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Has Anyone Used their Marriott Property to Go to Grand Luxxe?

csalter2

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Has anyone been able to trade into the Grand Luxxe in Mexico? I went to the Vidanta sales presentation and saw the Grand Luxxe units. Those were the nicest units I have seen in the timeshare industry. That includes the Four Seasons and Hyatt. In fact, those two nlpale in comparison the to Grand Luxxe units. Now Vidante says that they are not a timeshare so I don’t know what they call those units, but I know they exchange like timeshares.

The made an interesting offer of taking my Ko Olina 2 bedroom off of my hands and gave it a value of $34,000 and then I would buy into their system and get a Grand Luxxxe 2 bedroom for $67,000. They had some sort of system in which one could get several weeks based upon some credit system. They showed how Marriott and other timeshare systems would be available to me through SFX. Also, they claimed no maintenance fees, but to make a reservation could cost anywhere from $675 to $1600 depending on the size of unit.

However, I just want to exchange and see if I could exchange there through II. I am not spending $67,000!
 

dcn

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Please don't waste your time. They are nothing like the Four Seasons. I own at the Four Seasons. I know. I have stayed at Grand Luxxe too several times. Yes, the units are nice. But that's it. Nothing more. The Four Seasons is famous for "service". You won't get that at any Vidanta resorts, even their Grand Luxxe. No, it's not hard to trade into Grand Luxxe. A few years ago, I traded using a "bonus" week. So you don't have to worry about it. I also own Marriott. But I used the worst weeks I have to trade into Vidanta Grand Luxxe. I don't use MY good timeshares: Four Seasons and Marriott.

AND PLEASE....DO NOT BUY!! There had been lawsuits agains this company. I have been to many presentations. I know.

I have heard of people who were told that their "other" weeks will be absorbed into Grand Luxxe, but that won't happen. I would trust a US timeshare company over a Mexican one. I would NEVER trust Vidanta.
 

lweverett

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Please don't waste your time. They are nothing like the Four Seasons. I own at the Four Seasons. I know. I have stayed at Grand Luxxe too several times. Yes, the units are nice. But that's it. Nothing more. The Four Seasons is famous for "service". You won't get that at any Vidanta resorts, even their Grand Luxxe. No, it's not hard to trade into Grand Luxxe. A few years ago, I traded using a "bonus" week. So you don't have to worry about it. I also own Marriott. But I used the worst weeks I have to trade into Vidanta Grand Luxxe. I don't use MY good timeshares: Four Seasons and Marriott.

AND PLEASE....DO NOT BUY!! There had been lawsuits agains this company. I have been to many presentations. I know.

I have heard of people who were told that their "other" weeks will be absorbed into Grand Luxxe, but that won't happen. I would trust a US timeshare company over a Mexican one. I would NEVER trust Vidanta.

If you should trade in you will pay a sizable resort fee based on the size unit you trade for. You will be in a beautiful unit but will have to take shuttles to get anywhere on the property. And you will not, as an exchanger, have access to the Grand Luxe or Grand Bliss beach clubs.
 
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TheTimeTraveler

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Has anyone been able to trade into the Grand Luxxe in Mexico? I went to the Vidanta sales presentation and saw the Grand Luxxe units. Those were the nicest units I have seen in the timeshare industry. That includes the Four Seasons and Hyatt. In fact, those two nlpale in comparison the to Grand Luxxe units. Now Vidante says that they are not a timeshare so I don’t know what they call those units, but I know they exchange like timeshares.

The made an interesting offer of taking my Ko Olina 2 bedroom off of my hands and gave it a value of $34,000 and then I would buy into their system and get a Grand Luxxxe 2 bedroom for $67,000. They had some sort of system in which one could get several weeks based upon some credit system. They showed how Marriott and other timeshare systems would be available to me through SFX. Also, they claimed no maintenance fees, but to make a reservation could cost anywhere from $675 to $1600 depending on the size of unit.

However, I just want to exchange and see if I could exchange there through II. I am not spending $67,000!




Definitely don't spent $67K. Keep in mind that Mexican Timeshares are Membership type Resorts and your membership is time limited. Marriott Ko Olina provides you with a Lifetime Deed under most circumstances.




.
 

csalter2

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Like I said, there is no way I am going to pay $67,000. I did experience the shuttles and it is pretty overwhelming. The property is huge. I would like to at least experience it. I could not fully grasp their system. I have read a little on the Mexico Timesharing forum, but I really wanted to hear more from Marriott owners who may have given their deed over or had exchanged there.
 

echino

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You Ko Olina has some resale value, while Grand Luxxe instantly devalues to zero the moment you buy it from the developer.

Their "trade in" value of $34,000 for your Ko Olina is a sham. They would give this "discount" for any timeshare, even a worthless one. It's a ploy to get you to think you are getting a deal.

You can rent Grand Luxxe from an owner for about the usage fee. I remember reading it was about $2,000 for a 2br.

You can also trade into Grand Luxxe via II in any season other than the very peak dates. You can use almost any timeshare to trade into Grand Luxxe, no need to waste your Ko Olina week for that.
 

