what's in a name

[DavidnRobin]

There is a lot in a 'name' - aka Brand

As with another post - I would have never bought into a TS (VOI) if it wasn't for the Westin name (obvious from the 4 Westin TS resorts I own).

It seems that few remember when OUR forum was combined with 'Other Timeshare Resorts' not that long ago.

The key point is that Westin and Sheraton TS resorts will continue to use the same names and not rebrand to VSE. If they change their names (Brands), then this forum should reflect this change - not before.
IMO

 

[DeniseM]

Unfortunately, the roll-over to ILG has been delayed a few days.

When we see what name "SVO" has actually been changed to, we will re-visit this topic.

 

[SMHarman]

Thanks for posting. Somebody did his homework and knows the fact...

They did this the same day the pro forma form 10 was filed in June 2015.

 

[dioxide45]

WHAT IS VISTANA™ SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES, INC.?

Vistana Signature Experiences is the name of our new company, (formerly Starwood Vacation Ownership), which provides leisure opportunities that best fit the needs of today’s travelers, and is the exclusive provider of Westin® and Sheraton® vacation ownership through the Vistana Signature Network.

I think you have a name there...

 

[KACTravels]

From May Newsletter:
SHERATON VACATION CLUB AND WESTIN VACATION CLUB

Sheraton® Vacation Club and Westin® Vacation Club bring you a world of inspiring travel options. This is your opportunity to create the vacation experiences of a lifetime.

Explore Sheraton Vacation Club

Explore Westin Vacation Club

 

[SMHarman]

I think you have a name there...

But the website is Vistana and the sub forum name is a huge mouthful.

Can Signature Experiences be removed from the sub forum name just like the website address.

 

[KACTravels]

From May Newsletter:
SHERATON VACATION CLUB AND WESTIN VACATION CLUB

Sheraton® Vacation Club and Westin® Vacation Club bring you a world of inspiring travel options. This is your opportunity to create the vacation experiences of a lifetime.

Explore Sheraton Vacation Club
Explore Westin Vacation Club

My comment was to just point out that the Newsletter has the names "Sheraton Vacation Club & Westin Vacation Club" called out specifically.

 

[Ron98GT]

My comment was to just point out that the Newsletter has the names "Sheraton Vacation Club & Westin Vacation Club" called out specifically.

The whole think is very confusing:

https://www.sheratonvacationclub.co...-Sheraton-US&gclid=CO-9uamv5swCFceBfgodNLcCag

Shetaton TS's have their own vacation club.

Westin TS's have their own vacation club.

But, they are part of Vistana Signature Experience.

But wait, they are all part of SPG, or no wait again, because SPG, Westin TS's, & Sheraton TS's, are part of Vistana. But don't confuse Starwood with SPG, because Starwood are the Sheraton/Weston hotels, which were purchased by Marriott. But what about SPG?

But no, wait again, last month we just stayed at the Marques de Riscal hotel, in Elciego, Spain, which is part of the SPG (Starwood, but not a TS) Luxury Resort Collection (Marriott?). If SPG is now part of Vistana (TS's), why am I getting SPG hotel points for staying in a hotel?

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1539&language=en_US


What a freak'in mess.

 

[SueDonJ]

The whole think is very confusing:

https://www.sheratonvacationclub.co...-Sheraton-US&gclid=CO-9uamv5swCFceBfgodNLcCag

Shetaton TS's have their own vacation club.

Westin TS's have their own vacation club.

But, they are part of Vistana Signature Experience.

But wait, they are all part of SPG, or no wait again, because SPG, Westin TS's, & Sheraton TS's, are part of Vistana. But don't confuse Starwood with SPG, because Starwood are the Sheraton/Weston hotels, which were purchased by Marriott. But what about SPG?

But no, wait again, last month we just stayed at the Marques de Riscal hotel, in Elciego, Spain, which is part of the SPG (Starwood, but not a TS) Luxury Resort Collection (Marriott?). If SPG is now part of Vistana (TS's), why am I getting SPG hotel points for staying in a hotel?

What a freak'in mess.

It really isn't all that confusing, IMO.

The Starwood timeshare spin-off is complete and the entire structure is now Vistana Signature Experiences under the Interval Leisure Group umbrella. It appears from various statements that VSE will be expanding to include many more timeshare usage options than the existing Sheraton, Westin and other branded properties. (For that reason I think it's more correct to leave this forum name as it is, because why leave the door open to making more changes when they roll out new brands/options under the VSE umbrella?)

