Marriott Willow Ridge trade power

[Rdub79]

Looking at picking up a platinum 2 bedroom Willow ridge unit to use as a trader. Has anyone successfully been able to use a 150tdi week to exchange the whole 2 bedroom for 2 bedrooms in Hawaii? We are pretty flexible with travel dates and can plan in advance with on going searches. Other then those trades it would be great if we could use the 1 bedroom and studios to do some shoulder season trades into 2 beds in HHI, st kitts, st Thomas, FL beaches. Thanks for any help!

 

[rickandcindy23]

It's pretty easy to get Hawaii but MMO is easier than MM1. Ko Olina is easier to get than Waiohai. Two bedrooms are tougher to get than 1 bedrooms. Ongoing searches should be entered way ahead. I entered an ongoing search on 3/7/2024 to get a 2 bedroom for 2/28/2026 at MM1. I used a 1 bedroom at Marriott's Shadow Ridge to get that one. Didn't need the full 2 bedroom to get that one because I entered the search such a long time ago. I forgot about it and got that OGS match.

Shadow Ridge has slightly better trading power than Willow Ridge, but both are very good. Trading power changes constantly, which is really annoying, but sometimes it's adjusted back to where it was. It's a crapshoot to own timeshare.

If you really need to go to Hawaii every year, maybe buy something resale in Hawaii. There has never been a better time to buy Marriott resale.

 

[dioxide45]

Looking at picking up a platinum 2 bedroom Willow ridge unit to use as a trader. Has anyone successfully been able to use a 150tdi week to exchange the whole 2 bedroom for 2 bedrooms in Hawaii? We are pretty flexible with travel dates and can plan in advance with on going searches. Other then those trades it would be great if we could use the 1 bedroom and studios to do some shoulder season trades into 2 beds in HHI, st kitts, st Thomas, FL beaches. Thanks for any help!

You should be able to trade 2BR for 2BR as long as you don't want to travel in peak season. It may also take some "working the system" with Eplus. We got trades into Hawaii using our Orlando 1BR weeks and some other low season 2BR units. However, we had to trade into 1BR units and then watch for retrades. We get $0 exchange fees on our enrolled weeks that you won't get with resale now. So, you may need to trade into a studio or 1BR and then add Eplus so you can upgrade if something bigger comes along. That is what we did. Though our experience so far is that Ko'Olina has been the hardest trade. Kauai Beach Club was the easiest to get a 2BR and we were able to retrade into a 2BR in MM1 from an MMO 1BR. It takes looking at availability often.

 

[rickandcindy23]

All of the other locations are easy to get. Hawaii is tougher but very doable.

I have been amazed at the inventory I have gotten in Hawaii, but we decided we want oceanfront and bought it. I wouldn't care at any time but whale season. It's nice to watch the water from a lanai.

Sheraton Broadway Resort 2 bedrooms trade pretty well into Westin Nanea. Just sayin'.

 

[GrayFal]

Reserve WR 150 TDI, request Hawaii 13 months out.
Waiohai the toughest to get, would use 2BR for that.
As @dioxide45 stated, using EPlus is very helpful but time consuming.
Because most Hawaii resorts are lock offs, if you really need a 2BR, use the whole unit to put in the exchange for 2BR.
If you use a 1BR or Studio, you can only request that unit size or larger - chances are you will get the smaller size unit.

 

[Dean]

Traded to MOC, Ko Olina and Waiohai all 1 BR to 1 BR, 2 BR to 2 BR and studio to 1 BR using Willow Ridge.

 

[Rdub79]

Thank you everyone for all the replies. So it sounds like this would fit our needs. We would only be looking at hawaii every two or three years. So let's say I acquire a 2026 deed. Since this would be my first Marriott we would book a summer 150TDI week 12 months in advance in the summer of 2025. Then we would deposit that reservation into II and put in our OGS for 2027 January through May for Ko Olina, the Kauai resorts and Maui we should get something......... I don't have any experience with depositing into II yet as my only access to II is through my HICV points membership but unfortunately I haven't been super impressed with the trade power and not having priority in Marriott or Vistana hurts. The only way I would be able to get to a great resort in Hawaii with that would be to travel super last minute which is not really doable at this stage in life with kids. We can get some really good value in II with our HICV points like a low season 2BR for 55,000 points which translates to about $400 in MF plus exchange fee, but I am pretty much blocked out of the high demand stuff.

All of the other locations are easy to get. Hawaii is tougher but very doable.

I have been amazed at the inventory I have gotten in Hawaii, but we decided we want oceanfront and bought it. I wouldn't care at any time but whale season. It's nice to watch the water from a lanai.

Sheraton Broadway Resort 2 bedrooms trade pretty well into Westin Nanea. Just sayin'.

Yes I've thought about a Vistana for Nanea but Marriott just has so many more locations I would eventually like to try.

Reserve WR 150 TDI, request Hawaii 13 months out.
Waiohai the toughest to get, would use 2BR for that.
As @dioxide45 stated, using EPlus is very helpful but time consuming.
Because most Hawaii resorts are lock offs, if you really need a 2BR, use the whole unit to put in the exchange for 2BR.
If you use a 1BR or Studio, you can only request that unit size or larger - chances are you will get the smaller size unit.

