[ MERGED ] Vistana Abound - Bought 2 days ago

[JerseyPilot]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I stayed at a Vistana property with friends who got a timeshare offer. After our trip they were sold on the timeshare and then further sold us. We sat down with the sales rep and he explained the Marriott Abound program. As a background my wife and I travel a lot, I’m an airline pilot so airfare is pretty cheap to go places. We usually do a lot of skiing and haven’t done our honeymoon yet. Anyway… we bought a timeshare which is 81,000 points Annually. As incentive he gave us a one time sign on bonus of 243,000 club points as well, Marriott Bonvoy Gold for life, a 4 day return trip to the Orlando property we stayed at (with the caveat of an owner update meeting) All the paperwork was signed on Tuesday. I’m well within cancellation window.

During the presentation he showed us the point values we would need for a week in Avon CO (Westin property) on average which appeared to be 71,000. The issue is as it’s the abound program I don't understand the conversion I seem to be a bit confused and wonder if the sales person was not completely upfront about club points values or if there is an unknown conversion to Marriott abound. He said you can use them for any Marriott vacation property but if you want to use it for let’s say Disney VC there is a $240 fee to convert to book in the external system.

Can someone clarify everything for me because I have no problem exerting my legal right to cancel the contract if I was misled. Everything seemed too good to be true. I think a timeshare is a worthwhile investment because my wife and I travel a lot but I hear for $30,000 I could easily buy something better resale. Thanks!

 

[DanCali]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I stayed at a Vistana property with friends who got a timeshare offer. After our trip they were sold on the timeshare and then further sold us. We sat down with the sales rep and he explained the Marriott Abound program. As a background my wife and I travel a lot, I’m an airline pilot so airfare is pretty cheap to go places. We usually do a lot of skiing and haven’t done our honeymoon yet. Anyway… we bought a timeshare which is 81,000 points Annually. As incentive he gave us a one time sign on bonus of 243,000 club points as well, Marriott Bonvoy Gold for life, a 4 day return trip to the Orlando property we stayed at (with the caveat of an owner update meeting) All the paperwork was signed on Tuesday. I’m well within cancellation window.

During the presentation he showed us the point values we would need for a week in Avon CO (Westin property) on average which appeared to be 71,000. The issue is as it’s the abound program I don't understand the conversion I seem to be a bit confused and wonder if the sales person was not completely upfront about club points values or if there is an unknown conversion to Marriott abound. He said you can use them for any Marriott vacation property but if you want to use it for let’s say Disney VC there is a $240 fee to convert to book in the external system.

Can someone clarify everything for me because I have no problem exerting my legal right to cancel the contract if I was misled. Everything seemed too good to be true. I think a timeshare is a worthwhile investment because my wife and I travel a lot but I hear for $30,000 I could easily buy something better resale. Thanks!

I don’t think you were grossly misled. You were probably shown a lot with rose colored glasses…

First off, understand that the points you bought have a resale value of approximately zero. That’s because whoever buys them from you can’t do the same things that you can - Sheraton resale points have a lot of restrictions. So you should know that now if you decide to keep them.

The one time 243,000 points arguably have a value, which is not insignificant. For example, you can book 3 one-bedroom unit units for a full week in Hawaii. Renting that would probably cost you between $8-$9k. Gold for life is pretty meaningless because you can get Platinum “for life” by keeping a high fee credit card for about $600 a year. And a return trip to Orlando it was pretty meaningless because the rental values there are low.

I’m not sure what the conversion value of what you bought is to Abound points. I suspect maybe around 2500 points? You can pull up some Marriott Vacation Club points charts (google) to see what that gets you compared to the maintenance fees you’ll be paying. 2500 points or so doesn’t get you very far in the peak seasons.

You have a whole weekend ahead of you to do research. First understand what you bought, understand resale options, which are cheaper but more restrictive, and make a decision that fits your needs. You’re in a similar position to what we were in about 20 years ago…

My general thoughts are that there have to be very good reason reasons to buy direct (and we did by direct with Marriott and Disney at certain points). With Marriott, one of the best reasons is having a few restricted weeks in your back pocket which can become “fully functional” when you buy directly from the developer. That type of ownership can get you a lot farther in the system at a better bang for the buck. But it will also probably cost you a lot more than what you’re paid now.

