Another blow for point users

[camachinist]

Wait, you sold all yours into a rising market



Pat

 

[Steamboat Bill]

Look at it this way – we have some MRPs we got back in 1999 when we bought our first MountainSide – the price of airline tickets have gone up at least 25% since then; I can’t expect Marriott to pay for the 25% higher airline tickets can I?

Perry...what are you waiting for?

8 years and you still have not burned thru those MRPs...it may be time for you to donate them to a nice charity like the "Steamboat Bill Vacation Charity"...I am NOT a non-profit entity, but I will send you a nice thank you letter.

 

[PerryM]

Like fine wine...

Perry...what are you waiting for?

8 years and you still have not burned thru those MRPs...it may be time for you to donate them to a nice charity like the "Steamboat Bill Vacation Charity"...I am NOT a non-profit entity, but I will send you a nice thank you letter.

I'm holding the MRPs in the wine cellar, right next to the 2006 St. Louis Rhine wine I grew last summer; they only get better with time.

We did go to Maui in a 200k package 3 times I believe, but I really can't tell you why we have not spent the points.

 

[winger]

..., but I really can't tell you why we have not spent the points.

Perry, you just have wayyy too much vaca on your hands.

On a more serious note, here is a couple of thoughts:

http://www.orwish.org/make-a-wish/foundation/info/47/

OR


American Miles For Kids In Need

You can donate your AAdvantage miles to help American Airlines provide free transportation for children in need and their families. American supports a number of child-focused charities, including A Wish With Wings, Make-A-Wish, Starlight Foundation, and others.

American contributes one mile for every three miles you donate.

For more information, call 800-882-8880 or visit http://www.aa.com and click on AAdvantage, then AAdvantage Member Guide, Using Miles, More Ways to Use Miles, and then Donate Miles to Kids In Need.

Delta SkyWish

Members of Delta's SkyMiles program can donate a minimum of 5,000 miles to SkyWish, which will be used to support selected charities, including Make-A-Wish, CARE, United Way, and another charity which changes every quarter (currently the Arthritis Foundation).

Donations can be made by phone at 800-325-3999, or by mail, e-mail, or FAX.

See Delta's website for more information.

Northwest AirCares

Northwest WorldPerks members can donate 5,000 miles or more, in 1,000-mile increments, to the AirCares charity of the quarter (currently KidCares), which provides air travel to children age 18 and younger who are unable to receive medical treatment in their home area.

Northwest also awards 500 miles to WorldPerks members who make cash donations of $50 or more to designated charities.

Call 800-327-2881 or visit the AirCares website for further details.

US Airways Dividend Miles Charity Program

Dividend Miles members can donate miles to the US Airways Dividend Miles Charity Program. The donated miles will be distributed equally between Make-A-Wish Foundation and Save the Children.

There's a 5,000-mile minimum contribution, and for every five miles donated, US Airways will contribute one additional mile.

You can donate miles online by logging in to your Dividend Miles Account and following the "Donate Miles" link.

More information can be found on the US Airways website.
...

Please note that you cannot take a tax deduction for miles donated to charity.

 

[abouna]

Let's face reality. Most of us who are savvy with collecting points have to also realize that way back when we only got points for actual stays or flights. The bonuses for credit cards were small and rare. Now, there are multiple ways to earn points and sign up for and cancel multiple credit cards. We can still come out ahead in the long run, we just have to continue to play the game and stay one step ahead of the airlines and hotels.

As long as you can sign up for and cancel credit cards multiple times a year and want to put the effort, you can do fine and stay ahead of the game. That's what it is, a big game! Like anything else in life, those who want to put the effort can get the points and the nice free trips.

 

[Hoc]

So, would anybody still recommend purchasing a Marriott timeshare, even at resale, given the higher and higher annual fees and their general attitude?

Jeff

I bought my Marriott resale, at fair market value (what many here would call "below market"). That means that I can resell it at any time for what I paid. When I deposit it, I usually get one or two Accommodation Certificates, which means I get up to three weeks for my one in a trade.

So, even with annual fees of $780+, I am actually paying only around $260 per week for the weeks I use. If I were to stay in the unit I own, it would be a questionable value. But as a trade, with the Marriott preference, it is still worthwhile for me to own. I would be angry if I paid four times the price for it and got a devaluing points option in exchange.

But is it still worth it to buy resale? For right now, yes.

 

[Steve]

A Vote for Marriott Ownership

So, would anybody still recommend purchasing a Marriott timeshare, even at resale, given the higher and higher annual fees and their general attitude?

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Absolutely! I love my Marriott resort...and I enjoy exchanging into lots of other Marriott timeshare resorts. Marriott has the best system out there, in my opinion. The combination of first class locations, decor, architecture, landscaping, swimming pools, amenities, etc cannot be beat. There are individual resorts that are nicer...such as Four Seasons Aviara...but there isn't a better timeshare resort system than Marriott.

