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Owners Update at Westin Los Cabos

RiverDog

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We attended an owners update yesterday at the Westin Los Cabo Resort. It had been several years since we attended one, but we wanted to learn more about the new Abound program. Plus we got $150 resort credit and a 40% discount on whale watching. We own two weeks at Lagunamar, and this is our first time in Cabo. Our last update took place at one of the Florida resort, and they pushed hard to get us to trade our weeks at Lagunamar for Sheraton Flex points (and pay more in the process of course) and even went as far as using fear tactics saying ownership in anything in Mexico was risky. That was a terrible experience which made us avoid updates for the last several years.

I was expecting similar pressure to trade our two weeks in for Adventura points (since I understand there isn’t much of Lagunamar in their inventory) but that topic never came up. Instead we were offered an Adventura package which consisted of 67,000 EOY StarOptions (starting in 2024) for approximately $15k + 560 MF/yr with an “incentive bonus” of a choice between 300,000 Bonvoy points that never expire or 67,000 StarOptions that expired at the end of 2024. The initial price they showed was approximately $21k. After passing on that they offer us their “special resort pricing” which dropped it down to approximately $17.5k. While we were left alone to “discuss” that price they came in and said that they just got a unit back from someone who was upgrading so they had the ability to offer us (and another couple who we’e supposedly also looking at the same EOY package) some special pricing while they had the unit in house. That is when they reduced the price down to approximately $15k. We said no, and left after the survey/return package sales attempt (5 nights for $1,695 + $99 processing fee).

Given some of the changes taking place and claims that no resale units brought back into the system will be included in Abound, I’m wondering if I passed up an “OK” offer to increase our ownership and have it included in the new program.
 

kozykritter

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From your tone it sounds like you are happy with your two weeks at Lagunamar. What would be the benefit to you of increasing your ownership and taking on more maintenance fees? Only you can answer that given what your travel patterns and desires are. Everyone else that answers is going to bring their own biases ;)
 

grgs

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Are your Lagunamar weeks already in Abound? Or, are they resale weeks? Do you own Platinum or Gold weeks?

If they're resale weeks, were they offering to requalify them and make them Abound eligible with this new purchase?
 

RiverDog

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Are your Lagunamar weeks already in Abound? Or, are they resale weeks? Do you own Platinum or Gold weeks?

If they're resale weeks, were they offering to requalify them and make them Abound eligible with this new purchase?
We own one platinum week (1 bedroom) and one gold week (2 bedroom lock off) both are in Abound already.
 

RiverDog

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Are your Lagunamar weeks already in Abound? Or, are they resale weeks? Do you own Platinum or Gold weeks?

If they're resale weeks, were they offering to requalify them and make them Abound eligible with this new purchase?
Are your Lagunamar weeks already in Abound? Or, are they resale weeks? Do you own Platinum or Gold weeks?

If they're resale weeks, were they offering to requalify them and make them Abound eligible with this new purchase?
My understanding from the sales rep was that nothing will be allowed into Abound after August of last year (2022), but he may have just been saying that to push the sale.
 

dioxide45

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If you want to continue to go to Lagunamar there is absolutely no reason to trade in Lagunamar weeks for Aventuras, NONE. I am sure someone could come up with something, but I just don't see it. The offer to buy more might be okay, but it isn't necessary for all ownerships to be in Abound. I know it is the new and cool thing, but even buying a resale mandatory resort at this point is still great. You can still convert those Abound eligible weeks for Club Points and then use the mandatory StarOptions within VSN.
 

dioxide45

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My understanding from the sales rep was that nothing will be allowed into Abound after August of last year (2022), but he may have just been saying that to push the sale.
This is correct, though with a caveat. There will likely be some type of long term option to qualify resale VOIs into VSN and Abound. We are still seeing it recently with people being offered to purchase a Vistana VOI worth $10K or more and they will requalify. These of course are all pre August 2022 resale VOIs but I suspect similar offers will continue.
 
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RiverDog

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If you want to continue to go to Lagunamar there is absolutely no reason to trade in Lagunamar weeks for Aventuras, NONE. I am sure someone could come up with something, but I just don't see it. The offer to buy more might be okay, but it isn't necessary for all ownerships to be in Abound. I know it is the new and cool thing, but even buying a resale mandatory resort at this point is still great. You can still convert those Abound eligible weeks for Club Points and then use the mandatory StarOptions within VSN.
Definitely agree on there being no need (or reason) to trade our Lagunamar weeks for Adventuras Points. I was just surprised that it didn’t even come up. I guess they know that if you already own in Mexico and travel there often then there is no reason you’re going to make that trade.
 

RiverDog

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This is correct, though with a caveat. There will likely be some type of long term option to qualify resale VOIs into VSN and Abound. We are still seeing it recently with people being offered to purchase a Vistana VOI worth $10K or more and they will requalify. These of course are all pre August 2023 resale VOIs but I suspect similar offers will continue.
So is the deadline August 2023? The rep made it sound like it was August 2022.
 

RiverDog

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This is correct, though with a caveat. There will likely be some type of long term option to qualify resale VOIs into VSN and Abound. We are still seeing it recently with people being offered to purchase a Vistana VOI worth $10K or more and they will requalify. These of course are all pre August 2023 resale VOIs but I suspect similar offers will continue.
Is the resale market limited at the moment? I don’t see a lot of options available, but then again I haven’t spent much time looking. The rep made it sound like Vistana was using their first right of refusal on buybacks more often recently to build up their Flex (Sheraton, Westin and Adventuras) inventories.
 

dioxide45

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Is the resale market limited at the moment? I don’t see a lot of options available, but then again I haven’t spent much time looking. The rep made it sound like Vistana was using their first right of refusal on buybacks more often recently to build up their Flex (Sheraton, Westin and Adventuras) inventories.
ROFR at Vistana is limited to only a few resorts and all of the Flex programs. There has been limited resale inventory for a while. It seemed that last year, before August, there were people buying up mandatory resorts because they knew these would be included in Abound. Some suspect it was inside employees and sales staff. There has also been more limited availability for about 3 -5 years because when Vistana rolled out the Flex programs they put a lot of effort behind trade ins and even deedbacks. As you found when you toured in Florida. This soaked up a lot of deeded weeks that would have otherwise made it to the open market. Vistana still has their deed back program which is probably the first path people who own voluntary resorts take when trying to get rid of them.
 

grgs

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We own one platinum week (1 bedroom) and one gold week (2 bedroom lock off) both are in Abound already.
I agree with dioxide that's no reason to trade the WLR weeks for Aventuras. Since you're already in Abound, you have the aspect covered, too.
 
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