Ocean Front now has more Starpoints and Options [merged]

[PamMo]

Just got this email:

We have great news regarding your StarOptions from Starwood Vacation Network℠ and Starpoints® from the Starwood Preferred Guest® program. The valuations of your StarOptions and Starpoints for your Oceanfront Villa type are increasing, effective with the 2017 Use Year.

After a recent evaluation of our Maui villa resorts and the announcement of our newest resort, The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, we recognize the increased value and desirability for Oceanfront reservations at The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas and The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas North.

With more StarOptions and Starpoints, you’ll enjoy the flexibility of longer stays at other villa resorts and more opportunities to stay at Starwood hotels and resorts around the world. Here’s how your new valuations compare:

The values will go up for oceanfront, haven't heard about our oceanview units yet, whether or not they'll get a boost in SO's? Here's the new StarOption values for 2017:

2BR: 176,700
1BR: 95,700
Studio: 81,000

 

[pathways25]

WKORV and WKORVN OF units increasing StarOptions and StarPoints

Starwood just announced that effective in 2017, ocean front units at WKORV and WKORVN will be increasing their StarOption and StarPoint values. The new StarOption values for 2BR / 1BR / Studio will be 176,700 / 95,700 / 81,000 and the StarPoint values will be 95,418 / 51,678 / 43,740.

I wonder if this means that OF units will be reserveable as a separate category in the StarOption exchange period.

 

[paluamalia]

Ocean Front now has more Starpoints and Options

In my email today:

We have great news regarding your StarOptions from Starwood Vacation Network℠ and Starpoints® from the Starwood Preferred Guest® program. The valuations of your StarOptions and Starpoints for your Oceanfront Villa type are increasing, effective with the 2017 Use Year.

After a recent evaluation of our Maui villa resorts and the announcement of our newest resort, The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, we recognize the increased value and desirability for Oceanfront reservations at The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas and The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas North.

With more StarOptions and Starpoints, you’ll enjoy the flexibility of longer stays at other villa resorts and more opportunities to stay at Starwood hotels and resorts around the world. Here’s how your new valuations compare:


2 Bedroom was 148,000 Now 176,700
Lockoffs - 1 bedroom now 95,700
STudio 81,000

 

[DeniseM]

This tells me that they are increasing SO's so that it costs more to reserve an ocean front unit using the new flex program... Didn't they do the same thing at WSJ?

 

[Sugarcubesea]

This tells me that they are increasing SO's so that it costs more to reserve an ocean front unit using the new flex program...

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Now a WKV will no longer pull a 2 bedroom

 

[DeniseM]

Now a WKV will no longer pull a 2 bedroom

This only applies to Ocean Front units. There are still many ocean view, and island view units - the vast majority.

 

[KACTravels]

Now a WKV will no longer pull a 2 bedroom

It won't be able to pull an OceanFront 2 BD. did other views also go up or other properties?

 

[SMHarman]

A change to OF not OV.

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[GregT]

I think this change makes sense -- and is consistent with how Marriott premium prices the OF's at Maui Ocean Club and also at Kauai Lagoons. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't take OV up to these levels, and also push OF up even more.

It will be interesting to see if WKORV-NN gets a higher percentage of OF view categories.

Best,

Greg

 

[DeniseM]

It won't be able to pull an OceanFront 2 BD. did other views also go up or other properties?

Not that we know of - but there aren't any other resorts with an "Ocean Front" designation in the Starwood system.

This is most likely related to alignment with the new Flex program that they are rolling out in the new phase on Maui.

I'm guessing that the new phase will have different Staroptions for different views. So, they probably didn't want the OF units in the existing phase to require fewer Staroptions than the equivalent unit in the new phase.

 

[PamMo]

But, I think this means that for the first time, you'll be able to book a specific view with StarOptions. It will cost more, but for a special occasion, it would be nice to KNOW you're going to get an oceanfront villa. Otherwise, I think the boost in points seems very arbitrary. Why only boost the SO's for oceanfront villas? Not because, as they stated, they recognize the special value of the units. :hysterical: It's all about the marketing of Nanea.

BTW, Marriott has valued views differently in their Destinations Club program since the beginning. For example, a 2BR Christmas week in the Lahaina and Napili villas are: Island View - 6,475, Mountain/Garden View - 7,675, Ocean view - 9,225, and Oceanfront - 10,425.

 

[NNerland]

Denise - they did this in St John and it makes sense. It is a win for those owners, current owners. Not very often when they do something for owners, when it benefits them the most. This allows them to sell premium views, and since they charge more per point access they can make more money. So OF wins like STJ owners won. I was able to vault to 5 star from 4 star by a simple revaluation of the STJ points. Once 5 star, as long as you keep your ownership you are grandfathered into 5 star even if they raise points.

One small victory --

 

[DeniseM]

Denise - they did this in St John and it makes sense. It is a win for those owners, current owners. Not very often when they do something for owners, when it benefits them the most. This allows them to sell premium views, and since they charge more per point access they can make more money. So OF wins like STJ owners won. I was able to vault to 5 star from 4 star by a simple revaluation of the STJ points. Once 5 star, as long as you keep your ownership you are grandfathered into 5 star even if they raise points.

One small victory --

They didn't do this for the owners - they did this to realign with the new Flex program. If they did this for owners, it would have been done years ago. Whether it's good thing or not remains to be seen - it really depends on how Flex owners can access OF reservations at WKORV N&S.

