Marriott Timeshare Value
As the first hospitality brand to enter the timeshare industry, Marriott has a long and successful history developing and operating quality timeshare resorts. Marriott timeshare value can be measured by the success of the 400,000 member Marriott Vacation Club – one of the top five timeshare companies in the world.
Beginning in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1984, Marriott’s foray into timeshare began with the purchase of the resort that would later be known as Marriott’s Monarch at Sea Pines. Now, Marriott features over 50 timeshare resorts throughout the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, Australia and southeast Asia.
Spectacular Vacation Locations
One of the main reasons that Marriott timeshare value has held its own so well is because of the quality of the destinations within the Marriott Vacation Club network. Orlando always stands out because it is the most popular visitor destination in the world, but there is much more beyond Orlando:
- Urban Destinations – experience the excitement of Washington D.C., San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, Miami and the incomparable New York City.
- Golf Outings – in such leading spots as Orlando, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Palm Desert.
- Ski Options – in world-renowned locales such as Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, Park City and Lake Tahoe.
- Caribbean Getaways – to Aruba, St. Thomas and St. Kitts.
- European Escapes – to the French countryside, the island of Mallorca and Spain’s famous Costa del Sol.
- Asian Infusion – in Phuket, Bangkok and Bali.
- Down Under Delight – in Surfers Paradise on Australia’s Gold Coast.
So many excellent global destinations under one brand make Marriott one of the leading options on the timeshare resale market. However, there are a couple of areas to keep in mind with the product.
Points vs Weeks
For years, Marriott operated under the traditional week model, selling deeded weeks to members which allowed them to stay in their home resort at the same time every year or exchange to one of the other resorts within the network. Marriott introduced the floating week concept to timeshare, allowing owners the chance to vacation on different weeks within their assigned season. In 2011, Marriott converted their entire sales operation to points-based ownership, selling points to new owners and attempting to upgrade current owners from weeks to points.
This created a duel ownership model within the same framework – with weeks owners coexisting with points owners.
Both ownership types have their strengths and weaknesses:
- Weeks ownership – guarantees you a specific week of vacation at a given resort. For high demand resorts such as Marriott Aruba Surf Club or weeks such as Christmas week, this can be an advantage. The potential drawback is that you need to exchange, either internally or through an exchange company, to vacation at a different time or destination.
- Points ownership –provides the flexibility that many vacationers are looking for in a timeshare program. Points also allow for multiple, shorter stays without the reliance on exchange to vacation among a variety of locations. The downside can be difficulty in reserving at popular resorts during high demand times.
When you search for Marriott timeshares for sale, keep this in mind and research whether the timeshare you are looking at is either weeks or points ownership. For owners looking to sell, emphasize the positives but be transparent as well.