MOW and MVC questions

[LisaRex]

I rented an OF unit at MOW from an owner that placed an ad on Redweek. I don’t know if the owner is a deeded owner or a points owner. The confirmation she sent is in her name, and indicates that she used x number of points for the unit, and also that she was a Titanium member. My name is listed as a guest. She said that it’s customary to do it this way because Marriott frowns on rentals and will place renters in the worst rooms. It’s much better to be listed as her guest. Perhaps this is true if she has status?

Does her claim make sense? Is renting allowed? Vistana allows rentals at your home resort, and will allow reservations to be put in anyone's name without consequence. View is determined exclusively by time stamp.

She also said that Oceanside rooms often have a superior view than OF rooms because they are closer to the ocean and have no obstructions, such as trees. She tried to talk me into switching, but I declined because my first priority is a sweeping ocean view. For people who have stayed there, if you are put in the Starfish building, would you have preferred the side view of Scallop or Conch?

Thanks for your help.

 

[SueDonJ]

It sounds like this is a DC Points reservation and yes, rentals of Points reservations are allowed. It's possible with a phone call to Owner Services to modify a reservation so that the guest name becomes the primary and the owner's Bonvoy status/number is removed. I don't know about Marriott putting renters into the worst units but I do know that if the owner's name/status stays on the reservation then any consideration extended to the owner *may* be extended to the guest - no guarantees but it's possible. The timestamp on Marriott reservations counts more than the owner status at relatively few resorts.

Some owners like to keep their name/Bonvoy status on reservations they rent out because they want to get credit for the Elite Nights but technically the person staying in the unit is supposed to get those credits, so if you keep the reservation as is you should make sure to give them your Bonvoy number at check-in.

No idea about your questions re the property layout.

 

[kwelty]

I rented an ocean front MOW from a fellow Tugger in July and the reservation was in my name. Everything went smoothly and I couldn't have had a better view.

 

[LisaRex]

Kwelty, what building were you in?

 

[Bucky]

We own Oceanside at MOW and far prefer it to Oceanfront in the Starfish bldg. starfish doesn’t have any trees in front of it so that shouldn’t be a problem. The only problem possible in an Oceanside room is the different locations possible. We’ve had them all. Pool side views, Marriott Hotel views and Owners club views. Have still had great views but the owners club views can get iffy, depending on the floor you are on because there are trees on that side. We’ve always had a high floor so that’s not been an issue for us. You also have a good view Of the ocean, just not as good as pool side or hotel side. Our favorite is hotel side. Huge sweeping ocean view and a great pool to look at. We are not points owners so I cannot speak as to how that works but our renters have always received the view we reserved. To get the absolute best view for your desires, you would need an Oceanfront reservation in either the Scallop or Conch buildings. Problem is there are only a limited number of Oceanfronts in each of those buildings.

 

[Dean]

I rented an OF unit at MOW from an owner that placed an ad on Redweek. I don’t know if the owner is a deeded owner or a points owner. The confirmation she sent is in her name, and indicates that she used x number of points for the unit, and also that she was a Titanium member. My name is listed as a guest. She said that it’s customary to do it this way because Marriott frowns on rentals and will place renters in the worst rooms. It’s much better to be listed as her guest. Perhaps this is true if she has status?

Does her claim make sense? Is renting allowed? Vistana allows rentals at your home resort, and will allow reservations to be put in anyone's name without consequence. View is determined exclusively by time stamp.

She also said that Oceanside rooms often have a superior view than OF rooms because they are closer to the ocean and have no obstructions, such as trees. She tried to talk me into switching, but I declined because my first priority is a sweeping ocean view. For people who have stayed there, if you are put in the Starfish building, would you have preferred the side view of Scallop or Conch?

Thanks for your help.

