Trading MOW to Interval now seems like it may have been a bad idea? Help??

[wesley]

Hi Tuggers,

A brief story and a request for help: We bought MOW 12 years ago or so (we also own 1,000 points and have enrolled our MOW week in the Points program, and we own EOY at MBP). We have enjoyed MOW and BPT over the years, and always used our MOW home resort. We also have been happy banking and borrowing and getting a nice vacation with our 1,000 points since 2010 (St Thomas and Aruba)

We don't know much about trading, and I find the ins and out a bit complicated. We elected to go overseas in 2015 (leaving shortly) and also in 2016 (august), but that conflicts with our "normal" MOW time. So for this year, in anticipation, we traded in a May, 8 2015 MOW reserved week (made just for purposes of trading). Trade was initially made last November. This "request first" went into Interval, of course. We really wanted Hawaii in '16, and wanted Marriott only, 2 BR and kitchen. In hindsight this somewhat limited request was pretty naive, I think (although at the time several folks who are knowledgeable said they thought it would "hit"). We asked for May 15, 2016 - June 30, 2016 time-span.

After hearing nothing all through winter and spring, (except for the "we've got nothing yet" calls that appear to be "standard" for Interval), we got a call last night. The "offer" was for a studio! (even though 2 BR with Kitchen was the request - at any MVCI HI resort - we listed them all). The resort that "hit" is called Kahana Beach VC, on Maui (bit it is not a Marriott?? What??). It has a limited kitchen. Sleeps four (standard for a studio, I presume) Date offered was Apr 20 -27 2016.

We turned it down.

We don't know what to do from here. And without any trading experience, we don't know what is really going on. I guess we'll pick 6 or so "new" Marriott two BR'S (some on the mainland, and maybe Europe") and plug them in to II, and see if something hits. But do any of you have other ideas?? Am I missing something here??

Can't trade for points now, because the May 2015 time has passed. Guess we could book and rent, but we'd rather book and travel.

Lesson learned. We'll try to do our travel overseas at times that avoid interfering with our "usual time" At MOW (last two weeks in Aug). Although for reasons I won't explain we have exactly the same situation in '16 as we've have in '15 (e.g. overseas travel in late Aug).

We are pretty flexible - incl. date and place. It may not seem like it, given that we started with "HI only" on this trading adventure.

Those of you who have been down this road a lot - what do you suggest for our specific 2016 booking "challenge", and what do you have in the way of general advice??

Thanks a lot! Happy travels.....

Wesley and Marie

 

[dioxide45]

You are still about nine months out. I think you have a good chance of success. Did you end up depositing the MOW week in to II? I take it that your MOW reservation was for 2015 and not 2016? If 2016, why can't you trade for points. Not sure what May 2015 has anything to do with it, unless this is when your original reservation was for.

Marriott tends to bank weeks fairly late., Right now you would be relying on owner deposits for Hawaii and most Hawaii owners are either using their home resort week or converting to DC points. When you get closer to checkin, your trade may come through. Though if you need to book airfare, waiting that long may not work.

 

[wesley]

Thnkss, Dioxide!

Hi Dioxide and all

Yeah - the May 2015 thing was the week we traded. That's all. Just thought the Travel Demand Index might be a factor here, which is why i included it in the OP

And may thanks, Dioxide, for the info about how the system works - and the possibility of more inventory release in the future. That is good to hear.

Regards

Wesley

 

[smithde]

Remember that as a practical matter, there would be no deposits to trade for until about April/May of 2015, so your wait over the winter was just waiting for people to reserve and potentially deposit weeks.

We have traded into Hawaii a number of times using a Canyon Villas studio and one-bedroom and we have always been successful for the same size unit. A two bedroom for two bedroom trade should be doable, but may be more difficult than a one-bedroom or studio. I would recommend that you expand your timeframe, if possible, to early April. Demand for April and May is a bit lower than other times of the year, but then rises in June when schools let out. I would also recommend that you include in your trade request as many of the Marriott locations as possible. For example, the older units in Maui (MOC) are a much easier trade than the newer "villas", but they are very nice, usually larger and the ocean fronts are closer to the ocean. The only downside is they have limited kitchens.

If you can be patient, I think you will get your trade by taking the suggestions above.

Good luck.

 

[BocaBoy]

...the older units in Maui (MOC) are a much easier trade than the newer "villas", but they are very nice, usually larger and the ocean fronts are closer to the ocean. The only downside is they have limited kitchens.

Not all are closer to the ocean, but the closest ones are. In addition to the limited kitchens, there is also one additional major downside: no laundry in the units.

