New Rule: SMV?

[myip]

Is this a new rule that you can't reserve week 51 or week 52 at Sheraton Mountain Vista? I called and they told me it is an event week. I thought I reserved the week previously year but cancel it because I want to go somewhere else....

 

[DavidnRobin]

I don't know anything about SMV - but aren't weeks 51 and 52 usually events weeks?

 

[RLG]

It seems new to me.

Last year I inquired about the wait listing for weeks 51 and 52 and was told that I could wait list but it was pointless since they never became available. This year I said I wanted to wait list anyway and SVO refused to do so.

Even event week owners can use a different week during their season or use Staroptions to stay elsewhere. In theory, those weeks should become available to other SMV owners. (That's why our season includes weeks 48-52, not weeks 48-50). My guess is that Starwood is going to keep the weeks for themselves regardless of whether they are permitted to do that.

 

[James1975NY]

Your condo documents will describe weeks 51 and 52 as event weeks which are obtainable only for those owners that have paid the price for those weeks. Owners paid a considerable amount more for these weeks.....

I wonder what would happen if an event week owner wanted to deposit the event week that they paid 1000's more for???? Would Starwood tell them that they cannot do that and convince them that week 50 would trade just as well?

 

[thinze3]

I inquired about this property recently and was told that 'some' fixed weeks 51 & 52 were sold. There may be a date that after which the units, floating and fixed, were separated.

Terry

 

[myip]

I inquired about this property recently and was told that 'some' fixed weeks 51 & 52 were sold. There may be a date that after which the units, floating and fixed, were separated.

Terry

That is what I thought... Not all units are fixed for week 51 & 52. I thought you should be able to reserved some of the "Float week" in week 51 & 52.

 

[RLG]

Your condo documents will describe weeks 51 and 52 as event weeks which are obtainable only for those owners that have paid the price for those weeks. Owners paid a considerable amount more for these weeks.....

The documents I'm looking at don't contain any language that prohibits a floating week owner from reserving any week within their season. They do provide that a reservation will automatically be made for an event week owner at 12 mos plus 1 day. Obviously if a particular week was fully sold as an event week, and the owners all use or rent their weeks, then the floating week owners won't be able to book them at the 12 month date.

An issue comes up, however, if an event week owner wants to book a different week. (What if they just can't go over New Years one year?). If they cancel their reservation, there's nothing in the documents that treats that any differently than any other cancellation. Normally I would be able to wait list for a cancelled week if it's in my season. However, Starwood says this is not permitted for these event weeks.

What is Starwood going to do with the cancellations and why is this being treated differently than other weeks?

 

[James1975NY]

If you have the documents on PDF, try doing a search for "EVENT WEEKS". I do not have a copy, and I do not recall seeing them for SMV (in over two years anyway); however, there should be some verbiage there.

I do not know that SMV sold some of these weeks as non-event weeks.

 

[Fredm]

I don't know anything about SMV - but aren't weeks 51 and 52 usually events weeks?

According to the Starwood Vacation Exchange Company Disclosure Guide:

"ALL Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks are designated as Event Vacation Periods at Lakeside Terrace, Sheraton Mountain Vista and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas. In addition, all President's Day and July 4th holiday weeks are designated as Event Vacation Periods at Lakeside Terrace."

 

[Fredm]

An issue comes up, however, if an event week owner wants to book a different week. (What if they just can't go over New Years one year?). If they cancel their reservation, there's nothing in the documents that treats that any differently than any other cancellation. Normally I would be able to wait list for a cancelled week if it's in my season. However, Starwood says this is not permitted for these event weeks.

What is Starwood going to do with the cancellations and why is this being treated differently than other weeks?

Starwood may, but is not required to, maintain wait lists. Rules regarding the wait lists are at Starwood's sole discretion.

If you understood their reply correctly, it is not unreasonable to infer that Starwood is retaining the canceled event week(s) for their own purposes.

 

[RLG]

If you have the documents on PDF, try doing a search for "EVENT WEEKS". I do not have a copy, and I do not recall seeing them for SMV (in over two years anyway); however, there should be some verbiage there.

James, your replies aren't making any sense to me. They would be just right if you were responding to an original post along the lines of "Starwood says I can't book week 51 because it's an event week. What's that?"

The OP and I are well aware of what an event week is. We're questioning what happens in the rare event that a holder of an event week decides not to use it.

 

[LisaRex]

The OP and I are well aware of what an event week is. We're questioning what happens in the rare event that a holder of an event week decides not to use it.

I don't know anyone except Starwood knows the answer to it, and I kinda doubt they're going to give us an answer at all, let alone a straight one.

My best guess is that Starwood will simply rent the week out. Since it's an event week, they are not obligated to offer it up to other Owners for StarOption exchanges, so these weeks would automatically become Starwood's once the 8 month window opens up. So why would they allow an exchange when they could rent it out for big $$$, which is pure profit to them?

Hey Starwood: myip is a 5* owner. I think allowing 5* owners to exchange into event weeks would be a great, cheap perk after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to become an elite owner. Every once in awhile, you really should throw them a bone.

 

[Cathyb]

Just another Starwood move to lessen the owners' privileges

 

[myip]

Hey Starwood: myip is a 5* owner. I think allowing 5* owners to exchange into event weeks would be a great, cheap perq of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to become an elite owner. Every once in awhile, you really should throw them a bone.

I really need that bone... However, SVN is not letting me reserve the week. I really did reserved that week in 2007.

 

[djp]

I have spoken to the Colorado SVO sales manager, and indeed this is a real issue.

I have a small problem with Starwood selling all of those weeks as event weeks, as that was not made clear to me at purchase....but i would not have paid more to lock it in so.....whatever.

I have a a huge problem with not letting the handful of fixed weeks that go unused, go into the pool for those of us that own the standard platinum weeks on a first come first served basis. I imagine that most of those fixed weeks are used each year, but you will never convince me that every one does it every year. Sometimes people cant travel.....sometimes they will go to Hawaii etc. So if there are 20 units available for each of those weeks they should be made available to us, as i am pretty sure that my docs show that I have floating usage weeks 48-52, and 1-16. This seems like this issue of making the leftover weeks available to all of us could be resolved with the threat of lawsuit, if there was an attorney among us with some spare time.

 

[James1975NY]

James, your replies aren't making any sense to me. They would be just right if you were responding to an original post along the lines of "Starwood says I can't book week 51 because it's an event week. What's that?"

The OP and I are well aware of what an event week is. We're questioning what happens in the rare event that a holder of an event week decides not to use it.

Well, when I worked for Starwood, I noticed that many of the owners (not all of course) lived locally and the owners would in fact regularily go. As you mentioned it is impossible to fathom that every event owner would use their week EVERY year; however, I would estimate 98% of the time the event week owners would use the week or rent it out on their own or through Starwood.

What does Starwood do with the weeks that are not used by the owner? Well if the rare occurrence happened where an event week owner literally cancelled their reservation and did not do anything with it, Starwood could rent out the villa at 60-days out in the "club management period". This should also be described in the docs. In my term with Starwood, I never saw this happen.

Not sure how they would handle this today as I have not been with them for over two years.

Sorry I could not give anything more than that....bottom line is that the owners that paid what they paid bought it to use it, rent it or in some cases, let it sit empty