8/24/22 NEW THREAD: Discussion of new Abound/VSN Documents [please limit chitchat posts]

[JimT]

Anybody have any idea when Vistana is going to update the website for those qualifying for Abound? Only notification I saw w October.. It is now the 26th of October????

Marriott owner services said in about 3 weeks i.e. mid November

 

[Blue33]

Question - I don't recall my prior Vistana level. Does anyone have the old Vistana (Starwood) benefits levels? I own three properties with 213,000 StartOptions per year. Curious what level I was in the past, it seems to have been removed from my dashboard.

 

[Moparman42]

Question - I don't recall my prior Vistana level. Does anyone have the old Vistana (Starwood) benefits levels? I own three properties with 213,000 StartOptions per year. Curious what level I was in the past, it seems to have been removed from my dashboard.

i had the same issue.. but. if you use the mobile app, it shows you in the dashboard at the top of the page.

Michael

 

[daviator]

Question - I don't recall my prior Vistana level. Does anyone have the old Vistana (Starwood) benefits levels? I own three properties with 213,000 StartOptions per year. Curious what level I was in the past, it seems to have been removed from my dashboard.

The info is still on the Vistana website. Here it is:

• A combined value of 159,000 StarOptions® annually for 3-star status
• A combined value of 359,000 StarOptions annually for 4-star status
• A combined value of 649,000 StarOptions annually for 5-star status

 

[kozykritter]

Question - I don't recall my prior Vistana level. Does anyone have the old Vistana (Starwood) benefits levels? I own three properties with 213,000 StartOptions per year. Curious what level I was in the past, it seems to have been removed from my dashboard.

After you log into the website, go to your dashboard and then click on Bank star options. When the page loads, next to the fee amount will be your elite status listed if you have it. It sounds like you are three star.

 

[CPNY]

After you log into the website, go to your dashboard and then click on Bank star options. When the page loads, next to the fee amount will be your elite status listed if you have it. It sounds like you are three star.

I’m listed as 4 star elite. Yet I don’t have enough SO to fulfill 4 star elite. I’m hoping that stays for the launch of abound. I’ll likely be presidential in Abound which would be nice

 

[daviator]

I’m listed as 4 star elite. Yet I don’t have enough SO to fulfill 4 star elite. I’m hoping that stays for the launch of abound. I’ll likely be presidential in Abound which would be nice

My theory is that they have mapped your ownership to its Abound level – a calculation which does not involve SO value, but instead varies property by property – and then essentially mapped that result back to a VSN elite level. My VSN level went from four star to five star, and I’m guessing that’s because my high-DP ownership means I will be Chairman's.

 

[DavidnRobin]

So… the ‘Membership Fee’ on our 2023 WKORV MF Bill is $307. (!!!)

I assume this is the new VSN and Abound combination Fee. (?)
This fee was not on our WPORV MF Bill.

If I don’t plan to use Abound - am I still required to pay?

Why is my fee higher than that of what other owners are reporting?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[grrrah]

So… the ‘Membership Fee’ on our 2023 WKORV MF Bill is $307. (!!!)

I assume this is the new VSN and Abound combination Fee. (?)
This fee was not on our WPORV MF Bill.

If I don’t plan to use Abound - am I still required to pay?

Why is my fee higher than that of what other owners are reporting?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It goes up based on the higher tier levels, presumably because you'll have more "housekeeping"/"banking"/transfer/etc. fees, and they are now all bundled.

• Owner and Select: $230
• Executive and Presidential: $270
• Chairman’s Club: $295

Not sure how it got to $307, but probably some taxes or other BS fees

 

[YYJMSP]

It goes up based on the higher tier levels, presumably because you'll have more "housekeeping"/"banking"/transfer/etc. fees, and they are now all bundled.

• Owner and Select: $230
• Executive and Presidential: $270
• Chairman’s Club: $295

Not sure how it got to $307, but probably some taxes or other BS fees

$295 + 4.166% GET (Hawaii sales tax) = $307.29

whenever the VSN fees were attached to a Hawaii-based property (i.e. your first or second purchased VOI), they added that tax to them, so i guess the same applies to the first purchased VOI if it's in Hawaii and it looks like the entire Abound fee are on it, and additional VOIs are charged no fee

I'm going to assume, like us, WKORV is DavidnRobin's first purchased VOI...

 

[kozykritter]

Now that deeded week fee maintenance fee statements are being sent out, we have a bit more information. For Vistana-only owners that are enrolled in the VSN, the new Club Dues are being added to their statement. Flex product owners that paid maintenance fees with no Club Dues back in September are being billed for Club Dues separately in December, as I recall. The following footnote to these current maintenance fee statements gives information about how to opt out of Abound enrollment/Club Dues and the consequences of doing so, including an enrollment fee if you want to rejoin in the future...

"The VSN Membership Fee has been changed and now also includes (i) additional amounts charged for access to an additional exchange opportunity ...... and (ii) a consolidated fee that replaces the individual separate transaction fees that were previously billed to Owners on an a la carte basis (e.g., banking points, reservation cancellations, conversion to Marriott Bonvoy points, etc.). To opt out of receiving the additional exchange opportunity and consolidated fee that replaces the separate transaction fees previously billed a la carte, please contact Owner Services at 888-WV-OWNER (888-986-9637) and opt out by paying the 2023 Club Dues amount of either $170.50 (for single-week Owners) or $236.50 (for multi-week Owners). If you opt out, please note that you will be responsible for paying separate transaction fees, will not receive the additional exchange opportunity and ... the event you opt out and want to later take advantage of the consolidated VSN Membership Fee for 2024 or subsequent years, you will also need to pay an enrollment fee, which is currently $595 but is subject to change from time to time."

