New to SVN - Exchange question

Lingber · Mar 25, 2015

So we finally closed on our Harborside purchase and am now able to access My Star Central. Yay!!! I booked my reservation for 2016 so I am all set. I was wondering when and how I set up my interval exchange account? Do I even need to bother?

I was also wondering if we ever do decide to exchange through interval how it works. We purchased a dedicated two bedroom, not a lockout. Will we still be able to reserve any available 2 bedroom through interval?

Thanks in advance for the help!

DeniseM · Mar 25, 2015

Lingber said:
So we finally closed on our Harborside purchase and am now able to access My Star Central. Yay!!! I booked my reservation for 2016 so I am all set. I was wondering when and how I set up my interval exchange account? Do I even need to bother?

I was also wondering if we ever do decide to exchange through interval how it works. We purchased a dedicated two bedroom, not a lockout. Will we still be able to reserve any available 2 bedroom through interval?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Please take a look at the Starwood and II FAQ at the top of the forum, and let us know what questions you have.

Personally, I think Harborside is far too expensive to use as a II trader. If it were me, I'd rent it the years I couldn't use it.

Another option is to use it to trade in the SVN, using the Staroptions.

Lingber · Mar 25, 2015

DeniseM said:
Please take a look at the Starwood and II FAQ at the top of the forum, and let us know what questions you have.

Personally, I think Harborside is far too expensive to use as a II trader. If it were me, I'd rent it the years I couldn't use it.

Another option is to use it to trade in the SVN, using the Staroptions.

Hi Denise. I have read through all of the FAQ's. Maybe I am just missing it. I can't seem to find an answer. I just seem to see the instructions for "How to open a new II Acct. for a Non-SVN week - (a Starwood resale from a voluntary resort.)"

My questions were since I purchased Mandatory which from what I have seen comes with an II account, is there anything I need to do at this time to set it up? Will they mail me something? And do I even need to bother since I am not planning to exchange right now?

I was also wondering if we ever do decide to exchange through interval how it works with the type of unit we purchased. We purchased a dedicated two bedroom, not a lockout. Will we still be able to reserve any available 2 bedroom through interval?

I am very familiar with II since we use it frequently with our Hyatt purchase. Thanks to TUG I even grabbed an XYZ this year

I am just not sure about the differences with Starwood since our current account through Hyatt is point based. Thank you!

DeniseM · Mar 25, 2015

You have an Acct. included with your SVN membership, so you won't set up a separate II Acct. However, the rest of the info. in the article about exchanging is the same.

With Starwood and II you don't use points - it's a week for a week.

The problem is that Harborside is a very expensive timeshare to own, so it's not really a cost effective II trader.

Generally, you will get more value out if it trading it through the SVN, plus you will find it easier to get into the top Starwood resorts through the SVN, than with II.

sjsharkie · Mar 26, 2015

Ditto on Denise's advice.

Since you stated you booked your 2016 reservation, I have inferred that you purchased a Plat Plus season Harborside unit and it is not a fixed week in Phase I.

Best option is to use SVN if you choose to trade to extract the most value. If you do choose to trade in II, keep in mind that you will not get the value of the week you actually reserved with Starwood -- you will receive the blended value of the Plat Plus season when trading.

Good luck.

-ryan

Lingber · Mar 26, 2015

sjsharkie said:
Ditto on Denise's advice.

Since you stated you booked your 2016 reservation, I have inferred that you purchased a Plat Plus season Harborside unit and it is not a fixed week in Phase I.

Best option is to use SVN if you choose to trade to extract the most value. If you do choose to trade in II, keep in mind that you will not get the value of the week you actually reserved with Starwood -- you will receive the blended value of the Plat Plus season when trading.

Good luck.

-ryan

Hi Ryan thanks for expanding on this! Yes Platinum Plus Phase II. The whole trading power thing in interval is foreign to me. With Hyatt I get a certain number of points for my platinum week. (2200) and those points can be used to book any type of accommodations that are available. I think I see whatever inventory is open but I have no way of really knowing.

I do agree with you and Denise that since my maintenance fees are $2,000+ a year, it make little sense to trade through interval, but you never know and I would like to set it up and understand how it works just in case.

With Starwood I understand from everything I have seen on TUG that they will deposit a two bedroom for me. I was wondering - since I purchased the small 2 bedroom at Harborside if I get something different to trade with than the people who have purchased the lockout units?

Another thing I am not quite clear on is trading with starwood voluntary resorts. Is that not done through interval at all? Mandatory resorts exchange with Voluntary resorts through My Star Central?

Thanks for all your help!

Henry M. · Mar 26, 2015

Lingber said:
Another thing I am not quite clear on is trading with Starwood voluntary resorts. Is that not done through interval at all? Mandatory resorts exchange with Voluntary resorts through My Star Central?

This is correct. If you have a mandatory resort, you can exchange into all other mandatory and non-mandatory resorts through SVN.

It should also be possible to exchange through II, but there's not much practical value in doing that. You have better chances through SVN.

With SVN, you also get a fixed number of points (StarOptions) that are then used to exchange into other SVN properties. You can allocate those points as you wish. Some properties and unit sizes require less points than you get for your unit, so you can stay longer or at different times.

I own 2 BR lock-offs on Maui, so my II experience is a little different from yours. I'll relate it anyhow for the benefit of the group. I agree that just about any property in II is of lesser quality than the higher end Westins. However, I ended up trading the studio side of a WKORV unit for a 2BR unit at a resort in the German Alps (Schliersee, about an hour south of Munich). The resort was less fancy, but the unit was big and comfortable in a nice location. It was not a resort to spend the day in, but it was great as a base for exploring. I thought overall I got a fair trade.

I did get lucky that time, as I don't see many trades I'd really want on II. I rarely even check anymore, because the last few years I've mostly used all my units, with a couple of rentals of my home resorts sprinkled in between. I now find it easier to use VRBO.com to find places abroad exactly where I want them, instead of at the very scarce timesharing units in Europe and Asia.

I find almost no value in II anymore, since a rental of my home resort would more than pay for multiple VRBO stays, and those stays are more flexible in terms of the number of days needed and locations. I'm still very happy with my Starwood ownership, but my exchange patterns are changing.

tschwa2 · Mar 26, 2015

If you own the dedicated 2 br you can not use it for 2 deposits in II. It would be a single 2 br deposit.

blahblah18 · Mar 26, 2015

If you purchase a resale at a mandatory resort - and have no units purchased directly from Starwood - does your SVN membership include a membership in II?

DeniseM · Mar 26, 2015

blahblah18 said:
If you purchase a resale at a mandatory resort - and have no units purchased directly from Starwood - does your SVN membership include a membership in II?

Yes - All mandatory resort resales include membership in the SVN and membership in II. However, they are also expensive resorts, that people are less likely to trade.

GrayFal · Mar 26, 2015

Lingber said:
Hi Denise. I have read through all of the FAQ's. Maybe I am just missing it. I can't seem to find an answer. I just seem to see the instructions for "How to open a new II Acct. for a Non-SVN week - (a Starwood resale from a voluntary resort.)"

My questions were since I purchased Mandatory which from what I have seen comes with an II account, is there anything I need to do at this time to set it up? Will they mail me something? And do I even need to bother since I am not planning to exchange right now?

I was also wondering if we ever do decide to exchange through interval how it works with the type of unit we purchased. We purchased a dedicated two bedroom, not a lockout. Will we still be able to reserve any available 2 bedroom through interval?

I am very familiar with II since we use it frequently with our Hyatt purchase. Thanks to TUG I even grabbed an XYZ this year I am just not sure about the differences with Starwood since our current account through Hyatt is point based. Thank you!

I purchased a resale at Westin St John Hillside which is mandatory. It took 3-4 weeks from the time my ownership was acknowledged by Starwood and I could sign into My Star Central for a new II. Starwood account to be added to my 4 ( yes FOUR) II accounts.
When I log into II, I see my regular account, my Wyndham Account, my two Marriott Corporate accounts and now a Starwood corporate account.

So in several weeks, if the names are the same, when you check II you will see both your Hyatt account and a Starwood account.

Lingber · Mar 26, 2015

GrayFal said:
I purchased a resale at Westin St John Hillside which is mandatory. It took 3-4 weeks from the time my ownership was acknowledged by Starwood and I could sign into My Star Central for a new II. Starwood account to be added to my 4 ( yes FOUR) II accounts.
When I log into II, I see my regular account, my Wyndham Account, my two Marriott Corporate accounts and now a Starwood corporate account.

So in several weeks, if the names are the same, when you check II you will see both your Hyatt account and a Starwood account.

Thanks! That is good to know. I will keep a look out

Lingber · Mar 26, 2015

emuyshondt said:
This is correct. If you have a mandatory resort, you can exchange into all other mandatory and non-mandatory resorts through SVN.

It should also be possible to exchange through II, but there's not much practical value in doing that. You have better chances through SVN.

With SVN, you also get a fixed number of points (StarOptions) that are then used to exchange into other SVN properties. You can allocate those points as you wish. Some properties and unit sizes require less points than you get for your unit, so you can stay longer or at different times.

I own 2 BR lock-offs on Maui, so my II experience is a little different from yours. I'll relate it anyhow for the benefit of the group. I agree that just about any property in II is of lesser quality than the higher end Westins. However, I ended up trading the studio side of a WKORV unit for a 2BR unit at a resort in the German Alps (Schliersee, about an hour south of Munich). The resort was less fancy, but the unit was big and comfortable in a nice location. It was not a resort to spend the day in, but it was great as a base for exploring. I thought overall I got a fair trade.

I did get lucky that time, as I don't see many trades I'd really want on II. I rarely even check anymore, because the last few years I've mostly used all my units, with a couple of rentals of my home resorts sprinkled in between. I now find it easier to use VRBO.com to find places abroad exactly where I want them, instead of at the very scarce timesharing units in Europe and Asia.

I find almost no value in II anymore, since a rental of my home resort would more than pay for multiple VRBO stays, and those stays are more flexible in terms of the number of days needed and locations. I'm still very happy with my Starwood ownership, but my exchange patterns are changing.

The exchanges we have done through interval have all been to Marriott's which I believe are very comparable to my Hyatt and to Starwood. In fact, we just came back from the Grand Chateau in Vegas 2 weeks ago. Stayed in their new tower. It was beautiful. We are also going to Grand Luxe Riviera Maya over July 4th. I have read that the property is gorgeous, so we will see. I have found it makes sense to make those trades with my Hyatt as my fees are under $1,400 and I easily get two weeks from interval with my points.

I think all of you are correct that my Harborside will not make sense to trade. For now we plan to use it and on the years we don't we would look to use the points to get multiple weeks in smaller units at another Starwood resort. Thanks so much for all the input on this.

DeniseM · Mar 26, 2015

How many Staroptions do you have?

Lingber · Mar 26, 2015

DeniseM said:
How many Staroptions do you have?

Does something sound off? On the star options chart it shows I have enough star options to exchange for 2 weeks in a 1 bedroom.

DeniseM · Mar 26, 2015

Lingber said:
Does something sound off? On the star options chart it shows I have enough star options to exchange for 2 weeks in a 1 bedroom.

You said "multiple" weeks - so I was thinking you meant more than 2.

Lingber · Mar 26, 2015

DeniseM said:
You said "multiple" weeks - so I was thinking you meant more than 2.

Actually, with 129,000 star options and a lot of flexibility I think 3 weeks might be doable! Lol but realistically we would try for two weeks. For now however we are just Really excited to go to Harborside for spring break next year! But it is good to know if we wanted to try for reservations at 8 months out we could go for two weeks.

New to SVN - Exchange question

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

DeniseM

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

DeniseM

sjsharkie

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

Henry M.

tschwa2

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

blahblah18

DeniseM

GrayFal

TUG Review Crew: Expert

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

DeniseM

Lingber

TUG Review Crew

DeniseM

Lingber

TUG Review Crew