Can Someone Confirm this re: Starwood?

[abcmanzer]

This is what I have read on TUG:

12 - 8 months in advance (home resort preference period)

12 - 10 months in advance (home resort priority period): Fixed week owners call to confirm usage of their fixed week, or request a different week in their season. Float week owners can request a floating week in their season.
10 – 8 months in advance (home resort float period): If a Fixed week owner does not reserve his fixed week by month 10, it is made available to Float owners. Both Fixed and Float owners can reserve any week within their season during this period. Note that during this period, owners can only reserve a week at their home resort and season.

So...

I am interpretting this to mean that if I use my Gold float week to make a reservation 12-10 months out, I do NOT get to choose the week in the Gold season that I will receive. Specific week owners have preference here.

At 10-8 months out I CAN reserve a specific week IF an owner of said week has not yet made a reservatio for that week.

Is this an accurate interpretation?

 

[LisaRex]

If you own at the resort, you can call 8-12 months out and reserve a specific week during the season you've bought. You will not be able to select a specific villa, no matter what it says on your deed, because you are a float owner.

Some weeks might, indeed, sell out, so it's best to call at the 12 month mark. But you are incorrect that you don't get to pick your week. (Who could make travel arrangements with such a system?)

 

[tomandrobin]

Float week owners call at the 12-8 window to book a week at thier home resort.

As a float owner, you will have to compete with the other float owners for that season.

For example, July 4th week is within your float season and is very popular. If you wait until the 10 month mark that week may be completely booked. But late May weeks will probaly still be available.

 

[abcmanzer]

So if I call at 12 months out and ask for the last week in June, I will probably get the last week in June... If I wait until 10 months, the last week in June owners may book them all up. Float owners are competing with each other for the block of weeks within their season. Right?

How is the 10-8 month window different? - I don't get it.

 

[LisaRex]

How is the 10-8 month window different? - I don't get it.

There is no difference for you since you are a float week owner. If you are a fixed week owner, you have a 2 month window (10-12 months out) to confirm with Starwood that you will, indeed, be using that fixed week. Since fixed week owners have rights to specific villas, per their deed, if they don't confirm by the 10 month window, they lose their claim to that villa and it will be put in the pool of available villas for float owners to use.

 

[LisaRex]

So if I call at 12 months out and ask for the last week in June, I will probably get the last week in June... If I wait until 10 months, the last week in June owners may book them all up. Float owners are competing with each other for the block of weeks within their season. Right?

You've got it. Some resorts, such as Harbourside and St. Johns, have sold tons of fixed weeks, where owners are deeded a specific view/villa for a specific week (e.g. Villa 3501 during Week 17). The only thing that they have to do to be guaranteed that villa/view is to call Starwood by 10 months out and confirm it. Float owners then have to compete with all other float owners, as well as fixed week owners who'd like to switch to another week, for the remaining inventory. Therefore available inventory is far tighter at these resorts than others. That is why it's important to call at 12 months out when you own at these resorts and most especially during high demand weeks (e.g. summer).

 

[mariawolf]

You can call at that twelve month out first but then if not successful try again right at 10 months because when fixed owners don't confirm they open up again at that time so if you call early you have a shot!

 

[abcmanzer]

OK - Let me get this straight...

Hypothetically - All Gold 1BR Deluxe float owners could call at the 12 month mark to reserve the last week in june and it would be first come first served with those calling later out of luck... Then, at 10 months out the same group coul dcall for the same week again to inquire on a pool of weeks leftover from set week owners.

Do float owners more often than not get shut out at the 12-10 month mark? If so, it doesn't seem like much of an advantage.

Also, as DVC owners, we are used to a 11-7 month preference window. With the 12 month window does this mean that many owners are making reservations for next year's week while using the same week in the current year? (i.e. making plans for next year's vacation while ON vacation?!)

