Proposed internal exchange program and restrictions on resale weeks

[bobcat]

That's true. In the Marriott system there is an "R" next to your week/name if you bought resale. I'm not sure if II gets that info (and if they do, they currently don't care).

I had a couple of Marriott sales people tell me this over the years, and I saw it firsthand when we took a tour in Boston a few months ago. The sales rep looked up our existing info (we have 1 developer, 1 resale week) and he could tell me which we bought from Marriott and which we bought resale.

David

Thank You. BOBCAT

 

[taffy19]

Forget the trading. Rent your week out and with that money rent from another Marriott owner or at another resort. This is what we are planning to do. You don't have to sweat it for months on end if you will get an exchange or not.

We got rid of our first Marriott because it became almost impossible to make reservations at our home resort for the dates we wanted to go because they introduced the advantage of owning multiple weeks which made reserving holidays weeks or early March impossible for us on the first or even the second try. I don't know how they could do this legally to the current owners then but they did. It restricted our right of making reservations a lot. JMHO.

We had better luck with exchanging but we bought for use mainly at our home resort. It will be so easy from now on with our fixed week and fixed unit otherwise we wouldn't have bought another Marriott timeshare again.

We learned the hard way that they can make changes any time they feel like it even if it hurts the present owners. It made a big difference for us and our resort was sold out already when we bought so they can't blame it on that.

It's going to be interesting what the Marriott will do as they can't make so many present owners upset today or make the resale values drop too much but I doubt if the grandfathered ones will. The new ones after that may be another story?

 

[bobcat]

Forget the trading. Rent your week out and with that money rent from another Marriott owner or at another resort. This is what we are planning to do. You don't have to sweat it for months on end if you will get an exchange or not.

We got rid of our first Marriott because it became almost impossible to make reservations at our home resort for the dates we wanted to go because they introduced the advantage of owning multiple weeks which made reserving holidays weeks or early March impossible for us on the first or even the second try. I don't know how they could do this legally to the current owners then but they did. It restricted our right of making reservations a lot. JMHO.

We had better luck with exchanging but we bought for use mainly at our home resort. It will be so easy from now on with our fixed week and fixed unit otherwise we wouldn't have bought another Marriott timeshare again.

We learned the hard way that they can make changes any time they feel like it even if it hurts the present owners. It made a big difference for us and our resort was sold out already when we bought so they can't blame it on that.

It's going to be interesting what the Marriott will do as they can't make so many present owners upset today or make the resale values drop too much but I doubt if the grandfathered ones will. The new ones after that may be another story?

I wonder if it would help to purchase Marriott stock and go to there yearly stockholders meeting. ?When they ask for questions, bring up what we are talking about. I have done this in the past with other co's.

 

[Hoc]

This is interesting and I am glad to see it. All previous buyers/owners will be treated the same. No special treatment to Marriott buyers in the past. Your deal is over.

Not quite right. Those who bought from Marriott will still be able to trade their units for points, while those who bought resale will not. I don't see this as much of a benefit, since I think that what you pay for Marriott points in annual fees is more than they are worth, but that's an argument we've been having around here for years. It's why I bought resale and others bought from Marriott.

 

[BocaBum99]

The easiest for Marriott to stop it would be for Marriott to terminate its relationship with II, something it doesn't plan to do.

However, it’s possible that Marriott could put a block in its agreement with II that would prevent a Marriott owner from exchanging his/her Marriott into another Marriott through II. That would merely be an extension of a variety of blocking agreements that II currently has with numerous resort chains. I have no idea whether Marriott contemplates doing that.

Wouldn't this require an owner to know a priori whether or not they were going to exchange for a Marrriott or a non-Marriott?

What if they didn't know yet and wanted to test the market. If they deposit with II and later want to deposit use it for another Marriott, what do they do? I don't see it as practical. And, it would really tick off a lot of Marriott owners.

