what is the Nanea Flex part other than just normal Home Resort ownership at Nanea?

If a Nanea Owner can reserve WKORV/N Flex inventory- that opens space for a Nanea Reservation for Flex Owners (and I assume SO exchangers if available).

Am I missing something?

Nanea was only sold as Home Options (flex points.) They didn't sell deeded weeks, and the reservation rules and use rules are different than for a deeded week.

My point is that it appears that Nanea Home Options and Westin Flex Options may be one and the same or interchangeable.

 

[Ken555]

they do but they are not restricted to weekend check in. That means they can go a day before a regular owner for a Thu-Thu reservation. That week will obviously no longer be available to the regular week owner. If they do not manage the inventory properly (and there is no evidence that they do) they have in fact created 2 classes owners not only in terms of flexibility but also in terms of priority.

FYI, we had the same concern some years ago when they removed the Fri/Sat/Sun checkin or out requirement from StarOption reservations. For many years (and still do) I would start a stay on Sunday but leave the following Wed or Thur, then they changed it to permit arrival and departure on any day or week, which opened up the ability to have a single night stay on any day (and thus all the posts on staying at Harborside when on a cruise to gain access to Atlantis...). Having them extend this to the 12 month reservations for non deed weekly stays was predictable.

Since they have been able to manage inventory for any day checkin and out for SO reservations, I’m sure they can handle this latest change as well.

But, as been said for many years, the lack of transparency in regards to which weeks are available and which reservation system (deeds, Flex, SO, whatever) has them is only to the benefit of the management.


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[DavidnRobin]

As I said before, VSN has a lot of flexibility in allocating specific weeks of the year to specific products within the same season.

So why exactly would be illegal (a too strong word i find for this case) for example if Westin Aventuras booked all 51-52 weeks at Lagunamar while the regular owners booked more of the other weeks of the year. The total number of weeks per season and per product would be ok, right?

It is illegal to effectively sell more than you own. Meaning - they cannot reserve more Flex than they own.

I can’t speak to a Westin Adventuras and their seasons/weeks and speculation on potential misuse - perhaps it would be better to compare Westin Flex that is the topic of this thread as HI has one season with special ownership of weeks 51-52.

Maybe a speculation if VSE/VSN grabbed all of the whale watching weeks and summer weeks leaving the crap weeks left to deeded owners?
That is a lot of inventory to hold...


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[lizap]

I find it incredibly poor form for a company to take a product, that people bought in good faith, repackage it, try to resell it to existing owners at a higher price. What you have is a mature product they can't make $ on, and to make more $, they are asking existing owners to pony up more $. At some point, it will impact existing owners, if they want to trade internally. Resale prices are already being affected. Hyatt resale prices are being impacted now. I know of a couple WKV Plat. plus units that have sold for around 12k.

 

[controller1]

Nanea was only sold as Home Options (flex points.) They didn't sell deeded weeks, and the reservation rules and use rules are different than for a deeded week.

My point is that it appears that Nanea Home Options and Westin Flex Options may be one and the same or interchangeable.

I realize that is your point, but as an owner of both Nanea and Westin Flex my experiment I conducted just a hour or so ago does not allow me to make a Home Resort Reservation at WKORVN using Nanea Home Options. I could only choose from the Westin Flex Options bucket.

That's why I would be concerned about the reservation you have in hand. You say it is legit but is it only that way due to an IT programming error? If so, is there any possibility the reservation will be cancelled by Vistana or discovered as non-legit prior to the party arriving in Maui?

 

[DeniseM]

controller1 - Is the Westin Flex that you own, exactly the same as the program described in my first post? When and where did you buy it?

 

[WahooWah]

Terribly worded email. Since it had a person's name as if he/she were the only one to contact I feel this may be a rogue employee looking for a bigger commission. I own several Vistana weeks in Hawaii and have not received this email.

Definitely an ambitious sales rep. Not a company sanctioned email at all.

 

[DannyTS]

It is illegal to effectively sell more than you own. Meaning - they cannot reserve more Flex than they own.

I can’t speak to a Westin Adventuras and their seasons/weeks and speculation on potential misuse - perhaps it would be better to compare Westin Flex that is the topic of this thread as HI has one season with special ownership of weeks 51-52.

Maybe a speculation if VSE/VSN grabbed all of the whale watching weeks and summer weeks leaving the crap weeks left to deeded owners?
That is a lot of inventory to hold...


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I never said that anyone reserved more than they owned as a total number of weeks per year. What i said was that more of the more sought after weeks of any particular season may end up being booked by those that can book earlier even if the total number of weeks per season per program may be ok.

 

[vacationtime1]

Nanea was only sold as Home Options (flex points.) They didn't sell deeded weeks, and the reservation rules and use rules are different than for a deeded week.

My point is that it appears that Nanea Home Options and Westin Flex Options may be one and the same or interchangeable.

This should be terrifying news to those who bought 81000 Nanea HomeOptions to use for the purpose of reserving one bedroom units there. That reservation is difficult enough already; if everyone who buys FlexOptions can also compete at the twelve month mark for the limited number of those units, that reservation will be virtually impossible for Nanea owners.

 

[controller1]

controller1 - Is the Westin Flex that you own, exactly the same as the program described in my first post? When and where did you buy it?

Yes.

It was purchased in June 2018 at Westin Riverside in Avon, CO. I had made a mistake and purchased Sheraton Flex right after it came out without realizing I had no desire to visit most of the home resorts in Sheraton Flex. I traded in the Sheraton Flex for Westin Flex and used my knowledge of TUG to decrease the new money.

 

[DeniseM]

controller1 - are you being evasive?

 

[controller1]

controller1 - are you being evasive?

?????

 

[DeniseM]

You don't seem to want to share any of the details about when and where you bought it.

 

[controller1]

You don't seem to want to share any of the details about when and where you bought it.

Have you read my post directly above your post accusing me of being evasive? What else do you want to know? I don't remember the salesman's name or the exact time I signed the document.

 

[DeniseM]

My apologies - I asked you twice and you didn't answer the first time, and then I missed the 2nd part of your answer.

Have you posted about Westin Flex on TUG before?

 

[lizap]

What's really sad is eventually the same thing is likely going to happen to those buying into the new FLEX. It's a vicious cycle.

 

[Ken555]

Happy with my WKV Plat Plus, and have no reason to change. If anything, I’d buy another WKV if I wanted more SOs...


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[controller1]

My apologies - I asked you twice and you didn't answer the first time, and then I missed the 2nd part of your answer.

Have you posted about Westin Flex on TUG before?

Sorry, I must have missed Post #42. I have posted on TUG about owning Westin Flex before. I had not gone into detail as to why I own Westin Flex. I'm willing to share info to help the TUG community. What else would be helpful to know?

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks controller1 - I must have missed your posts about Westin Flex, or "assumed" it was one of the other flex programs already in existence, because it went right over my head.

 

[controller1]

Thanks controller1 - I must have missed your posts about Westin Flex, or "assumed" it was one of the other flex programs already in existence, because it went right over my head.

DeniseM - What is the date on the original email received by the owner? I ask because the literature attached to the email is dated. It does not include The Westin Kierland as one of the seven Home Resorts? Also, is the title of this thread the title of the email because I don't see in the email anything about "Includes all Maui Resorts" which causes me to think this email may have an original date prior to Nanea opening.

Thanks.

 

[DeniseM]

The info is brand new. I will edit the title. WKV is on the list:

Westin Flex Home resorts

• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North
• Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas –Kauai
• Westin Desert Willow Villas – Palm Springs
• Westin Mission Hills Resort & Villas – Rancho Mirage
• Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas - Beaver Creek CO
• Westin Kierland – Scottsdale AZ

 

[controller1]

Doesn't make sense they would attach dated sales material. But then, the poorly worded email is . . .

 

[cubigbird]

Nanea was only sold as Home Options (flex points.) They didn't sell deeded weeks, and the reservation rules and use rules are different than for a deeded week.

My point is that it appears that Nanea Home Options and Westin Flex Options may be one and the same or interchangeable.

Denise if this is true then WSJ Sunset Bay should see entry into the flex. So far it’s being sold as a Home Option resort only.

 

[DeniseM]

I have to do more research on that - I'm trying to figure it out myself - I will get back to you.

1/24/19 Update: Further research shows that Nanea and Westin Flex do not overlap - they are separate.

 

[controller1]

The info is brand new. I will edit the title. WKV is on the list:

Westin Flex Home resorts

• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North
• Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas –Kauai
• Westin Desert Willow Villas – Palm Springs
• Westin Mission Hills Resort & Villas – Rancho Mirage
• Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas - Beaver Creek CO
• Westin Kierland – Scottsdale AZ

Look at the attachments. All of them are sales materials dated 2017 and they do not include Westin Kierland.