How hard is it to book bonus time/inventory specials?

[Tical21]

Hi! I recently "inherited" my grandmother's worldmark timeshare, and we're going over all of our options with it. The most appealing thing to me appears the ability to book inexpensive stays using Bonus Time and Inventory Specials, but I'm wondering if this just sound too good to be true? How difficult is it to actually find some open days available to book these types of stays? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Scott

 

[Travel1]

Well it depends....high demand holidays and weekends....harder, but doable.

For Bonus Time, I have the most success when I check regularly because availability is constantly changing. Unfortunately Worldmark just raised the minimum cost for an unit in bonus time to $80 per night, so not as good as it used to be.

Inventory Specials are usually available during off-season and thus easier to book.

 

[JohnPaul]

Other good cash (housekeeping included) options are Monday Madness and Fax time. Both allow bookings out to 11 months.

 

[Tical21]

Interesting

Other good cash (housekeeping included) options are Monday Madness and Fax time. Both allow bookings out to 11 months.

interesting, thanks! I’ll try to get more info on these.

 

[rhonda]

Monday Madness has been my "go to" for a long time, except for the recent rate increase. I'm sitting out for now ... but once I get over it I'm sure I'll be back to booking waaaaaay too many WM visits!

For us, WM's various cash programs (Bonus Time, Inventory Specials, Monday Madness, etc.) are quite easy to book compared to Bonus Time in other systems. We have been enormously successful with WM. Best wishes on your research and Welcome to TUG!

 

[geist1223]

Monday Madness and Inventory Specials are listed on the Worldmark Site.

 

[Tical21]

Monday Madness has been my "go to" for a long time, except for the recent rate increase. I'm sitting out for now ... but once I get over it I'm sure I'll be back to booking waaaaaay too many WM visits!

For us, WM's various cash programs (Bonus Time, Inventory Specials, Monday Madness, etc.) are quite easy to book compared to Bonus Time in other systems. We have been enormously successful with WM. Best wishes on your research and Welcome to TUG!

Thanks! Can you possibly play this out in scenario? How do you plan to use these? Like, if I’m going to, say, Florida in the fall, what would I do? Or is it more like you look for what bonus time is currently available and just go?

Thanks!

 

[geist1223]

BT is a very short Booking Window. I believe Monday Madness is 10 months and you can have several of them. Inventory Specials vary for the Booking Window and are mainly mid-week but sometimes you can get weekends. I have Booked Daytona Beach and Orlando with only a few days notice.

Normally BT you just look and see what is available where you can or want to travel with very short notice. You will normally not find High Demand Resorts during High Season. But you never know.

 

[rhonda]

Thanks! Can you possibly play this out in scenario? How do you plan to use these? Like, if I’m going to, say, Florida in the fall, what would I do? Or is it more like you look for what bonus time is currently available and just go?

Thanks!

Adding to post #8, above.

Check the Monday Madness page each week, on Monday, of course. Read through the "fine print" at least once, carefully, for understanding. Notice, as you check the page weekly, that the resort list changes. You might want to book the resort on credits (points), if have them available, with intention to cancel the credit reservation if/when you are able to book via a cash program. If you have booked on credits DO be mindful of the cancellation policy and window for that reservation! Note: Bookmark, print, save or memorize WM's Guideline for cancellation windows!

For your example, I might:

• Book the reservation now on credits
• Watch the Monday Madness page weekly for either "all properties in Florida" or for a specific location.
• Start watching the Inventory Specials page 3 months from travel
• Reconsider my plan before reaching the last-day-to-cancel deadline of the credit reservation. At the last minute, book a new reservation on credits, if inventory is available, to get a 10-day-from-travel cancellation window and then cancel the original reservation.
• Keep watching Monday Madness, Inventory Specials and available inventory and play the game ... staying one step ahead of the cancellation window.

As for Bonus Time ... I never "plan" on getting Bonus Time. Rather, if I really need to hoard my credits, I'll shuffle my reservations (book/rebook/cancel) to get better cancellation windows which might allow me to snag the final reservation on Bonus Time, if inventory remains still available. More likely, we'll travel on Bonus Time "just because it was there" or "just go," as you put it.

 

[Tical21]

BT is a very short Booking Window. I believe Monday Madness is 10 months and you can have several of them. Inventory Specials vary for the Booking Window and are mainly mid-week but sometimes you can get weekends. I have Booked Daytona Beach and Orlando with only a few days notice.

Normally BT you just look and see what is available where you can or want to travel with very short notice. You will normally not find High Demand Resorts during High Season. But you never know.

Thanks, great info! I think I get it now.

 

[Firepath]

If you inherited it, like I did, you may have Travelshare, and can use RCI for exchanges as well, or you can pay a little extra for RCI or other exchange membership for even more options.

 

[sue1947]

If you inherited it, like I did, you may have Travelshare, and can use RCI for exchanges as well, or you can pay a little extra for RCI or other exchange membership for even more options.

Anybody, whether Travelshare or not, can use RCI or Interval International to exchange. The RCI membership fee is paid either via your Travelshare dues, or individually but it is paid one way or the other.

