tomandrobin
TUG Member
Everyone wave to Starwood!!
Hi everyone!
Everyone wave to Starwood!!
It was changed within an hour or so of my posting, so if we had any doubt that Starwood monitors the boards, there you have it! But I'd already saved a .pdf screenshot of it (along with a timestamp) where it listed the former SOs right there in full living color.
Everyone wave to Starwood!!
It was changed within an hour or so of my posting, so if we had any doubt that Starwood monitors the boards, there you have it! But I'd already saved a .pdf screenshot of it (along with a timestamp) where it listed the former SOs right there in full living color.
Everyone wave to Starwood!!
Going to buy Hyatt on the resale? Great....Hyatt is a great program too. Remember, try not to buy emotionally....sounds like you may be doing so out of spite. I have a lot of customers that by Hyatt for their Key West resorts because they are fantastic. Hyatt's club is a bit different than Starwood's so make sure your knowledge base is there before purchasing.
Timeshares - although deeded and sold by licesnsed sales agents (in most cases) should not be compared to residential or general real estate. ROFR is not exclusive to timeshare and is written into many HOA's and Condominiums. Unless the market is extremely hot, no developer is going to buy back. Timeshare will always be a buyers market.
Starwood does not and will not feed off of "less educated" customers. The proof is here on TUG. Granted, there are some that purchase on an emotional level but I would say that 80% of all timeshare owners purchased their first week on an emotions and there is nothing wrong with purchasing Starwood on an emotional level. There are a handful of developers that I can think of in the Orlando area that will misguide, misinform and then sell a customer something that is just pure garbage. You should feel lucky that you are an owner of a very strong program.
Going to buy Hyatt on the resale? Great....Hyatt is a great program too. Remember, try not to buy emotionally....sounds like you may be doing so out of spite. I have a lot of customers that by Hyatt for their Key West resorts because they are fantastic. Hyatt's club is a bit different than Starwood's so make sure your knowledge base is there before purchasing.
Starwood does not and will not feed off of "less educated" customers.
Congrats to Jarta on making 5* with the retroing and EOY purchases!
I am still sad sometimes that with our $45,000 purchase so long ago, the 3-5* levels had never been "invented" by Starwood, and therefore we never knew that such a level of service was possible. If we had not purchased then, we could have achieved 5* by buying two resales and two developer weeks for about the same price.
Oh well. Since we don't have a crystal ball, who could have known? Ya think there would be some perk for folks who bought early at full freight....
For heaven's sake, instead of this constant barrage of negative news, they should do SOMETHING to make owners feel valued and special. Increase the warm and fuzzies so people feel GOOD about owning with Starwood instead of feeling like a chump. I think they'd be amazed how little things add up.
I mention ROFR only in the sense that Starwood seems to be overly concerned with trying to control the resale market. That is the only reason they convoluted the waters by inserting a poison pill into resales of their new resorts. We call them Voluntary Resorts.
Instead of focusing on trying to inhibit resales, I think they should focus on doing things to promote purchasing from the developer. The major thing they can do right away is to exercise RoFR more often so that resale prices don't get too far removed from the current developer price. Right now the gap at WKORV is profound. And it's incredibly difficult to justify spending 30 to 50 THOUSAND extra dollars for one lousy benefit, which is the ability to trade within SVN.
It might be less difficult if they focused on sweetening their elite program so that people would be more tempted to buy from the developer. They could offer incentives that are only given to developer purchased owners. Here are some examples of programs they could introduce relatively cheaply:
Throw in StarPoints each year as a thank you to owners who buy from the developer (e.g. 25k for single owners, 50k for double owners, etc.)
Offer 25 or 30% off subsequent purchases.
Offer reduced rates for folks wanting to add a day on the end of their stay. Free breakfast one morning
Free Lava Flow each night.
Additional packets of laundry detergent upon request
The announcement of special promos prior to extending them to non-elite owners.
Offer PFL memberships only to people who buy exclusively from the developer
For heaven's sake, instead of this constant barrage of negative news, they should do SOMETHING to make owners feel valued and special. Increase the warm and fuzzies so people feel GOOD about owning with Starwood instead of feeling like a chump. I think they'd be amazed how little things add up.
Sorry, but I think the core of the outrage isn't the change itself but the way the change was communicated (or lack thereof). While it's a dramatically unpopular move (to most, I bet some SPG Plats are happy about this actually), it is within their right to make that change.
Not properly warning people or allowing a grace period, or even TELLING people about this change until after the fact is symbolic of the way SVN has botched it's relationship with it's customers. At a minimum it shows a company that is highly dysfunctional and to some such as myself, it illustrates an overall arrogance that permeates everything they do. Their marketing and communication to their customers has a glossy sheen on it that lacks any connection to the real issues and concerns we have raised time and time again. This "blue sky" approach might work for developer sales but it's an awful excuse for customer service to your existing clients (who I might add are also your best prospects in most businesses).
James - As for your comment about choosing Hyatt for my next purchase, thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt, but I have spent years researching the system and as I said in my post, I am choosing them for a variety of factors, spite not being even on the radar screen (do you seriously think someone is going to spend over $20k out of spite???). I am purchasing largely because they have two resorts within driving distance of the Bay Area (Tahoe and Carmel). Hyatt's outstanding customer service certainly makes the decision easier to justify for me. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to continue to invest with SVN but their abysmal customer service and communication practices is one of many reasons they won't be getting any more of my business (and as I said, I am a longstanding SPG Plat so I continue to patronize their hotels almost weekly).
Starwood can and will make any changes they want. I know it is not fair, but that's just the way they run their business.
All my eggs are in the Starwood basket. I'm just making the best omlettes I can. Hopefully they won't get burnt.
ROFR is not exclusive to timeshare and is written into many HOA's and Condominiums.