Starwood lockoff owners -- How are you using your ownership?

[marmite]

I wanted to get a feel for how people are using their 2 bedroom units. I know what the options are, but when you NEED a 2 bedroom are you actually willing to put a request in to trade for your whole 2 bedroom unit?

I am dazzled (yes, that is probably the right word) at the prospect of doing an instant trade of 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom (Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Four Seasons or equivalent).

If you are patient (and searching often and early, to catch the bulk deposits), do you think you can uptrade into most resorts, or are there some that you could almost never trade your 1 bed for a 2 bedroom?

Do you find the Starwood preference helps a lot with this, and is harder to do outside of Starwood properties?

I was able to trade 1 bed SDO for 2 bed Westin Princeville (which may have been within the preference window), yet was only able to trade 1 bed SDO for 1 bed Marriott Lakeshore Reserve (so perhaps I was seeing leftovers).

For owners of multiple TS's, have you ALSO bought Marriott because of the preference window, or are you seeing mostly the same inventory between your Starwood and Marriott units?

Thanks!

 

[DeniseM]

Because of the Starwood to Starwood preference in II, you will not see the same inventory that a Marriott owner would. (Note that there is also a Marriott to Marriott preference.)

This is how it works:

When Starwood makes a deposit in II - for the first 30 days, only Ongoing Requests from Starwood owners will be filled.

After 30 days, Ongoing Requests from other owners are filled IF their deposit has the trading power necessary.

Then, the left over inventory goes online - and for the first 30 days, only Starwood owners can see and reserve it with Instant Online Exchanges. (Note that it is supposed to be 30 days, but it is applied inconsistently. Also - within 60 days - there is no priority.)

After the inventory has been online 30 days, then other owners who have enough trading power can see and reserve the online inventory with Instant Online Exchanges.

Marriott owners have a similar priority for Marriott exchanges.

If you NEED a 2 bdm. - you should deposit a 2 Bdm.

Westin Princeville is a great resort - but a relatively easy exchange.

Also, be aware that Starwood has 100% control of what is deposited in II, except for true fixed weeks, so it's rare to see holiday deposits.

 

[zinger1457]

For this year and next year I was able to do trades with II for my small 1BR unit at the Westin Kierland for 2BR Marriott units . This year I picked up a week at Marriott Grande Ocean in Hilton Head and next year I have a week at Marriott Newport Coast, both are 2BR units. I was not looking for prime summer weeks which made the trades easier to pick up. With the II XYZ promo for these trades I also picked up a week in a 1BR at Marriott Canyon Villas and a week in a studio at Marriott Desert Springs.

 

[marmite]

Because of the Starwood to Starwood preference in II, you will not see the same inventory that a Marriott owner would. (Note that there is also a Marriott to Marriott preference.)

This is how it works:

When Starwood makes a deposit in II - for the first 30 days, only Ongoing Requests from Starwood owners will be filled.

After 30 days, Ongoing Requests from other owners are filled IF their deposit has the trading power necessary.

Then, the left over inventory goes online - and for the first 30 days, only Starwood owners can see and reserve it with Instant Online Exchanges. (Note that it is supposed to be 30 days, but it is applied inconsistently. Also - within 60 days - there is no priority.)

After the inventory has been online 30 days, then other owners who have enough trading power can see and reserve the online inventory with Instant Online Exchanges.

Marriott owners have a similar priority for Marriott exchanges.

If you NEED a 2 bdm. - you should deposit a 2 Bdm.

Westin Princeville is a great resort - but a relatively easy exchange.

Also, be aware that Starwood has 100% control of what is deposited in II, except for true fixed weeks, so it's rare to see holiday deposits.

Sorry if my question was confusing. It was not a matter of "How do I" do something, it was more of, how do you "Denise", use your membership (perhaps a personal question?). I am trying to get some insight to what experienced traders do, and how they feel they get the most value from their MF's.

I know some people search for trades religiously every morning (or many times a day), and over time know what they can and can't do with the online trades. Do those people put in an ongoing request with their 2 bedroom (to get a 2), or based on their experience are they fairly confident they can trade 1 bedroom for 2, in a resort they like at a time they want?

Thanks again.

