Hyatt Biannual Week?

Hi all you Hyatt owners, recently visited timeshare in Florida and was very impressed with facilities. We were looking at bi-annual timeshare week of Platinum or 2000 points in Florida. Not fully understanding bi-annual and their 18month booking period, wondered if you could give us some advice. Our needs are for weeks in Dec, Jan or March dependant on our plans for the year. With the 18month period would we be best to buy in October to allow us 2 stabs at that Dec,Jan, Mar period? We were looking at biannual as we would not necessarily want to visit every year - its a long way for us over the pond! We also would be happy to take a studio or 1bed (only 2 of us) so we considered buying Platinum to allow us enough points for a couple of weeks. Please any advice before we make our final decision. Perhaps you recommend we buy annual, but then saving points until next year may be an issue? plus of course 2 x maintenance fees. Many thanks

I personally would contact Hyatt directly this get very complex. I also would buy only annual 2000 or 2200 point levels!!!

Hyatt has some great people working for them in regards to your question.

Forget the 18 month rule!!!

What was the cost of the weeks at 2000 or 2200 point level hyatt is selling?

denlar said:

Hi all you Hyatt owners, recently visited timeshare in Florida and was very impressed with facilities. We were looking at bi-annual timeshare week of Platinum or 2000 points in Florida. Not fully understanding bi-annual and their 18month booking period, wondered if you could give us some advice. Our needs are for weeks in Dec, Jan or March dependant on our plans for the year. With the 18month period would we be best to buy in October to allow us 2 stabs at that Dec,Jan, Mar period? We were looking at biannual as we would not necessarily want to visit every year - its a long way for us over the pond! We also would be happy to take a studio or 1bed (only 2 of us) so we considered buying Platinum to allow us enough points for a couple of weeks. Please any advice before we make our final decision. Perhaps you recommend we buy annual, but then saving points until next year may be an issue? plus of course 2 x maintenance fees. Many thanks

Click to expand...

If you purchase a Platinum, you will be purchasing during the high season in Florida...generally weeks 3-14 if you are looking at Coconut Plantation. If you purchase a biannual, you will get your 2000 points. While you have 18 months to use the points, the first year you may make a reservation or a reservation request looking out 18 months. Once your points have aged 12 months, your points are restricted (LCUP - otherwise known as Limited Club Use). If you make a reservation during LCUP, you must book and complete your travel within 60 days. If you are looking to maximize the 2000 points, you'll just have to be sure that you book each year within that first twelve points after they have been deposited into your account. Your points are deposited on the week that you own. The points the first few weeks of December are the lowest season in Florida (bronze season) so you would be able to travel at that time for just 430 points in a studio. You will have to be sure to monitor your reservations closely to get what you want. If you are prepared to do that, then the biannual may certainly work for you. Good luck.

denlar said:

Hi all you Hyatt owners, recently visited timeshare in Florida and was very impressed with facilities. We were looking at bi-annual timeshare week of Platinum or 2000 points in Florida. Not fully understanding bi-annual and their 18month booking period, wondered if you could give us some advice. Our needs are for weeks in Dec, Jan or March dependant on our plans for the year. With the 18month period would we be best to buy in October to allow us 2 stabs at that Dec,Jan, Mar period? We were looking at biannual as we would not necessarily want to visit every year - its a long way for us over the pond! We also would be happy to take a studio or 1bed (only 2 of us) so we considered buying Platinum to allow us enough points for a couple of weeks. Please any advice before we make our final decision. Perhaps you recommend we buy annual, but then saving points until next year may be an issue? plus of course 2 x maintenance fees. Many thanks

Click to expand...

Its safe to say your not thinking about buying from the developer... RIGHT?!!?

Steve

mesamirage said:

Its safe to say your not thinking about buying from the developer... RIGHT?!!?

Steve

Click to expand...

Steve,

I hope you are right but if you see this person is from Europe and they might want the extra things you get from Hyatt when you buy from the developer. They could use their points at hotels in Europe or around the world which you don't get when you buy on the resale market. Of course the developer cost more $$$ put remember our $$ is so low against the Euro it might not be a bad play, and the new buyer from Europe has peace of mind.

denlar said:

We were looking at bi-annual timeshare week of Platinum or 2000 points in Florida. We were looking at biannual as we would not necessarily want to visit every year - its a long way for us over the pond! We also would be happy to take a studio or 1bed (only 2 of us) so we considered buying Platinum to allow us enough points for a couple of weeks.

Click to expand...

If your intentions are to visit only every other year, a bi-annual 2000 point week would accomplish that. And since you don't need a 2 bedroom unit, your multiple week stay would be covered by the 2000 points as a Platinum studio takes 680 points and a Platinum 1 bedroom takes 1320 points.

