CLOSED: Thread Dedicated to the Upcoming/Anticipated Integration of Vistana & Marriott Ownerships (Marriott Link + Vistana Discussion)

[pchung6]

StarOptions only have value in VSN. Abound points will be allocated based on the underlying deed. For mandatory properties it hasn’t been made clear whether they will participate in Abound if they are not requalified resales.

I’ve been told our mandatory resale (unauthorized) will be by two separate sales reps at different resorts - and our customer sheet shows our total point value as including our resale. Others have been told differently. Only time will tell.

I attended sales meeting earlier this week at Palm Deserts. The sales rep told us we have to buy in order to participate Abound. We showed no interests and told the both sales reps we won't participate Marriott no matter what you gonna say. Then I start swiping my phone to show disrespect purposely. We were kicked out in 20 minutes, which we gladly accepted with 25k pts.

 

[wjarcher]

We just did a tour at Nanea. We own quite a few resale weeks, so the salesman's strategy was to ask us to buy to requal our resale weeks. The overall sales pitch is that Marriott points are inferior and it is the last time to buy Vistana to get to stay at Westin Maui resorts in the future. One thing I did learn is that they are still selling deeded weeks at WKOVR north and south in addition to the Westin flex. These weeks are very expensive though.

We did not buy because we are in the middle of a Marriott Aruba week developer purchase to enroll our Marriott resale weeks (and potentially Vistana weeks after the merge gets into effect).

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[chemteach]

I'm a bit confused. The salesperson I met this morning at a Marriott tour told me that all Vistana weeks will automatically be part of the new Abound program as Marriott Vacation Club Points - that I didn't have to purchase anything additional to have the ability to convert any developer purchased Vistana weeks into Marriott Vacation Club Points any time I wanted to (not that I would do that anyway - the conversion rate for my sheraton dessert oasis platinum week is pretty worthless in the "MVCP" system. The main benefit I would get is having enough points with my other weeks to have Select status and therefore, platinum bonvoy status. (At lease this is what the salesperson communicated to me - that at my current ownership, I will have an ownership that would be equivalent to around 6300 points in the "MVCP" system, and so would give me platinum tier status in Marriott.)

Is it other people's understanding that units purchased from the developer that are in the Vistana system will automatically be enrolled in the new Abound (the salesman was calling it Marriott Vacation Club Points) system when the rollout occurs in (hopefully) the next few days or weeks? Of course, we'll know soon enough. Interestingly, when I logged into my Vistana account today, I saw a screen message that there is a new Abound system coming soon with details to follow shortly.

 

[chemteach]

Separately - within Vistana StarOptions, you can only book resorts at 8 months out for outside your home resort. However, the Abound/MVCP system shows that you can reserve at 13 months out. The salesperson I spoke with said that people using Marriott Vacation Club Points would not be allowed to reserve Vistana units beyond 12 months out because that is how the Vistana units were originally set up. BUT... it seems that people will be able to reserve the Vistana weeks at 12 months out and not have to wait until the 8 month mark if using Marriott Vacation Club Points to reserve units. If true, that alone makes the staroptions system almost useless for high demand weeks because they would all be gone by the 8 month mark.

Has anyone heard how the Marriott Vacation Club Point system is supposed to work for reserving Vistana units? (Of course, no one will know for sure until the system is up and running...) It will be interesting to see if people with many points in the new Abound system will be able to reserve WKORV at 12 months out. That would be unfortunate.

 

[jabberwocky]

Separately - within Vistana StarOptions, you can only book resorts at 8 months out for outside your home resort. However, the Abound/MVCP system shows that you can reserve at 13 months out. The salesperson I spoke with said that people using Marriott Vacation Club Points would not be allowed to reserve Vistana units beyond 12 months out because that is how the Vistana units were originally set up. BUT... it seems that people will be able to reserve the Vistana weeks at 12 months out and not have to wait until the 8 month mark if using Marriott Vacation Club Points to reserve units. If true, that alone makes the staroptions system almost useless for high demand weeks because they would all be gone by the 8 month mark.

Has anyone heard how the Marriott Vacation Club Point system is supposed to work for reserving Vistana units? (Of course, no one will know for sure until the system is up and running...) It will be interesting to see if people with many points in the new Abound system will be able to reserve WKORV at 12 months out. That would be unfortunate.

I think this has been discussed once or twice in the prior 110 pages of this thread.

