Is this a good deal [Westin Lagunamar - merged]

margolism · Jul 17, 2013

DeniseM said:
I don't think it can be done without Staroptions. When you own a voluntary week, you have to reserve the size unit that you own, in your season. Anything else is a Staroption reservation.

Wait, I thought you could break up a 2BR lockoff, use the 1BR for one plat week and book the studio for a different platinum week, or deposit it through II. If you own a 2BR plat can you split it up?

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
Wait, I thought you could break up a 2BR lockoff, use the 1BR for one plat week and book the studio for a different platinum week, or deposit it through II. If you own a 2BR plat can you split it up?

Yes - that's reserving what you own, during the season that you own.

These are all Staroption Reservations:

Reservations made outside your season
Reservations for a size unit that you do not own
Reservations for more or less than 7 nights
Reservations for a different resort

tschwa2 · Jul 17, 2013

LisaRex said:
So if you're a voluntary resale owner, you have to either reserve your home resort in the 8-12 month window, or deposit the unit in II. Do I have that correct?

No, if you are a voluntary resale owner you can reserve up to the day of check in for anything in your season if there is availability. That is what the question is and there is nothing in writing about this available through mystarcentral: Is there separate inventory for home resort reservations for resale non SVN owners or does it come out of the same inventory as SVN as long as it is a full week. I have been told there is separate inventory but sptung believes this is not the case. The beta inventory finder is pretty useless and without a live online reservation system we can't compare and find out for ourselves. We have to rely on what the guides tell us which may or may not be consistent or true but what each guide seems to think is correct.

I don't mean to hijack this tread it was just a warning to the OP that until the resale unit is set up in his account and he calls reservations, it seems he will not know if Presidents week is available for 2014. If he calls at 12 months ahead, no doubt he will be able to reserve his desired week as a resale owner.

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

I think you are right - I am thinking thinking about resale/mandatory resorts, instead of resale/voluntary resorts, in regards to the 0-8 mo. window.

No, if you are a voluntary resale owner you can reserve up to the day of check in for anything in your season if there is availability.

margolism · Jul 17, 2013

tschwa2 said:
No, if you are a voluntary resale owner you can reserve up to the day of check in for anything in your season if there is availability. That is what the question is and there is nothing in writing about this available through mystarcentral: Is there separate inventory for home resort reservations for resale non SVN owners or does it come out of the same inventory as SVN as long as it is a full week. I have been told there is separate inventory but sptung believes this is not the case. The beta inventory finder is pretty useless and without a live online reservation system we can't compare and find out for ourselves. We have to rely on what the guides tell us which may or may not be consistent or true but what each guide seems to think is correct.

I don't mean to hijack this tread it was just a warning to the OP that until the resale unit is set up in his account and he calls reservations, it seems he will not know if Presidents week is available for 2014. If he calls at 12 months ahead, no doubt he will be able to reserve his desired week as a resale owner.

So I am now confused since this conflicts with what Denise said.

According to her post, booking within 8 months and / or a smaller unit is a StarOptions deal. But I will not have StarOptions. Yet I also hear I can book at my home resort within 8 months and this is fine for voluntary resort owners. Can someone please definitely clarify?

Thanks,

Mark

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

Mark - my apologies - I edited my post. (I was thinking about mandatory resales.) As long as you are still within your season, and you are booking exactly what you own, and it's available, you can book your home resort.

These are all Staroption Reservations:

Reservations made outside your season
Reservations for a size unit that you do not own
Reservations for more or less than 7 nights
Reservations for a different resort

margolism · Jul 17, 2013

And to define "exactly what I own" a two bedroom is considered owning a one bedroom AND a studio, which can be used in combination or separately, correct?

LisaRex · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
And to define "exactly what I own" a two bedroom is considered owning a one bedroom AND a studio, which can be used in combination or separately, correct?

Yes. The good news for you is that since you'd be a voluntary resort resale owner, which means you won't be enrolled in SVN, you can still reserve President's Day 2014 at WLR once the unit is put into your name IF there is availability. And/or you can ask the current owner to try to make a reservation and see if Starwood will honor that reservation after the sale. I'm not sure if they will.

Good luck!

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
And to define "exactly what I own" a two bedroom is considered owning a one bedroom AND a studio, which can be used in combination or separately, correct?

Yes - If it is a two bedroom LOCK-OFF. But let's say you owned a standard two bedroom (not a lock-off) - then you would not be able to split it.

margolism · Jul 17, 2013

At WLR all 2BRs are lock offs.

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
At WLR all 2BRs are lock offs.

I was just explaining how it works.

margolism · Jul 17, 2013

Would still love to know if reservations made per transfer of ownership are held over for the new owner...

