Looking into Timesharing

[Retread6811]

New to timeshares . . . trying to sort out the best system for my family. Initially looked at Marriott, but realized it didn't fit where we vacation, then I stumbled upon Worldmark. I'm in CA and they have LOTS of resorts all over CA, so it seems like that would be a great fit for us. But looking throught the posting and researching myself, I had some questions that I'm hoping you all can answer.

1.) Worldmark vs Club Wyndham - what's the difference (other than point system). They seem to have the same resorts, but different point values. Is there a reason to pick one over the other? Or should I just pick whichever one is most cost-effective?
2.) Housekeeping - So, with each booking you have to pay for housekeeping? Is it standard or varies by resort?
3.) Other fees - Aside from the previous question, if I book a resort are there additional fees/taxes that apply?
4.) We tend to book short trips, on short notice (less than 2 months) during the school year . . . are we likely to be able to find resorts, in CA, with availablity?
5.) Are all the resorts in either system available with resale points?
6.) Are there any other things I should keep in mind before buying?

 

[VacationForever]

1. Worldmark is primarily in the West Coast. Wyndham is in the East Coast. They are 2 different systems, but Wyndham bought over the rights to sell and manage Worldmark many years ago. In the resale market, Worldmark is more expensive to buy than Wyndham, although prices are still very low. For the same size, Worldmark is cheaper in maintenance fees. There is a very small overlap in properties across the 2 systems.
2. With Worldmark, every contract under 10K gets 1 free housekeeping token, and then for every 10K there is another free token credited into the account. 1 housekeeping token is used for every reservation. When you run out of token, you will need to pay for housekeeping, which is mandatory, it is the fees for cleaning for in-between stays for 2 sets of guests. Larger unit costs more in housekeeping.
3. Some locations requires additional local taxes. When you check-out during booking, it will tell you if it requires local taxes. It is not crazy, but it is dependent on local cities. For instance, there are 4 properties in Palm Springs/Desert area, only 1 requires additional local taxes to be paid.
4. Short trips and peak season and booked within 2 months, good luck to you... it is very difficult to find availability, although you can request to be wait listed. Wait list requests do come through but have a plan B. You don't need to accept it if it comes through. Also, since you are booking short trips, you should look into cash payment options when booking as those already include housekeeping in their fees.
5. Worldmark is overall the best timeshare system if you are not into fancy frills. You cannot go wrong. Disclosure: I own Vistana and Marriott (a ton), and Worldmark. Worldmark is the most cost effective timeshare system.

 

[Retread6811]

Thank you, that is very helpful. We are definitely looking at "most cost effective" to start . . . but often that means "nickel and dime", so that's what I wanted to sort out. Generally, we are going for the location, so resort amenities are, usually, meaningless to us . . . we don't need "fancy frills".

2.) So, if we do a lot of short stays, we would end up paying "more" due to the housekeeping charge each time, right?
4.) We are travelling during the school year (not during school vacations), does that change your response?

When I go to these sites, the resort lists seems to be the same:

Find WorldMark timeshare resorts.

Explore WorldMark resorts across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and more. Find your next timeshare resort destination today.

worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com

Club Wyndham Resort Locations

Explore Our Expansive Inventory of 240+ Club Wyndham Resort Locations Worldwide. See Where Club Wyndham Timeshare Can Take You For Your Next Vacation!

clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com

In resale, what is the difference between "Wyndham Vacation Club" points and "WorldMark by Wyndham" points?

 

[geist1223]

There is 1 free Housekeeping Token from 5,000 to 19,999 Worldmark Credits. You then get a 2nd one at 20,000, then a 3rd at 30,000 Credits, etc. Cost of Housekeeping if you are out of Free Tokens depends on the size of the Unit. Worldmark has 3 Cash options: Bonus Time (short fuse), Inventory Specials (mainly midweek week stays but sometimes includes weekends), and Monday Madness (list changes almost every Monday). Cash options include the Housekeeping fee. As had been said good luck with trying to make Bookings with only 2 months notice. Each Account can have up to 4 Wait Lists at 1 time. Resell purchasers have access to all 90+ Worldmark Resorts. Resell price is pennies on the dollars vice Developer sells. You can buy resell Worldmark Credits on TUG, EBAY, www.wmowners.com and other sites. Each Account gets 1 free Guest Certificate per 10,000 Credits or part there of. The overall Maintenance Fees go up the more Credits you own but the Maintenance Fee per Credit is slightly less the more Credits you own. You have to understand that if you decide to sell your Account you will probably take a loss or have difficulty selling.

 

[Huskerpaul]

To use your Worldmark credits costs nothing extra beyond your monthly maintenance fees as long as you have a HK token still available (Worldmark charges MF monthly, where all the other timeshare systems I know about you pay annually). No fee to book a resort and no fee to "bank" your credits like there is with HGVC.

They do have cash options like Monday Madness and Bonus Time. You can also just pay a cash price per credit, but it is more than the equivalent MF cost you would pay for those credits. This comes in handy when you have a short stay of like a weekend. Short stays are not the best use of your HK tokens, so people save those and pay cash, but when you add the cost of a 2BDR for a weekend of 2,500 credits and the $130 HK, it often makes sense to save your credits and just pay cash for that stay. They show you all payment options when you make an reservation online.

 

[VacationForever]

Thank you, that is very helpful. We are definitely looking at "most cost effective" to start . . . but often that means "nickel and dime", so that's what I wanted to sort out. Generally, we are going for the location, so resort amenities are, usually, meaningless to us . . . we don't need "fancy frills".

2.) So, if we do a lot of short stays, we would end up paying "more" due to the housekeeping charge each time, right?
4.) We are travelling during the school year (not during school vacations), does that change your response?

When I go to these sites, the resort lists seems to be the same:

Find WorldMark timeshare resorts.

Explore WorldMark resorts across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and more. Find your next timeshare resort destination today.

worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com

Club Wyndham Resort Locations

Explore Our Expansive Inventory of 240+ Club Wyndham Resort Locations Worldwide. See Where Club Wyndham Timeshare Can Take You For Your Next Vacation!

clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com

In resale, what is the difference between "Wyndham Vacation Club" points and "WorldMark by Wyndham" points?

Worldmark does not nickle and dime as much as other timeshare systems. One of the main differences is that internet is not free at Worldmark. But you can buy single stay, multi-device or annual pass.

If you are travelling in shoulder season, i.e. not popular or locations where there are many units, then you chances of booking 2 months out may be better.

When you buy resale, Worldmark ownership does not allow you to book Wyndham properties, and vice versa is also true. The resort lists are not the same.

 

[Retread6811]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. It sounds like, for us, it would be better to buy a small amount of points to give me access to the cash options (to use on shorter stays) . . . and then bank the points for a longer stay to use with the HK.
Points can be banked for one year . . . and borrowed also? Are banked points restricted in any way?
Do HKs expire?
Is it easy to combine accounts if we buy small and decide we want to additional points resale?
What would you recommend as a good "starter" point package?

 

[VacationForever]

Points are good for 25 months + 12 months, i.e. can book 12 months beyond expiration. No need to bank, it is automatically rolled over. HK expire with the points duration. Combining is a pain because your accounts are frozen during the process, and it runs about 4 to 6 months. I would say buy the right size, and don't try to combine. You can keep them as 2 separate small accounts to get an additional HK token if the combined account would otherwise have gotten you under 20K.

I believe 10K account is the sweet spot. It is enough to get a 2BR for 1 week at most resorts.