Dropping of Marriott to VRI

Anyone else upset about the decision of the BoD to suddenly drop Marriott even though they sent a letter three months earlier announcing a five year contract with MC? To me it was a bit back-handed considering the very short notice of the changeover. Now we are stuck with a greatly devalued timeshare that you can't even give away!

I just got on this section and saw your note. The problem with Marriott was going on for a long time. I don't know where you have a unit, but I have owned in Cedar for over 23 years and have not really been happy with Marriott since they took over. With the general work that has been done with the complex and the enhancements that have been made to Cedar and Aspen by the individual boards, I don't feel that we have lost value.

stephen61 wrote:

I just got on this section and saw your note. The problem with Marriott was going on for a long time. I don't know where you have a unit, but I have owned in Cedar for over 23 years and have not really been happy with Marriott since they took over. With the general work that has been done with the complex and the enhancements that have been made to Cedar and Aspen by the individual boards, I don't feel that we have lost value.

I've only been an owner for six years (Unit 103-Cedar) and only bought it for the Marriott trading power. Immediately after the switch to VRI, I cannot trade it for a Marriott property like I used to. I also cannot sell it as no one even wants to pay $20 for similar units on eBay. In my case, this was a purchase 'gone bad'!

What week do you own? I may not be a great example as I have weeks 51 and 52 (week 53 about every six years). I've never traded my week in with RCI, II, or Marriott. Unfortunately, some of the weeks may not be worth much under the Marriott system, but if you belong to RCI or II you can turn it in.

I agree, it does depend on your week, but, Marriott has an outstanding reputation and if you are lucky enough to have a Marriott timeshare, it is considerably more valueable on the trade. I don't plan on using my timeshare at the Cedar for a very long time. I too have just been trading it. Luckly, I haven't had a hard time trading it with Interval, but I've only traded it for 2 years and owned it for 3. So I'm hoping that now that it is not with Marriott, it will still be worth it. As far as the maintenance fees, this is crazy. It went from @900 a year to almost $1,400. This is just plain nuts. So basically I agree with Robert, we've been short handed.

deborahb3 wrote:

I agree, it does depend on your week, but, Marriott has an outstanding reputation and if you are lucky enough to have a Marriott timeshare, it is considerably more valueable on the trade. I don't plan on using my timeshare at the Cedar for a very long time. I too have just been trading it. Luckly, I haven't had a hard time trading it with Interval, but I've only traded it for 2 years and owned it for 3. So I'm hoping that now that it is not with Marriott, it will still be worth it. As far as the maintenance fees, this is crazy. It went from @900 a year to almost $1,400. This is just plain nuts. So basically I agree with Robert, we've been short handed.

Sorry for the delay in responding. I have week 35 and my units sleeps 10. I'm hoping that this is a temporary increase.

deborahb3 wrote:

I agree, it does depend on your week, but, Marriott has an outstanding reputation and if you are lucky enough to have a Marriott timeshare, it is considerably more valueable on the trade. I don't plan on using my timeshare at the Cedar for a very long time. I too have just been trading it. Luckly, I haven't had a hard time trading it with Interval, but I've only traded it for 2 years and owned it for 3. So I'm hoping that now that it is not with Marriott, it will still be worth it. As far as the maintenance fees, this is crazy. It went from @900 a year to almost $1,400. This is just plain nuts. So basically I agree with Robert, we've been short handed.

I think you will be surprised when you trade with II that obtaining a trade back into a Marriott property will be very, very difficult unless you go off peak or to a saturated location (Orlando). Having the extra time to trade within the Marriott pool before being released to II was a valuable tool.

stephen61 wrote:

With the general work that has been done with the complex and the enhancements that have been made to Cedar and Aspen by the individual boards, I don't feel that we have lost value.

I respect your opinion & it is clear that you purchased your week to actually use it and not for trade. That is great and I hope that you are able to enjoy the enhancements that are taking place there. I did just the opposite. I purchased my week directly from MVCI under the premise of trading power within the Marriott family into Hawai'i and Spain locations. While under Marriott management, I had no problem booking into Kauai Beach Club and Waiohai in Poipu. Now I'm lucky to get into a place like Kona Coast.

I don't plan on using my week in Vail, I have it just for trading. Again, I'm hoping that I will still be able to trade into a Marriott property. Has anyone had a problem with their trading since the management change?

deborahb3 wrote:

I don't plan on using my week in Vail, I have it just for trading. Again, I'm hoping that I will still be able to trade into a Marriott property. Has anyone had a problem with their trading since the management change?