 

[vacationtime1]

But, I think this means that for the first time, you'll be able to book a specific view with StarOptions. It will cost more, but for a special occasion, it would be nice to KNOW you're going to get an oceanfront villa. Otherwise, I think the boost in points seems very arbitrary. Why only boost the SO's for oceanfront villas? Not because, as they stated, they recognize the special value of the units. :hysterical: It's all about the marketing of Nanea.

BTW, Marriott has valued views differently in their Destinations Club program since the beginning. For example, a 2BR Christmas week in the Lahaina and Napili villas are: Island View - 6,475, Mountain/Garden View - 7,675, Ocean view - 9,225, and Oceanfront - 10,425.

So Nanea will cost 176,700 StarOptions for a two bedroom (and more for a three bedroom). Which means Starwood gets to sell more FlexOptions to people who want OF units there.

I wonder if the definition of OF at Nanea will be more like WKORV or WKORVN?

 

[PamMo]

...I wonder if the definition of OF at Nanea will be more like WKORV or WKORVN?

Well, you can take a look at this thread and see the site plan that Denise posted http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228257&highlight=Nanea and take a wild guess. True oceanfront units at Nanea look more like WKORV than WKROVN, but who knows how Starwood/Vistana will define oceanfront?

 

[dss]

Personally as a an OFD owner at WKORV, I think this is good news. It increases the relative value of my unit but most importantly, it also allows me the possibility of securing OFD within the Staroption booking window. It was always a bit disappointing knowing that if I couldn't find on a date during the ownership period, that I was out of luck booking my ownership unit. That being said, it's been a huge challenge in the past couple of years to find these units as people are more aware than ever that there are very few OF (south) units and are booking them earlier and earlier during the ownership period so I don't think this has a meaningful impact on real world Staroption booking for WKORV OF but as noted above, is more of a sales positioning thing for the flex program.

 

[DeniseM]

At this point, it's hard to tell:

-Will there be 2 pools of inventory - one for Flex and one for regular owners?

-Will Flex owners have higher priority to make Staroption reservations than non-flex owners?

 

[SMHarman]

At this point, it's hard to tell:

-Will there be 2 pools of inventory - one for Flex and one for regular owners?

-Will Flex owners have higher priority to make Staroption reservations than non-flex owners?

It will be interesting to see if Weeks StarOptions owners get locked out of the new developments e.g. Cabo because it all is trust/flex.

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[taterhed]

At this point, it's hard to tell:

-Will there be 2 pools of inventory - one for Flex and one for regular owners?

-Will Flex owners have higher priority to make Staroption reservations than non-flex owners?

+1

This is the crux of the matter. U hit the nail on the head.

 

[vacationtime1]

At this point, it's hard to tell:

-Will there be 2 pools of inventory - one for Flex and one for regular owners?

-Will Flex owners have higher priority to make Staroption reservations than non-flex owners?

I think it will look something like the Marriott Destination Club system with two inventory pools separated porously. Why?

To give one example, the Flex program will need Kierland units to accommodate winter golfers and spring training devotees. Kierland doesn't have ROFR, so Starwood has no easy way to create Kierland inventory for its Flex program -- unless it incentivizes existing Kierland owners to make their units available by permitting them to be exchanged for Flex inventory. Much like Marriott is now doing.

We will not be permitted to see behind the black curtain as to how Starwood accomplishes this, who has priority for what, and what quotas or limitations are put in place. But Starwood will almost certainly want its prime resorts (mostly Westin branded) to be available for FlexOption use, and will therefore have to make at least some accommodation to existing owners.

Our Marriott friends report that points reservations into resorts owned mostly by Marriott's new trust work fairly seamlessly for enrolled owners.

 

[alexadeparis]

Well, I for one am glad I recently went up to 257,700 so's, so I can capture these units if they ever come available at 8 months.

 

[DavidnRobin]

This tells me that they are increasing SO's so that it costs more to reserve an ocean front unit using the new flex program... Didn't they do the same thing at WSJ?

they did it 2x for WSJ-VGV owners, and 1x for BV owners - first it was to align VGV with BV, and then VGV/BV with CV.

our SOs went from 67.1K to 81K to 95.7K

re: Flex Owners > non-Flex Owners... they would have to change the CCRs at WKORV for a Flex Owner to have same reservation priority as an Resort Owner (recall that these priorities are stated in CCRs). If this were to happen for OF owners (unlikely) - I would be 1st in-line with a lawsuit. That is similar to selling the same VOI twice. In the extreme - OF owners would not be able to reserve their deeded villa because Flex owners grabbed them... good luck with that...

 

[DeniseM]

David - I hope you are right, but what if Starwood buys a number of Oceanfront units and puts them in the Flex System, and the Flex pool? They might not be accessible to deeded week owners....

 

[SMHarman]

David - I hope you are right, but what if Starwood buys a number of Oceanfront units and puts them in the Flex System, and the Flex pool? They might not be accessible to deeded week owners....

Which works in HI but outside the ROFR destinations you need to buy to put in trust. Is VVO about to open a eBay account and go shopping for WKV and HRA etc

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[vacationtime1]

David - I hope you are right, but what if Starwood buys a number of Oceanfront units and puts them in the Flex System, and the Flex pool? They might not be accessible to deeded week owners....

If Starwood buys a week, it can do what it wants with it. But it cannot usurp my absolute right to an OF reservation at WKORV (as long as I make a reservation on time).

(I will be in line with David to file that lawsuit if they try.)