Consensus seems to be that only weeks converted into Abound points will be able to be booked within MVC. Weeks that are not converted that year remain within VSN and can be booked at the 8 month mark.

 

[remowidget]

Separately - within Vistana StarOptions, you can only book resorts at 8 months out for outside your home resort. However, the Abound/MVCP system shows that you can reserve at 13 months out.. It will be interesting to see if people with many points in the new Abound system will be able to reserve WKORV at 12 months out. That would be unfortunate.

There are different pools of Vistana ownership. Currently there are Weeks Owners, Points Owners, and Developer Ownership. Abound points will not be able to reserve from the Weeks Ownership Pool at 12 months. Only ownership present in the Abound pool will be able to be booked at 12 months. At least this is my assumed understanding.

 

[kozykritter]

I'm a bit confused. The salesperson I met this morning at a Marriott tour told me that all Vistana weeks will automatically be part of the new Abound program as Marriott Vacation Club Points - that I didn't have to purchase anything additional to have the ability to convert any developer purchased Vistana weeks into Marriott Vacation Club Points any time I wanted to (not that I would do that anyway - the conversion rate for my sheraton dessert oasis platinum week is pretty worthless in the "MVCP" system. The main benefit I would get is having enough points with my other weeks to have Select status and therefore, platinum bonvoy status. (At lease this is what the salesperson communicated to me - that at my current ownership, I will have an ownership that would be equivalent to around 6300 points in the "MVCP" system, and so would give me platinum tier status in Marriott.)

Is it other people's understanding that units purchased from the developer that are in the Vistana system will automatically be enrolled in the new Abound (the salesman was calling it Marriott Vacation Club Points) system when the rollout occurs in (hopefully) the next few days or weeks? Of course, we'll know soon enough. Interestingly, when I logged into my Vistana account today, I saw a screen message that there is a new Abound system coming soon with details to follow shortly.

That is the general understanding here based upon multiple reports of sales presentations. However it's not clear that if those owners will be automatically enrolled or if they will need to enroll themselves manually after the launch (without a fee).

 

[chemteach]

Thank you, everyone, for the quick responses. There is a lot to read in the 110 pages of this thread.

 

[Alwaystravelling]

I'm so sick and tired of dealing with all the changes to programs. I own 4 or 5 platinum units at Key West Bella that I bought resale and I'm expecting to get screwed by the time this is all done. If these premium timeshares are such a great deal, then stop changing up the program and the deal every 10 years. If it's so awesome keep the existing program. They're going to try to merge us all into some program with lots of fancy bells and whistles, lots of fast talking , but ultimately will likely being worse conversion rates than what we already had.

 

[VacationForever]

I'm so sick and tired of dealing with all the changes to programs. I own 4 or 5 platinum units at Key West Bella that I bought resale and I'm expecting to get screwed by the time this is all done. If these premium timeshares are such a great deal, then stop changing up the program and the deal every 10 years. If it's so awesome keep the existing program. They're going to try to merge us all into some program with lots of fancy bells and whistles, lots of fast talking , but ultimately will likely being worse conversion rates than what we already had.

VSN won't go away so it really does not change what you have bought.

 

[Alwaystravelling]

You think so? I use it to book the StarOptions for Maui. I doubt Maui will be available once it's all done

 

[wjarcher]

You think so? I use it to book the StarOptions for Maui. I doubt Maui will be available once it's all done

From the sightings board, it seems that Vistana still does bulk deposits of Maui for next year, let us hope they still have some inventory for staroptions after the merge.

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[VacationForever]

You think so? I use it to book the StarOptions for Maui. I doubt Maui will be available once it's all done

Maui will still be in VSN and II.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am hoping that most owners of "options" of any type will choose not to enroll. But as Alwaystravelling said, I am worried that inventory will diminish for places like Maui for exchange and for using mandatory or voluntary options. We will know in a few years.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

I'm a bit confused. The salesperson I met this morning at a Marriott tour told me that all Vistana weeks will automatically be part of the new Abound program as Marriott Vacation Club Points - that I didn't have to purchase anything additional to have the ability to convert any developer purchased Vistana weeks into Marriott Vacation Club Points any time I wanted to (not that I would do that anyway - the conversion rate for my sheraton dessert oasis platinum week is pretty worthless in the "MVCP" system. The main benefit I would get is having enough points with my other weeks to have Select status and therefore, platinum bonvoy status. (At lease this is what the salesperson communicated to me - that at my current ownership, I will have an ownership that would be equivalent to around 6300 points in the "MVCP" system, and so would give me platinum tier status in Marriott.)

