Desert Springs Questions

1. What is a good price for a Red/Platinum week at Marriott's Desert Springs I ? If I see it for sale, what should I offer?

2. I am more interested in trading than going to any one resort every year. I am interested in this resort because it is a lock-out, the price for the highest season is far more reasonable than many of the newer resorts, and when I check the II book, they show the demand for the Palm Springs desert in the winter to be at the top of the chart for more weeks than even Hawaii.
So the question is: am I making an accurate assumption regarding the trading power of Desert Springs? How would it compare to Manor Club which can probably be purchased for under $10,000?

3. Does splitting a 2 bedroom lock-out significantly reduce the trading power if I would be content to trade to 1 bedrooms?

Thank you,
Jeff

We own at DSV-I Platinum week and this year we are going to Marriott/Kauai on internal trade but it took about 4-5 months to get July 5 week there and we had to give up our 2BR to get the 1Br. We might had done just as well putting up the split one BR,but was not flexible on the July week since we were confirmed in Maui the week before.

My concern for the Palm Desert area is over-saturation of timeshares, like Orlando is. Right now both Marriott and Westin are building more timeshare units within a few miles from there.

Best way to check prices is to go to timeshare sales websites and see what people are asking and what past sales show. We do enjoy our stays at DSV-1 and prefer Marriott over Westin for customer satisfaction in a big way!!!

korndoc said:

1. What is a good price for a Red/Platinum week at Marriott's Desert Springs I ? If I see it for sale, what should I offer?

2. I am more interested in trading than going to any one resort every year. I am interested in this resort because it is a lock-out, the price for the highest season is far more reasonable than many of the newer resorts, and when I check the II book, they show the demand for the Palm Springs desert in the winter to be at the top of the chart for more weeks than even Hawaii.
So the question is: am I making an accurate assumption regarding the trading power of Desert Springs? How would it compare to Manor Club which can probably be purchased for under $10,000?

3. Does splitting a 2 bedroom lock-out significantly reduce the trading power if I would be content to trade to 1 bedrooms?

Thank you,
Jeff

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Keep in mind that the demand index that they show in the II directory only indicates the relative demand for particular weeks in a particular area, and cannot be extrapolated to mean relative demand between areas. Thus, don't assume a 120 demand, for example, in Palm Springs means that the resort is more highly demanded than a 100 even in Hawaii. It is only a good guide as to what weeks in the area will have the best trading value. Hawaii and then Aruba, and Plat. ski weeks, are still going to be your best traders.

Buying for trading and your ultimate satisfaction depends upon your flexibility. If you are restricted to school vacations and/or only look for peak holiday weeks, for example, you need a stronger trader and may not always get what you want. If you are more flexible with dates and/or location, you are more apt to get what you want.

As far as splitting the unit- if you'll be happy with a 1BR, then splitting is a good idea. Keep in mind that you can only place an on-going request for a like sized unit, except in locations that only have bigger units (non-lock-off resorts), so you can only request a studio with your studio side; however, you can nab a larger unit if you have sufficient trade power to see it online or by calling. Of course, during Flexchange even a studio can pull a 2BR. If you are looking to exchange into a resort that only has 2 BR's during peak season, then you'd be better off depositing the whole 2 BR unit; if you are looking for an off season trade then you'll likely be successful with locking off.

HTH

I would expect you would have to pay at least mid-teens to high-teens for a platinum week. DSV I doesn't have ROFR which is one reason you can get it for a little less.

Janna

Thanks Cathy. What other trades have you made with Desert Springs? As 2BR and lock-outs, and in what seasons?
Any guess as to how it would trade compared to Manor Club?



HTH, thanks for the information regarding the Demand Graphs in the II book and for the advice concerning trading the 2 BR unit as a whole if I want to trade into a 2BR high season Marriott.


Any other thoughts on what I should offer to purchase at the Desert Springs I ? I have seen ads for $13,000 in TUG for DSV II, so I would not expect to pay in the mid- to upper teens for DSV I. What should I offer and what should I hope to pay?

