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Help With Buying a Marriott T/S

gnorth16

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I curently own a Starwood and HGVC timeshare and I am looking at getting a Marriott timeshare. First, I am not interested in the points program and I will be buying resale. My primary purpose is for Marriott priority in II for more flexible exchanges since I like to pre plan as much as possible. Looking at either a 1BR or a 2BR L/O.

My questions.

1. Which of the Marriott resorts have the lowest MF's?
2. How often does Marriott exercise ROFR?
3. Is there a big difference in trading power between Platinum, Platinum Plus and Gold?
4. Is there a big difference between Platinum Resort A and Platinum Resort B in trading power?
5. Give it too me straight - What would you buy and why???

Mainly looking at trading via II into Marriott's in Hawaii, possibly Spain, Phuket (eventually) and in time I may sell my HGVC points if Marriott serves me well. I an very happy with Starwood and what it gives in II preference, I would love to get in with Marriott and get the same preference with even more resorts.

Everyone's input is appreciated.:)
 

jimf41

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1. Which of the Marriott resorts have the lowest MF's?

Manor Club, Branson and Mountainside.

2. How often does Marriott exercise ROFR?

Almost never lately

3. Is there a big difference in trading power between Platinum, Platinum Plus and Gold?

Yes

4. Is there a big difference between Platinum Resort A and Platinum Resort B in trading power?

Yes

5. Give it too me straight - What would you buy and why???

I would buy where I wanted to go. I would not buy for the purpose of trading. With the introduction of the points system trading your resort has an uncertain future. Most think it will decrease but who really knows. So far there have been several reports of folks still getting good trades with their units. How long that will continue is at best a guess on anybody's part.
 

dmharris

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If I were to buy today, I'd buy a 2 bedroom lock off because you'd get two weeks for the price of one. I've heard Canyon ?Ranch? in Arizona has good trade value for a lock off. If you don't mind risk, the 59 day exchange has netted me very nice trades with my 1 bedroom and lock off with a Grande Vista gold week.
 

MOXJO7282

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So much depends on your travel profile and when you want to go to Hawaii. If you want to/ can go in the Sept-early Nov timeframe a good to decent Marriott can get you there in a trade. A whole different story if you want to go in prime winter months where you ready need to own if you want to be guaranteed a good week.


Also a big factor is if you need a 2 BDRM or not, I always recommend to buy a 2 BDRM if you can afford, but they will cost more, but 1 BDRMs are much easier to get.
 

yumdrey

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I just bought another Marriott - Grand Vista 3 bedroom lock-off, platinum season.
It is every other year usage (even years).
I bought it because I already own 2 Grande vista weeks (one platinum 2BR L/O and one gold 2BR L/O) and have been pleased to own them.
I am using my Grande Vista weeks exclusively for exchanges and they gave me GREAT output.
In case exchanges don't meet my expectation, I can use GV weeks through Florida Club - reserve at Ocean Pointe or BeachPlace Towers in winter/early spring.

BTW, 2BR at GV has around $950 MF, and 3BR is around $1250.
 

jdunn1

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Look up my posts about why Willowridge is so great. Bottom line is a platinum lock-off can be had for about 1k, including closing. 2011 dues were $815, cheapest marriott dues by far.

You might hear a lot about why all the other inland marriott resorts are better than the others and probably EVERY marriott owner will but their resort above Willowridge but the bottom line is that all inland platinum marriott's trade the same, be it a Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Barnson, Williamsburg week, it doesn't matter. In II size matters most so if you want a 2 bedroom platinum week from say Hawaii, then you had best give II a 2 bedroom for that week. You can try to get that exchange with just the studio or one bedroom portion of your home week but more times than not you will wait a very long time for the trade and it may not happen. In II (at least for marriott) best to give up what you expect to get.

The II preference is back but it is still not as powerful as Starwood. Starwood seems to deposit very prime weeks a full year in advacne. Marriott tends to deposit a couple months, if not a couple weeks before check-in date, though we are starting to see some exceptions to this. Many more great marriott II weeks are getting deposited with full marriott preference now, though. Hopefully this will continue and even get better.

I will say that summer beach weeks (in full 2 bedrooms) in the Carolina's and winter ski weeks (in full 2 bedrooms) are all but impossible, even with Marriott preference. I do not follow the Hawaii weeks or out of state locations to give you any other examples of what NOT to expect, even with full marriott preference. II opperates on like for like, so beside size, if you want a beach week, anyone giving up a similar beach week wins and same thing applies to ski weeks and out of state resorts.

Regardless of what you buy, probably best to get a platinum week as the gold weeks, unless it is at a beach are pretty hard to unload, even at a "free" price.

Again, if you are so inclined, I have several posts where I explain what all I have been able to do with my platinum Willowridge week. I'm a big fan of that resort but any platinum marriott week will do, Willowridge just happens to be not only the cheapest to buy but also has the best ongoing costs.

