What I like about Marriott Timeshare

• You can book cheap preview packages to experience the resorts
  
• Marriott Vacation Club Resorts have apartments with kitchens and living rooms
  
• The resorts are in great locations like Hawaii, Florida, California, New York and International
  
• Use your Destination Club Points to stay at Westin and Sheraton Vacation Club Resorts
  
• Wider choice of resorts than other timeshare programs
  
• There are five Ritz Carlton resorts, which are super luxury
  
• Use your points to book timeshare resorts on Interval International
  
• You can bank your points to use in future years
  
• You can borrow points from future years, to use in the current year
  
• You don’t pay resort fees when you stay at a Marriott Timeshare Resort
  
• If you book a cash stay at a Marriott Timeshare Resort, get a 30% discount
  
• Free Parking at Marriott Timeshare Resorts
  

What I don’t like about Marriott Timeshare

• You need to pay a fee to enter the program
  
• You need to pay annual maintenance fees
  
• Things like tours and experiences represent a poor value use of your points
  

Booking a preview package provides amazing value

If you’re reading this article, you might already know about packages. These are heavily discounted stays at Marriott Vacation Club Resorts. You’ll also receive 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, when you book a package.

In return for this deal, you’ll need to sit through a one hour timeshare presentation. Where a salesperson will try to persuade you to enter the program. There’s no obligation to buy anything.

These deals are terrific value. I booked a preview package at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. In Maui, Hawaii. I booked five nights in a one bed apartment for $1,800. I also received 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points.

The cash cost of that stay would have been $5,500. Not only that, 50,000 Bonvoy points are extremely valuable. I previously used 50,000 points to book up the stunning Westin Hapuna in Big Island, Hawaii. They charge $1,000 to stay for one night.

If you want to book up a preview package then email me. Give me your name, email address, phone number (with country code) and the city that you live in.

If you plan on buying a Marriott Timeshare, then it’s a no brainer to book a preview package. You might as well get a discounted holiday thrown in.

And if you don’t plan on buying a Marriott Timeshare? Then a preview package is also a no brainer! You might as well have a discounted holiday!

If you’re not a member of Marriott Bonvoy, sign up on this page. If you use my link, you get 2,000 bonus points for each of your first five bookings.

What are the costs to enter the program?

What? You thought that you could get a Marriott Timeshare for free?! Marriott are a global company, they’re not a charity. You’ll need to pay, to get the benefits of ownership.

You’ll pay a fee to enter the program and become an owner. You’ll also pay an annual maintenance fee.

The fee to enter the program will depend on different factors. Also, the prices change over time (the price goes up over time, never down!). Your timeshare is linked to a specific resort. So different resorts have different costs. Ocean front resorts in Hawaii tend to be the most expensive.

You can convert your timeshare into an annual allocation of Destination Club Points. The more points you get every year, the more valuable your timeshare is.

The annual maintenance fees are linked to the maintenance costs of your home resort. These fees are similar to HOA fees.

I don’t know what fees you’ll be quoted. But I can tell you what I paid.

I paid just under $20,000 to enter the program and become an owner. For that I get 4,700 DC Points Per Year. I also got a one-off bonus of 7,000 DC Points when I joined the program. Maintenance fees are around $2,500 per year.

I also received lifetime platinum status with Marriott Bonvoy. You normally need to stay at Marriott hotels for 50 nights a year to get platinum status. Platinum comes with great benefits like suite upgrades and free breakfast.

I keep a spreadsheet of all my historical stays. I’m geeky like that!

With my joining bonus of 7,000 Destination Club Points, I booked three vacations with a retail value of $18,000. Which is nearly as much as what I paid to enter the program. The vacations I booked were in Hawaii, Orlando and Marco Island, Florida.

With my annual allocation of points, I usually book vacations worth around $10,000. Which is four times my annual maintenance fees.

For me, becoming a member of Marriott Vacation Club was an amazing deal.

I should point out that I’m pretty good at booking resorts. I look to utilise my points for maximum value. These are resorts that have high cash rates, but require a lower number of Destination Club Points.

What can you use your Destination Club points for?

You can use your timeshare to stay at your home resort every year.

You could convert your timeshare into Destination Club points. Each timeshare will have a specified number of DC points, that they can convert into. This is an annual allocation. So if you choose to convert to DC points, you’ll receive the same number of points every year.

DC points are different to Marriott Bonvoy Points! DC Points can be used to stay at any Resort in the Marriott Vacation Club system. That includes Marriott Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club and Sheraton Vacation Club.

