My First DC club experience.

[fluke]

I thought I would share my recent experience on my first attempt to utilize the Marriott points system. I am a legacy owner with 2 3 bedroom platinum Ko olina oceanview weeks which puts me in premier plus status.

I traded my units in for points for 2012 with the intent to book two weeks at Ko Olina around Christmas and New Years (Dec 22nd to Jan 5th to be exact). I placed my call at 9 AM Eastern on Novemeber 22nd at the opening of the thirteen month window.

I waited a reasonable amount of time of approximately 5 minutes for a VOA. When I spoke to the VOA she first checked the full 14 days and could't find it available. She then started from the first day (dec 22) and found it available and began to add a day and check sequentially until there was no availablity.

She was able to reserve 11 nights (dec 22nd - jan 2). She told me there was available trust inventory only for remaining 3 days but I was unable to access. I pressed her on if, when, and how that inventory would ever enter the exchange pool and from her response I don't think she really knew.

I cannot call back to reasses availability until the thirteen month window opens for the first day (jan 3rd). And I can only do that because I am premiere plus status and have the ability to reserve less than a week 13 months in advance. If I was premier I would have to wait even longer.

I think this raises questions about platinum plus(weeks 51 and 52) inventory at Ko Olina. I wonder how many weeks are owned by legacy owners and how many were placed in the trust?

And a more general question ishow do the rules of the DC club apply to platinum plus owners (deadlines for turning units for points and banking points)? If the September deadline was in effect for Ko Olina platinum plus owners to deposit their units I would expect full inventory by this time. Does anyone have any insight into that question?

 

[m61376]

I think your experience underscores once of the major problems with the DC. While you did not buy points, today they are selling points with the promise of having the opportunity to book whatever week you want, and theoretically they can sell and resell the opportunity to book holiday weeks to every buyer. Unlike deeded weeks, there is no restriction on the number of buyers with expectations of getting a certain week or even reserving during a specified period (ie season).

Did you try to book 2 2BR units or were you supplementing your points and trying to book 3BR units? I think many purchasers of Plat. Plus weeks bought to use, and thus there may be more limited inventory for exchange.

btw- can Premiere Plus members book partial weeks at 13 or at 12 months? You mention not being able to call back until Jan. 3rd at the 13 month mark, but that would be the 12 month mark. Wouldn't you be able to call back sooner anyway and theoretically have to rebook a week or longer, assuming that the days opened up?

 

[suzannesimon]

Do they have Plat Plus Holiday fixed weeks? If so, how are they going to handle that? It seems like a fixed week owner would have to convert to points before they would be able to give it up to a points user.

 

[fluke]

Did you try to book 2 2BR units or were you supplementing your points and trying to book 3BR units?

I was booking 2 bedroom units(due to the point differential for the platinum plus weeks, particularly new years).

btw- can Premiere Plus members book partial weeks at 13 or at 12 months? You mention not being able to call back until Jan. 3rd at the 13 month mark, but that would be the 12 month mark. Wouldn't you be able to call back sooner anyway and theoretically have to rebook a week or longer, assuming that the days opened up?

Sorry I can book 13 months out, the january 3rd I was referring to was 1/3/2013 - the first date I need to book. December 3rd 2011 would be the date I would call in.

 

[fluke]

Plus weeks bought to use, and thus there may be more limited inventory for exchange.

This is my point of posting this scenario. The Inventory I reserved was from the exchange pool. So according to what I understand it had to be put there by platinum plus owners who traded in weeks. The weeks I reserved were week 51 and 52, but the last few days of week 52 were not in the exchange pool. Someone couldn't have reserved those days separately from the previous becaus they would have to wait 2 weeks to access that inventory. So where did those days go?

I guess there are a couple of scenarios that could have caused it. The 11 days I reserved could have been moved from the trust, from trust owners who have received exchange inventory. This is all very nebulous anyway - we don't know how or when they determine how to allocate that inventory transfer. Alternatively, it could have been reserved on the tail end of a trust reservation that used there exchange points(a legacy/trust owner) for the last few days. Not likely but I suppose theoretically possible.