-Jim
 

gnorth16

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I just bought another Marriott - Grand Vista 3 bedroom lock-off, platinum season.
It is every other year usage (even years).
I bought it because I already own 2 Grande vista weeks (one platinum 2BR L/O and one gold 2BR L/O) and have been pleased to own them.
I am using my Grande Vista weeks exclusively for exchanges and they gave me GREAT output.
In case exchanges don't meet my expectation, I can use GV weeks through Florida Club - reserve at Ocean Pointe or BeachPlace Towers in winter/early spring.

BTW, 2BR at GV has around $950 MF, and 3BR is around $1250.

Florida Club? Never Heard of it. Is that within Marriott ?

Always leery about an Orlando resort, since it is a flooded market. To put it into context, a 1BR Sheraton Desert Oasis netted me a 3BR Grand Vista Instant Exchange in Apr/May 2012. :D (Gold Week, I believe)

Maybe the trades "out of" GV are not related to the trades "in to" GV?
 

gnorth16

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Jdunn - Willow Ridge

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marriott-Wi...Timeshares&hash=item231622a9ff#ht_5189wt_1270

There is one more identical for sale, but I refuse to hyperlink it or bid since I refuse to deal with the associated closing company.

Could be interesting.

So all inland Marriott's trade the same?

How about an Inland Platinum vs a Coastal (mainland) Gold ?

The drawbacks are that I can't see myself going to Branson if a trade was not in the works. Many advocate buying a TS that you would use first, trade second. Another thing is that I would like get a place that rents out higher than the MF's in case I don't use it. I would have to check Redweek and TUG classified, but Branson rentals don't look to be break-even ventures. (Just want to cover all my bases).

It is the closest Marriott at a 17 hour drive from home.:eek:
 
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kds4

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I just bought another Marriott - Grand Vista 3 bedroom lock-off, platinum season.
It is every other year usage (even years).
I bought it because I already own 2 Grande vista weeks (one platinum 2BR L/O and one gold 2BR L/O) and have been pleased to own them.
I am using my Grande Vista weeks exclusively for exchanges and they gave me GREAT output.
In case exchanges don't meet my expectation, I can use GV weeks through Florida Club - reserve at Ocean Pointe or BeachPlace Towers in winter/early spring.

BTW, 2BR at GV has around $950 MF, and 3BR is around $1250.

I echo Yumdrey's experience. We own a 3BR Platinum at Grande Vista (MGV) and are in the process of closing on a second 3BR Gold at MGV we picked up on Ebay. Our approach is to buy to stay first, trade second. Our stays have been great and our trades even better (especially when you consider we are trading with partial lock-offs effectively doubling our stays).
 

yumdrey

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To put it into context, a 1BR Sheraton Desert Oasis netted me a 3BR Grand Vista Instant Exchange in Apr/May 2012. :D (Gold Week, I believe)

Maybe the trades "out of" GV are not related to the trades "in to" GV?

Getting GV (even during platinum season) is quite easy, even for 3BRs.
However, if you are concerned with Orlando trade power, you can reserve a week at Ocean Pointe or Beach place Tower by using FL Club and deposit that week, those weeks are very strong and not easy to get!
 

jdunn1

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If you can buy something you would be happy staying at then by all means, that is the way to go. Branson is a very nice resort, and the grounds and pool are top notch. I guess the rooms are not updated with new counters or cabinents and that is a cause of concern for some people but not me. I'll take the lower dues and gorgeous grounds over a new kitchen any day. Heck, most of the older DVC resorts still have original counters and cabinets and such and I do not think they are any less quality than Marriott.

I didn't know renting was something you wanted to do. Definately, Willowridge will not rent for much of a premium over dues. My guess is that the tennis tournament weeks in Palm Springs would rent the best and some people have luck renting certain weeks at the Phoenix Marriott. Renting anything but a prime ski week or summer beach week in the Carolinas or platinum Aruba week is a tough task, in my oppinion. Of all the people who post about renting, seems like they are mostly summer Carolina week owners and Aruba owners. I am far from a rental expert, though.

Ebay is by far the cheapest way to get a Willowridge week (any Marriott, really) but I used Sumday Vacations and was really happy with them. But, if it's not someplace you would ever want to stay and you want to rent then I wouldn't buy one. I bought for trading, only but I would go there one year, if I had to. I have no regrets and if I find the trading thing isn't working out, I can always just give that week away or at least sell it for a few dollars and probably be rid of it in a couple weeks. Not so true for other weeks, even gold Marriott weeks.