 

[Negma]

Also, as DVC owners, we are used to a 11-7 month preference window. With the 12 month window does this mean that many owners are making reservations for next year's week while using the same week in the current year? (i.e. making plans for next year's vacation while ON vacation?!) [/QUOTE]

We are DVC members too. Yes you can reserve while on vacation your next vacation. The other difference is in SVO you can reserve the week at 12 months out ont the first day of the week of your stay, DVC is the last day of your stay.

 

[LisaRex]

OK - Let me get this straight...

Hypothetically - All Gold 1BR Deluxe float owners could call at the 12 month mark to reserve the last week in june and it would be first come first served with those calling later out of luck... Then, at 10 months out the same group could call for the same week again to inquire on a pool of weeks leftover from set week owners.

Do float owners more often than not get shut out at the 12-10 month mark? If so, it doesn't seem like much of an advantage.

Only a certain percentage of villas are allowed to be "fixed" so that float owners will always have some inventory available to them. Also, villas aren't assigned at the time of booking, so it's possible that Starwood has crunched the numbers and determined that x percentage of villas will probably be available during x week and take reservations before they are actually surrendered.

Starwood also has waiting lists for sold-out situations. Elite owners are allowed to make reservations for the 2nd choice and then be added to the waiting list for their first choice. "Regular" owners can only be put on the waiting list if they surrender any other reservation they have. That is why some regular owners go ahead and reserve their second choice and then call in each subsequent week to see if their first choice has opened up.

How often does it happen that float owners are shut out at the 10-12 mark? I really don't know. Certainly that's something you can ask other Harbourside owners during your first stay.

 

[LisaRex]

Also, as DVC owners, we are used to a 11-7 month preference window. With the 12 month window does this mean that many owners are making reservations for next year's week while using the same week in the current year? (i.e. making plans for next year's vacation while ON vacation?!)

Yes. But be glad that Harbourside is close to Eastern Standard time. Folks in Hawaii have to get up at 4 in the morning.

Also keep in mind that a lot of us are Type A's and will get up at 4am to make a reservation based on nothing but paranoia. We don't have a lot of data to know what the success rate (or villa assigment) is for folks waiting until 8 months, so we default to the most conservative.

I have heard anecdotes that some owners at WSJ were not able to get in at their resort at all during the season they paid for. I have no idea whether the story is true, whether the owners were flexible with dates, whether they called in at 12 months out or 10 months or 8 months. I also don't know what Starwood would do for folks who were shut out given that we are guaranteed the villa type (and view) we paid for during the home resort priority period. Maybe those folks ended up in a suite at the Westin St. John hotel. I just don't know.

As Starwood builds more properties, common sense tells me that these sort of worries will lesson. Currently WSJ is expanding and they will soon break ground on Aruba. More inventory in the Caribbean means less pressure on the existing resorts.

 

[seenett]

With the 12 month window does this mean that many owners are making reservations for next year's week while using the same week in the current year? (i.e. making plans for next year's vacation while ON vacation?!)

Hypothetically, yes - if you vacation exactly the same week each year. I think the vast majority of people are flexible within a month or two.

If not, fixed week ownership may be more appropriate.

 

[abcmanzer]

I think the vast majority of people are flexible within a month or two.

If not, fixed week ownership may be more appropriate.

Being schoolteachers any week long vacations will be taken from mid-June to end of August so flexibility is not a problem. It's just traditional to go the last week in June as our son's birthday falls during that time. :whoopie:

 

[mabelline7]

Just make sure, without a doubt, that you buy the week you can always use, do NOT base a purchase on trade or exchange power. If you buy in at a mandator resort, like you are, buy the week you will always use. Trust me trying to trade up, down or anywhere around is a pain in the butt and next to impossible.

 

[abcmanzer]

Just make sure, without a doubt, that you buy the week you can always use, do NOT base a purchase on trade or exchange power. If you buy in at a mandator resort, like you are, buy the week you will always use. Trust me trying to trade up, down or anywhere around is a pain in the butt and next to impossible.

Thanks, Mabelline-

Our week is to be a floating week, and we are not planning on doing much trading - just staying at Harborside every other year OR renting if something prevents us from going.