Don't buy from the developer...and then you don't need to worry about the value of the rewards points. All the major hotel companies have increased the points required for rewards...and decreased the value for the owners. This is not unique to Marriott. Hilton and Starwood have both done the same thing.

As for maintenance fees, my Hilton managed weeks have gone up higher and faster than my Marriott. In fact, one of my Hilton weeks went from maintenance fees of $760 in 2006 to $1099 in 2007. Now that was a big increase. And, while Marriott fees may be high, most Starwood locations are higher still. Marriott delivers a consistently superior product...and that is not cheap. But it is worth paying for.

There have been a few cases where Marriott has not looked out for the best interest of their owners. A major example is the way the situation has been handled at Marriott's StreamSide at Vail in Colorado. (Too long and complicated to go into in this post, but let's just say that Marriott could have done better.) I used to own at that resort, and I'm glad I got out when I did. However, that is not the norm for Marriott...and I certainly don't feel negative towards the company.

I don't think it is accurate or fair for people to say Marriott has a bad attitude. A little greedy perhaps, but what timeshare developer isn't? Marriott resorts are a major cut above the industry average, and I think Marriott conducts itself much better than most. One of the most high pressure and dishonest presentations I have ever been to was at a Starwood property in Arizona. Lies, misrepresentations, and extreme pressure to buy. I've never had that problem at a Marriott.

I think Marriott is a great company, and I enjoy their resorts.

Steve

 

[korndoc]

Thanks, Steve

You have recommended buying 2 HGVC Gold Florida II affiliated ts in the past , to equal 10,000 HGVC points with the flexibility of II trading. How about a 7000 point HGVC + a Marriott? If that sounds good, which Marriott would you recommend for the price and trading power? I would probably be partial toward a Marriott lock-out. And which HGVC to keep costs down, have good trading power, and still get 7000 points?

What about Marriott at Palm Desert + a Las Vegas HGVC?

Jeff

 

[Steve]

Hi Jeff,

I think HGVC in Las Vegas is a good choice. Since you live in California, buying a Marriott in Palm Desert is also a good choice. That way both of your resorts are within an easy drive from your home...and both should trade well.

Steve

 

[korndoc]

Steve,

Which Marriott and HGVC resorts would you suggest if being close to my home wasn't an issue and I was most interested in trading and traveling?

Jeff

 

[Marriott_Rep_guy]

An actual Marriott employee!

Its funny to watch everyone speculate about how much Marriott doesn't care until it effects us. Every time you call owner services and complain to one of our Service Supervisors they take your comments and actually do something with them!

Surprising, I know!

So anyway to comment on your current issues with point values, MVCI actually has to pay Marriott Rewards for those points. I dont want to go into specifics about how much the weeks are determined to be worth, suffice to say that MVCI gets a better deal on buying those points than owners do.

So when you trade your week for points Marriott is then listing the week for rent or allowing another owner to use points for that week to try and recoup the cost of the points. We arent listing weeks for rent during high demand dates mind you, but we are taking weeks that people trade for points and trying to get money out of them to pay for points.


MVCI really doesnt have any control over what Marriott Rewards does.

 

[camachinist]

I dont want to go into specifics about how much the weeks are determined to be worth, suffice to say that MVCI gets a better deal on buying those points than owners do.

I'd opine 300.00 to 500.00 USD book entry for 100K points. Close?

I'll bet Marriott and MVCI have a formula for sharing the rental proceeds of surrendered weeks. Everyone makes out

MVCI really doesnt have any control over what Marriott Rewards does.

Perhaps not before the fact, but, as recent events indicate, they do seem to have some pull after the fact.

BTW, welcome to TUG!

Pat

 

[PerryM]

Welcome - for how long?

Marriott Rep - welcome.

My question is how long will Marriott allow their name to be used as a handle?

You might rename and take a slightly different name; like:

Marriot Rep Guy or Mariott Rep Guy

I seem to misspell Marriott that way all the time.

Just a suggestion, no criticism intended.

 

[Marriott_Rep_guy]

I'd opine 300.00 to 500.00 USD book entry for 100K points. Close?

I'll bet Marriott and MVCI have a formula for sharing the rental proceeds of surrendered weeks. Everyone makes out



Perhaps not before the fact, but, as recent events indicate, they do seem to have some pull after the fact.

BTW, welcome to TUG!

Pat

Try closer to $1000/100k for the points. We pay less, but not much less...


Marriott Rewards doesnt get any share of the rental proceeds, we pay them for the points and thats it.

As far as what kind of pull we have. I know that MVCI is a huge cash cow for Marriott Rewards. It seems that ever since Owner Services stopped taking the calls for Marriott Rewards that they no longer feel like they can do anything to help us out.

 

[swing4thefence]

The thing I think is silliest....

Is that a Stay Anytime Certificate was a crappy value at +50% of the Regular point cost. So they're not devaluing anything they're just making a bad deal even worse. Stick with the regulay certs and smile.