welk escondido now a hyatt TS?

[bdurstta]

My friend owns at the Welk Escondido. Is she now a Hyatt Residence club or Hyatt club member now? Can she convert her week to hyatt points? Or is it still a separate system? I'm just trying to help her, she says she can't get through for any info.
Barbara

 

[ScoopKona]

1) Hyatt Vacation Club. Not Residence Club. (To further confuse matters, the Residence Club was once called the Vacation Club.)
2) No.
3) Yes.

She can trade her Welk week for a Hyatt week through Interval. But that's nothing like Hyatt owners enjoy. I keep hoping they'll merge the systems. But there is no indication they have any intention of doing so.

 

[Mongoose]

1) Hyatt Vacation Club. Not Residence Club. (To further confuse matters, the Residence Club was once called the Vacation Club.)
2) No.
3) Yes.

She can trade her Welk week for a Hyatt week through Interval. But that's nothing like Hyatt owners enjoy. I keep hoping they'll merge the systems. But there is no indication they have any intention of doing so.

They are merging names and branding this year, but not systerms. I would imagine they will eventually.

 

[Mongoose]

My friend owns at the Welk Escondido. Is she now a Hyatt Residence club or Hyatt club member now? Can she convert her week to hyatt points? Or is it still a separate system? I'm just trying to help her, she says she can't get through for any info.
Barbara

How was it?

 

[ScoopKona]

They are merging names and branding this year, but not systerms. I would imagine they will eventually.

I want them to merge. I want the Welk owners to get folded in to HRC and given realistic HRC point values for whatever they own.

I'll believe they're merging when it actually happens.

 

[Mongoose]

I want them to merge. I want the Welk owners to get folded in to HRC and given realistic HRC point values for whatever they own.

I'll believe they're merging when it actually happens.

I’m indifferent about the whole thing. None of the properties except Northstar interest me.

 

[ScoopKona]

I’m indifferent about the whole thing. None of the properties except Northstar interest me.

It's still other places to go. On the down side, more competition. And it's going to be mostly in the direction of Welk to Hyatt. But if the points are allocated fairly, no big deal.

 

[RunCat]

It's still other places to go. On the down side, more competition. And it's going to be mostly in the direction of Welk to Hyatt. But if the points are allocated fairly, no big deal.

It may end up having to be some form of opt-in system like Marriott's Abound. As a Priority 1 owner with HVC (Welk), I am able to make reservations 22 mos in advance. That would be hard to reconcile with the current HRC system.

 

[AJCts411]

It may end up having to be some form of opt-in system like Marriott's Abound. As a Priority 1 owner with HVC (Welk), I am able to make reservations 22 mos in advance. That would be hard to reconcile with the current HRC system.

Where does the inventory come from for HVC or HRC (not porfollio) 22 months in advance?

 

[Mongoose]

Where does the inventory come from for HVC or HRC (not porfollio) 22 months in advance?

Legacy Welk.

 

[Guitarmom]

My friend owns at the Welk Escondido. Is she now a Hyatt Residence club or Hyatt club member now? Can she convert her week to hyatt points? Or is it still a separate system? I'm just trying to help her, she says she can't get through for any info.
Barbara

We are owners of Welk Platinum Points and used to have deeded weeks that we converted. You say that your friend owns at Welk Escondido. Does that mean that she has a deed to either a fixed week at Lawrence Welk Resort Villas (LWRV) or a floating week at Villas on the Green (VoG)? The other possibility is that she owns Platinum Points, which can be used at any Welk property.

I'm going to assume that your friend owns Platinum Points, but my answers do not apply if she has a deeded week at LWRV or VoG. The truth is that for those people who own a deeded week, really nothing has changed.

Everything at Welk is now branded "World of Hyatt," but right now that only gives you three opportunities:
1. She can use her Platinum Points at any Welk property, including the Experience Collection;
2. She can deposit her Platinum Points into Interval International and pay a reduced exchange fee to stay at a Hyatt Vacation Club property; or
3. She can turn in her Platinum Points for World of Hyatt Points. These World of Hyatt Points can be used at any Hyatt Hotel. I don't think they can be used at Hyatt Vacation Club properties, but I could be wrong.

