- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
- Messages
- 14,481
- Reaction score
- 3,157
- Points
- 698
- Location
- Kansas
- Resorts Owned
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Marriott Grand Chateau
Marriott Shadow Ridge
Marriott Ocean Pointe
Marriott Destination Club Points
Hilton Grand Vacation Club Las Vegas Blvd
Grand Colorado on Peak 8
Spinnaker French Quarter Resort Branson
of course, the problem is timeshare keeps evolving. In the beginning it was great owning various timeshares with different management companies and trading thru II or RCI. Then the big companies started finding ways to limit their inventory for exchange while enhancing internal exchange privileges. So after 20 years our needs evolved and I’ve been shedding the resorts or systems that no longer fir our needs while holding onto or increasing the others that fit our needs.
To that end, we’ve been using Marriott and Hilton more and others less. At the same time, because the medical industry keeps evolving rapidly, job changes we never anticipated as few as 5 years ago have happened at an alarmingly frequent basis. I’ve changed jobs twice in 5 years after I had remained in one positions for the previous 21 years while my wife is in the process of doing exactly the same. Unbelievable since we both in our 50’s/60’s. So now the flexibility of points has become a major influence in our lives (manipulation of work schedules reducing the need to take paid time off) and the fixed check in days have become more difficult to work with.
We did our last tour simply because they offered us $200. We had friends who have traveled with us in the past, one of which had pancreatic cancer in the final stages, and I wanted to take them on the Emerald Bay cruise (we were in Lake Tahoe), so this seemed the perfect way to accomplish that goal. I had NO intention of buying the 1,500 points I felt we needed at $14.12/point.
At the end was when I made my big mistake. I said the word bundle. They came back with two offers. One that included a HHI week and another that included a Palm Desert week. We love both locations so that kept with my philosophy of owning where you want to go and, the Palm Desert week fit the where/when mold. Plus, there offer reduced the price, or cost per point, to a level I didn’t think they’d reach. So, we jumped at it and put one of our other timeshare that doesn’t fit this new mold up for adoption (giving it away as it has very little resale value).
I’s like to think this is the last move we’ll ever make, but given enough time I’m sure things will evolve again. In the end we’ll be down to mostly Marriott and HGVC ownerships with one other resort in Breckenridge (allows our dogs and we like it better than Marriott’s Hilton’s or Hyatt’s offerings there).
What’s next? I’m sure for Marriott it’s going to be the angle of getting us from Presidential to Chairman’s level. After all, this transaction will leave us approx 1,500 points short of Chairman. I guess that gives them something to shoot for and keep offering us owner updates with incentives. In the meantime Titanium Bonvoy level probably gets me back to collecting Bonvoy points a little bit and the additional DC points allows me to pick/choose the best views at the highest demand times without working out the save/borrow/compromise scenario I’ve been using these past few years. Still, that was the most expensive Lake Tahoe Cruise we’ve ever taken.
To that end, we’ve been using Marriott and Hilton more and others less. At the same time, because the medical industry keeps evolving rapidly, job changes we never anticipated as few as 5 years ago have happened at an alarmingly frequent basis. I’ve changed jobs twice in 5 years after I had remained in one positions for the previous 21 years while my wife is in the process of doing exactly the same. Unbelievable since we both in our 50’s/60’s. So now the flexibility of points has become a major influence in our lives (manipulation of work schedules reducing the need to take paid time off) and the fixed check in days have become more difficult to work with.
We did our last tour simply because they offered us $200. We had friends who have traveled with us in the past, one of which had pancreatic cancer in the final stages, and I wanted to take them on the Emerald Bay cruise (we were in Lake Tahoe), so this seemed the perfect way to accomplish that goal. I had NO intention of buying the 1,500 points I felt we needed at $14.12/point.
At the end was when I made my big mistake. I said the word bundle. They came back with two offers. One that included a HHI week and another that included a Palm Desert week. We love both locations so that kept with my philosophy of owning where you want to go and, the Palm Desert week fit the where/when mold. Plus, there offer reduced the price, or cost per point, to a level I didn’t think they’d reach. So, we jumped at it and put one of our other timeshare that doesn’t fit this new mold up for adoption (giving it away as it has very little resale value).
I’s like to think this is the last move we’ll ever make, but given enough time I’m sure things will evolve again. In the end we’ll be down to mostly Marriott and HGVC ownerships with one other resort in Breckenridge (allows our dogs and we like it better than Marriott’s Hilton’s or Hyatt’s offerings there).
What’s next? I’m sure for Marriott it’s going to be the angle of getting us from Presidential to Chairman’s level. After all, this transaction will leave us approx 1,500 points short of Chairman. I guess that gives them something to shoot for and keep offering us owner updates with incentives. In the meantime Titanium Bonvoy level probably gets me back to collecting Bonvoy points a little bit and the additional DC points allows me to pick/choose the best views at the highest demand times without working out the save/borrow/compromise scenario I’ve been using these past few years. Still, that was the most expensive Lake Tahoe Cruise we’ve ever taken.