New MVCI opening Aug 1, 2015. Washington DC Mayflower

[SueDonJ]

Thanks for posting. I was on marriott.com yesterday looking at rooms for August 1st. I would have liked to check this out and there are rooms available but not at the 30% last minute discount of points. I called and asked about the discount. They didn't even know the place was online as MVCI yet. I was told the 30% discount isn't automatic. It depends on the resort. I said that is news to me. All of the benefit information says 30% discount...doesn't say at participating resorts. However, I just checked the benefits page and it does, in fact, say based on availability. I'd never run into that before.

I don't think this is correct, or if it is, this is the first resort/instance that's been reported to TUG of it not being automatic.

With the owner cash discounts, "based on availability" has always meant that the number of rooms available for discount stays is capacity-controlled by Marriott, not in MVW's control, requiring codes if booked through Marriott or Owner Services. So, even if all rooms are not booked, a discount may not be available.

With the DC Points discounts based on status-tier levels, "based on availability" has always meant that if all units are not booked, the applicable discount will be automatic during the reservation process. It's controlled by MVW, booked through Owner Services and no codes are needed.

I wouldn't accept what a single rep has told you. It might be true (and if it is it's very disappointing) but I'm more inclined to believe that it might be a programming issue with the resort just coming online. If I were looking to book this within a "Last Minute Reservations Point Discounts" window, I'd escalate my call to an Owner Services supervisor or above.

 

[bazzap]

The MVCI website now has more details about the Marriott Vacation Club at The Mayflower. If you log in, you can book this property through the "Use Vacation Club Points to Reserve My Vacation" function.

The point structure is an improvement over the Explorer Collection.

I realize that some people do not find city vacations appealing, but I'm happy to see city options added to the MVCI portfolio. There is so much to see and do in Washington, D.C.: museums, history, monuments, parks, great restaurants, and more.

However, I wish the city locations would have suites configured similarly to those at Marriott's Custom House on Boston, with a living room and kitchenette. On vacation, we like to say a week or more — so we appreciate a "home away from home" instead of a conventional hotel room.

Looking at the room options, it does seem that some are essentially hotel rooms but others do have a separate lounge which is good.
No kitchens though unfortunately, as far as I can see.

 

[Beaglemom3]

Thank you Mr. V for this post. I'm always looking for a nice place to stay in D.C.



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[Mr. Vker]

Platinum benefits vary by brand. In the case of the Mayflower in Washington DC, there will be two properties under the same roof:

• The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection
• Marriott Vacation Club at The Mayflower

As Platinum member, I would expect the usual full-service hotel benefits if I stay at the Autograph Collection hotel, but only MVC benefits if I stay with MVC.

Lounge Access/Free Breakfast is only at JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, and Marriott Hotels (not at any property classified as a resort) — and not at Marriott Vacation Club

Marriott Platinum Elite Benefits

I would bet this is completely accurate. They will treat them as separate "properties". Similar situation in Phuket-although the buildings are separate-there is one check in. If you book the MVC property/units, you get those benefits. If you book the JW units, you get those plat benefits.

 

[SueDonJ]

I would bet this is completely accurate. They will treat them as separate "properties". Similar situation in Phuket-although the buildings are separate-there is one check in. If you book the MVC property/units, you get those benefits. If you book the JW units, you get those plat benefits.

I agree, too. Other than Elite Night Credits, Arrival Gifts and MR Points/bonuses for spends, Marriott Rewards perks don't extend to MVW stays. No reason to expect anything different here.

It's great to see this new addition! When the DC was implemented they started talking about integrating existing hotel/resort units almost immediately and the talk wasn't limited to just the Explorer Club options that have since been introduced. This is "new and exciting" and I'm happy.

 

[jont]

I realize that some people do not find city vacations appealing, but I'm happy to see city options added to the MVCI portfolio. There is so much to see and do in Washington, D.C.: museums, history, monuments, parks, great restaurants, and more.

However, I wish the city locations would have suites configured similarly to those at Marriott's Custom House on Boston, with a living room and kitchenette. On vacation, we like to say a week or more — so we appreciate a "home away from home" instead of a conventional hotel room.

I agree 100%

 

[GregT]

All,

I like this addition alot for Marriott Vacation Club. Not so much that I think I will ever visit it, or that I think it is a good use of points, but because it is a very creative addition for MVC and raises the possibility for meaningful expansion of the property portfolio.

We've speculated previously that Marriott could (rapidly?) expand MVC into some of the most prime global locations if they could convert some of their existing hotel locations into shared hotel/MVC spots. Converting specific floors has always been mentioned as a way to expand the MVC footprint, likely in hotels that are well located.

