Which is your favorite Marriott TS in Hawaii?

[Quadmaniac]

Yes, this is an excellent point. We own at the Grand Luxxe in Mexico and the entry level contract is as expensive as the three resale contracts we are getting at Marriott Ko Olina EOY ocean view and the two Disney contracts with two home resorts. We can never sell the Grand Luxxe as there is no resale market for the Grand Luxxe. Our only option will be to let it expire at the end of 10 years if we do not want to renew. That will make the cost per year over 10 years really high. However, it is super luxurious. Nothing I have ever stayed in compares to the luxury of the Grand Luxxe. Not the Ritz, not the Four Seasons, nothing. So we are really paying for the luxury. It is not an economical decision at all. Marriott and Disney seem like "rational" decisions in comparison. In spite of how irrational it is to own at the Grand Luxxe, we are considering an upgrade to a more luxurious unit. We better love it before we decide because we can never sell it!

Out of curiosity, what are they asking for a contract now ? You pay MF each year or its pay as you use it ?

 

[Dean]

Yes, this is an excellent point. We own at the Grand Luxxe in Mexico and the entry level contract is as expensive as the three resale contracts we are getting at Marriott Ko Olina EOY ocean view and the two Disney contracts with two home resorts. We can never sell the Grand Luxxe as there is no resale market for the Grand Luxxe. Our only option will be to let it expire at the end of 10 years if we do not want to renew. That will make the cost per year over 10 years really high. However, it is super luxurious. Nothing I have ever stayed in compares to the luxury of the Grand Luxxe. Not the Ritz, not the Four Seasons, nothing. So we are really paying for the luxury. It is not an economical decision at all. Marriott and Disney seem like "rational" decisions in comparison. In spite of how irrational it is to own at the Grand Luxxe, we are considering an upgrade to a more luxurious unit. We better love it before we decide because we can never sell it!

And unfortunately, II is getting a ton of deposits there right now with all sizes including 3 BR, through Aug, 2019

 

[RussellSun]

Out of curiosity, what are they asking for a contract now ? You pay MF each year or its pay as you use it ?

Grand Luxxe contracts start in the $30-$40K range (I think) and go up from there into the $100,000 to $1,000,000 range, so I hear. You pay when you use it. You get three weeks a year with a Grand Luxxe starter contract and you can also use anything below your contract level. You also get 2 Vida Weeks with SFX (not an exchange; you put in a search request and wait until they find a match, then you pay if you want the match, rates are way cheap). You also get 10 extra weeks with Grand Luxxe through The Vida Lifestyles. You are enrolled in The Registry Collection and the Elite Alliance with some contracts. The higher level your contract, the more benefits and more exclusive perks you get but I do not know what they are since the high rollers are treated completely differently. Grand Luxxe is very hierarchical and everything is based on how much money you have "invested" with the company. More money invested = better room assignments and better views. They have many perks they do not tell you about until you qualify for them. They have new and even more expensive room categories being released in the future that will probably never be on II. They are no longer allowing Grand Luxxe members to join II. I assume this is because they do not want members to exchange and deposit into II. So whatever you see in II has been carefully deposited by Vidanta to get you there.

 

[RussellSun]

And unfortunately, II is getting a ton of deposits there right now with all sizes including 3 BR, through Aug, 2019

What room categories are you seeing? Is it the 3 bedroom presidential suites, 3 bedroom lofts or 3 bedroom punta building? What other categories do you see? Just wondering.

One thing I learned about myself is that I hate exchanging. I do not like putting in a request and waiting for an exchange. I like to call and book what I want when I want it. I like have a guaranteed view and knowing exactly what I am getting. I had some search requests in with SFX for next summer and I canceled them because I did not like waiting. Instead, I booked some of my own stuff for more money. Once my Marriott passes ROFR (I am crossing my fingers that it does) then I will give II a chance and see if like it. So far, I do not like SFX or RCI. I like the TUG philosophy of buy where you want to stay.

 

[Dean]

What room categories are you seeing? Is it the 3 bedroom presidential suites, 3 bedroom lofts or 3 bedroom punta building? What other categories do you see? Just wondering.

One thing I learned about myself is that I hate exchanging. I do not like putting in a request and waiting for an exchange. I like to call and book what I want when I want it. I like have a guaranteed view and knowing exactly what I am getting. I had some search requests in with SFX for next summer and I canceled them because I did not like waiting. Instead, I booked some of my own stuff for more money. Once my Marriott passes ROFR (I am crossing my fingers that it does) then I will give II a chance and see if like it. So far, I do not like SFX or RCI. I like the TUG philosophy of buy where you want to stay.

I'm not sure I know the room types well enough to say for certain. I see 3 BR listed as 6/8 LK and 8/10 full Kitchen. Based on the Vidanta website I'd venture to guess they are 3 BR presidential and 3 BR spa units. The II website appears down right now but I'd venture there were maybe 150-200 villas listed. It's good you own to use because the trade value is likely to be relatively low compared to the quality of the resort as is usual in MX.

 

[RussellSun]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of Grand Luxxe inventory. Grand Luxxe owners are not allowed to use II or RCI so we can’t trade. We are only allowed to use SFX but their inventory is awful for trading because it is so limited so no one trades on SFX - we get two Vida Weeks per year instead and do not need to give up our Grand Luxxe weeks. Grand Luxxe owners are given a free 2 year membership to The Registry Collection. If you own a two-level Residence Loft, you can qualify for Elite Alliance which is very high end. Vidanta does not want a resale market for its contracts. I suspect that is why they moved to no maintenance fees and 10 year contracts so there is less incentive to try to sell. It only makes sense to buy Grand Luxxe if you love it and want to go 2-3 weeks or more per year esp in high season and you want good rooms in a specific room category on specific dates. If you are flexible and fine with exchanging in every now and then, trading on II seems like a good way to go.

 

[Dean]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of Grand Luxxe inventory. Grand Luxxe owners are not allowed to use II or RCI so we can’t trade. We are only allowed to use SFX but their inventory is awful for trading because it is so limited so no one trades on SFX - we get two Vida Weeks per year instead and do not need to give up our Grand Luxxe weeks. Grand Luxxe owners are given a free 2 year membership to The Registry Collection. If you own a two-level Residence Loft, you can qualify for Elite Alliance which is very high end. Vidanta does not want a resale market for its contracts. I suspect that is why they moved to no maintenance fees and 10 year contracts so there is less incentive to try to sell. It only makes sense to buy Grand Luxxe if you love it and want to go 2-3 weeks or more per year esp in high season and you want good rooms in a specific room category on specific dates. If you are flexible and fine with exchanging in every now and then, trading on II seems like a good way to go.

I was able to get back in this morning after they completed their maintenance and I vastly underestimated, it' almost 700. Other resort in the area have a bunch of availability also. As I posted before, the reason they limit exchanges is to maximize sales opportunities, not for the benefit of the membership. I suspect one could rent through II or SFX pretty easily as well.