Advice getting into Hawaii

[mcsteve]

I currently have a HGVC RCI account and when I look at the available properties in Hawaii for the spring of 2021 there is only one property that shows. I have a 2br Southwind by Spinnaker property on HHI that I have not associated with RCI or II (my HGVC RCI does not allow adding non HGVC properties so I would need a second account).

My question is should I opt for an II account and trade into Hawaii through that account by depositing my 2br Southwind or would I be better off getting a second RCI account?

Also, is the lack of properties this far out the norm or is this possibly due to the HGVC tie to my RCI account? If I deposited a couple of years from Southwind would I be more likely to find properties as opposed to the HGVC deposits? We are hoping to find someplace on Maui since we've bee to the big island already.

 

[Luanne]

HGVC usually does their bulk drop in Spring. So you should start seeing 2021 around March 2020. At least that's been my experience. And the units I've seen have been through RCI.

 

[DeniseM]

It's pretty commonly accepted that II has the highest quality inventory because they have the Westins and Marriotts. With RCI, the top resorts in Hawaii are the Hiltons - which are also very nice, but there aren't any on Maui, yet.

It is probably too early, but you won't get a prime Hawaii exchange by browsing online - you need to put an ongoing search in a year or more in advance, because ongoing searches are filled before any inventory goes online, so if you only search online, you only see the leftovers.

For more resort info - review the TUG Maui timeshare ratings and reviews: https://tug2.com/timeshare-resorts/default.aspx?Hawaii-Maui&area=3&group=19

I don't know enough about your resort to know if it has the trading power for a prime Hawaiian resort - that is also a consideration.

Also, Marriott owners have first priority for Marriott exchanges, and Westin owners have higher priority for Westin exchanges, and that is also a major factor.

If by Spring, you mean Easter week, there is more demand than supply for that week. If you can go in May or in the fall, you will find more inventory.

 

[Luanne]

Sorry, didn't catch the part about wanting to go to Maui. Denise is correct, HGVC doesn't have any locations on Maui yet.

 

[mcsteve]

Ya, the lack of HGVC inventory for Maui is why I am looking to exchange through RCI or II. Our thought is to go either in March or in May. Easter week is not needed as the Grandkids are still to young to make school an issue. We can take them out of school for the 10 days if needed and they will be able to catch up. My main concern is to make sure I am searching the right way. This will be the first time I’ve “exchanged” outside of the HGVC system.

For an ongoing search, do you need to pay the search fee for every resource or can you be more general in the criteria to include say “any” Marriot on Maui within a date range or do you need to be location specific?

 

[Luanne]

Ya, the lack of HGVC inventory for Maui is why I am looking to exchange through RCI or II. Our thought is to go either in March or in May. Easter week is not needed as the Grandkids are still to young to make school an issue. We can take them out of school for the 10 days if needed and they will be able to catch up. My main concern is to make sure I am searching the right way. This will be the first time I’ve “exchanged” outside of the HGVC system.

For an ongoing search, do you need to pay the search fee for every resource or can you be more general in the criteria to include say “any” Marriot on Maui within a date range or do you need to be location specific?

With an RCI search you pay one fee and you can specify which resorts you are looking for within a date range.

 

[DeniseM]

March will be considerably more difficult than May, and remember that Marriott owners have first priority for Marriott deposits. For the best chance of getting something, you should request multiple resorts. Marriott basically has one resort on Maui with 2 phases, but I would not expect to get Lahaina/Napili with a non-Marriott trader. You are far more likely to get the older phase, and it only has kitchenettes.

 

[mcsteve]

So, I could create a single OGS which would include “Marriott Maui Ocean Club, Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, Kuleana Club and Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas” and it would be treated as a single OGS? Is that correct?

 

[Bao Nguyen]

HGVC trading , you only get trading down.
You will not get better quality property when you trade in Hawaii than hgvc. Specially Maui in Westin , Hyatt and Marriott are nice properties . Their rates for two bed room about $650 to $850 a night. All these properties deposits in II account not RCI. Good luck with your search.