 

[wesley]

Thanks This is a great help! The reason I was "in a sweat" was that I expected a big flow of trading to start 12 mos out, which translates to May/June of THIS year. But what you all seem to be saying is that it is the people trading somewhat late (late to me, that is), i.e., (Feb-Mar of 2016), will potentially yield results for our desired time (May/June 2016)

And we'll look at MOC specifically in regard to "old units" and new units, and will try to expand into April 2016 Good tipss

And to top it off, today is my retirement day, after 39 years and 33 days

Wesley

 

[Ty1on]

Thanks This is a great help! The reason I was "in a sweat" was that I expected a big flow of trading to start 12 mos out, which translates to May/June of THIS year. But what you all seem to be saying is that it is the people trading somewhat late (late to me, that is), i.e., (Feb-Mar of 2016), will potentially yield results for our desired time (May/June 2016)

And we'll look at MOC specifically in regard to "old units" and new units, and will try to expand into April 2016 Good tipss

And to top it off, today is my retirement day, after 39 years and 33 days

Wesley

Congrats on a well-earned (I presume) retirement!

 

[GregT]

We really wanted Hawaii in '16, and wanted Marriott only, 2 BR and kitchen. In hindsight this somewhat limited request was pretty naive, I think (although at the time several folks who are knowledgeable said they thought it would "hit"). We asked for May 15, 2016 - June 30, 2016 time-span.

Hi Wesley,

So please confirm that you have a 2BR on deposit and are trying to get a 2BR in Hawaii between May 15-June 30, 2016? If that is the close, my opinion is that you chances are best (and they are good) to trade into Waiohai and also Ko Olina. Maui Ocean Club is a tough trade because most owners will lock off their unit and get two deposits (same with Ko Olina, but I hear of more intact 2BR trades).

I've had great experience trading a 2BR week into a 1BR at Maui Ocean Club, with very specific trade dates. So if you have a 6 week range, you should definitely get a trade, and the only thing that gives pause if the 2BR requirement. Waiohai is your best option as it only has 2BR units.

I hope that helps (and I hope its consistent with any advice I might have given before? )

Best,

Greg

 

[wesley]

Yes, GregT, we have a 2 BR MOW week on "request first" with II, and we have requested a 2 BR Marriott property in Hawaii with full kitchen between May 15-June 30, 2016.

And we have some flexibility here (we could broaden date range or add non-MVCI properties - although we have zero history with anything that is not Marriott...). It sounds like we'll be OK if we just sit tight as is...probably.

One more question - A very basic one, but I'd like to make sure I get this right. There is no way to trade an owned week at a resort I own for a week (eg our MOW gold) at a resort I don't own WITHOUT INTERVAL IN THE LOOP. In other words, there is no way to do this by staying internally with Marriott. If I call, Marriott will always transfer me to the Marriott Interval Desk.

Right??

Thanks

Richard

 

[Swice]

patient

A couple of years ago, we traded Myrtle Beach for Ko'Olina (two bedroom for two bedroom) and loved it.

The points program was fairly new then, so that was not an issue. However, I would imagine that because Marriott has given Hawaii owners a big point value, there could be fewer Marriott units showing up in Interval.

I realize waiting stinks if you're trying to secure airline reservations.

However, I would still wait and be patient. I think it will come through.

 

[NboroGirl]

One more question - A very basic one, but I'd like to make sure I get this right. There is no way to trade an owned week at a resort I own for a week (eg our MOW gold) at a resort I don't own WITHOUT INTERVAL IN THE LOOP. In other words, there is no way to do this by staying internally with Marriott. If I call, Marriott will always transfer me to the Marriott Interval Desk.

Right??

Thanks

Richard

Well, not entirely true. You could try exchanging with an owner here using the Wishlist on TUG. You could try Ownertrades.com. Your best chance is probably through II. If you want to stay internally with Marriott, you could convert your unit to points and use the points to book another Marriott but you already know that and previously stated it was too late for that.

 

[tschwa2]

I am a little confused. If you are using a Request first for a May 2016 unit then the earliest you could have put in an OGS was April or May of 2015, in which case you have only been waiting 3 or 4 months, not waiting all "winter and spring". Why aren't you using your deposited 2015 week that was started more than a year ago? Did you ever end up changing your request first into a deposit or did you just not use it? Some people feel that request first is better because you aren't giving up your week unless confirmed, but if you don't plan on using the week yourself or renting it out, it is less than optimal to let the trading power decrease and then end up with a late check in or no deposit at all.

 

[Fasttr]

One more question - A very basic one, but I'd like to make sure I get this right. There is no way to trade an owned week at a resort I own for a week (eg our MOW gold) at a resort I don't own WITHOUT INTERVAL IN THE LOOP. In other words, there is no way to do this by staying internally with Marriott. If I call, Marriott will always transfer me to the Marriott Interval Desk.

Since it sounds like you will also not be using your 2016 MOW week, how about electing that week for points now, and using those points (you can rent more if you need them) for the 2016 Hawaii trip. I'm sure somebody could check Hawaii inventory for you to see if what you need is available via the DC before you triggered the election. You can then just change the ongoing II request from your 2015 week to something else you can use that is farther out and that is perhaps easier to get.

Just spit balling ideas.

