After almost 10 years of promotion, MVC has only been able to get a little more than half (60%) of weeks owners to enroll. This is without a mandatory benefit because they had none.
I bet a high proportion of the weeks in the points trust are low season junk, so I question whether high season, premium properties will be easily available as the inventory may be quite limited. Unlike MVC, with SOs every property is automatically enrolled so you have a chance at the inventory.
For Marriott owners, the only option for trading was to trade week for week via II which is clunky and doesn't allow for stays other than a week long. They had no points system. Vistana already allows shorter stays via SOs.
Vistana will present a higher barrier to adoption for MVC to overcome because SOs will be "good enough" for many people vs. paying more money.
Here's a summary to compare:
MVC enrollment to MVC owners:
- no mandatory to maintain because there is none
- only option to trade was by week in II
- Trust has limited property enrollment - lots of low season. But keep all weeks rights.
- no short stay option
and yet despite these benefits after 10 years they only got 60% enrollment!
MVC enrollment to Vistana owners:
- mandatory important to resale value (deal breaker); n/a for voluntary owners
- Vistana owners already can trade via SOs
- Every Vistana property enrolled in SO system for free
- Owners already have short stay options via SOs
- Owners already have access to some MVC weeks via II and getaways.
Other than access to *some* MVC properties on a short stay basis what do you get?
Given this, MVC may need to offer premium Vistana owners very sweet deals to give up what we've got in order to get premium Vistana properties into the MVC trust. (We are currently in the "good enough" camp for the years we may trade. Mea Culpa they will limit us to Westins and Sheratons via SOs! Incremental cost? Free + maintain mandatory designation
)