So if you deposit a one bedroom do you have to include a one bedroom in your search. Or can you search only for a 2 bedroom even though you are using a one bedroom deposit?

Traded to MOC, Ko Olina and Waiohai all 1 BR to 1 BR, 2 BR to 2 BR and studio to 1 BR using Willow Ridge.

That's encouraging to hear!!

 

[Pamplemousse]

Thank you everyone for all the replies. So it sounds like this would fit our needs. We would only be looking at hawaii every two or three years. So let's say I acquire a 2026 deed. Since this would be my first Marriott we would book a summer 150TDI week 12 months in advance in the summer of 2025. Then we would deposit that reservation into II and put in our OGS for 2027 January through May for Ko Olina, the Kauai resorts and Maui we should get something......... I don't have any experience with depositing into II yet as my only access to II is through my HICV points membership but unfortunately I haven't been super impressed with the trade power and not having priority in Marriott or Vistana hurts. The only way I would be able to get to a great resort in Hawaii with that would be to travel super last minute which is not really doable at this stage in life with kids. We can get some really good value in II with our HICV points like a low season 2BR for 55,000 points which translates to about $400 in MF plus exchange fee, but I am pretty much blocked out of the high demand stuff.



Yes I've thought about a Vistana for Nanea but Marriott just has so many more locations I would eventually like to try.



So if you deposit a one bedroom do you have to include a one bedroom in your search. Or can you search only for a 2 bedroom even though you are using a one bedroom deposit?



That's encouraging to hear!!

You do not have to request a 1 br if that is what you are exchanging, you can request 2br only being aware that there will be an upsize fee and your trading power is lower than a like unit of the larger size.
MVC resorts usually honor the view of the exchange, but in the lowest units of that view.
Remember you have 24 hours to cancel an exchange you get so if you are not happy you can try again.
There are some very helpful instructional videos in the general discussion section of the II community.

 

[Dean]

You do not have to request a 1 br if that is what you are exchanging, you can request 2br only being aware that there will be an upsize fee.
There are some very helpful instructional videos in the general discussion section of the II community.

And a reduced chance of success.

 

[jp10558]

One thing I wonder about is how the Phuket Beach Club trades into Hawaii or elsewhere - I recall it has a good MF right now because of decent exchange rates historically anyway.

 

[Rdub79]

One thing I wonder about is how the Phuket Beach Club trades into Hawaii or elsewhere - I recall it has a good MF right now because of decent exchange rates historically anyway.

Yeah I have thought about that one too but the upfront purchase price is a lot more and you don't have the ability to do a lock off and get two trades for one. So on years where I deposit the whole 2bedroom the Phuket would be better but on other years where I lock off the Willow Ridge will be better. SO the tie breaker for me is purchase price.

 

[GrayFal]

You do not have to request a 1 br if that is what you are exchanging, you can request 2br only being aware that there will be an upsize fee and your trading power is lower than a like unit of the larger size.

How do you request only 2BR with a 1BR or studio. It automatically defaults to the unit size you deposit. Yes, you can move the right side "bar" over to the right for larger units but can you also move the left side over to exclude the smaller unit size ( hope this makes sense!)
Is this something you have to call II about?

 

[Dean]

How do you request only 2BR with a 1BR or studio. It automatically defaults to the unit size you deposit. Yes, you can move the right side "bar" over to the right for larger units but can you also move the left side over to exclude the smaller unit size ( hope this makes sense!)
Is this something you have to call II about?

Just move the slider to what works for you, add the resorts and dates and you should be good. There is wording in the II documentation that II can put you in any size unit that fits your group but I've never ween where they've downgraded size when selected in this way. It won't allow you to put a larger group than your deposit though IIRC.

 

[GrayFal]

Just move the slider to what works for you, add the resorts and dates and you should be good. There is wording in the II documentation that II can put you in any size unit that fits your group but I've never ween where they've downgraded size when selected in this way. It won't allow you to put a larger group than your deposit though IIRC.

How could I not know this. SMH.
And yes about larger group.

 

[jbman]

Yeah I have thought about that one too but the upfront purchase price is a lot more and you don't have the ability to do a lock off and get two trades for one. So on years where I deposit the whole 2bedroom the Phuket would be better but on other years where I lock off the Willow Ridge will be better. SO the tie breaker for me is purchase price.

Also consider that maintenance fees for WR are paid in USD and PBC are paid in Thai Baht, which some people would prefer not to deal with a currency exchange.

One factor in favour of PBC is it has a very good MF/Point ratio if you were to ever retro in the future.

Another option is a 3-BR Grand Chateau, which locks off into a 2-BR and a 1-BR, if you got an EOY unit, then you would have a 2-BR to trade into Hawaii every other year and a 1-BR to trade somewhere else in between.

 

[Pamplemousse]

How do you request only 2BR with a 1BR or studio. It automatically defaults to the unit size you deposit. Yes, you can move the right side "bar" over to the right for larger units but can you also move the left side over to exclude the smaller unit size ( hope this makes sense!)
Is this something you have to call II about?

Yes, just move the bar to indicate only what you want.
It’s been that way for years.
No calling needed.