Marriott Trading System

[kyfonky]

I bought a 2BR L/O Gold week at Marriott Desert Springs II two years ago. .....

So - - while my home resort is not on your target list, I'm using it to go to some of the places that ARE on your target list.

Thanks for sharing your experiences BJRSanDiego; I have never considered Desert Springs, for the only reason that I live in Mexico and to be honest, I do not really understand the "vacation behavor" of the US people: not sure when is the most demanded weeks, places, etc. I've been thinking more from a "Mexican pespective": places and time where/when we normally go in the US, such as Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, etc., summer, christmas, and certain holidays.

Thus, due to my lack of understanding, I guess I prefer to buy in a location where I might go most of my time, such as NCV, Chateau, Tahoe or Miami. As I have DVC, I will not foresee to use Marriot for going into Orlando.

Having said that, I wondering whether is better for me to buy Villas Doral, NCV or Chateau; resale for TimberLodge in ski seasson is very expensive; Orlando I guess is over supplied (many hotels) and thus I guess trading power for Grande Vista might be not as good as NCV for instance.

.....still thinking.....

 

[kyfonky]

Yes it might be a difficult trade into NCV in the summer, but for owners it is also difficult to reserve July & August. So if you uy there you may not get the trade power you are looking for.

That's what I've heard SMB1; but I'm asumming that demand for other platinum seasson weeks at NCV should be good traders too, even thought they might not be as good as summer weeks; those are platinum weeks for a reason, right? but not sure!

So, how good trader is Grand Chateau? since all the resort is platinum week, and is the only resort at Las Vegas, I guess it should be good trader, right? Plus it has L/O's, which NCV and Villas Doral do not.

After a deep analysis, I guess my options might be: NCV Platinum; Villas Doral platinum or Grand Chateau platinum, due to a fair combination of initial costs and MF's. The problema with NCV and Villas Doral is that they are not Lock offs.

Does anyone know why Miami is silver at Summer? Beachplace is platinum at summer, and they are very close each other. Is summer in Miami a low demanding?

 

[brigechols]

That's what I've heard SMB1; but I'm asumming that demand for other platinum seasson weeks at NCV should be good traders too, even thought they might not be as good as summer weeks; those are platinum weeks for a reason, right? but not sure!?

I don't believe anyone knows the reason why Marriott selected such a long platinum season for NCV but not all platinum weeks have the same trade value through Interval International. Check out the Interval International Travel Demand Index.

So, how good trader is Grand Chateau? since all the resort is platinum week, and is the only resort at Las Vegas, I guess it should be good trader, right? Plus it has L/O's, which NCV and Villas Doral do not.

I don't own Grande Chateau. While it is the only Marriott timeshare in Las Vegas, there are plenty of other timeshares in Las Vegas.

 

[kyfonky]

I don't believe anyone knows the reason why Marriott selected such a long platinum season for NCV but not all platinum weeks have the same trade value through Interval International. Check out the Interval International Travel Demand Index.

I don't own Grande Chateau. While it is the only Marriott timeshare in Las Vegas, there are plenty of other timeshares in Las Vegas.

I agree! from "platinum" weeks 35 to 50, demand is mostly less than average market, which is about 70% of occupancy in SoCal. Thus certain "platinum" weeks are, in practice, "gold" weeks.

In regards Grand Chateau, even thought there is "over supply" of lodging in Las Vegas, belive it or not the average rate of occupancy is about 90%, which is very high. And considering that according to the TDI of II Grand Chateau is most of the time significantly higher than market average, my conclusion is that Grand Chateau should be a very good trader, even thought there are pleny of TS's.

 

[kyfonky]

any thougths someone?

 

[Beefnot]

Better Grand Chateau than Newport Coast, as you have a lockoff, and have flexibility to get two vacations if you choose. Besides, Newport Coast is two expensive and inefficient for frequent trading.

 

[kyfonky]

Better Grand Chateau than Newport Coast, as you have a lockoff, and have flexibility to get two vacations if you choose. Besides, Newport Coast is two expensive and inefficient for frequent trading.

Thanks for your feedback Beenot; I like Grand Chateau for being LO; what I do not understand is why you say NCV is too expensive? en inefficient for frequent trading? with expensive you mean MFs? and inefficient you mean that NCV is not LO?

Thanks

 

[Quadmaniac]

Expensive for MF as well as purchase price compared to a L/O. Desert Springs is about $1050, lock off is $80, total about $1130 for two trades or about $565 per trade plus exchange fees vs Newport MF $900 plus exchange fees.

