Found an Advantage to Eliminating Vistana Elite Program!

[DanCali]

After retro'ing all of our weeks we were slightly above the 5-Star threshold (which was 649K SOs), but we are also way above the Chairman threshold due to our separate MVC ownership. If fact, we were Chairman level even without the Vistana weeks... Since 5-Star doesn't matter in any way anymore and not recognized at all I feel like downsizing one or two weeks we have been questioning whether or not to keep is a much easier decision! So, after being buyers-only since 2008, we may soon find ourselves on the opposite side of a trade.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

While the x-Star elite programs had some nice benefits I don't think any of them were sufficient enough to simply 'buy more' just to get there. Definitely not at developer prices and I'd probably still say not even at resale/retro prices when the additional MFs were taken into account. At owner presentations, whenever they tried to sell me more and cited x-Star status as one of the incentives I just shrugged my shoulders and said "So what!". I envisage doing exactly the same when they probably try to dangle Abound levels in front of me next month when we are on Maui.

 

[DanCali]

While the x-Star elite programs had some nice benefits I don't think any of them were sufficient enough to simply 'buy more' just to get there. Definitely not at developer prices and I'd probably still say not even at resale/retro prices when the additional MFs were taken into account. At owner presentations, whenever they tried to sell me more and cited x-Star status as one of the incentives I just shrugged my shoulders and said "So what!". I envisage doing exactly the same when they probably try to dangle Abound levels in front of me next month when we are on Maui.

I generally agree with you. When we did that, it was a very unique situation and we were able to get some "extras" that were also pretty unique. We asked for some things I never thought could happen, but they did, so we were happy with the transaction knowing fully about resale values etc. Unless you get another pandemic and their sales drop to near-zero, you're probably not going to see on their part that type of willingness to be creative just to close a deal.

But if you think the Vistana X-Star level weren't worth it, the Abound levels are worse... so, yeah don't be tempted and just say you learned that those levels could go away anytime, just like they did with Vistana...

 

[Ken555]

Sorry that you overbought and glad you found a way to rationalize selling the excess weeks.


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[timsi]

Marriot has a way to make money no matter what one does with their timeshares. Marriott makes money regardless of whether one buys more units, keeps or sells them, makes use of them or not, pays maintenance fees or forfeits.