HI,
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but since we bought our timeshare at HHI we've done 5 trades to Hawaii and am wondering if it would be advantageous to get a Marriott Hawaiian timeshare since we like going there so often.
If so, any idea on a reasonable trader for other Hawaiian resorts. I was initially thinking KoOlina, we really liked that resort and it has lock offs. Do they all trade well between each other? If you get an island view week, can you ever upgrade to an ocean view?
DC question. I'm looking at retirement, possibly trading to stay a month at a time. If you get DC points and get a 2 bedroom, can you then split that week and take two weeks with that as if you are an owner?
Open to all suggestions and strategies.
Keeping in mind this is only my personal opinion and nothing more.
1. I think the main reason to own any particular resort is to own the view you want rather than trading in and hoping you get a view of anything other than the parking lot. This may be especially true if it's a resort with high owner occupancy and/or your desired season is a high demand season.
2. If you like being higher up on the food chain as to getting a preferred location or view in your view category.
3. It's a resort you know you like, and want to go back to go back to that resort, more frequently than not.
As to buying a lower value week and getting bumped up to a better view, it's been my experience that Marriott always gives you the view you own. If you buy island view you would always be placed in an island view unit. It's the reason we purchased an ocean front unit at Ocean Pointe. We own a 3 bedroom lock-off. Even though we've locked off the unit many times we've ALWAYS been placed in the master suite for a 3 bedroom unit. We've never been placed in one of the other 2 bedroom ocean front units. Only the lock-off side of the 3 bedroom unit. My opinion is if you want the ocean view, buy the ocean view. If you're happy with an island view and buy an island view don't anticipate or expect you'll be bumped up to a better view when reserving and staying on your own time.
As to DC points: I like points in that I can reserve the view I want for as many or as few days as I want or can afford. Think of reserving with DC points like reserving a hotel room. You'll get the room you reserve for the amount of time you reserve it. Nothing more. There's no stretching a points reservation into more time. If you reserve a 2 bedroom unit for 2 weeks, that's what you'll get. You can't use points to reserve a 2 bedroom unit and then lock off that unit to get 4 weeks. You would need to make a points reservation for two weeks in a 1 bedroom unit and another points reservation for 2 weeks in a studio unit.....if that's the question your asking. I've been know to misinterpret meaning or intent in the past.
Which one would trade better? That's an entirely different can of worms. After nearly 20 years of owning timeshare I find it's impossible to anticipate much about exchanging. Some years it's very easy, others not so much. So many factors seem to play into it. Location, economy, the cost to get there and, in Hawaii the world economy, especially in Asia, can have a bigger impact on supply/demand than most continental USA resorts.