Strategy to purchase resale weeks to enroll?

[davsar09]

Over the last 5 years every summer Marriott have allowed owners of external resale weeks to enroll these with the purchase of DCP. I managed to use this opportunity 3 years ago to enroll 3 external weeks. You can enroll upto 7 weeks for the purchase of 5000 points, this is assuming Marriott maintain the same strategy for the next few years?
if you purchase the right resale weeks it seems a good opportunity to increase your status or allow more weeks to be used for DCP or Bonvoy points. What are the right weeks to purchase? Is there anywhere that shows the DCP and Bonvoy reward values for weeks enrolled.? For example the weeks I own have the following values.

Son Antem Gold 3 bed gives 3625 DCP or 100k Bonvoy RP
Son Antem Plat 2 bed gives 3600 DCP or 110k Bonvoy
son Antem Gold Holiday 2 bed 2825 DCP or 100k Bonvoy
Marbella Gold 3 bed 3225 DCP or 100k Bonvoy?
grand Chateau 3 bed gives 4625 DCP or 125k Bonvoy

Currently resale weeks in son Antem for gold are around £1500, gold in Playa Andaluzia for around £2300, but do it know their DCP or Bonvoy Value. Maintenance fees are around €1000 per week.

Are there any other high value DCP or Bonvoy Points values with a low upfront cost and low maintenance fees.

i Have really struggled with II with banked weeks, never getting any weeks I would like, however using DCP I have always managed to get the weeks I need, currently staying at Ritz Vail in 3 bed during presidents week, just 1 example. Was looking yesterday to see if August is available for Hawaii, nothing for 1 year in II, also Tahoe and Newport Coast, yet plenty of choice using DCP. I was using weeks from Club Son Antem Majorca platinum weeks to search, so high value weeks.

currently marriott are selling DCP for around $14 a point. So to purchase 5000 DCP would be $70000.

if I purchased 5 weeks external for around $10000 with a DCP of 14125 for a total of $80000 you would have 19125 DCP. Which is $4.18 a point. Much cheaper than purchasing resale DCP.

travelling from Europe at least twice a year to the US with a family of 5 the travel packages have been very useful allowing us to travel business on 1 trip as a family. Having more weeks to put into Bonvoy points will allow more travel packages which utilised correctly allow more business travel.

is this strategy worth pursuing? The knowledge on this site is abundant, responses appreciated.

 

[DannyTS]

I do not own Marriott but I do own Vistana properties. You may want to wait for few months, Marriott is supposed to announce a common currency (probably DP) for booking both Vistana and Marriott resorts. Depending whether they allow resale Staroptions , depending on the conversion rate, you may have some nice opportunities to buy Vistana properties that participate in the program or that do not participate in the program but they can be re-qualified at more advantageous rates than on the Marriott side right now. I cannot imagine there will be no arbitrage in the new system.

If they allow resale mandatory resorts to convert you can buy SVV Bella 2 bdr platinum or Westin Kierland 2 bdr platinum. The prices may go up a bit from where they are now but it would still be a lot cheaper than any other route.
Otherwise you can buy to re-qualify SDO 2 bedroom true platinum (rare on the market) or Westin Lagunamar 2 bdr platinum, both would probably have great MF/point ratios (at least that is the case now in VSN)

 

[Fasttr]

Go here https://vacationpointexchange.com/ and click Historical MF's on top menu bar. Up will pop a spreadsheet showing DC points assigned to each week, and historical MF's too. A good place to start your search. There is even a tab there called Cost per Point (see bottom of Excel file) where @StevenTing has done the math for you on MF's per DC point.

 

[JIMinNC]

currently marriott are selling DCP for around $14 a point. So to purchase 5000 DCP would be $70000.

It would likely actually be a little less than $70K.

The $14/point is list price. I seem to recall seeing posted a price/point now of $14.54 or maybe $14.70. But usually, for as many as 5000 points, they discount off list 15% or 20%, so that would mean the actual price you pay could be as low as $11.62 (20% discount from $14.54) to $12.50 (15% discount from $14.70). So, 5000 points would likely cost between $58,100 and $62,500.

