Welk / Hyatt / World of Hyatt Information

[wallyboag]

I am able to log in to her account and I see 240,000 points, so it looks like they are already on points, not a week.

So does this mean that I cannot exchange for the Disney resorts at all? I do not see them available on RCI as an exchange.

 

[nuwermj]

We're they just gonna give you 240k points? Or how many?

The offer was for 300k points. My deed is week 32 in the Villas and the developer has no right of first refusal, a very valuable property in my view.

 

[nuwermj]

I am able to log in to her account and I see 240,000 points, so it looks like they are already on points, not a week.

So does this mean that I cannot exchange for the Disney resorts at all? I do not see them available on RCI as an exchange.

Regrading Disney resorts ... Although we do not know for sure, there is a high probability that the Disney option will go away sometime after Welk's sale to Hyatt is complete. Another small resort system called Embarc, in Canada--a high quality group like Welk--had the same kind of exchange relationship with Disney and when Embarc was sold to one of the big developers, Disney terminated the relationship. I doubt Welk's relationship with Disney will continue after the sale is finalized.

 

[Guitarmom]

... my mother-in-law inherited a one week two bedroom timeshare from my wife's grandparents. Now my mother-in-law is looking to get rid of it as she does not travel often and would like to stop paying the maintenance fees.

She asked us if we were interested in having it, and I am trying to figure out if it is worth it for us or not. While we do enjoy going to the resort in Escondido, I don't see us wanting to go there every year, so the exchange idea is interesting. Especially the exchange to Disney resorts. Is that something that is easy to do, or is exchanging to a Disney resort nearly impossible to achieve?

It sounds like your mother-in-law owns a deeded one week, two bedroom unit in Escondido: fixed week, fixed unit. Is that correct?

A fixed week, two bedroom Escondido unit trades very, very well in RCI (in II, too, and you would have a choice which of those you joined). So you would not be limited to staying in Escondido. As @Shankilicious said, there's an exchange fee of about $240, and you'd have to pay for your RCI membership every year, too.

Your mother-in-law's fixed week, two bedroom is the equivalent of 240,000 Welk Platinum Points. Welk Platinum Points do NOT translate directly into RCI points. Last I checked, which was many years ago, depositing my two bedroom lock-off got me about 60 RCI points. You can get some good trades with 60 RCI points! Also, any benefits that your MIL has would go to you. It's only when you climb up to 420,000 Platinum Points that there are benefits which don't transfer in a sale.

But I don't think your mother-in-law needs to sell the timeshare to you, all she needs to do is call Owner Services to change the title. There may be a fee for this, I'm not sure; based on buying my aging aunt and uncle's 240,000 points, there was a fee of about $300-$400 for the transfer. If Owner Services balks at her giving you the timeshare, have her add the two of you to the title, so that it's held in all three names. A side effect of this is that only TWO of the people on the deed may have membership cards. When we bought our first Welk two-bedroom lock-off, our daughter was going to college in San Diego. We included her on the deed and let her have one of the two membership cards so that she could get day use. Eventually we filed a quit-claim deed, taking her off the title. Eventually, you could do the same.

I apologize that I have no experience with trading for Disney timeshares. As @Shankilicious mentioned, 240,000 Platinum Points do not qualify for trading for Disney through Welk's Experience Collection. You can, as he says, deposit your Welk timeshare into RCI and try for Disney that way.

 

[Guitarmom]

@wallyboag - I just saw your post that says your mother has 240,000 points. This level of membership has a lot more flexibility than a fixed-week, fixed-unit. For one thing, you can go to Welk Escondido, Palm Desert, or Branson and stay in a small one bedroom unit for two weeks. Or go for one week and deposit 120,000 points into RCI. You could even stay in a studio for two weeks in the off season in Tahoe and still have 60,000 points to roll into the next year (certain limits apply with rolled over points). This is not a bad timeshare investment. The question is, would you use it? If so, do it!

The one caveat I'd give is that you should not do this if Disney is your real goal. I think your chances of grabbing Disney are only moderate.

