cbdmvci
TUG Member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2010
- Messages
- 149
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 226
- Location
- North Jersey
- Resorts Owned
-
Marriott Beachplace Towers
Marriott Aruba Ocean Club
The next time someone goes to a Destination Club Points presentation, please raise this simple concern with the sales manager:
As I remember the presentation when I originally bought developer weeks, to me, the primary benefit of timeshare ownership was as a hedge against inflation: "you are paying 1998 dollars for your vacation no matter how high hotel rooms, for example, may cost in the future."
And, I think, that is one benefit that has proven to be fair and accurate. Buying a comparable vacation to those I can get with my timeshare properties would cost many hundreds of dollars per night today. My MF's are earned back in the first 2 or 3 days of the week. The next four days were paid for in 1998.
But, if in the Destination Club Program, the cost in points for a night is not fixed, but adjustable entirely at MVCI's discretion, than that, the most important benefit, is lost.
I guess MVCI'S response may be: the total points for the year is fixed, we can only move them around between seasons (and also resorts?, I'm not sure of that rule).
But to me, this flexibility of playing with the points entirely at Marriott's discretion is very suspect. If a new DC Club points buyer wants to vacation Xmas week, it can wind up costing him more and more and more and more ... without him having any control at all. I think the certain "hedge against inflation" benefit is substantially lost forever. Especially for those, say with children in school, who must travel prime weeks.
Ironically, for an empty nestor like me, just a couple of years away from retirement, it might actually work out well. Over time, with MVCI analyzing supply and demand, points costs will get more and more scewed toward higher demand weeks. If I can travel in lower demand time slots, it may even, over time, ameliorate the skim cost entirely.
Damn, I may just have changed my own mind. Maybe I'll join the DC, after all.
As I remember the presentation when I originally bought developer weeks, to me, the primary benefit of timeshare ownership was as a hedge against inflation: "you are paying 1998 dollars for your vacation no matter how high hotel rooms, for example, may cost in the future."
And, I think, that is one benefit that has proven to be fair and accurate. Buying a comparable vacation to those I can get with my timeshare properties would cost many hundreds of dollars per night today. My MF's are earned back in the first 2 or 3 days of the week. The next four days were paid for in 1998.
But, if in the Destination Club Program, the cost in points for a night is not fixed, but adjustable entirely at MVCI's discretion, than that, the most important benefit, is lost.
I guess MVCI'S response may be: the total points for the year is fixed, we can only move them around between seasons (and also resorts?, I'm not sure of that rule).
But to me, this flexibility of playing with the points entirely at Marriott's discretion is very suspect. If a new DC Club points buyer wants to vacation Xmas week, it can wind up costing him more and more and more and more ... without him having any control at all. I think the certain "hedge against inflation" benefit is substantially lost forever. Especially for those, say with children in school, who must travel prime weeks.
Ironically, for an empty nestor like me, just a couple of years away from retirement, it might actually work out well. Over time, with MVCI analyzing supply and demand, points costs will get more and more scewed toward higher demand weeks. If I can travel in lower demand time slots, it may even, over time, ameliorate the skim cost entirely.
Damn, I may just have changed my own mind. Maybe I'll join the DC, after all.
Last edited: