posted 03-10-2003 03:56               

Please note, color codes are not used for processing exchange requests. The parameters used can be found in the comparable exchange section of our terms and conditions.

quote:

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Originally posted by dantrimper:
When someone says a blue period floating unit "trades as red with II", what exactly does it mean?

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Craig Urbine
Vice President
Member Services
Interval International

posted 03-11-2003 04:33               

quote:

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Originally posted by maryk:
how do you go about trading into a different season when you have the low season (blue)? I thought that was tough?

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posted 03-11-2003 10:12               

Another way of looking at this is that Marriott and other developers who break things up into seasons (Red, White, Blue, Platinum, Gold, etc.) set up the designations on the basis of their internal marketing analysis of what people will buy.

II and RCI set up their color seasons on the basis of what people want to trade for. Because this is an on-going process, and peoples' travel tastes change, over time, there will be an increasing divergence of developer and exchange company seasons at some resorts. Maz has pointed out the increasing interest in summer vacations in Phoenix. Seemed impossible 10 years ago, but Phoenix and Tucson are II Red all year round!

posted 03-13-2003 09:56               

I'm a Newbie, and your example of exhanging season/colors was the best I've read on the boards so far.

posted 03-14-2003 05:26               

The trading power of any week varies within color codes. The better the week, the higher the trading power. If your requests will be for peak areas/dates, I suggest you buy the best week possible. However, the nice thing about exchange systems is you do have the ability to trade up. This is stated with the disclaimer that owners of weeks with higher trading power will be confirmed first.

quote:

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Originally posted by dantrimper:
Craig: what do you mean the blue week falls within a red period? I am considering purchasing a unit for trade only. Why should I buy a platinum (red) week when I could buy a blue week much cheaper if it also trades for a red? The unit is at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas in Palm Desert. If a blue week there can get me a red week somewhere comparable, why spend the extra bucks?? Thanks for the answer.

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posted 03-14-2003 08:30               

quote:

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Originally posted by dantrimper:
Craig: if we all followed your advice, and only went to our home resorts, there would be no reason for your company! Trading is an integral part of time share ownership and I'm just trying to make some sense out of these confusing color codes.Your answer was really not on point at all. Please read my post again. Thanks, Dan

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Craig Urbine
Vice President
Member Services
Interval International

posted 03-14-2003 10:18               

Another way to look at this is to equate the color codes to something descriptive like "fair, good, outstanding." If those terms sound like they are a bit vague, that's intentional because that is how trading value works.

Whenever one tries to arrange a trade, he is competing with everyone else who also wants that week. If there is no competition, my fair week will pull the trade; if everyone in the world wants that week, my outstanding week might not be good enough.

In other words, using classifications such as red, gold, blue, platinum, etc., implies a sense of precision in week evaluations that does not exist.

posted 03-21-2003 13:13               

If you are hoping for a better week at a better resort than what you have deposited, it is less likely and a function of how lucky you are. It is going to take a lot of luck to get a summer Hilton Head week in exchange for that January New Jersey week.

You need to critically look at the week you are considering buying and trading. How eager would someone else be to use the week you are offering to trade? If II knows that no one has much interest in the week you are depositing, nothing very attractive will be readily available for your use.

If you are thinking about a buying a specific week, post your question on the Mariott board where there are plenty of Marriott owners who will be glad to give you their opinions on reasonable trades you could expect. They will just be opinions because there are no trading guarantees that I am aware of.

Art

posted 03-24-2003 14:57            

I am vacationing in Hawaii at the new Marriott Ko Olina in early December. If I bought now, it would be nice to trade for a week in December, January, or February and not pay $3,000 in nightly rentals. We go someplace different each year.

Based on our vacationing habits, it is not really worth the hassle for us to buy a time share for more than $10,000 all things considered. More than that and we are better off getting good deals on renting and having the flexibility to go wherever we want whenever we want without waiting around for a trade confirmation.