. . . Starwood owners (my brother included) place a HIGH value on being able to convert TS to SPG points . . . most timeshare IS real estate . . .

Yes, TS is real estate and most of it is deeded etc. But TS is not the same sort of investment as purchasing a vacation home that one owns & utilizes year round and can hopefully sell in the future for a good profit over time.

TS is fractional ownership of destination travel that has been gussied up with all sorts of points programs by Marriott, Starwood, RCI, and others to make the product more appealing. But the bottom line remains that you're buying TS and not a points program.

Marriott has brought a great deal of credibility to the TS market and the MR option is more of an ownership enhancement than it is the raison detre to purchase a Marriott TS. That said, an MVCI owner can indeed utilize the points to extract more value from ownership. I'm very satisfied with our MVCI ownership and the travel and flexibility that the program affords us.

I don't buy into incredulous outrage just because Marriott ( or any company ) makes alterations in their points program. It's not a static world out there and one must to learn to adapt & change with the times sans litigation.

Barry