Hyatt owner wondering whether to buy a second week or try a different program

As a new owner we have been very happy with our Hyatt resale week especially the ability to stretch the 1 week into many by booking 4 day midweeks, slightly off season and trading occasionally for a studio. We are looking into purchasing another week but wondered if there were any other programs that have this same ability and that are equal to Hyatt. The only downside to Hyatt for us is the limited number of properties. And once we have learned more about trading into II that may not be much of an issue. Before we jump on another Hyatt week I wanted to see what others have done and what is recommended. Thanks in advance for your input.

The #1 question is where do you want to go, that you can't go with Hyatt? List your top 5 destinations.

Tucson traveler said:

As a new owner we have been very happy with our Hyatt resale week especially the ability to stretch the 1 week into many by booking 4 day midweeks, slightly off season and trading occasionally for a studio. We are looking into purchasing another week but wondered if there were any other programs that have this same ability and that are equal to Hyatt. The only downside to Hyatt for us is the limited number of properties. And once we have learned more about trading into II that may not be much of an issue. Before we jump on another Hyatt week I wanted to see what others have done and what is recommended. Thanks in advance for your input.

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You may want to look at HGVC (Hilton). Similar to HVC, you can buy resale and retain full use of the points system (unlike Marriott, Diamond, and many others) and the resort quality is pretty hight. It would also open up RCI to you (fees included in HGVC fee, just like with HVC). I own HGVC and one day hope to also own HVC - just not in the cards right now.

Not sure if Southern Cal and Vegas are appealing to you - but those are 2 locations you might be able to drive to and there is a pretty good amount of inventory. Hawaii also does not hurt (Big Island and Oahu).

The HGVC points system is very flexible, and like HVC they are not as big as some of the others - but you may find it is a nice fit.

I have a son in southern CA so we do travel there quite a bit. Does Hilton often exercise their ROFR. We have been to one of their presentations, actually bought a sampler and they told us that they always exercised that right. Although I'm sure anyone giving a presentation would claim that?

I purchased (resale) a second Hyatt property and wish that I would not have done so. There are several Hyatt properties that are difficult to get into, as they were very expensive fixed weeks that owners are not going to deposit for point trades. You may be able to get in those properties during off season, if that is what you want to do. The number of properties that are easy to trade into is a relatively small number, but they are nice locations that Starwood or Marriott don't really offer. (Key West, San Antonio, Bonita Springs, Sedona) Remember that if you deposit Hyatt points with Interval International, you will not have priority for Starwood and Marriott properties, as owners of those timeshares have first choice of those weeks deposited in II. You will have good luck trading for other smaller brands (Welk, Shell Vacation Club, (for now, but they were purchased by Wyndam which owns RCI) or independent/non-branded timeshares.

Starwood has some great properties, but buy resale at a mandatory resort, or you won't be happy. I personally believe the inventory that is available through Interval International is much less than it used to be, so you will want to have StarOptions.

Although Marriott resale prices have been increasing, I think Marriott is a great choice because of the number of different resorts, and availability of great trades through II.

As Denise recommends above, it certainly all depends on whether or not you have specific places you want to vacation.

Our Westin compliments our Hyatt nicely. I agree with Denise it really depends on where you want to go. I like Marriott, but you will have to deposit with II to get another Marriott, but you will get priority. Hilton is good, but there are a lot of people complaining over on the Hilton forum about them increasing open season rates. My choice would be a Starwood mandatory and second, Marriott.

I own Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott and Wyndham.

For SoCal, it really does depend where your son lives. Starwood only has desert properties in SoCal -- Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. Marriott has Palm Desert and Newport Beach.

HGVC doesn't always exercise ROFR. I often see resale purchases go through per TUG. Don't believe what salespeople say -- I can't believe that HGVC would be buying back Vegas and Orlando as there is just too much inventory there compared to demand. Hyatt has only NorCal in Carmel.

For me as a primary trader, Marriott holds the most appeal because you can deposit the actual week you reserve into II. Hyatt's great because it gives me access to Carmel and Tahoe (Marriott does give access to Tahoe, but getting weeks 7, 51 and 52 are almost impossible -- Hyatt is actually possible). Hyatt and Starwood are great because I can access their internal trading systems buying resale -- Marriott does not.

Really, I could go on and on. It does really depend on where you want to vacation and how you plan to primarily use the unit you purchase (i.e. stay at home resort, trade via II, etc.)