A special word about Hyatt Vacation Club. They were purchased by Marriott Vacation Club. Article here. Annoyingly, you can’t use your Destination Club Points to book Hyatt Clubs directly. You have to go through Interval International.

Speaking of Interval International. It’s a Timeshare Exchange Network, with over 3,000 resorts. Interval International is also owned by Marriott Vacation Club. Like I said above, Marriott are the big beast of timeshare!

You can use your DC Points to book up resorts on Interval International. These resorts include Disney Vacation Club, Four Seasons Residence Club and Hyatt Vacation Club. It’s more difficult to book up a resort through Interval. There’s a lot of people on Interval International. So there’s more competition for resorts.

There’s also a range of other things that you use your Destination Club Points for:

• Convert your points to Marriott Bonvoy Points
  
• Book cruises
  
• Get resort credit
  
• Book tours
  
• Events like concerts and theatre
  

I don’t recommend to use your DC Points for these uses. It’s not the best use of your hard earned points. The best use of DC points is to book up a resort stay.

One really important thing to know, is that DC Points don’t have devaluations. Airline Points and Hotel Points suffer from devaluations over time. This’s not the case for Destination Club Points. The number of DC Points is stated in the deeds of your sale contract. There’s only a certain amount of DC Points in circulation.

The only way to increase the number of Destination Club Points in circulation is to build a new resort and to sell timeshares.

Who should avoid the program?

Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club has been great for me and my family. But it’s not for everyone.

You are signing up to a commitment. You need to pay maintenance fees every year. For that, you get to stay at some amazing places.

If you’re not sure that Marriott Timeshare is right for you, then you shouldn’t enter the program.

If you want full flexibility for your vacations, then Marriott Vacation Club may not be right for you. I need to book up stays at Marriott Vacation Club Resorts every year. This limits my ability to take vacations and trips to other places.

What are the resorts like?

There are over 90 Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club Resorts in the world. Under the following brands

• Marriott Vacation Club
  
• Ritz Calton Vacation club
  
• Westin Vacation Club
  
• Sheraton Vacation Club
  

These resorts can be booked with your Destination Club Points.

The majority of resorts are in the US. With large clusters of resorts in California, Florida, Hawaii and Colorado.

There’s also resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico. They have resorts in Spain, and one near Disneyland Paris. There’s also resorts in Asia and Australia.

In my view, the resorts are pretty awesome. Marriott Timeshare resorts have apartments and not hotel rooms. I’m talking proper apartments, with all the facilities you have at home.

It’s a massive upgrade compared to a hotel room. The apartments have washing machines and dryers. So you can wear fresh clothes every day. They have proper kitchens. Fully stocked with appliances, utensils and cutlery. So you can cook the food that you want, and save money compared to restaurants.

I’ve been on loads of holidays with my family. We’ve stayed in some pretty small spaces! Suitcases piled up. Baby stroller by the door. My wife sitting on the bed, as she looks at her laptop. We always had a great time. But to have an apartment creates a world of difference. The space to breathe. That extra feeling of luxury. We used to be happy with hotel rooms. But now we stay in apartments, we wouldn’t go back!

When you step out of your apartment, you’ll see that Marriott Timeshare properties are different to ordinary resorts. Better in my view. You’ll find way more activities than most resorts. Swimming pools, water slides, shuffle board, tennis, ping pong are amongst the activities you’re likely to find. For a big kid like me, it’s a dream come true!

My personal experience of the Marriott Timeshare

I’ve had a fabulous experience as an owner with Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club. I’ve been able to stay at amazing resorts that I couldn’t have otherwise afforded. It’s got to the point where it’s normal to stay in $2,000/night apartments. But it’s not normal, it’s amazing!

With my annual allocation of points, I look to maximise value. I book resorts that would normally cost over $1,500 per night. Resorts in Hawaii, Florida and Colorado tend to be very expensive. So they’re great places to use your Destination Club Points.

I stayed at Marriott Crystal Shores in Marco Island, Florida. We had an epic apartment on the 15th floor, overlooking the ocean. The resort had three swimming pools and a water slide. There was a daily activity schedule. Coffee tasting, bingo, beach yoga and much more!

I also stayed at Marriott Lakeshore Reserve in Orlando, Florida. It’s really close to Disney World. There’s also loads of activities. Including swimming, water slides, ping pong and shuffle board.

One thing you often see at resorts, is three generations of families on vacation. i.e. the grandparents, the parents and the grandkids. I love to see this! In the future, I hope to take my family on vacation together. That’s a few years away yet!

Ultimately, the memories that we create on these trips will last a lifetime.

