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Voluntary Resorts II Trading Power

Politico

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Would love people's thoughts on this question. I'd like to purchase a Starwood II trader. All things being equal ( same 1-52 float period, same size), which voluntary Starwood resorts have the highest trading power within II? How would you rank them in terms of trading power?

Vistana Villages (voluntary sections)
Vistana Resort
Broadway Plantation
Desert Oasis
Lakeside Terrace
PGA Vacation Resort
Mountain Vista
Westin Mission Hills

Thanks.
 

tomandrobin

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Part of the answer depends on what you are trading for?

Depends on the week you are buying and whether Starwood controls the deposit or you do. Also if you are using II, redweek, SFX, etc.

It also depends on the week you can lock-in for your trade. A week in March at SDO is better then August. SBP in July is better then March.

Do you want to take into account the maintenace fees too?
 

rickandcindy23

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Unless we owned all of those resorts, one person couldn't answer that question. :p

We own a 2 bedroom at SBP, 9-43, and week 47, and have had great success with trading so far. I have nothing from your list to really to compare it to.
 

Politico

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Part of the answer depends on what you are trading for?

Depends on the week you are buying and whether Starwood controls the deposit or you do. Also if you are using II, redweek, SFX, etc.

It also depends on the week you can lock-in for your trade. A week in March at SDO is better then August. SBP in July is better then March.

Do you want to take into account the maintenace fees too?

I'm just trying to get a general sense. For purpose of this exercise, I would assume that I can book the best week available at each voluntary resort. I'm not taking MFs into account.
 

LisaRex

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I'd stay away from Orlando because there are tons of timeshares in Orlando. If I bought a desert property or ski property, I'd get at least gold season.

I've personally read about good trades with Westin Mission Hills.

If you are eyeing specific areas to trade into (e.g. Kauai) sometimes there are regional blocks so don't buy in that area. So you shouldn't buy in Kauai if you want to trade to another property in Kauai.
 

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I would guess that WMH plat would be the best trader. It would also be the most expensive to own in terms of upfront cost and MFs.
 

rickandcindy23

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If I had the cash, I would buy resale Vistana Villages with 81,000 Staroptions each and trade internally. That would be my ideal. I saw the newsletter a few months ago, and it seems that internally trading these Staroptions is a great way to get to Maui or Kauai. I am all about that.
 

tomandrobin

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See, this is where it gets tough. A SBP summer time week is a top trader, a lakeside Terrace in March, SDO during spring training. I have had excellent trades with WMH...all seasons.

If buying a trader, make sure its a lock-off unit. Also, that if yoo lock-off the unit and deposit both sides, its will be two 1 bedroom units....not a 1 bedroom and a studio.
 

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Politico - if you spend the small membership fee to join TUG, you can see a private board called "sightings/distressed". All you have to do from there is type in the name of the resort in the "search this forum" box and you'll see other people's sightings with that particular resort. Unfortunately, it's going to cost you a whopping $15! ...which is mere peanuts compared to the wealth of information you will receive!!!
 

Politico

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If I had the cash, I would buy resale Vistana Villages with 81,000 Staroptions each and trade internally. That would be my ideal. I saw the newsletter a few months ago, and it seems that internally trading these Staroptions is a great way to get to Maui or Kauai. I am all about that.

Ah. I already own the SVV 81,000 Staroptions for internal Starwood trading. Now, I want to get a voluntary resort only to trade within II with. And I don't know which one will have the best trading power. Assuming I could get all of them during the peak season, I still don't knw which to pick. I specifically want to use the week to trade internationally, particularly Europe.
 

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Starwood deposited the smallest Sheraton Broadway Plantation 1 bedroom to my II account it seems to be a pretty good trader.
 

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Ah. I already own the SVV 81,000 Staroptions for internal Starwood trading. Now, I want to get a voluntary resort only to trade within II with. And I don't know which one will have the best trading power. Assuming I could get all of them during the peak season, I still don't knw which to pick. I specifically want to use the week to trade internationally, particularly Europe.

The real advantage to trading a Starwood Resort with II is the 3 day priority for other Starwood timeshares, which doesn't help you at all in Europe. So I wouldn't just look at Starwood, I'd look for the lowest cost resale, with the best exchanging power.

If you join TUG, you will be able to access the TUG Sightings Board where members list the exchanges they can see on II, and what resort they used for the search.
 

rickandcindy23

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Politico - if you spend the small membership fee to join TUG, you can see a private board called "sightings/distressed". All you have to do from there is type in the name of the resort in the "search this forum" box and you'll see other people's sightings with that particular resort. Unfortunately, it's going to cost you a whopping $15! ...which is mere peanuts compared to the wealth of information you will receive!!!

Josh is so right about this.

We occasionally have bulk deposits in II of Westins on Maui and Kauai, and the various owners of the different resorts will post what they can see on the sightings board here. It was very revealing for me as I watched people post what they could see with the various resorts, and I bought my SBP accordingly. Maybe you would come up with a different conclusion.
 

Politico

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I was going to buy my TUG membership, but then I thought people would tell me to rescind and that I had paid far too much without adequate research! :hysterical: In all seriousness, I wanted to see what advice I could get on the board first. But, I think membership is a good idea and I just need to get around to doing it.

