Are Florida resorts outside of Orlando typically filled during Home Week window by owners?

[letsgobobby]

I’ve been exploring the wider HGVC system and was looking at Florida resorts in Sanibel, Marco Island, Captiva Island. These are not places I think we’ll ever go, they are very far from us and we prefer Hawaii. But I noticed that there are zero available nights in most months even into October 2022, which is in the Home Week Window. There are plenty in Orlando. Miami Beach is pretty available in the summer and fall. But these locations have zero.

Is that pretty typical? Do those of you who want to vacation there regularly own there?

 

[Nowaker]

These properties are HGVC affiliates. Club membership is optional. Weeks are assigned to owners by the properties themselves first, and if the owner doesn't want to use their assigned week, they can trade it to HGVC. Because you need to trade it in actively (that is, your explicit action is needed), availability will show up randomly. Either way, making a club booking at Marco Island is rather hard but doable (I'm not counting Sunset Cove which is easy to book but isn't beachfront). Captiva and Sanibel Island is close to impossible.

You may want to read https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/affiliate-resorts-how-are-points-determined.83499/ - it has more information on the topic.

 

[buzglyd]

Most of the owners use their weeks at these resorts and they all have strong FB groups for rentals as well. I’ve stayed at a few of them and we love Marco and Sanibel.

 

[PigsDad]

Also, owners have up until 30 days out from the start of their week to cancel and receive all of their HGVC points for that week, so many do not cancel until the last minute "just in case" plans change and they end up wanting to use their week. We own two fixed weeks on Marco, and I know that is what we do most of the time. The result is that inventory often shows up at 30-60 days out, so don't assume that it is always booked just because there is nothing available at 9 months out.

Kurt