Trying to decide on brand and type of system

[Millen5569]

Hello! Thank you in advance for any help. After spending a few years reviewing a articles, attending sales meetings, signing and rescinding a contract last year, I am close to pulling the trigger…I think.
I am comparing some resale Wyndham points to MVC. I’ve always been interested in the MVC but it appears that,there are some good deals on Wyndham. I’ve read that the Wyndham points are basically devalued and that they don’t exercise ROFR. Perhaps someone can shed some light on that.

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?- We live in South Carolina and go to Hilton Head several times a year due to proximity. I am considering a fixed week for Hilton Head. Otherwise we travel a lot. Mostly out of the country but looking to do more USA based travel. Also, I receive a lot of miles/points through work. Overall interest is a fixed week in HHI and a points program to travel about.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?- trade more than half the time. Fixed week above will be platinum week for trading iif we don’t use. We prefer off season visit to HHI but want more valuable trade property.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?- Arizona, Florida Gulf Coast, Hawaii( why not?), California, New England

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?- 1 but would like availability to share travel with friends and kids sometimes

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?- anytime!

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?- yes, also have flexibility for short time deals

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?- yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?- this one is tough. We usually stay 3 stars. Most of our travel is on the go sight seeing. If we are hanging at a resort though, we prefer nice accommodations.

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?- afford or want to spend? 50k afford no financing

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?- 10k

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?- yes, very detailed

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?- yes which is why I’ve always been interested in points considering the supposed flexibility, but the points MF continue to rise

 

[bnoble]

Wyndham isn’t on HHI and you are willing to spend Marriott money. Even though Wyndham is cheaper it’s not going to give you what you want.

 

[Millen5569]

Wyndham isn’t on HHI and you are willing to spend Marriott money. Even though Wyndham is cheaper it’s not going to give you what you want.

Thanks bnoble. My brother in law has Wyndham and shared his thoughts and member guide. It appears reading more about Wyndham that they keep pushing down the resale buyers.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Since you have a sizeable budget, in addition to Marriott, have you looked at Hilton Grand Vacations? They have a nice resort in HHI and their deeds automatically convert to points so you can trade into other locations which is less costly than enrolling an MVC unit for points flexibility. They don't have Arizona or New England but they have NYC to trade and just acquired Diamond so you may be able to trade into Arizona in the future.

For Hilton, you should buy resale in HHI as I hear it is difficult to trade points into that resort. OTOH MVC has many resorts in HHI so your choice of inventory may be much better for trading weeks.

 

[bnoble]

It appears reading more about Wyndham that they keep pushing down the resale buyers.

I wouldn't say that. My resale points are treated just the same as any others at 10 months, when points are points. I think I have paid for maybe a handful of transactions but zero guest certificates and housekeeping credits for as long as I've been an owner---a lot less than it would have cost to buy those points from Wyndham. That's partly because I'm only using them for my own vacations, and I'm just a little bit careful in planning. But, avoiding the nuisance charges isn't that hard.

We now also have some "qualified" points, and those have some extra bells and whistles with some extra guest, transaction and housekeeping credits, but those are all at the margins because I don't really do many short stays or reservation churning, and I rarely have to use guest certs.

But none of that matters for you, because they do not have any resorts on HHI, and that's your primary destination.

 

[bogey21]

I like your idea about a Fixed Week on HHI. I'm biased but would buy a Fixed Monarch Week. It is inside Sea Pines; on the beach; bike trail at the end of the driveway; golf course across the street; and equidistant to Harbour Town and South Beach. I suspect you can buy a Monarch Week at a reasonable price. I have no opinion as to what Points System will serve you best...

George

 

[CPNY]

Sounds like a Marriott deeded week at a HHI resort is a great option. Then possibly buy direct points from MVC in order to enroll the resale week (is that even possible anymore)? Or stick with the deeded week for use and a second trader week to travel elsewhere in the Marriott system.

 

[SHG]

I would second the Hilton Grand Vacation recommendation. HGV has a new resort right on the beach not far from Coligny plaza. You can select a fixed week and if you don't use it, you automatically have points that you can use at any other location.... Meeting most if not all of your objectives.

 

[dayooper]

@Millen5569 With your budget, you could purchase 2 weeks. First, would be a fixed, deeded week with Marriott. They have quite a few great resorts there. You could rent at couple different resorts to see which one you like. Depending on which resort you want, you can purchase a HHI high season week for around $12,000 (less for lower seasons). You would assure yourself of a great week and, if you wanted to, would get MVC priority trading with Interval International.