If she wants to convert her Platinum Points to World of Hyatt Points, it's a rule-filled process. First, she can only deposit a future year's Platinum Points, not the current year nor any banked points. (Does she have to pre-pay her MFs? I don't know.) Second, there is a transaction fee of $143 no matter how many points she converts. She can then book a hotel stay up to 13 months in the future.

Please post again if your friend has any other questions. We are now looking at Owner's Updates as a profit center where we collect our $150 Visa gift card as often as they'll let us. In turn, I've learned a lot about the new system.

 

[RunCat]

We are now looking at Owner's Updates as a profit center where we collect our $150 Visa gift card as often as they'll let us. In turn, I've learned a lot about the new system.

Ditto. We go on the Owner's Updates every time we are asked. The salespeople are irritated but my thinking is, "I didn't invite myself."

 

[bdurstta]

My friend owns "deeded week" not points. Keeping track of all the different TS programs out there are amazing these days!

Barbara

 

[ScoopKona]

My friend owns "deeded week" not points. Keeping track of all the different TS programs out there are amazing these days!

Barbara

Back when I was selling Hyatt timeshares in Key West, it was called the Hyatt Vacation Club. Then they changed it to "Residence Club" and now they're using Vacation Club again -- probably because they had all the artwork and branding ready from the last time.

They're two separate systems with only II to get people from one system to the other.

Here's the big picture problem: Hyatt (Residence) resorts are hard to book, exceedingly popular, and have cachet in the timeshare world. A few of the original Welk Resorts would fold in very nicely with the HRC system. And I think everyone would be happy with such resorts gaining parity. And then there's Branson and Cabo. I have nothing against either place. But they have oodles of timeshares already. So the trading power for those resorts are lopsided.

Owners will grouse: "Why should someone who owns Branson be able to trade into Maui?"

 

[HudsHut]

My friend owns at the Welk Escondido. Is she now a Hyatt Residence club or Hyatt club member now? Can she convert her week to hyatt points? Or is it still a separate system? I'm just trying to help her, she says she can't get through for any info.
Barbara

She can still reserve a week at her home resort just like she could before. She can still deposit the week into Interval. Before doing that, she needs to know what season (weeks) she is allowed to reserve. If she can reserve 4th of July or other peak summer week, she should do so for best trading power and for best rental rates if she decides to rent out her reservation.

 

[Guitarmom]

My friend owns "deeded week" not points. Keeping track of all the different TS programs out there are amazing these days!

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

I don't think anything has changed for your friend. If her deeded week is at Lawrence Welk Resort Villas (LWRV), she has a fixed week in a fixed unit. Let me translate. She owns a particular room at Welk, and she has a particular week that she is allowed to be there. If her deeded week is at Villas on the Greens (VoG), the situation is more complicated, so I'll just give the translation. She may reserve a room (same size as her deed) at Villas on the Greens during any week of the year. If she owns a two-bedroom lock-off, she may reserve one of each kind of room during separate weeks or she can make a reservation for the two bedrooms for one week.

With a deed at either section of the resort, your friend may have joined RCI or Interval International (II). If she has, then she may deposit her Welk week and make a reservation at another resort. I don't know whether she would get a discount if she chose a Hyatt property.

I believe that now that Hyatt owns the former Welk properties, in effect she is a member of the Hyatt Vacation Club. All of us former Welk owners, deeded or not, are members. But that doesn't really get us much. We Points members get a reduced exchange fee at II when we reserve a Hyatt property; I don't know if members with a deed also get this reduced fee. I also don't know if she can exchange her deeded week for Hyatt points. There are two ways to find out. She could go to an Owner's Update the next time she's using her week. But she MUST be prepared to get the hard sell to pay more to change from a deeded week to Platinum Points. I don't know if it's changed, but about ten years ago, my aunt and uncle upgraded their deeded LWRV to Platinum Points and they paid $30,000 to do so!!!! Alternatively, she can sign into the Lounge ( https://thelounge.hyattvacationclub.com/ ) and see if she is allowed to exchange her week for Hyatt points. That will only cost her $143, and only if she decides to do the transfer.

I hope this helps.

 

[macntory]

We own Welk Serena Del Mar in Cabo San Lucas. You can trade within the old Welk Group; but, beware it will not be a straigh transfer. That is, a much better property will no longer equate to the full amount of your owner-property. Marriott pulls this stunt too. The time share industry is consolidating and your property will get you nothing unless you switch to points and buy up. It is consolidation that is reducing competition and hence fleecing you for more money.