Event Weeks

[SteveS1]

I'm trying to understand what "Event Weeks" mean.

I own at SVR and am looking to increase my staroptions and am considering a 1-bedroom premium resale at Harborside worth 81K staroptions, given that is probably the most likely place I would want to go to regularly after Orlando.

The Harborside property is platinum week Floating (Harborside P2) - weeks 1-17, 50-52. How do I know if Xmas week is an "Event Week", and does an "Event Week" mean I will never be able to request it if my deeded week is week 13? Or, based on your experiences will I able to float into week 51-52 (whichever one is Xmas week), as long as I call at 9am on the same day exactly 12 months earlier? Any help/advice would be appreciated, since I wouldn't want the platinum week for 1-17, but I would want to go there when my kids are not in school, 50-52 Thanks!

 

[jerseygirl]

The most important consideration is to determine if it's Phase One (fixed to 13, ability to float within season two months ahead of non-HRA StarOption traders ---- but the float feature almost never works because owners use or rent their weeks, especially popular weeks like Easter, peak-summer, Xmas and NYs) or Phase Two (pure float - early bird gets the worm when making reservations exactly one year in advance).

If Phase One ... You should absolutely not count on being able to get anything but your week (and maybe cold, non-holiday weeks in Jan/Feb).

Not sure if Phase Two pure floats include Xmas and NYs - hopefully a Phase Two platinum owner will be along to give you the facts.

 

[Twinkstarr]

The most important consideration is to determine if it's Phase One (fixed to 13, ability to float within season two months ahead of non-HRA StarOption traders ---- but the float feature almost never works because owners use or rent their weeks, especially popular weeks like Easter, peak-summer, Xmas and NYs) or Phase Two (pure float - early bird gets the worm when making reservations exactly one year in advance).

If Phase One ... You should absolutely not count on being able to get anything but your week (and maybe cold, non-holiday weeks in Jan/Feb).

Not sure if Phase Two pure floats include Xmas and NYs - hopefully a Phase Two platinum owner will be along to give you the facts.

Phase 2 float includes 51-52, because of our "floating spring break" I looked at Phase 2.

 

[jerseygirl]

Phase 2 float includes 51-52, because of our "floating spring break" I looked at Phase 2.

Nice! Steve - sounds like you're safe if it's a Phase Two. Probably booked for 2012 though.

 

[SteveS1]

Nice! Steve - sounds like you're safe if it's a Phase Two. Probably booked for 2012 though.

Thanks (fellow Jerseyan!) I will try for 2013. I've owned SVR for 15 years and never had a problem exhanging to Xmas there..through RCI. This is my first year in SVN and hoping to "branch out" (with the extra points) and try the ski resorts, etc. I'll see how it goes , just paid to become a TUG member last night so I can report back...

 

[LisaRex]

Thanks (fellow Jerseyan!) I will try for 2013. I've owned SVR for 15 years and never had a problem exhanging to Xmas there..through RCI. This is my first year in SVN and hoping to "branch out" (with the extra points) and try the ski resorts, etc. I'll see how it goes , just paid to become a TUG member last night so I can report back...

Welcome to Tug, Steve!

FYI, I've not had much success trying to exchange into ski weeks using SVN. Admittedly, I did not call daily, however I did call just about every Friday and Saturday morning. There was never anything available during Jan/Feb/March.

However, were you to own at Harborside (HRA), that opens up your options a bit. You can do something creative like offering up a prime week at HRA in direct exchange for a prime ski resort (using TUG exchange boards). Or, you can simply book a week at HRA, rent it out, then use the proceeds to rent a week of your choice at one of the ski resorts.

To accomplish this, check out the classifieds here on TUG (you get free ads with membership), or at another popular website called Redweek.com. This site caters to people wanting to rent/buy/sell their timeshares. Unfortunately, you cannot view ads at Redweek without paying for a subscription, but I've personally found it to be worth the price ($9.95 for 6 months or something like that).

Hope this helps!

Lisa (from Ohio)

 

[SteveS1]

Welcome to Tug, Steve!

FYI, I've not had much success trying to exchange into ski weeks using SVN. Admittedly, I did not call daily, however I did call just about every Friday and Saturday morning. There was never anything available during Jan/Feb/March.

(from Ohio)

Thanks Lisa. That's interesting, since my 2br SVR off season (week 49) I was able to exchange to 2br at Lake Tahoe during Xmas week through RCI by combining 2 of my weeks. Admittedly not Starwood quality, but it was nice and had beautiful views. I was expecting SVN to be easier to get into, but I guess the owners in CO mostly use their weeks.

Anyway I appreciate the advice..

 

[SteveS1]

Nice! Steve - sounds like you're safe if it's a Phase Two. Probably booked for 2012 though.

I continued reading the threads on this forum from the past few years (all quite informative and some entertaining btw!), and I came across this one:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132414

Posts number 11,17 and 18 contradict the replies I received on this thread.

Im hoping that someone who owns HRA P2 Platinum can let me know their experience getting weeks 51 or 52. Calling on Dec 25 ( for example), have you been able to reserve Dec 25 for the next year? I'm curious since that is the week I most want to visit there. Thanks..

 

[jerseygirl]

It's true we've seen "both stories" (phase two event weeks are fixed/not fixed) for years. I would contact Starwood and get an answer in writing, asking them them, for example, How many phase two (insert size) "pure float week 52" units were sold?