If your MIL decides to sell her timeshare, I highly recommend www.CalResorts.com. They are legitimate real estate agents/brokers who specialize in Welk timeshares. Here are their current Platinum Points listings: http://www.calresorts.com/Welk-Resorts-Mountain-Villas.html . CalResorts.com's commission is $1000, so your MIL would clear between $500-$1000 if she worked with them.

 

[wallyboag]

@wallyboag - I just saw your post that says your mother has 240,000 points. This level of membership has a lot more flexibility than a fixed-week, fixed-unit. For one thing, you can go to Welk Escondido, Palm Desert, or Branson and stay in a small one bedroom unit for two weeks. Or go for one week and deposit 120,000 points into RCI. You could even stay in a studio for two weeks in the off season in Tahoe and still have 60,000 points to roll into the next year (certain limits apply with rolled over points). This is not a bad timeshare investment. The question is, would you use it? If so, do it!

The one caveat I'd give is that you should not do this if Disney is your real goal. I think your chances of grabbing Disney are only moderate.

If your MIL decides to sell her timeshare, I highly recommend www.CalResorts.com. They are legitimate real estate agents/brokers who specialize in Welk timeshares. Here are their current Platinum Points listings: http://www.calresorts.com/Welk-Resorts-Mountain-Villas.html . CalResorts.com's commission is $1000, so your MIL would clear between $500-$1000 if she worked with them.

Thank you for the great information! This is very helpful.

I am still trying to figure out if $1600 a year is worth it for us. Poking around I see that we have access to RCI to exchange, but when I go to exchange I am not really impressed with what we get for exchange. It looks like a lot of the places are not that great and it is only a 2 bed to 2 bed exchange. Am I doing something wrong? What is typically available as an exchange through RCI? It would be worth it if $1600 plus two exchange fees got us two weeks in a two bedroom wherever we plan to travel, but not if $1800 is only going to get us one week in a two bedroom. I always seem to find better deals through the timeshare rental sites for a week in a 2 bed. Is there a site that tells you how to get the most out of an RCI exchange?

 

[Guitarmom]

@wallyboag - I haven't used RCI in several years, so I'm no expert. I also don't know of a site that can help you, but Mr. Google might.

The number one secret for an RCI exchange is to look ahead a year or so. You'll never get anything decent if you're looking for "next month." It took me quite a while to learn that planning ahead is critical to happy timesharing. I started out thinking I could book something "next week" and I was always disappointed. It took hanging out here at TUGBBS to figure out I had to stop being spontaneous about our vacations!

Second, you can deposit just 120,000 points to trade for a one bedroom, then deposit your other 120,000 to get a second one bedroom. The last time I used RCI, I could pay an extra $100 (i.e. $335 instead of $235) to upgrade to a two bedroom. So if that option is still available, for $1600 plus $335 plus $335 (total = $2275) could get you two weeks in two-bedroom units.

Are you signing into your MIL's Welk account and accessing RCI from there? That will show you the units actually available to you. Don't let them force you into depositing 240,000 points all at once. I always found that was the worst deal I could get. It was far more advantageous to deposit 120,000 two times.

 

[mattcrook]

Retail vs Resale: The only perk that retail owners have over resale owners is being able to book directly into the associated Disney resorts plus some very minor tiered benefits that start at 420k points. Benefits include discounts on golf, 18 month extended booking window vs 15 month which expands by one month per higher level, up to 35% points discount for bookings made inside 60 days, extended split week reservations by a month per level. There are 5 priority/tiered levels starting at 420k.

Tiered Ownership: Again, less than 10% of owners are at tier 5 and above. Tier 5 is 420K annual points, tier 4 is 720k annual points, tier 3 is 1,020,000 annual points, tier 4 is 1.5M annual points and tier 5 is 2M annual points.

Points accrual/rollover: This is Welk's biggest downfall. If you want to rollover/accrue points from one year (use year) to the next, those points have a limited booking window of 60 days unless you are a tiered owner. So DO NOT BUY WELK EEY RESALE BECAUSE IT SUCKS!!!

