A common question I get from Marriott owners is “What’s the most important thing I need to do to get the Maximum value and enjoyment out of my ownership?” You’d think it would depend on individual questions – where do you like to go, how many points do you have, or do you prefer mountains or beach? But none of those questions lead you to the most important factor in having a good ownership experience. The most important thing that owners can do to MAX their value and enjoyment — PLAN!! And I’m not talking 9-12 months in advance – I’m talking 14-36 months in advance!
You may be thinking, “I don’t even know what I’m doing 6 months from now. How am I supposed to make plans for 18 months out?” Or “I don’t know where to go, or when to go. It’s so overwhelming – I’ll deal with it later”. New owners especially feel overwhelmed and are not sure the best way to start their ownership adventures.
The best advice I can give you as a Marriott Owners is to plan SOMETHING and plan it EARLY. And with Abound going live in a few weeks (I’m being told July 28th), it’s a great time to make that plan and include the 23 new Vistana resorts being added — possibly including them in your plan for late 2023 and 2024. Get ahead of the game, and hit the ground running when things open up. Don’t worry about which days or weeks to go as much as WHERE to go in making your “I want to go there” list. Remember, this is for October 2023- December 2024. It’s easier to group your trips based on the calendar year to coincide with the usage year of my weeks and points.
Related: Sheraton/Westin Resorts to Be Included in Abound by Marriott Vacations
Anyone who follows me, know that I harp on the fact that the BEST value for your Club Points is staying at Marriott (and soon to be Vistana) owner resorts. No question. But maybe you have your eye on an Alaskan Cruise, or a Tour of Europe, or even a home on the beach in the Caribbean. Not as good of value, but a heck of a lot of fun!! And that carries credentials in making your travel plans. So consider the Interval International resorts, or the Cruises, Tours, Homes, if you really want to try them out. And remember, you may need to borrow or bank points to make some of those experiences an option.
The biggest frustration comes for Vacation Club Owners when so many other Owners are trying to get the same resort for the same dates. The owner who understands the process the best, gets the best results. Let me say that again. The owner who understands the process the best, gets the best results. It isn’t hard, but it is a process with rules to understand. I’ll walk you through the basics – Maxing Marriott Ownership 101 – to help you maneuver the process and build memories to last a lifetime. And that includes ALL the steps. Just get started for now and make your plans. More to follow.
Shanna, I couldn’t agree more. I often tell people that are new to timeshare to book something as far ahead of time as possible even if they’re only 60% sure that they will be able to go.
Canceling and rebooking 6 months out is much better than having nothing booked.
Where do we go to make these Marriot reservations, or is it active already? I am now a Vistana owner.
It is not active for Vistana owners YET. I’m being told July 28th. Hopefully, you get more direction on your end, but I understand you will need to elect Club Points. I know some Vistana Owners are concerned about how it will work. Marriott is telling me it will save Vistana Owners money on their dues by combining them all in one, similar to when Marriott Owners went to the point system in 2010 — it did indeed save us money on our fees and gave us much more flexibility in resorts we could use. Until it comes out, you can familiarize yourself with what resorts — including MVC you want to visit. And until it goes live, I won’t be able to address the Vistana process — it hasn’t been announced officially. Don’t believe what the Sales Reps say.
Thank you for your response, what if I have a Marriott account already? Can I see the available properties? The new owner properties?
Depends on what you mean by seeing the properties? You can go on Marriott.com and search for the properties to learn about the amenities, rooms, etc. But as an Owner seeing them on the Vistana or MVC website, they aren’t showing there yet — but coming July 28th on those websites. Marriott verified that date is pretty firm.
I’m not sure I follow you here. As a point owner, I can certainly plan to do something in May 2024, but I can’t book anything more than 13 months out. Can you clarify please.
You are correct — you can’t book anything out further than 13 months out. But my point was that you need to have a general idea of what you might like to do 13-24 or even 36 months out. This is in case you want to go on a “super” trip, which would require you to borrow or bank points to acquire enough points for the trip. For instance, if I decide in 2024 I want to go on the Culinary tour along Switzerland’s Italian Riviera, that takes 24,000 Club Points. I would need to plan to bank points in 2023, and possible borrow points from 2025 to get enough points for the trip. I can’t BOOK until 2023, but I have a plan of how I’m going to allocate my points further out. I hope that helps you understand the point I was trying to make.