If Marriott is going to do this, I suggest they create a full point system and allow all owners a one time opportunity to join for free. Then, after that date, charge $2995. Then, Marriott owners can have trading power defined by a number of points and they can change the affiliation agreement with II to havre a WorldMark like interface where they have access to II and they just pay a certain number of points for an exchange. Then, Marriott controls what gets depoisted into II and the owner gets a choice of either Marriott or II resorts.

This will achieve the differentiator between developer sales and resale. They could offer the internal exchange as an add on that they only get if buy direct from Marriott or pay the participation fee.

In the program, it would require a window for booking their week. And, if by 6 months, they don't, it automatically gets deposited into the internal exchange programn. They need to auto deposit feature, otherwise, they won't have enough inventory for this internla exchange to be meaningful.

That's what I would do.

 

[buzzy]

If this all happens and the resale market does tank for those that want to sell their resales, wouldn't it be in the best interest of the seller to just price it where Marriott exercises ROFR? I wonder if the ROFR amount be lower compared to what it is today?

 

[dougp26364]

Boy is there a LOT of wild speculation going on in this thread. Keep in mind guys, NOTHING has happened yet. The only thing DaveM is certain of is that an internal exchange program is being CONTIMPLATED with a projected implimentation date of Jan. 2009.

But, since everyone is tossing out their 2 cents worth:

Resale values: So long as Marriott exercises ROFR I don't see a significant drop in what it costs to buy and get a unit resale. Deal have been reported lost at Manor Club at the $7,900 level. If someone really wants a Manor Club week, at this point they'd still have to pay more than $7,900. So long as they exercise ROFR after any change I don't see that price point dropping.


Internal trades: Keep in mind that nothing has happened yet but, I see things changing to a system like what BocaBum has stated a couple of posts above me. It's a system the seems to work for their Worldmark week and a system currently in use with DRI. You own your deed and can exchange it through I.I. whether you purchased resale or from the developer. If you purchased through the developer you have a points value to your week and can use those points internally or through I.I. for exchanges. If you bought resale then you'd need to buy into the internal points based trading system.

Grandfathering: Everyone seems to forget that term. DaveM has speculated that resale weeks bought previous to any change will keep their rights and not lose anything. Now, if Marriott did go to some sort of points option for internal exchanges, I don't think grandfathering will get you into that system. I think there will still be internal exchanges possible through I.I. just like there is now but, I think owners who bought through Marriott or have paid a joiner fee will have enhanced privlidges which could, in effect, reduce the number of I.I. internal exchange opportunities for resale buyers......or, it might not have any effect at all.

choosing you week vs developer choosing deposits: IMO a double edged sword. I've read SO MANY reports about the difficulty of getting desirable weeks because you have to be on the phone/computer right at the opening bell. Some areas are almost impossible to exchange into and some resorts have issues with owner dissatisfaction because they can't get a week in their season that works for them. Newport Coast comes to mind for families wanting a summer week.

With a points based internal reservation system like DRI and apparently SVN have, owners have first crack at the most desiralble weeks to use. It's a pitty when you own in a system and would love to stay somewhere on a desirable week only to learn that week has been taken and used mostly as exchange bait with I.I. I think it would be great if OWNERS recieved those desirable weeks ahead of exchangers. IOW, owners first.

Contrary to popular belief and averaged value of all weeks isn't a bad thing. You know what the value of your ownership for exchange is at all time. Not what it's worth if you can manage to reserve one particular week. Reserving the most popular weeks for exchange denies owners in that system the ability to enjoy that part of their ownership, leads to frustration and complicates the exchange process by making you have to be on the phone like a radio call in give away (Caller number 5 get's tickets to the big concert).

I belong to two systems that utilize this sort of system and I much prefer them to Marriott's get up, hit the phone, keep dialing and praying system. I can get what I want, when I want it and be comfortable doing it. HGVC's and DRI's systems are GREAT if you want to get into Hawaii on just about any date I've looked at. I know EXACTLY what it takes and I don't have to make a deposit and request over a year in advance and HOPE that I have enough trade power.