 

[Quadmaniac]

If you already have access to points, why would you not rent whatever extra points you need ? If you can rent for about the same as owning without putting $70,000 out, I would think that would be a better value than buying. You'll have no commitment if you don't travel as much in a particular year or get more if you want to travel more plus never have to worry about selling them after you're done with them. The best of both worlds in my mind

As an avid trader, I've been able to get hard to trade weeks consistently by checking multiple times per day and putting in an OGS far in advance. How far in advance are you searching and how frequently would be my first questions ?

 

[GregT]

If you already have access to points, why would you not rent whatever extra points you need ? If you can rent for about the same as owning without putting $70,000 out, I would think that would be a better value than buying. You'll have no commitment if you don't travel as much in a particular year or get more if you want to travel more plus never have to worry about selling them after you're done with them. The best of both worlds in my mind

As an avid trader, I've been able to get hard to trade weeks consistently by checking multiple times per day and putting in an OGS far in advance. How far in advance are you searching and how frequently would be my first questions ?

I agree with Quad -- if you are already enrolled, I would just rent the additional points that you need? If you want to travel to a specific place, then I would buy that resale work, versus buying with the intention of enrolling in a future promotion?

How many points do you have? Once you hit 7,000, you can make single night reservations, which is one of the most powerful things in the system. Let us know and thanks!

Best,

Greg

 

[SueDonJ]

I do not own Marriott but I do own Vistana properties. You may want to wait for few months, Marriott is supposed to announce a common currency (probably DP) for booking both Vistana and Marriott resorts. Depending whether they allow resale Staroptions , depending on the conversion rate, you may have some nice opportunities to buy Vistana properties that participate in the program or that do not participate in the program but they can be re-qualified at more advantageous rates than on the Marriott side right now. I cannot imagine there will be no arbitrage in the new system.

If they allow resale mandatory resorts to convert you can buy SVV Bella 2 bdr platinum or Westin Kierland 2 bdr platinum. The prices may go up a bit from where they are now but it would still be a lot cheaper than any other route.
Otherwise you can buy to re-qualify SDO 2 bedroom true platinum (rare on the market) or Westin Lagunamar 2 bdr platinum, both would probably have great MF/point ratios (at least that is the case now in VSN)

As the OP indicates there are certain Marriott Weeks that work better than others within the Destination Club, and it's a good strategy to ask Marriott owners to identify which might fit his needs for possible future DC enrollment.

But with there being no way of knowing if/how MVW intends to incorporate Vistana into its existing points system or a separate one, the caution I have would be in understanding how Marriott rolled out that program in 2010 for existing Weeks Owners. All Weeks purchased prior to the 6/20/10 inception were immediately eligible to be enrolled (with enrollment fees based on how many Weeks were owned and whether they were purchased direct or on the external market,) but all Weeks purchased on the external resale market after that date would be officially ineligible. The on-again-off-again sales incentive that the OP mentions, that of allowing officially-ineligible Weeks to be enrolled with the purchase of DC Trust Points, was not introduced until ten years later, and it's still not an incentive that's been made permanent or even guaranteed to happen on a consistent schedule.

So while it may be true that Marriott intends to introduce the same or a similar points-based option to owners of Vistana (or any other formerly-Starwood) Weeks, waiting until after it's introduced in order to purchase Weeks on the external market that will most likely work best within its parameters carries a risk. What if the enrollment-eligibility on Day One is as restrictive (relative to the external resale market) to existing Vistana Weeks owners as the DC rollout was to existing Marriott Weeks owners?

Right now there are TUGgers who own in both Marriott and Vistana systems who could make educated guesses about which Vistana Weeks would correlate to the Marriott Weeks that get the most value out of DC enrollment, therefore would work best in whatever Vistana option might be rolled out. But I doubt that any would disagree that waiting and intending to mine the external market for those Weeks after the rollout might not be the best course of action.

