Vistana Resort no longer with RCI?

tanguayc · Apr 18, 2007

I just saw a post where Vistana Villages will no longer be able to exchange with RCI. Does this pertain to Vistana Resort as well? I have heard nothing about this. We are owners at Vistana and belong to RCI points. Will we need to change companies as well? If so, what happens to our ongoing searches we have?

Madge · Apr 18, 2007

Tanguayc,

Starwood Vacation Network (SVN) is no longer affiliated with RCI. This includes Sheraton's Vistana Villages (6059), Sheraton's Mountain Vista (6060), and Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort (6091). SVN members no longer have the option to use RCI.

However, owners of weeks at Sheraton's Vistana Resort (0450), Vistana’s Beach Club (2153), Sheraton's Broadway Plantation (4322), Sheraton's Desert Oasis (5247), or Villas of Cave Creek (7876), may continue to use RCI if they wish.

joestein · Apr 18, 2007

If that is the case, why is Vistana Villages still listed in RCI's directory?

Joe

Linda74 · Apr 19, 2007

So as a Vistana Resorts owner, who has converted to RCI points, we proceed as always?

timeos2 · Apr 19, 2007

Pay no attention to the weasels

Linda74 said:
So as a Vistana Resorts owner, who has converted to RCI points, we proceed as always?

Yes. What company the developer decides to go with after you own has no effect on you. In fact if a resort has affiliation with an exchange company and then "switches" any owner, whether they owned when the resort was affiliated or not, can still belong to and trade with the original exchange group as well as any new one the resort may hook up with. The arrangement for exchange is between the owner and the 3rd party company not the resort and the exchange company they may prefer. You call the shots and can ignore whatever bull the sales weasels or management may try to spew. Any exclusive exchange arrangement ends once the week is sold to an individual. It is only due to II/RCI choice that they will only deal with resorts who sign up rather than taking any owner who is interested. The control that developers continue to hold over exchanges tied to points systems rather than weeks is another reason why most developers have moved to multi-resort mini systems and away from the week for week model where the owner of the time had the control. That may be good or bad for the buyer depending on what they want out of thiner ownership.

arlene22 · Apr 19, 2007

I think the complication in this case is that, for members of SVN, we do not technically have our own external exchange company accounts, rather we are included in the master Starwood account. That is why we do not pay for exchange company membership. So when Starwood's master account switches, so does our "free" account. So while you may get a "free" membership in II, you will need to pay for your RCI membership in the future if you want to keep it.

AwayWeGo · Apr 19, 2007

I Can Believe It, But I'm Having Trouble Following It.

timeos2 said:
Yes. What company the developer decides to go with after you own has no effect on you. In fact if a resort has affiliation with an exchange company and then "switches" any owner, whether they owned when the resort was affiliated or not, can still belong to and trade with the original exchange group as well as any new one the resort may hook up with. The arrangement for exchange is between the owner and the 3rd party company not the resort and the exchange company they may prefer. You call the shots and can ignore whatever bull the sales weasels or management may try to spew. Any exclusive exchange arrangement ends once the week is sold to an individual. It is only due to II/RCI choice that they will only deal with resorts who sign up rather than taking any owner who is interested. The control that developers continue to hold over exchanges tied to points systems rather than weeks is another reason why most developers have moved to multi-resort mini systems and away from the week for week model where the owner of the time had the control. That may be good or bad for the buyer depending on what they want out of thiner ownership.

OK, so if I own a week at an RCI-affiliated timeshare resort that quits RCI (but they don't quit till after I'm all registered, signed up, & deposited with RCI), I can still keep on doing RCI deposits with that week year after year indefinitely into the future? Or future RCI Points For Deposit likewise?

If so, what does RCI do with my deposited weeks at that non-RCI (former RCI) timeshare? The timeshare is no longer affiliated with RCI, so the resort no longer shows up in the RCI Dream Book. Not finding it in the Dream Book, the RCI members looking for prospective timeshare exchanges won't know it's available. Possibly RCI members searching on-line might find a deposited non-RCI week -- might -- but with the RCI web site so dicey these days, that's questionable. And in any case, would that non-RCI resort even show up in the RCI on-line Resort Directory?

If RCI members don't know they can look for or request exchanges into that non-RCI timeshare week on deposit with RCI, it seems doubtful RCI would have much success exchanging it out. What's left? Renting it out I suppose.

Anyhow, the whole situation of doing RCI deposits with ex-RCI timeshare weeks seems semi-complicated & bigtime problematic.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

geekette · Apr 19, 2007

RCI will find a way to get the week occupied. If not exchange, EV, Last Call or one of their rental outlets to the public.

Madge · Apr 24, 2007

joestein said:
If that is the case, why is Vistana Villages still listed in RCI's directory?

Joe

Joe,
Starwood owners are able to use up any existing deposits and travel on existing exchange vacations. For now, RCI still has some inventory at SVN resorts in 2007; however, these are all being transitioned to I.I. and we won't have any inventory in 2008.

Madge · Apr 24, 2007

Linda74 said:
So as a Vistana Resorts owner, who has converted to RCI points, we proceed as always?

Linda,

Yes, for you it is business as usual.

Madge · Apr 24, 2007

AwayWeGo,

In many instances, owners can continue with their first exchange company, as timeos2 says. They can continue to deposit their weeks, and RCI will continue to offer those weeks for exchange, as long as those members wish to stay with us.

However, club ownerships such as Sunterra and Starwood may not allow this. They are able to determine which company will receive the inventory they hold for their owners. In these cases, the owners must move to the new exchange company with their club.

Vistana Resort no longer with RCI?

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