New "deal" from developer orlando svo

[rickandcindy23]

Denise P., if your goal is to stay more often in Orlando, you can buy just about anything and trade in:

We pay $590 maintenance fees for a great week that gets an AC

So $590+ $139 exchange fee + $299 for the bonus AC week, and we can get two weeks at Vistana Villages for only $1,028.

A similar week to our week has an initial cost of less than $1,000 with closing costs included.

 

[DeniseM]

Hi Denise P

Denise L and I (DeniseM) would like to welcome you to the Denise Board! errrr, I mean the Starwood board!

Hello,

I am a Starwood owner from the UK. I have been an avid TUG reader for some months but I've been too timid to post anything until now.

I attended an owners update 2 days prior to Eileen and this has prompted my response.

The salesman desperately wanted me to upgrade and told me I only need 159,000 star options to reach elite status (I note that Eileen was told that this was 165,000).

In addition, he offered me 30,000 phantom star options towards my elite status as I own a non-Starwood timeshare. I would be interested to learn if anyone else has been offered this as it seems very unfair on other owners who have to pay full price to reach elite.

I visit Orlando up to 3 times a year which is why SVV is perfect for me but I also visit Las Vegas about once every 3 years so I asked about potential timeshare development there. I was advised that Starwood have considered this in the past but it has been ruled out because land is so expensive that it would not be cost effective. This is yet another contradiction to the information provided 2 days later.

I was not offered a Fountains Unit but I they did try to push Mexico. The man just couldn't understand why I did not want to part with $17,000 to enhance my ownership in spite of my repeatedly telling him that I only really visit Orlando/Las Vegas and that I have a European timeshare which is affiliated with RCI giving me very cheap European bonus vacations. Starwood are also poorly informed about the exchange fees with RCI/II which are much higher for non-US residents.

It is great to finally have a reason to post here! Hopefully, I will have more to contribute in the future!

 

[EileenSRN]

DeniseP,
Welcome to TUG!!
At the beginning of your post you mention being a Starwood owner from the UK, but then later said you had a non-Starwood property. What do you own? I have aunit woeth 81K StarOptions and the salesman said I needed 84K to reach Elite. And yes, he pushed upgrade to Elite like mad. Got to get to 165K before they increase it to 400K.
I also had mentioned that I was looking for a unit in Las Vegas. He reminded me that Starwood owned Aladin and that they were acquiring another "around the Palms". Maybe I misunderstood him and he ment hotel, but sure implied timeshare.
We arrived late on Friday and took the early Satueday Updat time to do it and get it over with. Since the we see all the construction across the street and a big sign saying Fountains.
Somebody help me out here. I thought Vistana Resort was several blocks away from VV. When you Google it and look at the satellite, it actually shows both as Vistana Villages.
I think we can all agree the pitch they use is taylored to what they think will entice us to buy.
Eileen

 

[Denise P]

Hi Eileen,

I have a 2 bedroom lock off (Key West) in High Season (plus a regular 2 bedroom in Madeira which is a Portuguese Island).

He said that I need 159,000 in total. My L/O is 81,000 plus 30,000 "phantom" star options for my Madeira timeshare (didn't want to know how big it was), leaving me 58,000 to go.

I wouldn't mind but we showed no interest in buying anything. I made it quite clear that if I was in the market for another unit it would be in Europe and as Starwood don't have timeshares there, they can't help me!

My impression is that the hotel is going to be close to the Hard Rock Hotel, I think he said a Westin (it might even have been a W). I did ask straight out if there would be a timeshare in Vegas as we have exchanged there and that was his response.

Denise

PS. Thanks for all of your welcome messages. I am happy to join the Denise trio!

 

[Southdown13]

In addition, he offered me 30,000 phantom star options towards my elite status as I own a non-Starwood timeshare. I would be interested to learn if anyone else has been offered this as it seems very unfair on other owners who have to pay full price to reach elite.

