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Marriott Vacation Club

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drjkn

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I am looking at two different Marriott resorts (resale)

Hilton Head Island (5 star) and California Palm Desert (Platinum)
Is Platinum the stronger trade?
Which resort should I buy?

Both ads talk about the Marriott Vacation Club. What is this?
Can you trade your week from one Marriott resort to another Marriott resort with out going thought RCI or II?
Drjkn
 
Marriott Vacation Club International is Marriott International's timeshare resort business unit and brand.

To learn more about Marriott Vacation Club, a good place to start is http://www.marriott-timeshare.com/

Marriott has several resorts on Hilton Head Island and in Palm Desert. The trading strength would depend on which resort, which ownership season, and which week you book within that season and use with Interval International (II). Even then, you can only go by anecdotal evidence, because II does not publish any sort of quantified trading value information.

"5 star" and "Platinum" are two different things. "5 star" (now called "Premier Resort") refers to II's quality rating for a resort. Platinum refers to Marriott's floating usage season. For example, a resort that's rated "Premier Resort" could have a Platinum, Gold, and Silver Season.

At this time, Marriott-to-Marriott exchanges are handled through II. A few older Marriott resorts are also in RCI. A few Marriott timeshare resorts in Florida are part of a collection called the Florida Club, which allows owners to book at some other Marriott timeshare resorts in Florida. Also, Marriott Vacation Club has a points-based system for Asia-Pacific, but it's not available to U.S. residents. There have been rumors for a few years that Marriott will eventually offer a Marriott-operated alternative to II for Marriott-to-Marriott exchanges, but so far this hasn't happened.
 
Last edited:
drjkn said:
Which resort should I buy?
Click to expand...
If I were you, I would buy neither at this point. Your questions suggest that you could be making a major mistake by purchasing one of these (or any other) timeshares until you have learned more about the advantages and disadvantages.

Assuming you already have a reasonable level of timeshare knowledge, start by reading as much as you can in the Marriott FAQs, located at the top of the list of topics for this Marriott forum. Then spend at least a month or two following the discussions on this forum, asking questions occasionally.

Eventually, you should consider buying at a resort that you would expect to visit at least every other year. Why, because exchanging for other timeshare vacations of your dreams is never a sure thing, especially if you are tied to school vacations or other prime vacation periods.
 
You should definitely follow Dave's advice and read these forums for a while before making any purchase. There is a lot to know and understand about the timeshare industry and you'd be wise to take your time. So glad to hear you are looking at resale! You're already a little ahead of the game.

We own at Marriott's Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert but we also are very familiar with the other Marriott property. Both are very nice. I meet a lot of people from the upper mid-west when we go there. Feel free to ask me any specific Q's about either resort if you still are considering that area.

Cheers,
Janna
 
I would read the section in TUG's about Advice on buying timeshare and follow DaveM suggestions. Also I would purchase a t/s close to where I live.
Good Luck.
 
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