13 Month Out Reservations

[EKniager]

Is the 13 month reservation benefit just for points or consecutive weeks? Was I mistaken in thinking that our new Presidential ownership status meant that we could book our hybrid weeks units 13 months out as well?

 

[Fasttr]

13 month ressies on the weeks side are still only allowed if you are booking concurrent or consecutive weeks.

 

[VacationForever]

Both. DC points - 13 months. 2 consecutive or concurrent weeks booking.

 

[EKniager]

Bummer. I asked if all of our assets now book at 13 months and our salesperson said yes. It's possible she interpreted that as our weeks units being converted to points and booked out at 13 months.

I know many believe salespeople lie but my experience is that there is enough complexity in the product offering and ambiguity in the wording of questions and answers that misunderstandings occur. I guess I'll chock this up as confusion on my part.

Edit: Now that I look at the benefits sheet again, it does say 13 weeks "when using points."

 

[Dean]

Just remember that Points and Weeks function independently in almost every way. You can reserve at 13 months out with points or separately with weeks but the 2 options cannot be combined in any way directly. I'd say it fairly likely the salesperson purposefully misled you but you'll never be able to be certain which is what many of them are counting on.

 

[wannagotoo]

So if you own just Vistana and keep it in the Vistana network without exchanging for points, can you to book three consecutive weeks? Before you were not able.

 

[SueDonJ]

So if you own just Vistana and keep it in the Vistana network without exchanging for points, can you to book three consecutive weeks? Before you were not able.

If the Vistana/Abound integration works the same as the MVC/Abound integration, the systems will operate independently of each other. When booking MVC Weeks we use the reservation window/rules for MVC Weeks, and it's only when we elect to convert them to DC/Abound Points that we use the DC/Abound reservation windows/rules. So I would expect the same with Vistana Weeks/Flex Points - when you book your Weeks/Flex Points you use the reservation windows/rules for those, and when you elect them for DC/Abound Points you'll use whatever the DC/Abound reservation windows/rules are for those. (Marriott DC/Abound reservation windows/rules are stipulated in the Exchange Procedures document to which DC Members agreed at enrollment; presumably there will be a similar document to which Vistana owners will have to agree.)

In as simple terms as possible, think of Abound as a separate exchange company.

 

[dioxide45]

So if you own just Vistana and keep it in the Vistana network without exchanging for points, can you to book three consecutive weeks? Before you were not able.

Nothing about the current program changes. You can only book at 13 months if you convert to Abound points and use those points to make reservations.

 

[dougp26364]

Bummer. I asked if all of our assets now book at 13 months and our salesperson said yes. It's possible she interpreted that as our weeks units being converted to points and booked out at 13 months.

I know many believe salespeople lie but my experience is that there is enough complexity in the product offering and ambiguity in the wording of questions and answers that misunderstandings occur. I guess I'll chock this up as confusion on my part.

Edit: Now that I look at the benefits sheet again, it does say 13 weeks "when using points."

Very few salesmen I’ve run into actually own…..and more importantly…..use the product they’re selling. They have only a rudimentary understanding of how it works. Many have been salesmen for various companies. It would be difficult to own and use in every company they’ve worked for in the past plus who they’re working for now. It’s not always an outright lie so much as not really knowing.

 

[wannagotoo]

SueDon and Dioxide45, I appreciate your clarification. I read both the Marriott and Vistana boards and it is sometimes difficult to sort out. Thanks

 

[Grandma2016]

So can someone take their marriott club points and book in abound to new to system westin kaanapali villas 13 months out? Also do you have to be at chairman level to book 13 months out

 

[dioxide45]

So can someone take their marriott club points and book in abound to new to system westin kaanapali villas 13 months out? Also do you have to be at chairman level to book 13 months out

Vistana (Westin & Sheraton) resorts will only be able to book in Abound starting at 12 months. You can book at the Owner level for 7+ nights at 13 months by paying a point premium. Select owners can book 7+ nights at 13 months without the premium and Executive and above can book 1+ nights at 13 months.

 

[Grandma2016]

Vistana (Westin & Sheraton) resorts will only be able to book in Abound starting at 12 months. You can book at the Owner level for 7+ nights at 13 months by paying a point premium. Select owners can book 7+ nights at 13 months without the premium and Executive and above can book 1+ nights at 13 months.

So if my deeded weeks total over 55k marriot club points I would be at chairman level and could book at 13 months???

 

[bazzap]

So if my deeded weeks total over 55k marriot club points I would be at chairman level and could book at 13 months???

55K Club Points would be a huge ownership - almost $900k purchase price at current full MVC Points selling rate!

 

[Grandma2016]

55K Club Points would be a huge ownership - almost $900k purchase price at current full MVC Points selling rate!

Do you know if Chairman status is only if I move those into MVC or once Abound is in full swing Im automatically assigned that?

 

[DanCali]

Do you know if Chairman status is only if I move those into MVC or once Abound is in full swing Im automatically assigned that?

You will need your weeks to be enrolled in the DC Exchange. Some speculated that Vistana enrollment will be "automatic" for eligible weeks ("eligible" being weeks purchased from developer or retro, based on rumors). I strongly suspect the enrollment will be opt-in where you actually need to indicate you want to enroll your eligible weeks because enrollment involves agreeing to certain terms and conditions and nobody but the owner can make that choice for you.

