Harborside Summer '16 availability

[LobsterHunter]

So every summer for the last several years we have been able to get a couple weeks in summer at Harborside in a 2br lock-off using SO's by being flexible and booking any time we could get it. However, looking ahead w/the online calendar, there is almost nothing available for most of the summer, mid June through mid August (except for the smaller 1br). Every other year I could see multiple units available at the 8+ month mark for most of the summer (except the 4th of July week). All those units booked up exactly at 8 months, but now there is almost nothing showing.

Why is there nothing available now??

 

[alexadeparis]

Better economy and/or ability to bank SO's? Just a guess.

 

[SMHarman]

And the part week bookings.

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[LobsterHunter]

Except, neither banking options or partial week bookings should have any effect yet, since the lack of online availability is more then 8 months out so partial week bookings and using banked options can not be in play. In fact, if a Harborside owner is banking his summer 2016 use, then shouldn't there be more availability showing at the 8+ point? (but I don't think they can't bank 2016 use, till 2016)

Call me cynical, but has *wood decided (found a way) to hold back availability so they can rent it out??

 

[SMHarman]

Yes they would. A family that could not afford to go in 15 banked their options giving you availability in 15. In 16 they can afford to go. They don't bank. You are shut out.
Further, those doing research may have discovered family fun or other rental routes.

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[tschwa2]

...or it could be the result of a glitchy system. I tried to book my platinum SBP palmetto a few weeks back. The online system showed availability for my home week reservation weeks 24-35 for any check in day for any week other than week 35. I called and every July week had availability with the exception of a couple of Saturday check ins.

If it still looks that way when the booking window is about to open up you may want to call the week before to check and then you will have to rely on calling in to reserve if it is available.

 

[LisaRex]

The window for booking SO exchanges for summer 2016 hasn't opened up yet, so it can't be related to competition due to banking. Nor can it be related to partial weeks because nobody, even owners, has the ability to book a partial week at this point in time.

My guess is that it has to do with in-season competition. Starwood designated "platinum" season at HRA as weeks 18-34, or the first of May through mid-August. However, weeks 25-34 (2nd full week of June to mid-August) are when most school kids are out for the summer, and those weeks will always be much more popular than May. (And a quick search of the OnLine tool confirms that.)

FYI, this is hardly a new phenomena in the TS industry. I read TUG that there are Marriott owners who actually buy a second "junk" week, just so they can book at 13 months out at their target home resort, and get a jump on single-week owners, because competition for summer weeks is so fierce. (Multi-week owners can book at 13 months instead of 12 months.)

I think Starwood owners lucked for many years because the system was in its infancy, and because the clunky call-in reservation system veiled how popular certain weeks were over others. As time goes by, I imagine it'll get even more difficult to book one of these prime weeks because more and more people, owner and exchangers alike, are catching on.

Personally, if I was chained to a school calendar, I wouldn't rely on exchanging in during the summer, unless I wanted to exchange to a resort where summer IS low-season, such as Colorado or a desert property. I'd own where I wanted to go most places. At HRA, I'd even consider buying a fixed week because exchanging is difficult and rental prices are astronomical.

 

[LisaRex]

Yes they would. A family that could not afford to go in 15 banked their options giving you availability in 15. In 16 they can afford to go. They don't bank. You are shut out.

Yes, but since this is the 3rd or 4th year of banking, we should have experienced equilibrium by now.

 

[SMHarman]

Not at 12-8 month's.

Further I would love to know how many options expire and by denomination.
Loose change, 67, 81, 148 and more.
Easier to forget about air mile like points in an account.

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[LobsterHunter]

Yes they would. A family that could not afford to go in 15 banked their options giving you availability in 15. In 16 they can afford to go. They don't bank. You are shut out.
Further, those doing research may have discovered family fun or other rental routes.

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I don't follow the timing of this being an issue? For me to have seen that Harborside owner's availability for 2015 (and same scenario for earlier years), they would have had to decide by about Oct of '14 that they were not going to be able to afford to go in '15, and then have pre-paid their '15 MF in Oct '14 and banked those options (a non-reversible decision) IF *wood would even let them do that. I can't imagine any Harborside owner doing that, much less multiple owners. Non-Harborside owners would have no effect on banking/availability at Harborside outside the 8 month window.

 

[czar]

So every summer for the last several years we have been able to get a couple weeks in summer at Harborside in a 2br lock-off using SO's by being flexible and booking any time we could get it. However, looking ahead w/the online calendar, there is almost nothing available for most of the summer, mid June through mid August (except for the smaller 1br). Every other year I could see multiple units available at the 8+ month mark for most of the summer (except the 4th of July week). All those units booked up exactly at 8 months, but now there is almost nothing showing.

Why is there nothing available now??

I just checked now and see 1, 2, and 3 br units avail from mid June until the end of June, didn't search past that timeframe. Says Low Avaialbility so will not be easy to get, but I recall seeing the same when I looked before the 8 month window opened last year.

 

[LobsterHunter]

Looking online now, there is not 1 single unit showing available beginning on June 12th all the way through Aug 14, when there is finally some "low availability" units. I know it has always been difficult to book, there has always been a few units available for almost every week, with low availability, except usually July 4th week.

 

[tschwa2]

I think it is just glitchy and the availability will be different if you call in. I see no availability for either Harborside (any size) or 2 br SBP during the summer. When I called there was availability. I messaged about the discrepancy last month and Starwood said they couldn't explain why units didn't show as available to book for me when there was available units but they would look into it.