 

[The Haileys]

I just got my 2023 statement for our WKORV week. There is no VSN fee, nor a Club fee. Will these be billed separately?

Also, the MF for the Flex ownership was paid in September, with no Club fee listed either.

Our SVV-Bella hasn't billed yet. Will the Club fee appear on that, maybe?

I haven't received any communication about Abound beyond the initial "Coming Soon!" email we got back in ... was it August? July?
I've booked Sheraton Kauai with our Flex points for February. I'd love to see if I can switch that to a Marriott property, but it isn't looking like the Is and Ts will be dotted and crossed in time for that, if there is even anything available.
What a mess ...

 

[YYJMSP]

I just got my 2023 statement for our WKORV week. There is no VSN fee, nor a Club fee. Will these be billed separately?

...

Also, the MF for the Flex ownership was paid in September, with no Club fee listed either.

...

Our SVV-Bella hasn't billed yet. Will the Club fee appear on that, maybe?

which is your oldest (first) purchased VOI?

if it follows the VSE way, the oldest gets the membership fees attached (and second oldest gets the additional membership fees attached if you owned 2+ VOIs, but this doesn't apply to Abound)

 

[The Haileys]

which is your oldest (first) purchased VOI?

if it follows the VSE way, the oldest gets the membership fees attached (and second oldest gets the additional membership fees attached if you owned 2+ VOIs, but this doesn't apply to Abound)

WKORV was the first one we bought, in 2015.

 

[YYJMSP]

WKORV was the first one we bought, in 2015.

wellllll, so much for that theory then...

 

[kozykritter]

I just got my 2023 statement for our WKORV week. There is no VSN fee, nor a Club fee. Will these be billed separately?
View attachment 68270

Also, the MF for the Flex ownership was paid in September, with no Club fee listed either.
View attachment 68271

Our SVV-Bella hasn't billed yet. Will the Club fee appear on that, maybe?

I haven't received any communication about Abound beyond the initial "Coming Soon!" email we got back in ... was it August? July?
I've booked Sheraton Kauai with our Flex points for February. I'd love to see if I can switch that to a Marriott property, but it isn't looking like the Is and Ts will be dotted and crossed in time for that, if there is even anything available.
What a mess ...

Do you also own Marriott? If so, it appears they are billing over there instead of in Vistana for dual account owners, at least for my own person experience.

 

[SChiam]

Just received MF for WKOR, membership fee $307. I checked my Marriott MF for 2023, they are not posted yet. We were at Executive level before the Westin “merge”. Sometime in September 2022, our status at Marriott changed from Executive to Chairman, assuming they added WKORN to our Marriott timeshares. Hopefully this $307 covers all our Marriott timeshares too, we’ll see.

 

[The Haileys]

Do you also own Marriott? If so, it appears they are billing over there instead of in Vistana for dual account owners, at least for my own person experience.

No, Vistana only.

 

[dsmrp]

I checked my Vistana account today ,
and no new MF statement or club fee. No change in my status, still 3*.

 

[bigbillf]

For 2022's VSN membership fees, we were billed $155 on our VV deeded 2br and $60 on our Westin Flex. We had the VV VOI the longest. Previous year's VV billings have came out in late Nov or early Dec. For 2023, we did receive our Westin Flex MF billing, which did not include any membership fees for 2023. VV's MF billing for 2023 has not yet been billed. Looks like we need to continue to BOLO. No change in my "elite" status..... still a 3*. No bump up for us. And not even thinking about spending any more $ on upgrading either.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Thanks for explaining the extra fees as Hawaii for my "2023 Select Dues $239.58" Does this mean that my mandatory WKORVN resale is eligible for Abound? Does paying constitute opting in?

Where do I find elite level for Abound in vistana mobile app?I have an EOY with about 4100 Abound points per year. It should qualify theoretically for Select level but I don't see it.

 

[CPNY]

Thanks for explaining the extra fees as Hawaii for my "2023 Select Dues $239.58" Does this mean that my mandatory WKORVN resale is eligible for Abound? Does paying constitute opting in?

Where do I find elite level for Abound in vistana mobile app?I have an EOY with about 4100 Abound points per year. It should qualify theoretically for Select level but I don't see it.

Go to the app and click dashboard, at the top above your account balance it will have your status level next to where it says vistana signature network

if you go through the website and click on bank my star options, you’ll see any benefit level next to the fee amount for banking.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Go to the app and click dashboard, at the top above your account balance it will have your status level next to where it says vistana signature network

if you go through the website and click on bank my star options, you’ll see any benefit level next to the fee amount for banking.

Thank you. It just says "Vistana Signature Network." Nada. Nothing. Could this mean that mandatory resales can enroll in Abound but don't qualify for Elite benefits (in my case Select)?

 

[triangulum33]

We have an annual week at WKORN from the developer and our dashboard is blank also

 

[CPNY]

Thank you. It just says "Vistana Signature Network." Nada. Nothing. Could this mean that mandatory resales can enroll in Abound but don't qualify for Elite benefits (in my case Select)?

I don’t think so, I think if you’re in abound you’ll receive elite benefits. I have only resales left in my account and I now see an elite level associated with my account.

someone did report on the abound Facebook group that they were told that Marriott made a change and mandatory resales would not be included after all. Again, this is what a “supervisor” at owner services told this owner. Who really knows? I did check the FAQ’s and they have not changed. I’d assume if they were making a change like that, they would remove the verbiage in the FAQ’s quickly.