-ryan

Great information here. Thank You. Lots to think about. I wasn't aware of the trading limitations of Hyatt in II. I will read up more on Starwood. My son lives in the Long Beach area so we usually stay in or around Newport Beach. I do like how easy it is to trade within Hyatt and the ability to stretch our 1 week. We so far have the equivalent of 4 weeks booked with our 2,000 pts. We own at Pinon Pointe but will probably only do a 2 day mid week there each year. My husband is retired and I have my own business so we have flexibility and don't need to travel during prime time. Thanks again for all the input!

We own Hyatt in Bonita and have been really happy with the purchase. But a second week there would not make sense for us since the locations in Hyatt are limited and we want the flexibility of a club that has other locations. We live in Florida so Hyatt gives us access to a number of resorts locally and we have found it pretty easy to find availability to most of the properties, with the exception of fractional properties like Aspen in high season and Siesta Key. We have stayed at our home resort, High Sierra in Tahoe and Sunset Harbor in Key West and liked them all.

Interval has been great. There is tons of availability in the low seasons. Much tougher for high season since their members get first pick. Bottom line if you can travel in fall or late spring you can get almost anything and it is a nice time to visit most places. Also through interval you can pick up bonus weeks which really stretch my points. This year we booked the Marriott Grand Chateau in Las Vegas for a spring break week in March and The Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya for early summer, as well as Cypress harbor in Orlando (this month) on an a/c and another week at Marriott Sabal Palms in June on an xyz. (Thank you Tug for educating me!) so four weeks of vacation in large units. If we took studios/ 1 bedroom's we could have done more. Last year we sent my parents to Marriott's in Vegas, Palm Springs and Branson. All booked 6months out or less.

But with 2200 Hyatt points, we have more than enough options for Hyatt and II. We want priority in another program and like the flexibility of points and the exchange options they provide. So we decided to purchase a second week at a Starwood property that we know we want to use most of the time. I found some good advice here on Tug when I was first looking to buy. It was buy at a property you will enjoy using year after year because things can change and that is what you will have at the end of the day. So that is what we did. We picked based on the resort and accessibility first and then compared the programs. It has worked out really well. Good luck!

I purchased Hyatt to gain access to Highlands Inn, Pinon Pointe, and High Sierra. My family has stayed at all three and we do not hesitate to return to any of them. With enough planning I have managed to use the internal system to get into them when I want at peak times.

I received some good exchanges using my Hyatt points including Marriott Timber Lodge February, March, and July studios and an early June exchange into Marriott Newport Coast villas. It is difficult to get prime weeks in the larger units due to the 12 month restriction. The lack of a Marriott preference makes Marriott trades a bit more difficult. The lack of a Starwood preference makes those trade more difficult too. Off season trades are available in larger numbers but I need to travel during school holidays so I don't have a lot of experience.

Eplus seems to help for last minute uptrades. I am using it for the first time now to try and get a larger Timber Lodge unit for February and March trips. I am hoping for success in the next few days.

Keep acquiring knowledge before you act.

Definitely still have lots to learn. We will keep reading and take our time before we decide. What is eplus? Sounds like something we should know about.

Tucson traveler said:

I have a son in southern CA so we do travel there quite a bit. Does Hilton often exercise their ROFR. We have been to one of their presentations, actually bought a sampler and they told us that they always exercised that right. Although I'm sure anyone giving a presentation would claim that?

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Of course that comment about ROFL is not true - I think that their excercising of ROFL changes from time to time - but it does NOT cost you any money to try. And like Hyatt, it pays to buy a higher season (like Plat) as the MF does not change per unit size but the points are higher. You can buy low season for almost nothing, but get a lot less points for the MF - and they could care less about buying those back as they are thrilled they have someone paying those MFs.

HGVC does have online (a reasonable amount of) inventory in Carlsbad at 3 resorts, which is not too far from Newport Beach. Those are affiliates and you likely do not want to buy there but at a Hilton built resort (There are rule differences if you own an affiliate and not all units stay in the system if bought resale). Vegas and Orlando are Hilton built and managed and have reasonable MFs if you are interested in buying. A lot of affiliates have such low inventory they are not managed online - but the 3 Carlsbad units are.

I also failed to mention the new units is Park City UT. The points are higher for those - but that may be within driving distance as is Breckenridge (another affiliate with a reasonable amount of online inventory).