Sounds like they had both view types and likely had someone else wanting OF and declining OS so they were trying to get you to switch to get both rented. Given what you've shared you may not be able to add your Bonvoy number at check in but you could try if you have one. As noted, rentals of a direct timeshare are allowed with MVC but were it a rewards points reservations (unlikely), then it would be an issue. Enjoy your visit.

 

[kwelty]

Kwelty, what building were you in?

Conch 1057. Fifth floor room 7, this is the corner unit looking towards the Southeast. In the picture it is the building in the middle of the picture, closest to the ocean.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Beautiful view! Hope you didn’t end up sitting on that bowl, lol.


.

 

[echino]

When I rented out my Marriott weeks, and contacted MVC to change the reservation in the guest's name, they did it differently. Sometimes they replace the owner's name with the guest's name, and sometimes they leave the owner's name as the main name, and just add guest's name as a secondary guest. I don't know why there is no consistency in how MVC does it. In any case, my renters had no problem checking in. Both ways work fine.

 

[LisaRex]

Thanks for your responses. I had a lot of issues with this owner. She's a multi-week owner, and owns 2 OF and 1 OS unit. She placed an ad for one of the OF units, which I booked back in March. She explained that her son was going to be there the same week and he would be disappointed not to get the other OF villa, and I joked that that was the price he paid for being a freeloader.

Anyway, we put OF in the contract, and all was well until I contacted her the week before my vacation because the confirmation she sent me had only her name on it. My name wasn't anywhere, either as a primary or a guest. She called me back, and once again tried to convince me to switch to OS. I declined again, saying that direct ocean view was my priority. I used to own OF at Westin Ka'anapali and I wouldn't be happy with a lesser view.

She warned me that as a renter, I'd probably be placed in the Starfish building, which had far worse views than anything in the front two buildings. First of all, it was set far back and secondly, plus it had a ton of obstructions, such as palm trees and the sides of the other buildings. She said that she was calling the next day to ask for room assignment, and wanted to know what building I'd prefer to be in. Looking at the layout, I said that obviously I preferred to be in Conch or Scallop, as they were front row ocean front. But, I said, IF the room they were going to assign was one of the obstructed rooms in Starfish, I'd consider moving to the very front oceanside villa ONLY. I even said that if it was the choice between looking at another building and an OF room that faced the ocean, I'd take the latter.

Fast forward to the day of check-in. 2 hours before we arrived, the owner called me and asked me how far we were from MOW. I told her and she got really panicked, and kept saying, "Can you hold it? Can you hold it?" to someone at MOW. And then she said, "Well, just get here as fast as you can." I was so confused because I thought that she had already taken care of room assignment, so what difference would it make what time I arrived?

An hour later, I got a call from Marriott (turns out that they thought I was the owner because she had listed my name and number on the reservation), telling me that my OceanSIDE unit was ready. Well, okay, I figured that they had put me in one of the obstructed Starfish buildings, so she nicely had them move me to Oceanside.

But then he said, "But, your oceanfront room next door is still being cleaned." What? I was shocked. Turns out that she had negotiated to get all three of her villas in Scallop, and had placed ed me in the worst room even though I'd paid for OF. IMO, she deliberately set me up to be moved to OS by convincing me that she was acting in my best interest. In reality, I ended up in a downgraded room, in a room that looked at another building, and she ended up in an upgraded room.

I called her and argued with her for 10 minutes because I only gave her permission to move me from OF if they put me in an obstructed room in Starfish, but she didn't budge. She said that my EXACT WORDS were that I preferred Conch or Scallop. And that's where I was placed.

To make matters worse, when I went to check in, the front desk clerk said that she had already checked in for me. I said, "So she has keys to my room?" And she said, "Yes." So, not only did I have to lock up all my valuables every time I left the room, but we couldn't charge anything to our room because it would be charged to her.

Anyway, I didn't want to ruin the rest of my vacation, so I let the matter lie. But when I returned home, I sent her a text telling her that I expected a partial refund because we had a signed contract for an OF room and she put me in OS. She refused, and argued back that she had done nothing wrong and now she's quit responding.

