Getaways vs Exchanges vs Purchase

[Piper]

I have exchanged my Ocean Beach Club week for this week at the Marriott Grande Ocean. I see that I could have purchased a week here thru the II Getaway program for $374 for the week. Since this is off season, it seems that there is lots of availability here -- and at other resorts. I am really enjoying everything about this stay and can imagine coming back again and I love it being the quiet off season!

I know there is some rule about not being about to return to the same resort every year, but I imagine I could purchase it as a Getaway in the future. Would I be any less likely to get the fabulous ocean-front room that I have if I come via that program?

If I really wanted to come in peak season, I would consider a purchase here -- or at a comparable Marriott resort. Given that I like off-season, it doesn't seem that there's an advantage to doing that.

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm still a relative newbie to all of this.

 

[gmarine]

II has no restriction on going to the same resort every year. You can confirm the same resort as many times as you like.

 

[Piper]

I thought I had read something on TUG about restrictions about repeated use. Was that for RCI instead of II?

 

[gmarine]

RCI has a 1 in 4 restriction for certain resorts which only permits one visit every 4 years. II has no such restriction.

 

[Dave M]

Also, you aren't likely to get an oceanfront unit with a Getaway. The reason you have one now is that Grande Ocean gives exchangers the same view owned by the owner who deposited the week you confirmed into. Thus, you got lucky! Getaways at GO don't get that benefit.

 

[CMF]

Also, you aren't likely to get an oceanfront unit with a Getaway. The reason you have one now is that Grande Ocean gives exchangers the same view owned by the owner who deposited the week you confirmed into. Thus, you got lucky! Getaways at GO don't get that benefit.

Confused again - nothing new.

Mr. Dave, what about the pecking order pertaining to room assignments? I.e., Marriott owners at the resort get preference over Marriott owners at another resort who get preference over non Marriott exchangers and like that?

It's de ja vu all over again.

Charles

 

[Dave M]

Charles -

See the first four paragrpahs in my post #8 (today) in this mthread. At GO, but not at all Marriott resorts, Marriott first assigns views. Owners get the view they paid for. Renters (from Marriott) get the view they paid for. Exchangers get the view that the GO owner deposited with II. Others, such as Getaway purchasers, fill in the empty holes. After that is done, then the specific requests that people make (e.g., high floor) are filled within the assigned view category.

 

[dioxide45]

Charles -

See the first four paragrpahs in my post #8 (today) in this mthread. At GO, but not at all Marriott resorts, Marriott first assigns views. Owners get the view they paid for. Renters (from Marriott) get the view they paid for. Exchangers get the view that the GO owner deposited with II. Others, such as Getaway purchasers, fill in the empty holes. After that is done, then the specific requests that people make (e.g., high floor) are filled within the assigned view category.

It was my understanding that the resorts see an exchange the same as a getaway. So for all intensive purposes an exchnage is the same as a getaway from the resorts point of view.

If I buy a getaway I can look up the room view associate with it just as I can with an exchange. So if the week that was deposited to make that getaway was ocean view, then one would get an ocean view. If the week that was deposited that was sold as a getaway was bulk spacebanked, then that may be different as Marriott would likely deposit lesser view weeks, but there is still a unit type associated with it.

 

[dioxide45]

I have exchanged my Ocean Beach Club week for this week at the Marriott Grande Ocean. I see that I could have purchased a week here thru the II Getaway program for $374 for the week. Since this is off season, it seems that there is lots of availability here -- and at other resorts. I am really enjoying everything about this stay and can imagine coming back again and I love it being the quiet off season!

I know there is some rule about not being about to return to the same resort every year, but I imagine I could purchase it as a Getaway in the future. Would I be any less likely to get the fabulous ocean-front room that I have if I come via that program?

If I really wanted to come in peak season, I would consider a purchase here -- or at a comparable Marriott resort. Given that I like off-season, it doesn't seem that there's an advantage to doing that.

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm still a relative newbie to all of this.

We travel a lot in off season and to Orlando. We have considered buying a cheap lock off week just for trading in to off season and in flexchange. However after much thought and consideration we are leaning against this. Being able to pick up great priced getaways for half of the maintenance fees is great and we don't have the MF commitment a purchase would saddle us with.

For us we will continue to buy II gold status so we can get $25 off each getaway. As long as you buy three getaways a year, it makes financial sense. There are not many added benefits other than the getaway discounts.

 

[CMF]

Charles -

See the first four paragrpahs in my post #8 (today) in this mthread. At GO, but not at all Marriott resorts, Marriott first assigns views. Owners get the view they paid for. Renters (from Marriott) get the view they paid for. Exchangers get the view that the GO owner deposited with II. Others, such as Getaway purchasers, fill in the empty holes. After that is done, then the specific requests that people make (e.g., high floor) are filled within the assigned view category.

Thank you Sir. Your energy, knowledge, and willingness to answer questions are amazing.

A follow up question if I may: Is there a method for identifying the unit you pulled in an exchange when trading into Marriotts that share GO's policy? Is it as simple as asking II?

Warm regards and thank you.

Charles

 

[Dave M]

No, the specific unit is assigned by the resort in accordance with the guidelines I posted above. Thus, II will never know what unit you are assigned to.

However, your confirmation from II will have a 4-letter/digit code for "unit type" (you can see it online) that corresponds to your view, assuming you exchange into a resort that has different designated "views". That code is only meaningful if the resort follows the same policy that GO does. Not all do. (Don't ask me which ones! )

And as for the meaning of those codes, which vary by resort, an easy one would be a code which included "OF" as part of it. But I think many of the codes are not decipherable by anyone other than the person that made up the codes and owners at the resort that happen to know them!

 

[FlyerBobcat]

A getaway to your home resort??

I seem to recall reading somewhere that purchasing a getaway to your home resort is not permitted. (A google in TUG was unsuccessful in finding this answer for me.)

Is this true, or not? Thanks

 

[Dave M]

Not true. You can purchase a Getaway to your home resort. Do it and enjoy it!

 

[CMF]

NEWS FLASH: DaveM Proven Mind Reader!

That code is only meaningful if the resort follows the same policy that GO does. Not all do. (Don't ask me which ones! )

Thank you Dave! How did you know I was going to ask?

Charles