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Questions about converting to SPs & renting for a friend

Denise L

Tug Review Crew: Veteran
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Okay, so you know that I would never do this, but friends of mine own at WKORV-N and their plans have changed for 2008 and they won't be using their unit :( .

If they book a week and I help them rent it out, can they still have the option of converting to SPs if the unit doesn't rent out or they just don't want the hassle? Does the week then need to be booked within the owner preference period in order for this SP conversion option to still be available? In other words, hypothetically, if they booked a July week now, it would be less than 8 months out. Would they lose all rights to cancel and still convert to SPs later?

Would they lose all rights to book 12 months out at their home resort if the reservation was cancelled?

Also, do you know if I can list on the usual sites using my account, even though I do not own the unit, but I am listing on behalf of my friends? Or would my friends have to open their own account and manage it themselves?

Sorry for all the questions. If it turns out that they lose all rights at less than 8 months out, I will have them book something like November or December so that they at least have their SP conversion option available in March 2008.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
There is at time limit for converting into starpoints. For the new year it might be some time in March. You need to check with SVO. I don't know the answers to the other questions but, I don't understand why they can't rent their unit out themselves, they are the owners afterall. I don't know the circumstances, but it sounds like they don't want the hassle and wouldn't mind at all if YOU took on the burden. Why can't they as owners call SVO and inquire themselves it's a toll free phonecall. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm on the outside lookin in.
 
Well, all good questions. They are very good friends of mine, and since their plans just changed, they told me that they were going to convert to SPs because it was easier. I was hoping to help them out, since SP conversion is such a poor (though convenient) choice. I figured that if I could try for awhile and help them out, it couldn't hurt. I don't mind too much, and if I don't feel like doing it or have any hits, I can stop trying and they won't care about converting to SPs.

I can ask them to call SVO and ask these questions, but I thought that maybe someone here might have the answers first. Sometimes the SVO operators give out incorrect information.
 
Differeent Elite levels have different deadlines for converting to Staroptions. I believe everyone has until March 31 to do the conversion. I know 5* Elites have until October 31 to do the conversion and you get a 10% bonus on top (88,000 points for WKORV-N). They don't have to reserve a particular week, just say they want to convert.

Another option would be to bank the week with II and hope to find a nice place to go within the next two years. I had to do this once with a WKORV studio and ended up getting a 2BR in the Bavarian Alps. The resort wasn't as nice as WKORV, but it was 2BR and nice enough (it was a Sunterra property) that I thought it was a good exchange. It did take a while for me to find something on II that I wanted to use, though.

I know most people here complain about the value of Starpoints, and I have never converted myself because I have enough Starpoints already. Howeveer, I do find I can get hotel rooms with Staroptions that cost the same as what I'd expect to get in rent money, especially overseas. If you are Platinum with Starwood the suite upgrades would be worth a lot more sometimes. I don't know of many US hotels that would have this value, though.
 
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