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Improvements/Peeves

ckg

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If you had the ear of the higher ups at Starwood, what would suggest to make using your membership better? What are your biggest peeves:wall: ? I own a different timeshare but have been researching SVO and I am interested in knowing what people don't like in the real world about using this membership.
 

DeniseM

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SDKath

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You are not one of the VPs of Starwood by any chance, are you? ;)

Oh nodge... this thread is for you.

Katherine
 

jerseygirl

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If you had the ear of the higher ups at Starwood, what would suggest to make using your membership better? What are your biggest peeves:wall: ? I own a different timeshare but have been researching SVO and I am interested in knowing what people don't like in the real world about using this membership.


  • The punitive treatment of resale owners, which lowers ownership value. This is primarily an issue for voluntary resort owners, but I suspect it impacts all owners as it leads to negative publicity and "chat." The main competition (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Disney) has enough confidence in their product line to not resort to such policies.
  • Reducing benefits, such as what happened with the elite program. Bad form.
  • Marketing spin that attempts to turn the reduction of benefits into positive news.
  • Inadequate reserve funding -- an organization as large (and well-funded, thanks to owners) as Starwood should figure out how to keep the resorts in top shape without special assessments.
  • Restrictive external exchange procedures. All owners should have the ability to book any available week to which they are entitiled, and then do whatever they want with it (use it, rent it, give it to family friends, exchange it, let it sit empty). On this same subject, owners of prime weeks should have the ability to earn Accomodation Certificates (bonus weeks) with II.
  • Unrealistic StarOption values (e.g., a summer 2-BR at Harborside is equal to a 2-BR in Orlando) and the failure to correct obvious errors once detected. Timeshare owner behavior does not necessarily equal hotel guest behavior, something that should probably have been understood prior to getting into the developer game.

I'm sure I'll think of more after I have my coffee! :D
 

barndweller

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The punitive treatment of resale owners, which lowers ownership value.

I heartily agree with this. As a resale owner I am not part of the "network" yet I have to deal with the Starwood Reps when I call Interval. It doesn't matter which of my timeshares I am placing an exchange request against or have a question about. I don't particularly want to only deal with Starwood all the time but am forced to do so. Unlike Marriott, Sheraton managed resorts never get ACs at II so more often than not, I deposit them with SFX or TPI rather than II.

So far, I haven't had the problem that SVN owners experience with Starwood choosing their deposit week at II. I think that policy really stinks.

The very large jump in MF this year was a bit disconcerting as well.
 

Loriannf

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This one's easy

1) An on-line, accurate, real-time reservations system that shows availability for StarOption exchanges;

2) An "open" explanation of the wait-list and the ability to find out where you are on it. Getting different explanations each time, and the inability of the call center reps to give you information, is just maddening.

Lori
 

LisaRex

TUG Review Crew
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The big 2:

*Not reimbursing the HOA for rentals!!! I don't mind that Starwood takes control of any unreserved inventory within 90 days, as I think an empty property is not a good thing. But the fact that Starwood pockets the rental and doesn't give ANYTHING to SVO towards the wear and tear and upkeep of the property is wildly unfair. In fact, IMO it borderlines on usurious and I believe that the HOA could sue Starwood over this practice if the HOAs ever became true HOAs (e.g. representative of the OWNERS as opposed to Starwood pawns).

*SVN controlling deposits into external exchangers. SVN markets their properties as "true, deeded ownerships" but then doesn't treat them as true, deeded ownerships. Starwood: deposit the season that their owners PAID for.
 
Last edited:

Twinkstarr

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1) An on-line, accurate, real-time reservations system that shows availability for StarOption exchanges;

2) An "open" explanation of the wait-list and the ability to find out where you are on it. Getting different explanations each time, and the inability of the call center reps to give you information, is just maddening.

Lori

Ol' Wyndham has an online system and it seems to work.

Don't understand why Starwood and DVC can't figure something out(more likely they don't want to spend the $$).
 

formerhater

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Like others, I want real time online reservations and starpoint value adjustments to coincide with adjustments made on the SPG side.

I've mentioned this before, but I'd like to see the SVN trading window moved from 8 months to 10 or 11 months (preferrably 11). We plan trips years in advance and hate losing 3 months to buy our plane tix. I realize that not everyone agrees with this one, but I think most of us here are reserving our home resort at 9am ET one year out so the net effect on home resort owners who have it together would be nada.

And how about some new resorts outside of Colorado???
 

tomandrobin

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I've mentioned this before, but I'd like to see the SVN trading window moved from 8 months to 10 or 11 months (preferrably 11). We plan trips years in advance and hate losing 3 months to buy our plane tix. I realize that not everyone agrees with this one, but I think most of us here are reserving our home resort at 9am ET one year out so the net effect on home resort owners who have it together would be nada.

This can't happen, only because of those early resorts that sold fixed/float weeks.
 