The Marriott acquisition of Starwood Hotels hasn't been completed yet but statements from all parties indicate that at least in the immediate aftermath all of the existing branded hotel names will remain as is, and that the well-established brands will remain longterm. In the future Marriott may phase out or consolidate certain brands under the similar-style Marriott brand names, but IMO that won't happen without widespread notice and a healthy lead time.

Starwood, VSE and Marriott say that the SPG program will also be continuing as is for the time being and in the immediate aftermath of the hotel business acquisition. Again, Marriott may eventually phase out the SPG name/program by consolidating it with the Marriott Rewards program OR combining the two under a new name. But in the meantime there are no changes at all to the SPG program; the existing SPG benefits/awards/earnings haven't changed for Starwood hotel users and VSE timeshare owners. If/when it happens, IMO that will also be a well-publicized change.

 

[DavidnRobin]

It is not confusing, but OUR new forum name sucks, and should represent Westin and Sheraton Vacation Clubs (all but HRA and VBC are captured under these clubs), and not VSE. IMO

That would be like naming a beer forum 'InBev' when it is discussing Budweiser (InBev is the Belgian company that owns Bud).

Is it a coincidence that postings to this forum have declined since the name change?

 

[LisaRex]

I'm not a huge fan of the Vistana Signature Experiences name, but it makes perfect sense to re-name our TUG forum that moniker, since it IS our official new name. Starwood buyers know about the name change, and new owners are much more likely to search "Vistana Signature Experiences" than "Westin and Sheraton Vacation Clubs".

 

[canesfan]

If they are smart with their marketing, potential new buyers will not know Vistana at all. They are paying a good deal of money for the Westin/Sheraton branding and it would be wasteful to use Vistana.

Personally I would have NEVER bought Vistana.

Luxury Collection is a Starwood division of hotels. Starwood also has Tribute hotels. Autograph is Marriott's. Some of those groups I could see blending over time once the merger is complete.

 

[LisaRex]

Personally I would have NEVER bought Vistana.

Are you saying that you would have never bought your WESTIN timeshare had the exchange club been named Vistana Signature experiences instead of Starwood Vacation Ownership? Because VSE replaces SVO.

Me? I actually had no idea that "Starwood" was the name of the holding group for the Sheraton/Westin/W/etc brands, until I bought at Westin Ka'anapali and became a Starwood Vacation Ownership member. So, in my decision making process, "SVO" meant nothing to me.

However, the cache of the "Westin" name most definitely appealed to me. In fact, it was probably one of the (subconscious) reasons why I chose WKORV over the Marriott Maui Ocean Resort, which I was seriously considering buying.

So, IMO, since the "Westin" and "Sheraton" brands aren't going away, I don't think it really matters all that much what they call the exchange club/management team. VSE's cache will increase simply because it's the exchange club for Westin and Sheraton timeshares, which are well regarded.

 

[Markus]

Are you saying that you would have never bought your WESTIN timeshare had the exchange club been named Vistana Signature experiences instead of Starwood Vacation Ownership? Because VSE replaces SVO.

Me? I actually had no idea that "Starwood" was the name of the holding group for the Sheraton/Westin/W/etc brands, until I bought at Westin Ka'anapali and became a Starwood Vacation Ownership member. So, in my decision making process, "SVO" meant nothing to me.

However, the cache of the "Westin" name most definitely appealed to me. In fact, it was probably one of the (subconscious) reasons why I chose WKORV over the Marriott Maui Ocean Resort, which I was seriously considering buying.

So, IMO, since the "Westin" and "Sheraton" brands aren't going away, I don't think it really matters all that much what they call the exchange club/management team. VSE's cache will increase simply because it's the exchange club for Westin and Sheraton timeshares, which are well regarded.

I agree, I bought the Westin name as well.

Markus

 

[canesfan]

Are you saying that you would have never bought your WESTIN timeshare had the exchange club been named Vistana Signature experiences instead of Starwood Vacation Ownership? Because VSE replaces SVO.



Me? I actually had no idea that "Starwood" was the name of the holding group for the Sheraton/Westin/W/etc brands, until I bought at Westin Ka'anapali and became a Starwood Vacation Ownership member. So, in my decision making process, "SVO" meant nothing to me.