Someone with way too much free time could really pull an analysis together of the trading power of different Starwood resorts within II by location and week. Now, that would be a really huge resource.
 

LisaRex

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Cool new title, Politico!

Good luck finding something that meets your needs.
 

DeniseM

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Welcome to TUG.:wave:

I own a Lakeside Terrace ski week and for me so far it's been a good trader. I see all the good stuff that gets on the sightings board and have found some good things even before Cindy or Icydog!

My trades so far, Marriott Summit Watch this past summer(we loved it! Park City will now be high on our fall back list if a request doesn't come through). For 09, we got Sheraton Broadway Plantation for 4th of July week.
 

GrayFal

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Ah. I already own the SVV 81,000 Staroptions for internal Starwood trading. Now, I want to get a voluntary resort only to trade within II with. And I don't know which one will have the best trading power. Assuming I could get all of them during the peak season, I still don't knw which to pick. I specifically want to use the week to trade internationally, particularly Europe.
I received your pm....

If you truely want to trade into Europe, do not buy a starwood week to trade - Starwood, similar to Marriott, has too high a quality rating to see much in Europe. You need a strong trading week in a standard quality (no silver or gold stuff) to see most European resorts.

Starwood resorts are excellent II traders into gold/silver level resorts - which excludes most European properties.
I see the best european stuff using an unrated Cape Cod 1BR week 22 - a week 25-34 would be an exceptional trader.

This is probably the best $15 you spent. :wave:
 

GrayFal

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Unless we owned all of those resorts, one person couldn't answer that question. :p We own a 2 bedroom at SBP, 9-43, and week 47, and have had great success with trading so far. I have nothing from your list to really to compare it to.

Yup, except we have our 'family' here.....our family owns at many different resorts - when they post on the sightings boards that they see XYZ resort using SBP or SDO or PGA or WMH - the rest of us check with OUR ownership to see if we see the same resorts and unit size.....sometimes we see the resort but not the same selection of unts - maybe I only see studios using a March check-in date at my resort but the July check-in date sees all the same as the OP and then some more!

It is thru many years of searching and posting and comparing different results for different resorts/seasons that has helped us establish "the top trader" :clap:
 

Politico

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I received your pm....

If you truely want to trade into Europe, do not buy a starwood week to trade - Starwood, similar to Marriott, has too high a quality rating to see much in Europe. You need a strong trading week in a standard quality (no silver or gold stuff) to see most European resorts.

I don't understand this statement :confused: How can Starwood resorts be too high quality to see other resorts in Europe? Wouldn't it be the case that the higher the quality your resort, the more you can see- everywhere?

If I purcahsed a 1bedroom premium platinum (1-21, 50-52) at SDO, is that going to generally have enough quality rating to let me see European properties?
 
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Fredm

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I don't understand this statement :confused: How can Starwood resorts be too high quality to see other resorts in Europe? Wouldn't it be the case that the higher the quality your resort, the more you can see- everywhere?

If I purcahsed a 1bedroom premium platinum (1-21, 50-52) at SDO, is that going to generally have enough quality rating to let me see European properties?

I.I. "protects" those who deposit high quality weeks from an exchange considered to be much inferior in quality.

What I do not understand is why you are focused on Starwood resorts to accomplish your intended use. If you had a strong preference for one of them, and intended to routinely occupy it, a different matter entirely.
Am I missing something?
 

Politico

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I.I. "protects" those who deposit high quality weeks from an exchange considered to be much inferior in quality.

What I do not understand is why you are focused on Starwood resorts to accomplish your intended use. If you had a strong preference for one of them, and intended to routinely occupy it, a different matter entirely.
Am I missing something?

I guess I woud like to not foreclose the option of requalifying in the future. I researched for a while and decided that Starwood offered the best program that fits my family's needs. So, I'd prefer to stick with them, if possible.
 

thinze3

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Vistana Villages (voluntary sections)
Vistana Resort
Broadway Plantation
Desert Oasis
Lakeside Terrace
PGA Vacation Resort
Mountain Vista
Westin Mission Hills


Which of these resorts can the OP reserve a week and then deposit with II without having to worry about Starwood picking the week to deposit for him?


Terry
 

SDKath

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Which of these resorts can the OP reserve a week and then deposit with II without having to worry about Starwood picking the week to deposit for him?


Terry

If it's purchased resale, it should really be any of them except the mandatory resort (SVV Bella, Key West).

Every one of these units trades great IF and ONLY IF you get the highest demand week deposited in II. My PGA spring week that I bought for $500 sees exactly the same units that WMH and SDO and SBP sees. The absolute key is getting a good week deposited in II.

I would also aim for a 2BR LO if you want max II trading since you can lock off each side and often trade the 1BR side for a 2BR elsewhere. Again, reserve a good week first and then ask Starwood to deposit it.

One exception seems to be that WMH off season trades unusually well (as does WKV). The downside of WMH is that MFs are very high ($1600) and it is pricy to purchase on resale. You are better off picking up SDO or PGA for less. Oh, and I agree with avoiding Orlando. My Orlando weeks are trading very well right now but ORlando is a dime a dozen and I fully expect the trade power to go down with time.

Katherine
 
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