Floating Weeks just go away??

spthomas · Oct 25, 2014

So maybe a disclaimer: WEEKS ARE SELDOM OR NEVER AVAILABLE AFTER MID YEAR, OR EARLIER. not the less than helpful "reservations should be made early for best selection" or other weasel language. They make you think the chance of not getting a week is small. But come on, with a full 1/4 of a year left, a reasonable person (who is not very experienced in timeshares like the folks here) would expect to be able to book a week. It's misleading.

Your doctor will say "you'll probably be OK, but here is a chance this hangnail removal may kill you". There is disclosure and there is disclosure.

spthomas · Oct 25, 2014

And it's not that I don't understand what's happening, I do. But I had no idea all the weeks would be gone 12 weeks before the end of the year. And that fact would have made my decision to go to floating time a different one. Maybe that's the fact that should be disclosed: French resort, what is the average date of full booking for a year?

riverdees05 · Oct 26, 2014

Most of the floating resorts that I own publishes a calendar on the date you can reserve for the next year. If not, then it is a resort that I can reserve one year in advance of the date I want. Check with your resort and ask for a copy of their float reservation calendar and/or schedule.

csxjohn · Oct 26, 2014

spthomas said:
And it's not that I don't understand what's happening, I do. But I had no idea all the weeks would be gone 12 weeks before the end of the year. ..?

Glad to know you understand it. And I know that doesn't help your feeling of being misled.

What the sales people tell you is seldom the whole truth and often far from the truth.

What happened here is that you did not research the resort enough before you bought.

At Tropic shores this past summer we got a letter telling us that one of the reasons our MFs can be kept in line is our occupancy rate. It was stated that after spring break there was no availability until week 50 and I imagine that filled up quickly.

I like floating weeks but I know I have to make my plans early and I reserve before the MF bills come out, often at the 52 week mark.

LLW · Oct 26, 2014

spthomas said:
And it's not that I don't understand what's happening, I do. But I had no idea all the weeks would be gone 12 weeks before the end of the year. And that fact would have made my decision to go to floating time a different one. Maybe that's the fact that should be disclosed: French resort, what is the average date of full booking for a year?

As an owner, the date of full booking is the least important amongst the following dates (in order of importance):
1. the date booking window opens, when you may book the best week, if you beat out other owners. If you bank this week, you will have the highest trade power which gets you the best available week at other timeshares. If you use this week, it's usually the week with highest demand, that fits most school/work holiday schedules. This universal desirability is what gives floating weeks the flexibility.
2. the date when your desired use week gets booked - by you or by others. This may vary by individual.
3. the date when the last possible week that you personally can use is booked by somebody else, and
4. the date of full booking, when no more booking can be done. Even before this date, many or all of the weeks left are not desirable weeks.

Floating week systems are completely different from fixed week systems. Careful study/discernment should be done before purchase.

JMHO.

ottawasquaw · Oct 26, 2014

Is this for your week at Hot Springs Village or somewhere else? If it's AR, honestly, I'm a bit suspicious about them being "sold out."

Please, please read your fine print. That's where your disclosures are. I am sorry for your loss! I had a surprise a few years ago when I tried to reserve my floating week for Oct just 30 days in advance. OK, I goofed. I bought my plane ticket before I reserved my TS. Luckily, I was able to use my week at the end of the year and took the Oct vacation, too. Still, lesson learned!
And, thanks for posting! As always, there are lots of good tips from other TUGgers in these threads!

b2bailey · Oct 26, 2014

This thread has reminded me of the 'tight-rope' that week owners, such as myself, face when wanting to book a Platinum week at Marriotts Newport Coast. In this case, there are many owners wanting to book a summer week -- way more owners than weeks available. Do, we just let the summer pass by and then 'hope' we can reserve something when the booking window opens up in September? Do we check every single summer week as the window for that week opens -- only to be disappointed. It's a tough one there.

Maple_Leaf · Oct 27, 2014

French resort?

spthomas said:
Maybe that's the fact that should be disclosed: French resort, what is the average date of full booking for a year?

If the resort is near Paris I would expect weak demand in Q1, increasing demand in Q2, sky-high peak demand in Q3 followed by rapidly-weakening demand in Q4, kind of like Hilton Head. However, at an all-floating-week resort the Q4 demand would be artificially higher due to better-late-than-never exchanger reservations. You may want to check with the resort and see if you can reserve a high-demand week far in advance, then change the week later if your plans change. Some resorts allow this at no charge as long as your desired week is available.

HudsHut · Oct 27, 2014

Elsewhere, the OP mentions his resort was recently purchased by Festiva.
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217683

The only Festiva resort with French in the name is

Frenchmen Orleans
519 Frenchmen Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-943-3100 Ext. 6106

spthomas:
Is this the resort about which you are inquiring?

Egret1986 · Oct 27, 2014

Let's all try to guess where the OP owns the timeshare

hudshut said:
Please tell us what resort you own, and what season in order for us to help you.

Maple_Leaf said:
If the resort is near Paris I would expect weak demand in Q1, increasing demand in Q2, sky-high peak demand in Q3 followed by rapidly-weakening demand in Q4, kind of like Hilton Head. However, at an all-floating-week resort the Q4 demand would be artificially higher due to better-late-than-never exchanger reservations. You may want to check with the resort and see if you can reserve a high-demand week far in advance, then change the week later if your plans change. Some resorts allow this at no charge as long as your desired week is available.

ottawasquaw said:
Is this for your week at Hot Springs Village or somewhere else?

hudshut said:
Elsewhere, the OP mentions his resort was recently purchased by Festiva.
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217683

The only Festiva resort with French in the name is

Frenchmen Orleans
519 Frenchmen Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-943-3100 Ext. 6106

spthomas:
Is this the resort about which you are inquiring?

C'mon, OP, give us a couple more hints; Hot Springs, France, New Orleans.....anyone else want to take a stab at it?

spthomas · Oct 27, 2014

We didn't buy this as float, we bought our resort on fixed weeks almost 30 years ago. We trade out for other places almost every other year, so committing to a week way ahead is a bit limiting. Before, on fixed, as long as we banked 30 days ahead I think we were ok. Then we switched to float, but "It's soo flexible, and just don't wait till December 30, you have all year to use it" sounded good.

Then, to compound it all, our resort (Escapes to Hot Springs Village) got bought by Festiva, and do it's even more different.

Life was simpler with fixed weeks!

csxjohn · Oct 27, 2014

spthomas said:
....

Life was simpler with fixed weeks!

That's true but it's also boring IMO to go to the same resort at the same time every year.

Some people like it, I don't. I owned a couple fixed week fixed unit TSs and one I always traded and the other I went to occasionally. I did everything in the area I wanted to do and most of them more than once.

I now own floating weeks and like being able to go any time I want.

I do have to make my ressies very early if I want a popular week though and no later than Jan if I want anything decent.

When you owned the fixed week, by definition your plans were made way ahead of time. I think you'll learn to like the float system when you get a handle on using it.

HudsHut · Oct 27, 2014

We are currently in Timeshare week 43. The highest demand week for the remainder of the year, according to II's Travel demand Index for the geographic region in which the resort is located is week 47, Thanksgiving.

theo · Oct 27, 2014

The people factor...

csxjohn said:
<snip> ...boring IMO to go to the same resort at the same time every year.

Some people like it, I don't. I owned a couple fixed week fixed unit TSs and one I always traded and the other I went to occasionally. I did everything in the area I wanted to do and most of them more than once.

To each their own, of course, but one thing that I personally enjoy about returning to the "same place / same time every year" is reconnecting with other owners from various very different parts of the country who have become good "seasonal friends" over the years. In some instances we fish and / or boat together, in other instances we play music together --- and sometimes entertain others while so doing. In still other instances it's BBQ get togethers, or restaurant visits --- or just "cocktail hour". Certainly, none of our resorts are "upscale" in any way, but I always genuinely look forward to seeing and interacting with those good people every year (God willing).

Of course, just escaping the ice and snow and cold of New England winters by migrating south for the "same weeks every year" has its' own inherent allure too.

Maple_Leaf · Oct 27, 2014

Hot Springs

spthomas said:
Then, to compound it all, our resort (Escapes to Hot Springs Village) got bought by Festiva, and do it's even more different.

I like Hot Springs, Arkansas but it's no France.:rofl:

Tia · Oct 28, 2014

There is a yahoo group for Festiva https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Peppertree-EquivestOwners/info

I also think if a resort was originally fixed then some group comes in and starts offering float weeks, many owners don't opt to go float so not all weeks are available even to start.

spthomas said:
We didn't buy this as float, we bought our resort on fixed weeks almost 30 years ago. We trade out for other places almost every other year, so committing to a week way ahead is a bit limiting. Before, on fixed, as long as we banked 30 days ahead I think we were ok. Then we switched to float, but "It's soo flexible, and just don't wait till December 30, you have all year to use it" sounded good.

Then, to compound it all, our resort (Escapes to Hot Springs Village) got bought by Festiva, and do it's even more different.

Life was simpler with fixed weeks!

mtforeman · Dec 10, 2014

I realize this thread is a bit old, but I wanted to add a suggestion if ever a timeshare company reads it.

It would be nice if resorts perhaps "required" 2-4 week notice for a booking (for floating weeks). Then, all non-booked weeks would be banked into RCI or II. This way, if at the end of the year someone "loses" his or her week, the resort could at least offer the (small perhaps) exchange value instead. I believe someone else mentioned a similar thing, but this would be superb.

We own at Massanutten and are in the process of booking our 2016 week, 2 years in advance. I knew what we wanted would take this kind of maintenance fee pre-payment and careful planning, but chose to do it since I didn't want to pay the extra cost of the fixed week I'd really like to have (week 52 or 53).

Steve NH · Dec 16, 2014

Also own float as Massanutten
I remember having a conversation with them once - They told me that they actually automatically book some weeks with RCI - so that worse case scenerio - you call late and get a banked week.
Never had that happen myself - I also book 2 yrs ahead (to the day)
(90% of the time we use the week ourselves)

TheViking · Dec 23, 2014

riverdees05 said:
Most of the floating resorts that I own publishes a calendar on the date you can reserve for the next year. If not, then it is a resort that I can reserve one year in advance of the date I want. Check with your resort and ask for a copy of their float reservation calendar and/or schedule.

Are most float weeks beginning of the year (January)?
DO most VO networks (Starwood, Marriot, Wyndam) for exapmle have the same calendar for all owned resorts?
Does anyone Have info regarding Westin Princeville?
TY…V

tschwa2 · Dec 23, 2014

Westin Princeville was sold 1-50 float and weeks 51 and 52 were sold as event weeks. There are definitely different calendars for different resorts in most systems. Obviously what would be considered prime or platinum time would vary at different geographical locations. On the other hand if they sell a prime float season with several weeks that really aren't prime you can sell more prime weeks.

DeniseM · Dec 23, 2014

TheViking said:
DO most VO networks (Starwood, Marriot, Wyndam) for exapmle have the same calendar for all owned resorts?

On the contrary, most resorts have different seasons, because high season varies from one geographic location to another.

For instance: Hawaii is fabulous in July and August - Scottsdale, not so much.

In addition to this, Starwood acquired most of their resorts from previous developers, so the previous developers determined the seasons - not Starwood.

Floating Weeks just go away??

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