At least you found this website in time so we can make a more informed decision not under pressure. Whatever you decide, you will feel better about it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[emeryjre]

Just posted this in the other thread you asked question
Cancel everything
Sort things out and understand your options
Then spend far less getting what you are looking for
They are great programs
Can be had for far less buying from another owner who has aged out of travel

 

[dioxide45]

For that much money, you can buy two Westin Kierland Villas 2BR Platinum + worth 148,100 StarOptions each. Though I don't know how easy it is to book ski resorts at 8 months from checkin which would be required with a Westin Kierland ownership using StarOptions.

I agree with the above, cancel, cancel, cancel. You will then have all the time in the world to research. You only get one short period of time to cancel.

 

[JerseyPilot]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I’m currently on the road for work as a pilot. Does anyone have the address that a certified letter should be mailed to regarding cancellation of contract?

 

[dioxide45]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I’m currently on the road for work as a pilot. Does anyone have the address that a certified letter should be mailed to regarding cancellation of contract?

That will be in your contract. Do you have access to it? It can vary depending on where you purchased.

 

[JerseyPilot]

That will be in your contract. Do you have access to it? It can vary depending on where you purchased.

Yeah my wife has it so I’ll have her find the info and address

 

[JerseyPilot]

Sequence of what you do.
1. Cancel the purchase.
2. Come back here and learn about the two systems (and maybe other systems too).
3. Once you have decided what works for you, then you can proceed with a purchase. If you decide you want the same thing you currently have, then call the salesperson back and they will gladly sell it to you again.

I know it is the same thing the above poster said, just repeating for emphasis.

BTW, how much did you pay for what you bought?

Thanks. Paid $30,000

 

[claraj]

Marriott is a great product. It’s a little complicated at first if you want to learn how to take advantage of all the ways you can book a stay. I tried explaining it to my friends and the immediate response is always “that sounds complicated.” But I’ve been able to travel to so many places I haven’t been to before and I was quite the traveler before I joined Marriott. Rescind and come back with questions. The people here are great. Everything I learned is from here… you will never learn what you can learn here from Marriott staff.

 

[JerseyPilot]

Marriott is a great product. It’s a little complicated at first if you want to learn how to take advantage of all the ways you can book a stay. I tried explaining it to my friends and the immediate response is always “that sounds complicated.” But I’ve been able to travel to so many places I haven’t been to before and I was quite the traveler before I joined Marriott. Rescind and come back with questions. The people here are great. Everything I learned is from here… you will never learn what you can learn here from Marriott staff.

I won’t rescind if the timeshare I bought makes sense - financials aside the annual dues are 2000 per year. I just need to know if the 243,000 bonus points I got this year plus the 81k I get every year made sense

 

[5finny]

Sounds like you had already made the decision to rescind
If so you have made the right decision do not change your mind
I am not sure whether you bought a timeshare or some type of points/star options product but it does not matter
A data point:
Right now you can buy a Vistana Villages Key West phase Mandatory resort which gives you 81,000 star options per year for $2,5000 plus closing costs (Redweek) Annual fees are just under $2,000 a year
Don't do that now because you need to learn the system(s) before spending anything but be content in knowing that when the right time comes you can certainly do much much better

 

[dioxide45]

I won’t rescind if the timeshare I bought makes sense - financials aside the annual dues are 2000 per year. I just need to know if the 243,000 bonus points I got this year plus the 81k I get every year made sense

Likely no. YOu can get 148,100 points from a Westin Kierland Villas Platinum Plus resale week for $15,000. The maintenance fees are probably only a few hundred more. Those bonus points you get are one time use. They are intended to get you to buy more once you burn through them and discover that 81,000 points really isn't enough to do what you want to do.

 

[Ken555]

Rescind asap. Do more research. Then buy resale. There will always be something to buy - don't let circumstances force you to make a quick decision.

 

[DavidnRobin]

The common 3 Rs theme that has existed for years on TUG...
Rescind
Research
Resale

 

[rickandcindy23]

Definitely rescind. You were lucky to land here on TUG to ask these questions. You can buy something really great for $30K. I think I would buy the two Kierland 148,000 SO's weeks like @dioxide45 suggested.

 

[Ken555]

Definitely rescind. You were lucky to land here on TUG to ask these questions. You can buy something really great for $30K. I think I would buy the two Kierland 148,000 SO's weeks like @dioxide45 suggested.

start with one

 

[Venter]

It sounds like you have bought some Sheraton Home Options. I would say you did not do badly and you did not do well.

People will chastise me for this but here goes. Yes you can do much better if you buy resale but.... You will have restrictions.

