Source: upgradedpoints.com
For some travelers, there’s a particular magic around returning to the same place year after year. You get that feeling of returning home without committing to buying a second home. We’re referring, of course, to timeshares — condo-style vacation accommodations that multiple owners share throughout the year. Marriott Vacation Club is the leading timeshare brand of the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation. It is composed of over 90 resorts located in key vacation destinations throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the U.S.
Accommodations at each property typically range from studio suites to 3-bedroom units. However, while these properties are designed with timeshare owners in mind, you don’t need to be one to book a reservation and take advantage of their ultra-spacious digs. Whether you buy into a membership or simply want to enjoy a hotel and its features as a regular guest, here’s what you can expect from a stay at a Marriott Vacation Club property.
Everything You Need to Know About Marriott Vacation Club
Marriott Vacation Club resorts are just that — vacation destinations designed to serve your long getaway needs. As mentioned above, while Club properties can be booked for single overnight stays, their setups are based on the timeshare model, with amenities for long-term visits.
Rooms are typically larger than what you’d find in a standard hotel, on-site restaurants are limited, and many guests are Marriott Vacation Club members who stay for a week or more. Although couples will find plenty to enjoy at these properties, the added space makes Marriott Vacation Club an especially popular choice for families and groups. Because Marriott Vacation Club properties cater to repeat and long-term timeshare guests, regular paying travelers often contend with decreased room availability, especially during peak travel windows.
Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program
Timeshare ownership can be purchased through the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program, which works differently from the timeshares you might be familiar with.
Instead of owning the rights to a specific unit or travel window, members receive an annual allotment of Vacation Club points that can be redeemed for stays at any Marriott Vacation Club resort or hotel. This makes the program perfect for those who plan to vacation every year but don’t want to commit to a single destination or room. A member’s annual points allotment is replenished annually and can be added at any time. Got a big trip in the works? Members can also carry over unused points from a previous year and borrow from the following year to amass the amount they need.
In addition to overnight stays at Marriott Vacation Club resorts, timeshare owners can convert their Vacation Club points into Marriott Bonvoy points, which can be used towards several unique travel experiences like cruises and guided tours (as well as at over 8,500 Marriott-branded hotels and affiliated resorts) via the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Exchange Program. However, it’s important to note that it doesn’t work the other way around. In other words, Marriott Bonvoy points cannot be converted into Vacation Club points. So while you can use your Marriott Bonvoy points to stay at a Marriott Vacation Club property, you can only do so as a regular paying guest, not as a timeshare owner.
In-Room Amenities
Décor varies by location, but guest rooms at Marriott Vacation Club properties are generally designed for long-term use, be it a long weekend or a week-long vacation. Units range from studios to multi-bedroom villas and feel more like mini residences than hotel rooms. Whether you book a room for a twosome or a family of 5, most accommodations come ready with a kitchen or kitchenette, a separate living area, a small or large dining area, and, in bigger units, multiple bathrooms.
Marriott Vacation Club Pulse Properties
Unlike the typical beachside set-up of many Marriott Vacation Club resorts, Pulse, a subset of the brand — comprises hotels located within major cities designed for shorter-term stays. These properties are much more sleek and cosmopolitan in style and include standard rooms that lack kitchenettes in addition to regular condo-style units. The properties often forgo essential amenities (full-service restaurants and pools, for example) in exchange for an unbeatable downtown city location near major sights.
There are 6 Pulse properties in the Marriott Vacation Club portfolio. These are in Boston, Miami, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
The 10 Most Popular Marriott Vacation Club Locations
Of the 90 or so hotels that make up Marriott Vacation Club’s portfolio, people tend to search for — and stay at — these 10 locations more than any other. Let’s check them out!
7. Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club (Oʻahu, HI)
It may not have Disney’s stamp of approval like Aulani does next door. However, you’ll still be able to enjoy the same Hawaiian paradise (at a comparatively lower rate) when you stay at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, located inside a quiet gated community on Oʻahu’s southwest shore.
Families love the space you get here thanks to 1- to 3-bedroom villas equipped with kitchens, washers/dryers, separate living and dining areas, sleeper sofas, and often multiple bathrooms. Whether you get a patio or balcony depends on the floor; the views are either ocean or mountains.
After indulging at the 2 restaurants and poolside bar, burn off those mai tais at 1 of the 3 lagoon-style pools or during complimentary classes at the fitness center. Alternatively, continue your R&R with a massage at the spa, a nap by the beach, or a dip in 1 of the hotel’s multiple hot tubs. The weekly Polynesian luau dinner is a nice touch and a must-do during any Hawaiian vacation.
Both valet and self-parking are expensive at $40 a night, but thankfully, there’s no resort fee. Honolulu and its famous Waikiki Beach are a half-hour drive away. Award night redemptions range from 40,000 to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, while cash rates hover around $375 per night.