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Very pricey

Lardan

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Next year my wife and several of her friends have a big birthday (one of those decade things). Anyway, she wanted me to check Ocean Pointe rental price.

For the period they want to go in August of '12 Marriott wants $579.00 per night. I suppose you have to pay sales tax and the Florida lodging taxes on top of that. That is around $4300.00 for a week.

Do people really do that? A family of four flying down here, pay the Marriott price, rent a car, and buy food equates to a very pricey vacation to me. Dad hasn't even gone to the bar yet to buy him and Mom a drink.
 

SueDonJ

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Yep, people really do that. :D Not TUGgers because we know better than to pay rack rates, but enough people do it to make Marriott think that it's reasonable.

Don't forget that as an owner you can use the "MOD" code (in the "corporate" box) at marriott.com to get a 25% discount. If you're a DC Member with either Premier or Premier Plus status the owner discount is 30% or 35%, but you have to call in to a VOA to get it. With any of those you can also get an additional 10% off if you pay using a Marriott VISA. (All of these are subject to availability, of course.)

Any of those codes for cash discounts work very well if you're looking for less than 7 nights. If you want the full week you're probably better off trying to rent it from an owner - check the TUG rentals or redweek.com. There are other owner rental sites, too, hopefully others who are more familiar with rentals with give you some ideas.

Good luck! It sounds like a great idea for your wife and her friends to celebrate one of those special birthdays.
 

funtime

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Look on Redweek for better rental rates. Funtime
 

Paumavista

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Keep checking back.....

I assume you were looking at the Marriott website?
I would think August would be off season in Florida and there should be some good bargains that may not show up yet. Be sure to check any discounts AAA or military that you might be eligible for. I know the weeks after Thanksgiving and before Christmas are "off-season" and I kept checking the website to see if there were any specials....I was really surprised to get Oceana Palms for <$100/nite military special! I booked 2 nights before/after our cruise. When I went back a couple days later to add an extra day at the end it was over $350/nite. So I know that specials do appear/disappear.

Also, you should keep checking for someone's rental (if you can't "trade in") - there are alot of good timeshare rental sites and I'm sure you can get a much better deal than you were quoted. It's why we timeshare/trade!
 

Lardan

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I'm not sure what the "girls" will do, actually they aren't sure either. I''ll eventually find something for them. I was just shocked at what Marriott rents these for. I have to say we love this resort and I realize this was a definite top shelf price. However, it makes the MFs not look so bad.
 

MOXJO7282

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I'm not sure what the "girls" will do, actually they aren't sure either. I''ll eventually find something for them. I was just shocked at what Marriott rents these for. I have to say we love this resort and I realize this was a definite top shelf price. However, it makes the MFs not look so bad.

This is true with many prime Marriott resorts. Ever check for winter weeks in Aruba? They can be in the $700-$1000 range for a 2 bdrm at the Surf Club.

Now there are only a small percentage of the rental pool that pays that premium basicially because money is no object to them and they just book last minute but some definitely do pay that premium.

My best rental ever was a guy who had rented directly from Marriott for a Feb week in a 2BDRM OV Surf Club and was ready to drop down $6200 to them. He found me at $4700 and at first couldn't believe it was the same units. After I convinced him it was we settled on $4500 and we were both happy as hell.
 

timeos2

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"Rack rates" like those are seldom paid by anyone - but exist largely to make "discount" rates seem good! With an occasional exception of a big spender or a special event/big holiday period discounts of 50% or more are extremely common.

They do make a great talking point for timeshare weasels and for owners who desperately want to think they have an extremely valuable resort but the truth is in a lower rent ballpark all together.
 

BocaBoy

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I was just shocked at what Marriott rents these for. I have to say we love this resort and I realize this was a definite top shelf price. However, it makes the MFs not look so bad.
I would expect Marriott to charge these type of prices. Just compare what it costs to rent a single hotel room from Marriott, Starwood, Hilton or others in many cities. Their rental market is not really timeshare owners with access to II and owner discounts.
 

dioxide45

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I would expect Marriott to charge these type of prices. Just compare what it costs to rent a single hotel room from Marriott, Starwood, Hilton or others in many cities. Their rental market is not really timeshare owners with access to II and owner discounts.

I would agree. They also can't undercut the hotel rates at their nearby hotel. If they did, there would be a very unhappy hotel owner.
 

kjd

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Paying the rack rate is the same thing as paying sticker price for a new car. Once in a while someone pays it but not often.
 

thinze3

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I'm not sure what the "girls" will do, actually they aren't sure either. I''ll eventually find something for them. I was just shocked at what Marriott rents these for. I have to say we love this resort and I realize this was a definite top shelf price. However, it makes the MFs not look so bad.

Look at BeachPlace Towers as well. There is so much to do within walking distance.
2BR units with an MOD code are less than $300/nt.

Here's my posts from this past summer.
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150560
 

Empty Nest

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"Rack rates" like those are seldom paid by anyone - but exist largely to make "discount" rates seem good! With an occasional exception of a big spender or a special event/big holiday period discounts of 50% or more are extremely common.

They do make a great talking point for timeshare weasels and for owners who desperately want to think they have an extremely valuable resort but the truth is in a lower rent ballpark all together.

In the good old days, I consistently had Marriott rent my 1 bedroom portion of Desert Springs II for the rack rate. Of course, then Marriott changed their program and the economy tanked. So possibly no one now rents at the rack rate, but they used to do so.

Mike
 
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larryallen

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I don't think a lot of people pay those rates for a week at a time as it's much cheaper to rent on redweek or Ebay. However, if just going 3 or 4 nights or if the ability to cancel is important than yes people would pay it. Also, some people just don't like to mess around with private rentals as there is some risk involved. Lastly, I think Marriott keeps the prices high to show "value" in their timeshares so that potential buyers see what a great deal they are getting by buying instead of having to pay those rack rates.
 
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