You will be stuck in one system or the other unless you fork out more money to bring that resale in to the system by 'washing' it with new money.

From the chart you posted on the Marriott forum you can see that your 81000 points will get you into a ski week for one week a year. Considering that ski weeks easily cost $400/day if you book it @Marriott.com. However consider your initial outlay and it will take anything from 10-20 years to break even. You can rent from owners for cheaper on sites like Redweek.com.

Now understand that you have the ability to reserve your week 12 months in advance at the following resorts within the Vistana system:

1. Sheraton Vistana Resort (FL)
2. Sheraton Vistana Villages (FL)
3. Vistana's Beach Club (FL)
4. Sheraton Desert Oasis (AZ)
5. Sheraton Broadway Plantation (SC)
6. Sheraton Steamboat Springs (CO)
7. Sheraton Mountain Vista (CO)
8. Sheraton Lakeside Terrace (CO)
9. Sheraton Kauai Resort Villas (HI)

This is valuable if you want to book a ski week at one of the CO resorts because Westin, Aventuras and Marriott does not get first dibs. Westin, Aventuras, weeks and other resale owners have to wait and can only book 8 months out. I can say from experience that the Sheraton resorts are well seeded with high season weeks. Marriott Abound owners also have to wait and can only reserve a week later than you can. Now if you want to reserve elsewhere in the Vistana/Westin/Aventuras system you will have to wait and can only reserve 8 months out. With resale Sheraton points you will not be able to reserve anywhere else other than the resorts mentioned above which is why people have advised you that the points are pretty much useless if you want to sell them.(Some of us have picked up these points for free and use them at those resorts only to get priority booking.) Lastly if you want to borrow or bank points to combine it for use in a bigger unit then you will also have to keep the 8 month reservation in mind.

Now as far as Abound goes you will receive roughly 2382 Abound points for your 81000 Sheraton points. (Conversion is roughly 34:1). You will have lowly status in this system because of the amount of points and will have to book a whole week @ 12 months or pay a 20% premium to reserve at 13 months. You cannot reserve the Vistana resorts @ 13 months and as mentioned is normally available 1 week after the Vistana reservation window. Those ponts are also not useful if you want to go somewhere in the Marriott system over a high season period and stay in a 2 bedroom unit or a larger unit. Some 1 bedroom units can be outrageous in point costs. However, if skiing is your thing you can go and stay @Marriott Streamside Birch in a 1 bedroom Christmas week for 1670 points or in a 2 bedroom unit for 2400. These units are not the best in the system but bring value. If ski in ski out is your thing then the best use of your points will be to reserve at Steamboat which is one of the resorts where you have first reservation priority in the Vistana system. Thinking of Hawaii... unfortunately you will only be able to reserve studios mainly with options at some resorts for ocean front but, there are not many great ones. Again you will want to use your Sheraton points to reserve at 8 months at one of the other beach resorts in the Vistana system because you will be able to use your 81000 points for a week on a 1 bedroom.(Vistana system encompasses all the Westin, Sheraton, and Vistana resorts prior to the Marriott take over).

You can use your points to deposit it in a exchange company. Marriott uses Interval International. This is where you can exchange to a Disney resort which will cost you the $244 you were quoted, on top of you maintenance fees. The other good thing about owning those points are that you can exchange into other Marriott and Vistana resorts and you cannot do this with Abound points. Sometimes you may be able to save this way as you could exchange into a high season week at a Hawaii Marriott in a 1 bedroom highest season for 70000 points. You could even exchange into a 2 bedroom in Hawaii using you 81000 if not in the highest demand time period. Below is a chart showing you what points you need to exchange. TDI is a calculation made by the exchange company looking at the demand for a specific unit during a specific week. When you have resale points you have to pay a membership fee extra to Interval International and then even pay when you exchange to another Marriott resort. If you have retail(bought from the developer) points the membership fees are included in your club dues. You also get discounted exchange fees to Marriott resorts. You are already in the system as a developer buyer and can rent extra Abound points from to use if you want to really go to a Marriott.

Yes, you paid above what a resale will cost but there are people that got worse deals paying $10 000 - $15 000 for 25800 -37 000 Sheraton points. Considering your bonus points are worth nearly $9000 (as another poster suggested) if you use it to reserve weeks and rent it out, that is not a bad deal. Bottom line is that you are paying premium for having maximum flexibility and the ability to use all options available from the get go.

