Help! What Does floating week mean?

[Fredflintstone]

I have a friend who owns at westin Ka’anapali in Maui. He has floating weeks and asked me this:

Do floating weeks mean:
1. You get first come first served on a week but you are not guaranteed any week? So, in theory, you could end up with no weeks available?
2. You are guaranteed at least one of the floating weeks on the contract. I think his is week 1 to 50.
3. You are guaranteed points if all weeks are booked up?
4. Other.

I know how fixed weeks work but have no clue on floating. I told him I will ask the experts and let him know.


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[WinniWoman]

Depends of the resort. Don't own in Hawaii, but at our resort the floating weeks are assigned like 20 years out at a time. The dates vary every year- they are off season, but at least you know way ahead of time what they will be so you can decide whether to use them for those dates or exchange them through RCI or another exchange company.

At a lot of resorts, however, you have a choice of any weeks during the floating period you own in (like weeks 1-26 or weeks 27-52 or 1-52)- IF they are available!

He has to read his contract. That's the bottom line. Really should ask these questions before you buy.

 

[Fredflintstone]

Depends of the resort. Don't own in Hawaii, but at our resort the floating weeks are assigned like 20 years out at a time. The dates vary every year- they are off season, but at least you know way ahead of time what they will be so you can decide whether to use them for those dates or exchange them through RCI or another exchange company.

At a lot of resorts, however, you have a choice of any weeks during the floating period you own in (like weeks 1-26 or weeks 27-52 or 1-52)- IF they are available!

He has to read his contract. That's the bottom line. Really should ask these questions before you buy.

Thanks. Funny, that’s exactly what I told him (read the contract). He just bought his week on EBay and his purchase contract doesn’t specify terms (except floating 1 to 50) He doesn’t have the full contract. I also told him to check his deed and he says it doesn’t specify either. He says westin (Owner services) was no real help because they have many different configurations.


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[DeniseM]

There are 2 different factors involved:

1) View category - which is deeded - What view did he buy? If he doesn't know, find out what the unit number is on the deed. This is for recording purposes only, but it will tell us what view it's located in.

2) Unit assigned - at this resort, weeks 1-50 were sold as floating units/floating dates. At purchase you could lock in a week and unit for a big premium - so it's rare.

This resort has 3 different views:
-Island View
-Ocean View
-Ocean Front

Within a view category, the unit location floats - in other words, he is not guaranteed any particular unit.

He is guaranteed to get his deeded view if he makes his reservation 8-12 months before check-in, and if he makes it before the category is booked solid.

However, if he makes a reservation 8-0 months before check-in, he will get a floating view, regardless of what he owns.

 

[Fredflintstone]

There are 2 different factors involved:

1) View category - which is deeded - What view did he buy?

2) Unit assigned - at this resort, weeks 1-50 were sold as floating units/floating dates. At purchase you could lock in a week and unit for a big premium - so it's rare.

This resort has 3 different views:
-Island View
-Ocean View
-Ocean Front

Within a view category, the unit location floats - in other words, he is not guaranteed any particular unit.

He is guaranteed to get his deeded view if he makes his reservation 8-12 months before check-in, and if he makes it before the category is booked solid.

However, if he makes a reservation 8-0 months before check-in, he will get a floating view, regardless of what he owns.

Thank you!


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[vacationtime1]

Regardless of what your friend owns, he will get the best results if he reserves 365 days in advance. Two reasons:

1. Prime weeks (whale season, holidays, summer) go fast; if he wants one of those weeks, he must get it before all units are taken.

2. Room assignments are based on timestamp. The earliest reservations get the best views (within the view category) -- higher floor, closer to the water, etc.

It's a fantastic resort -- our favorite. But some effort is required to maximize its value.

 

[Henry M.]

I own at WKORV and WKORV-N. Floating weeks means you can reserve any week up to 12 months before arrival, first come, first served. You are not guaranteed any particular week. If you can’t get a week in a particular year, you can bank the weeks for up to two years. If you bought from the developer, you can convert your week to hotel points.

I very much prefer this arrangement over fixed weeks, since I travel at different times every year. I didn’t buy Hyatt because they only offer fixed weeks in their program.

There is only one season at WKORV. There are two event weeks that can only be reserved if you own those weeks - Christmas and New Year’s.

You can pay extra to have a week be fixed, and you can pay even more after fixing your week to get a fixed unit during your stay.