What's up with Skyauction?

[zaja]

You used to get some incredible deals with skyauction. Now there's just nothing much to chose from. Most of what I saw was last minute travel for January. (Looking at Orlando area - 2 bedroom.) Does anyone know what's going on? Any other sites to get a 2 bedroom for around $250.00 to $300.00 or at least a great deal? :earsboy: TIA.

[Mudd77]

Yeah, the "great" deals are getting pretty slim. You can still find a few, but most are for last minute trips. I see they have re-designed their site as well. Oh, well it was fun while it lasted.

[spiceycat]

RCI the company that supplies the timeshare for skyauction - doesn't have many itself - especially in Feb, March, April.

now they do have some selection in their extra vacations - but the final call has nothing for Orlando.

I hope they release some of the extra vacations but if the resort owns that week - it will go back to the resort.

I am assuming that the resorts are complainting to RCI. RCI is an exchange company not a rental agency. So the resorts are finding other places to put their excess inventory so they can get the profits - not RCI/skyauction.

that is why (I think) that a bunch of these are showing up on
www.expedia.com
www.travelocity.com
and other internet travel sites.

RCI does not own these resorts (neither does skyauction) so they have no control over what the resorts do.

plus this spring break appears to be very, very popular!!! so I am expecting a bunch of people when I am there!

I really think in late April - when they start releasing May - skyauction will pick up again.

there are a bunch of places up north - but not alot in Orlando or Florida in general.

[spiceycat]

go forgot - some of the supply might be here
www.doorlando.com

[zaja]

Thanks for the reply's everyone. We aren't going until January '07, (I know I'm really premature for looking now), and was starting to get concerned. :blush: I hope your right spiceycat - they'll release some more around May. :earsboy: I'll keep in mind the other site also!

[spiceycat]

January '07 - boy you are looking too early!!! try back in Nov/Dec/Jan for Jan'07....I know I big problem when you have to fly.

also look here

www.condodirect.com

this is II - they don't do the bidding like skyauction. so you will pay more.

[Brian Noble]

It's worth it to reserve a cancellable backup in case skyauction doesn't release anything for you.

We're 2/25-3/4 this year, and are currently at Fantasy World. It's more than I would have paid through skyauction, but still a reasoanble deal---booked through hotelmartusa.com, with either a 48 or 72 hour cancellation policy (I'd have to look to be sure.)

[zaja]

How much luck do you all have when you reserve something that is refundable, (for a guaranteed place to stay), then look around a month before or a the month of your anticipated stay to book a vacation rental? Just curious having looked at what's available right now for next week on skyauction - it looks pretty incredible. Is this a good indication of what to expect next January? Sheraton Vistana with a $1.00 bid looks phenomenal to me!

[spiceycat]

yes - these are last minute cancelations from RCI.

I can drive to Orlando - but people who have to fly have a problem with these last minute stuff.

[MiaSRN62]

I am assuming that the resorts are complainting to RCI. RCI is an exchange company not a rental agency.
Nothing against anyone who uses skyauction. But I can tell you I wrote to Sheraton Vistana to complain about this about 2 months ago. Not sure my letter made any difference, but I feel these dirt cheap rates at my timeshare resort really cheapen the reputation of the resort and my investment. My maintenance fees had a sky-high jump there this year due to the hurricanes of 2004. It's "painful" to see people getting into my resort (and the newer sections) for such low prices----sometimes way less than my yearly maintenance fees. Had I known Vistana would sell weeks for so cheap back in '94, I never would have bought there. From an owner's perspective, I feel deceived.
Again, nothing against anyone who uses skyauction. I'm glad you're getting good deals, but I'll be honest and say I hope this becomes more difficult to do in the future, so as to protect the resale/investment of my timeshare. I don't mean to anger anyone here (honestly), but just wanted to voice my opinion on the subject.
I don't have as much problem with the real last-minute deals.

[swilshire]

Maria,

What section in Vistana do you own? I really didn't notice any big increase in my maintenance fees this year. There was a substantial increase a few years ago (maybe three or four) but I think it has remained roughly the same since.

