Why Not All Marriott Timeshare Owners are Happy with the New Timeshare Points Plan
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Even though The Timeshare Authority is a blog, where opining is permissible, we’ve tried to maintain a journalistic approach to the matter of Marriott Vacation Club’s new timeshare points plan. After all, it is an optional timeshare points program, in which timeshare owners can choose whether they participate or not.
But because there continues to be so many voiced concerns and opinions about the program, we’re going to pass along some of those comments, specifically as they appeared on Bill Marriott’s personal blog Marriott on the Move and on the SellMyTimeshareNOW forum.
Bill Marriott Writes about Marriott Timeshare Points
If you visit Marriott on the Move, published on June 25, 2010 (Providing Our Timeshare Owners with More Flexibility), you can read what Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International says, including this description of the program:
“… This new points-based program (The Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program) will provide the flexibility that so many timeshare owners want.
Gone are the days of buying specific weeks at a time. Now our Owners can check in and check out any day they choose, 365 days a year. They can select any size villa – a studio or a 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom unit, and can bank, borrow or transfer their points for additional flexibility and stays. There are many more great benefits for Owners as a part of the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program.”
On that timeshare blog post, you will find many comments about the program, some expressing concern that Marriott timeshare owners who participate in the points program are not receiving a sufficient number of points to allow them to plan vacations at most of the included properties. In some cases, these timeshare owners are saying the ownership they purchased that should have covered a 7-day timeshare vacation, now only converts to enough points to permit them to say 5 or 6 days.
Other complaints include the difference in the points values for some resorts as compared to others, as well as the fact that the program is currently limited to North American timeshare properties.
Timeshare Owners Speak Out
On the SellMyTimeshareNOW Timeshare forum, you will find comments about the Marriott timeshare points system under the subheading: Timeshare Exchange and Points Systems. One Marriott timeshare owner wrote, “One thing that left me a little bit annoyed was the points to get into one of my home resorts in the same season was slightly more than the number of points they give you. For example, my Barony Beach week was worth 3250 points but (if) I wanted to use it for the same season in the same property it was something like 3400 points.”
Another Marriott owner looked at the new system in terms of dollars and cents, writing, “So as I see it, we only get 85.74% of our current value under the new point system (6 nights in lieu of 7) OR We pay a premium of 26% ((1,000 points at $9.20 = $9,200 / our current investment of $35,000.”)
Finding Answers that Work for Timeshare Owners and Developers
While everyone understands it is impossible to create one system (on any topic, but certainly on that of timeshare points) that works for everyone, it is important that a timeshare points program be effective for the majority of timeshare owners who participate in it. Today’s business world is consumer driven; everyone who succeeds in any field or niche of industry must respect that.
Right now is an exciting time to be part of the timeshare industry because developers, timeshare brokers, and timeshare resales companies are writing new pages in the story of timeshare ownership, setting higher standards for customer service and then striving to exceed them whenever possible. In the history of timeshares, it has never been more important than it is right now, for the stories of timeshare ownership include lots of ‘happy endings’.
Other recent posts on The Timeshare Authority blog addressing Marriott Timeshare Points:
