Advice on Recent Purchase

[facorsig]

New to time sharing, we purchased a couple of weeks using marketplace here on TUG and associated advice. Unfortunately, while title transfer for the property cleared in late November/early December, Marriott did not finalize their transfer. Marriott were quick to cash the $25 transfer check! I made 5-6 calls to Marriott and was consistently told to wait a few more days; however, this morning was told that Marriott had not received certain documentation. The former owners were responsive and the necessary documents were provided this afternoon.

The problem is that the weeks we purchased are Weeks 2 & 3. The information from Marriott is that an additional 30 days are needed to finalize the transfer. Obviously, I will not be able to finalize until the dates have passed for my newly acquired units. We have travelled to Florida and there is no availability for this property for Weeks 2 & 3. We have managed alternate arrangements on last minute notice.

I am concerned that my exchange options may be limited as a result of purchasing the unit away from Marriott. I have been recommended to join II (we had not planned to join as we planned to use the unit each year). What is their annual fee? If I join II, could I trade the weeks from this year for weeks next year (we have other plans for later in 2012). Any resources on II would be appreciated because without a Marriott owner number, I have had difficulty to get information from the II website. I assume I can exchange with other owners directly, but uncertain regarding direct exchange market liquidity. I would be interested to understand limitations Marriott may place on an exchange I arrange outside II. Is it as simple as finding someone else who wants 2 weeks at the same property who can offer something of interest to me? I would be interested to hear experiences regarding value of II service versus working my own exchange.

 

[KathyPet]

First of all while Marriott might tell you that it will take 30 days to set up the account and transfer ownership to you it is very unlikely that it will take more than a week. Call Marriott and explain the issue. THey will be able to see that the transfer is in process and either issue you a guest certificate or they might just go ahead and pout the current reservations in your name since they have the paperwork in hand.

 

[yumdrey]

You cannot join II until you get Marriott owner number and Marriott online account.
Once you join II & deposit your weeks, you don't have to worry about who will use your two weeks, because it can be the same person, or different persons. It is not your concerns anymore.
After you deposit your weeks, put an ongoing search for your desired resorts and weeks. If you chose too high demand weeks/resorts, maybe you need to put several other back up resorts and weeks just in case your first choice doesn't match.
If you give more information like which resort during which season you want to exchange into, you will get more specific advises.
Even if Marriott said 30 more days, I think it would take about a week to finish their job.

 

[Passepartout]

I have no information that might be helpful to you.

Just wanted to say a hearty WELCOME TO TUG! I'll go out on a limb here and say you are very probably the only TUGger on Sakhalin Island.

Jim Ricks

 

[facorsig]

The title transfer agency, former owner and I all worked pretty hard today. The Marriott agent I spoke with in the morning was the first to offer advice beyond "wait"....the same advice I received this afternoon, despite detailed explanation. Title transfer and former owner both advise there is no availability for the week. I'll take this as a positive for the property, but I gave up hope to receive what I purchased for my personal use in 2012.

Would it be possible to trade the two weeks for a single week at one of the Hawaii properties or Phuket? Phuket would fit nicely in 2012 travel plans to Bali. Our property is in Orlando's World Center complex. Is there ever a cash component to exchanges on II (receiving to make up for trade down or receiving to make up for trade up)?

Sakhalin....quite a few of my colleagues are time share owners, too...you might be surprised how many island residents are TUGGERS2.

 

[chalee94]

Is there ever a cash component to exchanges on II (receiving to make up for trade down or receiving to make up for trade up)?

no. you either have the trade power to pull something or you don't.

also, you should be thinking of trading in II as "like-for-like." if you owned summer weeks in hawaii, how often would you be trading for january weeks in orlando? it can work on occasion, but it sounds like your expectations may be a little out of whack.

as others have said, if you cannot use the marriott weeks, naturally you cannot trade them through II either. unless they are fixed weeks, you will probably need to book well in advance in order to secure reservations to use or trade...

II costs about $89 per year to join (or something like $227 for a 3 year deal.) plus $110-150 or so per trade.