When I typically think of timeshares, I think of a resort destination where there are on-site amenities that make it an attractive destination in an of itself, not just a base camp. I generally haven't traveled to urban locations, but that may change, and now Marriott can appeal to both the destination traveler as well as the urban traveler.

I hope this becomes part of the model for future expansion -- ie, converting a portion of an existing hotel. This opens the door to any destination that currently has a Marriott (or Marriott affiliate hotel). It is possible that any owner of a Marriott-managed hotel that is well located, but has less than optimal occupancy rates, is being pitched a partial conversion by MVC.

BTW, I think the insertion of the language "initially as an exchange usage" is troubling, because it does hint that access may change in the future for legacy points. But that's a concern for another day.

Interesting stuff and kudos to Marriott for the creativity.

Best,

Greg

 

[Swice]

options are good!

In theory, I now have a choice of how I want to stay in DC:

1. Any Marriott property-- weighing cash vs. hotel points and free breakfast options (boo courtyard)
2. Mayflower cash
3. Mayflower hotel points
4. Mayflower VAC points

So at any given time, one option may be better than another depending on my personal needs/wants... so another option is always good and welcome!

However, I'm a little bit confused over the wording:
"initially as an exchange usage." What does initially mean?

 

[SueDonJ]

... BTW, I think the insertion of the language "initially as an exchange usage" is troubling, because it does hint that access may change in the future for legacy points. But that's a concern for another day.

Interesting stuff and kudos to Marriott for the creativity.

Best,

Greg

... What does initially mean?

Maybe, it simply means that no units have been conveyed to the Trust yet? And the statement is necessary to satisfy disclosure mandates? But still it's concerning, no doubt, because based on the language in the docs MVW is allowed to limit usage of any Trust conveyances to Trust Members only, if MVW chooses to not make them available through the Exchange Company.

We've always speculated that while they can do that, it doesn't really help them if their goal is to mingle inventory for the benefit of Trust and Exchange Members (i.e. Trust Members need Exchange Members' participation in order to get the entire portfolio in play, and Exchange Members are less likely to convert their Weeks if Trust inventory isn't made available to them.)

 

[bazzap]

This approach could also give MVC the opportunity to revitalise its offering outside of the U.S., which would be extremely welcome in Europe with the great diversity of major city locations here.
We know there will be no more capital intensive, long lead time resort developments, so a choice of properties with short haul flights would be just great for us and I guess this might also be appealing for many of you US folk?

 

[Fasttr]

This approach could also give MVC the opportunity to revitalise its offering outside of the U.S., which would be extremely welcome in Europe with the great diversity of major city locations here.
We know there will be no more capital intensive, long lead time resort developments, so a choice of properties with short haul flights would be just great for us and I guess this might also be appealing for many of you US folk?

Totally agree, options like this in Europe would be great.... but it would be nice if these were at least value neutral vs. a cash stay comparison rather than being upside down as this one appears to be.

 

[GregT]

Totally agree, options like this in Europe would be great.... but it would be nice if these were at least value neutral vs. a cash stay comparison rather than being upside down as this one appears to be.

Todd,

I agree with you, but think your value-neutral statement is applicable well beyond just the Washington DC property. Early on when DClub was introduced, we had a lively discussion on the value proposition offered by DClub, and I am a believer that yes, DClub offers flexibility, but it is expensive flexibility. I think there are rare situations where prime reservations through DClub are the most cost-effective options (I think the Caribbean properties were the only examples I could find). In almost all other situations, I felt more cost-effective options were available than using points.

But I still like the Mayflower addition as a template (on the heels of Big Island), and hope they are is followed by a Grand Cayman addition, and a London addition, and a Paris addition.....etc.

We will see.

Best,

Greg

 

[GreenTea]

Interesting that only hotel room style will be available. The suite I stayed in was a perfect configuration for a vacation club unit. Disappointing update

 

[Superchief]

In theory, I now have a choice of how I want to stay in DC:

1. Any Marriott property-- weighing cash vs. hotel points and free breakfast options (boo courtyard)
2. Mayflower cash
3. Mayflower hotel points
4. Mayflower VAC points

So at any given time, one option may be better than another depending on my personal needs/wants... so another option is always good and welcome!

I totally agree. I am interested to see whether there are any differences between the rooms in the MVC portion vs standard rooms. If there are no differences, I would likely only use the MVC option unless there was a signficant cost advantage, and even then I might stay in a Residence Inn instead.

We are planning a combined trip to Williamsburg and DC, so it will be nice to have a MVC option for a few days. I consider the new MVC hotel like properties (DC and San Diego) as places I would only stay for a couple of nights, and typically would combine them with a traditional stay at NCV or Manor Club. I like having a kitchen and living room and don't like to rely on restaurants for all of my meals.