I would also purchase a week for points in HGVC. The HGVC system is very resale buyer friendly and they have many great Hawaii properties. Unlike other systems, HGVC doesn't restrict it's resale owners with our reservations. I am a full resale owner with HGVC and I have the same booking windows as any other owner. I have made reservations at Ocean Oak in HHI (South Forest Beach) this past summer and next summer as well (end of June). It's difficult, but not impossible. You can take shorter stays with HGVC and I believe the lower seasons are easier to book in the club season. Maybe someone like @GT75 can help confirm this. HGVC also has resorts in Myrtle Beach and Charleston. You could get a great HGVC deed at Vegas with a low MF for around $5000-$6000. If you are willing to be patient, you can get one for around $4000-$4500. Your MF's plus club dues would run you about anywhere between $1100 and $1300 and you can book with your points any of HGVC resorts that have availability. While there are no resorts in Arizona or New England, they have may in The Big Island and Oahu. The Florida Gulf Coast HGVC resorts are very hard to book.

 

[GT75]

You can take shorter stays with HGVC and I believe the lower seasons are easier to book in the club season.

I find that HGVC HHI resort to be fully booked almost the complete year. But there are resale HGVC HHI deeds specifically out there already for a fairly reasonable price. I also know of a platinum season regular 2br deed available.

 

[Sandy VDH]

A bit dated, but not too bad, we did this two years ago. Worth looking for your an overview for you.

Timeshare System Points Comparison Chart

side by side comparison chart of all the major Timeshare Point systems

tug2.net

 

[Millen5569]

I wouldn't say that. My resale points are treated just the same as any others at 10 months, when points are points. I think I have paid for maybe a handful of transactions but zero guest certificates and housekeeping credits for as long as I've been an owner---a lot less than it would have cost to buy those points from Wyndham. That's partly because I'm only using them for my own vacations, and I'm just a little bit careful in planning. But, avoiding the nuisance charges isn't that hard.

We now also have some "qualified" points, and those have some extra bells and whistles with some extra guest, transaction and housekeeping credits, but those are all at the margins because I don't really do many short stays or reservation churning, and I rarely have to use guest certs.

But none of that matters for you, because they do not have any resorts on HHI, and that's your primary destination.

It may apply, I realized after your first post that I had forgotten to put that I want to have a fixed week in HHI and a point system to travel about.

 

[Millen5569]

I like your idea about a Fixed Week on HHI. I'm biased but would buy a Fixed Monarch Week. It is inside Sea Pines; on the beach; bike trail at the end of the driveway; golf course across the street; and equidistant to Harbour Town and South Beach. I suspect you can buy a Monarch Week at a reasonable price. I have no opinion as to what Points System will serve you best...

George

Thank you George. I haven’t stayed there but it does look very nice. I stayed at Surfwatch and while it was nice it felt more like a condo complex without the resort feel.

 

[Millen5569]

Sounds like a Marriott deeded week at a HHI resort is a great option. Then possibly buy direct points from MVC in order to enroll the resale week (is that even possible anymore)? Or stick with the deeded week for use and a second trader week to travel elsewhere in the Marriott system.

Thank you CPNY. do you know if MVC has a minimum number of points to buy to enroll?

 

[CPNY]

Thank you CPNY. do you know if MVC has a minimum number of points to buy to enroll?

That’s a better question in the Marriott forum, I know vistana has a buy in of $10,000 to enroll resale weeks into the network. I’m not sure about DC points.

 

[Millen5569]

@Millen5569 With your budget, you could purchase 2 weeks. First, would be a fixed, deeded week with Marriott. They have quite a few great resorts there. You could rent at couple different resorts to see which one you like. Depending on which resort you want, you can purchase a HHI high season week for around $12,000 (less for lower seasons). You would assure yourself of a great week and, if you wanted to, would get MVC priority trading with Interval International.

I would also purchase a week for points in HGVC. The HGVC system is very resale buyer friendly and they have many great Hawaii properties. Unlike other systems, HGVC doesn't restrict it's resale owners with our reservations. I am a full resale owner with HGVC and I have the same booking windows as any other owner. I have made reservations at Ocean Oak in HHI (South Forest Beach) this past summer and next summer as well (end of June). It's difficult, but not impossible. You can take shorter stays with HGVC and I believe the lower seasons are easier to book in the club season. Maybe someone like @GT75 can help confirm this. HGVC also has resorts in Myrtle Beach and Charleston. You could get a great HGVC deed at Vegas with a low MF for around $5000-$6000. If you are willing to be patient, you can get one for around $4000-$4500. Your MF's plus club dues would run you about anywhere between $1100 and $1300 and you can book with your points any of HGVC resorts that have availability. While there are no resorts in Arizona or New England, they have may in The Big Island and Oahu. The Florida Gulf Coast HGVC resorts are very hard to book.

Thank you for the advice. Maybe you or someone else can help me understand why the Vegas MF are so low compared to other destinations. I haven’t searched that yet on the boards so it may already be answered. We stayed across from the HGVC in HHI this past weekend and it looks great. We are supposed to go for a presentation with HGVC at HHI in April.