 

[BocaBoy]

The problem is that the weeks we purchased are Weeks 2 & 3. The information from Marriott is that an additional 30 days are needed to finalize the transfer. Obviously, I will not be able to finalize until the dates have passed for my newly acquired units. We have travelled to Florida and there is no availability for this property for Weeks 2 & 3.

I am confused. Did you purchase fixed weeks 2&3 or are they floating weeks and the deed simply says weeks 2&3? If they are fixed weeks you are guaranteed availability for those weeks. If they are floating weeks you can use them for weeks other than weeks 2&3, despite what the deed says. Most Marriott weeks are floating weeks.

 

[dioxide45]

I am confused. Did you purchase fixed weeks 2&3 or are they floating weeks and the deed simply says weeks 2&3? If they are fixed weeks you are guaranteed availability for those weeks. If they are floating weeks you can use them for weeks other than weeks 2&3, despite what the deed says. Most Marriott weeks are floating weeks.

I am also not sure what their starting use year is. It is 2012 or 2013? Also not sure what resort or season. They may have a lot of flexibility to work a good reservation, but they could also have very little if they bought something like a Branson Silver where all the silver weeks are in Jan and Feb.

 

[m61376]

It sounds to me like you bought units with weeks 2 and 3 on the deed. However, Marriott has sold most resorts as floating weeks in seasons, so the weeks on the deed are just for recording purposes. You can make reservations at your home resort for any week in your season, subject to availability. It sound like, at this late date, weeks 2 and 3 are fully booked. You will likely have to see if other weeks are available to reserve in your season.

If you tell us what you bought we'll be better able to give you advice.

Welcome to Tug, btw

 

[SueDonJ]

Hmmm. The "Weeks 2 and 3" thing is throwing me off, too, but I can't think of any resorts in the Orlando World Center that have those fixed Weeks. It sounds to me like the OP has floating weeks for sure, and quite possibly 2012 usage except the seller didn't book any 2012 Weeks.

At this late date depending on the resort calendar and how far out the season extends, it may be possible that there are no weeks left in the season for the OP as new owner to book - remember, Marriott has the right to take any weeks that are not booked within 75 days of check-in. But don't they usually work with the folks who find themselves in this situation following an external purchase, by giving them replacement weeks which can be deposited into II? Of course that means the OP will have to join II even though he didn't want to ... But also, his season may include time at both the beginning and end of the calendar year so it's possible he could book late 2012, for either home usage or II deposits.

OP, I'll join the others with a "Welcome to TUG! Nice to see a new name from a new place!" It would be very helpful if you would tell us which resort you've purchased, and confirm if your Weeks are floating or fixed. We'll be able to check your resort calendar and give you much more detailed answers if we know the specifics.

 

[facorsig]

Thanks to all for responses! Property is Marriott Royal Palms. This Orlando property works well for us with 4yo boy and family in Florida so we thought that consecutive weeks were to our benefit. Deeded weeks 2 & 3; however, my understanding is weeks are floating. Since I am new to timesharing, I was somewhat concerned the "floating" applies to the check-in date (Friday - Sunday), but if weeks can be used for a date later this year, that would be great. Since we live in Far Eastern Russia, we plan vacations far in advance with our Florida vacation planned for January and a second vacation planned to Bali in May/June. One option here could be to trade my new weeks for Bali weeks, but seems very few timeshare properties in SE Asia. Our usage starts in 2012, but we would consider taking weeks in 2013 in exchange for our weeks in 2012.

I wasn't necessarily seeking summer weeks in Hawaii. Russia celebrates their Christmas for the first ten days of January each year. These are national holidays, but I still have five additional weeks vacation annually, so date flexibility is good. We don't travel for one week vacations because the cost of the flights is prohibitive. Other properties we would be interested in would include Custom House and Grand Chateau which appear to be on par to me.

