Do RCI and Interval International Give Special Treatment to Big Timeshare Companies?
Many timeshare owners are frustrated with exchanging their timeshare with RCI or Interval International.
There has been a lot of speculation that if you don't own a timeshare with one of the big companies like Disney, Hyatt, Hilton, Westin, Marriott or Diamond, that you can't get good exchanges.
The theory is that RCI and II hold out the best timeshare exchange inventory to give to the owners in these high end properties.
Also, if the owners in the high end properties don't use or exchange their weeks, they rent them out - so nothing good ever gets to the rest of us.
Interval International seems to get the worst press regarding this, so I looked at my last 10 timeshare exchanges with them to get a better perspective.
The fixed week I exchange in II is a 2 bedroom on Hilton Head Island, SC at the Swallowtail at Sea Pines Resort.
Hilton Head has good exchange power but the Red week I own in October is one of the weakest exchanging Red weeks.
The resort is 30 years old and although it has been updated and is in good condition, it no longer has the 5 Star rating it once had.
It was built, like many of the older timeshare resorts, more like a full ownership condominium project than a "resort".
It has a swimming pool, tennis court and a few bar-b-ques but that's it.
It certainly doesn't compare to the newer resorts like Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort or Marriott's Grand Ocean Resort, but it is a very pleasant place to stay.
Today, Interval International has 3 ratings for the resorts affiliated with them.
They are Premier, Select and all the rest.
My resort fall into the "all the rest" category.
Based on all the criteria of my timeshare, you wouldn't think I'd be able to get good timeshare exchanges.
Especially if you believed that only owners of high end properties do.
Here's a list of my last 10 II timeshare exchanges: Capistrano Surfside Inn, San Juan Capistrano, CA, Labor Day Week, 1 Bedroom unit Westin Kaanapali Beach, Maui, HI, Week 50, Studio unit Hanalei Bay Resort, Princeville, HI Week 7, 1 Bedroom AND Sands of Kahana, Maui HI, Week 8, 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Ocean Point, Singer Island, FL Week 18, 2 Bedroom unit Grand Timber Lodge, Breckenridge, CO, Week 37, 3 Bedroom unit Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale, AZ, Week 18 1 Bedroom unit Marriott's Newport Coast, Newport Beach, CA, Week 19 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Summit Watch, Park City, UT Wk 23 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Cypress Harbor, Orlando, FL, Week 23 2 Bedroom unit So part of the theory at least - that you can't exchange into the high end resorts unless you own one - is proved false in my case.
All of the resorts listed are ranked by Interval International as Premier Resorts, the highest rank they give, while my resort is ranked the lowest.
The other part of the speculation about exchanging into high end resorts, that all of the Prime weeks are used, rented out or given to other high end timeshare owners for exchange, can't be so easily determined by my exchanges.
That's because other than 2 back to back, prime winter weeks in Hawaii (the very definition of a difficult exchange), the rest of my timeshare exchanges were in the off peak times.
This was, however, by design on my part and not just taking anything that became available.
I generally avoid traveling during peak season.
Many timeshare owners don't realize that success in exchanging a timeshare is determined by actions they have power over as well as the built in exchange power of where and when they own.
2 people owning the exact same thing in the same resort can experience completely different results when exchanging in either RCI or Interval International.
There has been a lot of speculation that if you don't own a timeshare with one of the big companies like Disney, Hyatt, Hilton, Westin, Marriott or Diamond, that you can't get good exchanges.
The theory is that RCI and II hold out the best timeshare exchange inventory to give to the owners in these high end properties.
Also, if the owners in the high end properties don't use or exchange their weeks, they rent them out - so nothing good ever gets to the rest of us.
Interval International seems to get the worst press regarding this, so I looked at my last 10 timeshare exchanges with them to get a better perspective.
The fixed week I exchange in II is a 2 bedroom on Hilton Head Island, SC at the Swallowtail at Sea Pines Resort.
Hilton Head has good exchange power but the Red week I own in October is one of the weakest exchanging Red weeks.
The resort is 30 years old and although it has been updated and is in good condition, it no longer has the 5 Star rating it once had.
It was built, like many of the older timeshare resorts, more like a full ownership condominium project than a "resort".
It has a swimming pool, tennis court and a few bar-b-ques but that's it.
It certainly doesn't compare to the newer resorts like Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort or Marriott's Grand Ocean Resort, but it is a very pleasant place to stay.
Today, Interval International has 3 ratings for the resorts affiliated with them.
They are Premier, Select and all the rest.
My resort fall into the "all the rest" category.
Based on all the criteria of my timeshare, you wouldn't think I'd be able to get good timeshare exchanges.
Especially if you believed that only owners of high end properties do.
Here's a list of my last 10 II timeshare exchanges: Capistrano Surfside Inn, San Juan Capistrano, CA, Labor Day Week, 1 Bedroom unit Westin Kaanapali Beach, Maui, HI, Week 50, Studio unit Hanalei Bay Resort, Princeville, HI Week 7, 1 Bedroom AND Sands of Kahana, Maui HI, Week 8, 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Ocean Point, Singer Island, FL Week 18, 2 Bedroom unit Grand Timber Lodge, Breckenridge, CO, Week 37, 3 Bedroom unit Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale, AZ, Week 18 1 Bedroom unit Marriott's Newport Coast, Newport Beach, CA, Week 19 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Summit Watch, Park City, UT Wk 23 2 Bedroom unit Marriott's Cypress Harbor, Orlando, FL, Week 23 2 Bedroom unit So part of the theory at least - that you can't exchange into the high end resorts unless you own one - is proved false in my case.
All of the resorts listed are ranked by Interval International as Premier Resorts, the highest rank they give, while my resort is ranked the lowest.
The other part of the speculation about exchanging into high end resorts, that all of the Prime weeks are used, rented out or given to other high end timeshare owners for exchange, can't be so easily determined by my exchanges.
That's because other than 2 back to back, prime winter weeks in Hawaii (the very definition of a difficult exchange), the rest of my timeshare exchanges were in the off peak times.
This was, however, by design on my part and not just taking anything that became available.
I generally avoid traveling during peak season.
Many timeshare owners don't realize that success in exchanging a timeshare is determined by actions they have power over as well as the built in exchange power of where and when they own.
2 people owning the exact same thing in the same resort can experience completely different results when exchanging in either RCI or Interval International.
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