Why waste money on II ?

[dioxide45]

Yes but if you request any non-Marriott's, you still have to pay. Request Marriott's first and if they don't come through, add the non-Marriott's later and pay.

Very true, but the OP was comparing II to using a Marriott to Marriott direct exchange method. So the DC analogy fits.

I agree about including just Marriott's first and then adding other properties outside of the Marriott group if something doesn't come through. We did that in Maui back in 2010. Maui Ocean Club ended up coming through in the end. We had to still pay the higher fee though.

 

[suzannesimon]

I learned that the hard way too. As soon as you add a non-Marriott you have to pay even if you eventually match with another Marriott.

 

[temiatwork]

"As nice as Marriott's are, they aren't the only game in town."

Bingo!

Been exchanging through II for 11 years and only stayed at one Marriott.

I think I'm very lucking booking with II, I always get Marriott with my bookings. To reduce your cost, don't get the gold or platinum membership specially if you have MR and only booking with Marriott.

 

[dioxide45]

I think I'm very lucking booking with II, I always get Marriott with my bookings. To reduce your cost, don't get the gold or platinum membership specially if you have MR and only booking with Marriott.

What does Marriott Rewards have anything to do with saving money when exchanging in to only Marriott properties? Gold or Platinum II membership doesn't get you any real perks beyond free guest certificates and $50 off of getaways. We upgraded to Platinum last year when they had a 2 for 1 promo. We have already bought two getaways and added a guest certificate to each. That is a $218 savings. Signing up for gold or platinum can be a good option depending on the situation.

 

[Luvtoride]

I joined the owner-to-owner site. Since the perceived value of my owned week (DSVII) is not high, no one was interested in trading with me. I understand where folks with high maintenance fees are coming from. I probably wouldn't want to trade Hawaii for Palm Desert either. No worries really, I was willing to try, but for me II is the way to go. We've been all over the place with some very nice trades, and not all of them were Marriotts (Grand Solmar and Northstar come to mind). For our personal situation, Interval works well for us.

KLP, how was Grand Solmar? I friend of mine was just there and loved it. What time of year did you go? Were you able to trade your DSV II week for it? We have a week at DSV II in II. Thanks.

 

[klpca]

KLP, how was Grand Solmar? I friend of mine was just there and loved it. What time of year did you go? Were you able to trade your DSV II week for it? We have a week at DSV II in II. Thanks.

Grand Solmar was beautiful. We were there either on a short stay or AC (can't quite remember ) so the price was right! We were there last April and the weather was awesome. We had a one bedroom unit for the first night then moved to our studio - we were happy to try both - and while the studio was fine, the full one bedroom was amazing. It was one of the ground floor units next to the ocean front pool. Very nice but I'm sure that we'll never be in one of those units again as an exchanger. There are a ton of units there so I expect that you should be able to exchange in. I give it two thumbs up. Go for it!

 

[temiatwork]

What does Marriott Rewards have anything to do with saving money when exchanging in to only Marriott properties? Gold or Platinum II membership doesn't get you any real perks beyond free guest certificates and $50 off of getaways. We upgraded to Platinum last year when they had a 2 for 1 promo. We have already bought two getaways and added a guest certificate to each. That is a $218 savings. Signing up for gold or platinum can be a good option depending on the situation.

Yes depending on the situation. In my case, I'm a gold member for about 4 years but have never used the added value that comes with it. I mentioned MR because it's easier to book additional vacation days in MR than find it in I.I., I've never calculated though if there are savings this way but I only choose Marriott partner hotels.

This year, I renewed the normal membership and booked Cypress Harbour for December

 

[GregT]

All,

I think there has been many answers on the advantages of II (upgrades, XYZ, getaways, etc).

But what are the disadvantages of II that make an owner trade preferable? I think there is a clear need for Direct Exchange for high quality weeks, seeking a similar week, especially if not enrolled in DClub.

As an example, if I own 2BR Waiohai OV and want 2BR Ko Olina OV, that's not possible through II (or highly unlikely I should say). There are few 2BRs deposited and no assurance on view. Plus room assignment puts exchangers at a disadvantage.

So in this example, a Direct Exchange is preferable - and avoids the issues of renting out/in the applicable rooms. I would think this example applies to any of the high quality weeks that receive no advantage from II, and which was a need filled partially by DClub (before the skim).

The second example would be even if II had a good probability of providing the desired room (saying I wanted MFC with only one view), if the room assignment is important to me, then a Direct Exchange is preferred.

But this is Like for Like and many of us are looking for the opportunity of up-trades via II. These are also not financial reasons for doing the trade, but more intangible reasons.

Best,

Greg

 

[Fairwinds]

I agree, there are good reasons to trade directly with an owner. Long range planning with exact resort and check in day would be good enough reasons for me even if only trading like for like. Even though my one attempt was for an up trade. Although those of us that have enrolled can often accomplish similar results by converting, a direct trade eliminates the skim.