 

[JIMinNC]

Since it sounds like you will also not be using your 2016 MOW week, how about electing that week for points now, and using those points (you can rent more if you need them) for the 2016 Hawaii trip. I'm sure somebody could check Hawaii inventory for you to see if what you need is available via the DC before you triggered the election. You can then just change the ongoing II request from your 2015 week to something else you can use that is farther out and that is perhaps easier to get.

Just spit balling ideas.

I was in my account looking at Hawaii DC points reservation availability as part of a post in another thread so I looked at the OP's time frame. I don't have enough points in my account right now to look at anything but single nights, but I did look at May 15 through the second week or so of June and KoOlina had 2BR DC Points availability every night in both Mountain and Ocean View rooms during the entire period. Since I'm limited to the 10 month window, I can't look at the rest of June 2016 yet, but the OP would almost certainly be able to get a full week at KoOlina using DC Points. Waiohai on Kauai also had 2BR Island View availability, in mid-May, but it looked like there was one night the week of May 15 that was not available, making it impossible to build a 7 night stay. Six nights might be doable however.

So electing the 2016 week as you suggest might work for the OP, especially if they still have their 2016 and 2017 Trust points that could be combined with the elected points to book a week at KoOlina or maybe even a few days or a week at KoOlina AND a few days at Waiohai.

 

[HudsHut]

You were right to politely decline the offer from II. In some cases, II agents call to be truly helpful, e.g. they have a Thursday check-in and they don't want to confirm without your authorization. However, it is more likely that the agent is hoping he can talk you into accepting a smaller unit, or a lesser quality resort, or both.

Be aware that the agent does not care at all whether you get an equitable trade; the agent receives a bonus/commission for having made any exchange.

Do NOT broaden the number of resorts. Do NOT add non-Marriott resorts.
You will get this trade. You're just early.

 

[tschwa2]

I don't think they get a bonus or commission but from my experience as a res agent for an airline, they are expected to complete a certain percentage of transactions or they can lose their job if new or will not get a better raise 4 % vs .5-1% if they have lower conversions. They may also get scheduled for less hours. So while not a direct bonus for booking you, there are consequences if they don't meet quotas.

 

[wesley]

My thanks to all for the good ideas about how to make HI work in 2016! I particularly appreciated the ideas about using DP points (trading our 2016 MOW for DP points)! (a shout out to JIMNC and Fasttr for that..)

And my apologies to Tschwa2 and GregT... This is a deposit first, not a request first... I mis-spoke initially...

We'll sit tight and see what happens. I am encouraged, and I've learned a lot, fro this thread...

Regards

Wesley

 

[GregT]

And my apologies to Tschwa2 and GregT... This is a deposit first, not a request first... I mis-spoke initially...

Wesley, no apologies necessary, either way, the advice holds and with a Deposit First I still think you will get your trade. I don't think there is a true different between DF and RF, but other TUGgers have had different experience.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

Best,

Greg

 

[JIMinNC]

My thanks to all for the good ideas about how to make HI work in 2016! I particularly appreciated the ideas about using DP points (trading our 2016 MOW for DP points)! (a shout out to JIMNC and Fasttr for that..)

And my apologies to Tschwa2 and GregT... This is a deposit first, not a request first... I mis-spoke initially...

We'll sit tight and see what happens. I am encouraged, and I've learned a lot, fro this thread...

Regards

Wesley

Based on the advice from the experienced traders here, it sounds like sitting tight and waiting to see what comes through may be a sound strategy that will work for you, just be advised that the Points inventory that is out there today at Waiohai and KoOlina will gradually dwindle away as we get closer and closer to your travel dates and people book those nights. I have no idea how far out the availability tends to dry up, but if you are looking at points election of your MOW week as a backup strategy if the trade doesn't come through, just realize that may not work once Points availability dries up as the travel dates draw closer.

 

[silentg]

Congratulations on retiring! Now let the fun times begin!

 

[tschwa2]

Another option to consider if you have 4 or less travelling would be to downgrade your request to accept 1 br units, you can still insist on full kitchen, sticking with Marriotts. There are a lot of very late Hawaiian deposits. Late enough that you want your air to already be taken care of, so you want to have something confirmed. You can still do free Marriott to Marriott retrades into a larger unit up until the day before check in. You do lose your ongoing search but at least you are confirmed in something and the chances of upgrading are pretty good if next year is anything like the last 2 years in terms of Marriott deposits.

 

[JIMinNC]

It just occurred to me that as long as you are 100% sure you will not be able to use your 2016 MOW week, another option you could consider would be to go ahead and elect that week for points and book a backup points reservation while there is still points availability to be sure you have something in Hawaii. Then if the trade comes through - as long as you are outside the 60-day window - you could cancel the points reservation and have the 2016 elected points returned to your account. You would use the trade to go to Hawaii and still have the points to book something for later in 2016 or bank the points to 2017 and use them then. I think I have read of folks doing that on TUG, so it might work for you. Others with experience with that approach may want to chime in on opportunities, strategies, risks, or pitfalls I may not be aware of.