posted 08-20-2004 20:19               

quote:

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Originally posted by bhurley902:

I haven't done it, but I think an SFX deposit would allow me to deposit a week I had previously reserved.

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That's correct. With SFX you reserve your Starwood week of choice for yourself, and then deposit it with SFX.

posted 08-22-2004 13:46               

quote:

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Originally posted by rfb813:
... If the exchange trading power is not diminished why are you concerned....

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That's part of the problem - trading power is most certainly diminished in this case. In my conversation with Starwood they acknowledged this. What Starwood owners need to know is that they must request a trade as early as possible in order to be assigned one of the better trading weeks.

posted 08-24-2004 08:15            

What is the difference between "voluntary" and "mandatory"? What is SFX?

I was told by my sales guy that to trade with II you would go through Starwood. You give Starwood a selection of weeks and locations that are suitable for you (they need a selection as a prioritized list in case some weeks or locations are not available). They then tell you what they can arrange and you either agree or not. If you do not want what they find, then you do not lost your week. The way it was explained to me is that nothing happens until you agree to it.

posted 08-24-2004 08:43               

What your sales rep told you is basically true. As a Starwood owner, you call Starwood to trade your week through II. Starwood controls all the weeks and they have a "master account" with II that they moves weeks in and out of depending on their inventory - they also assign weeks to your I account if you want to trade. Most other non-Starwood timeshare programs do not use the developer as a middle man. For example if you own at a Marriott resort you can call Marriott and reserve the week you want. Then you can either use it yourself or call II and deposit that specific week into your account. This is the "traditional" way of trading - many of us are just learning that Starwood does it differently.

As to which "view" you but at Ka'anapali, that only matters when you use your week yourself. When trading either with StarOptions or with II, the view makes no difference, and people trading in to Ka'anapali will almost certainly get a lesser view.

posted 08-24-2004 09:26               

quote:

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Originally posted by pdt:
All right...now I am really confused. This info is coming in handy, but I need to make sure I understand it as I am on the cusp of "taking the plunge" on a 2BR Del.

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Before you take the plunge...Check out resales...Even if it only saves you $5000-$7000 its worth it!

posted 08-24-2004 10:03            

On the surface it seems as if it can be a big convenience having Starwood handle the II process. I have a friend who is a Mariott owner and he says dealing directly with II is a big pain.

I have looked at this a number of ways and really put a lot of research into it. It seems the Hawaii location combined with the tradability makes it a somewhat sensible buy. I am also speculating that Starwood owners will have some kind of special opportunity for the new resort next door.

I do have concerns about the highway noise of the Villas location and the seemingly excessive maintenance fees (approx $1500-$1600/year). I did read about some other timeshare resorts and concerns about units showing wear and age. In the past Mmy sales rep has told me that included with the annual fees each unit will be completely reoutfitted (new furniture, beds, carpet, maybe appliances too) every 3 years. If that is true that would make a bit more sense.

posted 08-24-2004 16:20               

quote:

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Originally posted by pdt:

What is the difference between "voluntary" and "mandatory"?

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These terms are referring to the SVN trading value (StarOptions) of Starwood RESALES. It doesn't affect you if you are buying from the developer. If you buy a RESALE at a VOLUNTARY resort, you don't get to trade within the Starwood system, but you can still trade with II or another exchange Co. If you buy a RESALE at a MANDATORY resort, you do get to exchange within the Starwood System. As I recall, the mandatory resorts include: Ka'anapali, Harborside, St. John, Sheraton Vistana Villages, and Kierland. See Chris' Starwood report on the advice page for more details.

quote:

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Originally posted by pdt:

What is SFX?

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SFX is the abbreviation for the San Francisco Exchange Co. It is an independent exchange Co. that only accepts deposits of higher end TS properties. We use SFX and like them a lot. There are also other Ind. exchange companies.

quote:

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Originally posted by pdt:

Also...am I correct in thinking that the main advantage (if there is one) to paying the more expensive developer price is the ability to convert to Starpoints for hotel use? Are there any other "advantages" to buying directly from Starwood?

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I own at Ka'anapali and I would never convert to hotel points (StarPoints.) My TS has far more value as an exchange or a rental. If I converted my 2 bdm. unit to Starpoints, I would only get enough Starpoints (80K) for 8 nights in a level 4 Starwood hotel (10K a night) - like the Westin Maui or Sheraton. After what I paid originally, plus my yearly MF, that is hardly a good deal.

But, I could deposit it with SFX and get 3 or 4 weeks back, or I could split up the two sides and stay on Maui for 2 weeks, or I could rent it, or I could exchange it for one of the hard to get Starwood properties, and get a lot more value for my investment.

Let's say you pay $47,000 for your unit and then pay a MF of $1,300 a year and then exchange it for points for a 8 nights in a hotel room. I can get the same room on Priceline for $1,300 and not pay $47,000 up-front.

I think that the only advantage to buying from the developer is the ability to trade within the Starwood system for difficult to get places like Ka'anapali, Harborside and St. John. We are happy with the TS we bought from the developer, and we've even bought another Starwood week at another resort since then - but the 2nd week we bought resale for a fraction of the original developer's price. There is a post on the Hawaii board right now from a guy that wants to sell his Ka'anapali TS - you could email him or email me if you want to know what he is asking. http://www.tug1.net/tugbbs1/Forum14/HTML/002966.html
(JMHO)

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Denise

posted 09-23-2004 22:38               

By the way, I need to update it based upon the new trading information discussed in this thread.

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Chris