Marriott ownership provides some very distinct features which have contributed to it being one of the largest, and most popular, names in timeshare vacations. These features provide great benefits for owners of all kinds, so within this article we will go over some of Marriott’s ownership benefits and talk about just how they work for you.
An Extensive Resort Catalog
When you are first looking into purchasing your Marriott timeshare week, it is important to know what it is you are looking for. With the amount of Marriott locations and seasons, the choices available to you are almost limitless. From a peaceful getaway, to a location right in the heart of theme park resorts and big cities, Marriott has a property that is suited to every type of traveler. You can view our Marriott Resort Directory to get more information about each resort in the Marriott collection. Additionally, Marriott offers these properties year-round, so choosing a time of the year which works best for you is important. Weeks are normally divided up into specific seasons which are categorized based on desirability. These are important to take into account when choosing your property. Also, we’ll go over trading power later in the article, but just know that choosing a high desirability can help with making sure you get the trades you want.
Once you purchase your week, there may be years in which you don’t want to visit that same property. This is not an issue with Marriott Vacation Club, as you have a very simple solution. By utilizing an exchange company such as Interval International or SFX, Marriott owners can trade in their weeks. This allows them to book time at other locations. Marriott has a lot of trading power. This means that the properties are highly sought after and trade well when being exchanged with other owners.
Priority Booking
Priority BookingWhen booking with your Marriott ownership, you have the ability to book your home resort 12 months in advance from your check-in date. This priority booking period allows you an advance booking privilege over those attempting to book the same property, in the event the property is your own home resort. This also allows you a time window in which you are able to find a more desirable exchange with Interval International or SFX. If you have the benefit of owning multiple weeks at Marriott, you are able to book 13 months in advance if you are booking concurrent or consecutive weeks.
This provides an extra perk for those who have purchased into multiple weeks at Marriott Vacation Club, and alleviates some of the first-come, first-served basis for booking properties through the resort network.
You can watch our video on How Marriott Destinations Club program works to learn more about booking priority when owning Destinations Club points with Marriott.
Right of First Refusal
Whenever you purchase a Marriott timeshare property on the resale market, it is good to know that that a majority of Marriott properties include a legal clause which gives Marriott the right to repurchase a unit that is being sold on the resale market. This is called Right of First Refusal, sometimes abbreviated as ROFR. Any time you attempt to sell the property, Marriott needs be informed in writing and given the option to buy the week at the same terms agreed upon as the external contract. This must be done instead of allowing the potential buyer to purchase it outright. Technically, the owner is asking Marriott to waive its Right of First Refusal, and the developer has a short time window to respond to the notification. This window of time can range from 15 to 30 days. Typically, Marriott will respond within 10 days, but we’ve seen rare cases where they respond as early as 3-4 days.
Right of First Refusal in actuality can be a beneficial feature for owners, as it gives them the chance to sell directly back to the company and recoup funds they spent when they purchased the property. It also potentially gives the option of dealing directly with the developer as opposed to going through the necessary steps of independent resale.
Ability To Trade
Ability To TradeThe Marriott resort network has a variety of locations available for trade with your Destination Club points or week. You are able to utilize Marriott’s entire resort network as well as Interval International and SFX’s network of resorts. Interval International (II) alone has over 2,900 individual resorts that you are able to choose from, which allows an endless variety of resort types to discover.
Confirm First
In order to take advantage of trading through II, you have two different options, known as Deposit First and Confirm First. Deposit First is a good option for those who are sure they are looking to trade their weeks. This exchange option entails depositing your reserved week through Interval International, and submitting an exchange request via phone or online. Deposit First trades can be initiated anywhere from 12 months to 60 days prior to your home resort reservation check-in date.
When utilizing Confirm First, you will still reserve your home resort week, and submit an exchange request via phone or online without depositing your reserved week. Like Deposit First trades, you can initiate these trades anywhere from 12 months to 60 days from your check-in date. Confirm First exchanges are better for those not quite sure if they would like to trade their home resort week, and would like to see the options available to them beforehand.
It is good to always keep these ownership benefits in mind when you are choosing your first timeshare ownership, or simply further researching your existing ownership. If you have any additional questions regarding Marriott ownerships or the specific benefits that the ownership provides, feel free to contact us to speak with a licensed timeshare agent.
