Marriott time-share offer - any input?
 

Hi-
Has anyone done the 5 day stay at the Marriott that is a special price in exchange for time-share presentation? Are the time-shares actually at the same location? If not, where are they? Which place do they put you up in? Are the accommodations nice? Is it a huge hassle, or worth the time? Any input would be helpful.

Which Marriott are you referring to? We did the one in Palm Desert and ended up buying a resale and I'm SO GLAD we did, but it's not for everyone. We lock-out our 2 bedroom and deposit with II and have exchanged mostly in Spain and France. It's been great for us. You might do some research on tug2.net that will help determine if it's good for you or not. But they do put you up in nice units and they will try to get you to buy (afterall, that's why they're getting you there), but you can do as we did and say "no" and purchase a resale for less.

I was referring to the Kauai Marriott. I have received several special offers and am trying to determine if it is worthwhile.

We have a Marriott timeshare which we trade frequently. The presentation is at least 90 minutes and is pretty low key for this type of sale. Since about 30% buy at the presentation it is not all that difficult to say No. You will stay at a Marriott timeshare but will probably be presented a new property close by or an extension of the present property. You can check this out easily by going to the Marriott Timeshare site.

http://www.vacationclub.com/en-us/vc...s/Default.asp?

I did the deal in May at the Marriott in Poipu. Great property... all new big 2 BR units with a good size kitchen.

You are not required to sit through a presentation but if you do, they will give you a hard cover Kauai coffee table book and a $75 dining/activity certificate. We sat through it... no pressure. The salesperson was very nice.

Actually thought about buying, and then thought about buying a resale but haven't yet. Maybe in the future.

30% of those attenfing time share presentations actually buy ?? Wow!! No wonder they put these things on!!

And the profit margins for the developers/operators are HUGE.
Timeshares are major cash cows for proprietors (and seldom a fair value for buyers unless they buy a REsale).

We have stayed at the Marriott Kaui and it is very nice. The timeshare presentation is very low key. Marriott does not do the high pressure sales. We do own a Marriott timeshare but bought resale. That is definitely the way to go. You might try looking at timeshareresales.com to find one. Do not buy on a presentation. You are paying those high marketing costs for the developer.

We have sat in on many presentations during our trips to hawaii for the deals, but have never bought one through the developer. We purchased at the Embassy Kauai through Century 21 timeshare resales and saved well over 50% of what they would have charged us at the resort. DO NOT BUY AT THE RESORT!!!

I have attended TWO Marriott timeshare presentations (Palm Desert & Newport) and have not bought. Each time the presentation and tour was pleasant and enjoyable. The effort was not overly "hyped" and there was no overt pressure. We let the sales agent know from the getgo that we were intrigued, but not sure we were in the market. The Newport Beach agent even talked re-sale and secondary market pros and cons with us.

Go. But research the re-sale market on line before hand.

Rusty

Yes, we took advantage of the 5 nights at the Marriott Waiohai(in Poipu) with Hertz rental car. We returned last week. The rooms are very nice (2 bedroom "villa" with kitchen) and the time share presentation was optional, but I attended because I liked the resort. The offer is probably well worth it (I think our offer was $900.00, not sure), but as you can read from other posts, most people don't think the time-share thing is worth it unless you buy used. Others referred to the presentation as low key, but I found them very rude. I told them I wanted to "think about it", which was true. They did not like that, and offer incentives to get you to buy on the spot and not think about it. It was $37K for the beachfront villa for one week a year, and almost $1K a year for maintenance fees. Just go, check out the resort, and try to avoid the presentation. If you like it, you can buy used later (or not!). Or if you find that you LOVE it, just fork over the big bucks and enjoy. Marriott has another location closer to the Lihue airport, which I have seen. I feel it is a bit overdone, and not in the best location (just my opinion). Enjoy!

So are you indicating that you put you up in the condo units near Poipu, rather than the Marriott Hotel/Beach Club near Lihue? I'm a bit confused....

Never -never-never buy from the developer. Only buy a resale and be careful of the prices on developer's resales. I own five annual timeshare weeks that cost me $15,000 total. Next month I am going to Marriott's Desert Springs Villas II in Palm Desert (second year in a row). Next Spring we are going to the Marriott at Newport Beach, CA. In the fall we are going to Hawaii. EBay is an excellent source of resales. I saw one sell today for only $114!! That was a purcase - not a rental. Www. reweek.com is a good site too.

Maxster, you have to read the deal you have been presented with. As I posted earlier, my deal, as well as the one Mama did, was for Poipu. That's where we stayed and where we sat through the presentation. Since it's their new property on the island, it's probably the same deal you have.

I believe Mama was merely mentioning that Marriott also has a resort closer to the airport which has been around longer.

How do you go about getting one of these offers?

You can go to the Marriott Vacation Club website and call and ask if they have any running promotions. Say you heard about a deal for the Kauai property.

I did the time share presentation on Kauai and it was low key no heavy pressure. And actually the guy trying to sell me the time share , let me know he had another appointment if we could conclude, lol( it was a day of 100 % chance of rain all day, and it did ). I have a question what is the charge for the 5 day package with presentation at the marriott. nick

I paid $800 for 5 nights in 2 BR condo, Hertz compact rental car (an Escort... not great but adequate), a $50 dining/activity credit, and taxes. The only other charge was the rental car taxes which were about $40 paid to Hertz. And sitting through the presentation was not required.

In May 2002 we paid $600 for five nights, including car and $50 in on-site credits at the Marriott in Lihue. But that was before Waiohai was open. We weren't required to sit through the pitch, but because it was raining (hard) with no let-up in sight (and because they offered another $50 credit), we did.

If you act disinterested from the start, you're probably okay, but if your spouse and the salesperson start talking about their children, look out....

Thanks Puddy and Beachbum i will look up what there offering for next april or may. nick