Now if you want to save money then get a resale. They come with some restrictions like if you purchased the Westin Kierland that some have suggested you can anly reserve at this specific resort 12 months out. To use your points associated with the week elsewhere you will have to wait for 8 months out before reserving at another resort. You are however getting more points and can get two bedroom units. The problem is that those ski weeks at Avon may not be as readily available at 8 months out than 12 months. I have been to all the ski resorts in the Sheraton system and can say that, although not exactly Westin quality, they are top notch. I would say even more convenient than some of the Vail resort because you are 8-10 minutes walk from the Gondola at the Westin. At Steamboet you have true ski in/out. Anyway, I digress. The resale will also incur extra Interval International fees and exchange fees. You will not be able to change your points/week for Abound points and play in the Marriott system unless you exchange through Interval International .In time you will be able to bring those dirty weeks into the full system but will have to make a new purchase to do so. So cheaper but not as flexible and cannot use all the options open to you.

For now, if you are only two people that studio or 1 bedroom may be enough but in time if you intend to grow your family or invite friends you will want a bigger unit.

Lastly, Sheraton points maintenance fees are higher than if you owned a deeded week but I think, if I am not mistaken, it is still cheaper than owning Abound points. When you come to offload your deeded week you may be able to get some money for it but would have to pay Marriott to take back your Sheraton points or give it away free to someone because, of the restrictions on resale points.

 

[WorldT]

I won’t rescind if the timeshare I bought makes sense - financials aside the annual dues are 2000 per year. I just need to know if the 243,000 bonus points I got this year plus the 81k I get every year made sense

What will make sense depends on how you want to use it and the timeline you will be using. Also, as already mentioned, if you decide in a few years you want a family, then will it make sense? Would you need a bigger unit.
Also consider what you just bought, what it can get you and the alternate cost if you wanted to rent instead (add the purchase cost to the MF).
Post #17 goes into some details. If you don't understand all of it. That is okay. We all went through the learning curve and some here are still going through it.
It takes more time than the timeframe that you have between your purchase and the recission deadline to understand which one makes the most sense for you. Hence, the best choice is to cancel, research, and like I said earlier, if you still decide this is the route you want to take, they salesperson will gladly sell it again to you and even thank you for calling back. If you go in person, they might even add a bottle of champagne (just kidding on the champagne, I don't think alcohol is allowed at Marriott sales offices)
Your choice.

 

[Venter]

What will make sense depends on how you want to use it and the timeline you will be using. Also, as already mentioned, if you decide in a few years you want a family, then will it make sense? Would you need a bigger unit.
Also consider what you just bought, what it can get you and the alternate cost if you wanted to rent instead (add the purchase cost to the MF).
Post #17 goes into some details. If you don't understand all of it. That is okay. We all went through the learning curve and some here are still going through it.
It takes more time than the timeframe that you have between your purchase and the recission deadline to understand which one makes the most sense for you. Hence, the best choice is to cancel, research, and like I said earlier, if you still decide this is the route you want to take, they salesperson will gladly sell it again to you and even thank you for calling back. If you go in person, they might even add a bottle of champagne (just kidding on the champagne, I don't think alcohol is allowed at Marriott sales offices)
Your choice.

When we bought our first Marriott in Spain in 2004 they popped the champagne for us. I didn't know if it was for us or them because I drove a hard bargain.

 

[JerseyPilot]

It sounds like you have bought some Sheraton Home Options. I would say you did not do badly and you did not do well.

People will chastise me for this but here goes. Yes you can do much better if you buy resale but.... You will have restrictions.

You will be stuck in one system or the other unless you fork out more money to bring that resale in to the system by 'washing' it with new money.

From the chart you posted on the Marriott forum you can see that your 81000 points will get you into a ski week for one week a year. Considering that ski weeks easily cost $400/day if you book it @Marriott.com. However consider your initial outlay and it will take anything from 10-20 years to break even. You can rent from owners for cheaper on sites like Redweek.com.

Now understand that you have the ability to reserve your week 12 months in advance at the following resorts within the Vistana system:

1. Sheraton Vistana Resort (FL)
2. Sheraton Vistana Villages (FL)
3. Vistana's Beach Club (FL)
4. Sheraton Desert Oasis (AZ)
5. Sheraton Broadway Plantation (SC)
6. Sheraton Steamboat Springs (CO)
7. Sheraton Mountain Vista (CO)
8. Sheraton Lakeside Terrace (CO)
9. Sheraton Kauai Resort Villas (HI)

This is valuable if you want to book a ski week at one of the CO resorts because Westin, Aventuras and Marriott does not get first dibs. Westin, Aventuras, weeks and other resale owners have to wait and can only book 8 months out. I can say from experience that the Sheraton resorts are well seeded with high season weeks. Marriott Abound owners also have to wait and can only reserve a week later than you can. Now if you want to reserve elsewhere in the Vistana/Westin/Aventuras system you will have to wait and can only reserve 8 months out. With resale Sheraton points you will not be able to reserve anywhere else other than the resorts mentioned above which is why people have advised you that the points are pretty much useless if you want to sell them.(Some of us have picked up these points for free and use them at those resorts only to get priority booking.) Lastly if you want to borrow or bank points to combine it for use in a bigger unit then you will also have to keep the 8 month reservation in mind.

Now as far as Abound goes you will receive roughly 2382 Abound points for your 81000 Sheraton points. (Conversion is roughly 34:1). You will have lowly status in this system because of the amount of points and will have to book a whole week @ 12 months or pay a 20% premium to reserve at 13 months. You cannot reserve the Vistana resorts @ 13 months and as mentioned is normally available 1 week after the Vistana reservation window. Those ponts are also not useful if you want to go somewhere in the Marriott system over a high season period and stay in a 2 bedroom unit or a larger unit. Some 1 bedroom units can be outrageous in point costs. However, if skiing is your thing you can go and stay @Marriott Streamside Birch in a 1 bedroom Christmas week for 1670 points or in a 2 bedroom unit for 2400. These units are not the best in the system but bring value. If ski in ski out is your thing then the best use of your points will be to reserve at Steamboat which is one of the resorts where you have first reservation priority in the Vistana system. Thinking of Hawaii... unfortunately you will only be able to reserve studios mainly with options at some resorts for ocean front but, there are not many great ones. Again you will want to use your Sheraton points to reserve at 8 months at one of the other beach resorts in the Vistana system because you will be able to use your 81000 points for a week on a 1 bedroom.(Vistana system encompasses all the Westin, Sheraton, and Vistana resorts prior to the Marriott take over).

You can use your points to deposit it in a exchange company. Marriott uses Interval International. This is where you can exchange to a Disney resort which will cost you the $244 you were quoted, on top of you maintenance fees. The other good thing about owning those points are that you can exchange into other Marriott and Vistana resorts and you cannot do this with Abound points. Sometimes you may be able to save this way as you could exchange into a high season week at a Hawaii Marriott in a 1 bedroom highest season for 70000 points. You could even exchange into a 2 bedroom in Hawaii using you 81000 if not in the highest demand time period. Below is a chart showing you what points you need to exchange. TDI is a calculation made by the exchange company looking at the demand for a specific unit during a specific week. When you have resale points you have to pay a membership fee extra to Interval International and then even pay when you exchange to another Marriott resort. If you have retail(bought from the developer) points the membership fees are included in your club dues. You also get discounted exchange fees to Marriott resorts. You are already in the system as a developer buyer and can rent extra Abound points from to use if you want to really go to a Marriott.


View attachment 121309

Yes, you paid above what a resale will cost but there are people that got worse deals paying $10 000 - $15 000 for 25800 -37 000 Sheraton points. Considering your bonus points are worth nearly $9000 (as another poster suggested) if you use it to reserve weeks and rent it out, that is not a bad deal. Bottom line is that you are paying premium for having maximum flexibility and the ability to use all options available from the get go.

Now if you want to save money then get a resale. They come with some restrictions like if you purchased the Westin Kierland that some have suggested you can anly reserve at this specific resort 12 months out. To use your points associated with the week elsewhere you will have to wait for 8 months out before reserving at another resort. You are however getting more points and can get two bedroom units. The problem is that those ski weeks at Avon may not be as readily available at 8 months out than 12 months. I have been to all the ski resorts in the Sheraton system and can say that, although not exactly Westin quality, they are top notch. I would say even more convenient than some of the Vail resort because you are 8-10 minutes walk from the Gondola at the Westin. At Steamboet you have true ski in/out. Anyway, I digress. The resale will also incur extra Interval International fees and exchange fees. You will not be able to change your points/week for Abound points and play in the Marriott system unless you exchange through Interval International .In time you will be able to bring those dirty weeks into the full system but will have to make a new purchase to do so. So cheaper but not as flexible and cannot use all the options open to you.

For now, if you are only two people that studio or 1 bedroom may be enough but in time if you intend to grow your family or invite friends you will want a bigger unit.