NYFLTRAVELER

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Yes last year I traded 1500 of my DC points via II for a 1br Grand Luxxe Rivera Maya villa for a week in late August (this is considered off season there)

Was very happy with the trade.

However, from what I understand, it’s very difficult to trade into this property during peak season (November through April).
 

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I’ve seen some decent availability, but my concern was that there are some extra fees, plus II traders are barred from the best pool. Do you know if that is true? Also, do you know the difference between Grand Luxxe Jungle and Grand Luxxe Residence at the Riviera Maya?
 

ilene13

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I have used my Royal Resorts lock offs to trade into the GL 5 times,( 2 bedroom units each time), in both RM and PV. The resorts are terrific but last year they started charging a resort fee for exchangers and restricting use of some of the amenities for exchangers. I am not going to pay hundreds of $$ for a resort fee when I can’t even use part of the property. We won’t exchange to their resorts again.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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SFX exchanges have a $75 resort fee .

IMO -the lower resort fee is because of a better revenue split for Vidanta with SFX .
(SFX does have a higher exchange fee for Grand Luxxe than say Grand Mayan .)

IMO -If you have a week SFX wants - this will help facilitate getting the Vidanta brand and week you want .

1) Basically most exchanges into Vidanta are accesssing developer week inventory . All ownerships are RTU - float week / float unit .

2) If you use TUG TS arbitrage principles well -your net cost including the resort fee is likely about the same as a owner MF for the same unit .

3) IMO :while boots in beds during non -peak season helps the “hotel “side of Vidanta , the main reason that the developer fosters exchanges is to feed their Vida Sales machine .

The beach club exchanger restriction seems to be an RM high season restriction .
FYI - the pool hierarchy applies to owners as well . Owners cannot use pools of
Vidanta brands above their ownership brand level.
 
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pianodinosaur

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I traded a 1 bedroom gold week at Marriott’s Mountain Valley Lodge for a 2 bedroom unit at The Grand Luxxe Puerto Vallarta in June 2015. We used the same week to exchange into a 2 bedroom unit at The Royal Islander in June 2018. I thought the management at The Royal Islander did everything they could to make us feel welcome.
 

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SFX exchanges have a $75 resort fee .

IMO -the lower resort fee is because of a better revenue split for Vidanta with SFX .
(SFX does have a higher exchange fee for Grand Luxxe than say Grand Mayan .)

IMO -If you have a week SFX wants - this will help facilitate getting the Vidanta brand and week you want .

1) Basically most exchanges into Vidanta are accesssing developer week inventory . All ownerships are RTU - float week / float unit .

2) If you use TUG TS arbitrage principles well -your net cost including the resort fee is likely about the same as a owner MF for the same unit .

3) IMO :while boots in beds during non -peak season helps the “hotel “side of Vidanta , the main reason that the developer fosters exchanges is to feed their Vida Sales machine .

The beach club exchanger restriction seems to be an RM high season restriction .
FYI - the pool hierarchy applies to owners as well . Owners cannot use pools of
Vidanta brands above their ownership brand .

Thank you for your comments! Would SFX be more interested in Newport Coast Villas, Aruba Ocean Club, or Hyatt points? I’ve never used them.
 

ocdb8r

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SFX exchanges have a $75 resort fee .

IMO -the lower resort fee is because of a better revenue split for Vidanta with SFX .
(SFX does have a higher exchange fee for Grand Luxxe than say Grand Mayan .)

IMO -If you have a week SFX wants - this will help facilitate getting the Vidanta brand and week you want .

I would also suggest you check II and do the overall math - I just did a quick look and literally dozens of Grand Luxxe weeks available in II right now for just about every single season of the year (at several of their locations). As pointed out above, SFX charges a higher exchange fee but then ends up with a lower resort fee. II resort fees for the week are currently: STUDIO: USD 168, 1BED: USD 252, 2BED/LARGER UNITS: USD 420. Depending on unit size, you'll likely spend more with II but it may not be enough that it's worth the hassle of getting going with SFX (although I find them generally very pleasant to work with).

That said, I'll jump on the "don't bother" bandwagon. I agree that their units are gorgeous and the resorts themselves are also nice. However, I've stayed at both Riviera Maya and Nuevo Vallarta and as much as I (eventually) enjoyed my stay, the pressures, hassle and rigmarole of trying to check in and get settled WITHOUT agreeing to a sales presentation are exhausting. This combined with all the games being played on access to different areas of the resort, last minute switches to different phases (typically to the further away rooms if you didn't agree to a presentation) just adds a level of stress to my vacation planning that I am not willing to stomach dealing with Vidanta!
 

NYFLTRAVELER

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I’ve seen some decent availability, but my concern was that there are some extra fees, plus II traders are barred from the best pool. Do you know if that is true? Also, do you know the difference between Grand Luxxe Jungle and Grand Luxxe Residence at the Riviera Maya?

When we went we had access to the Grand Luxxe pool (which is no big deal). The fees at the time were I believe $40 or so a day, to me I had no objection. The Grand Luxxe jungle are repurposed roomed whichnwere originally intended to be something else ..... the rooms further away from the activities but are the newest built rooms.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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Vidanta through RCI

Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta can be accessed using the RCI resort code RB71
standard RCI exchange cost .

here are some examples of (current) TPU costs for a 2 bedroom .
12 TPU’s- Sept - Oct 2019
17 TPU’s- early -mid Dec.2019
11 TPU’s - May 2020

Vidanta resort fee - Nuevo property *
$630 - 2 bedroom
$378- - 1 bedroom
$ 252- studio- hotel room( no kitchen)

*Vidanta resort fee varies by property location . It is based on suite size and payment is due
14 days before check in .

As has been said - do the math and find your best cost option .

Historically Grand Luxxe was only available through II.
The RCI - RB71 resort code for GL NV has had unit availability for about 18 months .
RCI 6562 is Grand Bliss NV . There is a GB code for RM - but I personally have not seen units listing there in 18 months . There does not seem to be a RCI resort code for RM Grand Luxxe .

Regarding the check in dance - IMO the best option is to be polite and accept the room number given without comment .The moment you ask - “is this ocean view ? “ you are giving the person who’s job is to book you for a presentation (while assigning rooms ) - the opening to dance . That person works for the Vida Sales side of Vidanta .

FYI- the “ hotel side “ of Vidanta is interested in making you a happy guest . They have a separate management structure .
 

klpca

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Does anyone know if they pressure everyone into doing a presentation - even a group of women traveling without husbands? My husband and I did a trip to the Grand Mayan in 2013 and endured the "not doing a presentation" treatment (my husband plays the "no" game as well, if not better, than the salespeople - so everyone has fun, even sales). There are other places that we want to see, so we probably won't be returning but it might be an excellent place for a girls trip. If they would leave us alone at check in, that would be a plus.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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1) Does anyone know if they pressure everyone into doing a presentation - ....

2) ......If they would leave us alone at check in, that would be a plus.

1)- Yes
2)- No

- The person who assigns rooms at check in is the person who’s job is to convince you to agree to go to the presentation . Use the strategy I listed above and make sure everyone in your group understands how the system works .

IMO - there are no “ undesirable rooms or views “ / and if your group gets to the unit & thinks otherwise - you can always go to a presentation .

The actual front desk folks work for the “hotel side “.
The person who asigns you the room - works for Vida Sales .
 
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klpca

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1)- Yes
2)- No

- The person who assigns rooms at check in is the person who’s job is to convince you to agree to go to the presentation . Use the strategy I listed above and make sure everyone in your group understands how the system works .

IMO - there are no “ undesirable rooms or views “ / and if your group gets to the unit & thinks otherwise - you can always go to a presentation .

The actual front desk folks work for the “hotel side “.
The person who asigns you the room - works for Vida Sales .
Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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You can rent Grand Luxxe from an owner for about the usage fee. I remember reading it was about $2,000 for a 2br.

There are Grand Luxxe rentals in TUG Marketplace
click to Mexico & then Nuevo Vallarta .

There is also a indepentently run Vidanta-Grand Luxxe owners group called Aimfair / www.aimfair.com that has rentals .

renting from an owner may also get you amenities that are specific to the addendum
in that owners contract . xx number of free or discounted rounds of golf would be the most common .
 

bobpark56

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We have twice traded into the Riviera Maya Grand Luxxe...once to a 1BR unit, once to a 2BR. We used a gold week a Grande Vista for one of the trades and a Festiva unit for the other. Do not expect an upper floor, though. We found that they save those for owners. We found ourselves looking into the jungle rather than over the tops of the trees.
 

PamMo

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Carlito, we've used Interval to trade into Grand Luxxe six times (January/Easter/October/November). I've always split up a Vistana or Marriott 2BR lockoff and used one side to trade into a 3 or 4BR Grand Luxxe unit. Unfortunately, the fees to do that now are high (currently $118 upgrade fee to a 3BR + $209 Interval exchange fee + $630 weekly resort fee for Nuevo Vallarta vs $420 for Riviera Maya GL = $957 total fees added on top of my annual maintenance fee), but it definitely beats buying a Vidanta timeshare!

Perhaps it's dumb luck, but we've been assigned absolutely spectacular 3BR corner spa and 4BR residential suites every single time we've exchanged into GL. They are by far the nicest timeshares we've ever stayed in. Fortunately, we've also had full access to all of the amenities - the Beach Club in Riviera Maya was my kids/grandkids favorite pool area, and the private poolfront cabanas there are fantastic. As to Bobpark56's comment, in the Riviera Maya Grand Luxxe Residences, all the 4BR's are on the first floor, but that was OK because my grandkids LOVED watching the coatis, geckos, frogs, and birds in the jungle. The 4BR layout was identical to what we had in Nuevo Vallarta, but the NV 4BR's were on higher floors with views of the Ameca River, city, and Bay. I much prefer Puerto Vallarta over the Riviera Maya as a vacation destination.

As to the pressure to go on a timeshare presentation, I can honestly say we've never been bothered by them. We're invited to attend one at check-in, but I've politely declined and never get asked again. I unplug the room phones, so that might help keep them at bay.
 
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