 

[alwysonvac]

Also consider posting a private exchange HGVC for Maui. There are also lots of renters as well including the TUG Marketplace, Redweek and others. If you want a guaranteed ocean view, you may want to consider renting.

As stated previously in this thread, Vistana and Marriott owners have a priority exchange preference window in Interval which means they generally get first dibs on all new deposits for a few weeks before the leftovers are released to the General Public. All of the higher demand weeks and larger unit sizes are generally taken during the priority exchange preference window so you want to be as flexible as possible on dates and resorts you’re willing to accept.

For Interval, you’ll enter each of the II codes in your single OGS request (see codes below).

Here’s the link to the full list of II Maui Resorts in case you want to include other II codes in your OGS - https://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1502&areaCode=812&areaName=Hawaii,+Maui

The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
KAA

KAN

The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas
Maui, Hawaii
WNA

Marriott's Maui Ocean Club
Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
MMO

MM1

Hyatt Residence Club Maui, Ka'anapali Beach
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
HKB

 

[alwysonvac]

...We are hoping to find someplace on Maui since we've been to the big island already.

Also try the HGVC in Waikiki on Oahu, if you haven’t been. HHV availability during the Spring time isn’t as difficult to book as the summer time. Also Marriott has a fantastic beachfront resort in Ko Olina away from Waikiki with free parking for owners & exchangers .

NOTE: Marriott’s Oahu resort is also easier to book via II than Maui.

 

[mcsteve]

All these properties deposits in II account not RCI

This answers much of my concern. As I do not have an RCI or II account outside of the HGVC RCI account I was unsure if I should add an II account or a second RCI account to handle my Spinnaker and future properties. I had been leaning towards getting an II account based on comments I've seen in other posts. We are not extremely fussy in our needs for an ocean view or other views, as long as we aren't looking into dumpsters . Our trip will include 5 adults and 2 children 7 & 4 so we will be looking to get 2 2br units or a 3br if availability smiles on us.

 

[mcsteve]

try the HGVC in Waikiki on Oahu

I had actually targeted Oahu for this trip to visit Pearl Harbor but the rest of the family wanted Maui. The argued we could take an overnight to Oahu while enjoying the more relaxed pace in Maui. Dad doesn't always get what he wants I guess.

 

[alwysonvac]

... Our trip will include 5 adults and 2 children 7 & 4 so we will be looking to get 2 2br units or a 3br if availability smiles on us.

The odds of getting two 2bdrm or one 3bdrm at the Maui Marriott’s or Westin Resorts as a non-owner is low.

You’ll want to include as many months as possible in your OGS. But I also suggest making a backup reservation at a HGVC resort in case you don’t get a Maui exchange match.

I would also talk with the family to see if they would consider the Marriott beachfront resorts on Oahu and Kauai which would increase your chances in getting an exchange match. Or if they’re willing to accept a lower tier Maui resort if you’re unsuccessful in getting an exchange match with the higher tiered resorts.

We are not extremely fussy in our needs for an ocean view or other views, as long as we aren't looking into dumpsters .

Keep in mind as an RCI or II exchanger, you might not get the best views (parking lot, dumpster, wall, etc) compared to Marriott or Vistana resort owners.

It’s one of the benefits of being an owner within a mini timeshare system such as HGVC, Marriott, Vistana, etc. Room assignment priority is generally given to multiple weeks resort owners, single week resort owners, resort members within the same family of resorts (aka mini timeshare system), then II non-owners, then hotel renters.

Just be prepared for the worst (room location) and hope for the best .

 

[mcsteve]

I also suggest making a backup reservation at a HGVC resort in case you don’t get a Maui exchange match

I am also considering just booking time at HGVC in Waikoloa and letting the family take island hopers over to Maui. It might be the easiest solution and having stayed there in the past I am quite happy with the facilities. The only issue I have with that solution is the open reservations window within the HGVC system does not open until 9 months out. I was hoping to get these arrangements put away by spring at the latest.

The son and DIL just keep pushing back that they want to be in Maui. Maybe I’ll suggest they look at some rentals and the open market pricing. That might help change their mind

 

[alwysonvac]

My question is should I opt for an II account and trade into Hawaii through that account by depositing my 2br Southwind or would I be better off getting a second RCI account?

If you decide to trade in the future, I would go with II since you already have access to RCI Weeks and Points inventory through HGVC. This will give you more options overall (such as online access to II Cash Getaways) as well as give you access to the hotel branded timeshares such as Hyatt, Westin, Marriott and Four Seasons.

Just don’t wait too long to get your II account setup. The exchange game is always changing for both RCI and II so I suggest taking advantage of exchange availability into these resorts sooner rather than later because....

• Fees will continue to rise over time (membership fees, exchange fees, and optional & mandatory fees).
• Availability will continue to change (nothing is guaranteed especially at resorts where the developer controls deposits). Over the years, we’ve seen changes in bulk deposits (without warning). Sometimes we’re lucky and the bulk deposits resume and sometimes they don’t. And who knows what’s in store for us as the major players consolidate and continue to change the rules of the game.

TIP: Whenever I need multiple exchange units, I try to be flexible and schedule our trip during slower periods (when there is more supply than demand). I find II’s travel demand index (see sample below for Hawaii) and past Bulk Sightings posted on TUG helpful in determining the best time to visit when traveling with a larger group.

 

[hurnik]

I think @rickandcindy23 mentioned some other exchange companies:
HTSE (I think it's Hawaii Timeshare Exchange?)
and
Trading Places Maui

Not sure about the first one though. It sounded like she's had really good luck with those two companies.

 

[mcsteve]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It gave me lots of topics to google and websites to explore in deciding how best to move forward. It looks like, on a long term perspective, that II would be the best way for me to move forward with exchanging my non-HGVC weeks. As I retired last fall and my wife will be retiring in about 5 years, the number of weeks we are traveling has been increasing. for the last few years we have increased our travel to about 5 weeks a year and next year hope to hit 7 weeks. Our TS weeks have provided 3 of those travel weeks and we are hoping to add another 2-3 weeks to our inventory next year (resale of course). We are both still young (mid 50's) and in good health so we want to "make hay while the sun is still shining".

II has three tiers in their membership program and I have seen people posting about getting "codes" to upgrade to Gold or Platinum. I understand that one of the differences is the yearly cost but I am wondering about the benefits. Are they that substantial? When I travel outside of my TS weeks I typically stay at Hilton or Marriott and get pretty hefty discounts because of other business associations I belong to so the Priceline discount benefit does not provide much motivation. I see that "Getaway Sales" and "Extra Vacations" are available at all three levels. What are the other factors that would make the higher priced membership levels attractive in your opinion.

 

[chalee94]

II has three tiers in their membership program and I have seen people posting about getting "codes" to upgrade to Gold or Platinum. I understand that one of the differences is the yearly cost but I am wondering about the benefits. Are they that substantial? When I travel outside of my TS weeks I typically stay at Hilton or Marriott and get pretty hefty discounts because of other business associations I belong to so the Priceline discount benefit does not provide much motivation. I see that "Getaway Sales" and "Extra Vacations" are available at all three levels. What are the other factors that would make the higher priced membership levels attractive in your opinion.

If you use a lot of getaways or give exchanges to friends/family, the fees are reduced. But for most people - just doing a few exchanges per year - there is no need to go gold or platinum.

 

[mcsteve]

Thanks chalee94. I don’t plan to do more than 2 or 3 exchanges a year with maybe 2-3 getaways at most. The TS units we are acquiring are mostly for our own use for the foreseeable future but do want to do some trades to explore more of the world from time to time (like Hawaii in 2021).