Earlier this year, Marriott announced their new timeshare brand Marriott Pulse. In this article we will be taking an in depth look at what exactly Marriott Pulse is and how it can benefit new or existing timeshare owners. Whilst a week long holiday is the ideal scenario for many, Marriott, like many of the other timeshare industry leaders have picked up on the fact that mini-breaks in urban hotspots offers a more convenient opportunity to get away for new or existing clients, due to limited vacation time at work or other commitments.
Marriott Pulse Focuses On New Markets In Major Metropolitan Areas
Marriott Vacation club is viewed by many as a forward-looking company that continuously tweaks travel programs to improve customer satisfaction. Marriott recently announced their brand new program called Pulse, which has been created with the intention to open up travel to five of the biggest, most popular cities amongst timeshare travellers. This bold move is stepping away from the traditional luxurious beach breaks at upmarket resorts like Marriott’s Marbella and Playa Andaluza and moving towards the increasingly popular city break approach.
Where Will The Marriott Pulse Resorts Be?
Marriott have confirmed that Manhattan will be the prime destination in the Marriott Pulse program and they will also offer travel to other properties they currently own in Boston, Washington, South Beach and San Diego. It is predicted that Manhattan will be the most popular choice amongst Marriott Pulse members whilst the other four properties will lure families and couples wanting to spend a few days immersing themselves in the culture of each city and sightseeing. Marriott Vacation Worldwide CEO Stephen Weisz, who is also chairman of ARDA, sounded like a proud father when talking about the program earlier this year. “New York City has been on our list as a destination for owners to explore for quite some time,” Weisz said during the announcement of MVC’s purchase of The Strand Hotel, now rebranded as MVC Pulse. Aside from San Diego (Marriott’s new property that opened in July 2016) all of the Marriott Pulse properties are renovated hotels, which lack the amenities of the bigger beach side resorts that are currently featured in Marriott Vacation Club’s portfolio however, the primary purpose of these properties is to focus on being centrally located in the heart of each city to encourage guests to spend their time exploring their surroundings.
“Because the action is found outside the property — in the city and the neighbourhoods — the rooms and suites are designed for shorter, more active stays,” Marriott has stated on their website. Each Pulse property will have its own sales showroom and city-centric marketing programs to attract potential buyers who live in those cities. In the long run, these new sales centers may prove to be more economical, for Marriott, than offering discount travel packages to travellers to introduce them to timeshares at far-away sites.
You Won’t Have To Purchase more Points
Marriott are always crafting their membership schemes with their customers as their primary point of focus and the good news is that existing members of Marriott Vacation Club won’t have to purchase additional points to become part of the Marriott Pulse program. Owners can use the owner-services hotline to reserve stays, just like they do with their existing timeshares. They can also book as many, or as few, nights as they wish, depending on availability and the amount of points required for the per-night stays. Marriott has confirmed that the rates for Marriott Pulse resorts will be similar, in point values, to reserving weekly intervals at the non-urban timeshares. But they expect most reservations to be for mini-week stays, not entire weeks. Reservations for all Pulse properties are available now.
High Demand Means Getting Into Marriott Pulse Resorts Might Be A Challenge
Researching other timeshare companies who currently offer urban resorts has resulted in the prediction that securing reservations at Marriott Pulse’s urban hotspots might be somewhat of a challenge, especially as they are starting out with just five prime location properties to test the water. To help you understand the rates better, here are some of the equivalent retail values for Marriott’s new Pulse NYC timeshare in Manhattan, formerly known as the Strand. It’s a 177-room property whose best rooms offer views of the Empire State Building. A four-night mid-summer stay, Aug. 24-28, in a deluxe 306′ ft. king bedroom, runs for $368 or $1,652 for four nights. Parking is $59 per night. No resort fees.
To book the same Empire State Building view unit for Dec. 22-26, the rental is $359 per night or $1,817 for four nights, including Christmas. This is the most expensive, and largest, room available at the MVC hotel. It may even come with a telescope for viewing the Empire State Building, though that’s not guaranteed.
Interval International, MVC’s preferred exchange partner, has already embraced the program, which suggests (while not promising) that even non-owners will be able to exchange-and-reserve rooms at Marriott’s urban properties.
The Five Marriott Pulse Properties Are:
- Marriott’s Custom House in downtown Boston.
- The Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC
- The former Strand in Manhattan.
- A new 264-room property in San Diego near the Gaslamp Quarter.
- A renovated boutique, beachfront property in South Beach, which will open in 2017.
For more information about Marriott Pulse resorts, please contact us today!