 

[SueDonJ]

If you already have access to points, why would you not rent whatever extra points you need ? If you can rent for about the same as owning without putting $70,000 out, I would think that would be a better value than buying. You'll have no commitment if you don't travel as much in a particular year or get more if you want to travel more plus never have to worry about selling them after you're done with them. The best of both worlds in my mind

As an avid trader, I've been able to get hard to trade weeks consistently by checking multiple times per day and putting in an OGS far in advance. How far in advance are you searching and how frequently would be my first questions ?

I agree with Quad -- if you are already enrolled, I would just rent the additional points that you need? If you want to travel to a specific place, then I would buy that resale work, versus buying with the intention of enrolling in a future promotion?

How many points do you have? Once you hit 7,000, you can make single night reservations, which is one of the most powerful things in the system. Let us know and thanks!

Best,

Greg

If I'm reading the OP correctly in the first post he says he owns five high-value DC-enrolled Weeks plus has purchased Trust Points, so looks like a Chairman's Club member. Renting DC Points would be the solution if that's all he's looking for, but he also says that he frequently takes advantage of Bonvoy travel packages coming over from Europe so needs/wants to own more Weeks that generate Bonvoy Points.

 

[davsar09]

Thanks for the replies. Yes we are chairman club already, and with all weeks put into DCP have around 33k each year. i Do not generally need to rent points, in fact often have too many, it’s really for the Bonvoy points that owning more weeks appeals. Converting the Bonvoy points to travel packages which in turn gives air miles and business travel for the same price as economy, and when we travel in February and April for skiing with all the equipment it makes things easier..
I find II very frustrating to use, always have hence why i ended up buying so many European weeks, as trying to get Summer school holidays in Europe is almost impossibl, it also appears to be the case for certain US weeks. Unfortunately I do not have the time to keep checking II two or three times a day for availability and even when I’ve gone on wait list they never seem to appear, and with flights generally getting more expensive before travel dates I prefer to get holidays arranged at least 9 months in advance.
i will definitely have a look at the link above to work out best points value, thanks for this.

 

[JIMinNC]

I find II very frustrating to use, always have hence why i ended up buying so many European weeks, as trying to get Summer school holidays in Europe is almost impossibl, it also appears to be the case for certain US weeks. Unfortunately I do not have the time to keep checking II two or three times a day for availability and even when I’ve gone on wait list they never seem to appear, and with flights generally getting more expensive before travel dates I prefer to get holidays arranged at least 9 months in advance.

Amen...I share your feelings about II trading and have often voiced similar frustrations as yours here on TUG. I now view II as a last resort, "deposit or lose it" option. I don't even have an II account for my two unenrolled EOY Hawaii weeks. Even though I can get more potential value trading our enrolled Barony Beach Club week in II than I can with DCPs, I now elect that week for DCPs every year and have no intention of ever using it in II again. I got some pretty good trades with it the two years I did deposit it in II, but it's just not worth the hassle and uncertainty of waiting for a search to match.

 

[Fasttr]

Amen...I share your feelings about II trading and have often voiced similar frustrations as yours here on TUG. I now view II as a last resort, "deposit or lose it" option. I don't even have an II account for my two unenrolled EOY Hawaii weeks. Even though I can get more potential value trading our enrolled Barony Beach Club week in II than I can with DCPs, I now elect that week for DCPs every year and have no intention of ever using it in II again. I got some pretty good trades with it the two years I did deposit it in II, but it's just not worth the hassle and uncertainty of waiting for a search to match.

Said another way.... Don't hate the player, hate the game!!! ;-)

 

[Quadmaniac]

If I'm reading the OP correctly in the first post he says he owns five high-value DC-enrolled Weeks plus has purchased Trust Points, so looks like a Chairman's Club member. Renting DC Points would be the solution if that's all he's looking for, but he also says that he frequently takes advantage of Bonvoy travel packages coming over from Europe so needs/wants to own more Weeks that generate Bonvoy Points.