I've owned there since 1996 and I've never gone in January. I really don't have much problem with the off-season weeks being "sold off" at a lower price instead of sitting empty. I know that the resort incurs some fees for cleaning and the like.

If prime weeks are auctioned off, then that is a bit of a different story. Other than last minute cancellations, I wouldn't expect to see a lot of that.

I have kids in school, so don't get to travel off-season. If I could, I'd probably sell most of my timeshares and just rent myself.

Sheila

[MiaSRN62]

What section in Vistana do you own? I really didn't notice any big increase in my maintenance fees this year.
Hi Shelia,
My "home" base is the Vistana Beach Club ----I purchased back in '94, directly from the Orlando Vistana while staying there. They tried to sell us the Lakes (for $15-$18K) which was the newest at that time. We told them we liked the resort, but would not pay that amount. They came up with this defaulted deed/resale for $9,500. It was deeded at the Beach Club on Hutchinson Island but trades directly with the Fountains I and II section. They are considered "sister" resorts for Fountains owners. It is prime floating and no fees or lockout dates to trade into the Vistana Orlando so we purchased. I've never even stayed at the Beach Club, let alone seen it. The past 11 years we've always stayed in the Fountains. My annual dues shot up to $800 for this year and the next two due to the hurricanes. Got a letter a couple weeks ago. Normally we're about $565/year.
I really don't have much problem with the off-season weeks being "sold off" at a lower price instead of sitting empty.
I wouldn't mind either if at least they sold for the amount of yearly maintenance fees. I feel the resort's reputation is cheapened by 7 night weeks going for for $200-$300 which I've read numerous times on this board. People are getting this during the summer months as well which I don't consider "off season". I think I'd be much more ok with at least $500/week. Skyauction makes it a little more difficult for owners like us to demand a higher rate should we wish to rent out our weeks. I have done this only one time so far---in 2004 while we were caring for my terminally ill mil in our home. We knew we couldn't vacation that year and we told Vistana in May '04. They informed us they rented it by about July if I recall. Went through Vistana directly because we were too stressed to go and do it privately. We got a whopping $300 for it. Didn't even cover the maintenance fees. Even if we had done it privately, would we have gotten much more when more and more saavy travlers are out there and know about skyauction and websites like it ? I wouldn't rent from me if I knew I could get a week at Vistana for $200. It's great that people can get deals like this....I just think owners, like you and I, will pay a price for this down the line.

I would wonder if you would feel differently, say in a few years, if you saw you couldn't rent your week for very much. Then there's the whole issue of resale. Should we ever go to sell our deed, we may be lucky to get a few thousand at most for it. I watch the TUG boards and resales on ebay etc. Vistana seems to be selling for less and less every year. Then I would think this would also make the trading power of Vistana via RCI much weaker than it already is because the exchange companies are innundated with Orlando timeshares. You throw skyauction (as one example) into the pot with weeks going for under $400, I'd think the exchange power of our weeks will continue to drop ? For those that use skyauction, do (say for example), Marriott timeshare weeks go for low rents like the Vistana weeks do ? Just curious if Marriott lets weeks go for this cheap as well.

I'm just thankful I didn't buy for full price directly through the developer. I'm very glad we got a resale there. I'm also glad when we decided we wanted more timeshare weeks, we bought DVC in 2000. You don't see them on skyauction and when DVC rents the villas out to non Members, they keep the rental rates very competitive. You do see DVC occasionally on II, but that is far and few in between. Resales maintain the same high reputation.

I have school-age kids as well and we've often gone in off-season (Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec) on and off over the years. We plan around weeks when the kids have inservice days/holidays and it's never been a problem with our school district. But I know others have different circumstances or feel differently and I respect that.

I'm very tempted to sell our Vistana week before the value of it in the market plummets even more. I'd use the money to buy more DVC points. I wish I could feel as laid-back as you do about the Vistana skyauction weeks going for under $400, but it just worries me down the line. Sorry to get so winded on this topic. I understand there are some owners that may have no problems with weeks going for dirt cheap rates. Guess I sort of feel a little disillusioned with this aspect of Sheraton Vistana. I guess we have to be proactive and attempt to sell our deed and hope to not take too much of a wash.

