what's in a name

[SMHarman]

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

The was no conversation

 

[SMHarman]

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.

I don't hate the name. I feel
1 it is the legal entity name
2 not reflective of domain name
3 overly long sub forum title
4 does not reflect brand marketing.
And more

 

[pacman777]

Why not label the forum:

Vistana: Westin and Sheraton Vacation Clubs (formerly Starwood Vacation Ownership)

 

[Ken555]

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

Many (most?) SVN owners knew "Starwood" due to their hotel marketing programs, so it was tightly tied to the timeshare brands. Vistana is not, and won't be, tied to the hotel program in a similar way (or has something changed?). It's only a timeshare. Of course, it's also a horrible name. But, it's still only a timeshare program. For obvious reasons, this forum should represent the brands which most people would associate with the timeshares...and that's not Vistana.

I'd prefer this forum to be called "Westin/Sheraton Timeshares (formerly Starwood)" or similar. I think it's much less confusing, easily identifiable by new visitors to the site, and just makes sense. The name can be changed in future whenever needed...nothing lasts forever, so if the brands change again we can adapt.

 

[Ken555]

Why not label the forum:



Vistana: Westin and Sheraton Vacation Clubs (formerly Starwood Vacation Ownership)

Yes, this is a good option (and better than the one I just posted).

 

[Helios]

Personally, I find this thread extremely hilarious.

Question, if the powers at be owned an Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc...would they say they own a Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (Volkswagen Group) vehicle?

Would someone looking for a vehicle, with the right wallet and taste of course, not buy a Bentley because the parent company's name is Volkswagen Group?

It seems the answers are yes...

I understand posters points, but I find the name inconsequential...:ignore:...YMMV.

 

[Helios]

Yes, this is a good option (and better than the one I just posted).

I like this name as well.

 

[Helios]

Yes, this is a good option (and better than the one I just posted).

Sorry, somehow managed to post twice.

 

[Ron98GT]

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

Please correct me if I'm wrong, BUT, I believe that Westin & Sheraton were part of the "Starwood Vacation Club", where-as now they have broken into 2 distinct vacation clubs "Westin Vacation Club" and "Sheraton Vacation Club".

Either way, when I want to stay at a SPG hotel, I'll make it thru SPG. When I want to stay at a Westin TS, it will be with Westin (actually II, but I will book a Westin TS). I doubt that the name Vistana will ever come-up, except on this web site, and that's ok, because I know to click on the Forum under "Marriott".

 

[Ron98GT]

Personally, I find this thread extremely hilarious.

Question, if the powers at be owned an Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc...would they say they own a Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (Volkswagen Group) vehicle?

I understand posters points, but I find the name inconsequential...:ignore:...YMMV.

:hysterical: :rofl: :hysterical:

 

[alexadeparis]

Given that none of the other branded forums here are identified by their respective holding company, this is both unprecedented and also is an awkward mouthful. I believe it should just be "Westin/Sheraton Vacation Club by VSE" or something similar. I really hope that a reasonable compromise can be reached.

 

[LisaRex]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, BUT, I believe that Westin & Sheraton were part of the "Starwood Vacation Club", where-as now they have broken into 2 distinct vacation clubs "Westin Vacation Club" and "Sheraton Vacation Club".

Either way, when I want to stay at a SPG hotel, I'll make it thru SPG. When I want to stay at a Westin TS, it will be with Westin (actually II, but I will book a Westin TS). I doubt that the name Vistana will ever come-up, except on this web site, and that's ok, because I know to click on the Forum under "Marriott".

Here is what I understand: When I want to stay at a SPG hotel, I'll make reservations through SPG, for now. However, since Marriott now owns most of the former Starwood branded hotels, they will eventually combine the loyalty programs and SPG will cease to exist. (The CEO has pretty much said that this will eventually happen, and it's making SPG elites very nervous.) At that time, StarPoints will probably convert to MR points, maybe at a 1:2 or 1:3 basis, but that is still up in the air. While we may reserve a Westin hotel by typing in the website for that specific hotel, we will actually be using Marriott's portal, because Marriott is the new owner of the Westin hotels.