Lastly, Sheraton points maintenance fees are higher than if you owned a deeded week but I think, if I am not mistaken, it is still cheaper than owning Abound points. When you come to offload your deeded week you may be able to get some money for it but would have to pay Marriott to take back your Sheraton points or give it away free to someone because, of the restrictions on resale points.

This is amazing advice. I admit having first dibs on a Westin property like the one in Avon CO that my wife loves steps from the gondola was a huge selling point. The $30,000 timeshare we can afford and the annual maintenance plus club fees comes out to about $2,000 a year. Realistically I need to weigh the 243000 bonus points which I can use within the next two years, plus the 81k per year, plus the ability to have first dibs at the main Westin property we care about most to know if it makes financial sense. Yes I may be able to save money by buying resale but from your post it also comes with negatives because it wasn’t directly purchased with those built in benefits. As for our family yes we plan on growing it but in those cases I guess it would just be a situation of purchasing more points if we wanted a second bedroom value?

 

[JerseyPilot]

What will make sense depends on how you want to use it and the timeline you will be using. Also, as already mentioned, if you decide in a few years you want a family, then will it make sense? Would you need a bigger unit.
Also consider what you just bought, what it can get you and the alternate cost if you wanted to rent instead (add the purchase cost to the MF).
Post #17 goes into some details. If you don't understand all of it. That is okay. We all went through the learning curve and some here are still going through it.
It takes more time than the timeframe that you have between your purchase and the recission deadline to understand which one makes the most sense for you. Hence, the best choice is to cancel, research, and like I said earlier, if you still decide this is the route you want to take, they salesperson will gladly sell it again to you and even thank you for calling back. If you go in person, they might even add a bottle of champagne (just kidding on the champagne, I don't think alcohol is allowed at Marriott sales offices)
Your choice.

Thank you so much for my advice - see my above reply as well to another persons post

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

I won’t rescind if the timeshare I bought makes sense - financials aside the annual dues are 2000 per year. I just need to know if the 243,000 bonus points I got this year plus the 81k I get every year made sense

You probably will want more points than that. You can buy resale at Kierland and get 148,000+ SO's per yr . Once you start using it you will want more points. We get spring skiing easily as a trade but can't weigh in on mid ski season as we like warmer ski days and haven't tried

 

[JerseyPilot]

You probably will want more points than that. You can buy resale at Kierland and get 148,000+ SO's per yr . Once you start using it you will want more points. We get spring skiing easily as a trade but can't weigh in on mid ski season as we like warmer ski days and haven't tried

If I were to stay with the contract and pay it then buy points resale is there an issue there or just a waste of money?

 

[dioxide45]

This is amazing advice. I admit having first dibs on a Westin property like the one in Avon CO that my wife loves steps from the gondola was a huge selling point. The $30,000 timeshare we can afford and the annual maintenance plus club fees comes out to about $2,000 a year. Realistically I need to weigh the 243000 bonus points which I can use within the next two years, plus the 81k per year, plus the ability to have first dibs at the main Westin property we care about most to know if it makes financial sense. Yes I may be able to save money by buying resale but from your post it also comes with negatives because it wasn’t directly purchased with those built in benefits. As for our family yes we plan on growing it but in those cases I guess it would just be a situation of purchasing more points if we wanted a second bedroom value?

The question really is, what exactly did you purchase? Did you buy Westin Flex program or Sheraton Flex program. They are different and would make a very big difference if you want to stay at Westin Riverfront during ski season on a regular basis. I understood that Westin Flex was mostly sold out but it is possible they were able to sell you Westin Flex.

If you bought Westin Flex, you can use it to reserve Westin Riverfront 12 months from check in.
If you bought Sheraton Flex, you can only use it to possibly reserve Westin Riverfront 8 months from check in.

In any case, the incentives (bonus points) will likely be the same if you cancel and decide to go back later to buy direct from Vistana. There is really no negative to cancelling other than a small price increase on the points. Rescinding just gives you more time to research what option is best for you and where and when you want to travel.

 

[claraj]

If you are trying to reserve Westin Riverfront, it is not easy. There are only ~24 villas (I forget the exact number) and they were sold as deeded weeks. It is my understanding there’s no guarantee that it will be available for options. I attended a sales meeting there and this is what was explained to me, that I could buy and have priority but there would be no guarantee. Sheraton Mountain Vista would be easier to book, which I’ve also stayed at. It’s a fine resort.