[spiceycat]

I though that was one reason that Vistana now uses II.

II does not do this.

even on there getaways - they try to stay at the maintence fees - unless they receive permission from the resort to charge less.

www.condodirect.com

this site use to have Marriott - but Marriott complaints to II and they aren't listed any longer - I think Sheraton's vistana has also been removed from here.

that is why some of us like II better. they definitely listen to the resort. RCI could care less what the resorts though....

although I do love those last minute on RCI - when they have them.

[doubletrouble_vb]

Nothing against anyone who uses skyauction. But I can tell you I wrote to Sheraton Vistana to complain about this about 2 months ago. Not sure my letter made any difference, but I feel these dirt cheap rates at my timeshare resort really cheapen the reputation of the resort and my investment. My maintenance fees had a sky-high jump there this year due to the hurricanes of 2004. It's "painful" to see people getting into my resort (and the newer sections) for such low prices----sometimes way less than my yearly maintenance fees. Had I known Vistana would sell weeks for so cheap back in '94, I never would have bought there. From an owner's perspective, I feel deceived.
Again, nothing against anyone who uses skyauction. I'm glad you're getting good deals, but I'll be honest and say I hope this becomes more difficult to do in the future, so as to protect the resale/investment of my timeshare. I don't mean to anger anyone here (honestly), but just wanted to voice my opinion on the subject.
I don't have as much problem with the real last-minute deals.


I know what you mean. I have a week 6 Westgate Vacation Villas timeshare that when I deposit it it will be a flex change deposit (meaning I have to be inside of 60 days...no big deal...almost anything I want is inside of 60 days to get). I thought about trying to rent it since it seems to be in a popular time period...7 days starting Feb 12th...but I don't see any point in bothering. With Skyauction and others of its ilk having gotten people used to cheap amounts of money for this type of accomodations it would take way too long to negotiate with people to get even just the maintenance fee for the unit...let alone the amount it is realistically worth given the tight market down in Orlando for February.

On the other hand if I split the unit and deposit it I can easily get a two bedroom for the one bedroom side because it sleeps 6. I've even gotten two bedrooms for the studio when trading on short notice....I'm not sure why. And it trades just fine into the non-summer seasons at Hilton Head.

I really do hope the resorts tighten up on this and figure out ways to better market themselves just to drive up the rental rate to the maintenance fee level. Westgate really bugs me on this one because I think they do have enough inventory in Orlando to do owner rentals. And in fact I suspect they DO rentals but only in such a way to rip the maximum amount off from the owner.

So oh well some last minute person is going to get a lucky trade for week 6.

[MiaSRN62]

that is why some of us like II better. they definitely listen to the resort. RCI could care less what the resorts though....
I agree Pat. II is a relatively newer (positive) addition to the Sheraton Vistana options for exchange companies.
Thanks for the info on the Marriott timeshares too. I had a feeling they weren't anywhere as easy to get as Vistana is for dirt cheap. I think the Marriott reputation/investment will remain stronger because of this down the line.

I really do hope the resorts tighten up on this and figure out ways to better market themselves just to drive up the rental rate to the maintenance fee level.
Agreed doubletrouble.

[spiceycat]

Westgate doesn't care about owners.

or THEY wouldn't consist underprice us - when they offer to the public.

plus they are just sharks....

they will hound you to death!

I now know through tug how to deal with these......

but there are still people who don't understand what jerks Westgate is.

so they continue to sell...

the next last I was there I was told I won't be able to check out with out going to the maintence (yea like Westgate cares) meeting - sales pitch - I was so mad that the sales person and his manager - let me go after 10 minutes. then the darn door was locked - the manager apologized and let me out....but still the nerve of these people.

on Westgate uses skyauction BIG TIME.

see why your Westgate is not worth what you paid for it....