As far as the timeshare division goes, while I used to be a Starwood Vacation ownership member, I am now a Vistana Signature Experiences owners. If I want to exchange from SVV to any other timeshare that participated in the former Starwood Vacation Network at the time of the merger, I'll use StarOptions* via the VSE portal. I used to use the SVO portal, but shortly after the timeshare branch was spun off, they changed their name from Starwood Vacation Ownership to Vistana Signature Experiences. This was a deliberate attempt to distance the timeshare division from the hotel division because both had "Starwood" in their names, and the hotel branch was up for sale. So the name change from SVO to VSE would have happened with or without the II acquisition.

*VSE chose to keep the term "StarOptions" for the internal currency VSE owners will use to exchange to other timeshares. So we are all VSE owners, and mandatory VSE owners will still have SOs. If you want to exchange, you can either use SOs or you can deposit your week into II. Same as before.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

I can't believe I'm replying to this thread because basically, I can't believe it is even a topic of conversation at all, let alone a debate.

That said, what about Westin & Sheraton Resort System

 

[lizap]

Not true, based on the results of the poll Denise set up...

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.

 

[YYJMSP]

Not true, based on the results of the poll Denise set up...

There were only 28 votes in the poll, so I'm not sure if that's a statistically large enough sample to project what all of the members of this forum feel...

 

[lizap]

We don't know for sure if the results would generalize to all members of this forum, but I suspect they would. The poll was posted by Denise and it is what we have. I don't understand why it would be a big deal to change the name to Westin and Sheraton Timeshares or something similar. I think the current title is especially problematic for people who are new to TSing wanting to learn more about Westin and Sheraton TSs. As a public forum, I would hope the wishes of the majority of participants/members would be taken into consideration in situations such as this.

There were only 28 votes in the poll, so I'm not sure if that's a statistically large enough sample to project what all of the members of this forum feel...

 

[LisaRex]

Not true, based on the results of the poll Denise set up...

I read the poll as asking people what we would rename SVO, if we had the power to do so. That's completely different from asking what we should name this forum in light of the fact that Vistana Signature Experiences was the chosen name. Those are two completely different topics.

It's pretty obvious that TPTB here at Tug have already decided that this forum should reflect SVO's new name. And I agree with them, even though I don't like the new name. Whatever argument people come up with against VSE also applied to SVO (e.g. the name "Westin" or "Sheraton" doesn't appear in the title, how could new owners know how to find this forum), and yet no one (to the best of my knowledge) appealed to change the name from "Starwood Vacation Ownership" to "Westin and Sheraton Vacation Ownership."

No, VSE is the successor to SVO, whether we like the name or not, or whether we like the fact that our new owner doesn't enjoy a great reputation in the industry. Besides, the front running name is both awkward, and it leaves Harborside out in the cold, not to mention any other acquisitions that might be folded into VSE that might not have any of the current brands folded into VSE.

 

[ArizonaSun4Fun]

It appears that Starwood owners are in the throes of the 5 stages of grief over the death of the Starwood name.

1. Denial - We were in this stage for awhile. Yeah, there was an announcement made about the name change, but we didn't see any changes, so we ignored it.

2. Anger - I think some of us are right here - we can't ignore the name change any more - it's real. The forum name changed and the website is changing. Change is hard - we don't like it.

3. Bargaining - Some of us have moved on to bargaining already. Maybe if TUG changes the name back, it won't be so real and painful - we can pretend it really isn't changing.

4. Depression - I predict this will hit when the website is rolled out under the name VSE, and all the "Star" monikers are changed to something else.

5. Acceptance - 3 mos. or less. By then we will be complaining about the way ILG is running VSE, and the name change will be minor.

OR, the VSE name will have been replaced by something better - or worse.

WOW!! This couldn't be more true!! From a less passionate owner, this is hilarious seeing how bent out of shape people get from changing the name "Starwood" to "Vistana."

 

[ArizonaSun4Fun]

Imagine a possible future, when "Vistana" is made up of a Westin Vacation Club, a Sheraton Vacation Club, a Hyatt Vacation Club, and perhaps others. Are we going to change the name of the Forum each time something new is added or taken away? Perhaps we should separate Westin and Sheraton into two separate Forums and list them all in the "Other Timeshare Systems" Forum with Hyatt.

Why might a separate brand name like "Vistana" make sense? Perhaps the plan is for each individual club to allow new points purchased to reserve a reservation is their home club 12 months out from the desired vacation date. At eight months out, you can change your home ownership to "Gold Points," or StarOptions if you prefer, for a fee, that will allow you to book available dates in the other various Vacation Clubs owned by ILG (The "Vistana" owned clubs.) If you don't like those options, then, for a fee, you can change your points to a different currency that allows you to book any of the available resorts that trade through Interval International.

There is a reason for separating the FORMER Starwood Vacation Ownership into a Westin Vacation Club and a Sheraton Vacation Club. The Sheraton Flex Program already exists. The Hyatt program is being changed into a pure points program, and I'm sure Westin is right behind at a premium price point. They need an umbrella name and shared ownership in order to achieve the promised synergies to investors. (Not to mention exchange fee revenue in addition to point sales.)

 

[Ken555]

What I find most amusing about this thread is that people are posting that it's a silly topic yet continue to express their own opinion, as if it's unimportant in the extreme but...are forced to write about it anyway.

For myself, I think it's reasonable to discuss the name of the forum. After all, it's the best method visitors (and members) to the site will use to quickly locate it. Care to bet new owners or prospects who attend a presentation at a resort aren't aware of the name "Vistana" at all?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[lizap]

Pure speculation..

Imagine a possible future, when "Vistana" is made up of a Westin Vacation Club, a Sheraton Vacation Club, a Hyatt Vacation Club, and perhaps others. Are we going to change the name of the Forum each time something new is added or taken away? Perhaps we should separate Westin and Sheraton into two separate Forums and list them all in the "Other Timeshare Systems" Forum with Hyatt.

Why might a separate brand name like "Vistana" make sense? Perhaps the plan is for each individual club to allow new points purchased to reserve a reservation is their home club 12 months out from the desired vacation date. At eight months out, you can change your home ownership to "Gold Points," or StarOptions if you prefer, for a fee, that will allow you to book available dates in the other various Vacation Clubs owned by ILG (The "Vistana" owned clubs.) If you don't like those options, then, for a fee, you can change your points to a different currency that allows you to book any of the available resorts that trade through Interval International.

There is a reason for separating the FORMER Starwood Vacation Ownership into a Westin Vacation Club and a Sheraton Vacation Club. The Sheraton Flex Program already exists. The Hyatt program is being changed into a pure points program, and I'm sure Westin is right behind at a premium price point. They need an umbrella name and shared ownership in order to achieve the promised synergies to investors. (Not to mention exchange fee revenue in addition to point sales.)

 

[DavidnRobin]

What I find most amusing about this thread is that people are posting that it's a silly topic yet continue to express their own opinion, as if it's unimportant in the extreme but...are forced to write about it anyway.

For myself, I think it's reasonable to discuss the name of the forum. After all, it's the best method visitors (and members) to the site will use to quickly locate it. Care to bet new owners or prospects who attend a presentation at a resort aren't aware of the name "Vistana" at all?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Exactly.

While I do not like the name - this wasn't the point of my posts. Heck, way less than 1% of VSE (SVO) owners likely even know about TUG.

My point was about 'Branding' - irrespective of jumping the gun on the forum name change.

Ask 100 people who are familiar with traveling or time sharing.

Most will know the name Westin or Sheraton.
Many may be familiar with Starwood - and that Westin and Sheraton are (were) under the Starwood umbrella, and have timeshares as well.

Few will know anything about Vistana Signature Experience (unless the follow Hospitality industry via the Stock Market - or TUG, or those non-Tuggers that pay attention)

our forum name should reflect the Brand - not the Holding Company...
IMO

 

[TUGBrian]

did notice a number of email change requests from starwoodvo.com....to vistana.com

its pretty safe to say the starwood name is going away completely...eventually.

 

[Ken555]

did notice a number of email change requests from starwoodvo.com....to vistana.com

Corporate email domain change is expected.

its pretty safe to say the starwood name is going away completely...eventually.

I think we are all in agreement about that; however, the name by which they market their product doesn't appear to be Vistana so it might be wise to reconsider the name of this forum.

 

[lorenmd]

i just had to call my owner's association and they answer the phone sheraton vacation club