The best gold Marriott weeks in my oppinon would be the Carolina weeks. There are some high value rental weeks in there but the competion to book those weeks is fierce. Also, you are looking at buy in costs around 7k for those weeks verses 1k or less for Willowridge, Manor Club, or a host of the Florida orlando properties and I think the Marriott Panama City property. The desert platinum weeks are going for more than the other inland Marriotts for now, but who know what prices will do in the future.

No matter what you buy, I think you will find trading in II to be very successful. A few years ago, when Marriott prices were much higher I was looking into a white Desert Springs I week. At that time I read many posts from people who routinely traded that week for Hawaii and with Desert Springs I, you have the added benefit of using RCI, if you ever want to.

Good luck.




http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marriott-Wi...Timeshares&hash=item231622a9ff#ht_5189wt_1270

There is one more identical for sale, but I refuse to hyperlink it or bid since I refuse to deal with the associated closing company.

Could be interesting.

So all inland Marriott's trade the same?

How about an Inland Platinum vs a Coastal (mainland) Gold ?

The drawbacks are that I can't see myself going to Branson if a trade was not in the works. Many advocate buying a TS that you would use first, trade second. Another thing is that I would like get a place that rents out higher than the MF's in case I don't use it. I would have to check Redweek and TUG classified, but Branson rentals don't look to be break-even ventures. (Just want to cover all my bases).

It is the closest Marriott at a 17 hour drive from home.:eek:
 

gnorth16

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I echo Yumdrey's experience. We own a 3BR Platinum at Grande Vista (MGV) and are in the process of closing on a second 3BR Gold at MGV we picked up on Ebay. Our approach is to buy to stay first, trade second. Our stays have been great and our trades even better (especially when you consider we are trading with partial lock-offs effectively doubling our stays).

Are all Orlando resorts part of the Florida Club?

How can you trade within Marriott Fl Club and then deposit a week at Ocean Pointe? Is that completely above board with II? How does that show up in your II account?
 

brigechols

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Are all Orlando resorts part of the Florida Club?

How can you trade within Marriott Fl Club and then deposit a week at Ocean Pointe? Is that completely above board with II? How does that show up in your II account?

Legend's Edge, Ocean Pointe, Grande Vista, Beach Place Towers and Villas at Doral are in the Florida Club. You can make a Florida Club reservation through Marriott no earlier than six months before the checkin date. Reservation must be in the same season that you own. There is a separate entry on the II My Units page for the Florida Club. A deposited Florida Club week will show up in that area.
 

gnorth16

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Legend's Edge, Ocean Pointe, Grande Vista, Beach Place Towers and Villas at Doral are in the Florida Club. You can make a Florida Club reservation through Marriott no earlier than six months before the checkin date. Reservation must be in the same season that you own. There is a separate entry on the II My Units page for the Florida Club. A deposited Florida Club week will show up in that area.

Thanks. Very important information in my decision making process.

Is there an extra charge for this?
 
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m61376

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Think about what you are looking for in a vacation...

First and foremost, I'd consider where I'd like to go at least some of the time, and when I'd want to go there. It is nice to know that you own somewhere nice to visit and that you don't always have to worry about exchanging.

That said, I'd let that guide me as to what season to buy. Plat. Plus weeks generally have higher trade power (although at many resorts the TDI in II may be the same or higher with certain Plat. weeks), but they also cost more to buy. If you need or want to travel those weeks, then the premium may be worth it, but don't buy Plat. Plus just for trade power. Similarly, at a given resort Plat. generally trades better than Gold, but at many resorts there are Gold weeks of equal or even better trade value than some Plat. weeks at the same resort; II's designations and Marriott's don't always correlate. Also, certain Gold weeks may have higher trade value than Plat. weeks elsewhere, so there more involved than simply deciding on which season is best.

Basing a purchase purely on MF's doesn't make sense to me either, especially since none of the MF's are particularly low these days. While I wouldn't buy a resort with high MF's if I was intending to trade most years, I also wouldn't choose a location I was less apt to visit just because the MF's were lower.

Think about the kind of vacation you are looking for, and try to hone in on a location that you could foresee enjoying revisiting. If that doesn't work for you, then I think there are two other basic approaches that have been touched upon by others above: either buying a more reasonable week both price wise and MF wise that will hopefully get you the trades you are looking for or buying a more expensive week, which is more of a tiger trader so to speak, but that you can also opt to rent if trading in II dries up in the future. Included in the latter would be the Plat. ski weeks, Hawaii weeks (but the MF's are very high and I wouldn't recommend purchasing them except for use), Plat. Caribbean weeks esp. Aruba weeks (they command higher rentals), Plat. HH/OceanWatch weeks, and certain Gold weeks as long as high demand weeks are reserved (Gold Aruba weeks with summer reservations, Gold HH weeks with end of August reservations, etc.).