Once you are enrolled with enrolled weeks your Elite status will be determined based on the points can elect (and Trust points you own, if any). You get Chairman status at 15,000 so anything beyond that doesn't add much besides having access to more points if you choose to elect for them in a given use year.

 

[DanCali]

55K Club Points would be a huge ownership - almost $900k purchase price at current full MVC Points selling rate!

And the neat thing is that she gets that with 7(?) Maui weeks that have maintenance fees of around $20K/year as opposed to 55K Trust points that would cost $35K/year in MF.

Just shows how ridiculous that developer pricing is... They charge a huge upfront cost for a product that is extremely cost ineffective on an ongoing basis, and they tell you you're "prepaying your vacations". I do like the point exchange system a lot, but the points product itself is very unattractive to me as a pre-2010 owner.

 

[DanCali]

So can someone take their marriott club points and book in abound to new to system westin kaanapali villas 13 months out? Also do you have to be at chairman level to book 13 months out

Yes, but you would not want to book your own weeks with elected points because, unlike Vistana, the points required to book a week are more than the points you get for your week when you elect points. The difference is referred to as "skim" (usually 5-7%) and you can view it as an "exchange fee". So, for example, your 2BR WKORV OF week 52 gives you 10,925 DC points but it takes 11,475 points to book that week. You're better off booking it as a week via Vistana at 12 months out.

 

[Grandma2016]

Yes, but you would not want to book your own weeks with elected points because, unlike Vistana, the points required to book a week are more than the points you get for your week when you elect points. The difference is referred to as "skim" (usually 5-7%) and you can view it as an "exchange fee". So, for example, your 2BR WKORV OF week 52 gives you 10,925 DC points but it takes 11,475 points to book that week. You're better off booking it as a week via Vistana at 12 months out.

Yes agree plus all my week 52s are prebooked and auto generated as fixed week. I was wondering more for all my non werk 52s if i want to know for sure i get into a particular week in OF. Having 13 month booking window might help me get exactly what i want???? This is only reason i can see any advantage....???

 

[Grandma2016]

And the neat thing is that she gets that with 7(?) Maui weeks that have maintenance fees of around $20K/year as opposed to 55K Trust points that would cost $35K/year in MF.

Just shows how ridiculous that developer pricing is... They charge a huge upfront cost for a product that is extremely cost ineffective on an ongoing basis, and they tell you you're "prepaying your vacations". I do like the point exchange system a lot, but the points product itself is very unattractive to me as a pre-2010 owner.

Wow MVC fees are high. The sweet thing about our portfolio is that everything we own we are only in for about 278k. Yes maintenance fees are around 20k per year but I generate that in rent on my week 52s and use my other weeks to vacation. We were fortunate to buy when we did and *work* the system with retros to get us to 5 star while only purchasing 3.5 weeks direct from developers. Today they seem to be exercising their FROR more frequently.

 

[DanCali]

Your weeks are deeded OF - as long as you log into Vistana at 12 months out at midnight ET, you should get an OF unit for your desired dates.

Has that ever been a problem if you book at 12 months?

 

[Grandma2016]

Your weeks are deeded OF - as long as you log into Vistana at 12 months out at midnight ET, you should get an OF unit for your desired dates.

Has that ever been a problem if you book at 12 months?

Nope. And honestly its never been an issue outside of the home booking dates BUT now with Abound i might have more competition although someone will havevto have the MVC points available to book.

 

[DanCali]

Nope. And honestly its never been an issue outside of the home booking dates BUT now with Abound i might have more competition although someone will havevto have the MVC points available to book.

It's not necessarily more competition. For a unit to be available in Abound, a week owner would have elected points. Yes, someone can now book it with points (maybe at 13 months), but the flipside is that the original owner who elected points will not be competing with you for the reservation at 12 months. It's also unclear how the inventory will be allocated. For example, if 50 WKORV owners elect points, does that mean that you have 1 week available for booking with points for each of weeks 1-50 (51 and 52 being "event weeks")? Or doesn't it mean 50 owners can use DC points to book week 26 (4th of July) at 13 months out, making that week harder for WKORV weeks owners to book home resort at 12 months? We don't really know how that part works...

It also remains to be seen if Vistana weeks will even be bookable with points at 13 months out. Abound has not officially launched and the rules are not really known yet.

 

[Grandma2016]

It's not necessarily more competition. For a unit to be available in Abound, a week owner would have elected points. Yes, someone can now book it with points (maybe at 13 months), but the flipside is that the original owner who elected points will not be competing with you for the reservation at 12 months. It's also unclear how the inventory will be allocated. For example, if 50 WKORV owners elect points, does that mean that you have 1 week available for booking with points for each of weeks 1-50 (51 and 52 being "event weeks")? Or doesn't it mean 50 owners can use DC points to book week 26 (4th of July) at 13 months out, making that week harder for WKORV weeks owners to book home resort at 12 months? We don't really know how that part works...

It also remains to be seen if Vistana weeks will even be bookable with points at 13 months out. Abound has not officially launched and the rules are not really known yet.

Is there a list now of which Marriott Club resorts can be booked at 13 months out?

 

[Grandma2016]

Is there a list now of which Marriott Club resorts can be booked at 13 months out?

And I never thought of it the way you did. As an owner I would have to first give it up for it to be there to book. Not very many OF owners will do that I dont imagine.