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Vacationing with friends and / or family (by R P.):

It's really a personal decision .... it depends on your own circumstances. Did you ask them to be your guests (outright) in the first place? That usually means that you'll pay for all the accomodations.

Are you financially well off and can afford the extra expense or are you struggling financially? Would you feel cheated if they didn't pitch in monetarily to help with expenses? Perhaps you need to discuss this situation with your guests beforehand.

I've read that some people ask their guests to pay some of the maintenance fees (maybe half) if they will be guests in your owned unit. If I were using Marriott points to book an extra unit then that is a whole different ballgame as depleting your Marriott account of 1500 points (or $750) is a lot of points and money. Marriott is a very nice brand and they would be getting a top quality vacation.

It all depends on how you feel about the situation.

dans383 wrote:

What do you think is appropriate when inviting friends and / or family on a time share vacation? When you book out extra space or an additional unit, do you ask your friends and family to chip in? If so, how much? If I had a second home, I wouldn't ask for a contribution, but with time share, it will be making a dent in how much space I can personally use for that given year. Do you mostly just take it on the chin, if you invited them, so that everyone could have a better time? Some guests insist on buying us dinner and drinks on at least one night as a good will gesture, since they are getting a bargain vacation accommodation. I am a member of the Marriott Destinations program and I figure, fairly unscientifically that a point is costing us at least 50 cents each, to use. So, if booking a second unit for a few days is depleting my account by 1500 points (or roughly $750.00), How do you think the best way is to handle it, particularly if your friends ask how they can contribute? Treating us to a dinner, certainly wouldn't approach $750.00.