However, the cache of the "Westin" name most definitely appealed to me. In fact, it was probably one of the (subconscious) reasons why I chose WKORV over the Marriott Maui Ocean Resort, which I was seriously considering buying.



So, IMO, since the "Westin" and "Sheraton" brands aren't going away, I don't think it really matters all that much what they call the exchange club/management team. VSE's cache will increase simply because it's the exchange club for Westin and Sheraton timeshares, which are well regarded.

Yes, I'm saying if it were own by ILG and under Vistana Signature Experiences, I don't think I would have bought. I did know Starwood, as we were travelers to begin. We too, were debating between Marriott and Starwood. I'm saying they should continue to market them as Westin & Sheraton and leave Vistana to purely paperwork. That's where I see the problem with the new website & our name. At least the website dropped signature experiences.
Another point, there's a lot of owners out there that aren't as educated as we are about our timeshare & what's happening with the sales of SVO & HOT. I was just talking to someone who owns WKV. She has no idea what's going on and just did an owner's update. They tried to get her to trade her WKV for Sheraton Homeoptions. Thank goodness when she saw the price she walked away. She thought the reason she needs Homeoptions is because of the Marriott sale.

 

[blahblah18]

I'm firmly in the "hate the new brand" camp.

We bought Starwood, because we knew and trusted Starwood. And we fully understood the relationship between the Starwood, Westin and Sheraton brands -- it's well known and understood by travellers around the world.

If, on my first timeshare tour, we'd been told "We're Vistana, and we build and sell Westin and Sheraton resorts" it would have been off-putting and made me less comfortable -- even though I fully get that hotel brands are commodities that are licensed to other companies (ie who are not Starwood!)whose names the travelling public usually never hear.

This new "We're Vistana, and we have Westin and Sheraton properties and we're affiliated with SPG" branding really seems crazy to me.

"Vistana" is the new corporate entity, owned in turn by ILG, that owns and sells Westin and Sheraton resorts. I'd have to think that one of the options available to them was to continue operating as Starwood Vacation Ownership. (I'd be shocked if that wasn't an option for the new company. Starwood, after all, is in the business of licensing their brands to other companies who build, own, and manage hotels and resorts. Their core business is not building hotels, it's selling/licensing the brands that they've created to developers.)

The operating brand for the new timeshare entity does not have to match the name of the corporation who owns it. There was huge value in carrying the Starwood name in their branding -- and as I see the new web-site and marketing materials, I see that value fading away.

Consider that Starwood, as a company, owns very, very few properties now. They sell the brands, the systems, the management, and the SPG program to hundreds upon hundreds of other companies who actually own and operate those Starwood branded hotels and resorts. Vistana is just one of those companies. But it's the only one tossing its own brand into the mix with all of those established and trusted Starwood brands.

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel in LA, for example, is owned and operated by a company called Interstate Hotels. But hardly anyone will have ever heard of Interstate Hotels. Because, at that property and the others that they own, they brand themselves only as Westin, Starwood, and SPG. You're not staying at a "Westin owned by Interstate Hotels" or at "Interstate Hotels, the downtown LA licensee of the Westin brand". You're staying at a Westin. Period. That's the business model. That's what guest want and expect and trust -- "Westin", not "Interstate who licenses Westin and participates in SPG".

Yes, guests there are actually customers of Interstate, but they'd never know it. And that's by design, because the value and the consumer trust is in the Starwood branding ... not in the branding of the hotel owner or development company.

The Vistana name should have been relegated to the back office in Orlando and the name on the bank accounts and the legal set-up. It should never have been tossed into the consumer branding mix, as it just confuses and devalues the other established Starwood brands that are being used alongside it.

 

[bizaro86]

Actually, I doubt HOT can license the Starwood brand.

Starwood Hotels was created by Barry Sterlicht's Starwood Capital. While they are no longer associated, Starwood Capital still exists, and is still creating public companies using the Starwoo name. Ie SFR and STWD are both public real estate entities with Starwood Capital heritage.

I would guess HOT is allowed to use the Starwood brand, but I doubt they could create a new public real estate co with it, since that is literally Starwood Capital's business.

 

[dsmrp]

Actually, I doubt HOT can license the Starwood brand.

Starwood Hotels was created by Barry Sterlicht's Starwood Capital. While they are no longer associated, Starwood Capital still exists, and is still creating public companies using the Starwoo name. Ie SFR and STWD are both public real estate entities with Starwood Capital heritage.

I would guess HOT is allowed to use the Starwood brand, but I doubt they could create a new public real estate co with it, since that is literally Starwood Capital's business.

I agree Starwood Capital is alive and well. IMO, I think they would want to keep their parent company name (brand) to themselves.

....
The Vistana name should have been relegated to the back office in Orlando and the name on the bank accounts and the legal set-up. It should never have been tossed into the consumer branding mix, as it just confuses and devalues the other established Starwood brands that are being used alongside it.

I think this is the crux of why a lot of people here don't like the name.
It potentially devalues their timeshares, in particular the Westin ones, in the eyes of future buyers and resale market ???
As long as VSE can use The Westin/Sheraton brands, can maintain the quality associated with the brands and can improve access to reserve units, then perceived value shouldn't change long term. It's the short term that seems to have people worried.

It is not confusing, but OUR new forum name sucks, and should represent Westin and Sheraton Vacation Clubs (all but HRA and VBC are captured under these clubs), and not VSE. IMO
...

Is it a coincidence that postings to this forum have declined since the name change?

Forum postings have gone down appreciably in recent months, but not just because of the forum name change. IMO major contributing factors for decline are:
1. Lack of exchange inventory internally and externally in II. Fewer sightings and smaller units available in II. Great uptrades have dried up (or so I've heard). The good Starwood traders are not so good now, and more people are trying to give away their voluntary TS units rather than asking how to maximize their usage.
2. ILG-VSE new company. The forum advice for many months has been to hold off on purchases until the dust settles and VSE makes potential new policy and vacation club changes. So we'e in a wait and see holding pattern.
3. Flex options. So expensive on the face of it, maybe Sales aren't very successful selling them, with far fewer buyers to have second thoughts.

 

[lizap]

My guess is most people will never hear or know anything about the term 'Vistana'. ILG will market TSs under the Sheraton and Westin brands. There's really no reason to do otherwise and every reason to. I also believe Westin and Sheraton Timeshares would be a more appropriate title, and I think as time passes, it will be clear that ILG intends to market under these names and not Vistana. I think the term Vistana will be confusing especially to people new to TSs and trying to learn more.

 

[canesfan]

Vistana will have to be introduced because it's the website name and also their Twitter & IG account names. It's hard to have a social presence if no one knows your business name. But I agree, I think the emphasis will be on Westin & Sheraton as much as possible.

 

[Ron98GT]

You don't call the "Hilton / HGVC" forum "Blackstone".

To be comparable the name should be "Westin / Sheraton / SPG".

If SPG gets sold off, then the name should be "Westin / Sheraton" or "Westin & Sheraton Vacation Clubs".

Makes sense to me, but then what do I know:

https://www.vistana.com/

 

[lizap]

The majority of people on this forum feel this way. I wish the 'powers that be' would take our wishes into consideration and modify the name of the forum.

You don't call the "Hilton / HGVC" forum "Blackstone".

To be comparable the name should be "Westin / Sheraton / SPG".

If SPG gets sold off, then the name should be "Westin / Sheraton" or "Westin & Sheraton Vacation Clubs".

Makes sense to me, but then what do I know:

https://www.vistana.com/

 

[LisaRex]

You don't call the "Hilton / HGVC" forum "Blackstone".

To be comparable the name should be "Westin / Sheraton / SPG".

Why wasn't this argument made when the forum was named "Starwood Vacation Ownership" instead of "Westin/Sheraton"? VSE replaced SVO.

 

[LisaRex]

The majority of people on this forum feel this way. I wish the 'powers that be' would take our wishes into consideration and modify the name of the forum.

IMO, the majority of the people in this forum don't really care. I think that there are a few people who HATE the name and they just happen to be more passionate than the people who are going .

I could be wrong.

 

[SMHarman]

You don't call the "Hilton / HGVC" forum "Blackstone".

To be comparable the name should be "Westin / Sheraton / SPG".

If SPG gets sold off, then the name should be "Westin / Sheraton" or "Westin & Sheraton Vacation Clubs".

Makes sense to me, but then what do I know:

https://www.vistana.com/

And me. Also the Marriott one is not named after the holding company