I am rather surprised by this. I had two concurrent exchange requests in to Newport Coast for Memorial Week 2020. One using a 1BR MGV and the other a 2BR Harbour Lake. For whatever reason, II called me about these a few weeks ago. I usually don't put a lot in to the calls from II because they usually are just trying to offer some lesser resort or unit. I mainly had the two requests out there because I was hoping that I could get the 2BR Newport Coast using our 1BR deposit that also expires earlier than the 2BR. I knew I would have an upgrade fee.
, I said I was looking for concurrent weeks. The rep said they had a Newport Coast week with a Sunday checkin (which wasn't ideal for us as we would have preferred Saturday). I asked the rep if my 1BR unit would pull it and he said it would and made the trade. I just had to pay the $99 upgrade fee. I left the other request using the 2BR out there and glad I did. I really didn't need the second week. A couple days ago II called and left a message. I called them back and they said that they had another match. I am not sure why they didn't just match it automatically. I think it may have been because it was concurrent week requests with different checkin days. This time it was for the Saturday checkin. I asked them if I could instead retrade the prior trade using the 1BR in to the 2BR since I already had paid the upgrade fee. After being put on hold several times he confirmed the retrade and I asked him to cancel the other request. So this worked out great. Two matches to Newport Coast for Memorial week. I am sure someone else go the Sunday checkin that I tossed back.
So you are stating that resort location doesn't matter, or that the unit view doesn't matter?
I would not buy a 3 BR EOY for this. I might do a 2 BR EY and trade as a or 2 units on off years. You could also buy elsewhere maybe GC or somewhere you'd want to stay off years and trade to GV routinely. I likely would not join II just for 1 EOY trade so I'd go through an independent if needed. Or you could buy two EOY locations that you'd use both.
II does care, trade power is determined by location, unit size, lead time for the deposit and resort quality/rating. A points system is more honest, it may or may not be more fair depending.
I doubt we'll see big changes but I'm sure we'll see some, they'll have to run II independently and not just for the benefit of the MVC system or members. Almost no trades are truly equal and if they are, the fees and lower priority unit assignments make them not equal. As for trading say a high demand HI studio to a lower demand Orlando studio, I think most here would rent out the HI studio and look at other options to get the Orlando studio or they'd upgrade it where the fees make more sense. The RCI system works similar in many ways but does give you options and is a little more transparent. The way II currently works you may not qualify for a given exchange, or may only qualify as you get closer, but II won't tell you. So you may be waiting around for months waiting on an exchange you have zero chance of matching to because of trade power and/or resort quality while that unit may come and go several times and even go to a non Marriott exchanger rather than to a Marriott exchanger using a studio or any lower demand option.
I agree with you.
There really are 2 ways to look this, technically and practically. This issue has come up a few times since I've been routinely back on the boards here. If you get what you want then it really isn't an issue but in reality you don't know what you might have missed with even a modestly lower trade power, esp when trying to upgrade (size, season, resort quality). While things could have changed with II recently, as of a couple of years ago they had 2 general qualifying principles, trade power and resort quality and once determined, they worked somewhat independently. In some cases you might have the trade power but not sufficient (or too high) resort quality and you wouldn't match regardless or might match much later as they eased up requirements as the dates get closer. In the past II has had 2 internal resort quality rating systems that were not public, an ABC and a % one. Of course none of us have the actual information or likely know if they have made changes with the points, short stays and upgrade charges. I personally feel the technicalities are more important than some here do. The difference in a trade power of say 17 vs 24 (using RCI's TPU system as reference) likely won't make much difference for most things but it will for some things even with the internal MVC preference, esp when trying to upgrade size. That's why I'm skeptical about the touted trading for GC or Williamsburg, while it likely won't go the way of South Africa, I do think it'll make a difference in some cases even if only the speed at which you match.