Hi Shankilicious (or anyone else who knows) - I'm a prospective Welk resale timeshare owner. I'm planning on buying at least 420k (maybe more) Welk points to get Tier status.

1. Can I do this by buying only resale points? (Just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.)
2. Also if/once I have tier status, then I can roll-over EEY resale to future years, is this correct?
3. Also, you mentioned booking Disney-associated resorts directly - does this mean you can't book them at all with resale points? (Or just not directly?)
4. Last but not least - with Marriott taking over Welk, do you think Retail vs Resale owner benefits will change? Do you think Welk resorts timeshares will become more or less valuable?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the insight from an experience Welk owner.

I really appreciate the insight, thank you!

 

[RunCat]

@mattcrook
1) Don't think so. . . . but the perks at Tier 5 are not that great any way.
2) Accruing: there are still limits on the reservation windows when you accrue; even at the tiered levels. None of the accrued points are treated as non-accrued.
3) Not sure where we are with Disney. Tried to book some stuff last year and it was not available. Not sure about 2022 (suspect that there are a lot of Disney owners that will be trying to get in this year and next) . Also not sure if that perk will continue post-purchase.
4) Unsure. . . it all depends on how Hyatt/Welk are merged and the points valued; that's assuming that there is some kind of combined program.

 

[klipywitz]

Thank you for this great info, @Shankilicious ! Looking to buy Welk resale as my first timeshare, potentially, at around 240k points. (Rescinding contract with the developer as we speak...)

Noobie questions, if I may:
Thank you for sharing that there's no really home property for Welk's point system. So does VOA varry by location? Am I better off buying resale from someone who purchased in a specific property so I can keep VOA low?

How does one go about adding points later one? Can I stack different resale purchases if I want more points? Downsides to doing that?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dmelcher13]

Thank you for this great info, @Shankilicious ! Looking to buy Welk resale as my first timeshare, potentially, at around 240k points. (Rescinding contract with the developer as we speak...)

Noobie questions, if I may:
Thank you for sharing that there's no really home property for Welk's point system. So does VOA varry by location? Am I better off buying resale from someone who purchased in a specific property so I can keep VOA low?

How does one go about adding points later one? Can I stack different resale purchases if I want more points? Downsides to doing that?

Thanks in advance!

Refer back to post #62. I think this answers your questions.


Dave

 

[Shankilicious]

No. No home resort. VLA fees set up as $700ish base fee with $0.0033/per point. Does not vary by location when buying points.

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[klipywitz]

No. No home resort. VLA fees set up as $700ish base fee with $0.0033/per point. Does not vary by location when buying points.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Thanks @dmelcher13 for pointing to #62.

And thanks @Shankilicious for the insight on the fee structure.

Is it possible to buy two contracts and merge them to avoid the base fee on both? Or is there another smarter way to increase the number of points after you have a contract?

 

[Guitarmom]

Hello @mattcrook! I'm going to answer your questions one by one. My answers are red.
1. Can I do this by buying only resale points? (Just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.)
Unfortunately not. The "Priority" status cannot be re-sold. So you'd have your 420k points, but you would not get any of the Priority perks. (What you call "Tier" status is actually called "Priority" status.)

2. Also if/once I have tier status, then I can roll-over EEY resale to future years, is this correct?
You won't have Priority ("tier") status, so your rolled over points will be subject to a 60-day reservation window. This is actually WAY worse than it sounds. On day 60, Welk seems to remove ALL inventory from its website. I've actually asked what they do on Day 60, and the memorized gobbledygook of a response completely avoids the question.

3. Also, you mentioned booking Disney-associated resorts directly - does this mean you can't book them at all with resale points? (Or just not directly?)
Good question, and I'm not sure of the answer. You have to have a minimum number of points to book Disney through Welk (I don't have that number in my notes). The question is, if you buy resale and thus have enough points but no Priority status, are you allowed to book Disney? I simply don't know. I suspect you might be able to. But getting the right number of points is critical. I believe @Shankilicious was suggesting that you book Disney using your included RCI membership rather than through your Welk membership.

4. Last but not least - with Marriott taking over Welk, do you think Retail vs Resale owner benefits will change?
My best guess is that Marriott won't care how you bought your points. But keep in mind, 420,000 resale points do not give you Priority status, so there's no special benefit to carry to Marriott. Change is inevitable in this acquisition. The real question is: How bad will the change be? Do you think Welk resorts timeshares will become more or less valuable? I think the resale market will hold fairly steady. I popped over to BuyATimeshare.com, and comparing apples to apples (2 BR - 2BR), the prices seem comparable. Each has a bit of a low ball asking price, each have offerings at $20,000. My big question is this: If Marriott parks us Welk owners in Hyatt Residence Club, fine. If they park us in Hyatt Points Program, not so fine: HPP resale points are not honored. Jon Fredericks is saying that we'll be in the Hyatt Residence Club; I'm not holding my breath.

Elsewhere on TUGBBS, you can read how I became a Priority Level IV member. Welk offered to combine our existing three contracts (1 deeded week 2 BR unit; 1 deeded floating week 2BR lockoff; 240,000 Platinum Points; all purchased resale) and give us 780,000 Platinum Points plus Priority status for $7,000. This lowered our MFs enough that we will break even in less than ten years. We are so glad we did this, as we love the perks of Priority status. Will they offer this to you if you buy some resale points? Maybe, maybe not. It's a big gamble. I do think that Welk is desperate to convert all their deeded weeks to Platinum Points. So my best advice (if you want to gamble) would be to buy two deeded weeks at Lawrence Welk Resort Villas; this is the equivalent of 480,000 Platinum Points. The MF for these two combined is a couple hundred dollars less than for 480,000 Platinum Points, and each week is a good trader in RCI (you have to pay your own property taxes and your own RCI membership fee). With the Marriott take over, they don't want deeded weeks! But, as I said, it's a big gamble. I highly recommend visiting www.CalResorts.com (you need the "www") and look at what they're offering. Keep in mind, this is fixed unit, fixed week!

I'm terribly wordy, so my apologies. Of most importance is understanding that to get Priority status, you need to spend some money with the developer.

 

[Guitarmom]

Is it possible to buy two contracts and merge them to avoid the base fee on both? Or is there another smarter way to increase the number of points after you have a contract?

Yes, but Welk will charge you a fee for doing so. I don't know if that fee will be thousands of dollars or just a few hundred. Start a new thread asking this question of Welk owners. You're more likely to get a solid answer because you will reach more Welk owners.

 

[Shankilicious]

Thanks @dmelcher13 for pointing to #62.

And thanks @Shankilicious for the insight on the fee structure.

Is it possible to buy two contracts and merge them to avoid the base fee on both? Or is there another smarter way to increase the number of points after you have a contract?

There is no guarantee that Welk will combine contracts even for a fee. They might, but that's a MIGHT. There is no smarter or easier way without going through Welk.

Also, I've been told you can't book the Disney locations directly through Welk with resale points, no matter how many.

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[jarnson]

Hi Shankilicious (or anyone else who knows) - I'm a prospective Welk resale timeshare owner. I'm planning on buying at least 420k (maybe more) Welk points to get Tier status.

1. Can I do this by buying only resale points? (Just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.)
2. Also if/once I have tier status, then I can roll-over EEY resale to future years, is this correct?
3. Also, you mentioned booking Disney-associated resorts directly - does this mean you can't book them at all with resale points? (Or just not directly?)
4. Last but not least - with Marriott taking over Welk, do you think Retail vs Resale owner benefits will change? Do you think Welk resorts timeshares will become more or less valuable?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the insight from an experience Welk owner.

I really appreciate the insight, thank you!