 

[DeniseM]

By far, the most dependable way to get an exchange is through an ongoing request, which is why I posted the info. above to explain how it works. If you must have a 2 bdm. - you should deposit a 2 bdm. and put in an ongoing request.

If you need a certain time frame or resort - an ongoing request is your best bet - but certainly not a sure thing.

If you are open to suggestion and very flexible about when and where you travel, you can make fabulous Instant Online Exchanges.

So it really depends on your needs.

I do both - but I'm a teacher, so my travel dates are not very flexible.

Here are my recent trades:

Sheraton Vistana Resort 2 bd. traded for Kona Coast Resort holiday week 1 bd. (ongoing request)

Sheraton Desert Oasis 1 bd. traded for the Marriott Custom House holiday week 1 bd. (Instant Exchange)

Sheraton Desert Oasis 1 bd. traded for Kingsbury Crossing summer 1 bd. - Tahoe (Instant Exchange)

Sherton Vistana Resort 2 bd. traded for Westin Princeville September 2 bd. (Instant Exchange)

Sheraton Vistana Resort 2 bd. traded for Westin Princeville April 2 bd. (Ongoing Search)​

I do NOT think you can ever count on getting a 2 bdm. at a specific resort for a specific timeframe. But if you are flexible about when and were you go - you will do well.

 

[lorenmd]

so one question. if i have a 2 bedroom that has 81,000 staroptions, can i use it for an ongoing request and as it gets closer to my travel time, if my request hasn't come through, can i use the staroptions or have i forfeited them by using it as a search unit?

 

[jerseygirl]

You can use them, based on availability (e.g., don't expect to get a great summer reservation with SOs if you wait until May or June to ask for one).

 

[DeniseM]

Under the II-Starwood rules implemented in 2009 - *ALL ongoing requests are "request first" and you can get your week back. However, it takes a bit of work, and some of the Reps at Starwood don't seem to be aware that you can do it.

1. Call II and cancel your on-going request and deposit.

2. Call Starwood and tell them you have canceled your ongoing request and deposit. (Expect them to be confused.)

3. Then Starwood has to contact II, verify, and put your week back in your Starwood Acct.

Be prepared to escalate to Resolution Services!

For all the details - see the II FAQ at the top of the forum.

*There is one exception - with a TRUE fixed week, you can still do "deposit first."

 

[pacman]

Marmite

hey, hi to a fellow BC'er.
To answer your question, I have always locked off my SDO, deposited both sides immediately to II, and put in my requests. My wife & I are in love with Hawaii, so have requested trades into WKORV and WKORVN. We have got the following trades with our one bedrooms:
2 bedroom in Feb
studio in Nov
1 bedroom in Feb
2 bedroom in Nov (here in Hawaii right now).
also deposited into SFX and waiting for a trade into a decent Hawaii property. Would not do this again, much harder to get a good trade.


pacman

 

[marmite]

Marmite

hey, hi to a fellow BC'er.
To answer your question, I have always locked off my SDO, deposited both sides immediately to II, and put in my requests. My wife & I are in love with Hawaii, so have requested trades into WKORV and WKORVN. We have got the following trades with our one bedrooms:
2 bedroom in Feb
studio in Nov
1 bedroom in Feb
2 bedroom in Nov (here in Hawaii right now).
also deposited into SFX and waiting for a trade into a decent Hawaii property. Would not do this again, much harder to get a good trade.


pacman

Hi there!

Question for you -- your 2 bedroom trades that you mention, did II give those to you for a 1 bedroom unit when putting in a request? I was under the impression that if you put in a request, it would be like for like, or that they would possibly offer you a smaller unit to see if you would take it?

Thanks.

 

[woodyd70]

SDO 2BR L/O Trades 2011 and 2012

2011 - A side exchange for Westin Kierland 2 BR L/O June 4-11
B side exchange for Harborside 2 BR L/O December 10-17

2012 - A side exchange for Sheraton Vistana Villages 2BR June 2-9
B side exchange for Westin Princeville 2BR L/O January 7-14

Taking into account the maintenance fee and I.I. exhchange fee, each of these vacations have been obtained for about $500 per week, netting just over $70 per night. Starwood Preference period was useful in 2 of the reservations (HRA and Westin Princeville), but the SVV and WKV weeks are both readily available and easy to get, they just fit perfect for my family as we have 2 small children and can travel 1st week of June due to school schedules. The kids have to be taken out of school for trips like HRA in December and Westin Princeville in January, but it's worth it.