DeniseM · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
Would still love to know if reservations made per transfer of ownership are held over for the new owner...

The number for the Starwood title office is in the Owner Services sticky at the top of the forum.

Westin5Star · Jul 17, 2013

margolism said:
Would still love to know if reservations made per transfer of ownership are held over for the new owner...

I believe that the reservations are held but that you will need to change the name on the reservation to the new owner (or whoever will be using the unit). This is the way that it worked several years ago but you may want to verify with Starwood that nothing has changed.

margolism · Jul 19, 2013

Another question re this purchase.

Not that it is necessary, but is it possible to change the deeded week on the property for another week? Does it even matter? The time share says week 15 (a Platinum Plus week) but could I have that changed to week 6 or 7 instead? And does it even matter?

DeniseM · Jul 19, 2013

margolism said:
Another question re this purchase.

Not that it is necessary, but is it possible to change the deeded week on the property for another week? Does it even matter? The time share says week 15 (a Platinum Plus week) but could I have that changed to week 6 or 7 instead? And does it even matter?

No - the deeded week will never change - it's part of the legal description. If you want a different week, you have to buy different week.

grgs · Jul 19, 2013

margolism said:
Not that it is necessary, but is it possible to change the deeded week on the property for another week? Does it even matter? The time share says week 15 (a Platinum Plus week) but could I have that changed to week 6 or 7 instead? And does it even matter?

No, you can't change the deeded week. For a float resort such as WLR, the deeded week is important as that determines the season you are in. Within a particular season, it doesn't matter which week is on the deed unless:

--you want an event week (at WLR, those are: 7, 51, & 52)

--you think you might want to fix your week in the future with Starwood. Of course, this will cost some extra money, and you may not always be able to do this)

Glorian

margolism · Jul 19, 2013

What exactly is an event week? If I do not own an event week, am I unable to book for that week? How do event weeks work?

DeniseM · Jul 19, 2013

margolism said:
What exactly is an event week? If I do not own an event week, am I unable to book for that week? How do event weeks work?

Event weeks are sold at a premium, and you can't book them with Staroptions - only the owner of the week can book it.

So what happens to the event weeks that the owners don't use?
Starwood gets them - sweet huh?

margolism · Jul 19, 2013

Is it true that there are certain weeks at Westin Lagunamar that are, in fact, Event Weeks, which a Platinum Plus owner at Westin Lagunamar, who owns, say, week 15, cannot book? I am a little confused by this.

I would think that if those weeks were off limits, they should be excluded from the period.

DeniseM · Jul 19, 2013

Yes, it's true - they were listed in post #92.

Hawaii and some of the other resorts also have event weeks that are off-limits to Staroption reservations.

margolism · Jul 19, 2013

But an owner of a resale property at the resort would not be booking with StarOptions, correct?

I guess my simple question is, before I sign the papers on this timeshare:

If I own a Platinum Plus unit at the Westin Lagunamar, purchased resale, can I book it for any week in the Platinum Plus period, including President's Week and Christmas Week, assuming I call up in advance, i.e., 12 months out?

My going ahead with this purchase is contingent on this important question. The property is a floating week property that lists week 15, which is in the Platinum Plus time period.

Also, I believe at some point someone looked up for the WLR that President's Week was bookable with StarOptions, which would contradict that President's Week is an event week not bookable with StarOptions. I am a bit confused now.

DeniseM · Jul 19, 2013

You cannot book an event week, unless you own the week.

Starwood takes the unused weeks and rents them for big $$$.

I cannot verify that Prez week is an event week.

tschwa2 · Jul 19, 2013

Read this thread from 2007 all the was through.

Bottom line from this was 50% of event weeks are supposed to be open for all platinum plus owners.

margolism · Jul 19, 2013

OK, I just got off the phone with Starwood and was told the following, which hopefully will clarify things:

1. 100% of weeks 51 and 52 are sold as "event weeks" which get automatically reserved / booked for those who purchased those weeks. So even if you are a Platinum Plus owner at Westin Lagunamar, if you don't have one of those two weeks, and you plan to travel during that time period, you are likely to be out of luck. The only way a Platinum Plus owner could book there during those weeks, if they don't have one of those two weeks specifically, is if someone cancelled their Christmas week reservation.

2. 50% of week 7 (President's Week or Fiesta Week) is being sold as an event week. I don't know how sold out it is at this point, but they will only sell 50% of the units as fixed week 7 units.

So it seems okay to go ahead with my purchase. If I needed to go during Christmas week, I would probably think twice. Although now I am curious how much it would cost to upgrade to a fixed week, since this could increase resale value, perhaps.

Is this a good deal [Westin Lagunamar - merged]

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