 

[SueDonJ]

Interesting that only hotel room style will be available. The suite I stayed in was a perfect configuration for a vacation club unit. Disappointing update

Hmmmm. If you go through "Book My Vacation - Use My Points" at my-vacationclub.com and select "Hotel Suite" under "Floor Plan," you then can choose "Exec Suite King" or "Jr Suite King" under "View Type."

It's odd they don't list all four - Hotel Room, Hotel Suite, Exec Suite King, and Jr Suite King - under the "Floor Plan" tab, but was your stay in something other than the suites included here?

 

[bazzap]

I totally agree. I am interested to see whether there are any differences between the rooms in the MVC portion vs standard rooms. If there are no differences, I would likely only use the MVC option unless there was a signficant cost advantage, and even then I might stay in a Residence Inn instead.

We are planning a combined trip to Williamsburg and DC, so it will be nice to have a MVC option for a few days. I consider the new MVC hotel like properties (DC and San Diego) as places I would only stay for a couple of nights, and typically would combine them with a traditional stay at NCV or Manor Club. I like having a kitchen and living room and don't like to rely on restaurants for all of my meals.

Very interesting, we are also planning a combined trip to Williamsburg and DC so this seems like a useful option.
I would prefer more "MVC" style rooms, with kitchen..., but any major city option is welcome to me.

 

[Fasttr]

I agree with you, but think your value-neutral statement is applicable well beyond just the Washington DC property. Early on when DClub was introduced, we had a lively discussion on the value proposition offered by DClub, and I am a believer that yes, DClub offers flexibility, but it is expensive flexibility. I think there are rare situations where prime reservations through DClub are the most cost-effective options (I think the Caribbean properties were the only examples I could find). In almost all other situations, I felt more cost-effective options were available than using points.

First, let me say I would be too chicken sh!t to rent from an owner, so renting a week via Redweek would pucker me up way to much to even consider that as an option, so I wanted to be clear my cost comparisons do not include that option.

That said, perhaps its just where/when I have been going (Aruba, MFC, Newport Coast, Crystal Shores, Lakeshore Reserve and even next summer's trip to Summit Watch), but in every one of those instances, I always check $$ stay rates vs renting the points needed for the DC stay and the DC stay has always won out... and certainly was never upside down. Granted, on occasion, I have used the then MOD rate with add'l CC discount as that was a bit cheaper than the DC points rental costs, but I look at the owner discounts as an owner benefit that I would not have had if I were not in the program. For comparisons such as the Mayflower, I tend to look at it from the perspective of what would I have to pay if I was not in the program (i.e. Cash rate with AAA discount) vs. what is it costing me in cash equivalent to use my program points (MF value or rental points costs). So far...while keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood all at the same time, I have been coming out ahead, and mentally am comforted that the savings go to "amortize" my up front points purchase cost.

In just looking at one instance for the Mayflower addition (August of this year), it seems to me that I would be better off not being in the program to secure that ressie. That's a tough sell if you were a DC points salesman trying to excite me on this new addition. That's all I am saying.

Granted, I am not a Legacy owner with gobs of points, generated from resale purchased weeks, that I need to use so some I get great value out of and some I can be a bit more extravagant with. My reality is that I have a small pool of Trust points and rent the rest that I need, so its more of a direct annual cost vs. direct annual cost comparison than perhaps it is for some others with many low cost points in their basket. I do envy them.

If what you say were true in most instances, I would be very disappointed in being in the DC...but so far for me I have found "savings" when merely comparing the value of the DC points vs non DC member Cash alternatives and I hope that continues. As SMB1 said in an earlier post.... "That's the way it's supposed to work!"

 

[SMB1]

Todd,

I agree with you, but think your value-neutral statement is applicable well beyond just the Washington DC property. Early on when DClub was introduced, we had a lively discussion on the value proposition offered by DClub, and I am a believer that yes, DClub offers flexibility, but it is expensive flexibility. I think there are rare situations where prime reservations through DClub are the most cost-effective options (I think the Caribbean properties were the only examples I could find). In almost all other situations, I felt more cost-effective options were available than using points.

But I still like the Mayflower addition as a template (on the heels of Big Island), and hope they are is followed by a Grand Cayman addition, and a London addition, and a Paris addition.....etc.

We will see.

Best,

Greg

Greg,
Certainly, in most cases it is more cost effective to go the weeks routes of occupying or exchanging (especially with the Marriott corporate II account) than using DC for a full week vacation. However, I think DC is, in most cases, more cost effective than booking an MVC resort on marriott.com. That isn't the case here, at least for August 1, which is the only night I have researched. Perhaps Sun-Thurs would be different.

That being said, I haven't used II since the DC began. If I 'm not occupying my home resort I'm taking the points. The flexibility, availabilty and ease of use is just too attractive. As you said it may be expensive flexibility, but in my opinion it is worth it.