In the grand scheme of life, it's not the biggest deal in the world. But it really did put a damper on my vacation, mainly because I feel that she manipulated my words and then wouldn't even admit that she pulled a bait-and-switch that put her in an OF room, at my expense.

 

[dioxide45]

I see no reason why you shouldn't be entitled to a partial refund given. However, you should also understand that villa assignments are never guaranteed. I would have said give me the ocean front room even if it is in Starfish. It does seem she manipulated the situation to get her son the OF room while there was never probably a chance you would have ended up in Starfish. You could always file a suit in small claims court. It may not cost that much to do so. Filing fees may be less than $100. It may scare her enough to give you a partial refund.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for your responses. I had a lot of issues with this owner. She's a multi-week owner, and owns 2 OF and 1 OS unit. She placed an ad for one of the OF units, which I booked back in March. She explained that her son was going to be there the same week and he would be disappointed not to get the other OF villa, and I joked that that was the price he paid for being a freeloader.

Anyway, we put OF in the contract, and all was well until I contacted her the week before my vacation because the confirmation she sent me had only her name on it. My name wasn't anywhere, either as a primary or a guest. She called me back, and once again tried to convince me to switch to OS. I declined again, saying that direct ocean view was my priority. I used to own OF at Westin Ka'anapali and I wouldn't be happy with a lesser view.

She warned me that as a renter, I'd probably be placed in the Starfish building, which had far worse views than anything in the front two buildings. First of all, it was set far back and secondly, plus it had a ton of obstructions, such as palm trees and the sides of the other buildings. She said that she was calling the next day to ask for room assignment, and wanted to know what building I'd prefer to be in. Looking at the layout, I said that obviously I preferred to be in Conch or Scallop, as they were front row ocean front. But, I said, IF the room they were going to assign was one of the obstructed rooms in Starfish, I'd consider moving to the very front oceanside villa ONLY. I even said that if it was the choice between looking at another building and an OF room that faced the ocean, I'd take the latter.

Fast forward to the day of check-in. 2 hours before we arrived, the owner called me and asked me how far we were from MOW. I told her and she got really panicked, and kept saying, "Can you hold it? Can you hold it?" to someone at MOW. And then she said, "Well, just get here as fast as you can." I was so confused because I thought that she had already taken care of room assignment, so what difference would it make what time I arrived?

An hour later, I got a call from Marriott (turns out that they thought I was the owner because she had listed my name and number on the reservation), telling me that my OceanSIDE unit was ready. Well, okay, I figured that they had put me in one of the obstructed Starfish buildings, so she nicely had them move me to Oceanside.

But then he said, "But, your oceanfront room next door is still being cleaned." What? I was shocked. Turns out that she had negotiated to get all three of her villas in Scallop, and had placed ed me in the worst room even though I'd paid for OF. IMO, she deliberately set me up to be moved to OS by convincing me that she was acting in my best interest. In reality, I ended up in a downgraded room, in a room that looked at another building, and she ended up in an upgraded room.

I called her and argued with her for 10 minutes because I only gave her permission to move me from OF if they put me in an obstructed room in Starfish, but she didn't budge. She said that my EXACT WORDS were that I preferred Conch or Scallop. And that's where I was placed.

To make matters worse, when I went to check in, the front desk clerk said that she had already checked in for me. I said, "So she has keys to my room?" And she said, "Yes." So, not only did I have to lock up all my valuables every time I left the room, but we couldn't charge anything to our room because it would be charged to her.

Anyway, I didn't want to ruin the rest of my vacation, so I let the matter lie. But when I returned home, I sent her a text telling her that I expected a partial refund because we had a signed contract for an OF room and she put me in OS. She refused, and argued back that she had done nothing wrong and now she's quit responding.