Heck, the way Marriott is set up now I don't stand a chance of getting Memorial day week at my home resort in FL unless I'm on the phone and get lucky.......REALLY LUCKY. With HGVC or DRI it's not such a big deal. In fact it's really pretty easy since no one is trying to reserve that week just to trade it. They only reserve that week if they want to use it. So, IMO bring on the point system and even, balance trade values through I.I. It will make my life easier and less complicated.

I'll close by saying everyone needs to keep in mind that most of this thread is PURE SPECULATION. About the only information I trust is when DaveM says Marriott is working on developing an internal exchange program and it's target date for implimination is Jan. 2009. Everything beyond that is just a wild guess.

 

[saturn28]

How about Marriott using a points based system similar to Hyatt, where you can convert your fixed week to points. With the points you would be able to do an internal Marriott Vacation Club trade and be able to book stays from 1 to 7 nights.

However, if you are a resale buyer you would only be able to do internal Marriott Vacation Club trades for a full week and would not be able to convert your fixed week to Marriott Vacation Club points.

Each owner whether weeks or points, or multiple week owners would have the same reservation window to book an internal exchange, or book their home week. The internal exchange would cost $39.

Marriott could use the week and unit that it shows on your deed as your fixed week that you would only have to call in, or use the website to confirm within a certain time period or that unit would be released for booking to other Marriott owners. If you wanted to book another week within your season at your resort, there would be another date that that would have to be done by. Either excepting your fixed week or booking another week within your season at your resort would be done at no cost.

If you are a weeks owner, you would still be able to book out of your season through Interval Interantional for an $89 exchange fee, but not through an internal exchange. When weeks owners did an internal exhchange they would only be able to book within their season or to a lower season.

Points owners would be able to book wherever their points would take them.

In addition, if Marriott exercised the ROFR on these units they would not be able to re-sell them as weeks that could be converted to Marriott Vacation Club points. They would have to re-sell them as regular weeks.

This would essentially leave the present system as it is, with the addition of a new internal trading system for weeks, and allow Marriott to ad a the new perk of a points based system without punishing resale buyers and sellers. This new Marriott Vacation Club points system would be a perk that would be an addition to the present perk of converting your week to Marriott Hotel points that are used for hotel stays, car rentals, and air fare.

 

[Dave M]

As Doug states, there is a lot of speculation in this thread. Some of it is quite thoughtful and matches some rumors I have heard. I won't comment on specifics because I don't like to report rumors, preferring to report only those tidbits that I believe I have been able to confirm.

I currently have no more info than I have posted here, but I hope to get more. I don't expect any more immediately, since the person I want to check with is not currently available. Stay tuned over the next several weeks.

If I get more significant info, I'll likely start a new thread so that readers don't have to wade through a myriad of posts to find it.

 

[Lawlar]

Changing the Rules Midstream

We got rid of our first Marriott because it became almost impossible to make reservations at our home resort for the dates we wanted to go because they introduced the advantage of owning multiple weeks which made reserving holidays weeks or early March impossible for us on the first or even the second try. I don't know how they could do this legally to the current owners then but they did. It restricted our right of making reservations a lot. JMHO.

We had better luck with exchanging but we bought for use mainly at our home resort. It will be so easy from now on with our fixed week and fixed unit otherwise we wouldn't have bought another Marriott timeshare again.

We learned the hard way that they can make changes any time they feel like it even if it hurts the present owners. It made a big difference for us and our resort was sold out already when we bought so they can't blame it on that.

Does anyone know how Marriott was able to change the rules midstream to give multiple owners a one-month priority over nonowners? [That is before my time here.]

Did any of the owners oppose the Marriott change? [Owners really need an association that fights for their rights.]

I think Marriott would have to change the CC&Rs that govern each location. That wouldn’t be easy, unless Marriott has sufficient voting power to override the interests of the owners.

The MOC Disclosure Statement that was given to me clearly describes the CC&Rs as creating a right for owners (even those who bought a resale unit) as having a 12-13 month reservation system. I don’t see that changing unless they can amend the CC&Rs. [Even my old gray cells can think of lots of legal recourse that owners would have if Marriott tried to force through this type of change in the rules.)

 

[timeos2]

Do it unless we're caught. Developer motto #1

Does anyone know how Marriott was able to change the rules midstream to give multiple owners a one-month priority over nonowners? [That is before my time here.]

Did any of the owners oppose the Marriott change? [Owners really need an association that fights for their rights.]

I think Marriott would have to change the CC&Rs that govern each location. That wouldn’t be easy, unless Marriott has sufficient voting power to override the interests of the owners.

The MOC Disclosure Statement that was given to me clearly describes the CC&Rs as creating a right for owners (even those who bought a resale unit) as having a 12-13 month reservation system. I don’t see that changing unless they can amend the CC&Rs. [Even my old gray cells can think of lots of legal recourse that owners would have if Marriott tried to force through this type of change in the rules.)

I have never seen anyone post how they did it - it seems on the surface to simply have been implemented legal or not. Like the giant boil on timesharing called Wastegate many of these developer controlled resorts simply do as they please regardless of rules, law or owner wishes. They depend on the fact that owners lack control of the Associations, pay little attention and won't put up the money needed to fight in most cases. Usually they are right. If that occurred in the the case of Marriott or if they actually had a legal way to accomplish an undermining of buyers rights is an unknown. In either case it doesn't give a warm feeling or make anyone want to spend big bucks for a Marriott if thats the way they behave.

 

[dioxide45]

If this all happens and the resale market does tank for those that want to sell their resales, wouldn't it be in the best interest of the seller to just price it where Marriott exercises ROFR? I wonder if the ROFR amount be lower compared to what it is today?

If the resale market tanks, it is likely that the developer market won't be far behind. Marriott will only buy back what it thinks it can resell. They aren't in the business of holding inventory, that costs them money.

 

[dougp26364]

How about Marriott using a points based system similar to Hyatt, where you can convert your fixed week to points. With the points you would be able to do an internal Marriott Vacation Club trade and be able to book stays from 1 to 7 nights.

However, if you are a resale buyer you would only be able to do internal Marriott Vacation Club trades for a full week and would not be able to convert your fixed week to Marriott Vacation Club points.

Each owner whether weeks or points, or multiple week owners would have the same reservation window to book an internal exchange, or book their home week. The internal exchange would cost $39.

Marriott could use the week and unit that it shows on your deed as your fixed week that you would only have to call in, or use the website to confirm within a certain time period or that unit would be released for booking to other Marriott owners. If you wanted to book another week within your season at your resort, there would be another date that that would have to be done by. Either excepting your fixed week or booking another week within your season at your resort would be done at no cost.

If you are a weeks owner, you would still be able to book out of your season through Interval Interantional for an $89 exchange fee, but not through an internal exchange. When weeks owners did an internal exhchange they would only be able to book within their season or to a lower season.

Points owners would be able to book wherever their points would take them.

In addition, if Marriott exercised the ROFR on these units they would not be able to re-sell them as weeks that could be converted to Marriott Vacation Club points. They would have to re-sell them as regular weeks.

This would essentially leave the present system as it is, with the addition of a new internal trading system for weeks, and allow Marriott to ad a the new perk of a points based system without punishing resale buyers and sellers. This new Marriott Vacation Club points system would be a perk that would be an addition to the present perk of converting your week to Marriott Hotel points that are used for hotel stays, car rentals, and air fare.

Your theory is blown in your first paragraph. Marriott has very few fixed weeks and those are pretty much holiday weeks that cost a premium price. Other than those few weeks, Marriott weeks are sold as floating weeks in an assigned season. It would be impossible to force owners into the fixed week on their contracts. Especially since it's written into the contract that it is for deeding purposes.