Hope this helps,

 

[DeniseM]

Hi there!

Question for you -- your 2 bedroom trades that you mention, did II give those to you for a 1 bedroom unit when putting in a request? I was under the impression that if you put in a request, it would be like for like, or that they would possibly offer you a smaller unit to see if you would take it?

Thanks.

The 2 bedroom trades would have been from instant online exchanges. You cannot request a 2 bdm., with a 1 bdm. deposit, in an ongoing request.

If you are requesting a resort that ONLY has 2 bdm. units, you can request a 1:2 trade, but none of the Starwood resorts fall in that category, so it would be a difficult exchange.

 

[yumdrey]

I am dazzled (yes, that is probably the right word) at the prospect of doing an instant trade of 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom (Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Four Seasons or equivalent).

If you are flexible for date and ok with low demand season, it is possible. If you need a holiday week or school break week, it's hard to get.
Hyatt and Four Seasons have limited deposits.
Starwood, it's easy to get a 2BR with a 1BR SDO.
Marriott, it's easy to get a 2BR with your SDO 1BR if you travel non-peak season.

If you are patient (and searching often and early, to catch the bulk deposits), do you think you can uptrade into most resorts, or are there some that you could almost never trade your 1 bed for a 2 bedroom?

For Starwood, yes, you can uptrade to 2BR easily and starwood priority really helps it. But don't expect getting St.John 2BR.
For marriott, like I said above, during non-peak season, it's possible.
However, marriott owners have marriott priority and the best weeks are picked up by marriott owners and leftover will be open to other owners.
Marriott weeks (regardless the season) see much more marriott inventory than SDO.

Do you find the Starwood preference helps a lot with this, and is harder to do outside of Starwood properties?

Yes, starwood priority helps you to get 2BR with 1BR SDO.
For other systems, yes, it is harder to do than starwood, but there are plenty of marriott shoulder weeks (2BRs) and Orlando 2BRs or 3BRs open to all owners. Lakeshore reserve is harder to get than other marriotts in orlando.

I was able to trade 1 bed SDO for 2 bed Westin Princeville (which may have been within the preference window), yet was only able to trade 1 bed SDO for 1 bed Marriott Lakeshore Reserve (so perhaps I was seeing leftovers).

With SDO, it's hard to see whole 2BR at lakeshore reserve.
But I see bunch of 2BRs with Marriott studio. Marriott weeks not only have marriott priority, but also give stronger trade power to other marriott weeks, even for studios.

For owners of multiple TS's, have you ALSO bought Marriott because of the preference window, or are you seeing mostly the same inventory between your Starwood and Marriott units?

Yes, I bought Marriott because getting a prime marriott week, especially 2BR by using a non-marriott week is almost impossible. These days, Marriott priority has been enforced more aggressively than before.
Marriott has the most # of resorts/locations in TS system and those last minute (flexchange) sightings during prime season are so tempting - summer Hilton Head marriotts, Summer Myrtle Beach Marriott (only a few), Winter west palm beach & fort lauderdale, last minute Hawaii weeks.

Thanks!

BTW, These are the exchanges I got with my SDO:
1BD A exchanged to 2BR lock-off at Harborside in Jan (bulk deposit and within priority).
1BR B exchanged to Westin maui (south) 2BR lock-off in late Aug (bulk deposit and within priority).

 

[pacman]

Hi there!

Question for you -- your 2 bedroom trades that you mention, did II give those to you for a 1 bedroom unit when putting in a request? I was under the impression that if you put in a request, it would be like for like, or that they would possibly offer you a smaller unit to see if you would take it?

Thanks.

As Denise mentioned, on the 2 bdrm exchanges I got, I was first matched to a one bedroom, and since I knew I had 24 hours to cancel or change, I went online (II) to see what else was available. Saw a bulk deposit with a 2 bdrm for dates I could make work, and so grabbed that one instead. I think I had to call in to II, but can't remember now.

pacman

 

[tomandrobin]

This past year, we mostly rented our lock-off units. We did deposit a 1 bedroom Kierland and exchanged for a 2 bedroom Lagunamar for Thanksgiving.