[MiaSRN62]

I was told I won't be able to check out with out going to the maintence (yea like Westgate cares) meeting - sales pitch - I was so mad that the sales person and his manager - let me go after 10 minutes. then the darn door was locked - the manager apologized and let me out....but still the nerve of these people.
Wow Pat ! I knew Westgate could be ruthless, but this scenario puts a whole new spin on the way I see them now. Sorry you were put through this. Unbelievable......borders on illegal and definitely unethical.

Westgate uses skyauction BIG TIME. see why your Westgate is not worth what you paid for it....
And this supports my point......repeated skyauction (dirt cheap) rentals will continue to devalue any resort.

[littlestar]

Marriott and Disney/DVC guard their brands really well. Another reason why I felt more comfortable buying into DVC. I wouldn't mind owning Marriott, too (maybe some day).

My parents and brother and sister own various timeshares that trade through II. So I see the prices on II Getaway weeks through my mom's membership in II. On II's Getaway weeks you might see Marriott's Cypress Harbour go for $724.00 in May, not $250 bucks for the week (I think that would be a slap in the face for an owner to see). At least $724 is closer to the maintenance fee that an owner would have to pay to keep that resort up. I think II is protecting the timeshare owner better than RCI these days. RCI may end up losing a lot of nice brands if they keep it up (they probably already have lost a lot). Just my opinion.

[MossMan]

It doesn’t matter what any of these companies do. The end result is going to be the same. Right now there is a glut of suite accommodations in the Orlando area. Except for a few weeks each year, supply far outstrips demand for these units. Ultimately that is what is causing these incredible deals. Skyauction didn’t create this situation, they are just taking advantage of it.

Now, these resorts can attempt to safeguard their perceived worth by charging more (or by ensuring rental prices at least match maintenance fees) but it won’t work. Vistana may be a better resort than Joe’s Hideaway down the street, but if Joe’s offers rooms for a low enough price people will hold their nose and book there instead. That’s the way the market works. Ultimately Vistana and every other resort out there will do exactly that which brings in the most money. Offering rooms for cheap isn’t what these guys want to do, but it brings in far more money than having these same suites go un-rented at a higher price.

I know its hard to accept, but the last thing you want as an owner is for these companies to stop considering the bottom line. The best way to protect your investment is to make sure these resorts generate as much revenue as possible. This revenue is what will ensure your units are faithfully maintained and updated. A futile attempt to buck current market conditions (by charging more than they can get) will not work and will result in less revenue for the resort. And that will impact how well your units are looked after. Which in turn will affect the future value of your investments.

[MiaSRN62]

I know its hard to accept, but the last thing you want as an owner is for these companies to stop considering the bottom line. The best way to protect your investment is to make sure these resorts generate as much revenue as possible.
MossMan,
Alot of what you said makes sense, but if skyauction is the way Vistana is generating more money and thus "protecting my investment", then I don't get it. Years ago, Vistana had a much better reputation. The more I see these dirt cheap skyauction rentals, the lower the value of my investment seems to be going. I feel my investment is way less protected now than 5-7 years ago when these internet auction sites weren't going on. I'm sure Marriott has vacancies currently, but they don't seem to resort to such ways of bringing in a few bucks and their value/reputation stands stronger than Sheraton Vistana from what I've noticed over the past 5-7 years particularily. I just don't feel renting out a week during the summer (hardly what I'd consider low season) at Vistana for $200 or $300 is protecting my investment. I feel ripped-off to tell you the truth. While I love the resort and we always enjoy our stays there, I can't say these low rentals are making me want to continue owning there because I feel the resort's rep is slipping. I can't help but feel this way when I look at the big picture.

[swilshire]

Maria,

While the resale value of the older Vistana sections has slipped to about half what I paid ten years ago, that is pretty consistent with other Orlando properties. Oversupply is the problem, as mentioned above.

Vistana probably isn't seeing a dime of the cheap rentals. They probably come from RCI, which means members probably deposited their weeks. Vistana bulk banks, which means they give RCI less desirable weeks and save the more desirable ones for their owners. Good for owner/users, bad for exchangers.