But are Bonvoy point packages worthwhile ? I haven't researched it extensively but from the posts I've seen here, I was under the impression that Bonvoy points weren't really that worthwhile as they have been so devalued ? Is it worthwhile for how much it costs to acquire the weeks with the underlying points vs what you get ???

 

[echino]

Son Antem Gold 3 bed gives 3625 DCP or 100k Bonvoy RP
Son Antem Plat 2 bed gives 3600 DCP or 110k Bonvoy
son Antem Gold Holiday 2 bed 2825 DCP or 100k Bonvoy
Marbella Gold 3 bed 3225 DCP or 100k Bonvoy?
grand Chateau 3 bed gives 4625 DCP or 125k Bonvoy

You can just buy Bonvoy points directly from Marriott when there is a promo like now (+50%), 125,000 Bonvoy would cost you ~$1,000, that's about half of the maintenance fees you would pay for a 3br Grand Chateau to get the same Bonvoy points. Not to mention the initial purchase price.

Not worth it at all.

 

[davsar09]

I do agree Bonvoy points not worth as much as they once were, but it’s a way of building points to exchange for air miles via travel package. If I choose weeks that I can use every few years, like son Antem and Playa both resorts which are difficult to get into even with DCP during school holidays. My intention for the weeks when not used is to put them into DCP or Bonvoy.
As is said many times on the forum always buy weeks that you can and do use, hence why we are more loaded with 6 weeks in Europe With Marriott.
i just feel with experience, if I was looking to join the Marriott system now the best economical way would be to buy resale and the with the promotion that Marriott seem to run every summer buy some DCP which enroll all weeks into the system. You then have the benefits without all of the initial outlay as buying from developer.

 

[DannyTS]

As the OP indicates there are certain Marriott Weeks that work better than others within the Destination Club, and it's a good strategy to ask Marriott owners to identify which might fit his needs for possible future DC enrollment.

But with there being no way of knowing if/how MVW intends to incorporate Vistana into its existing points system or a separate one, the caution I have would be in understanding how Marriott rolled out that program in 2010 for existing Weeks Owners. All Weeks purchased prior to the 6/20/10 inception were immediately eligible to be enrolled (with enrollment fees based on how many Weeks were owned and whether they were purchased direct or on the external market,) but all Weeks purchased on the external resale market after that date would be officially ineligible. The on-again-off-again sales incentive that the OP mentions, that of allowing officially-ineligible Weeks to be enrolled with the purchase of DC Trust Points, was not introduced until ten years later, and it's still not an incentive that's been made permanent or even guaranteed to happen on a consistent schedule.

So while it may be true that Marriott intends to introduce the same or a similar points-based option to owners of Vistana (or any other formerly-Starwood) Weeks, waiting until after it's introduced in order to purchase Weeks on the external market that will most likely work best within its parameters carries a risk. What if the enrollment-eligibility on Day One is as restrictive (relative to the external resale market) to existing Vistana Weeks owners as the DC rollout was to existing Marriott Weeks owners?

Right now there are TUGgers who own in both Marriott and Vistana systems who could make educated guesses about which Vistana Weeks would correlate to the Marriott Weeks that get the most value out of DC enrollment, therefore would work best in whatever Vistana option might be rolled out. But I doubt that any would disagree that waiting and intending to mine the external market for those Weeks after the rollout might not be the best course of action.

I agree with most of what you said and it makes sense. I was actually not referring to a mass enrollment of ALL the Vistana weeks in MVC, although I would say there is a decent chance for that to happen.
But even if it does not happen, we know 2 things:
1) There will be a common currency Marriott/ Vistana. This was in the Investor day call so you can almost take it to the bank
2) Marriott has owned Vistana for 18 months now and they are still re-qualifying resale purchases even if they said they would not do it. The cheapest I heard of is $8000 per contract. It will probably continue to be done despite the "buy now, this is your last chance" we have heard from the sales people for more than a year.

If the overlay does happen and if they continue to re-qualify Vistana resale weeks, this could be a much more interesting door to MVC than the one currently discussed about enrolling Marriott weeks.

 

[Quadmaniac]

You then have the benefits without all of the initial outlay as buying from developer.