In this case, however, marriott.com is as easy and flexible and flexible as DC and less expensive. So it isn't worth it.

 

[SueDonJ]

First, let me say I would be too chicken sh!t to rent from an owner, so renting a week via Redweek would pucker me up way to much to even consider that as an option, so I wanted to be clear my cost comparisons do not include that option.

That said, perhaps its just where/when I have been going (Aruba, MFC, Newport Coast, Crystal Shores, Lakeshore Reserve and even next summer's trip to Summit Watch), but in every one of those instances, I always check $$ stay rates vs renting the points needed for the DC stay and the DC stay has always won out... and certainly was never upside down. Granted, on occasion, I have used the then MOD rate with add'l CC discount as that was a bit cheaper than the DC points rental costs, but I look at the owner discounts as an owner benefit that I would not have had if I were not in the program. I tend to look at it from the perspective of what would I have to pay if I was not in the program (i.e. Cash rate with AAA discount) vs. what is it costing me in cash equivalent to use my program points (MF value or rental points costs). So far...while keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood all at the same time, I have been coming out ahead, and mentally am comforted that the savings go to "amortize" my up front points purchase cost.

In just looking at one instance for the Mayflower addition (August of this year), it seems to me that I would be better off not being in the program to secure that ressie. That's a tough sell if you were a DC points salesman trying to excite me on this new addition. That's all I am saying.

Granted, I am not a Legacy owner with gobs of points, generated from resale purchased weeks, that I need to use so some I get great value out of and some I can be a bit more extravagant with. My reality is that I have a small pool of Trust points and rent the rest that I need, so its more of a direct annual cost vs. direct annual cost comparison than perhaps it is for some others with many lost cost points in their basket. I do envy them.

If what you say were true in most instances, I would be very disappointed in being in the DC...but so far for me I have found "savings" when merely comparing the value of the DC points vs non DC member Cash alternatives and I hope that continues. As SMB1 said in an earlier post.... "That's the way it's supposed to work!"

How do the Mayflower's DC requirements compare to, say, the Custom House? I expect the city options to be more Points-expensive than the resort-style options as a matter of course despite their limited kitchens, fewer amenities, etc. CH Points stays aren't always a better value than cash stays ...

Like you I don't add owner rentals into the equation because that's not a comfortable option for me. Sometimes, even if a cash stay is the more economical I'll still use Points simply because I have them to use. (Plus, sometimes I'm just not in the mood to do the math. )

 

[Fasttr]

How do the Mayflower's DC requirements compare to, say, the Custom House? I expect the city options to be more Points-expensive than the resort-style options as a matter of course despite their limited kitchens, fewer amenities, etc. CH Points stays aren't always a better value than cash stays ...

See post 23 for one example.

 

[fluke]

I noticed on the 2016 points charts the holiday weeks (around July 4th and Christmas/New Years) were not listed. It seems like only the times of (relatively)lower demand are listed.

 

[SMB1]

How do the Mayflower's DC requirements compare to, say, the Custom House? I expect the city options to be more Points-expensive than the resort-style options as a matter of course despite their limited kitchens, fewer amenities, etc. CH Points stays aren't always a better value than cash stays ...

Like you I don't add owner rentals into the equation because that's not a comfortable option for me. Sometimes, even if a cash stay is the more economical I'll still use Points simply because I have them to use. (Plus, sometimes I'm just not in the mood to do the math. )

I haven't found any instances where cash stays at Custom House are cheaper than renting points. I actually find that it costs as many and often times more dollars than points to stay.

However, I do find that especially in prime season there is more availability on marriott.com than on my-vacationclub.com. In this case I am paying for the flexibility, ease, and availabilty of the cash stay.

 

[SueDonJ]

See post 23 for one example.

Doh!

Yes, even accounting for the 30% Last Minute discount for the CH stay next month and the discount not showing for the Mayflower, there's a big difference between CH and MF Points requirements. There goes that theory.

Hmmmm. MF isn't a good choice for an acronym. Maybe DCMF, for either Destination Club Mayflower or Washington DC Mayflower?

 

[Fasttr]

I haven't found any instances where cash stays at Custom House are cheaper than renting points. I actually find that it costs as many and often times more dollars than points to stay.

Agreed. I have an upcoming stay for my wife's birthday and I could only get 1 night on DC points and had to pay cash for the second night (night wasn't available in the DC) and the DC points value comparison of that second night was $200+ cheaper than the cash rate (but she tells me she is worth it ).
.

 

[SueDonJ]

I haven't found any instances where cash stays at Custom House are cheaper than renting points. I actually find that it costs as many and often times more dollars than points to stay.

I've had some luck with cash discount stays, not as much with cash rack stays. But not enough of a sample probably.