Vistana seems to maintain a pretty good reputation for an ancient resort. Wasn't it one of the first in Orlando? Yet my kids would rather stay there than at the brand new Wyndham Palms or the huge Orange Lake. I haven't watched much lately, but last year the Vistana weeks on Skyauction were always selling for more than most of the other resorts.

We stayed once at the Vistana on Jensen Beach and really enjoyed it. The beach is pretty narrow there, so we could leave our sliding glass door open at night and it was like sleeping on the beach. We don't really like the east coast of Florida much, but I would go back to Vistana.

Things change in any industry and if a particular timeshare isn't working for you, it might be better to sell it and move on. You won't get what you paid for it probably, but factor the difference into all those great vacations you've had through the years and it won't feel too bad.

One other suggestion. I'm not sure about the Beach Club, but the Orlando Vistana resort can be converted to RCI Points for a bargain price. That's what we did with ours three years ago and even bought an additional week to convert at the same time. Using those points I've booked two weeks in Hawaii for this summer and two weeks in the United Kingdom for next year, along with a couple of other places. It might be another option for you.

Good luck,

Sheila

[MiaSRN62]

While the resale value of the older Vistana sections has slipped to about half what I paid ten years ago,
Sheila,
What section do you own in ? I'm in the Fountains as you know. I saw resales going for that section for way less than half ($3 and $4K in many instances) what I paid for it in recent years. And then my ability to rent my weeks out and make AT LEAST the maintenance fees is more and more difficult. I got only $300 for my summer week in 2004. Value has plummeted and partly because I feel people know they can get this resort for so little to rent on various websites.

I'm not sure about the Beach Club, but the Orlando Vistana resort can be converted to RCI Points for a bargain price.
I know the Beach Club can convert as well, but I don't recall it being a bargain price ? I tried to get on to the owners site this morning to see the conversion but it's down for maintenance right now. I'll have to check later because it's been quite some time since I checked. What do you pay for this option may I ask ?

I am totally aware of oversupply in the Orlando area----resales way down, ability to rent weeks difficult etc. I've seen this steadily and progressively get worse over the years since '94 when I bought. I just don't feel sites like skyauction are helping matters any. I can't help but feel the same way littlestar, doubletrouble and spiceycat feel about some of these particular timeshares that allow their weeks to go for way too little on RCI and care so little about the value of their owners.

Vistana probably isn't seeing a dime of the cheap rentals. They probably come from RCI
Well, then this probably conflicts with what MossMan stated : <<<<Ultimately Vistana and every other resort out there will do exactly that which brings in the most money. Offering rooms for cheap isn’t what these guys want to do, but it brings in far more money than having these same suites go un-rented at a higher price. >>>>>>>

Even if this is stemming from RCI, then Vistana needs to jump on them and tell them to remove the low-bottom prices (I wouldn't mind them being on skyauction, it's just those really low prices that are not right imo). Looks like Marriott did. Obviously there is a reason for this and that is to protect the resale value and reputation of a top-notch resort.

Sure, you can say Vistana is "ancient". It was one of the first built in 1980. But they have consistantly added & maintained over the years. The Cascades section was just completed within the past 2 years. But some Marriott's are older as well, and they seem to hold their ground alot better. I think it's the way they market/sell themselves. Vistana used to be better before Sheraton took over. That's when I became aware of how hard-ball their sales team operates, jello shots in the lobby (?), feel more like a number there than an owner anymore. You mentioned about moving on and selling.......couldn't agree more and this has been on my mind for about 2 years now. The skyauction (and similar) sites is definitely factoring into my decision. Heck, I can stay at Vistana for $200/week through skyauction or rent for low prices as well, then why am I paying $800 this year for maintenance fees ? My loan has been paid off for about 3 years now so I no longer have those payments. Sure I enjoyed our 10 years of vacations there and I mentioned that in a previous post. It's just a shame Vistana is not high-end or responsible enough, as a Gold Crown resort should be, and try not to please it's owners a little more and make them not want to sell.

Things change in any industry and if a particular timeshare isn't working for you, it might be better to sell it and move on. You won't get what you paid for it probably
Again, well aware of this. I don't mind the positive changes. It's great some owners can take advantage of star points and star options at Vistana and recently II was added as an exchange company. But renting out prime weeks for $200 and $300 is not a move in the right direction. If RCI is responsible for that, then Vistana can change that if they choose to.

