Renting Staroptions. Help

[dazgreg]

Hi,
I am new to this site, and after some help.
Due to a family illness I have not been able to travel and now have close to 200,000 SO I need to start using, so was looking at advertising on Redweek or anywhere else you can recommend.
Was after some help with which resorts and weeks are the most likely to rent with the most success.
Thank you.

 

[lds337]

Hi,
I am new to this site, and after some help.
Due to a family illness I have not been able to travel and now have close to 200,000 SO I need to start using, so was looking at advertising on Redweek or anywhere else you can recommend.
Was after some help with which resorts and weeks are the most likely to rent with the most success.
Thank you.

If you are looking to rent through Vistana you need to book Home Resort Reservations. Reservations made using StarOptions aren't eligible to Rent per Vistana Policy.

 

[lds337]

Found this on their Website

Vistana™ Signature Experiences does not offer an Owner rental program at any of its villa resorts. However, as an Owner, you may reserve a Vacation Period at your Home Resort and arrange a private third-party rental. All renters must comply with the rules and regulations of your Home Resort, and as the Owner, you will be responsible for the acts or omissions of your renter and their guests. Once you have rented your Home Resort Vacation Period, please notify Owner Services of the arriving guest name to ensure their access to your reservation at check-in. Owners should be current in all fees, including maintenance fees and taxes, associated with ownership prior to the arrival date. To ensure your guest a seamless check-in, please pay all fees in advance, as guests will not be allowed to check in until all fees are paid. If additional housekeeping fees are assessed on the reservation, your guest will be responsible for paying these fees at check-out if you have not settled the fees with the resort prior to your guest’s departure (see confirmation to determine if additional housekeeping fees are assessed).

 

[controller1]

If you are looking to rent through Vistana you need to book Home Resort Reservations. Reservations made using StarOptions aren't eligible to Rent per Vistana Policy.

Found this on their Website

Vistana™ Signature Experiences does not offer an Owner rental program at any of its villa resorts. However, as an Owner, you may reserve a Vacation Period at your Home Resort and arrange a private third-party rental. All renters must comply with the rules and regulations of your Home Resort, and as the Owner, you will be responsible for the acts or omissions of your renter and their guests. Once you have rented your Home Resort Vacation Period, please notify Owner Services of the arriving guest name to ensure their access to your reservation at check-in. Owners should be current in all fees, including maintenance fees and taxes, associated with ownership prior to the arrival date. To ensure your guest a seamless check-in, please pay all fees in advance, as guests will not be allowed to check in until all fees are paid. If additional housekeeping fees are assessed on the reservation, your guest will be responsible for paying these fees at check-out if you have not settled the fees with the resort prior to your guest’s departure (see confirmation to determine if additional housekeeping fees are assessed).

Which many on TUG have interpreted as not requiring a Home Resort Reservation. Many interpret it to saying it is ok to make a StarOption reservation as long as the StarOption reservation is at one's Home Resort.

 

[CPNY]

Which many on TUG have interpreted as not requiring a Home Resort Reservation. Many interpret it to saying it is ok to make a StarOption reservation as long as the StarOption reservation is at one's Home Resort.

I interpret it that way. I own harborside resort. If I can’t get a phase 1 unit in the 2 month timeframe I have to book a different week in my season 10-8 months out and I book at 7 it defaults to a staroption reservation. Am i not able to rent that week at my home resort? The guideline doesn’t say you cannot rent unless it’s your home resort in your deeded week.

 

[SMHarman]

I interpret it that way. I own harborside resort. If I can’t get a phase 1 unit in the 2 month timeframe I have to book a different week in my season 10-8 months out and I book at 7 it defaults to a staroption reservation. Am i not able to rent that week at my home resort? The guideline doesn’t say you cannot rent unless it’s your home resort in your deeded week.

Exactly. You can book any way of booking at your home resort.

More importantly you can't go booking those star options at WSJ or HRA or WKORV/S and rent that for top dollar. Unless you own at one of them.

You can make that booking and not rent it. Gift it or let family use it.