 

[gnorth16]

SDO 1A - 3 BR Marriott Grand Vista (Apr/May 2012) Instant Exchange
SDO 1B - 2 BR Westin Lagunamar (Dec 2012) Instant Exchange

We are planning Hawaii for 2013, but I am not relying on Instant exchanges. January 2, 2012, I am depositiing my 2013 2BR L/O SDO and picking three weeks between the three HI resorts. Once something is confirmed I will use my HGVC points to book either side and extend my Hawaiian getaway as long as possible.

Learning the shoulder seasons and checking the sightings board really helped me. Also being flexible and having realistic expectations helps as well.

 

[jclouie25]

This year I split my 3 br lock off. I traded through II 1 bedroom for a 1 bedroom at kanapali North, then I traded 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom at kanapali for my kids, and the 3rd bedroom I exchanged for a cruise which we just returned today (Gem out of NY). If I exchanged through *ward I would have only been able to get 2 studios.

 

[zinger1457]

The 2 bedroom trades would have been from instant online exchanges. You cannot request a 2 bdm., with a 1 bdm. deposit, in an ongoing request.

If you are requesting a resort that ONLY has 2 bdm. units, you can request a 1:2 trade, but none of the Starwood resorts fall in that category, so it would be a difficult exchange.

I exchanged my small 1BR WKV side this year and next year with II and got 2BR Marriott units (Grande Ocean & Newport Coast) using an ongoing request. I didn't request a 2BR, my request was for a minimum 1BR, but both of these Marriott resorts only have 2 BR's.

 

[DeniseM]

I exchanged my small 1BR WKV side this year and next year with II and got 2BR Marriott units (Grande Ocean & Newport Coast) using an ongoing request. I didn't request a 2BR, my request was for a minimum 1BR, but both of these Marriott resorts only have 2 BR's.

That's a perfect example - thank you!

 

[tomandrobin]

This year I split my 3 br lock off. I traded through II 1 bedroom for a 1 bedroom at kanapali North, then I traded 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom at kanapali for my kids, and the 3rd bedroom I exchanged for a cruise which we just returned today (Gem out of NY). If I exchanged through *ward I would have only been able to get 2 studios.

Nicely done!

 

[gnorth16]

I exchanged my small 1BR WKV side this year and next year with II and got 2BR Marriott units (Grande Ocean & Newport Coast) using an ongoing request. I didn't request a 2BR, my request was for a minimum 1BR, but both of these Marriott resorts only have 2 BR's.

I am going to start doing this.

Well done.

 

[marmite]

I am going to start doing this.

Well done.

Yes, me too (that was great information Zinger, thank you). I've already begun to compile yet another list of codes -- for Starwood & Marriott resorts that only have 2 bedroom units or larger. Surprisingly there are quite a lot of them.

 

[gnorth16]

Yes, me too (that was great information Zinger, thank you). I've already begun to compile yet another list of codes -- for Starwood & Marriott resorts that only have 2 bedroom units or larger. Surprisingly there are quite a lot of them.

Excellent idea. Please share when it's finished.

 

[DeniseM]

I don't know of any Starwood resorts that only have 2 bdms. or larger.

Be aware that trading power comes into play here. Yes, it is possible to trade a 1 bdm. for a 2 bdm., with an ongoing request, but it won't be easy. That's because all the owners that put in ongoing requests with 2 bdm. units have more trading power than you do with a 1 bdm. unit. AND all Marriott owners have first priority for Marriott to Marriott trades.

I believe the Marriott owners have a list of resorts with only 2 bdm. units on their forum.

 

[jarta]

"I don't know of any Starwood resorts that only have 2 bdms. or larger."

Sure, there are a lot of Starwood 2-br lockoff configurations, but .............

How about Lakeside Terrace, Steamboat Springs, Villas of Cave Creek (for now), Vistana's Beach Club and the voluntary, Bay Vista phase of WSJ? All have no lockoff units. No studios or 1-brs either. Only non-lockoff 2-br or 3-br units.

The rumor also has been that the plans at WKORV-N-N (if it ever gets off the ground) only have non-lockoff 2-br and 3-br units. ... eom