Hivc hicv Holiday Inn Lake Geneva Questions

[alexadeparis]

Looking at a unit currently being told it is a one bedroom float week 1-52 at the Lake Geneva HIVC. I looked at the points chart and have a few questions. First, there are several distinct seasons and therefore 1-52 doesn't make sense, and secondly, did all units sold there come with HIVC points or were there some units that were sold without points?

Also, generally, it says you can book less than seven nights with points but I don't see any daily values in any of the charts?!?! How do you know what the breakdown is? I would assume that weekends are more than weekdays but is there a consistent formula? Like 25% of points for each fri or sat and 10% for sun -Thursday? (p.s. I just totally made this up)

If the unit came with points I would want to actually book an annual 3 day weekend in a 2 bedroom there, not be stuck with one week in a one bedroom, so trying to figure out if this is possible with what I am looking at.

 

[Tank]

Send me a email and I'll send you the points breakdown chart for Lake Geneva per season It is points and can reserve min 2 night trips. They are still called Marcus points. say 8000 = 100,000 HIVC points (use Marcus points X 12.5)

a two bedroom lockout ( looks like all one bedrooms) Deluxe and reg
needs 97,000 points to 244,000 points for a week.
Say if it was 100.000 points for a week (easy math)
Sun to thursday (5 nights) use 50,000 points. Fri / Sat night use 50,000 pts.

This is pretty much how all the HIVC points work at the resorts, and those points could get you in all the HIVC's.
Buying points here is not suppose to help with higher status for discounts thru HIVC though.

 

[alexadeparis]

So there were some units before Holiday Inn through a company named Marcus? That's good to know. Would they automatically be part of HICV or would those owners have had to enroll?

 

[Tank]

Marcus is the name before HIVC bought them and pretty much still goes by it. You will find more on marcus than Holiday Inn

They are all automatically HIVC, but they will say Marcus till the sale and they put it in your name. I'm pretty sure mine still say Marcus.

 

[tschwa2]

This is what I've pieced together about Lake Geneva. They were originally developed and sold by Marcus Vacation Club. This seemed to be a points club as well. Orange Lake Vacation Club (predecessor of HICV selling RCI global points) came in and offered conversions with additional purchase of points in Orlando. Most said no. By 2011, they offered (forced) conversion for free. I don't believe owners had a choice to decline. One thing you have to worry about is I don't think Marcus owners had to buy a full weeks worth. I've seen past ebay sales for as little as 15,000 Holiday Inn points- which would be the equivalent of 7,500 RCI points. So yes you may be able to book 1-52 during the home access window, but only up to the number of points you have.

With HICV, if you are booking less than 7 nights whether at your home resort or anywhere else in the system, you can do so beginning at 10 months prior.

You would need to see how many Holiday Inn points come with the contract you are thinking of purchasing and make sure that is enough for what you want.

 

[Tank]

that is correct , 2 bedroom most HIVC locations 170,000 points for a week, prime time.
those little 15,000 points are almost useless (and tax wise pricy )

annual membership cost $126 a yr , plus $59 reservation fee and $35 point shield to protect your vacation if you had to cancel your trip.

 

[alexadeparis]

So there may not be an advantage to me buying that location if I only want to book a weekend, it doesn't keep home resort priority, if I understand you. So if I want to book a 2 bedroom in the highest season for Friday and Saturday, then I would want 122,000 points? And it wouldn't matter which resort I bought (south beach smoky mountains or lake Geneva ) as long as I make sure I get 122,000 points, right?

 

[Tank]

The advantage of buying at that resort you want is that you can book 12 months out,as a owner @ that resort.
The catch is it must be booked for 7 nights, check in Fri , Sat, Sunday 12 months out. You can not change the booking at a later date. You can cancel your reservation , rebook if one is available but you wouldn't do this if one was not available.

At ten months out open booking takes place. you may not be able to get what you want at ten months out if it is a real hight demand week.

If you only want a weekend, go to the web-sight and see what it would cost you to rent from Lake Geneva straight out. You probably would save money , Or find someone like myself to book it 10 months out

I sent you a email on this comparison, points are points so it would not matter where you bought if they offer in points.

 

[alexadeparis]

I took a look at the direct booking rates, they seem double the MF. Yikes!

OAN, I have been looking on Ebay at the packages available. Although I have seen some South Beach units and Smoky Mountain units advertised, some of them do not have points, even though they are supposed to be mandatory, and once again the season float ranges don't match the HIVC chart.

What is the history of those two resorts? Were they, like Lake Geneva, something else prior to becoming HIVC and were they forced to join HIVC (like I read about Lake Geneva on an archived thread)? The sellers seem to think there are no points attached to these units. It would be sweet if they were wrong and I could get a unit under the radar.

 

[tschwa2]

South Beach and Smoky mountains still have fixed and float weeks, I am pretty sure. Once converted they seem to remain in points once sold. Off the top of my head, I might say that it was because these resorts offered RCI points conversions. Again I think they were originally offered conversion at a cost but Orange Lake/Holiday Inn gave in to the extent that those that already paid to convert to RCI points were automatically converted as a permanent conversion.

 

[Tank]

I was already a points owner when I bought my unit at South beach and yes the points showed up in my file. I don't know if you bought straight from them if it is set up the same way with points to be used at all the locations, or just the week.

I do know my MF's are $831 for 115,000 points from SB , plus $126 membership and $94 reservation fee's if you bought a week.

If you have 5 units, you still pay only one membership. Money is saved when you can increase your status thru HIVC and that cost money to do.