I appreciate your comments, just don't completely agree with some of them Sheila. I will have to check into the RCI points option (thanks)----not sure if this would work for me and I'm definitely not buying any more time with Vistana. I don't see a bright future with them.

[swilshire]

Maria,

I own in the Fountains. We generally use our week, so I've never tried to rent it. I did try to rent my week 52 at Wyndham Palms last year and didn't get an offer before I chickened out and deposited it with II.

I paid $5000 + closing in 1996 for my Fountains week, and have seen resales going for about half of that. If I could get $4000, I might be tempted to sell myself.

When I converted to RCI Points three years ago, it cost $499 which included my first year's membership fee and gave me 20,000 bonus points. RCI still has similar deals. They do the conversion for Vistana directly rather than using the high-priced outside brokers.

Keep in mind that the biggest issue for many of us is being able to get prime time. In 2004, we were going to be in Orlando for Spring break and at Christmas. I booked my floating Vistana for the Spring week, but continued to look for an exchange or cheap rental for the same time, because I would switch my Vistana reservation to Christmas if I found something else. Nothing! I was thrilled to be a Vistana owner where I could get the only week the kids were out of school with no effort. Ditto at Christmas time other years.

If you can travel at other than peak times, owning Orlando doesn't make economic sense. It's borderline anyway with maintenance fees so high, but that helps keep the resort as nice as we agree it is.

I doubt Vistana really cares if you sell your unit or even what you sell it for. As long as there is an owner to pay the maintenance fees, they are fine with whoever it may be. And there will probably always be buyers, even though the prices may go down.

Sheila

[MiaSRN62]

I paid $5000 + closing in 1996, and have seen resales going for about half of that. If I could get $4000, I might be tempted to sell myself.
You got a much better deal than we did when we first bought. I do see the resales going for $2K and $3 and I paid $9.5K in '94. So this is MUCH less than half of what I initially paid for it. Just thrilled I didn't pay the $15K-$17K they were trying to get me to buy.

I just checked my maintenance fees this year and they are (I stand corrected from a previous post), $900 this year ! I most certainly cannot afford the $499 to convert-----has the price gone down any ? I was just on the owners site and I cannot seem to find what my Beach Club week converts to in starpoints. I searched all over. It explains what starpoints are and that there is a $99 fee and what I can redeem my star points for etc. But nowhere does it say what week 4 prime floating week at the Beach Club converts to. Without this information, I don't know if it's worth it to convert. My guess is, no. But I emailed Member Services for help in finding out what my week converts to.

I agree, I've never had a problem securing a Vistana Orlando week during even the busiest times. But I have DVC as well, so I can always use them if a problem arises. My concern is more the increase in maintenance fees (don't these resorts have hurricane insurance ?).....why pass on such a huge increase to the owner ? Be glad you're not deeded at the Beach Club. I just see as owners, that I invest so much into this resort and hate to see prime weeks going for under $400. Doesn't seem fair.

If you can travel at other than peak times, owning Orlando doesn't make economic sense.
Well, I guess in hindsight, we shouldn't have bought Vistana (but technically I don't own in Orlando.....I own the Beach Club). But our premise was to visit Orlando every year because the majority of my relatives live within a 90 min drive from WDW. We figured our yearly vacation could be used to visit the parks plus visit with relatives and owning a timeshare central to all of this made sense for us at the time. But now, I see how the resort is slipping in resale value and rental value so I think we'd like to dump it. If anything, just to get rid of the high maintenance fees which I could never recoup (not even half of it !) via renting it because of sites like skyauction.

I doubt Vistana really cares if you sell your unit or even what you sell it for. As long as there is an owner to pay the maintenance fees, they are fine with whoever it may be.
Oh yeah.....it's quite obvious Vistana doesn't give a hoot. I have no doubts about that. I'd love to sell and buy more DVC points.