At our owner's update at WMH they offered us 30,000 star options credit for owning two Marriott timeshares. The SOs could only be applied to 5* elite, but we weren't interested. It was great knowing the true benefits of 5* elite having read the information on this forum.

 

[clsmit]

At our owner's update at WMH they offered us 30,000 star options credit for owning two Marriott timeshares. The SOs could only be applied to 5* elite, but we weren't interested. It was great knowing the true benefits of 5* elite having read the information on this forum.

Hey SDKath, have you tried to use your DVC ownership as a way to get more Options on your 5* quest?

 

[arlene22]

I thought the "phantom" S/Os only counted toward 3 star. They count toward 5 star? Oh man, don't tell me that... (Don't....need....any....more....weeks....must....be....strong....)

 

[djp]

the spg website shows a 3rd Vegas hotel opening later this year in Vegas....an "element".....starwood salesmen regularly mix the trimeshare properties and hotels in their sales pitch. My guess is starwood will not open a vegas timeshare any time soon.....the natural was at the planet hollywood where westgate is building....if starwood was serious about a vegas timeshare they would have tried hard to get that property. Plus I dont think anyone is begging for that, I have never thought of Vegas as the ideal spend a week there locale....after 3 days on the strip I am done.

 

[myip]

I thought the "phantom" S/Os only counted toward 3 star. They count toward 5 star? Oh man, don't tell me that... (Don't....need....any....more....weeks....must....be....strong....)

Phantom SO does count toward 5 *.

 

[SDKath]

Hey SDKath, have you tried to use your DVC ownership as a way to get more Options on your 5* quest?

Ummm, no. I think I got every deal in the book and got there so cheaply that if I asked for anything more, they may toss me out. I am over on the SO requirement by a little with my retros as is. I actually didn't realize this existed too. How nice.

By the way, one thing to keep in mind with the SOs you are shooting for with 5* is that you probably want 148,100 SOs x 4 in the end. If you are short of that amount (about 592,000 SOs), you can't take advantage of four 2 BR LOs each year and may end up with some unused SOs. A wise TUGger pointed this out to me last month, in the nick of time.

Katherine

 

[GrayFal]

Ummm, no. I think I got every deal in the book and got there so cheaply that if I asked for anything more, they may toss me out. I am over on the SO requirement by a little with my retros as is. I actually didn't realize this existed too. How nice.

By the way, one thing to keep in mind with the SOs you are shooting for with 5* is that you probably want 148,100 SOs x 4 in the end. If you are short of that amount (about 592,000 SOs), you can't take advantage of four 2 BR LOs each year and may end up with some unused SOs. A wise TUGger pointed this out to me last month, in the nick of time.

Katherine

Better to keep a low profile at this point :hysterical: - they might hunt you down and take away all your 'stuff'

 

[EileenSRN]

That Fountains question.

Ok, so I'm getting old....the old powers of observation ain't wht they used to be. The "Fountains" I see directly across the street from VV is a new Bluegreen Resort going up. If Orlando is so overbuilt with timeshare, why are the developers still going hot and heavy?
Eileen

 

[LisaRex]

If Orlando is so overbuilt with timeshare, why are the developers still going hot and heavy?
Eileen

Because they are like guests at a Viking wedding. They devour everything in sight, without realizing that they're already full.

 

[arlene22]

Ok, so I'm getting old....the old powers of observation ain't wht they used to be. The "Fountains" I see directly across the street from VV is a new Bluegreen Resort going up. If Orlando is so overbuilt with timeshare, why are the developers still going hot and heavy?
Eileen

The Fountains units discussed in this thread are actually a section of Vistana Resort, and have nothing to do with the Fountains timeshare across from Vistana Villages (confusing, I know!). The Fountains section at VR is not new, but a very old section that is being refurbished and going back into active sales as a result. So no new units being added at Vistana Resort. (Sort of like timeshare recycling-- I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere for Nodge...)