Winglets747

Hi all,
In the mail today I got a card from Marriott's Grande Vista (in Orlando) telling me of two things I could do:

1. "Stop by and be our guest for a Personal Preview Tour and Presentation" and earn 10K AA miles

2. Stay 5 days/4 nights for only $299 and earn 5K AA miles

Here's my question: Does anyone know anything about this?

The small print was fairly standard but did mention the offer was available only to one per household and an annual income of 75K+ is required. The offer is "intended" for a maximum of 2 adults. The expiration date is Aug. 9, but it says the offer must be completed within 12 months from purchase date.

No e-mail address given. The only contact number listed was 800-465-4741, along with a long alpha-numeric code.

I don't know how I got this (I'm a student a certainly don't have 75K in income ) but I will be in Orlando in the next month and am tempted by this offer. Would they really check my income? Could the same approach of the Lincoln promotion (i.e. just get them to save their time and give you the miles) be taken towards this one?

Thanks,
Will

f9999

I got the exact same thing. I read it pretty carefully and it's pretty clearly a time-share sales pitch (or similar). If you're grubbing for miles by all means go for it, seems legit, but I can think of many better ways to get 10k miles than spending all the time this will probably suck up.

FWAAA

I'd do a lot of things for miles, but 10k for a timeshare sales pitch (that could easily run 90 minutes or more) isn't one of them.

rbessler

Almost certainly not... these time share promotions are usually very by-the-book, and they'll make you spend the time to get it. The big thing in the Orlando area is to try to entice people using free DisneyWorld tickets. Be prepared to fight for the 10,000 miles from them, but if its worth it to you, or if youve got a few hours to kill, go for it.

PatFlyer

By the way....the Grand Vista is very nice - even more roomy. Ask to stay in the newer building - although I never stayed in the newer building, heard its been upgraded with granite etc. My sister is there right now through her Marriott time share that she inherited from her parents in law.

pinniped

I'm always willing to wh*re myself out for the right timeshare preview loot, but 10k definitely isn't it. That's a pretty lame opening offer IMHO.

$299 for 4 nights - if it's truly a one-bedroom villa at the property itself - is a better offer, assuming you actually have a need for a four-night stay in the area. Personally, I like Grande Vista enough that we frequently book 2-bedroom villa stays there without the timeshare preview hassle. Rates tend to be about $150/nt. and the units are pretty comfy for 4-6 adults and a kid or two. Doing Cypress Harbor here in a few weeks...that's another nice nearby Marriott timeshare property.

Given the maintenance fees that you pay for timeshares, in combination with the low daily rental rates for the 2-bedroom villas, I'm not sure why people actually buy the timeshares.

Nachtswerg

I did one of these a few years ago for the Ko Olina in Hawaii. I took the $199 per person deal, which included a nice Ford Mustang in the package, plus $100 pp at the nearby Marriott Spa for some pampering. Yes, even as a manly man, a nice warm stone massage is sweet!

I had to agree to sit through a 90-minute presentation on the benefits of condo ownage. About 10 minutes into the presentation, I asked the woman to look up my reservation folio and my current Marriott points level. At that time, I had stayed 45+ weeks a year for the previous four years and accumulated a hefty sum of points (since I stayed home for the couple of weeks I would do vacations).

At that point, the rep stuck out her hand and said, 'Thank you very much. Enjoy the hotel'. The sales pitch was ended with a smile.