[MiaSRN62]

Just spoke with Sheraton ownership......
You had me curious Sheila, so I called the 800# instead of waiting for an email reply.
It would cost a one-time fee of $599 to join "Vistana PLUS" which you must be a member of in order to use star points. Once you've paid this one time fee, you pay $99 to convert your week to star points. You can only convert every other year and each time it will cost $99 after the initial $599. I found out my week 5 floating prime at the Beach Club converts to 28,000 points.

The customer service rep did explain to me that the resorts in the star points reservation system are strictly hotel rooms-----not timeshare units. We need 2 bedrooms because of our family size of 5. So, I don't think the star points conversion would benefit me either financially (That $599 fee is steep on top of $900 maintenance fees for the next 3 years) or logistics-wise because all they offer are hotel rooms. I wouldn't be able to fit my 3 kids (and they like to bring friends from time to time). Say we opted for a trip to Hawaii, I'd need 2 rooms min. I'm guessing you don't get a kitchen either with these starpoint hotels ? I went to the spg.com site to see what my 28,000 points would get me in, say, Hawaii. The hotels are rated from cat 1 (lowest) to cat 6 (most posh resorts). All I could get with my starpoint conversion is 4 nights in a cat 3 Honalulu hotel called Sheraton Princess Kaiulani:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/starpoints/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=380&neverShowCheckAvail=yes
I don't know, but only 4 nights in a basic (cat 3) hotel room in Hawaii (this is one of the destinations we are very interested in), in exchange for $599 (plus $99 exchange fee) and 7 nights in my 2 bedroom villa at Vistana, don't seem like a bargain to me ? Am I just not getting this program ? Maybe your weeks convert to alot more points so it makes it worth it for you Shelia ?

Thanks for the suggestion though.....I was hoping for anything to make my Vistana timeshare seem more worth it to me. At the very least, you made me do some research on my ownership options even if they don't seem to pan out for us. I'm glad you're enjoying your ownership there.

[zaja]

Whoa....this thread has taken a 180 in content....

It doesn’t matter what any of these companies do. The end result is going to be the same. Right now there is a glut of suite accommodations in the Orlando area. Except for a few weeks each year, supply far outstrips demand for these units. Ultimately that is what is causing these incredible deals. Skyauction didn’t create this situation, they are just taking advantage of it.


That’s the way the market works. Ultimately Vistana and every other resort out there will do exactly that which brings in the most money. Offering rooms for cheap isn’t what these guys want to do, but it brings in far more money than having these same suites go un-rented at a higher price.



I know its hard to accept, but the last thing you want as an owner is for these companies to stop considering the bottom line. The best way to protect your investment is to make sure these resorts generate as much revenue as possible. This revenue is what will ensure your units are faithfully maintained and updated. A futile attempt to buck current market conditions (by charging more than they can get) will not work and will result in less revenue for the resort. And that will impact how well your units are looked after. Which in turn will affect the future value of your investments.

While I can understand that as an owner you may feel deceived, (I'm sure I would feel that way), there are these deals to be had. I know will be one to use skyauction.

[MiaSRN62]

While I can understand that as an owner you may feel deceived, (I'm sure I would feel that way), there are these deals are to be had. I know will be one to use skyauction.
And this is great for you Zaja (honestly). Glad you can scoop up some deals. But to go back to your OP......I think the majority of the replies have shed some light on the initial inquiry of :
zaja states : You used to get some incredible deals with skyauction. Now there's just nothing much to chose from. Most of what I saw was last minute travel for January. (Looking at Orlando area - 2 bedroom.) Does anyone know what's going on?
I think alot of what has been discussed here pertains to why the deals may be getting less and more difficult to find on skyauction. Some companies are perhaps pulling their RCI inventory from these websites because of owner complaint or rather the desire to maintain their resort's high reputation. It's all a guess, but makes some rational sense when you look at it. Maybe with Vistana, more and more guests are using the starpoint options intead of directly exchanging into the RCI exchange program ? I know as recently as this past summer, there were alot of people getting very good deals (under $400/week) for Vistana prime summer weeks. Perhaps things are changing due to owner complaint or resorts pulling out of these website auctions ? Maybe it's just a temporary dry spell on skyauction ? I suppose time will tell with sites like skyauction. Best of luck grabbing travel deals Zaja. :flower:

[swilshire]

Maria,

You misunderstood one part of my posts. I am not a STARpoints member. I am an RCI Points member. This allows you to trade your week for other resorts.

Sheila

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks Shelia.....I did misunderstand that. I guess you need to be an active member with RCI for that one. I'd like to ask more questions about that, but don't believe it pertains to the topic of this thread. So if you don't mind, maybe I'll PM you about this ?
The OP is looking for reasons why skyauction isn't offering as many deals as they did in the past and I can't think of anything else besides what I mentioned in all my above posts (as well as the others that posted). I believe spiceycat posted another link : condodirect.com and maybe Zaja can find some deals there.

[zaja]

And this is great for you Zaja (honestly). Glad you can scoop up some deals. But to go back to your OP......I think the majority of the replies have shed some light on the initial inquiry of :

I think alot of what has been discussed here pertains to why the deals may be getting less and more difficult to find on skyauction. Some companies are perhaps pulling their RCI inventory from these websites because of owner complaint or rather the desire to maintain their resort's high reputation. It's all a guess, but makes some rational sense when you look at it. Maybe with Vistana, more and more guests are using the starpoint options intead of directly exchanging into the RCI exchange program ? I know as recently as this past summer, there were alot of people getting very good deals (under $400/week) for Vistana prime summer weeks. Perhaps things are changing due to owner complaint or resorts pulling out of these website auctions ? Maybe it's just a temporary dry spell on skyauction ? I suppose time will tell with sites like skyauction. Best of luck grabbing travel deals Zaja. :flower:

After having read through all of these threads, I have to agree that things will probably pick up on skyauction in the coming months. I know we've never had any problems finding something available before. :sunny:

[zaja]

I believe spiceycat posted another link : condodirect.com

I did check out this site and didn't see anything comparable {price-wise} to skyauction. Considering as our trip is pretty far out yet, I think I'll hold out for skyauction. Thanks anyway. :flower:

[Local_Girl]

Zaja,

We've used Skyauction and another website (non-bid, for military) with excess timeshare inventory a couple of times, beginning in 2002. There were lots of great deals in '02, low prices and in some better Orlando timeshares, like HGVC (Hilton) and Orange Lake. In '03, there were fewer good deals. I believe that those great deals came about because of the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks and the resulting drop in tourism. As tourism continues to rebound to a pre-9/11 state (or better, I don't know the numbers), there will be fewer and fewer deals to be had, IMHO. There are still some good ones that pop up for slower months, like Jan., May, Sept. and Nov. I agree with other posters that you should plan to book a cancelable back up, but you could still plan to check on Skyauction at the end of '06 for a deal in Jan.'07. Good luck to you! :flower:

[zaja]

Zaja,

We've used Skyauction and another website (non-bid, for military) with excess timeshare inventory a couple of times, beginning in 2002. There were lots of great deals in '02, low prices and in some better Orlando timeshares, like HGVC (Hilton) and Orange Lake. In '03, there were fewer good deals. I believe that those great deals came about because of the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks and the resulting drop in tourism. As tourism continues to rebound to a pre-9/11 state (or better, I don't know the numbers), there will be fewer and fewer deals to be had, IMHO. There are still some good ones that pop up for slower months, like Jan., May, Sept. and Nov. I agree with other posters that you should plan to book a cancelable back up, but you could still plan to check on Skyauction at the end of '06 for a deal in Jan.'07. Good luck to you! :flower:

I'll have a chance to watch skyauction this year to (hopefully) get an idea of what to expect next Jan. If all else fails I'll definitely book something that's refundable (for a solid place to stay) and then check skyauction in Dec. '06 or Jan. '07 for a 2 bedroom. Thanks a bunch! :earsboy:

[Local_Girl]

Hey Zaja, one more thing. I didn't see this mentioned so if you haven't already, be sure to check the Ready, Set, Go auctions on Skyauction. There are some deals to be had there as well.