whats holding me back

[jjking42]

I keep hearing about how difficult it is to get a prime reservation with Marriott. The calling at 8:00 am and all of that.

questions
1 does Marriott have an online system or do you have to call.
2 has Marriott created this problem by making the prime season too long and or selling too many float weeks.

I own hgvc and fairfiled and I can always find prime weeks in the mini system. I am considering buying a Marriott to trade inside the 24 day Ii window. But i dont want the hassles of trying to get a good week in order to trade.

 

[Big Matt]

To answer your question, yes they have an on line system, and yes they have long platinum seasons and sell almost all weeks as floating. The big advantage that you can have as a Marriott owner is to own two weeks in the same season so that you can reserve 13 months ahead instead of 12.

 

[gatoredy]

I own at Ocean Pointe and Manor Club and never had a problem reserving.

 

[squiggle]

The big advantage that you can have as a Marriott owner is to own two weeks in the same season so that you can reserve 13 months ahead instead of 12.

For those who have exercised this advantage, do you still have to call at 8Am sharp Thursday 13 mos ahead to reserve a prime week and has anybody not gotten what they want - I mean summer at Grande Ocean, Hawaii or peak ski time at Utah?

 

[jancurious]

For some of us on the west coast the time is 6 a.m.......& yes, I still call on the dot as why chance it?

However, using the 13 month rule I have never had a problem even getting two summer weeks at Newport which is one of the most difficult reservations reported recently.

I hope it holds for the future......

Jan

 

[Avery]

I never have a problem with my Harbour Club Platinum. I think the Platinum weeks aren't as tough since there are mostly really "good weeks" in the platinum season, especially for trading. People with Gold season on down have a harder time, since there are often only a couple "good" weeks in those seasons, and everyone wants them.

 

[jerseyfinn]

TS is about goals & planning

. . . I dont want the hassles of trying to get a good week in order to trade . . .

Timeshare dynamics are what they are regardless of whether one owns Marriott or any other brand of timeshare. It all comes down to your individual goals of ownership.

If you're a more flexible traveler, then trades should be a pretty simple thing with Marriott or any other TS product. If however specific trade destinations and specific dates are a top priority of ownership, then one has to "play the game" and maneuver to reserve weeks which are in high demand and therefore command a higher priority in the II queue to enhance your trading possibilities. This is not a Marriott-specific paradigm, it's TS 101.

That said, one can indeed encounter occassional problems trying to reserve certain weeks at specific Marriott resorts ( for example, President's Week is a tricky week to reserve at Ocean Pointe because demand outstrips supply ). It's not a Marriott thing, it's supply and demand. It's more a reminder that TS involves careful planning to create the travel opportunities that one wants.


Barry

 

[Judy999]

Reserving with Marriott Platinum weeks

I own two Marriot Platinum weeks at OP. I have the option to use 13 mths reservation. However, I have always reserved 12 mths ahead with no issues.

I read on Tug that some people call 24 hours after the 12 mths date to reserve for Easter week and learn that they have all been occupied. Additionally, I've heard that some Maui weeks and Newport Platinum are difficult to reserve but not impossible.

Other than that, I am hoping that most Marriots are fairly easy to reserve desirable weeks and that we generally have great experiences as Marriott owners

Happy Travels

Judy

 

[Werner Weiss]

Regardless of the timeshare developer, floating weeks are a mixed blessing. On one hand, it's great to have the option of staying any time during a season, rather than being tied to a specific week. On the other hand, it's inevitable that some weeks within a season will be more in demand than others, and not everyone who owns a season that includes a holiday week (such as 4th of July) can book that holiday week.

You've never read a post by a Platinum Season owner at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas who was unable to book an October week at 12 months. But you may have seen posts complaining about the difficulty of booking an August week. That doesn't mean that no Platinum weeks owners can get August weeks; it just means that there may not be enough August weeks for every Platinum week owner at NCV who wants one.

Timeshare developers cannot legally sell more weeks than the actual capacity. But there's never a promise that every floating week owner can get any week within a season.

Marriott doesn't (and can't) sell too many floating weeks. But it could be argued that some seasons at some Marriott seasons are too long, and include too many weeks that are less desirable than the weeks that the owners really want.

 

[Bill4728]

You've never read a post by a Platinum Season owner at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas who was unable to book an October week at 12 months. But you may have seen posts complaining about the difficulty of booking an August week. That doesn't mean that no Platinum weeks owners can get August weeks; it just means that there may not be enough August weeks for every Platinum week owner at NCV who wants one.

IMHO, a better platinum season for Newport would be Mar- Sept not June -Dec. The Four Seasons -Carsbad have their platinum season only in July, Aug & Sept.