In the grand scheme of life, it's not the biggest deal in the world. But it really did put a damper on my vacation, mainly because I feel that she manipulated my words and then wouldn't even admit that she pulled a bait-and-switch that put her in an OF room, at my expense.

IF you got what was technically an OF room even though it was not an ideal one, I don't think you have much to argue about though I'll admit it just seems strange the way this went down. As presented it's not the way I would have handled it.

 

[dioxide45]

IF you got what was technically an OF room even though it was not an ideal one, I don't think you have much to argue about though I'll admit it just seems strange the way this went down. As presented it's not the way I would have handled it.

I don't think they got an OF room, they got an OS in Scallop because the owner seems to claim that they would have rather had that than Starfish. But the OF room that was provided on checkin was actually also in Scallop. So the renter should have had that OF room, not the owner's son. At least that is how I understand it.

 

[Dean]

I don't think they got an OF room, they got an OS in Scallop because the owner seems to claim that they would have rather had that than Starfish. But the OF room that was provided on checkin was actually also in Scallop. So the renter should have had that OF room, not the owner's son.

I don't think they got an OF room, they got an OS in Scallop because the owner seems to claim that they would have rather had that than Starfish. But the OF room that was provided on checkin was actually also in Scallop. So the renter should have had that OF room, not the owner's son.

Thanks, I couldn't tell. At best it was shady, if they technically didn't get what they agreed to and paid for, then definitely room to complain and a partial refund. I wonder if this was this done through paypal, redweeks, TUG or similar?

 

[LisaRex]

I don't think they got an OF room, they got an OS in Scallop because the owner seems to claim that they would have rather had that than Starfish. But the OF room that was provided on checkin was actually also in Scallop. So the renter should have had that OF room, not the owner's son. At least that is how I understand it.

Exactly right. The difference was a direct ocean view and a view that faces the Ocean Club next door. The ocean was only visible from my balcony. First world problem, I know, but it bugged me a lot.

 

[LisaRex]

Thanks, I couldn't tell. At best it was shady, if they technically didn't get what they agreed to and paid for, then definitely room to complain and a partial refund. I wonder if this was this done through paypal, redweeks, TUG or similar?

Redweek ad but we communicated via email and phone and I paid by personal check.

 

[Dean]

Redweek ad but we communicated via email and phone and I paid by personal check.

I'd still notify redweek.

 

[TravelTime]

Thanks for your responses. I had a lot of issues with this owner. She's a multi-week owner, and owns 2 OF and 1 OS unit. She placed an ad for one of the OF units, which I booked back in March. She explained that her son was going to be there the same week and he would be disappointed not to get the other OF villa, and I joked that that was the price he paid for being a freeloader.

Anyway, we put OF in the contract, and all was well until I contacted her the week before my vacation because the confirmation she sent me had only her name on it. My name wasn't anywhere, either as a primary or a guest. She called me back, and once again tried to convince me to switch to OS. I declined again, saying that direct ocean view was my priority. I used to own OF at Westin Ka'anapali and I wouldn't be happy with a lesser view.

She warned me that as a renter, I'd probably be placed in the Starfish building, which had far worse views than anything in the front two buildings. First of all, it was set far back and secondly, plus it had a ton of obstructions, such as palm trees and the sides of the other buildings. She said that she was calling the next day to ask for room assignment, and wanted to know what building I'd prefer to be in. Looking at the layout, I said that obviously I preferred to be in Conch or Scallop, as they were front row ocean front. But, I said, IF the room they were going to assign was one of the obstructed rooms in Starfish, I'd consider moving to the very front oceanside villa ONLY. I even said that if it was the choice between looking at another building and an OF room that faced the ocean, I'd take the latter.

Fast forward to the day of check-in. 2 hours before we arrived, the owner called me and asked me how far we were from MOW. I told her and she got really panicked, and kept saying, "Can you hold it? Can you hold it?" to someone at MOW. And then she said, "Well, just get here as fast as you can." I was so confused because I thought that she had already taken care of room assignment, so what difference would it make what time I arrived?