 

[Millen5569]

A bit dated, but not too bad, we did this two years ago. Worth looking for your an overview for you.

Timeshare System Points Comparison Chart

side by side comparison chart of all the major Timeshare Point systems

tug2.net

Thank you Sandy. I had read one of your posts earlier about Wyndham, the point system, and the restrictions related to using developer points and resale for the same booking. That was what has pushed me to hold off on purchasing Wyndham. I had found a pretty good deal, relatively speaking on the Clearwater resort, but the higher MF and your post led me to hold off.

 

[Passepartout]

Thank you for the advice. Maybe you or someone else can help me understand why the Vegas MF are so low compared to other destinations. I haven’t searched that yet on the boards so it may already be answered. y

No hurricanes, no earthquakes. No forest fires, no tidal waves= no (or little) chance of a special assessment to repair damage. is one good reason.

 

[bnoble]

and a point system to travel about.

Ah, in that case, Wyndham is very much is an option. The resorts aren't quite as nice as Marriott or HGVC, but they are still quite nice, they are pennies on the dollar resale, and the MFs are lower than Marriott or Hilton.

the restrictions related to using developer points and resale for the same booking.

If you only own resale points, this doesn't matter at all.

 

[jabberwocky]

No hurricanes, no earthquakes. No forest fires, no tidal waves= no (or little) chance of a special assessment to repair damage. is one good reason.

And don’t forget no saltwater and high humidity to cause corrosion or mould issues.

 

[elaine]

We popped over to HGVC HHI and I found to have a nice "resort" feel with a nice oceanfront pool, with bar. Location is good. I echo other poster. Usually full, certainly in high season. you'd want to own there. I sent you a private mssg. Elaine

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

First rule of thumb is buy where you want to go. So buying something in Hilton Head is a "no brainer".

Marriott vs. Hilton. . .

Both have made major acquisitions in the last few years. Nobody knows how they will be integrated (or not). A draw.

Marriott has more different locations than Hilton. Advantage Marriott.

Quality? Both comparable. Draw.

Cost. Marriott is much more expensive to buy in than Hilton. Marriott weeks cannot be converted to points unless you buy a package deal. Usually around 5 figures. . .
Marriott has more expensive MFs, especially for points. Seriously, look up Marriott's points chart and do some size/view/location of places you would like to go to. Take those points and do a MF calculation for the points needed. Compare that to Hilton, if there are comparable timeshares at that location. Advantage Hilton.

Both have access to external trading systems. Hilton RCI, Marriott II.

All of these are things to consider. I have owned at both. . .

 

[dayooper]

Thank you for the advice. Maybe you or someone else can help me understand why the Vegas MF are so low compared to other destinations. I haven’t searched that yet on the boards so it may already be answered.

No hurricanes, no earthquakes. No forest fires, no tidal waves= no (or little) chance of a special assessment to repair damage. is one good reason.

And don’t forget no saltwater and high humidity to cause corrosion or mould issues.

Property taxes are generally lower in Vegas. The non affiliate Florida resorts (Orlando and South Beach) all have 3 figure property taxes up to $220 while my Vegas deeds have $38 and $45 property taxes. As said above, the operating fees are generally less (around $200 less than some of the Orlando resorts). The affiliate resorts have fairly low taxes, but higher operating and reserve fees.

 

[dayooper]

We stayed across from the HGVC in HHI this past weekend and it looks great. We are supposed to go for a presentation with HGVC at HHI in April.

Ocean Oak is one of my favorite resorts! It has a great location, love the beach and the staff is great! We loved our poolside bartender. The resorts isn't too big, but still has a great outdoor area. The 2 decent size pools really make it easier to get a spot. We really like the smaller pool away from the beach. It doesn't have a traditional restaurant, but with so many great places to eat in HHI, that just doesn't matter. Spent a week there last summer and have booked 2 units for 9 days next summer as a mini family reunion.

As far as HHI, the Marriott resorts are probably nicer with more amenities and availability. The issue is the cost of acquiring MVC trust points is just too costly for me, even resale. We purchased our 2 weeks (2 bedroom platinum units) for $10,000 all in. That all fees, closing and cost of the deed itself. My 2022 total MF's for both weeks, including club the $193 club dues, are around $2280. Those 14,000 Vegas points got me 7 nights in a 2 bedroom unit in HHI during platinum (high) season, 5 nights on the the strip in Vegas (Elara) in a 3 bedroom (gold or mid season) and 3 nights in a 1 bedroom plus in Chicago during platinum season. Even had 40 points left over!

 

[Millen5569]

We popped over to HGVC HHI and I found to have a nice "resort" feel with a nice oceanfront pool, with bar. Location is good. I echo other poster. Usually full, certainly in high season. you'd want to own there. I sent you a private mssg. Elaine

Thank you Elaine. I have responded to your message. We just stayed across from HGVC and it appears very nice.