......When their Lips are Moving!

We all know the old joke about when a timeshare salesperson is lying. Recently I spoke with a Starwood salesperson over the phone. I had a lot of questions about the SVN program that I could not find answers to on this boards stickys, the FAQs, or Starwoods owner manual. Here are my questions and the salesperson's answers. Are they correct?

Q: Does it matter where StarOption originate from, are some points stronger traders than others?
A: No, points are points.

Q:Is there a fee to reserve a week at your home resort? A fee to reserve a week at a sister resort? A fee to reserve less than a week at any SVN resort?
A: No, No, and No

Q: When do StarOptions become available for use?
A; Jan 1 of the use year. So, a 2015 week, the StarOptions become available on 1-1-2015.

Q: When do StarOptions need to be used by?
A: All StarOptions need to used by Dec 31 of the use year for a reservation that commences by Dec 31 of the use year..

Q: Can StarOptions be extended?
A: Yes, they can be extended for 2-years for a single $99 fee. If extended 2015 StarOptions can be used until Dec 31, 2017.

Q: Is their a housekeeping or split week fee for stays less than a week?
A: No extra fees for stays less than a week.

Q: Can left over StarOptions be deposited into II?
A: No, only a week at your home resort can be deposited.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of nights I can stay per year?
A: You can stay as many nights as you have StarOptions for.

Q: How long are hotel points good for?
A: 6 years.

Q: How many hotel points do 81,000 StarOtions or 141,000 StarOptions convert to?
A: Depends on the resort they originate from.

Q: Can a family member use my week or a week I reserve through SVN? Do I need to check in?
A: No, anyone can use your week. As long as you put their name on the reservation they can check-in.

Q: Is a guest certificate required?
A: Guest Certificates are not required.

So is my faith in timeshare people restored?

All answers look correct to me (although I'm not sure about the points... we've never converted options to points).

Regarding extending StarOptions, this must be done by July 1, except maybe for higher membership levels.

No fee to add a guest name, but - of course - you must call to add the guest's name to the reservation so the person can check in.

Also, you didn't ask but good to know... you can borrow options from a future years after paying the estimated maintenance fees for that year.

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FreeIn2010 said:

All answers look correct to me (although I'm not sure about the points... we've never converted options to points).

Regarding extending StarOptions, this must be done by July 1, except maybe for higher membership levels.

No fee to add a guest name, but - of course - you must call to add the guest's name to the reservation so the person can check in.

Also, you didn't ask but good to know... you can borrow options from a future years after paying the estimated maintenance fees for that year.

Sent from Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Thank you, I appreciate the confirmation. I'm surprised they got it 100% correct.

One more question I forgot to add to my list.

Q: When can I reserve a week at my home resort? Reserve a week at a different SVN resort? Reserve less than a week at any SVN resort?

A: 12 months before the date of check-in. 8 months before check-in. 8 month before check-in. (This last one surprised me. I thought it was less than 8 month before check-in, like 30 days or 60 days)

I think there may be a hk charge for split weeks. I am not sure if it is consistently collected. It is never charged for the first reservation you make regardless of the days involved.

My understanding and this is not from personal experience would be you are entitled to one cleaning per week you own (one for each side for a lock off). So if you own a lock off but opt for 4 three night stays - you could be charged when you check in on the third and fourth stays.

Also (without borrowing or banking) star options are available to be used during the use year but since you use star options 8 months prior to check in, if you wanted a reservation for January you would be using star options for 2015 when you called in May 2014.

tahoeJoe said:

Q: When can I reserve a week at my home resort? Reserve a week at a different SVN resort? Reserve less than a week at any SVN resort?

A: 12 months before the date of check-in. 8 months before check-in. 8 month before check-in. (This last one surprised me. I thought it was less than 8 month before check-in, like 30 days or 60 days)

Click to expand...

It used to be 60 days before check-in. The rule changed recently and now any length of stay can be reserved 8 months before check-in.

tschwa2 said:

I think there may be a hk charge for split weeks. I am not sure if it is consistently collected. It is never charged for the first reservation you make regardless of the days involved.

Click to expand...

Absolutely correct! I recently made two reservations for 2015. The second one does show a housekeeping charge.

tahoeJoe said:

Thank you, I appreciate the confirmation. I'm surprised they got it 100% correct.

One more question I forgot to add to my list.

Q: When can I reserve a week at my home resort? Reserve a week at a different SVN resort? Reserve less than a week at any SVN resort?

A: 12 months before the date of check-in. 8 months before check-in. 8 month before check-in. (This last one surprised me. I thought it was less than 8 month before check-in, like 30 days or 60 days)

Click to expand...

I believe a stay of less than a week can't be booked until less than 90 days out, unless it is a partial week tacked onto a full week that starts or ends on a normal check-in day. If that changed recently, I'm not aware of it.

It did change recently.

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Sea Six said:

I believe a stay of less than a week can't be booked until less than 90 days out, unless it is a partial week tacked onto a full week that starts or ends on a normal check-in day. If that changed recently, I'm not aware of it.

Click to expand...

That's no longer the case. Any length of stay can be booked at 8 months.

FreeIn2010 said:

All answers look correct to me (although I'm not sure about the points... we've never converted options to points).

Regarding extending StarOptions, this must be done by July 1, except maybe for higher membership levels.

No fee to add a guest name, but - of course - you must call to add the guest's name to the reservation so the person can check in.

Also, you didn't ask but good to know... you can borrow options from a future years after paying the estimated maintenance fees for that year.

Sent from Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I'm in the process of closing on a SVN mandatory resale purchase. Do I need to have paid the 2015 maintenance fee in order to reserve a timeshare in 2015? Or do I just need to have paid it by the time I actually use the week? I think I know the answer but just want to confirm.

One Thing Still Confucing...

One thing I still don't understand is trading through II with SVN. I know Starwood gets to choose which week they deposit for me into II, the owner has no choice in it.

But, if I owned a 2 bedroom non-lockoff in platinum season worth 81,000 StarOptions, can I trade those StarOptions in II? Or, do I only have access to one week in a 2 bedroom which is all that will be "deposited" into II. If so, I could only trade my 2 bedroom week for a week in a 2 bedroom, or smaller. I could not make 2 trades., one for a week in a studio and one for a week in a 1 bedroom. Correct?

Hyatt and Hilton are also point based systems but the number of points needed for an II or RCI trade depends upon the unit size and season one trades into. So, a platinum 2 bedroom could yield enough points for 3-weeks in a studio in red season, 2-weeks in a one bedroom during white season, and a week in a 3-bedroom during blue season. Is this type of trade allowed in SVN?

II and SVN are totally separate.

tahoeJoe said:

But, if I owned a 2 bedroom non-lockoff in platinum season worth 81,000 StarOptions, can I trade those StarOptions in II? Or, do I only have access to one week in a 2 bedroom which is all that will be "deposited" into II. If so, I could only trade my 2 bedroom week for a week in a 2 bedroom, or smaller. I could not make 2 trades., one for a week in a studio and one for a week in a 1 bedroom. Correct?

Click to expand...

II is week-based, so a week is a week.

A non-lockoff is only a single week, so you can only exchange it for a single week.

The benefit of a lock-off is that you can break it apart in to a week of the "larger" side and a week of the "smaller" side, effectively giving you two separate exchanges each for a single week.

The on-going requests are for the same size unit as what you have, or smaller.

An instant exchange could let you book for a larger unit if your unit sees those larger units. Remember, those units are the "left-overs" after all on-going requests have been filled.

tahoeJoe said:

Q: Is their a housekeeping or split week fee for stays less than a week?
A: No extra fees for stays less than a week.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of nights I can stay per year?
A: You can stay as many nights as you have StarOptions for.

Click to expand...

This is partially correct. There is no direct housekeeping fees for split weeks. You can stay as many nights as you have SOs. But, you only receive one housekeeping per 1-bed week you own, so if you have a deed for a single 2-bed week then you get two housekeeping visits per year.

I have this issue most years as I stretch my SOs normally by staying in 1-bed units. Each resort has a different fee for the housekeeping but typical 1-bed tidy fees are ~$30. For instance, I will be at WDW in the near future and I will have a housekeeping fee. I'll be at SVR for a single night next month and will pay another $30 housekeeping fee, etc.

pacman777 said:

I'm in the process of closing on a SVN mandatory resale purchase. Do I need to have paid the 2015 maintenance fee in order to reserve a timeshare in 2015? Or do I just need to have paid it by the time I actually use the week? I think I know the answer but just want to confirm.

Click to expand...

I don't know if it varies by resort, but at Vistana Resort we don't have to pay MFs to book in the year the StarOptions belong...only to borrow from a future year.

And I believe if you are banking the following year with II.

Pacman777:

Maintenance fees are due on January 1 each year for the coming year. You do not need to pay your 2015 fee to make a 2015 reservation in 2014. However, you must pay it by January 1, 2015, or you may/will lose your reservation.

If you want to borrow Staroptions and/or deposit next year's usage into II, then you usually need to pay the MF at the time of that you borrow and/or deposit. Otherwise, SVN doesn't have a way to ensure you pay the MF.

Greg

quick question

tahoeJoe said:

Q: Does it matter where StarOption originate from, are some points stronger traders than others?
A: No, points are points.

Q: How many hotel points do 81,000 StarOtions or 141,000 StarOptions convert to?
A: Depends on the resort they originate from.

Click to expand...

It sounds to me like you were speaking with someone who wasn't intentionally trying to mis-lead you which is a good thing.

On my quotation of your answers, these two are what I can't figure out....if points are points then why aren't the hotel points the same at x resort for 81k and y resort for 81k?

Anybody know the reason?

Points are Points perhaps should be stated as StarOptions are StarOptions. Within the SVN system, it doesn't matter where the StarOptions came from, within the 8 month reservation window, in terms of making a reservations.

Different resorts offer different perks for buying there. Conversion to StarPoints is one of them, and not all resorts command the same conversion when you give up the week you own. You aren't really converting StarOptions into StarPoints. You are converting the ability to use of the week you own into StarPoints. Both StarOptions and StarPoint conversion are perks of your ownership, but they are not what you actually own, and are not tied to each other.

I wish they would use different names. When I try to follow along a post like this the StarPoints and StarOptions make me dizzy, but that's not hard to do now a days.

Q: Can StarOptions be extended?
A: Yes, they can be extended for 2-years for a single $99 fee. If extended 2015 StarOptions can be used until Dec 31, 2017.


Hi- Newbie here....If I have two SVN properties (currently waiting for first one to close) and have the SOs merged into one account, is it a single $99 fee for all the non-used points to be extended, or $99 per resort property? I bought an EOY that I plan to split the SOs over two years and supplement the second year with the second property SOs some time in the future to get a full week. Also is 'extended' the same as 'banking'? Thank you.

Single fee per transaction.

extended = banking

cxsjohn...
StarOptions (SO) = SVO Timeshares
{SVO calls these Staroption points}

StarPoints (SP) = SPG Hotels

easy...

DavidnRobin said:

extended = banking

cxsjohn...
StarOptions (SO) = SVO Timeshares
{SVO calls these Staroption points}

StarPoints (SP) = SPG Hotels

easy...

Click to expand...

Thanks, it is easy when I see it like this, it's when I see them used in the same posts that I get confused. I think I've got it figured now, hotel points is how I'll remember.

I'm still thinking of spending more time in TSs and am intrigued by the different points systems and pay attention to the threads.

csxjohn said:

Thanks, it is easy when I see it like this, it's when I see them used in the same posts that I get confused. I think I've got it figured now, hotel points is how I'll remember.

I'm still thinking of spending more time in TSs and am intrigued by the different points systems and pay attention to the threads.

Click to expand...

Having just purchased a TiVo Roamio and Mini (they just started a no service fee for the Mini) - I have been reading the TiVo Forum - crazy acronyms...

There are different ways to get SPs.
I use an AMEX SPG ($65 annual fee). I get great value from it even with the gradual SP devaluation.
They can also be purchased from SPG - 3.5 cents/SP, and often discountED (but has limitations).

The other methods are converting SOs to SPs (only those from SVO purchased or SVN-requaled weeks), SP incentives for buying from SVO, or using Explorer Package (like SP incentives with a future purchase and stay at a 'discount').

There is also an expiration difference based on how they were acquired.