You can purchase at a different location for a much lower cost as well.

 

[kyfonky]

Expensive for MF as well as purchase price compared to a L/O. Desert Springs is about $1050, lock off is $80, total about $1130 for two trades or about $565 per trade plus exchange fees vs Newport MF $900 plus exchange fees.

You can purchase at a different location for a much lower cost as well.

Thanks for the clarification; so what would be the resort with the lowest MFs for a 2BR L/O?

In your opinion, what whould be the best option in terms of MFs / Trading Power?

thanks

 

[Quadmaniac]

Thanks for the clarification; so what would be the resort with the lowest MFs for a 2BR L/O?

In your opinion, what whould be the best option in terms of MFs / Trading Power?

thanks

Many people like Shadow Ridge, the MF is about $1030 plus CA state tax is billed directly from the state, so $90 I think. I prefer Willow Ridge as the MF is $880 all in and recently I found that it pull things that my Shadow Ridge did not.

 

[kyfonky]

Many people like Shadow Ridge, the MF is about $1030 plus CA state tax is billed directly from the state, so $90 I think. I prefer Willow Ridge as the MF is $880 all in and recently I found that it pull things that my Shadow Ridge did not.

Thanks for the advise; I'm not sure how much people like to go Branson, so how much trading power Willow Ridge has.

What about:
Grande Vista? I guess Orlando will always be Orlando.
Desert Springs?
Timber Lodge? Do people want to go Tahoe for summer? or just for ski? howe much trading power might have?
and Barony? I've seen that many people go to Hilton Island.

 

[Quadmaniac]

Trading power does not always go according to conventional logic. All I know is that my WR pulled up more options than my SR and SR is more expensive than WR. More expensive does not always equate to more trading power.

 

[PassionForTravel]

kyfony, Yes people go to Tahoe for summer. Probably almost as many as go for ski season. I know the WM in South Lake Tahoe books up 13 months in advance for Tahoe. But for summer, people want closer to the lake rather than up in the hills where most of the ski resorts are located.

BTW - You said you are from Mexico, I'm not sure how familiar you are with Southern California but you don't want to book NCV for May or June. You have an above average chance of not seeing the sun. Summer at the coast really starts around July 4th and goes through the end of September into early October.

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Thanks for the advise; I'm not sure how much people like to go Branson, so how much trading power Willow Ridge has.

What about:
Grande Vista? I guess Orlando will always be Orlando.
Desert Springs?
Timber Lodge? Do people want to go Tahoe for summer? or just for ski? howe much trading power might have?
and Barony? I've seen that many people go to Hilton Island.

We own at Timber Lodge - Summer week and Shadow Ridge - Platinum season. I haven't traded either of these resorts since we converted over to DC points. But in the past I've always been able to trade my Timber Lodge/Shadow Ridge weeks for many places. We've been to NCV twice (once in June and once during Thanksgiving week); Ko'Olina (twice both times durnig Thanksgiving Week); San Francisco Suites in SF; Manor Club; Worldmark at Depoe Bay; Grande Vista in Orlando and Cliff's Resort in Kauai. These have been great trades for us but everyone has a different definition of what is great. Please note I got some units with a 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom and a studio for a one bedroom.

Finally, people visit Tahoe in the summer. Some popular times to go would be 4th of July week; Celebrity Golf tournament in July; Hot August night week. Plus, there is outdoor plays in the summer. Along with all the hiking and water sports you can imagine. The most popular time to go is between July and August. June is a good month but can still be chilly. Most of us that live in the valley and it is over 100 every day love Tahoe as the weather is much cooler in the upper 80s.

Good luck!

 

[kyfonky]

kyfony, Yes people go to Tahoe for summer. Probably almost as many as go for ski season. I know the WM in South Lake Tahoe books up 13 months in advance for Tahoe. But for summer, people want closer to the lake rather than up in the hills where most of the ski resorts are located.

BTW - You said you are from Mexico, I'm not sure how familiar you are with Southern California but you don't want to book NCV for May or June. You have an above average chance of not seeing the sun. Summer at the coast really starts around July 4th and goes through the end of September into early October.

Thanks for your comments PassionForTravel!

Regarding Tahoe, what does "WM" mean? sorry for asking. I used to live in LA so I'm familiar with SoCal; as far as I remember most days were great in terms of wheather; anyway I'm not planning in going to SoCal in May - June; mostly I'd like to go July to the end of December.

Still my main concern is to choose the best option for me, when deciding to buy my Marriot-resale. I'm basically planning to use my Marriot to go Miami, Ski resorts and Vegas, and sometimes for SoCal and may be Orlando (as I own DVC for that purpose).