 

[SueDonJ]

Here is the resort calendar for Royal Palms. If your deeds are for Weeks 2 and 3 then you must own Red floating weeks. For 2012 that season encompasses Jan 6th through Apr 29, Jun 15 through Sep 2 and Dec 14 through Dec 30th. It will be very helpful for you if you keep thinking that the Weeks referenced in your deeds are there for inventory purposes only; you do not have any kind of a preference over any other Red season owners for booking those specific weeks.

The problem is that reservations could have been taken for any of these weeks 12- or 13-months ahead of the check-in days. And as already noted, any weeks not reserved 75 days prior to check-in could have been taken by Marriott. It is possible that no 2012 dates are available, but if that's the case they have in the past offered to folks in your situation replacement weeks that can be deposited for exchanges into II. If you don't open an II account then I don't know of any other solution for you except for forfeiting your 2012 usage.

You said you've been in contact with Marriott and they've said there are no weeks available for 2012 - did they actually check all Red Season weeks or just the Weeks 2 and 3 that you referenced? If they only checked Weeks 2 and 3 you can call again and ask for any availability during Red Season, or when you are in Marriott's system, you'll be able to check on your own for 2012 availability using your online account. As well, once you're in Marriott's system you can then open an II account, and talk to the II reps about what might be available still for exchanges. If you go with an II deposit, you won't be limited to only 2012 usage - you could have up to three years to exchange.

If you really don't want to open an II account, then you're pretty much limiting yourself to home resort usage in season at Royal Palms and exchanging only through private transactions with owners of other resorts. It's doable, sure, but I'd say that II will give you many more exchange opportunities than the private route.

Good luck, hope everything goes well and you get into Marriott's system quickly! Remember, when you do get into the system, the reservation window is already open for booking early January, 2013 weeks.

 

[jont]

Floating weeks mean the season, not the check-in date.
I think the red season at Royal palms is weeks 1-17, 24-35 and 50-52.
You should be able to book weeks later this year. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Ron98GT]

Hmmm. The "Weeks 2 and 3" thing is throwing me off, too, but I can't think of any resorts in the Orlando World Center that have those fixed Weeks. It sounds to me like the OP has floating weeks for sure, and quite possibly 2012 usage except the seller didn't book any 2012 Weeks.

At this late date depending on the resort calendar and how far out the season extends, it may be possible that there are no weeks left in the season for the OP as new owner to book - remember, Marriott has the right to take any weeks that are not booked within 75 days of check-in . But don't they usually work with the folks who find themselves in this situation following an external purchase, by giving them replacement weeks which can be deposited into II? Of course that means the OP will have to join II even though he didn't want to ... But also, his season may include time at both the beginning and end of the calendar year so it's possible he could book late 2012, for either home usage or II deposits.

OP, I'll join the others with a "Welcome to TUG! Nice to see a new name from a new place!" It would be very helpful if you would tell us which resort you've purchased, and confirm if your Weeks are floating or fixed. We'll be able to check your resort calendar and give you much more detailed answers if we know the specifics.

I don't understand the not "booked" within 75 days of "check-in"? Don't you book first and then check-in?

Since the OP has two floating weeks that are deeded weeks 2 and 3, I assume that the OP owns 2 platinum weeks, which can be used between, and including, weeks 2 thru 17. Based on the proceeding info:

1. Can the OP only book platinum weeks, or can the OP select a gold or silver week?

2. What is the latest that the OP can reserve a week, week 17 or any time during 2012? Or is/was it the deeded weeks, 1/2?

3. Can the weeks be forwarded to 2012? If so, what is the deadline. How much?

4. Does any of the above matter if II is used or not?

5. What about that 75 days.

 

[SueDonJ]

I don't understand the not "booked" within 75 days of "check-in"? Don't you book first and then check-in?
...
5. What about that 75 days.

The resort docs stipulate that if a Week is un-booked at a certain point prior to a check-in date, then Marriott has the right to take that Week for its own use. (I'm pretty sure Marriott has the right at every resort, but I'm not as sure that the "certain point" at every resort is 75 days.) For example, say that today there is availability of a unit with a check-in during the first week of March at SurfWatch. That check-in date is within 75 days of today, so Marriott can take that week for its own use.

In the SurfWatch docs the stipulation can be found in the "PROCEDURE FOR RESERVING USAGE" appendix to the Master Deed:

"4. USE OF UNRESERVED USE PERIODS.
The Declarant may reserve and use any unreserved Use Period beginning seventy-five (75) days prior to the first day of the Use Period. If the Declarant makes use of such Use Period, the Use Period will not be available for reservation or use by Owners."

This is one of the reasons that all the Marriott literature says that owners should book as far out as possible. The same document also stipulates,

7. GENERAL RULES FOR RESERVATION AND USE
7.7 If an Owner fails to make a reservation request or if an Owner is unwillng to accept any available Use Periods, or if the Owner's request cannot otherwise be confirmed because of Declarant's exercise of its rights set forth in Section 4, an Owner may lose the opportunity to use a Use Period that Use Year.

 

[jpc763]

facorsig,

Welcom to TUG and also welcome to Marriott Orlando World Center. I own at Imperial Palms and have only a little to add to the conversation.

As stated above, you can secure 2 weeks to use as trade in Interval International. In your case, you will want to get a good spring break (week 11, 12, 13 or 14) or summer week (24-34 week) or perhaps Christmas or New Years week (51, 52) for 2012. Once you get those weeks, you deposit them into your Interval International account and can use those "trades" for up to 2 years AFTER the check in day. You can then look for Bali or something else.

For 2013, you need to book your 2 weeks 13 months out via phone or 12 months out via online in order to secure weeks 2 & 3 next year. That window is already open so you should discuss that with your Marriott rep.

John

 

[chalee94]

For 2013, you need to book your 2 weeks 13 months out via phone or 12 months out via online in order to secure weeks 2 & 3 next year.

this assumes that you actually want weeks 2 & 3 as opposed to the spring/summer weeks mentioned above which should be stronger traders.

 

[jpc763]

this assumes that you actually want weeks 2 & 3 as opposed to the spring/summer weeks mentioned above which should be stronger traders.

I made that assumption because of the following quotes.

Since we live in Far Eastern Russia, we plan vacations far in advance with our Florida vacation planned for January.

Russia celebrates their Christmas for the first ten days of January each year.

I just assumed that the OP traveled to Florida each January.

 

[facorsig]

Interval International

Good feedback so far....appears II membership will be inevitable...I found the listing of benefits on the II website, but no additional details (i.e. airport lounge access or other benefits exclusive to platinum)...I would be interested to hear (or see references) about the levels of II membership in consideration of my particular circumstances.

 

[SueDonJ]

The resort docs stipulate that if a Week is un-booked at a certain point prior to a check-in date, then Marriott has the right to take that Week for its own use. ...

Hmmm, responding to my own post, guess this means I'm talking to myself again.

I just noticed that the latest revisions to the Reservations Procedures documents have slight changes to what I posted previously (such as, the "certain point" has been revised to 74 days for SurfWatch.) Also, it's possible that every owner can find the information for their resort(s) much easier than digging through the original docs - when they did the revisions last year they e-mailed them to all owners and the stipulation is in that email.

***
facorsig, sorry for cluttering up your thread with this stuff. Sometimes topics have a way of branching out and that's happening here.

 

[facorsig]

Progress

About ten days after I posted this original thread, I received notification from Marriott that my ownership transfer was complete; however, I have yet to be able to login to the website as an additional 2-3 weeks will be necessary.

I joined II. Again, I had difficulties to access their website, initially. When my access to website was established, I found that Marriott had not creditted both weeks to II. A quick call to Marriott fixed that problem as I had no choice but to deposit the 2012 weeks.

I was very, very pleased with the availability of Marriott's Phuket Beach Club through II in the week subsequent to a planned vacation to Bali. If we can work this level of exchange frequently through II, we will be very happy!

Now we are faced with questions every one else faces about their TS....do I exchange or do I book now...we're excited (and tired).