An hour later, I got a call from Marriott (turns out that they thought I was the owner because she had listed my name and number on the reservation), telling me that my OceanSIDE unit was ready. Well, okay, I figured that they had put me in one of the obstructed Starfish buildings, so she nicely had them move me to Oceanside.

But then he said, "But, your oceanfront room next door is still being cleaned." What? I was shocked. Turns out that she had negotiated to get all three of her villas in Scallop, and had placed ed me in the worst room even though I'd paid for OF. IMO, she deliberately set me up to be moved to OS by convincing me that she was acting in my best interest. In reality, I ended up in a downgraded room, in a room that looked at another building, and she ended up in an upgraded room.

I called her and argued with her for 10 minutes because I only gave her permission to move me from OF if they put me in an obstructed room in Starfish, but she didn't budge. She said that my EXACT WORDS were that I preferred Conch or Scallop. And that's where I was placed.

To make matters worse, when I went to check in, the front desk clerk said that she had already checked in for me. I said, "So she has keys to my room?" And she said, "Yes." So, not only did I have to lock up all my valuables every time I left the room, but we couldn't charge anything to our room because it would be charged to her.

Anyway, I didn't want to ruin the rest of my vacation, so I let the matter lie. But when I returned home, I sent her a text telling her that I expected a partial refund because we had a signed contract for an OF room and she put me in OS. She refused, and argued back that she had done nothing wrong and now she's quit responding.

In the grand scheme of life, it's not the biggest deal in the world. But it really did put a damper on my vacation, mainly because I feel that she manipulated my words and then wouldn't even admit that she pulled a bait-and-switch that put her in an OF room, at my expense.

You should have gotten the OF room bc that is what you paid for. I am confused by a few parts of your story.

1) Why did Marriott say your OF room next door is still being cleaned if you were not going to be placed in an OF room?

2) Why did she check in for you?

3) Why did she have keys to your room? Was she staying in the resort too?

4) Why did she ask you to get to the resort fast?

 

[LisaRex]

You should have gotten the OF room bc that is what you paid for. I am confused by a few parts of your story.

1) Why did Marriott say your OF room next door is still being cleaned if you were not going to be placed in an OF room?

He told me about the OF room because he mistakenly thought he was speaking to the owner, and she had booked 3 rooms under her name.

She undoubtedly listed me as a guest instead of putting the reservation in my name because she had a vested interest in him assignIng me the best OS room possible, so she could claim I’d been assigned to Starfish and she’d scored me a better view. Then she could take the OF reservation back that she’d sold to me, with me none the wiser. I doubt he’d have been as generous with his room assignments had he known she had rented one of the units out for a profit.

I also believe this was her motive because I called her immediately after the manager let the cat out of the bag that all rooms were in Scallop. I said, “Why are YOU in my OF room?” And she said, “Relax, you've got the better view.“ I asked her what building she was in, and she lied and said Starfish. I then revealed that I knew she was in the corner OF villa in front of me, and then she tried to convince me that my side view was much better because her corner room had a teeny balcony and got too much sun. And she wasn’t deceiving me and wished she had never even offered to help me get a better view.

2) Why did she check in for you?

I think because the mgr had already given her 2 sweet room assignments and until I checked in, it was vulnerable to being assigned to another elite member who might have asked for a front room. Speculation on my part.

Another possibility I hadn’t thought of til DonSue pointed out that she may have wanted to pocket the nights from my room to count towards her elite status.

3) Why did she have keys to your room? Was she staying in the resort too?

Yes, she had 3 reservations, 2 OF and 1 OS. In our original conversation she said her son would be there. I didn’t know she’d be there too until a week prior to departing. But she was in the room next to me and her son was next to her.

4) Why did she ask you to get to the resort fast?

See answer above. It’s my best guess.

 

[jabberwocky]

If she had multiple reservations for the same nights she would only get Bonvoy elite night credit for one of the units.

