Originally Posted by gretchendz
Assuming the worst (not that I am) what does it break out to a per night cost?
The analysis we used had us breaking even at 9 years of vacations in a 1400 sq. foot villa with kitchen. Equivalent five-star accommodations on Maui at rack rate are $1400/night + 11% tax. Ours ended up at about $650-700 night for the first 9 years, and then less after that.
However, in making our decision, we decided that if we needed to sell in five years at 50% of our cost (considered low for a Starwood), we would have spent the same amount of money and had five fantastic vacations. So it turns out to be great for us. If we have to sell in five years, we come out okay, and if we hold onto it for longer, we do even better.
You can purchase at other less expensive SVO properties and trade into other more expensive properties, you just don't get first priority or a guaranteed spot there.