 

[dazgreg]

Found this on their Website

Vistana™ Signature Experiences does not offer an Owner rental program at any of its villa resorts. However, as an Owner, you may reserve a Vacation Period at your Home Resort and arrange a private third-party rental. All renters must comply with the rules and regulations of your Home Resort, and as the Owner, you will be responsible for the acts or omissions of your renter and their guests. Once you have rented your Home Resort Vacation Period, please notify Owner Services of the arriving guest name to ensure their access to your reservation at check-in. Owners should be current in all fees, including maintenance fees and taxes, associated with ownership prior to the arrival date. To ensure your guest a seamless check-in, please pay all fees in advance, as guests will not be allowed to check in until all fees are paid. If additional housekeeping fees are assessed on the reservation, your guest will be responsible for paying these fees at check-out if you have not settled the fees with the resort prior to your guest’s departure (see confirmation to determine if additional housekeeping fees are assessed).

Thank you for that information, so from that I take that I can only rent out a Villa at Westin Lagunamar and no other resort within the Vistana portfolio?

 

[controller1]

Thank you for that information, so from that I take that I can only rent out a Villa at Westin Lagunamar and no other resort within the Vistana portfolio?

That's correct if you only own at Westin Lagunamar.

 

[dazgreg]

Thank you that has been very helpful, with regards to using a rental site do you recommend Redweek or another option?

 

[wtrjock]

I like to rent directly to tug users. Most tug users already know how the vacation ownership works so the transaction is much smoother. Use the tug marketplace, works well. Maybe people are having issues with using third party sites right now with all the cancellations. Make sure you have iron clad terms in your rental contract and get the money up front. I use paypal for the transaction and eat the fee to make the process smooth and have some protection.

 

[CPNY]

Exactly. You can book any way of booking at your home resort.

More importantly you can't go booking those star options at WSJ or HRA or WKORV/S and rent that for top dollar. Unless you own at one of them.

You can make that booking and not rent it. Gift it or let family use it.

Yeah although I feel like they are more concerned with people who rent multiple weeks every year. I only rent one or two weeks a year. Most of the time is my other families units I’m doing for them because they aren’t tech savvy to list and process a rental so I’ve become the family broker in a sense lol

 

[SMHarman]

I would think so. If you own a bunch of SO and never make a home reservation and always make a name change and usually reserve in higher MF resorts then you are on their radar.

 

[emeryjre]

I have never used staroptions before to book a vacation. I used restricted staroptions to make a reservation yesterday at my home resort

This is the information that is on my reservation.

"Rental of units reserved using StarOptions® (other than a vacation period at your Home Resort) is prohibited. Violation may result in the suspension of an Owner’s right to reserve within the Vistana Signature Network™ (VSN) until compliant."

There is a cost of $59.00 to change the name on the reservation according to the website. Not sure if that is being waived or the charge would apply if I change the name on the reservation. I will deal with it if I need to change the name.

 

[VacationForever]

I have never used staroptions before to book a vacation. I used restricted staroptions to make a reservation yesterday at my home resort

This is the information that is on my reservation.

"Rental of units reserved using StarOptions® (other than a vacation period at your Home Resort) is prohibited. Violation may result in the suspension of an Owner’s right to reserve within the Vistana Signature Network™ (VSN) until compliant."

There is a cost of $59.00 to change the name on the reservation according to the website. Not sure if that is being waived or the charge would apply if I change the name on the reservation. I will deal with it if I need to change the name.

If you change name on the reservation, it will charge $59. You can now do online. I have not read anything about waiving the name change charge. They implemented this charge for non-home option bookings around 2 years ago.

 

[SMHarman]

If you change name on the reservation, it will charge $59. You can now do online. I have not read anything about waiving the name change charge. They implemented this charge for non-home option bookings around 2 years ago.

And if we cancel a CV necessary cancellation do we get to use the $59 again or have it refunded?

We have to change the name from my wife to me (and I'm not on the Owner account) to get me, thus us to platinum status with bonvoyed.

Anyone asked about that?

 

[VacationForever]

And if we cancel a CV necessary cancellation do we get to use the $59 again or have it refunded?

We have to change the name from my wife to me (and I'm not on the Owner account) to get me, thus us to platinum status with bonvoyed.

Anyone asked about that?

I don't know.

 

[rcv82]

If you have a Flex ownership, I would interpret the following text from a reservation confirmation to mean that you could use StarOptions (rather than Home Options) to reserve at any of the properties within your Flex home resorts and be within the rules to rent it out:

Rental of units reserved using StarOptions® (other than a vacation period at your Home Resort) is prohibited. Violation may result in the suspension of an Owner’s right to reserve within the Vistana Signature Network™ (VSN) until compliant."

Does anybody have experience or thoughts on this?