Carmel comments about buying an annual week from the developer has merit if you would use Hyatt's Gold Passport program which lets you convert a timeshare week into hotel points every other year. The hotel points then can be used at any Hyatt hotel around the world. Note the the amount of points it takes to stay per night at a hotel varies on the level of Hyatt you would be staying at. If the hotel program is something that you would use - buy from the developer. If the hotel points are something that you would never use - buy resale.

The rule of thumb I've heard is, if your plan to visit the same property on the same week about 50% of the time, then buy that week at that specific property. If your travel time would vary year to year, then it doesn't matter which property you buy the 2000 points at - as Hyatt owners say, "points are points".

Thanks For Advice - But?

Thank you for your input - however a couple more questions if I may:

Our bi-annual choice was because we would choose to return for a period of about 3/4 weeks together every other year. We are retired so only look to travel to escape our winter so only Florida would tick that box for us, but we have other places that we are fond of, so couldn't commit to every year. But Jan/Mar look like they may be difficult to get into? As we are not owners yet we are unable to view if 3weeks in a studio is feasible in Jan or March. Seems like December would be much easier, because of less demand? This however would be quite restrictive for us if we could only really rely on getting 3 weeks in December perhaps that year we wanted to travel in Jan or March.

Buying from other source than Hyatt? Don't know much about this option? Timeshare in Europe can be full of scams so uncertain about this? Is it possible to obtain 2200/2000 points at Coconut Plantation bi-annual from another source? Do you get the same treatment from Hyatt as you have not bought from them?

Hotel use of points is not so important to us, looked at the conversion and dont consider it 'value for money' on an exchange basis, we wouldn't get the same amount of time out of the hotel exchange.

Thank you again and I welcome your input

Purchase Decision: Based on your lifestyle the bi-annual purchase appears to be the right choice. The problem will be to find a 2000-2200 point bi-annual on the resale market as most of the offerings will be annual weeks. You may have to buy from Hyatt as they will have a good supply.

Hotel Option: Since you're not interested in the Hyatt Hotel program you don't need to limit yourself to exclusively buying from Hyatt. Resale purchases do not include the Hotel program, so that doesn't exclude that option.

Resale Purchase: The only problem in buying resale is that Hyatt must approve all transactions. If the price you and the seller agree upon is to low, Hyatt will take the deal under Right of First Refusal (ROFR). If that occurs you have to find another deal you like. There are creative ways to structure the offer to make it less attractive to Hyatt, so you need to think outside the box.

Target Week: I would definitely try to get a week in the Jan-Mar timeframe in Florida. Just remember, the weather in Florida can get quite chilly in January and early February, especially at Coconut Plantation. It can still get chilly in Key West, but not as likely. Therefore, try to get something in the Feb-Mar timeframe.

Winter Studio Weeks: On the assumption that you get on the reservation request list as early as possible, you will have great success in getting a studio for 3 weeks in southern Florida. Unfortunately, you won't have much success if you don't plan ahead.

Hey Kal, been here in Bonita for three years now, we are in the sub-tropical climate as Key West is. It warms-up, when the kool front comes-in & goes but we don't get that cold within a day & at most two days ~ This is paradise here as is Key West & we still you our pool year round. Ya gotta remember that we are only seven miles North of Naples ~


Kal Wrote:

The weather in Florida can get quite chilly in January and early February, especially at Coconut Plantation. It can still get chilly in Key West, but not as likely.

I'm just thinking back a few years for the Ft. Meyers/Bonita temps in January:

Jan. 15, 2006 - Low=46F; Mean=58F
Jan. 24, 2005 - Low=36F; Mean=49F
Jan. 28, 2004 - Low=46F; Mean=56F

These January fronts dipping down from the frigid mid-west make it chilly in Florida, usually for 2-4 days with a stiff wind (wind chill factor). If that happens to be the week a person is in the timeshare unit, it's definitely not an ideal get away. Especially when it only would occur every 2 years.

Granted, I'm north of Bonita, near Sarasota, and I wouldn't use a pool in January unless its heated. Even then, I usually stick to just using my hot tub outside, which is amazingly pleasant in the cooler months. The hot tubs at Coconut Plantation are usually empty as well...so those are great spots to relax in!

I understand what ya say Kal but that doesn't happen to often, I wasn't trying to under estimate ya, I was only saying that it doesn't happen down here as much as people think it does. Most of the time we are in the 80s after a cool front approaches us & after that it warms into 80s or close to it after a day or two.

KAL,

Thank you for your information it is always great to hear from you especially when you are always 100% correct on the issues!!

Many thanks for all the messages on the boards.

Thanks all!

Looks like I need to go lookin for 2000 points bi-annual in 1st quarter of year.