 

[Hobokie]

I personally think the deals available for BT (bonus time), Inventory Specials and "Special Offer" (Monday Madness) are AWESOME! I am a newer owner, but Windsor (Napa area) has been available on Inventory Specials for the past few months every day of the week! BTW, regarding Special Offers, I actually called and asked and you can have up to SIX reserved at a time! Love my Worldmark!!

 

[easyrider]

Hi! I recently "inherited" my grandmother's worldmark timeshare, and we're going over all of our options with it. The most appealing thing to me appears the ability to book inexpensive stays using Bonus Time and Inventory Specials, but I'm wondering if this just sound too good to be true? How difficult is it to actually find some open days available to book these types of stays? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Scott

We use bonus time about 8 times a year. We live in Washington and we are surrounded by WM's. I just look at what is available near within driving distance and go. Once bonus time really helped us out of a jam in Kehei. Our ground floor VI Kihei timeshare was over run by roaches so we picked up 6 nights at the Kihei WM.

Trading into RCI is really easy too. You just link your WM account to the RCI account.

Bill

 

[Travel1]

What kind of trades did you get with your Worldmark account in RCI in the last couple of years? Have you had any success with the HGVCs?

 

[rhonda]

What kind of trades did you get with your Worldmark account in RCI in the last couple of years? Have you had any success with the HGVCs?

I haven't traded my WM through RCI recently ... but presently, through the WM>RCI portal, see at least 8 HGVC properties with units ranging from Studio through 3BR. The locations include San Diego (Marbrisa), Orlando, LV, & Myrtle Beach.

Using my standard RCI account, I see these locations plus Breckinridge and Park City.

EDITED TO ADD: I just realized, the WM>RCI portal likely has the CO and UT locations, as well. I am not seeing them right now because these don't start with the word "Hilton" which is how I filtered the set located in the WM>RCI portal. The standard RCI account has an advantage over the portal in being able to find "all resorts of a given property family" ("HGVC") regardless of how they are named. So, don't discredit the WM>RCI portal! I bet it finds them all if I cared to dig, dig, dig.

Edit #2: Yes, the WM>RCI portal finds the Breckinridge property, "Valdoro Mountain Lodge (#6388)." Tricky. The word "Hilton" isn't anywhere in the name!
It also finds "Sunrise Lodge, a Hilton Grand Vacation Club (#D412)" (Park City).

 

[Travel1]

I haven't traded my WM through RCI recently ... but presently, through the WM>RCI portal, see at least 8 HGVC properties with units ranging from Studio through 3BR. The locations include San Diego (Marbrisa), Orlando, LV, & Myrtle Beach.

Using my standard RCI account, I see these locations plus Breckinridge and Park City.

EDITED TO ADD: I just realized, the WM>RCI portal likely has the CO and UT locations, as well. I am not seeing them right now because these don't start with the word "Hilton" which is how I filtered the set located in the WM>RCI portal. The standard RCI account has an advantage over the portal in being able to find "all resorts of a given property family" ("HGVC") regardless of how they are named. So, don't discredit the WM>RCI portal! I bet it finds them all if I cared to dig, dig, dig.

Edit #2: Yes, the WM>RCI portal finds the Breckinridge property, "Valdoro Mountain Lodge (#6388)." Tricky. The word "Hilton" isn't anywhere in the name!
It also finds "Sunrise Lodge, a Hilton Grand Vacation Club (#D412)" (Park City).

Thanks for the information and your research. Based on your answers, do you find these resorts during prime time (ski season in Valdoro, Myrtle Beach in summer), or just in shoulder seasons? Also, do you ever see HGVC resorts in Hawaii (in the Worldmark RCI portal) for units greater than studio?

Rhonda, thanks again for your detailed and very thorough response.

Questions opened to all, just trying to decide if RCI is worth joining or not for a Worldmark account?

j

 

[rhonda]

Thanks for the information and your research. Based on your answers, do you find these resorts during prime time (ski season in Valdoro, Myrtle Beach in summer), or just in shoulder seasons? Also, do you ever see HGVC resorts in Hawaii (in the Worldmark RCI portal) for units greater than studio?

Rhonda, thanks again for your detailed and very thorough response.

Questions opened to all, just trying to decide if RCI is worth joining or not for a Worldmark account?

j

Hoping others respond!

While I haven't searched for your stated criteria over time ... I feel confident asserting that success will be based more on availability from Hilton rather than any difficulty snagging such intervals using Worldmark. That is, if it is there, WM will likely be strong enough to book it.

Suggestion: The Sightings board on this site, a private board for subscribers, might be a good place to engage in specific resort location and unit size findings. We tend to speak in "generalities" on the public boards (locations as broad as "city" and wide date ranges rather than "resort, week, unit type" ). Searching the Sightings board might also provide history such as frequency and seasons.

 

[Travel1]

Hoping others respond!

While I haven't searched for your stated criteria over time ... I feel confident asserting that success will be based more on availability from Hilton rather than any difficulty snagging such intervals using Worldmark. That is, if it is there, WM will likely be strong enough to book it.

Suggestion: The Sightings board on this site, a private board for subscribers, might be a good place to engage in specific resort location and unit size findings. We tend to speak in "generalities" on the public boards (locations as broad as "city" and wide date ranges rather than "resort, week, unit type" ). Searching the Sightings board might also provide history such as frequency and seasons.

Thanks Rhonda, good advice.