Ripoff - Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program - New Point System

The state of Hawaii is taxing you a daily hotel occupancy tax. Marriott has nothing to do with that. I own 9 weeks at another resort in Kauai and was informed a few years back the state raised the daily hotel occupancy for timeshare owners too. I agree we are being double taxed as owners as we pay property tax through our yearly maintenance fees. Could be a class action suite looking to happen against the state of Hawaii not the Marriott.

I agree. Maui ! Hawaii if overly greedy re taxing already taxed maintenance fees. Also rental cars etc etc. many people I know are avoiding hawaii due to the high costs that yearly went there. We unfortunately love it so bite the bullet! I posted meaning Hawaii state not the Marriott.

Just our $0.02 based on our experience. We are 20+ year owners of two even year floating weeks of 1 bedroom at Maui Ocean Club. We’ve always gone to that resort. Due to Covid we deposited 2020 into Interval and ended up in Tahoe for a week in lesser accommodations. We agreed to an Owners presentation because we were interested in possibly divesting of one of our weeks since we are now retired and do not need an “escape”. First the blatant lie: As part of the spiel on the Destinations program we were told we needed to buy points to be eligible to participate in the exchange. We didn’t discover this misrepresentation for two years and when we contacted Marriott they were unsympathetic that fraud had been perpetrated. We bought into the program not to be able to go other places but to have the flexibility to upgrade to a larger unit with full kitchen to accommodate family. If you are unsure of what you want to do as you approach the deadline for depositing your enrolled weeks, it is only after doing that that you learn that the points you get won’t buy back your deposited week. So the promoted flexibility isn’t so flexible. Once you try to reserve you learn that you no longer have any advantages reserving at your home resort. You’re just another among the many points owners worldwide, trying to reserve at one of the most popular destinations. In over 20 years we never had any problem getting our desired week(s) 13 months out. This year, reserving for 2024, I spent literally hours calling, holding, and speaking with reps, some of whom were clearly not native English speakers because they were hard to understand. Being lied to by the sales person along with Marriott’s dismissal of the lie really soured us on the company. The representation of flexibility and nothing-to-lose was also exaggerated. Unless you already own weeks at a less desirable resort and you intend to frequently travel elsewhere, I see little justification for spending the $ on the Destinations program. Going forward we will probably rent out one week through Redweek to recoup as much of our maintenance fees as possible and continue going to Maui for one week every other year. The points we bought may buy us an additional night or two which we would not want if it weren’t a matter of use-em-or-lose-em. In conclusion we would not recommend timeshare ownership to anyone. Using Redweek to rent, although we’ve never done that, seems like a smart way to go. We liked being “forced” into a nice vacation every other year, which is why we bought weeks to begin with, but otherwise timeshare ownership is not an investment, it’s a big expense. Weeks ownership is more of a liability than an asset, so just consider your investment into weeks or points to be a sunk cost and think of its value to you in those terms.

When they first went to points so many years ago I asked how long I could stay at my home resort for the converted points. Three nights! I’m going to give you a week for three nights? The bit about booking anywhere in the world etc. well I only want to go to my home resort so I will keep my weeks.

First lie, well maybe a misstatement, You didn't have to buy any points to join the destinations program. I don't believe any sales rep told you that and you didn't allude to the fact that you own any trust points. For a weeks owner in 2010 you had to pay $800 to join but they gave you 800 one time use trust points. Second lie, well just another misstatement I suppose. With your two weeks at Maui you could reserve 13 months out AT MAUI, nowhere else. If you converted Both weeks to points you could reserve anywhere in the system if you had enough points. First truth, you do lose your owner preference when you switch to points but without points your only choice was to trade in Interval and you lost any owner preference there. However being able to book 13 weeks out with points is better than the owner preference IMO. 2

You obviously don't understand the Abound system and how to take advantage of it. I've reserved Maui six months out with no problem. It was I July and I don't know if that's a high season or not. I have reserved Caribbean resorts in high season every year with destination points without a problem every year since 2010.

Like you own weeks and used them every year in the resorts that I owned. in 2010 the Marriott timeshare world changed and it made my timeshare ownership even better. Unfortunately life deals you a bad hand once in a while and we're no longer able to travel at all anymore. Thanks to the points system I'm able to recoup my MF's and with a tidy profit some years. With the points Mrs MF ratio at Maui you should be able to do the same. My advice , find TUG and use Redweek to rent your weeks.

Jim

we also told we had to join the destination program and buy points. also, we own Christmas and New years weeks and were told with our new points we could check in even earlier by booking in 3 days ahead. When questioning many of the presented statements the salesman gave us were asked 'did you get it in writing'!!! we asked do you have 3 bedroom units available? Answer: of course, just book ahead. In Maui, IMO, we bought air as all the units were sold out especially oceanfront and for the last many years have never been able to book with the points we have. As you said, we can travel to other resorts but bought on the promoted premise we could use it to book ahead of our weeks. Now, we ask for any new info IN WRITING. ps. still upsetting that Maui charges another tax if you rent your OWNED week even though you have already paid the tax. DOUBLE TAXATION on the same unit.

T.M., I agree with your points and can add even more. I am a Chairman Level owner and have fallen prey to the “duping” and in one case downright fraud in a sales presentation and am now in the process of purging my portfolio. I have been a loyal Marriott Vacation owner since 2000 as well as a lifetime Titanium member on the hotel side, but am not feeling the “love” the past few years. I own a week at Waiohai and even combined with my “Chairman” status, I can’t get the resort to acknowledge or return my calls and emails to confirm my room preference. I arrived yesterday for my week at my “platinum ocean view” villa and instead of being in the ocean front unit I’ve always stayed at the past 18 years, I am 3 buildings back overlooking the pool. If I lean dangerously over the railing and the wind cooperates by moving the palm tree on the right just so, I think I see a glimpse of the ocean. Or the sky, not sure which since it’s a half second view. Don’t believe a word they say in the presentation.

I wonder if Marriott ever reviews what Marriott owners are experiencing?