Access to Abound is up!

[DanCali]

I haven't used any 2023 options, but don't see anywhere to select a year. Anyone else seeing the same?

View attachment 69361

I wish I got that far....

 

[CPNY]

It has me as Chairman’s Club, with 22,025 CPs

I think this is wrong - perhaps includes our previous WSJ ownership?

Our 2023 reservations are all done using HomeResort and VSN (StarOptions) - it will be interesting to see what happens in 2024.

I have a required TS presentation at WKORV in mid-January. It will be interesting to see what they try and sell me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is one screw up I hope stays. I’m still missing one of my ownerships from showing up in Abound so that’s frustrating.

 

[DanCali]

It has me as Chairman’s Club, with 22,025 CPs

I think this is wrong - perhaps includes our previous WSJ ownership?

Our 2023 reservations are all done using HomeResort and VSN (StarOptions) - it will be interesting to see what happens in 2024.

I have a required TS presentation at WKORV in mid-January. It will be interesting to see what they try and sell me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A common pitch is that you need Trust Points to be able to really book the most desired inventory.

Allegedly - Trust Points can see what is in the Trust and Exchange System. "Legacy" points (come from weeks) can only see the Exchange System. So your points are second rate... Cadillac vs Pinto spiel etc.

Don't fall for it... Here are some threads on that topic from the Marriott forum:

Enrolled versus Trust Inventory Availability?

So, do you really need to 'own' both kinds of points to access all available points inventory? It has been claimed that if you are an enrolled week owner, you can only see 'enrolled' points inventory to make a points reservation. Similarly, if you own only 'trust' points, you would see only...

tugbbs.com

Do trust points see different (as in more) inventory from enrolled weeks points?

Sales guy claimed if we added trust points we would have access to a larger inventory so much better chances of getting into locations we want. Any truth in this?Or just sales talk. BTW thanks for all the advice yesterday, we will rescind, just need to figure out how, Everything is Docusign...

tugbbs.com

Trust Point versus Legacy Point

I just booked a reservation at the Marriott Vacation Club and upon placing it in hold, was presented with a variety of options as to the ratio of Trust Points versus Legacy Points to pull. The rules surrounding each are the same, except that there may be certain properties now or in the future...

tugbbs.com

Also see post #2 in the FAQ thread:

Marriott Abound (formerly Destination Club) Points-System FAQ & Guide

** During 2022 Marriott Vacations Worldwide announced in Investor Meetings that Vistana timeshares would be integrated into the Marriott points system, and, that the Destination Club would be renamed Abound. After all details have been officially announced, this FAQ will be reviewed/edited to...

tugbbs.com

 

[LahainaMoon]

The Vistana website has been hit or miss for me all day, but now seems to working. Slowly. Just received the Abound announcement from Marriott Vacation Club 30 minutes ago.

None of my ownerships are showing up on the Marriott side, but the Abound points on the Vistana side are what was expected.

 

[JohnPaul]

I own 2 EOY. 1 developer and one resale (several years ago).

I’ve booked 2023. Do I have to wait for 2025 to see what my units bring?

 

[DavidnRobin]

A common pitch is that you need Trust Points to be able to really book the most desired inventory.

Allegedly - Trust Points can see what is in the Trust and Exchange System. "Legacy" points (come from weeks) can only see the exchange system. So your points are second rate... Cadillac vs Pinto spiel etc.

Don't fall for it... Here are some threads on that topic from the Marriott forum:

Enrolled versus Trust Inventory Availability?

So, do you really need to 'own' both kinds of points to access all available points inventory? It has been claimed that if you are an enrolled week owner, you can only see 'enrolled' points inventory to make a points reservation. Similarly, if you own only 'trust' points, you would see only...

tugbbs.com

Do trust points see different (as in more) inventory from enrolled weeks points?

Sales guy claimed if we added trust points we would have access to a larger inventory so much better chances of getting into locations we want. Any truth in this?Or just sales talk. BTW thanks for all the advice yesterday, we will rescind, just need to figure out how, Everything is Docusign...

tugbbs.com

Trust Point versus Legacy Point

I just booked a reservation at the Marriott Vacation Club and upon placing it in hold, was presented with a variety of options as to the ratio of Trust Points versus Legacy Points to pull. The rules surrounding each are the same, except that there may be certain properties now or in the future...

tugbbs.com

Also see post #2 in the FAQ thread:

Marriott Abound (formerly Destination Club) Points-System FAQ & Guide

** During 2022 Marriott Vacations Worldwide announced in Investor Meetings that Vistana timeshares would be integrated into the Marriott points system, and, that the Destination Club would be renamed Abound. After all details have been officially announced, this FAQ will be reviewed/edited to...

tugbbs.com

Thanks for the links.
I wasn’t planning on buying.

I have a required presentation that I agreed to thru a ‘special’ WKORV vacation package (90K SOs - mostly expiring) — 1Bd OV, 5nites, Lanai snorkeling tour, sunset Whale watching and $50 credit to Aunties.

I have no plans to use Abound, but will pay the extra $60 to keep future options open.

I have somehow gone from 3*/SPG Gold to BonVoy Titanium Elite and MVC Chairman’s Club with essentially the same 4 SVO/VSE VOIs we’ve owned since 2007/08 - 3 of them resale.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pchung6]

Vistana website is so slow now, I can barely load the dashboard and nothing else is working for me. MVC website is even worst, everything is error there. Hopefully they can fix it soon, so I really want to take a look how the new program will take us into.

 

[DavidnRobin]

I think it will take a couple of years of trying to book via VSN to know for sure. I hope not, but Day One is a little bit worrisome.

For me it will be “the proof is in the pudding” approach.

I have been reserving weeks at exactly 12- and 8- months ahead for 16 years (calling at 6am PST, and then online system). Always with excellent results.

Up until last Feb/March when there were supposed IT merger issues.

Going forward — I will be able to compare the Reality with the Hypothetical as I have pretty much always reserved the same weeks at the same time.

In the meantime, I have 2023 covered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[timsi]

These (and many other weeks) are available now in Abound before the booking window has opened for the resorts owners. There is no event week mid-December at either resort.

The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas North
Maui, Hawai‘i, United States
Check in: 09 Dec 2023
Check out: 16 Dec 2023
Studio: 3510
1 Bedroom: 4680
2 Bedroom: 7290

The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort
Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Check in: 09 Dec 2023
Check out: 16 Dec 2023
Studio: 2130
1 Bedroom: 3090
2 Bedroom: 4740

 

[TravelTime]

If you go to the calculator on MVC’s website that tells you when you can reserve, you can’t reserve Vistana properties until 12 months out. Some folks on here were saying you could book at 13 months but that does not appear to be the case. Maybe there is a glitch in the system if you are seeing that.

 

[alwysonvac]

Thanks for the heads up.
Booked a two nights stay after my II exchange in Aruba

I was able to elect one of my 2024 Vistana weeks for Club Points and then I booked a 2023 MVC reservation using my 2024 Club Points.

Update: Forgot to mention.. a 2024 Maintenance Fee payment wasn’t required for my 2024 Club Point election/deposit into Abound

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Can someone decipher this? I see 12 months for Westin/Sheraton under waitlist but not at 13 month window. This was under the "When can I reserve" button;

 

[luv_maui]

I tried electing into abound points but get an error

 

[timsi]

@travelhacker Apparently people on Facebook are reporting vistana inventory already in abound using club points…. Someone reported Christmas at Westin St John….. ummmm what happened to vistana owners electing for club points first?! It looks like the best weeks are showing up in abound and not VSN. It looks like y’all will owe @timsi the biggest apology ever if this is the case

The “conspiracy” was actually just reading the Abound Exchange Procedures and it was pretty clear to me what they intended to do: “Exchange Company shall have the right to forecast anticipated reservations and use of the Accommodations and is authorized to demand balance, reserve, deposit, or rent the Accommodations for the purpose of facilitating the use or future use of the Accommodations or other benefits made available to Program Members through the Program in its sole discretion.”