My best scenario is to buy a LO, EOY, with the lowest MFs and resale cost; my main concer is to buy something that in practice will not allow me to go to the places I mentioned. I intent to travel mostly in summer (june/July), except for ski resorts, that I intent to use in early december or easter. I guess when kids go to college I will travel from October to December, instead of summer.

Based on what I've seen, Grand Chateau sounds like the best option: LO, all-platinum-seasson with low MF and resale price; still I'm not sure how much good trading I could have with that, particularly for the places I mentioned. Timberlodge summer-seasson would be another good choice I guess; besides those, might be DSV or Barony, as I've seen they have low MFs. I know nothing about Willow Ridge, so I'm not comfortable buying there.

Any thoughts?

 

[PassionForTravel]

Sorry I forgot I was in the Marriott Forum. WM is WorldMark it's a whole other system just ignore that. I was using it for reference to let you know that Tahoe is popular in summer.

 

[kyfonky]

Sorry I forgot I was in the Marriott Forum. WM is WorldMark it's a whole other system just ignore that. I was using it for reference to let you know that Tahoe is popular in summer.

No problem. I ignore that. Any thoughts on my thoughts?

 

[swaits]

No problem. I ignore that. Any thoughts on my thoughts?

One warning about Timber Lodge. Taxes are not included in Maintenance Fees. I don't know if this is the same for other states, like Nevada (Grand Chateau). We have three weeks at TL and the tax bills we just received are as follows:

• $86.06 - 2BR Gold
• $179.18 - 1BR Platinum Ski
• $141.78 - 1BR Platinum Summer

Due to California's property tax laws, your tax level will depend heavily on the year you purchased. See this article on Prop 13 for a better explanation. If you purchase today I'd bet your tax levels will be higher - I'm just guessing, but tax rates don't seem to ever go down, you know?

Also you'll need to factor in your Interval International exchange fees if you're planning on trading through them. They can really add up in my experience. They seem to charge you for every little thing you do.

That said, we've historically been able to trade our 2BR Gold week for some quite nice stays, including the Kauai Waiohai. I think Platinum weeks at Grand Chateau will probably work equally as well as traders.

In recent years though, we mostly Elect these weeks into points because we really like the added flexibility. You won't have that ability unless Marriott one day decides to let more resale owners into the DC point system.

Hope this is helpful!

 

[youcanfly]

Thanks for the advise; I'm not sure how much people like to go Branson, so how much trading power Willow Ridge has.

What about:
Grande Vista? I guess Orlando will always be Orlando.
Desert Springs?
Timber Lodge? Do people want to go Tahoe for summer? or just for ski? howe much trading power might have?
and Barony? I've seen that many people go to Hilton Island.

I recently purchased my 2nd TS and chose Grande Vista. We were looking for a 2 bedroom L/O in an area that we knew would be popular for others and a place we like to go also. Just a few weeks ago I booked at my home resort and then made my deposit into II. Using the L/O feature I had to book a week earlier than the week I wanted but, once I made my deposit I was very surprised to see some of the exchanges I could get. Some where in the last minute catagory such as Thanksgiving week but, I am not currently able to travel on short notice. Just using the studio side I saw great uptrades for 1 and 2 bedrooms if you have more flexability for travel dates. When booking at my home resort I used the travel demand index on the II website and looked for the highest in my season. Since my purchase/close was long after the dates I wanted to book I believe that is why the week I wanted was no longer available.

 

[kyfonky]

One warning about Timber Lodge. Taxes are not included in Maintenance Fees.

• $86.06 - 2BR Gold
• $179.18 - 1BR Platinum Ski
• $141.78 - 1BR Platinum Summer

Due to California's property tax laws, your tax level will depend heavily on the year you purchased.

Great Advise Swaits!!! Thanks. I did not know that. Can you share your total MF bill for 2011 or 2012 for your TL 1BR Platinum summer? I'm interested in 2BR L/O EOY Platinum Summer, but I guess I can have an idea based on your bill.

$179 sounds very high for a 1BR. I guess California taxes is someting to really consider when taking my decision. Nevada in the other side, I guess they have low taxes....just guessing...

.....Also you'll need to factor in your Interval International exchange fees if you're planning on trading through them. They can really add up in my experience. They seem to charge you for every little thing you do.

I will; as far as I've researched, there is the annual membership fee of $89 (?), the split for L/O of $80 and the transfer fee of $154. Am I missing something?

.....we've historically been able to trade our 2BR Gold week for some quite nice stays, including the Kauai Waiohai. I think Platinum weeks at Grand Chateau will probably work equally as well as traders

Great to hear that! 2BR Gold at TL is something I'm also considering; the cons is that in case of I want to sell, gold weeks might value less than platinum weeks. But not sure! Can you share what great trades have you get with your 2BR Gold? I'm interested in trading into Vegas, Ski resorts at ski seasson (non-holidays) and eventually Orlando and NCV.

Thanks! I really appreciate your comments.

 

[kyfonky]

I recently purchased my 2nd TS and chose Grande Vista. We were looking for a 2 bedroom L/O in an area that we knew would be popular for others and a place we like to go also. Just a few weeks ago I booked at my home resort and then made my deposit into II. Using the L/O feature I had to book a week earlier than the week I wanted but, once I made my deposit I was very surprised to see some of the exchanges I could get. Some where in the last minute catagory such as Thanksgiving week but, I am not currently able to travel on short notice. Just using the studio side I saw great uptrades for 1 and 2 bedrooms if you have more flexability for travel dates. When booking at my home resort I used the travel demand index on the II website and looked for the highest in my season. Since my purchase/close was long after the dates I wanted to book I believe that is why the week I wanted was no longer available.

Very interesting! I'm also considering Grande Vista, because as you said, Orlando is a place very popular for others. However my guessing was that Grande Vista could not get good trades, as there are many supply in Orlando area, but it is great to hear that you were able to see good trades with your 2BR (platinum?); can you share some examples of those trades you could see? Grande Vista resales are very fair resale-prices.

 

[swaits]

Great Advise Swaits!!! Thanks. I did not know that. Can you share your total MF bill for 2011 or 2012 for your TL 1BR Platinum summer? I'm interested in 2BR L/O EOY Platinum Summer, but I guess I can have an idea based on your bill.

Just got them today. The 2BR Gold is $1059.35. The 1BR Plat Ski and Summer are $825.33 each.

I will; as far as I've researched, there is the annual membership fee of $89 (?), the split for L/O of $80 and the transfer fee of $154. Am I missing something?

It's been so long since I used II, I can't say for sure. There are other TUGgers who can help you though.

Great to hear that! 2BR Gold at TL is something I'm also considering; the cons is that in case of I want to sell, gold weeks might value less than platinum weeks. But not sure! Can you share what great trades have you get with your 2BR Gold? I'm interested in trading into Vegas, Ski resorts at ski seasson (non-holidays) and eventually Orlando and NCV.

Again, this has been awhile because we've been doing the points thing since it debuted. But, we were able to easily get to Grand Chateau, sometimes with a room size upgrade. Once we got to Kauai Waiohai. Our case may be unique though. We don't have kids and are very happy to travel in the shoulder or off seasons.

 

[dioxide45]

I will; as far as I've researched, there is the annual membership fee of $89 (?), the split for L/O of $80 and the transfer fee of $154. Am I missing something?

The exchange fee is $124 Marriott to Marriott, $10 more over the phone. If you trade outside of the Marriott system it is $154 or $174 over the phone.

 

[youcanfly]

Very interesting! I'm also considering Grande Vista, because as you said, Orlando is a place very popular for others. However my guessing was that Grande Vista could not get good trades, as there are many supply in Orlando area, but it is great to hear that you were able to see good trades with your 2BR (platinum?); can you share some examples of those trades you could see? Grande Vista resales are very fair resale-prices.

I have a gold and used my L/O to book may 19. One more week is available in my season and it includes memorial weekend but, by the time we closed (we just purchased this summer) this week was only available as 2 bed only. I really wanted to try the L/O feature so I took what was available. This morning, using my 1 bedroom, I snagged a 2 bedroom at Emerald Grande at Harbourwalk for laborday weekend in 2014. Sounds crazy but, I felt like this was something to not pass on. We have wanted to stay at Harbourwalk when we traveled through Destin,FL. I have never traded outside of Marriott but, I've seen this place many times and I am confident we will be happy. Of course there were other options including Marriot Ocean Pointe, Beachplace, and Villas at Doral with 1 and 2 bedrooms for lots of summer weeks in 2013. One that caught my eye was Ocean Pointe and Doral for July 4 week. However we already have our plans for 2013. Last week when I searched I saw a 2 bedroom for Thanksgiving in Hawaii. That would be awesome but, not something I am able to do at the last moment. As far as price I posted a thread about my experience with this purchase. It was an experience but, seems to have had a great outcome.http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180106 Hope this link works.