Greetings!
This fall has been a busy travel time for me. I just returned from Croatia and Turkey and highly recommend them both. Check out my travel blog to get ideas for your next trip. Next month I am taking a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. I can't wait to experience what so many of my clients are raving about.
I continue to receive many calls from owners confused about what to do about Marriott's Destination Club and how all of this will ultimately affect them. Much is still unknown but with over 200 clients I tend to see trends first. Read on for the first trend I am noticing.
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Marriott Resort Trades
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It has been just 4 months since Marriott introduced the Destination Club Points program and I am already seeing challenges in trading owners into certain Marriott resorts. The question for most owners, moving forward, will be to determine when to use Interval to trade and when to use Club Points, if enrolled.
Sold out properties will continue to have a fair amount of inventory deposited into Interval--non-sold out properties and properties that convert to a high number of Club points will not.
In the past, Marriott would deposit some un-sold inventory into Interval as a marketing strategy to encourage potential buyers to visit the new property. This will no longer occur. The inventory will be in the Trust only accessible by Club points. Owners who receive a high number of Club points for their ownership, such as 4,000-6,000, will opt for points rather than to deal with Interval. Studios may be available in Interval if owners choose to occupy the Master and lockoff and deposit the studio.
The most difficult properties to trade into through Interval will be:
- Maui Ocean Club
- Waiohai on Kauai
- Crystal Shores on Marco Island
- Oceania Palms in W. Palm Beach
- St. Kitts
- St. Thomas
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The good news is that Club points do work. I have been successful in booking clients, into St. Kitts in April, Canyon Villas in March, Park City in June. Marriott is working very hard to confirm owners, who request a resort with Club Points, so that they can advertise the success of the program.
If you have not enrolled yet, you still have until the end of the year to take advantage of the current pricing and promotions. If you want to wait and see how this all shakes out, you will have the opportunity to enroll in future years. As always, The Art of Vacationing is here to help you navigate through your options and ensure that you are making the best decisions for your ownership.
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