It does not matter if the Vistana weeks available in Abound come from owner deposits that didn't even occur yet (based on “future anticipated demand”) or from inventory owned by Vistana. Bottom line is there is no paragraph I could find in the VSN or Lagunamar governing documents that allows Abound to book its own inventory in ways not available to the other owners even at the same time with the other owners let alone prior to the actual opening of the Home Resort Reservation Period. This is worse than I anticipated. Also, as it was to be expected, once they see inventory in Abound, people started to book there Vistana weeks and deposit their (again Vistana) weeks. It is as clear as it can be that people will book wherever they can find inventory (especially prime weeks that are hard to book), and this attracts deposits. It is not the other way around, as much as the Marriott apologists have tried to convince us.

I still have a hard time comprehending what is unclear about: “Required Reservation Periods. There must be at least one “Home Resort Reservation Period.” The Home Resort Reservation Period must permit a Member to request a reservation, without competition from anyone who is not assigned a Vacation Ownership Interest in a Vacation Unit that is the same Unit Type as the Member’s Unit Type and for any Vacation Period in the same Season as the Member’s Vacation Week, provided that nobody else has reserved the Vacation Period and that no other Persons have the exclusive right to reserve the Vacation Period. The Home Resort Reservation Period must last at least sixty (60) days. The Home Resort Reservation Period cannot begin more than eighteen months before the Check-in Day for any Use Period.” Marriott is making a joke out of the resort rules if the resort owners are now in competition for every week with the owners of 92 other resorts.

Do we still believe in a rule-based system? Not so sure.

 

[timsi]

It worked perfectly for me. I deposited my WKOVRN week and got 8325 points. Then I booked 3 nights using about 3000 of those points back into WKOVRN to match up with my 9N at MOC. To me, even though those 3N are expensive, it fit my vacation plans perfectly.

This is 5 months in so it would follow the rules people are complaining about. I do not want to debate the rules or that Marriott is evil. I really do not care how it works. I just do what I can to get what fits my vacation plans.

You could have booked in VSN. Did you not find inventory? This could be an indication that Abound can artificially attract more deposits if given better inventory. Abound is not "just an option" if the option to book in VSN goes away due to lack of prime inventory.

 

[DanCali]

Thanks for the links.
I wasn’t planning on buying.

I have a required presentation that I agreed to thru a ‘special’ WKORV vacation package (90K SOs - mostly expiring) — 1Bd OV, 5nites, Lanai snorkeling tour, sunset Whale watching and $50 credit to Aunties.

I have no plans to use Abound, but will pay the extra $60 to keep future options open.

I have somehow gone from 3*/SPG Gold to BonVoy Titanium Elite and MVC Chairman’s Club with essentially the same 4 SVO/VSE VOIs we’ve owned since 2007/08 - 3 of them resale.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Definitely worth it to keep options open.

We booked a vacation for next year combining Ritz on St. Thomas (Abound @13 months) with WSJ (Staroptions @ 8 months). I wasn't sure if we'll pull it off at 8 months, but I was able to get a 2BR on WSJ for the days before St . Thomas and also a 3BR for the days after St Thomas (will only keep one of those). And WKORV will get you pretty far in Abound - e.g., 2-weeks in a 2BR at Tahoe (Marriott Timber Lodge, or Grand Residence Club) in June for 6450 points. And you can get 10-12 days during ski season for the same number of points.

And given that if you don't pay the dues you'd go down to "Member" (no more VSN Elite), they really don't leave Elites much choice anyway

 

[TravelTime]

You could have booked in VSN. Did you not find inventory? This could be an indication that Abound can artificially attract more deposits if given better inventory. Abound is not "just an option" if the option to book in VSN goes away due to lack of prime inventory.

If I booked through VSN I would have trouble using the left over SOs for anything given the odd number of leftover SOs. Plus I preferred to elect Abound points so I can go anywhere in the new system and not just be limited to the 3-4 resorts I like in the VSN system. However, I have never actually been anywhere in the Vistana system except Maui since nowhere really speaks to me or has been convenient to visit. I also do not like waiting until the 8 month mark to book since I usually plan way in advance. This is not always the case as I have been fiddling with adding days at the beginning and end of my upcoming MOC week in April. I also find managing multiple timeshare systems to be a lot of energy. I much prefer just combining everything into Abound and using that system to meet our personal vacation needs.

 

[rickandcindy23]

This was a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad rollout.

I still only see one of our Westin OF weeks on Vistana's site under resorts owned and when paying my MF's. Under account balances, it shows both of our OF weeks there, but it's not consistently showing two owned in the other places it should be showing.

We show as Executive level but should be Chairman level

I will have to call Vistana to pay my maintenance fees for the second week. No statement shows for the second week in order to pay. It's been since early August that the weeks went to Vistana to add to our account. Come on, Vistana, get it together.

I also have a Westin Desert Willow that has yet to transfer to my name, and the paperwork was sent 9/26.

I called about a month ago and was assured that once the system updates occurred, our two OF Westin Maui weeks would show up in all places on the website.

 

[TravelTime]

The problem with this roll out is it is not really a roll out. There has been no announcement. Everyone is confused and speculating. Those of us in the “know” are booking inventory early and by the time they formally announce, there may not be much inventory left for the late adopters. I was lucky that what I wanted to do worked smoothly. I am really lucky I read TUG and found out that Abound was live.

 

[TravelTime]

Can someone decipher this? I see 12 months for Westin/Sheraton under waitlist but not at 13 month window. This was under the "When can I reserve" button;

View attachment 69391

This chart is really easy to use. You enter your check in date and it tells you when you can book. It makes it clear that no one should be able to book Sheraton and Westin resorts before the 12 month mark. This should help alleviate some worries that the booking window is unfair to Vistana owners.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

I can book Feb 2022, WKORV North through Marriott Point but can not book WKORV North using star options. I can book Feb 2022 Nanea in star options but not Marriott Points, so this is going to add some decisions on election of one or the other.

Extremely useful if you have a time machine

 

[Troyrissa]

I’m not sure what is going on. My SVV Bella shows nothing for club points under what I own, even though it clearly says I am a VSN member. I have had this ownership since summer 2021. Adventuras shows my club points. Has anyone else had this problem where your club points are not reflected on Vistana’s website? Also when I try to elect club points it tells me I don’t have any to elect but the only reservation I have is using Aventuras in March 2023. My full SVV ownership is still available.

 

[DanCali]

This chart is really easy to use. You enter your check in date and it tells you when you can book. It makes it clear that no one should be able to book Sheraton and Westin resorts before the 12 month mark. This should help alleviate some worries that the booking window is unfair to Vistana owners.

It may be easy to use, but the fact that you need a chart in MVC to figure this out already implies that the system is much more complicated than Vistana... We never needed this to calculate 12 or 8 months in advance.

 

[Troyrissa]

To follow up on my previous question, the bill for 2023 maintenance fees for SVV is due January 6. Do these have to be paid before I can see/elect club points?

 

[dsmrp]

My MFs for my 2 units don't list any club fee.
Perhaps I need to elect for Abound pt conversion, so system will apply the new club fee ??
It still says that for VSN, I'd need to pay $49 for guest cert. I thought those would be included in new club fee.

We are at the Abound level, Executive, that we thought we'd be based on grandfathering of VSN 3* elite level.
Surprisingly, the website says we'll potentially have 175 more Abound pts than what we were told from sales update mtgs.
I'm glad Marriott continued to tweak the point conversion charts.

When I clicked on link to elect for Abound points, it just stalled trying to load.
I didn't think there'd be any harm to go to election page, thinking that I'd have a further confirmation button to click before it applied.
I was trying to find the point conversion for each of my units considering the total is more than what we were told.

In Marriott.com, DH shows as Bonvoy Platinum level, however I'm still at Gold. So Marriott did indeed elevate one person on each unit deed or account.