Thank you , everyone,
Jeff

Not too many other trades as we can drive from Carlsbad to it, so use it most years. Did a personal trade to Worldmark Depoe Bay, did another personal trade for Boston Custom House. Turned it in for points one year to fly on British Air sleeper seats to Spain.
We have really enjoyed our week when we are there -- have several friends who live there that we visit; always go to the Palm Springs Follies; enjoy the good restaurants.....

Strongest Dates to Request

I own a plat week and wanted to know which week seems to be the most in demand. I thought it would be Presidents week but others state that there is a big tennis tournment. I am thinking of reserving the efficiency so I can rent it and use the one bedroom for trade. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Adam

Thanks, Cathy.

Jeff

brownie11927 said:

I own a plat week and wanted to know which week seems to be the most in demand. I thought it would be Presidents week but others state that there is a big tennis tournment.
Adam

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Brownie,

IMO the five most popular weeks would be the first two weeks in March (Pacific Life Tennis Tournament) the weeks before and after Easter and Presidents Week.

Chris - Isn't there also a big Golf Tournament that is popular there each year?

Cathyb said:

Chris - Isn't there also a big Golf Tournament that is popular there each year?

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Your right there is a big one...I think its also in March...

Also, the Bob Hope Classic Golf tournament is a great trader week (It is in January). When, I would rent my Shadow Ridge week through Marriott (under the old program), I always picked the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and got lots of cash for it. I doubt I could have rented it on my own at the prices Marriott got for it.

ciscogizmo1 said:

Also, the Bob Hope Classic Golf tournament is a great trader week (It is in January). When, I would rent my Shadow Ridge week through Marriott (under the old program), I always picked the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and got lots of cash for it. I doubt I could have rented it on my own at the prices Marriott got for it.

Click to expand...

What did they get for it?

Jeff

korndoc said:

What other trades have you made with Desert Springs? As 2BR and lock-outs, and in what seasons?

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Hi Jeff,

We own a White week at Villas 1, and we have always received the exchanges that we have wanted. We have gone to the famed Ocho Cascadas in Puerto Vallarta, the Westin Aviara in Carlsbad, as well as various Marriotts in Orlando, Palm Beach, Hilton Head, Kauai, Oahu, etc.

A couple times we have traded our studio lockout for entire two-bedroom villas.

You can see photos of the trips we've made by clicking on the link in my signature below.

Chris,
Loved the photos. You have sure enjoyed your timeshare exchanges. Do you always spit your lockout or do you sometimes find it necessary to trade the entire 2 BR unit? And do you usually go in the shoulder seasons, like you do for Puerto Vallarta?

Jeff

collins: You got into Aviara with a white DSV week? Wow! May I ask what week you had and what week you got at Four Seasons? Do you check the II openings on a daily basis to get these top weeks?

Jeff,

No, we don't usually split our lockout. We have only done that when we were planning on visiting an area with a glut of timeshares, such as Florida. Most of the time we trade our whole 2BR villa.

And yes, we usually travel in the "shoulder seasons", not just because the exchanges are easier, but also because we prefer the weather and the fewer crowds.

Cathy,

I just checked our records on the II website, and for that trip, we exchanged a DSV week starting June 21, 2002 for a Four Seasons Aviara week starting Sept 7, 2002.

And no, I never spend any time checking the II inventory. We decide on which resort we want to visit (usually based on TUG reviews), then we place a request (usually about a year in advance), and then we just wait for confirmation.

Regards,

Chris, you are my hero! :whoopie:

Thanks Chris -- and I am assuming you did the whole 2 BR at DSV. This year I got the studio at Four Seasons with the DSV studio (which we hate to spend a week in, it is just TOO small for us), but I had a February DSV week.

We only live 5 miles from FS but wanted to experience the luxury a bit

Yes, Cathy, we traded the whole Marriott 2BR for the Four Seasons 2BR.

Regards,