Important: Destination Club points can’t be devalued!

One big complaint against air miles and hotel points, is with devaluations and inflation. Hotels can increase the prices overnight, and there’s nothing you can do.

So what about Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club? Is there a risk of Devaluation? No there isn’t.

When you buy a timeshare with Marriott Vacation Club, you’re given an annual allocation of Destination Club Points. The number of points is linked to the unit you buy. It’s written in the contract. A three bed oceanfront unit in Hawaii will be expensive and provide a lot of Destination Club Points. A one bed in South Carolina will be cheaper and provide less points.

Destination Club Points are linked to the number of units that Marriott Timeshare Sell. This means that the number of Destination Club Points in circulation is fixed. It means that the total number of points that can be charged to stay at properties is fixed.

Are alternative programs better?

This article is focused on Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club. But it’s not the only program. Virtually every major hotel group has their own timeshare program. I’ll provide a summary of the major programs below.

Hilton Grand Vacations

Hyatt Vacation Club

Disney Vacation Club

Four Seasons Residence Club

Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Is Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club a Scam?

No. Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club is not a scam. They’re global company with resorts around the world. They're a legitimate company. Their program is legitimate.

However, just because Marriott Timeshare are a legitimate company. It doesn’t mean that their program is right for everyone. You need to do your own research and decide what’s right for you.

Burning Question 1: Are Timeshares worth it?

Are timeshares worth it? That question is different for every person. For me personally, it’s definitely worth it. I book resorts for a fraction of their price, had I paid in cash. My family love staying in apartments and enjoying the resort activities.

That being said, timeshares aren’t for everyone. Maybe you can’t travel to the resorts. Maybe you don’t want to go to Hawaii or Florida.

I know people that are obsessed with the Maldives. However, there’s no timeshare resorts in the Maldives. So I wouldn’t recommend Marriott Vacation Club to them.

Burning Question 2: Are Timeshare salesmen aggressive?

The internet is full of stories about aggressive timeshare salesman. So what’s the truth?

I can only speak about my experiences. I’ve had a number of presentations with Marriott Timeshare salespeople. I’ve never met an aggressive one. This could be because my kids are normally with me! But when I say that I’m not interested, the salespeople are normally very polite.

I attended a presentation at Marriott Maui Ocean Club. The salesperson told me that 70% of their sales come from existing owners. This isn’t surprising, as most owners are happy with their purchase. Indeed, I intend to buy more points from Marriott Timeshare in the future. When my kids get older, I‘ll need to book larger apartments, so they have more space.

I’ve only met one aggressive timeshare salesperson. That was when I visited The Hilton Club in New York. I was there on a discounted Hilton Preview package, and attended a timeshare presentation.

The salesperson was a former (American) football player. And he was HUGE! He said that I had to make a decision there and then. He said that I couldn’t buy the timeshare another time, as the Attorney General Of New York said it’s not possible. Which is surely nonsense!

He also bought his manager over, and they tried to shame me into buying the timeshare. “Be a man - do the right thing.” “Take a chance once in your life.” It was weird more than anything. I don’t know if the aggression was a New York thing!

Ultimately, if you say so, there’s nothing a salesperson can do. They can’t lock you in the room, as that’s abduction! In my experience. The salespeople will be professional when a customer says they’re not interested.

My number one piece of timeshare advice

To avoid getting burned with timeshare, here’s my number one piece of advice.

If you don’t understand what you’re buying, then walk away. Whatever deal you’ve been offered will be available tomorrow.

You might think this is obvious advice, but it’s important. Timeshare programs can be complicated, and take time to understand. Make sure that you understand the program before you purchase the timeshare. If you don’t understand what you’re buying, then don’t buy it.

Timeshare salesmen are fond of saying that their offer is only available there and then. That is never true! If you want to buy a timeshare, then someone will definitely sell you one.

Conclusion

I really hope I’ve demystified Marriott Timeshare Vacation Club for you. It’s a little work to learn about the program, but so rewarding when you get it right.

For me, Marriott Timeshare has changed the way I think about vacations. It’s enabled my family to take holidays that we never believed were possible.

I thought long and hard before buying my timeshare. I’m definitely glad I took the plunge!

I stayed at one of Marriott’s Timeshare resorts in Spain. Playa Andaluza. I had an amazing time. They had so many activities. Four swimming pools, water slide, giant chess, miniature golf and more.

I flew in Delta First Class from New York to Miami. Review here. The recliner seat was large and comfortable. They had a complimentary bar. However, the food was really bad. I guess it’s my fault for being vegan..

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