Marriott Destination club program changes coming?

[potchak]

So just got off the phone trying to get my most recently purchased week added (no dice btw), and he implied there might be some changes coming potentially as early as January, regarding resale weeks purchased after the June 2010 deadline. Has anyone heard about this?

 

[kjd]

No I have not heard anything but why wouldn't they open up the DC again? It's a way of skimming the cream off of the resale market without doing anything. It's better than ROFR for Marriott because they don't pay anything. You pay them and they get to use your unit.

The trick for Marriott is to have you believe that they will never open up the DC again. That way you'll run to them after their announcement. If I were you I would enroll the resale week because they will freeze out owners who are not in the DC. Once they do that, they will open it up again. They can even sell you more DC points in the meantime.

All of these games aside, they can't hurt you if you use your unit. However, they can still get you with bloated maintenance fees. Timesharing has many features of a chess game.

 

[GregT]

I also believe that one day (perhaps in January?) they'll allow post June 20, 2010 resales to be enrolled ---- but only if you buy X,XXX Trust Points at the same time. Starwood does this (they call it requalifying your resale) and people with high point properties do buy direct from Starwood as part of a calculated move to get the points for their resale.

I think the little spreadsheet that TUGgers helped to compile last year would be useful for this exercise (it's the spreadsheet below at gtibbitts.tripod.com).

Please let us know if you hear anything more, and we will do the same.

Best,

Greg

 

[potchak]

They won't let me enroll it because it was purchased after June 2010.

We mainly want it enrolled not for the points but to have only 1 Interval account as opposed to 2.

 

[BocaBoy]

...they can't hurt you if you use your unit. However, they can still get you with bloated maintenance fees. Timesharing has many features of a chess game.

I hear this all the time, but I think the primary anger regarding bloated maintenance fees (which I agree is becoming a big problem) should be directed towards the resort Boards of Directors. They set the fees. It is true that Marriott has influence and gets a percentage of the fees, but don't forget that Marriott also has to pay those same fees for every unsold unit. Also, out of control maintenance fees can only hurt their sales of points. I really don't think it is in Marriott's interest to have higher than necessary fees.