 

[saturn28]

Your theory is blown in your first paragraph. Marriott has very few fixed weeks and those are pretty much holiday weeks that cost a premium price. Other than those few weeks, Marriott weeks are sold as floating weeks in an assigned season. It would be impossible to force owners into the fixed week on their contracts. Especially since it's written into the contract that it is for deeding purposes.

You didn't read the whole post. The week and unit on your deed can be used as a starting point. Some people may be happy with that week or unit. However, you would still have the option, as you do now, to book any week within your season at no cost. So, you won't be forced to take anything. Everything remains the same. Only you have the added option of keeping the week and unit on your deed it you choose.

The way Hyatt works is you have a fixed week. Then one year before your check-in date there is a 6 month window that you have to decide whether you will occupy your unit or do an internal trade to another resort. Marriott could do a similar thing and within that time period you could decide whether you want to occupy the unit on your deed or reserve another unit and week within your same season at your home resort. The only reason I put this in is because people are complaining about having to phone in exactly one year ahead of time to reserve their unit. If you are going to use your unit to trade, I have found most dates in a season trade pretty much the same.

 

[LAX Mom]

Marriott could/should keep it very simple. Why wouldn't something like this work:

Starting Jan. 1, 2009 Marriott will have their own internal exchange system, which will be available to owners who purchase from Marriott (and prior resale owners grandfathered in). If you purchase resale after Jan. 1, your options are to either use your week, rent it or exchange with II or another 3rd party exchange company.

This could be a big selling point for Marriott- Buy from us and you can tap into the vast market of Marriott timeshares!! Most Marriott owners, especially high-end Marriotts would likely stay with the Marriott system. The sales reps would say "Why deposit with II and trade down? Stay with Marriott and you'll be assured of getting Marriott quality."

Marriott has to keep it simple and fairly easy to understand. If it is too complicated their sales force will never be able to explain it to the vacationers listing to the pitch.

After reading all these posts my head was spinning with all the possiblities!! It just occured to me that Marriott has to keep it fairly simple! Most owners/prospective owners would be scared away by a complicated system!!

 

[timeos2]

They do better when resales tank - why worry?

If the resale market tanks, it is likely that the developer market won't be far behind. Marriott will only buy back what it thinks it can resell. They aren't in the business of holding inventory, that costs them money.

If that were true then Wyndham's Fairshare Plus Points retail sales should have faltered years ago while they were still called Fairfield. They have been on a campaign to devalue resale points for almost a decade. And it worked despite the fact that 99.9 percent of the true value/rights of a FSP point stays intact regardless of how you buy - resale or retail - they continue to sell retail at 150% or more over resale and people think they are getting value! It's an effective blend of FUD (fear uncertainty doubt), puffery ("You'll be a Golden Idol VIP with only 8 million FSP points - you even get a free newspaper!") and the simple fact that most buyers roped into a sales pitch simply don't have the knowledge needed to counteract the well rehearsed sales pressure.

It doesn't explain how anyone from TUG or other informational sites can still get roped into these "deals" (and they do) except that the weasels are THAT good at what they do. How scary is that?

In any case at least so far the typical tactics of developers works better than the simple fact that for most resorts/systems resale represents not only exactly the same product but by far the better purchase value. Until that changes - and there is zero signs it will - they aren't going to worry about what resales sell for. It doesn't impact them.

 

[saturn28]

Marriott could/should keep it very simple. Why wouldn't something like this work:

Starting Jan. 1, 2009 Marriott will have their own internal exchange system, which will be available to owners who purchase from Marriott (and prior resale owners grandfathered in). If you purchase resale after Jan. 1, your options are to either use your week, rent it or exchange with II or another 3rd party exchange company.

This could be a big selling point for Marriott- Buy from us and you can tap into the vast market of Marriott timeshares!! Most Marriott owners, especially high-end Marriotts would likely stay with the Marriott system. The sales reps would say "Why deposit with II and trade down? Stay with Marriott and you'll be assured of getting Marriott quality."

Marriott has to keep it simple and fairly easy to understand. If it is too complicated their sales force will never be able to explain it to the vacationers listing to the pitch.

After reading all these posts my head was spinning with all the possiblities!! It just occured to me that Marriott has to keep it fairly simple! Most owners/prospective owners would be scared away by a complicated system!!

The reason I don't like this is because if you buy resale you don't get a shot at all of the Marriott inventory. You have no priority at all being a Marriott owner. You might as well purchase some $500 timeshare on Ebay because you will get the same opportunity to reserve whatever Marriott weeks Interval gets. In addition, who would want to buy the Marriott week that you purchased from Marriott when you would just be getting all the scraps that Marriott first class owners don't want.

 

[JimIg23]

I am assuming Horizons at Branson and Orlando owners will be included in the new system with the same rights?

 

[saturn28]

It seems to me rather than taking things away from owners a better approach is to let everyone keep what they have, but include new perks that only people that purchase through Marriott get.

 

[dioxide45]

I am assuming Horizons at Branson and Orlando owners will be included in the new system with the same rights?

One never knows. Thought today a Horizons owner is treated no different than a MCVI resort owner. I don't see why that would be different in the future.

 

[Dean]

There is nothing in my deed or contract that says that a person buying my TS will be penalized for buying it resale. Marriott obviously isn’t thinking about the best interests of its customers or their legal rights.

Marriott should focus its efforts on finding ways to enhance the value of the TSs it sells. By reducing the reservation rights of a TS after it is sold on the resale market two things will happen: (1) Fewer people will want to buy a Marriott TS on the resale market and (2) Marriott owners will have to reduce their asking prices dramatically if they want to sell their TSs. A Marriott TS will have little value after it is purchased from Marriott.

TS ownership has some appeal. But the biggest downside is that the value of a TS declines dramatically after it is purchased (and it is very difficult to find a willing buyer). If Marriott wants to promote TS ownership it should focus its efforts on making TS ownership appealing economically.

If Marriott implements this restriction on resales then Marriott is going to damage the value of its TSs over the long term in order to make a few more bucks in the short term.

I’m really surprised that TS groups aren’t more active in advocating for the protection of their rights.

Marriott reserves the right to make reservation changes without any input from the members. With that ability they can take a lot of latitude though I would agree that it's very unlikely they'd try to alter access to reservations in favor of one group vs another. But what they could do is limit or prevent access to other benefits. While I too suspect they'd grandfather current owners, I don't think they'd be required to. They certainly dropped certain resort like a hot potato even though some on this board (and thread) said they'd never do so for reasons including PR. And while certain changes could affect the resale value for those not bought through Marriott, I suspect Marriott sees that as a plus and not a negative. Many other resorts have sold timeshares that have a value pennies on the dollar and have fared just fine else there wouldn't be many timeshares in the world.

While I'm not convinced this is going to go forward, it is interesting to think of an internal and external exchange system with Marriott not much different than many of the current points systems where you can exchange internally or through II or RCI (sometimes either for a given resort). While Marriott could possibly block exchanges back in through II, I doubt they will but rather than II will not give any preference to Marriott to Marriott exchanges. The truth is that it might actually enhance the trading within II for certain resorts/weeks. I think to block exchanges back in they'd have to go to a corporate account much like DVC or Starwood and I think that would hurt Marriott more than anything else being discussed here.

Does anyone know how Marriott was able to change the rules midstream to give multiple owners a one-month priority over nonowners? [That is before my time here.]

Did any of the owners oppose the Marriott change? [Owners really need an association that fights for their rights.]

I think Marriott would have to change the CC&Rs that govern each location. That wouldn’t be easy, unless Marriott has sufficient voting power to override the interests of the owners.