CeeWoo

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Jerseygirl, where have you been all my life?

  • The punitive treatment of resale owners, which lowers ownership value. This is primarily an issue for voluntary resort owners, but I suspect it impacts all owners as it leads to negative publicity and "chat." The main competition (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Disney) has enough confidence in their product line to not resort to such policies.
  • Reducing benefits, such as what happened with the elite program. Bad form.
  • Marketing spin that attempts to turn the reduction of benefits into positive news.
  • Inadequate reserve funding -- an organization as large (and well-funded, thanks to owners) as Starwood should figure out how to keep the resorts in top shape without special assessments.
  • Restrictive external exchange procedures. All owners should have the ability to book any available week to which they are entitiled, and then do whatever they want with it (use it, rent it, give it to family friends, exchange it, let it sit empty). On this same subject, owners of prime weeks should have the ability to earn Accomodation Certificates (bonus weeks) with II.
  • Unrealistic StarOption values (e.g., a summer 2-BR at Harborside is equal to a 2-BR in Orlando) and the failure to correct obvious errors once detected. Timeshare owner behavior does not necessarily equal hotel guest behavior, something that should probably have been understood prior to getting into the developer game.

I'm sure I'll think of more after I have my coffee! :D
 

Cathyb

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My beefs :eek:
1. Changing the 'rules' after early purchasers have bought (inventing mandatory vs. voluntary categories).
2. Giving almost zero notice to up and coming HOA meetings. The notice is dated about 6 weeks before but mailed a week before -- every year!
3. Shows no interest in owner after they buy.
4. No ROFR to keep prices up on some of their properties (WMH for one)
 

clsmit

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I agree that SVO should treat the resale owners better. They clearly have chosen a Starwood property over all the competition in that area for a reason. So they have huge upsell potential. I gotta believe that it's cheaper to staff a call center in Orlando with people trying to upsell the current resale owners than trying to sell new suckers prospects at the current properties.

"Hello, Mr. Smith? How are you today? Thank you so much for your ownership at Sheraton Broadway Plantation. Do you like staying there? Great! It's one of my favorites, too. I see that you have a 1 bedroom every other year ownership. I have a great deal on a 1 bedroom for the opposite year in Orlando that would allow you to travel there when you're not going to Myrtle Beach, and you'd be in the Starwood network to trade both your properties within the entire network. That would allow you to go to places like Cancun, the Bahamas, and Hawaii instead. How would that sound?"
 

skim118

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The big 2:

*SVN controlling deposits into external exchangers. SVN markets their properties as "true, deeded ownerships" but then doesn't treat them as true, deeded ownerships. Starwood: deposit the season that their owners PAID for.

I understand the frustration regarding this rule; on the other hand we like this rule because it gives priority to owners that want to actually use the unit as opposed to those who want to make the reservations on popular weeks without having any intention of staying in it & then turn it over Interval International for "increased trading power" ala Marriott.

These are the SVN rules & are clearly spelled out and we are happy with the results.
 

vacationtime1

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'The ability to carry forward unused StarOptions. Maybe for a small fee and free for elites.

The problem with carrying StarOptions forward is that it can quickly create a situation where there are more owners with a right to reserve weeks than there are available weeks. For example, if 10% of owners carry StarOptions forward, the next year there are 57 owners competing for 52 weeks.
 

BradC

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The problem with carrying StarOptions forward is that it can quickly create a situation where there are more owners with a right to reserve weeks than there are available weeks.
I understand the concern, but it seems like it would eventually hit some sort of equilibrium. There's no reason to think that if 10% carry forward this year, you wouldn't have roughly the same number carrying forward next year, too.

Another option is to somehow allow more borrowing ahead to also offset the carrying forward. But I would expect that more people will carry forward than borrow ahead, just because of the generally procrastinating nature of many owners.
 

DeniseM

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Another option is to somehow allow more borrowing ahead to also offset the carrying forward. But I would expect that more people will carry forward than borrow ahead, just because of the generally procrastinating nature of many owners.

Even more significant is the fact that you have to pay your MF in advance to borrow SO's. If I can save them up for free or borrow them by paying a double MF one year, I'm going to save!
 

LisaRex

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I understand the frustration regarding this rule; on the other hand we like this rule because it gives priority to owners that want to actually use the unit as opposed to those who want to make the reservations on popular weeks without having any intention of staying in it & then turn it over Interval International for "increased trading power" ala Marriott.

A lot of folks reserve the most popular weeks already only to rent them out. I don't have a problem with that because if they didn't pay for the right to book that week, they wouldn't be able to reserve it. It just means that if I want a popular week, I have to reserve early. That's the nature of timesharing, I guess.
 

nanette0269

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simple me...i just wish they had an online reservation system. i often make plans late in the evening when the kids are asleep, which is impossible for their system. it also allows me more of the what-if scenarios that i am able to do with my hyatt week.
 
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