The costs are still substantial to buy the resale weeks and then enroll them, so while it is better than buying from the developer, it does not necessarily make it a good deal. If Bonvoy points are your goal, maybe look other alternatives to accumulate them that might be less costly ?

You can just buy Bonvoy points directly from Marriott when there is a promo like now (+50%), 125,000 Bonvoy would cost you ~$1,000, that's about half of the maintenance fees you would pay for a 3br Grand Chateau to get the same Bonvoy points. Not to mention the initial purchase price.

 

[Dean]

Over the last 5 years every summer Marriott have allowed owners of external resale weeks to enroll these with the purchase of DCP. I managed to use this opportunity 3 years ago to enroll 3 external weeks. You can enroll upto 7 weeks for the purchase of 5000 points, this is assuming Marriott maintain the same strategy for the next few years?
if you purchase the right resale weeks it seems a good opportunity to increase your status or allow more weeks to be used for DCP or Bonvoy points. What are the right weeks to purchase? Is there anywhere that shows the DCP and Bonvoy reward values for weeks enrolled.? For example the weeks I own have the following values.

Son Antem Gold 3 bed gives 3625 DCP or 100k Bonvoy RP
Son Antem Plat 2 bed gives 3600 DCP or 110k Bonvoy
son Antem Gold Holiday 2 bed 2825 DCP or 100k Bonvoy
Marbella Gold 3 bed 3225 DCP or 100k Bonvoy?
grand Chateau 3 bed gives 4625 DCP or 125k Bonvoy

Currently resale weeks in son Antem for gold are around £1500, gold in Playa Andaluzia for around £2300, but do it know their DCP or Bonvoy Value. Maintenance fees are around €1000 per week.

Are there any other high value DCP or Bonvoy Points values with a low upfront cost and low maintenance fees.

i Have really struggled with II with banked weeks, never getting any weeks I would like, however using DCP I have always managed to get the weeks I need, currently staying at Ritz Vail in 3 bed during presidents week, just 1 example. Was looking yesterday to see if August is available for Hawaii, nothing for 1 year in II, also Tahoe and Newport Coast, yet plenty of choice using DCP. I was using weeks from Club Son Antem Majorca platinum weeks to search, so high value weeks.

currently marriott are selling DCP for around $14 a point. So to purchase 5000 DCP would be $70000.

if I purchased 5 weeks external for around $10000 with a DCP of 14125 for a total of $80000 you would have 19125 DCP. Which is $4.18 a point. Much cheaper than purchasing resale DCP.

travelling from Europe at least twice a year to the US with a family of 5 the travel packages have been very useful allowing us to travel business on 1 trip as a family. Having more weeks to put into Bonvoy points will allow more travel packages which utilised correctly allow more business travel.

is this strategy worth pursuing? The knowledge on this site is abundant, responses appreciated.

A few thoughts. I was already Chairman's club based on my initial 2010 enrollment but had accumulated a number of weeks since then which I did enroll last year based on the purchase enrollment option. I debated back and forth because I generally will not use the weeks enrolled for points but I ultimately proceeded to give options to split the account into 2 separate ones at some point for legacy purposes. At that time it required 5500 pts to enroll 7 weeks. I actually enrolled by buying an Aruba 3 BR Platinum which was about $13K less than I would have spent on the pts purchase and should be quite a bit less yearly in fees. Financially speaking and usage wise it likely was not ideal to do so and I did struggle with the decision. I enrolled 7.5 weeks and I have heard of a couple that were able to do 8 weeks.

IIRC, it's been posted that you cannot do this with the Spain weeks but I don't know for certain. I actually think the underlying fees per point are likely as or more important than the # of points. The most points for the lowest cost and fees is like a quarter share. LV is one of the better balances for cost, points and fees. I'd suggest adding weeks you'll use but also considering the potential enrollment option as part of your thought process. ALL of the weeks I owned that I recently enrolled were bought with a specific usage in mind including the week I bought to enroll the rest. I probably would not do this just to get more points. YMMV.