 

[GregT]

I think it is very possible that simply no owners have made their January 2013 reservations yet (and deposited them into the Exchange Inventory). Please do keep us apprised of your success in getting the remaining days in either December or January (13 months/12 months out).

It's difficult to know whether your existing reservation was sourced from the Trust or from other Legacy weeks -- the Trust is loaded with Ko Olina (including Plat Plus weeks) so the days are definitely there, if Marriott feels like filling the reservation request.

This remains a complicated reservation system with owners much too worried (and confused) about the ability to get their reservation than would have been expected. This is a perfect example that is an exchange system -- you are able to get the front 11 days (the most prime days needed), but can't get the 3 days on the tail end -- that are the farthest out.

I'll be curious if you get the three days when you call in, or if you have to Waitlist at 12 months. Please keep us apprised of that as well.

All the best,

Greg

 

[puckmanfl]

good evening...

I think the story here is one of the great ADVANTAGES of the DC program. The OP snagged 11 days thru Xmas and New years... Even without the last 3 days , it is an awesome ressie. Try doing that with II 13 months in advance!!!

Happy Black friday....

go bolts...

sorry, I hijacked the other thread but it was getting hostile... I find sports has a way of defusing that stuff!!!!

Home from the ED to find out how much the cash drains spent today!!!! Volunteered to pick up today as an extra shift to ease the pain of the drains...

 

[Ddaley]

She'd a little light

I think I might be able to shed a little light on this situation. I stayed at the Iliahani (JW Marriott hotel) in Oct of 2008 and took a tour of Ko Olina. I was very interested as I was comparing the property to Waiohai where Ieventually bought. I was only interested in week 52, they tried hard to interest mien another week as week 52was almost sold out and I would not be able to occupy for three years (until new building was competed). I bought a package that froze prices and allowed me to return. I came back for week 52 two months lat and they could not sell me the anews years 2 bedroom OV that I wanted as they were all sold out. This means that the only week 52 OV units in the trust are those Marroitt gets back from right of first refusal or default. I know Marriott is buying back all the week 51 and 52 weeks it can in Hawaii as I have tried to purchase a week 51 at Waiohai 3 times this year on the secondary market and Marriott has exercised the right of first refusal. I had a discussion about this with my sales rep last year and told me I would have a difficult time picking up this week as the only real inventory the trust has in Hawaii for weeks 51 and 52 is Kauai Lagoons (no beach) and Marriott planned to by back all the weeks it could.

This will not be a problem for many years as the point levels required should keep a lid on the problem and they will probably increase the number of points required to keep down demand. I have been told that weeks 51 and 52 have greater than 90 percent owner occupancy rates. Owners paid a significant premium for the week and views they wanted and so they bought what they planned on using not trading.

I suspect the days will be come available later in the month when owners of these weeks can deposit their weeks into the pool. I cannot reserve my check-in day until Dec 23 rd as I only own 1 week.

Hope this is helpful.

Denise

 

[fluke]

follow up

This is just to finish up the report of my experience. I never waitlisted at the 12 month mark because after talking to my wife we decided we would fill those last 3 days with a a stay at Disneys Aulani. So I took those points and booked a week in St Thomas in november. But sometime after the 12 month mark I did find availablity with the next years points(I cashed in my units again) and did actually book them temporarily for insurance (since I can't book Aulani yet).

 

[GregT]

This is just to finish up the report of my experience. I never waitlisted at the 12 month mark because after talking to my wife we decided we would fill those last 3 days with a a stay at Disneys Aulani. So I took those points and booked a week in St Thomas in november. But sometime after the 12 month mark I did find availablity with the next years points(I cashed in my units again) and did actually book them temporarily for insurance (since I can't book Aulani yet).

This is kind of what I expected. I think this was a function of crossing into the subsequent year -- it is actually pretty impressive that you got initial 11 days for 2012 usage -- and not surprising the 2013 days weren't available yet (using the Friday check-in as the first 2013 date, since the Thursday would have been the tail end of a 2012 week).

Congrats on your reservation and smart call making the Ko Olina as a backup reservation that you can cancel without penalty when you get your Aulani reservation.

All the best,

Greg