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Gold TIMBER LODGE RESORT - 2B/2B

Rebecca White

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Timber Lodge, South Lake Tahoe
Hi everyone. My boss has offered me a GOLD week transfer for TIMBER LODGE RESORT - 2B/2B - GOLD for FREE (I just pay the trasnfer fees, and the manitenance fees + taxes) so its a full-on Transfer. I'm just trying to see if its worth it. I did a quick search on eBay and saw I could buy the 2B/2B Platinum for $7000 (which the dates are a lot better for us as we have to school age kids 5 and 7) who love to ski and the summers.
My question is:
a) If I don't find any dates for 2018 GOLD, can I use it for 2019 (My boss said its available for 2018 to use and reserve).
b) Can we book at other resorts during the GOLD week (ie. I do like the Marriott Newcoast) but again Tahoe is easier as its only a 3 hours drive, vs. 9 hour drive to Orange County
c) Can I swap my 2B/2B for a Platinum 1B/1B at TimberLoadge? Is that doable?and if so is that through Marriott or through another website
d) What happens when I don't use it one year? Can I rent it? Does Marriott rent it for me? (not so important) I truly hope to use it every year.*Hope*
e) Any chance I can buy points to make this a Platinum? I guess I really would LOVE the Platinum but that's not the offer and am happy to pay some money to make it an offer, BUT not sure its worth $7,000
Thanks.
 

vacationtime1

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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WKORV-OF (Maui)
WKV x2 (Scottsdale)
a. no; you cannot make a direct reservation for 2019 with your 2018 week; you could deposit it into an exchange company (Interval) and try to trade it for a 2019 week. Not free and not automatic.

b. no

c. no

d. yes, you may rent it. I don't know if Marriott has a rental program or how good it is, but a gold week will not have a large rental value.

e. possibly, but it would be expensive (as in tens of thousands of dollars)


Off-season and shoulder season weeks often have little or no value (or even negative value). When the maintenance fee exceeds the rental value of the property, there is no reason to own -- which is something your boss may have figured out. Be careful and continue to research before accepting this "gift".
 

Rebecca White

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Timber Lodge, South Lake Tahoe
Thanks, Wow...ok not a great gift. Here i was thinking I my boss must really like my work to be giving me his timeshare for $0! eeks.
 

Rebecca White

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Timber Lodge, South Lake Tahoe
Thanks. So is there ANY benefit AT ALL of being a Resale owner of Gold? (If I don't plan to use it ever during GOLD season). Even the Platinum, when I do the math for $7000 (assuming I will use it over 10 years) it comes out to $311/night for 2 BD/2BA ;/ There must be something additional I get as a Timeshare Owner with Marriott right? (cheaper rates for other Marriott reservations? or anything). Thanks,
 

vacationtime1

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WKV x2 (Scottsdale)
Thanks. So is there ANY benefit AT ALL of being a Resale owner of Gold? (If I don't plan to use it ever during GOLD season). Even the Platinum, when I do the math for $7000 (assuming I will use it over 10 years) it comes out to $311/night for 2 BD/2BA ;/ There must be something additional I get as a Timeshare Owner with Marriott right? (cheaper rates for other Marriott reservations? or anything). Thanks,

Timeshare math is a branch of voodoo economics. It all depends on your assumptions (which is how timeshare salespeople twist reality).

But if I accept your math and assume that the timeshare cost would be $311/night for a 2bd/2ba over a ten year span, I would say it is cheap. Think about it; a 1200 square foot suite, ski in / ski out to Heavenly Valley, no taxes, no parking cost, sleeps up to 8, with a kitchen to help you minimize food costs at a ski resort.
 

turkel

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Marriott Grand Chateau
If you want Tahoe ski season buy a Tahoe ski season week. The 7k price seems reasonable to asking price over the last several years.

If you take the gold week you will need to trade through Interval International and pay to exchange to other Marriott resorts and seasons. This takes planning and work.

I own a gold week Marriott in palm desert it trades well. I paid 7 k way back in 2005. If I had to do it again I would only buy a platinum week. The maintenance fees are the same whether you own platinum,gold or silver at a particular resort.
 

jlp879

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Before you accept the gift, first check the weeks that Gold season encompasses. I believe it is weeks 15-22 and weeks 40-48. Take a look at those weeks on your calendar. Do you want to be in Tahoe then? One of the weeks is Thanksgiving, but it is not usually a ski week, unless a good early snowfall. Week 15 would be a spring skiing week, but after that you would only be able to ski in very good ski years. Heavenly is shuttering the resort this year on April 22.

When would your kid's spring break fall? These are things to take into account because all you can do with your usage is book a week in Tahoe that falls within your season. Of course you can deposit it with Interval International and trade for another week somewhere else, but that is a waiting game and exchanges cost about $150 for a Marriott to Marriott exchange.

Go on eBay and do a search for completed sales for Marriott Timber Lodge. You'll get an idea of what to pay should you want to buy a platinum week and the recent sale prices of gold weeks. Remember, you're responsible for the $1350 maintenance fee each January regardless of the season you own.

The resort is very nice and I'm sure you and your family will love it. The real question is though, is this something your family can use? If you hang around and read up on TUG, you'll see that one of our mantras is "buy where you want to go". The exchange companies control the trading game, and those rules can change at any time. If you're stuck with only what you own, would you want to go there (in the season that you own)?
 
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