 

[Bucky]

Redweek ad but we communicated via email and phone and I paid by personal check.

Redweek requires owners to provide them a copy of the reservation that has been put in the renters name Before they will finalize a transaction. Sounds to me that you got worked hard by the owner!

 

[LisaRex]

If she had multiple reservations for the same nights she would only get Bonvoy elite night credit for one of the units.

Oh, okay, good to know. When I owned my Westin timeshare, none of the timeshare nights counted towards elite status in the Starwood hotel program. And elite status didn't get late checks nor automatic room upgrades. Time stamp trumped everything. It was one of the reasons I chose Westin Ka'anapali over MOC. As a single week owner, and non-business traveler with no elite status, I felt that Marriott's program would have been stacked against me.

 

[cory30]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. From my perspective, this owner took quite a few liberties that were not appropriate and by placing you in an oceanside unit violated the terms of your agreement. At minimum, she should send you a refund to recognize the difference between oceanfront (what you paid for) and oceanside (what you got).

 

[ATL Chick]

I rented an OF unit at MOW from an owner that placed an ad on Redweek. I don’t know if the owner is a deeded owner or a points owner. The confirmation she sent is in her name, and indicates that she used x number of points for the unit, and also that she was a Titanium member. My name is listed as a guest. She said that it’s customary to do it this way because Marriott frowns on rentals and will place renters in the worst rooms. It’s much better to be listed as her guest. Perhaps this is true if she has status?

Does her claim make sense? Is renting allowed? Vistana allows rentals at your home resort, and will allow reservations to be put in anyone's name without consequence. View is determined exclusively by time stamp.

She also said that Oceanside rooms often have a superior view than OF rooms because they are closer to the ocean and have no obstructions, such as trees. She tried to talk me into switching, but I declined because my first priority is a sweeping ocean view. For people who have stayed there, if you are put in the Starfish building, would you have preferred the side view of Scallop or Conch?

Thanks for your help.

I rented an OF unit at MOW from an owner that placed an ad on Redweek. I don’t know if the owner is a deeded owner or a points owner. The confirmation she sent is in her name, and indicates that she used x number of points for the unit, and also that she was a Titanium member. My name is listed as a guest. She said that it’s customary to do it this way because Marriott frowns on rentals and will place renters in the worst rooms. It’s much better to be listed as her guest. Perhaps this is true if she has status?

Does her claim make sense? Is renting allowed? Vistana allows rentals at your home resort, and will allow reservations to be put in anyone's name without consequence. View is determined exclusively by time stamp.

She also said that Oceanside rooms often have a superior view than OF rooms because they are closer to the ocean and have no obstructions, such as trees. She tried to talk me into switching, but I declined because my first priority is a sweeping ocean view. For people who have stayed there, if you are put in the Starfish building, would you have preferred the side view of Scallop or Conch?

Thanks for your help.

I would definitely say Scallop. Being an owner for 10 years, I have stayed in all buildings except the Starfish. The Scallop side has a scene, peaceful side. The Conch side has he busy Marriott Grand Dunes hotel next door. I have attached a map of the resort: https://myrtlebeachhotelswaterparks...riott-oceanwatch-villa-grounds-map.pdf?x23468.

Hopes this helps!

ATL Chick

 

[ATL Chick]

I would definitely say Scallop. Being an owner for 10 years, I have stayed in all buildings except the Starfish. The Scallop side has a scene, peaceful side. The Conch side has he busy Marriott Grand Dunes hotel next door. I have attached a map of the resort: https://myrtlebeachhotelswaterparks...riott-oceanwatch-villa-grounds-map.pdf?x23468.

Hopes this helps!

ATL Chick

I would also say, you are correct, stay in the Starfish building but chose the Scallop side if you cannot get a unit in the middle that looks straight out on the ocean. However, If you get a high enough view, it may matter less to you as long as you are in OF Starfish.