I am interested to know if I purchase a Marriott timeshare what does it take for me to join Marriott's exchange program to exchange exclusively with other Marriott timeshares.

Does Marriott have their own exchange system if you want to stay with a Marriott property?

Is there a fee for Marriott owners to join this program?

Someone told the the only way to exchange is with II which did not seem correct to me.

Suggest you check the forums at www.tug2.net.

Without exception, all Marriott exchanges are handled through an exchange company. Probably 95% go thru Interval International. Almost all the rest go thru RCI, although a smattering do go thru the independents such as San Francisco.

So-called internal exchanges do go thru II; the exchange fee is reduced to $89 as long as the requested exchange only includes other Marriott resorts. Deposits on Marriott weeks in II are restricted in availability to only other Marriott owners for the first 24 days after the deposit is made. Membership in II costs around $79 per year and one must be a member both at the time the request is made and at the check-in date for the week that is obtained as an exchange.

The one slight alternative to avoiding external exchange companies is for resorts in the "Florida Club." Owners at these resorts can reserve time at one of the other resorts in the club, but only starting six months before the check in date. Since owners can reserve a year, or even 13 months in advance, the chances of obtaining a week during a prime season are very limited for non-owners .

As the other response indicated, TUG is the best source of information on the MVCI resorts.

Art

Respectfully, I'd suggest that the best source of information on MVCI resorts would be.....well, MVCI. Other than that I'd say everything is pretty much on the money.

Marriott usually gives you free membership with II the first year. You can buy an extended membership to II at discounted rates.

There have been rumors that MVCI will spin off a free standing reservation system within the MVCI resorts but, so far, it's just a rumor.

I'd tend to disagree with this. I have not been impressed with the knowledge of most of the MVCI persons I have talked with. Granted, most of them were salespersons and their focus is more on making a sale rather than understanding the ins and outs of working the system for you benefits. But even the phone agents are there to make money for Marriott and they are trained on how to do that. OTOH, the folks in the Marriott forum in TUG, almost daily are trying to figure out ways to work the system. They know it the rules backwards and forwards and know how to make those rules work for them.

Well stated.

A comparable question would be, "If you want accurate answers about Marriott or about a specific airline, should you call that vendor or come to FT?"