This link should get you to the access to see the resorts and points charts. Pay attention to the point charts, and under "Resort Attributes" if it is an affiliate or not.

http://www.hgvclubprogram.com/resorts/

Another reason I think HGVC would fit well is how incredibly flexible it is. You can borrow points from the next year without restriction, or move up to a years worth points forward a year to save them. And the checkin days don't exist - you can check in any day with a 3 night minimum. So when combined with another system, you have a lot of flexibility.

I think you look at Marriott or Starwood

I own at Four Marriott Resorts. The II preference, with size upgrade ability ( I have traded Canyon Villas studio into Oceana Palms and Barony Beach 2 BR's), is fantastic. Marriott Newport Beach might be a great "Home Resort" for you. Decide where you want to go, or trade. Marriott has great locations, brand name for renting my weeks, and trading preference.

I studied the Marriott Destination Points system and was offended by the "Skim" when you convert a week to points you only have 90% of what it takes to reserve a similar week. You will need points at Marriott to get into future development, and the cost of points is ridiculous. I studied Marriott point system and identified Hyatt point system as hugely superior to Marriott.

I am looking at Westin with mandatory SVN points as another good choice. The Westin 2BR Platinum 148,100 point week will get you a 2BR Platinum at most other resorts (Not St. John). The destinations are a nice compliment to Hyatt. You get II trade preference for Starwood resorts. I think Kierland has the low MF per point advantage that you have with Pinon Point.

I think SVN / Starwood / Westin at a mandatory resort may be your best option and 2 bdrm lock off may be the best type.

I own a Hyatt week but only Silver week 1400 points and would not have bought a silver week if I had known any better. I would have bought at least 2000 points if I had to do it again.

If I did not have another membership in RHC points that allow me to book some great city reservations (SF and Paris now when Allen House in London is gone and NYC has high premium) I would have bought SVN mandatory EOY 2bdrm lockoff.

sjsharkie said:

I own Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott and Wyndham.

For me as a primary trader, Marriott holds the most appeal because you can deposit the actual week you reserve into II. Hyatt's great because it gives me access to Carmel and Tahoe (Marriott does give access to Tahoe, but getting weeks 7, 51 and 52 are almost impossible -- Hyatt is actually possible). Hyatt and Starwood are great because I can access their internal trading systems buying resale -- Marriott does not.

Really, I could go on and on. It does really depend on where you want to vacation and how you plan to primarily use the unit you purchase (i.e. stay at home resort, trade via II, etc.)

-ryan

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We stayed 6 nights at Highlands Inn week 7 this year and have 4 nights next year during week 7 at High Sierra.

I also managed to book 2 rooms for NYE for two nights at Highlands Inn for the end of this year.

If we are diligent it is possible to get some great stays using our Hyatt points.

I agree with you that it is next to impossible for me to use my Marriott unit to book weeks 7, 51, and 52 at, for example, the Timber Lodge. My family is very happy we will return to High Sierra next February. But DW loves Highlands Inn. We stay there often,especially on the two night stays for Thursday and Friday nights. I does help we have a lot of points.

GTLINZ said:

Not sure if Southern Cal and Vegas are appealing to you - but those are 2 locations you might be able to drive to and there is a pretty good amount of inventory. Hawaii also does not hurt (Big Island and Oahu).

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And coming soon, Maui!
HGVC Maui

I guarantee you will have a easier time trading into HGVC Maui than the Hyatt Kaanapali. I own both Hilton and Hyatt and I prefer Hilton for it's easy of use and variety of locations.

tahoeJoe said:

I own both Hilton and Hyatt and I prefer Hilton for it's easy of use and variety of locations.

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Funny, I too own both Hyatt and Hilton, and I find Hyatt easier to use (due to wait list system vs trying to stalk the website) and the locations more varied for me in terms of where I want to visit. Going back to your question, the Hilton weekday points is about 1/2 the weekend point requirement so you cannot go as far as the Hyatts but there is a significant point savings. But on the flip side, Hilton weekends are "cheaper" than Hyatt weekends. I do enjoy having Hilton for access into RCi.

As mentioned, I don't think I'd do Hyatt as a trader if shooting for peak times due to the 12 month limit on how far ahead you can out in a request, but if requesting studio/1 br during shoulder times, I think a second Hyatt would be attractive since I think you could really stretch your points.