Also- something important to consider when talking about trading is where you'd like to go and when you'd like to visit. If you are looking for high demand times your needs are different than if you have greater flexibility. Similarly, it is always easier to get studios or 1BR's than 2BR's, so your trading success will also depend upon your needs.
 

gnorth16

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I mentioned before that the option of renting out the unit was important. Starwood lets owners book third party exchanges for free, does Marriott do the same as well or is a fee applied for a guest certificate like HGVC?
 

m61376

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I mentioned before that the option of renting out the unit was important. Starwood lets owners book third party exchanges for free, does Marriott do the same as well or is a fee applied for a guest certificate like HGVC?

Marriott allows you to rent any unit that you have booked and, as posted above, will add the renter's name to the reservation.

Neither with Starwood or Marriott can you rent third party exchanges (ie- exchanges made via II), since it is against II's rules. Many people do, but you risk the reservation and/or your account being cancelled.
 

gnorth16

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TDI in II

So how or where do you determine the TDI ( not even sure what it stands for) for a unit in II? When I bought my SDO I was told it was a good trader and based my decision on that. This time around I would like to be more informed.
 

capjak

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I also own a 3 bedroom EOY Grand Vista even year and have been happy with it but I have only used it to trade for 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom after splitting it into 2 units in Orlando thus far. I can usually see other locations but have not exchanged there.

If you do not see yourself ever going to Orlando and you definitely will rent it out, Orlando is not the place to purchase.

The best rentals are in high demand locations and are also good traders but tend to also be higher maintenance fees (i.e. Hawaii) so not a good value trader.

In regards to florida club I have never tried to use it so it is an option I just do not know how easy/difficult it is to get a good week at another high demand location like Ocean Point.
 

pwrshift

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Buy where you'd be happy going every year...including the future when kids leave the nest. Beach is prime over inland IMO.

Personally I wouldn't buy any other Marriott and will probably dump my 6 Marriott's within the next few years. Marriott is raising MF even on the 'lesser' resorts to make them all come closer to the MF on their point system. JMHO. At some future date it will probably cost too much for MF that you'll be able to rent for less...heck, we're already there according to eBay prices. Marriott is a leader of the past and will probably off load their TS to another developer.
 

gnorth16

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Legend's Edge, Ocean Pointe, Grande Vista, Beach Place Towers and Villas at Doral are in the Florida Club. You can make a Florida Club reservation through Marriott no earlier than six months before the checkin date. Reservation must be in the same season that you own. There is a separate entry on the II My Units page for the Florida Club. A deposited Florida Club week will show up in that area.

So all the coastal properties (except Crystal Shores) and GV. For Orlando, why only GV and not Lakeshore Reserve, Harbour Lake, Cypress Harbour and the Palms?

Does that put a premium on GV? An EOY Platinum Harbour Lake is going on eBay, unbidded with 2 hours left. If HL was in the Florida club, it would probably solidify my decision. I found it very tough to book a coastal 2BR porperty in Florida for the last week of April. That seems like a great perk IMO.
 

windje2000

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So all the coastal properties (except Crystal Shores) and GV. For Orlando, why only GV and not Lakeshore Reserve, Harbour Lake, Cypress Harbour and the Palms?

Does that put a premium on GV? An EOY Platinum Harbour Lake is going on eBay, unbidded with 2 hours left. If HL was in the Florida club, it would probably solidify my decision. I found it very tough to book a coastal 2BR porperty in Florida for the last week of April. That seems like a great perk IMO.

Not all Grande Vista weeks are eligible for Florida Club.

There's a post somewhere on this board that discloses the unit numbers which are eligible and which are not eligible.
 

gnorth16

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Not all Grande Vista weeks are eligible for Florida Club.

There's a post somewhere on this board that discloses the unit numbers which are eligible and which are not eligible.

Found it!

�� The following villas at Marriott’s Grande Vista are NOT Florida Club eligible:

Bldg 80, Villa Numbers: 5102, 5103, 5104, 5105, 5106, 5107, 5202, 5203, 5204, 5205, 5206, 5207, 5302, 5303, 5304, 5305, 5306, 5307, 5401, 5501, 5601, 6121, 6122, 6123, 6124, 6125, 6126, 6221, 6222, 6223, 6224, 6225, 6226, 6321, 6322, 6323, 6324, 6325, 6326, 6427, 6527, 6627

Bldg 81, Villa Numbers: 1101, 1103, 1105, 1107, 1109, 1111, 1201, 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209, 1211, 1301, 1303, 1305, 1307, 1309, 1311, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410

Bldg 94, Villa Numbers: 4120, 4121, 4124, 4125, 4128, 4129, 4220, 4221, 4224, 4225, 4228, 4229, 4320, 4321, 4324, 4325, 4328, 4329, 4420, 4421, 4424, 4425, 4428, 4429, 4520, 4521, 4524, 4525, 4528, 4529
 
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