The Westin Resorts Snowmass and Wildwood Snowmass have eliminated any excuse not to hold your conferences or working vacations at their resorts. With recent upgrades to speed and bandwidth in a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi network, Westin Snowmass and Wildwood Snowmass now offer some the fastest and most reliable internet connections in the area. Hotels, timeshares, and vacation ownership resorts are really getting the message that people can travel more and vacation oftener if only they can stay better connected.
Partnering with PSAV Presentation Services, dual band access points have been installed throughout the resort in areas with a high-demand for internet usage, such as the public spaces, meeting spaces, guest rooms, and back offices. Additionally, working with Comcast, these Westin Resorts have added advanced bandwidth designed for the long-term use and expanded needs of conferences and groups.
Matt Harvey, vice president of client network services for PSAV explains, “Mountain properties are often challenged to deliver business class bandwidth along with updated infrastructure and service at remote resort locations. With the bandwidth, wireless infrastructure, and on-site support now available, The Westin Snowmass and Wildwood Snowmass rivals even the most hi-tech, major metro properties.”
Harvey adds, “The Westin Snowmass is now in an entirely new league offering bandwidth at this level, making it on-par with major city conference center hotels that were traditionally the only properties considered for tech-heavy conferences in the past.”
Tim Johnson, director of sales and marketing at the Westin Snowmass points out that travelers and guests expect connectivity that is on-par with what they experience at home. Johnson says, “We have dramatically increased our bandwidth with this new Wi-Fi so meeting attendees/presenters, business travelers and leisure travelers can access the strong, fast, reliable Internet access they need.”
Wildwood Snowmass and The Westin Snowmass Resort are owned by a joint venture between Starwood Capital Group (owner of Starwood timeshare) and Wasserman Real Estate
Starwood Vacation Ownership is a subsidiary of the global hotel and leisure giant, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. With more than a 30-year history in the timeshare industry, Starwood Vacation Ownership has resorts across the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Thousands of couples and families enjoy the spacious accommodations and delightful destinations of Starwood timeshare resales and rentals, yet the distinctions between buying a resale and buying from the developer can be confusing for new buyers.
As a company, Starwood includes multiple brands on both the hotel side and the vacation ownership side. Starwood timeshares include resorts under the brands Westin, Sheraton, St. Regis, along with brand affiliation with Four Points, Aloft, Elements, Le Méridien, and The Luxury Collection – Hotels & Resorts. And one the best-known resorts in the Starwood vacation ownership family isn’t always recognized immediately by consumers as being part of the brand, the Harborside Resort at Atlantis, located in the Bahamas.
Starwood Timeshare Resales
On the secondary market, which means when the consumer who currently owns it resells the timeshare, all Starwood resort properties are sold as deeded timeshares. They can be fixed weeks or a floating season ownership, but there is always a deeded interest attached.
Select Starwood timeshare properties carry a StarOptions value. This value is determined by the size of the timeshare unit, the demand for the resort, the dates of availability, and the length of ownership. StarOptions is a program within Starwood timeshare that gives these properties a vacation ownership a “timeshare points” component and with it, timeshare exchange features.
But before we explore StarOptions, let’s look at Starwood Vacation Ownership resales that are not part of the StarOptions program. With these resales, you can, from up to one year or within 8 months of your vacation, and with a fixed or floating week, confirm your vacation week at your home resort prior to these dates becoming available to others for timeshare exchange.
Starwood Vacation Ownership StarOptions
StarOptions is also called the Starwood Vacation Network (SVN). If you want to convert your Starwood timeshare resale to StarOptions (points) you must own at one of 5 Starwood resorts. By purchasing a resale timeshare at one of these locations, you can reserve vacation time at other Starwood resort properties with no exchange fees.
These five resorts offering StarOptions for resale owners are:
Harborside at Atlantis (I and II)
Vistana Villages (Bella and Key West phases)
Westin Ka’anapali and Westin Ka’anapali North
Westin St. John (Hillside phase
Westin Kierland Villas
But there is a easy way to get around the caveat if you own a Starwood resale or are considering buying Starwood timeshare resales and you want to buy a timeshare at one of the other beautiful Starwood resorts (not one of these five), yet still exchange for vacations at other Starwood destinations.
This fact is very important for Starwood timeshare resale buyers:
You can, as a resale owner at ANY Starwood vacation ownership property, become a paid member of Interval International, and then you will have timeshare exchange privileges at all the other Starwood resorts as well as at thousands of other timeshare destinations that are part of the Interval exchange network.