Is it other people's understanding that units purchased from the developer that are in the Vistana system will automatically be enrolled in the new Abound (the salesman was calling it Marriott Vacation Club Points) system when the rollout occurs in (hopefully) the next few days or weeks? Of course, we'll know soon enough. Interestingly, when I logged into my Vistana account today, I saw a screen message that there is a new Abound system coming soon with details to follow shortly.

Resale weeks don't qualify, but otherwise yes you can use the program

 

[jcflorian]

I am an owner at Westin Kaanapali Oceans North Villas (odd years- 2 br lo- 176,700 star options per use year
Also own even years (1 BR-Premium) at Westin Kierland Villas for October usuage. 44,000 star options per use year.

Has anyone heard anything about value of these 2 properties in terms of MVC pts. I would need a lot to give up Maui wk.

Thanks to all who reply.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

I am an owner at Westin Kaanapali Oceans North Villas (odd years- 2 br lo- 176,700 star options per use year
Also own even years (1 BR-Premium) at Westin Kierland Villas for October usuage. 44,000 star options per use year.

Has anyone heard anything about value of these 2 properties in terms of MVC pts. I would need a lot to give up Maui wk.

Thanks to all who reply.

There's a whole thread about it currently on this page.

Vistana to Abound Point Conversion Tracker

 

[dioxide45]

I am an owner at Westin Kaanapali Oceans North Villas (odd years- 2 br lo- 176,700 star options per use year
Also own even years (1 BR-Premium) at Westin Kierland Villas for October usuage. 44,000 star options per use year.

Has anyone heard anything about value of these 2 properties in terms of MVC pts. I would need a lot to give up Maui wk.

Thanks to all who reply.

No one has reported a 44,000 WKV value yet. It is your job to now find out

 

[lily28]

small platinum kierland 67100 option, 2150 marriott points

 

[Mroze]

small platinum kierland 67100 option, 2150 marriott points

Something doesn't add up.
WKV-2BR-PLATINUM+ [148100-SO] accrues 4050-DCP.
If the WKV-1BR-SMALL-PLATINUM+ [67100-SO] accrues 2150-DCP, does this mean that the 1BR-LARGE [81000-SO] accrues 1900-DCP?

 

[byeloe]

Something doesn't add up.
WKV-2BR-PLATINUM+ [148100-SO] accrues 4050-DCP.
If the WKV-1BR-SMALL-PLATINUM+ [67100-SO] accrues 2150-DCP, does this mean that the 1BR-LARGE [81000-SO] accrues 1900-DCP?

no, it seems that the two separate 1bd units will get more points combined than the 2BD.

 

[Mroze]

no, it seems that the two separate 1bd units will get more points combined than the 2BD.

Since I have a 2BR-LO-PLAT+ [4050-DCP], can I elect to convert ONLY the 1BR-SMALL-PLAT+ [2150-DCP] and retain the 1BR-LARGE-PLAT+ within VSN?

 

[dioxide45]

Since I have a 2BR-LO-PLAT+ [4050-DCP], can I elect to convert ONLY the 1BR-SMALL-PLAT+ [2150-DCP] and retain the 1BR-LARGE-PLAT+ within VSN?

I thought early on that you might be able to, but I suspect you won't. Otherwise why would anyone elect points for the entire 2BR. I suspect you will be required to elect the entire unit you own. Just like Marriott owners have to do.

 

[byeloe]

Since I have a 2BR-LO-PLAT+ [4050-DCP], can I elect to convert ONLY the 1BR-SMALL-PLAT+ [2150-DCP] and retain the 1BR-LARGE-PLAT+ within VSN?

If you have other Marriott ownership that allows you to purchase points, then you would be far better off to rent out your WKV and purchase the points when needed

 

[DanCali]

Since I have a 2BR-LO-PLAT+ [4050-DCP], can I elect to convert ONLY the 1BR-SMALL-PLAT+ [2150-DCP] and retain the 1BR-LARGE-PLAT+ within VSN?

I also own 2BR LO and have zero intention to ever convert them to 4050 DC points.

If I ever need more points I can rent out WKV Platinum for $4500 (conservative estimate) and use that cash to rent about 6400 points from others. Or, if 4050 DC points is sufficient, I can rent those for about $2800 and pocket the $1700+ difference.

So basically, every time you elect DC points for WKV you are leaving about $1700+ (or 2400 DC points) on the table.