I recently attended an owners meeting for Cedar owners in Denver. My impression was that board members tend to be owners who use rather than trade so the loss of the Marriott connection means little to them. We have owned week 26 on the second floor for over 15 years and under Marriott mangement traded consistently to ski weeks at Marriott locations both in Streamside Vail and Park City as well as summer weeks at Hilton Head and Hawaii. The Marriott priority for trades made the property extremely valuable for trading purposes. The loss of the Marriott connection rendered the property virtually worthless for trading purposes and absolutely worthless on the resale market. I cannot give it away or donate it to a Charity. I can still make trades through II because week 26 at Vail still has some trading power but forget about ever trading into a Marriott property now. I feel we were violated and the board members mostly located in the Denver area and who own primarily to use did a number on those of us who primarily owned for the Marriott connection. "We wuz robbed" when they failed to renew the Marriott management contract.

One of the main reasons that Cedar and Aspen dropped Marriott was related to the the requirements that they placed on the Boards to make the units compliant with "Marriott Standards" and the costs that would have been involved with that compliance. Many of the items needed were completed independently at much lower costs. Week 26 sound like a decent summer week, but I don't know how it would exchange for prime ski time. I don't disagree with you that the Board may be loaded with Denver locals, but it is very hard to get involved when you are 1500 miles away (as I am). I don't know where you are located, but try to get on the board if you want to effect some change

It shound as though your right, we were robbed. It's a shame. I guess the board didn't realize or want to realize the value of Marriott. We have all paid the price for their actions, not just in the maintenance costs.

I'm not sure what the terms are of the current management contract, but that is something that can be changed in the future. As I indicated in earlier correspondence, I am not "in love" with Marriott and personally was not happy with how things were run at Streamside. However, if the work that has been done at Cedar puts us in compliance, (the extra fees should be over by next year), a suggestion can be made to move back to Marriott

Thank you for your imput. I belive that if we want Marriot back then we should make our best effort to attend the board meeting and argue our case. If the board members are made aware of the value of a Marriott timeshare they should reinstate a contract with Marriott. I'm not sure of another way, other than this forum, to get our views on this to the other timeshare owners, but I am open to suggestions.

deborahb3 wrote:

Thank you for your imput. I belive that if we want Marriot back then we should make our best effort to attend the board meeting and argue our case. If the board members are made aware of the value of a Marriott timeshare they should reinstate a contract with Marriott. I'm not sure of another way, other than this forum, to get our views on this to the other timeshare owners, but I am open to suggestions.

The Cedar/Aspen contracts with VRI have several years to go (five I believe) and even then I doubt that Marriott will agree to manage Aspen and/or Cedar as long as there is an elevator issue.

I don't believe that Birch has an elevator, so that is not the problem

Well if any of you have a suggestion as to how we can the other owners on our side, please let me know.

stephen61 wrote:

I don't believe that Birch has an elevator, so that is not the problem

Birch does have elevators. We have stayed (exchanged) there in the past. The Birch owners were willing to meet Marriott's demands and they stayed under Marriott management which I consider a plus for trading and selling purposes. Why would a knowledgeable buyer purchase an Aspen week when the current maintenance/special assessment fees exceed the rental value for the week. Maybe in time this will change when the special assessment fees are discontinued but alas it is a sad fact at present.

I just spoke to the Marriott general manager at the resort and found out tht Birch does have elevators. Did not realize that. However, she told me that elevators were not a pre-condition for their continue acceptance as a manager. Relative to Aspen, they unfortunately have a screwed up fee system which doesn't allocate according to seasons (as Cedar does). Marriott doesn't allocate by seasons either.

stephen61 wrote:

I just spoke to the Marriott general manager at the resort and found out tht Birch does have elevators. Did not realize that. However, she told me that elevators were not a pre-condition for their continue acceptance as a manager. Relative to Aspen, they unfortunately have a screwed up fee system which doesn't allocate according to seasons (as Cedar does). Marriott doesn't allocate by seasons either.

Don't take my word for it. Call the general manager for VRI and you will learn that Aspen does allocate the maintenance fee according to seasons. For example, a ski week at Aspen (1br 3bath loft) is about a $1,000 more than for a red summer week for a comparable unit.

As for whether or not the lack of elevators was a factor in Marriott not renewing the Cedar contract is purely speculative. I doubt that the Marriott general manager at Streamside was even involved in the negotiations with the Cedar HOA and her/his opinion is based purely on hearsay.