• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Resale Benefits

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
If we purchase a Starwood private resale which has 148,100 star options, can we use those options at other Starwood resorts using their 8 month policy and go thru Starwood internally or do we lose that benefit because it was a private resale? Can we still trade it with II? Also, can we trade it for Starwood hotel points every other year similiar to the process when we buy directly from Starwood? We have only purchased direct from Starwood and are now considering resale due to the great prices in the market now and don't understand what we lose by doing that.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
Some resales have Staroptions - it depends on which resort you buy.

No Starwood resales have Starpoints, however, since you can buy resale for 50% or less of the retail price, most owners don't consider the Starpoints to be worth paying twice the price.

Please see this Starwood FAQ for all the details & I am going to move your post to the Starwood Forum.

I would do a lot of research before I bought another Starwood resort - the outrageous escalating maintenance fees and decreased trading rights with II, have made this system less attractive than it was in the past.
 
Last edited:

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
(1) If we sell our Starwood Princeville privately, are the Star Options transferable to the buyer? (2) If we purchase Starwood Harborside privately, are those star options transferable to us? Those are the specific properties we had in mind.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
(1) If we sell our Starwood Princeville privately, are the Star Options transferable to the buyer?

No - and because of that, you are likely to only get 40-50% of what you paid for it. A quick look shows that 2 bdm. units are starting at $24,500 on redweek.com for this resort.

(2) If we purchase Starwood Harborside privately, are those star options transferable to us? Those are the specific properties we had in mind.

Yes
 
Last edited:

Stefa

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
1,408
Reaction score
0
Points
396
No - and because of that, you are likely to only get 40-50% of what you paid for it. A quick look shows that 2 bdm. units are starting at $24,500 on redweek.com for this resort.

Princeville also has very high fees and is not a beachfront resort, so I would be surprised if the one listed for $24,500 will sell unless they lower their asking price.

I don't know what Starwood was thinking when they decided the staroptions wouldn't transfer for Princeville (and other new Westin properties). That really kills resale values.
 

yumdrey

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
3,029
Reaction score
3
Points
273
Location
Maryland, U.S.A.
On ebay, Westin Princeville is no better than Westin Kaanapali resorts.
There are not many resales because it is quite new (compared to WKORV & North), but their sales on ebay were the same or a little below than WKORV.
If buyer is not a Kauai enthusiast, there's no reason to buy princeville since it is voluntary resort.
I am surprised how many starwood owners mis-present their auctions on ebay. It is not rare to see they say "this staroptions will transfer to new owner" or "starpoints will be used for starwood hotels". Recently, I contacted Sheraton Mountain Vista owner who claimed the same thing, asked him to contact starwood to verify that info, and a day later, he sent me an e-mail, and said all his benefits (starpoints & staroptions) would transfer to a new owner (he said he verified that info with Maribelle of starwood legal team).
So buyers should due their diligence for ebay purchase.
 

LisaRex

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2007
Messages
6,792
Reaction score
317
Points
518
Location
'burbs of Cincinnati, OH
Resorts Owned
Used to own: WKORV-N; SVV - Bella
I don't know what Starwood was thinking when they decided the staroptions wouldn't transfer for Princeville (and other new Westin properties). That really kills resale values.

Killing resales altogether was the whole intent. They were thinking that StarOptions would be so desireable that no one would buy resale.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
Princeville also has very high fees and is not a beachfront resort, so I would be surprised if the one listed for $24,500 will sell unless they lower their asking price.

I agree Stefa, it was just all I could find with a quick check.
 

vacationtime1

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
5,159
Reaction score
2,750
Points
649
Location
San Francisco
Resorts Owned
WKORV-OF (Maui)
WKV x2 (Scottsdale)
Princeville also has very high fees and is not a beachfront resort, so I would be surprised if the one listed for $24,500 will sell unless they lower their asking price.

I recall that a Westin Princeville annual unit sold on eBay a couple of months ago for $13,100. That is probably about right in the current weak market.
 

DanCali

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
4,492
Reaction score
1,790
Points
398
Resorts Owned
Vistana, Marriott, DVC
I recall that a Westin Princeville annual unit sold on eBay a couple of months ago for $13,100. That is probably about right in the current weak market.


You are probably referring to this item... this seller represnted the item as a mandatory resort. I doubt the buyer knew what they were getting...

Either way, WKORVN OV units are selling today for much less than that... Unless someone wants to vacation at Princeville every year (because it's a waste to trade in II), it doesn't make sense to pay more than that for a voluntary resort with comparable MFs, like WPORV.

Starwood killed resale values of voluntary resorts by making them voluntary. It is doing the same to mandatory resorts via MF increases. In my opinion they are killing the whole product with these moves.
 

Fredm

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2005
Messages
1,782
Reaction score
8
Points
248
Location
Palm Desert, CA
Current POR pricing

Our most recent sale prices for POR:

Annual $18,000, biennial $10,000.

Similar for KOR OV, although a biennial just sold for $8900.
 
Last edited:

DanCali

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
4,492
Reaction score
1,790
Points
398
Resorts Owned
Vistana, Marriott, DVC
That auction was for EOY with first use in 2011, so still a bit higher for the mandatory.

You are correct, my bad. I wasn't looking to bid so didn't read carefully but I was thrown off by the way MFs were listed ($2450 instead of approx half the amount each year). I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bidders were thrown off too... Let's see where this one ends up.
 

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
I just spoke to Starwood customer service and they confirmed that Star Options are not transferable on a resale, however, if the new owner on a resale pays the one time fee of $599 and the annual SVN fee every year, then they would in fact get the Star Options and be part of the SVN. So anyone thinking of a resale to dump a property may want to consider paying this fee for their buyer as part of the negotiations.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
I just spoke to Starwood customer service and they confirmed that Star Options are not transferable on a resale, however, if the new owner on a resale pays the one time fee of $599 and the annual SVN fee every year, then they would in fact get the Star Options and be part of the SVN. So anyone thinking of a resale to dump a property may want to consider paying this fee for their buyer as part of the negotiations.

RoadWarrior - this is ONLY true in a few very specific situations and is not true in most cases. Unless this is something brand new, it isn't true at WPORV.
 

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
Well this is frustrating. How can we believe anything they tell us? How do you know it's not true?
 

Fredm

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2005
Messages
1,782
Reaction score
8
Points
248
Location
Palm Desert, CA
Well this is frustrating. How can we believe anything they tell us? How do you know it's not true?

Oftentimes, customer service reps receive training that is not complete. They glean 'facts", without understanding the nuance.

Ask whomever you spoke with to put it in writing; specifically as it relates to Princeville.
 

Bill4728

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
11,038
Reaction score
598
Points
899
Location
Lake Tapps, WA
Well this is frustrating. How can we believe anything they tell us? How do you know it's not true?
Well you can look at the people you're listening to and figure it out.

Does the person who says that you can get into SVN have a reason to stretch the truth?
If he is trying to sell you a voluntary resort ( which will not give staroptions to a resale buyer) then maybe he might stretch the truth a little to get a sale.

OR DeniseM, who has no reason to not tell you what she has learned over her years of experience and 14,000 posts?
 

James1975NY

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2008
Messages
1,215
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Location
Orlando, FL
Well you can look at the people you're listening to and figure it out.

Does the person who says that you can get into SVN have a reason to stretch the truth?
If he is trying to sell you a voluntary resort ( which will not give staroptions to a resale buyer) then maybe he might stretch the truth a little to get a sale.

OR DeniseM, who has no reason to not tell you what she has learned over her years of experience and 14,000 posts?

Bill, I think you misunderstood what was said. The poster said that they had contacted SVO customer service (Owner Services?) and they told him about the $599.00.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
Well this is frustrating. How can we believe anything they tell us? How do you know it's not true?

Because the same question comes up a couple times a month here on the Starwood forum. It is not unusual for owner services to give out bad info. the first time. Then when the poster goes back and tries to confirm it, they find out they were given the incorrect info. Please call again, and let us know what you find out... Maybe it's something brand new, but I will bet you a Mai Tai they gave you the wrong answer the first time.

Starwood does not want all resale owners to have Staroptions - if all resales had Staroptions, there would be no valid reason to buy from the developer. That is why all the new resorts do NOT have Staroptioms - it's a major selling point for Starwood.
 
Last edited:

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
I will go back and get it in writing from their legal dept. if I can; not customer service. Will post back when I come up with something. Happy New Year!
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
Haven't got thru to the legal dept. yet but we did call SVO customer services back and yes, we did get a DIFFERENT ANSWER! You are so right ....they are inconsistent with their responses...we owe you a Mai Tai! This time we talked to a Manager who confirmed that only the 5 Mandatory facilities transfer their Star Options to the new owner in a resale; however, if a Voluntary facility was sold in a resale and the new owner then purchased another unit direct from SVO, they could "retro" the resale property with Star Options. So, it is possible to get SO with a resale but you still need to make a major purchase with SVO. If you really needed 2 units, this approach may make sense. I will keep trying with legal.
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
RoadWarrior - did you see that I posted their email addresses above?

There are a couple more scenarios where owners have been allowed to join the SVN:

1) Owners at a resort that was developed by another company and then bought out by Starwood.

2) Owners at a Starwood resort that wasn't in the SVN, but then Starwood added the resort or certain phases to the SVN, and invited owners to join.
 

RoadWarrior

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
361
Location
New Jersey
yes, I saw, but haven't had a chance yet to follow up. Seems to me that the real issue here is that a lot of this is not in writing, and/or policies change periodically without notice, and there is no master SVO communication plan or written policy for all SVO owners.
 
Top