We are thinking of buying a timeshare. We are thinking of buying a Marriott in Hawaii or points from Worldmark. For those of you who own can you tell me which you like best and why? Husband is leaning towards Marriott because he likes the resort and that way we know what we are getting. Your thoughts please. Thanks
My husband and I have a Marriott Maui Ocean Club ownership. It's a Platinum, Ocean-View unit and we love it. We get to visit Hawaii once a year if we choose to or any Marriott Resort worldwide! Even in places that Marriott doesn't have resort-type accommodations, we are able to use the Marriott hotels, which are all over the globe. Also, we researched a lot prior to buying and have found out that that the resale value of Marriott is among the best when it come to timeshare.
I remember looking into WorldMark ownership because of the great number of locations they offer, but Marriott was a better fit for us.
Marriott Hawaii is a great choice, but WorldMark has some nice locations in Hawaii too. Plus, by joining an exchange company like Interval International or RCI you could potentially exchange your Marriott for WorldMark or vice versa. I have heard that getting Hawaii through an exchange company can sometimes be difficult or result in a waiting list type situation, so whether you choose Marriott or WorldMark, I would recommend buying in Hawaii. That way, you can ensure your Hawaiian preference and trade to other locations, if desired.
For more information on either vacation club visit the 'links' provided below and please let us know what you decide upon!
Thanks for the replies. We do love Hawaii. I did not know you could buy World mark in Hawaii. I thought with Wordlmark you only bought points. I will go to the sites you posted. Thanks again
Happy to help, mdmc. That's what this Forum is all about and It's good to see you participating in it!
Well, with most Multi-Destination timeshare ownerships an owner is deeded at a specific location, city, resort, etc., but the points or credits can be used to book vacation time at any number of the developers resorts, but this is not always the case. I have a call placed to WorldMark and I am waiting for a response in reference to whether this is the case with their ownership or not. I've spoken to dozens of WorldMark owners and heard a number of different answers to this question, so it could be that policy has changed over the years or that it varies depending on the real-estate laws enforced in the various locations the developer has properties. I will follow-up as soon as I have a solid answer.
By he way, since our correspondence began over the past couple of days WorldMark the Club has changed their website and official name, website and publication materials to 'WorldMark by Wyndham'. Wyndham recently purchased the Fairfield and WorldMark/Trendwest and has been making the transition from 'Fairfield' & 'WorlMark' to the brand name Wyndham.
Thanks for the info. You said Worldmark just purchased Fairfield and on the Marriott web site they have Fairfield Inn as part of their group. Is this the same Fairfield?
Wyndham Owns Fairfield And Worldmark / Trendwest Timeshare
Actually, mdmc, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation purchased WorldMark/Trendwest and Fairfield Resorts. Fairfield Inn by Marriott is a lower cost brand of hotels that are franchised by Marriott International and there is no relation to the the timeshare resort group formerly known as Fairfield Resorts. Both Fairfield and Wyndham/Trendwest are now owned by Wyndham Worldwide and the transition has gone relatively sooth since the acquisition.
I posted the news of this multi-million dollar acquisition back in December along with a press release and some other good information about this drastic change to two very large timeshare developers/ownership groups. The post is quoted below:
Quote:
Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN) has purchased Fairfield and Trendwest and plans to rebrand every resort with the Wyndham name. Plans for the transition begin immediately with Fairfield properties and continue through 2007 with Trendwest.
These changes will not affect the resale market in a negative way, so buying, selling, and renting Wyndham, Fairfield, & WorldMark/Trendwest ownership through Timeshare Adventures will be as simple as ever.
Timeshare Adventures 1-800-581-7330
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Be careful when buying a timeshare from any one. My experience with Point To Point (PTP Destinations, West Coast Timeshare) was a costly one. I learned too late certain facts that were not to my benefit.
Be wary also with high pressure presentations. Get the facts first before you decide.
Last edited by TAI_Staff; July 31st, 2008 at 11:43 AM.
There's all kind of advice about buying timeshare published here on our site and I'm sure other forum visitors will provide you with some great timeshare buyer tips as well.
Here's a link on our site that should get you started:
Buying a timeshare 
Buy Marriott in Hawaii 
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