Matt,
I am in the process of selling my Welk ownership. I have quite a few carryover points including 240,000 with RCI. Contact me if you are interested. will be less than retail. I haven't gotten my account set up with with Red week yet, but if you are interested, I can do so now.
jill

 

[MCTravel]

I've not been to Breck yet but I've heard the location isn't good. However they provide shuttle service to one of the area lifts I'm pretty certain. But here is the 19 MF chart.

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I was in Breck last week at Grand Lodge P7, I did see the Ranahan shuttle picking up people at the Gondola station.

 

[Mongoose]

Looks like they plan to convert to Hyatt in early 2022. I wonder if the points program will go HPP and the legacy weeks will go HRC?

 

[serjco]

We are thinking of taking over 540k points (someone is giving it away). The maintenance fees are around $2800 per year. Am I better off just renting from another owner? If I'm understanding correctly, it's 540k is good for a 2 Bedroom unit for 2 weeks. Is 2 weeks worth $2800 a year ($100/night)?

 

[RunCat]

We are thinking of taking over 540k points (someone is giving it away). The maintenance fees are around $2800 per year. Am I better off just renting from another owner? If I'm understanding correctly, it's 540k is good for a 2 Bedroom unit for 2 weeks. Is 2 weeks worth $2800 a year ($100/night)?

Depends on your timeframe for owning. Recognizing that MF will go up and so will hotel rooms costs. IMO, since it is "free", I think it is well worth it.

FWIW, do some price comparing. On hotels.com, Oct 9 - 16, in a standard 2-bed in Escondido (240K/week) , lowest , non refundable is $1785/week. In VOG in the large 1-bed (180K), the lowest rate is $1891/week.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We are thinking of taking over 540k points (someone is giving it away). The maintenance fees are around $2800 per year. Am I better off just renting from another owner? If I'm understanding correctly, it's 540k is good for a 2 Bedroom unit for 2 weeks. Is 2 weeks worth $2800 a year ($100/night)?

The only reason I would buy Welk (still way down on my list of things I want to own) would be to get the exchanges of DVC that @Shankilicious used to post about, including 2 bedrooms via exchange through RCI. That would be my only reason to buy, and if that went away, I would feel pretty stuck with that purchase. It's not that easy to rent Welk in CA because it's not on the ocean. I love it personally, but I can trade in too easily to buy it. I like the Branson resort as well, but not enough to buy. Too few resorts in that system for me.

 

[dannybaker]

Regrading Disney resorts ... Although we do not know for sure, there is a high probability that the Disney option will go away sometime after Welk's sale to Hyatt is complete. Another small resort system called Embarc, in Canada--a high quality group like Welk--had the same kind of exchange relationship with Disney and when Embarc was sold to one of the big developers, Disney terminated the relationship. I doubt Welk's relationship with Disney will continue after the sale is finalized.

We trade our Welk Escondido units with RCI and we are given about 50 tpu points for a two bedroom lock off. We have exchanged into Disney over twenty times. We usually do last minute and have exchanged for 10-12 points fir a one bedroom. To be honest the exchange to tpu has decreased from over 80 points to 48 over the last five years. Also the maintenance fees have gone from $787 to $1386 in the sane five years.

 

[Mongoose]

We are thinking of taking over 540k points (someone is giving it away). The maintenance fees are around $2800 per year. Am I better off just renting from another owner? If I'm understanding correctly, it's 540k is good for a 2 Bedroom unit for 2 weeks. Is 2 weeks worth $2800 a year ($100/night)?

That's equal to about 4000 Hyatt points which would get you 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom during prime season for MF's of $1400 per week or 4+ weeks in a 2 BR off season. Not bad.

 

[Mongoose]

The only reason I would buy Welk (still way down on my list of things I want to own) would be to get the exchanges of DVC that @Shankilicious used to post about, including 2 bedrooms via exchange through RCI. That would be my only reason to buy, and if that went away, I would feel pretty stuck with that purchase. It's not that easy to rent Welk in CA because it's not on the ocean. I love it personally, but I can trade in too easily to buy it. I like the Branson resort as well, but not enough to buy. Too few resorts in that system for me.

They have been purchased by Marriott and will start converting to Hyatt in early 2022.