 

[komosatp]

I had a thread about this a few weeks ago.

Here's my correspondence:

Posted by: Owner Services 01-19-2012 9:50 a.m. Eastern
Dear ...,

Thank you for contacting Starwood Vacation Ownership.

The Harborside Resort at Atlantis does not have Event Weeks; therefore, based on availability, you may make a reservation request for the arrival of March 30, 2013 for a seven night stay.

Please refer to your online vacation planner at mystarcentral.com/owner_edu/index.jsp (copy and paste the URL into your browser), and submit your Home Resort Preference Period reservation request within 12-8 months of your requested arrival date.

We hope you found this information helpful.

...

Should you need further assistance, please contact Owner Services at:

Harborside Resort at Atlantis
877-782-7496
407-903-4893

The hours of operation for Owner Services are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Andino
E-Communications Specialist
Owner Services
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by: Owner 01-18-2012 11:30 a.m. Eastern
I am an owner at Harborside, Phase 2, Platinum Plus season. In 2103 I hope to to use my ownership interest for week 13, March 30 - April 6, 2013. Is this week at Harborside considered Event or Ultra Premium? Or does it have the same general availability as an other week in the Platinum Plus season?

I fully understated that actual availability is based on available inventory when I request a reservation.

Thanks

 

[tschwa2]

I had to page through the 9 pages of the 5* guide but I remembered SDKath saying that for a 10% premium Starwood would fix a floating week or a floating unit. So although these weeks may not have been sold by Starwood as event or ultra premium weeks, savvy owners may have been able to buy these deeded weeks and pay the premium to make them fixed weeks. In that case not all units would be available to platinum floating phase 2 owners. Most owners probably wouldn't know enough to do this but I'm sure some have if the option was available at Harborside.

The context of this thread was to get the purchase above the cost threshold to retro another unit but I believe SDKath mentioned it in other instances as well.

 

[SteveS1]

I had a thread about this a few weeks ago.

Here's my correspondence:

Hi komosatp, Yes, looks like you and I are trying to figure out the same thing. Thanks for forwarding your correspondence. I am wondering if the owner services rep was focusing on the term "Event Weeks", and didn't consider/mention whether HRA sells "Premium Weeks". The other threads here have discussed it, saying HRA does sell "Premium Weeks", even in what is supposed to be a pure "float" period such as HRA Phase 2 (platinum, weeks 1-17,50-52), such as Chrismas week at HRA for 10% surcharge.


I think the March scenario is different than Christmas though, since spring breaks are not always the same week. In my town, 2013 spring break is the week before yours (its week 12, starting March 21).

I don't actually own the HRA platinum week yet, I have the rights to the 2012 week from an ebay auction I recently won. I am planning to have the transfer company call on March 21 to book for March 21 2013 (have them call right at 9am). Assuming it goes through, then I'll call back myself on December 21 (assuming my deed goes through by then) to see if I can change to Christmas week which is really what I want sice my oldest son starts college next year and we don't yet if his spring break schedule will match the town's.

I will try HRA owner services like you did and pose the question using the term Premium week and ask about Christmas. I'll keep you "posted". Thanks again!

 

[PamMo]

Harborside may not have true "event weeks", but a number of units were sold as Ultra Premium weeks. Our HRA unit is automatically reserved for us to use every year - fixed week/fixed unit. We don't ever need to confirm our reservation (although because we own several SVO weeks, we've done it out of habit - and they remind us we don't have to). I wonder how many Christmas/NY weeks are pure float? Tuggers have been able to book those weeks, so we know there is at least some availability.

 

[komosatp]

Harborside may not have true "event weeks", but a number of units were sold as Ultra Premium weeks. Our HRA unit is automatically reserved for us to use every year - fixed week/fixed unit. We don't ever need to confirm our reservation (although because we own several SVO weeks, we've done it out of habit - and they remind us we don't have to). I wonder how many Christmas/NY weeks are pure float? Tuggers have been able to book those weeks, so we know there is at least some availability.

What Phase is your unit?

 

[jerseygirl]

I am planning to have the transfer company call on March 21 to book for March 21 2013 (have them call right at 9am). Assuming it goes through, then I'll call back myself on December 21 (assuming my deed goes through by then) to see if I can change to Christmas week which is really what I want sice my oldest son starts college next year and we don't yet if his spring break schedule will match the town's.

Although that's the correct strategy, you actually lower your chances for a successful exchange if the agent has to cancel the March week before he/she can book the Christmas week. That takes a few moments/minutes, and there's a very good chance the Christmas weeks, if any, will be gone by the time the process is completed.

What could work would be to cancel your March week a minute or two before close of business on December 20th. The would make the SOs available -- and the agent could immediately grab a Christmas week if it's available. If there's nothing available, you'd have a decent shot at getting your March week re-booked since you'd know an exact date of theoretical availability. But, it's a risk, no matter how you do it. The agents do not have the ability to "hold" a week for you while they cancel your other reservation ... so you can in fact lose both weeks using your strategy.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer ... but it has happened to me with summer weeks (I was able to get my just cancelled reservation back).

It might be "less likely" to happen with end-of-the-year reservations since most owners should have booked their weeks prior to December 20th ... which could (theoretically) put everyone in the same "need to cancel first" situation.

Have you thought about just buying a phase one fixed week 51?