The MOC Disclosure Statement that was given to me clearly describes the CC&Rs as creating a right for owners (even those who bought a resale unit) as having a 12-13 month reservation system. I don’t see that changing unless they can amend the CC&Rs. [Even my old gray cells can think of lots of legal recourse that owners would have if Marriott tried to force through this type of change in the rules.)

As I said above, Marriott has total control and it's stated in the POS very clearly. But I do think they'd have a world of trouble if they tried to give preference to one group vs another based on this issue in terms of reserving what they own. If that happened I think the lawsuit would come and Marriott would lose that battle. But for all the rest, Marriott would have essentially any option they wanted. They would not even have a legal obligation to grandfather current owners that bought resale or even those that bought from Marriott in reality.

 

[LAX Mom]

The reason I don't like this is because if you buy resale you don't get a shot at all of the Marriott inventory. You have no priority at all being a Marriott owner. You might as well purchase some $500 timeshare on Ebay because you will get the same opportunity to reserve whatever Marriott weeks Interval gets. In addition, who would want to buy the Marriott week that you purchased from Marriott when you would just be getting all the scraps that Marriott first class owners don't want.

That's exactly why it works for Marriott. They can tell potential purchasers- "Buy directly from Marriott, you'll have access to the most inventory!!"

This could be a huge selling point for Marriott in the future!!

 

[alanraycole]

I would love a Marriott internal exchange!

I own both Hilton and Marriott timeshares. I overwhelmingly prefer the Hilton system because of the internal exchange system. I will never own another Marriott because they don't have one. I am presently looking for a good deal on more Hilton time.

The only thing that disturbs me about the Marriott exchange system as described here is the limitation of resale buyers participating. Hilton resale buyers have the same rights in the internal exchange system. Marriott would do well to copy HGVC internal exchange system exactly.

If for no other reason... less than a month away and I can log on to hgvc.com and reserve a week in Hawaii or anywhere else! The same is true for every month of the calendar! Marriott owners wouldn't have anymore desparate races to reserve the ideal week, unless they plan on using it themselves. In HGVC, you don't reserve a week for exchange. In fact, you can't! The best weeks are saved for the owners who actually will use the time! RCI gets the leftovers and Hilton still has the highest trading power in RCI.

P.S. Hiltons and Marriotts sell for similar resale prices last time I checked, so the internal exchange system itself wouldn't hurt that.

 

[timeos2]

The MOC Disclosure Statement that was given to me clearly describes the CC&Rs as creating a right for owners (even those who bought a resale unit) as having a 12-13 month reservation system. I don’t see that changing unless they can amend the CC&Rs. [Even my old gray cells can think of lots of legal recourse that owners would have if Marriott tried to force through this type of change in the rules.)

As I said above, Marriott has total control and it's stated in the POS very clearly. But I do think they'd have a world of trouble if they tried to give preference to one group vs another based on this issue in terms of reserving what they own. If that happened I think the lawsuit would come and Marriott would lose that battle. But for all the rest, Marriott would have essentially any option they wanted. They would not even have a legal obligation to grandfather current owners that bought resale or even those that bought from Marriott in reality.

If the rules are spelled out in the disclosure filed with the state as outlined above by Lawlar then Marriott does not have the right to change it at their whim. The one rock any timeshare / condo purchase is based on is the disclosure and the words there are nearly impossible to change after the sale without a super majority vote of the ownership. A different version can be sold to new buyers but it wouldn't apply to prior sales or resales of those contracts as the original rules stay with the contract. Of course a developer or management can choose to ignore it and figure no one will challenge - they could be right about that - but it would not be legal if it were challenged.

Far too many developers try to push the limits for this type of critical owner right and it appears Marriott isn't above that dirty trick either.

 

[hipslo]

It seems to me rather than taking things away from owners a better approach is to let everyone keep what they have, but include new perks that only people that purchase through Marriott get.

Like make reservations 14 months in advance?