Marriott Vacation Club is the primary

timeshare A timeshare (sometimes called a vacation ownership or vacation club) is a Real property, property with a divided form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort Condominium (living space), condominium units, in which mul ...

brand of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation. The brand comprises around 70 Marriott Vacation Club properties throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Marriott Vacation Club resorts consist of one, two, and three-bedroom villas, with more than 400,000 owners. Marriott's acquisition of Hyatt Vacation Club marks a significant milestone in the hospitality industry. The merger between the two giants paves the way for the creation of a Universal Vacation Currency, revolutionizing the way people plan and enjoy their vacations. This strategic move positions Marriott as the world's largest Hotel and Leisure Real Estate operator, solidifying its dominance in the global market.

History

Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. was established in 1984 (on April 17) on Hilton Head Island,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

with the acquisition of American Resorts and its 184 villas on Hilton Head Island, which later became the Marriott's Monarch at Sea Pines resort. In 1987, Marriott Rewards (introduced in 1983) started a partnership with the Marriott Ownership Resorts. In 1990, Marriott begins an exchange partnership with Interval International ( ILG, Inc.), allowing Owners to trade weeks at their home resort for access to other resort destinations worldwide. In 1995, Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. was renamed, becoming Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) reflecting the company's evolution from real estate development to vacations. In 1996, Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) opened its first European property called Marriott's Marbella Beach Club in Costa del Sol, Spain. In 1997, Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) opened its first Caribbean property called Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club in Palm Beach,

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

. In 1999, Marriott introduced The Ritz-Carlton Club (Ritz-Carlton Destination Club since April 2009), a luxury fractional ownership offering. In 2001, Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) opened its first Asia property called Marriott's Phuket Beach Club in Phuket, Thailand. In 2001, the first property of Marriott Grand Residence Club (Grand Residences by Marriott since 2006) opened in South Lake Tahoe. In 2007, Marriott Vacation Club International began to market its core timeshare brand as Marriott Vacation Club. In 2010, the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program was introduced. The Destinations program allows owners to redeem Vacation Club Points for stays at Marriott Vacation Club resorts, Marriott hotels, travel packages and resorts through Interval International. In 2016, Marriott Vacation Club introduced the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse brand. These properties, set in urban locations, are designed for shorter stays. The brand launched with locations in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a Neighborhoods of Miami Beach, Florida, neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south ...

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. As of 2018, Marriott Vacation Club is one of 4 brands that includes Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Grand Residences by Marriott. There are around 70 Marriott Vacation Club branded resorts throughout the world, including three resorts in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(Costa del Sol, Mallorca and Marbella) one in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) and three in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

(one in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

and two in

Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...

Structure

Originally, Marriott Vacation Club properties were sold as weeks. A "fixed week" granted the owner the right to use their villa during a specific week each year (such as week 52, which includes New Year's Eve), or the right to use their villa during a specific "season" (defined on a per-resort basis), which granted the owner the right to reserve their villa for any available week within that season. Weeks at some properties could be split, enabling a non-consecutive four-night stay and three-night stay. Weeks could be exchanged for Marriott Rewards (now Marriott Bonvoy) points. Finally, owners of multi-room villas, such as a two-bedroom lockoff, could split the unit itself and book each half as a separate reservation. Notably, owners cannot reserve villas at other properties without exchanging them through Interval International (II). "Weeks owners," as they are called, pay annual maintenance fees that supposedly cover maintenance and refurbishment at the resort. The Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program changed this structure. Owners now purchase points at a particular property, which can be "spent" to reserve a villa for a given number of nights during a given season. Villa "pricing," in points, differs based on the size of the unit and the season. Points can also be used to reserve villas at other properties, without having to exchange through II. "Points owners," as they are called, pay annual dues, which cover maintenance and refurbishment, much like maintenance fees for weeks owners. "Weeks" owners can "enroll" their week(s), for a fee, into the Destinations program, effectively converting their week(s) into points on an annual basis. Marriott Vacation Club continues to sell weeks at some properties, particularly when they acquire weeks from owners wishing to sell them. Marriott Vacation Club has a contractual "right of first refusal" on all resales. If an owner obtains a purchase agreement for their week(s), Marriott Vacation Club can choose to pay the agreed-upon purchase price to obtain the week(s), effectively cancelling the sale. This approach can have the effect of keeping an owner from selling for below market value, since Marriott Vacation Club can effectively take the week(s) "off the market." Each Marriott Vacation Club property effectively has up to two inventories of villas. Older properties' inventories consist mainly of "weeks owners." Newer properties' inventories consist mainly of points, wherein all available points are owned by a Marriott Vacation Club-controlled trust, and made available to owners who purchased under the Destinations program. Many properties have inventory of both weeks and points. It is important for owners to understand that these two inventories do not intermingle. For example, suppose an owner purchased 2,000 points at Property A, and wished to occupy a villa at Property B. Property B is an older property that was 100% sold-out as weeks. The owner will probably be unsuccessful, because there is no "points inventory" at Property B from which to fulfill their request. It is important for prospective owners to fully understand the differences between the inventories and to ensure their purchase will afford them the occupancy they desire. The creation of the Destinations program has been controversial and resulted in lawsuits.

Similar programs

Diamond Resorts International Diamond Resorts is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Grand Vacations. Diamond Resorts was an independent timeshare and vacation ownership company until it was purchased by HGV in 2021. Following the purchase, Diamond's resorts became part of HGV ...

Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allow ...

* Hilton Grand Vacations Company * Westgate Resorts * Bluegreen Corporation

Properties

References

External links