Depositing a Willowridge week

[jdunn1]

Hi everyone. This is my first year owning a Marriott week. I took ownership of my week this past September and was able to reserve a late July 2011 week. I locked off the unit and deposited into II.

I wanted to reserve Memorial Day week or 4th of July week for 2011 but those weeks were gone by the time I called. For this year, I want to be better prepared.

For Willowridge owners, what week has given you the most trade power from II? According to II, Memorial Day week is the highest demand week but I was told by Marriott that so many owners book that week for exchanging, there is usually a surplus in II for that week. Looks to me like 4th of July would be a much better choice for trade power because in looking at getaway rates on II for Branson, the price for Branso goes up starting in late June. Also, there are no Marriott units in II for 4th of July week but there are still a few studios (maybe even a one bedroom) for Memorial Day week. What should I book for next year based on your experience.

My last question is for all owners. I just read in another post that it is advisable when locking off a unit to book the one bedroom for one desirable week and the studio for a different desirable week. Is that true? If so, what is the benefit of doing this.

Thanks for your help.

 

[hazpete]

I usually try to book the 4th of July week and a week in October. I have locked them off and then deposited them. I have always been able to trade for Hawaii, Cancun, or Puerto Vallarta (in Feb) for these weeks. Just last week, I had a trade into the Kauai Beach Club come through for my one-bedroom vilaa. I can't tell the difference in trading power in the different weeks I have been trading. It seems to be more important to put your request in well in advance of when you want to travel.

 

[jdunn1]

Thank you hazpete. This is great information for a newbie. Can I ask if you were able to trade-up in unit size outside of the flex time with your Willowridge week?

Also, is it better to deposit different weeks with your lock off? This is a brand new tactic/advice I just stumbled on and I do not fully understand why it is better to deposit two different weeks with the individual units from your lock off.

 

[hazpete]

When I was a newbie, I didn't understand the difference in sizes between the studio and 1-bedroom villa. Now that I do and think back, I think we have usually been given a same size unit. We may have gotten a 1-bedroom unit for a studio at Kauai, but don't quote me on that.

More recently, I put in a request for a trade of my studio to all the Marriott properties in Hawaii for a 3 week window next February about 5 weeks ago. Nothing has come through as yet. About 10 days ago, I did the same with a 1-bedroom unit and a trade came through in about a week for the Kauai Beach Club (which is our first choice anyway). These were both July 4 weeks at Willow Ridge.

I can't really help you with your questions about different dates. I haven't noticed any difference in trading success for my July 4 weeks and my October weeks.

 

[dougp26364]

If you go to the I.I. online resorts directory, there is a clickable link that shows the Trade Demand Index (TDI) for Branson. Generally speaking either week 19 or 20 (depending on how the year falls) typically has the highest rating for the TDI. While we don't own at Willowridge we do own a lessor resort in Branson. Reserving the highest TDI week has always garnered us some pretty decent exchanges.