No one has mentioned worldmark. I was considering buying one before I bought another Hyatt. It seems that you could make your ownership go far.

peas said:

No one has mentioned worldmark. I was considering buying one before I bought another Hyatt. It seems that you could make your ownership go far.

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I own Worldmark and I can confirm that it is quite a desirable system. You can make your ownership go very far but it requires understanding the Worldmark system in quite a bit of detail. The amount of flexibility inherent in Worldmark ownership means that the complexity level is quite high.

That said, you can use Worldmark in very simple ways to book your vacations so learning the complexity is not mandatory and it shouldn't deter people. Worldmark is also a good trader in II although people should realize that the preference period of other programs (Marriott, Starwood, etc) means that they will not have access to available units during that period.

Finally, be aware that while there are very nice Worldmark properties (Worldmark Park City, Orlando Reunion), most properties are much less high end than Hyatt. This won't matter too much if you decide to use Worldmark to trade via II.

Do Hyatt resale retain full use of the points system?

I am highly considering buying a Hyatt Resale but having just spoke to a Hyatt Sedona Sales Rep and he told me that ANY HYATT Resales will automatically cancel any points system and that I would be only buy the deeded week. Can you please confirm or deny his claim? THANKS!

Not true. Hyatt resales come with points that can be used in the internal system, if you want to go somewhere else other than your home resort.

natn27 said:

I am highly considering buying a Hyatt Resale but having just spoke to a Hyatt Sedona Sales Rep and he told me that ANY HYATT Resales will automatically cancel any points system and that I would be only buy the deeded week. Can you please confirm or deny his claim? THANKS!

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Safe to buy a Hyatt Resale, for Points usage inside Hyatt System?

Thanks Lizap for the quick response!:whoopie: So is there anything different between a Hyatt Resale vs direct from retail? Thanks!

Not that I'm aware of. You're just paying a lot less. Hyatt does have ROFR, but rarely exercises it.

natn27 said:

Thanks Lizap for the quick response!:whoopie: So is there anything different between a Hyatt Resale vs direct from retail? Thanks!

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Staroptions of Hyatt points

Hi Lizap, I see that you have both Westin and Hyatt? What do you prefer - the StarOption or the Hyatt points? What system has more Interval Trading Power? Cheaper or Flexible?

Thanks!:whoopie:

I don't believe that resale units have the option to convert to Gold Passport points.

I like them both as each as its own advantages. We have recouped our purchase price much faster with the Hyatt, primarily since our Westin cost a lot more. We have never exchanged our Westin via II. Thus far, we have used our Hyatt both to exchange in Hyatt's internal point system as well as II to exchange. So far, very pleased with the results. Our Hyatt has gotten us some very nice Marriott exchanges in II (Ocean Pointe, Desert Springs II) surprisingly at peak times. With Hyatt, you do not deposit units, rather you deposit points. The number of points required depends on the season and type of unit (size). We used our Westin to exchange into other Westins (Kaanapali and Desert Willows) using SOs and will be staying at WKV for the first time this year. There is no question, thus far the Hyatt purchase has had the better cost/value ratio. If I was going to buy Hyatt, I would buy a unit with 2200 points, as that will get you into Kaanapali. I think it really depends on where you want to travel. I would buy where you wouldn't mind vacationing most of the time, since any of these systems can be modified at any time. With that said, if you primarily want to exchange using II, it makes no sense to buy an expensive Westin. I think a Hyatt or Marriott would work well. Our next purchase will likely be a Marriott. With a 2 bedroom Marriott, you can use the large side and deposit the small side in II, and most likely pull a 1 or 2 bedroom, with Marriott preference. The drawback with Marriott is that Marriott resale owners cannot use their internal exchange system. A lot of rambling, but IMO, Hyatt offers a better combination of internal system/II exchanges at this time (based on what we own and how we've used them).. I would think about where you want to travel and work out different scenarios using each brand. You will find that a Westin platinum plus mandatory and a Hyatt (2200 points) are both going to be expensive. You can get a much better deal on an 1880-2000 point Hyatt unit. So the question becomes will this type unit work for you? For us, it does, as we can travel off peak and can use our Westin for Hawaii travel..

natn27 said:

Hi Lizap, I see that you have both Westin and Hyatt? What do you prefer - the StarOption or the Hyatt points? What system has more Interval Trading Power? Cheaper or Flexible?

Thanks!:whoopie:

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