Three more factors distinguish Starwood timeshare resale ownership from buyers of timeshare who purchase directly through Starwood. These are:
Starwood offers the Starwood Preferred Guest Program. This allows owners to exchange their StarPoints for hotel stays at Westin and Sheraton hotels or for travel perks including airline miles and car rentals. Buyers of Starwood timeshare as a resale are not eligible to exchange their timeshare in this program, but they can—just like any other Starwood hotel guest—join the program and take advantage of its other perks. By doing this, they receive all the benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Program that any member who is not also a Starwood timeshare owner, receives.
Starwood owners who purchase on the secondary market (a resale timeshare) cannot become “Elite Owners.” This distinction is reserved for owners of multiple Starwood timeshares, that were purchased directly through Starwood. Sometimes, even this does not apply, as Starwood has been known to re-qualify resale weeks for resale owners who later buy more timeshare directly from Starwood.
And here is the most important difference of all for timeshare buyers of Starwood resales. When you buy a timeshare on the secondary market, you save thousands and thousands of dollars over the price of buying directly from the developer. You enjoy the same timeshare resorts and all the same fabulous amenities, yet as a consumer savvy enough to buy on the resale market, you will be enjoying that vacation without the cost burden of ongoing timeshare financing and with a LOT more cash still in your pocket.
Ways to support the victims and their families in Boston
In the wake of the tragic events in Boston, we offer the following information.
The City of Boston has established “One Fund Boston.” Boston-based John Hancock (insurance company) has already committed $1 million to the fund which will raise money for families most affected by the bombings.
Ten of the victims were taken to Boston’s Children’s Hospital. You can donate here: Boston’s Children’s Hospital and you can follow them on Twitter for updates at @BostonChildrens.
The Salvation Army provides food and counseling to those on the scene. By Tuesday morning, the Salvation Army had already distributed nearly 1800 meals and drinks to victims, families of victims, and first responders.
The Red Cross has established a site for helping friends and family connect with possible victims of the Boston tragedy. Follow this link to the website: The Red Cross’s Safe and Well website. And to donate directly to the Red Cross, go to: Red Cross
Many airlines make it easy for you to donate your air miles to charities directly through the airline website. Some of these include: US Airways, which partners with numerous charities, including Miles of Hope, the American Red Cross, and other agencies; Delta, whose charities include the American Red Cross; and United that partners with with numerous charities including both the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Many other airlines accept the donation of your air miles for compassionate use; see their websites for further details.
Remember you can donate blood, wherever you are… your blood donation is always needed.
Many hotels permit members of their loyalty programs to donate points to charity, including Hilton, Marriott, and Starwood, which all partner with the Red Cross.
If you specifically want to target your gift to victims and their families in Boston, read the details on each company’s website to ensure that you donation benefits the recipients you prefer.
The thoughts and prayers of all of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW, VacationOwnership.com, and ResortRentals.com are with the city of Boston and all of the individuals touched by this senseless act. Although at a time like this we are all connected as Americans, our company feels especially touched by this tragedy that happened only fifty miles from our Exeter, NH office.
Starwood Vacation Ownership Partners in Fundraiser to Benefit Children
Starwood Timeshare was the finish line sponsor for the Dick Batchelor Run for the Children.
Held this past Saturday, Jan 19, 2013, the 32nd Dick Batchelor Run for the Children, was sponsored in part by Starwood Vacation Ownership (Starwood timeshare). The Dick Batchelor Run is the largest fundraising event held to benefit Orlando’s Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families, which is a part of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Starwood Vacation Ownership, also called Starwood timeshare, was the finish line sponsor for the 5K (3.1 mile) race and Kids’ Fun Run.
Some 2000 runners and walkers participated at the event which was held at Universal Orlando Resort. Over the years, the run, which raises awareness of children’s health, education, and safety, has generated more than $1 million for the six core programs housed within the Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families. These programs are: the Developmental Center for Infants & Children/Early Steps; Healthy Families Orange; the Orange County Children’s Advocacy Center; the Child Protection Team; the Healing Tree; and Teen Xpress.
Founder and namesake, Dick Batchelor, who is a past Florida state representative and is widely recognized as a children’s advocate, says, “It’s great to see so many athletes join us year after year to support the Howard Phillips Center. Every single runner, walker, volunteer, and all the race organizers play a critical role in helping to prevent and treat child abuse throughout Central Florida.”
In 2011-12, the Howard Phillips Center provided medical and therapeutic treatment to more than 14,000 children and their caretakers.
The support of Starwood Vacation Club for this event is only one of many ways that Starwood timeshare and vacation ownership gives back to local communities.
