Difference between Wyndham Vacation/Worldmark?

[daytripper]

Both Timeshares.

Worldmark just "owns" those Units and Wyndham owners other Units. They are ultimately owned by the same company

But I have owned both.

Worldmark is by far superior to Wyndham.

World is best for West Coast Resorts and Wyndham for East coast.

A few places they both operate in the same facility.

KT

I've read all the other posts and still don't have a clear understanding as to why "Worldmark is far superior to Wyndham". I know they are holding value as a re-sale on ebay and Wyndham is not. Enlighten me please.

 

[mstoyanov]

Hate to cite myself but I am too lazy to retype my previous post:
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1071103&postcount=7

I've read all the other posts and still don't have a clear understanding as to why "Worldmark is far superior to Wyndham". I know they are holding value as a re-sale on ebay and Wyndham is not. Enlighten me please.

 

[timeos2]

I've read all the other posts and still don't have a clear understanding as to why "Worldmark is far superior to Wyndham". I know they are holding value as a re-sale on ebay and Wyndham is not. Enlighten me please.

It's not. The fact that Worldmark sells for a (slightly) higher rate really doesn't matter as if you buy Wyndham inexpensively you can sell inexpensively with little or no loss of capital. Wyndham has many more resorts - including quite a few from Worldmark. Overall costs are very similar. Recently RCI trades have favored Worldmark over Wyndham but that isn't the reason to get into Wyndham anyway. USE is the whee the value is and Wyndham has great use value.

Finally it is best to buy where you can drive to - even in a system like these - so for the East coast there is no question Wyndham is the better choice while on the West coast it's about even. Both are good values but only at resale prices. Neither holds a clear edge on the other overall.

 

[spatenfloot]

Which one is better depends on which resorts you want to stay at. If you want Oregon coast, you need Worldmark. East coast, Wyndham.

 

[joestein]

Both Timeshares.

Worldmark just "owns" those Units and Wyndham owners other Units. They are ultimately owned by the same company

But I have owned both.

Worldmark is by far superior to Wyndham.

World is best for West Coast Resorts and Wyndham for East coast.

A few places they both operate in the same facility.

KT

I would disagree with Worldmark being superior to Wyndham. I have stayed at resorts owned by both groups and I would say without any hesitation the Wyndham resorts are MUCH nicer than the Worldmark resorts.

Joe

 

[timeos2]

I would disagree with Worldmark being superior to Wyndham. I have stayed at resorts owned by both groups and I would say without any hesitation the Wyndham resorts are MUCH nicer than the Worldmark resorts.

Joe

In my experience I agree with your assessment. Especially at the newer Wyndham's the physical resorts tend to hold their own with the very best. Worldmark aren't bad and the older resorts may have the edge over the older Wyndhams but they lack the 2 dozen plus new, elegant resorts Wyndham has built/acquired over the past 15 years.

 

[mstoyanov]

Joe,

It is true that some of the newer Wyndham resorts are higher quality than most of the WorldMark resorts but in most cases you pay trough the nose for these in MFs. And very few of these Wyndham resorts are comparable to the Marriotts/Starwoods/Hyatts that I get from WorldMark as a trades.
I own both since I am on the east coast but if I had to have only one it will be without a doubt WorldMark.
When people talk about WorldMark being superior to Wyndham they mean that WorldMark ownership is superior to Wyndham ownership not the resort themselves (despite all attempts from Wyndham to diminish the value of WorldMark since they became developer).
Trust me there is a reason why even the smallest WorldMark account on EBay (that does not have enough annual points to book even a red studio) goes for 4 digit amounts while there are tons of Wyndham auctions ending for $1 without a single bid.

I would disagree with Worldmark being superior to Wyndham. I have stayed at resorts owned by both groups and I would say without any hesitation the Wyndham resorts are MUCH nicer than the Worldmark resorts.

Joe

 

[mstoyanov]

timeos2,

You call a resale difference "slightly higher" when even the smallest WorldMark (6K pts) account goes EBay for $2k+ while there are tons of Wyndham ownerships (even large ones) that ends at $1 without a single bid? Just for your information 6,000 credits in WorldMark will in most cases not be enough to book a single week in red studio.
I am owner for already several years of both but I still can not figure how can I book a week in 3BR in Hawaii (Maui) in Wyndham system for $800 MFs? Or week in 1BR in San Francisco for ~$700 as I can with WorldMark. I mean go ahead and look at the point charts for Wyndham Cantenbury, if that doesn't shock you will never understand why most of the Wyndham account with MFs at >$5/1000 points are worthless on EBay.
Do you know that for resorts that share inventory (Ocean Boulevard for example) it is much cheaper to book it from WorldMark side.
And don't even come with "higher quality" resorts of Wyndham when most of the resorts that I get from II (Marriotts/Starwood/Hyatts) as a WorldMark trades (thanks PerryM) are far superior to the Wyndham resorts at these places. Just this January I was in Marriott Grand Chateau with friends and I took them on a tour to Wyndham Grand Desert (non scheduled tour) since I told them that I can book Grand Desert for them practically anytime they want and they live in CA. You can not imagine how disappointed they were from the tour after staying in MGC with me. And they could not even believe when I told them how much MFs will cost me to book a 1BR at Grand Desert (and I didn't even mentioned $100 "gift certificate" that Wyndham is extorting from its "owners"). They told me that they will take studio at MGC anytime instead of 1BR in Grand Desert.
Wyndham was mediocre trader even before last RCI changes but at least for mid-level and back to Wyndham trades it was ok. Now after the changes Wyndham is about as useless as a trader as it comes. And whatever value comes from internal booking is slowly killed by rising MFs and new resorts with stratospheric point requirements to book.

It's not. The fact that Worldmark sells for a (slightly) higher rate really doesn't matter as if you buy Wyndham inexpensively you can sell inexpensively with little or no loss of capital. Wyndham has many more resorts - including quite a few from Worldmark. Overall costs are very similar. Recently RCI trades have favored Worldmark over Wyndham but that isn't the reason to get into Wyndham anyway. USE is the whee the value is and Wyndham has great use value.

Finally it is best to buy where you can drive to - even in a system like these - so for the East coast there is no question Wyndham is the better choice while on the West coast it's about even. Both are good values but only at resale prices. Neither holds a clear edge on the other overall.

 

[jdunn1]

I'm new to this thread and maybe everyone has moved on from it but I'll share with you why I bought Worldmark.

I own a small 6k contract that I bought for $2,200 last October that came with 18k points! I can sell that contract at any time, even if it only has the current 6k points available for the same amount of money, if not the same. Being able to resell my contract for little, if any loss is a plus but the bigger plus is that I am all but guaranteed to be able to sell it.

I’m always worried about being stuck with a timeshare because it just won’t sell, even for free. Worldmark contracts, as long as they are not over priced seem to always sell very quickly (i.e. within a week or so of listing). I’m not sure that is the case with Wyndham.

Yes, the contact I bought is pretty much useless in terms of booking a larger size unit every year but the really cool thing about Worldmark is that you can rent points from other owners for the same amount (and sometimes less) as the maintenance fees. It basically costs $600 to rent 10k points and housekeeping token from an owner. With that 10k points, you can book most 2 bedrooms in prime season at any Worldmark resorts. That $600 is about what it would cost in dues if I owned those points. You can also rent an unlimited amount of points from other owners and the entire process is quick, easy and relatively safe.

I never intend to use my Worldmark contract to stay at a Worldmark resort. I live in Ohio, so there just aren’t many resorts available for me and I am not a fan of the Pacific Coast. It’s beautiful out there but way to cold and the water is freezing!!!

I bought my Worldmark contract purely as a trader. Nothing beats Worldmark in RCI. I want to be able to exchange into DVC and Hilton and other top notch resorts and when I found out about Worldmark and how they pull everything in RCI and that Worldmark owners get priority over everyone else in RCI, I was sold. For 10k Worldmark points, I can get any 2 bedroom exchange in RCI – so long the week I want is deposited.

When I called to request a Myrtle Beach exchange for this summer last month, the RCI guide told me it would be tough trade but that all good things in RCI happen for Worldmark owners. A few weeks later, I was matched with a 2 bedroom Ocean Boulevard exchange for this July 31st.

The other impressive thing about Worldmark is that I can exchange into II, and get Marriott and Hyatt and Four Seasons, etc… for the same amount of points and for even cheaper trade fees. The only small downside is that Worldmark is not quite the top dog in II that it is in RCI. Worldmark still pulls everything in II, but I think some Hyatt and Marriott owners get preference, but only those owners with very prime weeks.

Kind of a long post but the short end of it is, I bought Worldmark points as a trader. I’m sure there are cheaper ways to trade but I wanted something the all but guarantees me great trades (i.e. Disney and Marriott and Hyatts and Hawaii and ski weeks, etc…). Worldmark does all of that and at a cost of $600 per week for a 2 bedroom. On top of that, the buy in costs are low and I can sell at any time any time and not come out any poorer. I also like that my maintenance fees are only $400 a year and that I can rent as many points/weeks per year as I want. This way, I can easily book a week for my sisters or parents whenever and for wherever they want to go. Owning even a small Worldmark contract can be like owning multiple weeks at the most top notch resort you can think of. Granted you have to take your chances of being able to trade into the top resorts but if the resort and week you want is ever deposited in RCI, you get it and things work just about the same in II.

 

[mstoyanov]

jdunn1,
Initially after I bough Worldmark I was also using it exactly like you - only for trading but later I also discovered that it is very good renter too. Just because me and you live too far from where most of the Worldmark resorts are doesn't mean that there are not enough people wanting to go there. Quite the contrary - there are a lot of people living on the west coast and the whole area is not very well developed in term of timeshares. And Worldmark has a lot of resorts in prime locations in that area. And renting and exchanging strength goes hand in hand. That is the whole reason why RCI treats Worldmark much better than Wyndham (even though they all belong to the same corporation) - the true power of the units deposited by Worldmark is much higher than the deposits that come from Wyndham. Another surprise for me was the statistics that actually most of the Worldmark owners are using their credits to stay in Worldmark resorts, and very few are mostly trading like me and you.
Without the true underlying rental/trade power of the actual resorts no matter how great a trader Worldmark is it will not be worth much on resale market.

I never intend to use my Worldmark contract to stay at a Worldmark resort. I live in Ohio, so there just aren’t many resorts available for me and I am not a fan of the Pacific Coast. It’s beautiful out there but way to cold and the water is freezing!!!

I bought my Worldmark contract purely as a trader. Nothing beats Worldmark in RCI. I want to be able to exchange into DVC and Hilton and other top notch resorts and when I found out about Worldmark and how they pull everything in RCI and that Worldmark owners get priority over everyone else in RCI, I was sold. For 10k Worldmark points, I can get any 2 bedroom exchange in RCI – so long the week I want is deposited.

 

[jdunn1]

mstoyanov, thank you for the extra information on renting and why Worldmark sells so well (relative to other timeshares) as a resale. I never thought about renting but that makes sense. Plenty, and I mean plenty of Marriott owners rent their prime summer beach weeks in the Carolinas. There are hardly any prime summer Oregon coast beach weeks for rent. Very interesting, I will definately look into rentals as it would be a good way to pay for more points. I might PM you, if you do not mind.