Actually, MVCI does have fixed unit/weeks.
They only recently switched to a points program but many legacy owners (myself included) still own weeks.
We have the option to reserve a week or trade the week in during a year for MVCI points (or MR points). And in fact they still sell some resale weeks in addition to selling points.

Thanks for the correction. I thought they were always points based. Talk about confusing!

Yup, the majority of rooms in the vacationclub system are still weeks. Points is new and small compared to weeks ownership.

I've actually been upgraded at a MVCI resort. Never a different room type... ie if I have a 1 bdrm villa I get a 1bdrm villa, however I've gotten a better view category at locations like the Surf Club in Aruba. My guess is it was because I'm an owner in the system and was staying on a trade week.

As I posted in the same thread, there was a Platinum gift at Kaanapali in February this year, can't say if it's changed since then.

I am also a legacy week owner. I have traded mine through Interval International (II), for both other MVCI properties and non-MVCI ones. I thought MVCI (which, based on other threads, I think is now separate from Marriott?) was no longer doing week for week exchanges, just reserve at your home resort or covert to their points (and then use those points to reserve elsewhere) or MR points, but if I'm wrong please let me know. It used to cost less to exchange a week through Marriott than II. My understanding is that to get an MVCI unit through trade at II, someone else has to have deposited their week with II. II also has "getaways" to rent which can be MVCI properties, I was told these are weeks that MVCI still owns and which have not been claimed for points. Because of the difference in who owns the weeks, a trade may be available when a getaway is not and vice versa.

I may have gotten an upgraded view once at the Kauai Beach Club on a trade, nice bay front unit, but maybe that building was just for owners and trades, rather than the Marriott Resort part which I stayed in once and IIRC is farther back from the water with lesser views. I did not seem to get anything better at Kaanapali either as a trade/Platinum this year or as a "hotel"/gold in a prior stay.

It gets complicated because there are a lot of special relationships like the "Florida club", but most MVCI property owners own weeks within a season at a particular resort (and not a fixed week), and they can stay at that resort, based on season, once a year or once every other year depending on what they bought. You can still trade your week through II.

The new "points" based system is "layered" on top of, and in addition to the existing system. That "system" actually owns some of the weeks that it's members can trade points for. But a week owned by somone like me can't be touched, nor could a week traded to II be obtained except through II.

In the new points based system, the system owns many weeks, separate from that of the owners like me.

Bottom line, you can still do II exchanges through II, and when you used to go through Marriott - it still went through II unless you were part of a special group.

Billy

Yes, and I think it's the weeks owned by the "system" that II can sell for getaways that you can pay for at some MCVI properties, when MCVI decides to let them, I assume when they have more at a given resort than people want to trade points for.

I still think I remember that at one point you could try to just exchange a week at one MCVI property for a week at another (subject to availability, and the value of the week you turned in being about equal to or greater than the week you wanted depending on the properties, season, etc.) through MCVI (then part of Marriott) for $69 or $79, about $50 cheaper than going through II. But this could be long gone, maybe when MCVI went to the new points system.

No, the Marriott to Marriott exchange still exists.
Nothing changed with points program if you didn't want.
I am enrolled, so I have access to both.

I traded the studio portion of my Palm Desert week for a week in 2-Br Orlando. Just like I have always done.
Nice thing is under new program is that a Marriott to Marriott exchange is free.

Platinum Premier notification?
 

Okay, so I'm almost Positive I'll make PP with this year's nights :D
Will there be notification given, or will I just see it change on my account? Does this happen in January?

Thanks!

Middle of January my status changed online. I do not track status diligently so not sure exactly when it happened.

Paperwork showed up 1+ month later.

Thanks! Do you see a big difference with the status change? I've heard mixed reviews..

I'm assuming PP qualification excludes rollover and CC bonus nights, what sort of total do you typically need?

You don't seem to get much in the US, but in Europe, I get well looked after.

Something like a 90% suite upgrade rate at County Hall in London, and a bottle of champagne waiting in the room / suite at Grosvenor Square are a couple of examples.

Extras vary by hotel, there are threads about the (lack of) benefits for PP. My experience included nothing beyond platinum (some 1 night quick stays), points & an amenity, a room on the CL floor (convienient) to a full suite. I have had all of these benefits as a regular P, but it seems a little more frequent with PP.

In my case, I called the Platinum line in February to ask some questions about benefits at a RC I was considering, including points versus money and room types. Along the way, the agent said something like "since you are platinum premier...." which didn't immediately register with me. After hanging up I had a moment of "did I hear right?" and called back to ask. They told me the good news, although I had to wait anxiously for the package to arrive in March.

So, NO, you will not be notified, although apparently you can call and ask, but the phone reps might not know whether the decisions for the year have been made and implemented yet.

Pretty cool! We are Looking at a caribbean / Mexico getaway in January, wonder if the status would make that much of a difference.. If so, we may have to push back a few weeks :rolleyes: