WORLDMARK THE CLUB RESORTS

Article submitted by:
John Collister
tsfun@comcast.net
Updated: October 2, 2007

WHERE DID IT ALL START:

Trendwest Resorts, Inc. located in Bellevue, Washington is the developer of WorldMark the Club, which was incorporated in 1989. Sales offices in various and changing locations, operating as Trendwest, promote the sale of WorldMark credits. They have adopted the "vacation credit" system (points) to allow greater flexibility in timeshare ownership. Once primarily focused on the Pacific Coast (from Whistler, B.C. to Cabo, Mexico) for resort locations; developing quality resorts and significantly upgrading existing facilities, WorldMark has expanded to Missouri, Fiji Islands, and Australia. WorldMark, The Club has more than 250,000 owners who have a choice of over 4,800 ownership units at 60 locations in the Western United States, Missouri, Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, Florida, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii, British Columbia, Fiji and Mexico. It is possible to start at Palm Springs and in a series of convenient stops end up in Whistler for an enjoyable extended vacation (maybe when I retire and if I have enough points). Trendwest was purchased by Cendant in 2002.   Trendwest Resorts, Inc. is now know as Wyndham Resort Development Corporation and eoes business uner the brand WorlMark by Wyndham.  As a subsidiary of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Inc., Wyndham Resort Developemnt Corporation is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

RESORTS:


 

Arizona	WorldMark Pinetop	Pinetop, Az.
	WorldMark Vistoso	Vistoso, Az.
	WorldMark Bison Ranch	Herber, Az.
California	WorldMark Angels Camp	Angels Camp, Ca
	*WorldMark  Anaheim (Winter, 2008)	Anaheim, Ca
	WorldMark Bass Lake	Bass Lake, Ca
	WorldMark Big Bear	Big Bear, Ca
	WorldMark Clear Lake	Nice, Ca
	WorldMark  Dolphin’s Cove	Anaheim, Ca
	WorldMark Indio	Indio, Ca
	WorldMark  Marina Dunes	Marina, Ca
	WorldMark  Oceanside Harbor	Oceanside, Ca
	WorldMark  Palm Springs	Palm Springs, Ca
	WorldMark  Pismo Beach	Pismo Beach, Ca
	WorldMark  San Diego	San Diego, Ca
	WorldMark  San Diego – Mission Valley	San Diego, Ca
	WorldMark  San Francisco	San Francisco, Ca
	WorldMark  Solvang	Solvang, Ca
	WorldMark  Windsor	Windsor, Ca
Florida	WorldMark Ocean Walk	Daytona Beach, Fl.
	WorldMark Orlando Kingstown Reef	Orlando, Fl.
Mid-West States:	WorldMark Grand Lake	Grand Lake, Ok
	WorldMark Gelena	Galena, Il.
	WorldMark Branson	Branson, Mo
	WorldMark Lake of the Ozarks	Osage, Mo.
	WorldMark New Orleans	New Orleans, La.
Hawaii	WorldMark Kapaa Shore	Kapaa, Kauai, Hi
	WorldMark Kona	Kona, Hawaii, Hi.
	WorldMark Valley Isle	Lahiana, Maui, Hi
	WorldMark Kihei	Kehei, Maui, Hi.
Idaho	WorldMark Arrowpoint	Coeur D’Alene, Id
	WorldMark  McCall	McCall, Id.
Colorado	WorldMark Estes Park	Estes Park, Colorado
	WorldMark Steamboat Springs	Steamboat Springs, Co
Montana	*WorldMark  West Yellowstone (July, 2008)	West Yellowstone, Montana
New Mexico	WorldMark Red River	Red River, Nm.
	WorldMark Taos	Taos, Nm.
Nevada	WorldMark Tahoe	Stateline, Nv.
	WorldMark  Las Vegas	Las Vegas, Nv.
	WorldMark Las Vegas - Boulevard	Las Vegas, Nv.
	WorldMark  Las Vegas - Tropicana	Las Vegas, Nv.
	WorldMark Las Vegas on Spencer Street	Las Vegas, Nv.
	WorldMark Reno	Reno, Nv.
	WorldMark South Shore	Zephyr Cove, Nv.
Oregon	WorldMark Depoe Bay	Depoe Bay, Or.
	WorldMark Eagle Crest	Redmond, Or.
	WorldMark Gleneden	Gleneden Beach, Or.
	WorldMark Running Y	Klamath Fall, Or.
	WorldMark Schooner Landing	Newport, Or.
	WorldMark Seaside	Seaside, Or.
Utah	WorldMark Bear Lake	Harbor Village, Ut.
	WorldMark Midway	Midway, Ut.
	WorldMark Wolf Creek	Wolf Creek, Ut.
	WorldMark St. George	St. George, Ut.
Washington State	WorldMark Birch Bay	Blaine, Wa.
	WorldMark  the Camblin	Seattle, Wa.
	WorldMark  Discovery Bay	Port Townsend, Wa.
	WorldMark  Lake Chelan Shores	Chelan, Wa.
	WorldMark  Leavenworth	Leavenworth, Wa.
	WorldMark Mariner Village	Ocean Shores, Wa.
	WorldMark Deer Harbor	Deer Harbor, Wa.
	WorldMark Surfside Inn	Long Beach, Wa.
Canada	WorldMark Cascade Lodge	Whistler, B.C.
	WorldMark  Canmore	Canmore, Alberta
	WorldMark  Sundance	Whistler, B.C.
	WorldMark The Canadian	Vancouver, B.C.
	WorldMark Victoria	Vancouver Island, B.C.
Mexico	WorldMark Coral Baja	San Jose Del Cabo, Mx.
	WorldMark La Paloma	Rosarito Beach, Mx.
WM –South Pacific	WorldMark South Pacific Coolangetta	Queensland, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Golden Beach	Queensland, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Calypso Plaza	Queensland, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Coffs Harbour	New South Wales, Au
	WorldMark South Pacific Pokolbin Hill	New South Wales, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Flynns Beach	New South Wales, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Port Macquarie	New South Wales, Au
	WorldMark South Pacific Port Stephens	New South Wales, Au
	WorldMark South Pacific Sydney	New South Wales, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Cairns	Queensland, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Seven Mile Beach	Tasmania, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Ballaret	Victoria, Au.
	WorldMark South Pacific Lakes Entrance	Victoria, Au.
	WorldMark Rotorua	Rotorua, New Zealand
	WorldMark Denarau Island	Denarau Island, Fiji

 

The resorts marked with an * are under construction at the time of this writing and are not available for reservations. These proposed resorts currently have projected opening dates that are given above. The Australian resorts are components of a separate timeshare plan known as Worldmark South Pacific Club.  Title to the resorts in Worldmark South Pacific Club is held by a third party custodian. Almost all of the resorts are Gold Crown with RCI or 5 Star Resorts with Interval International.   

WORLDMARK, SOUTH PACIFIC PROPERTY:

WorldMark South Pacific (Trendwest South Pacific Property incorporated in 1999) is a separate corporation with a seamless exclusive exchange agreement with WorldMark the Club. Owners from either club can utilized the others inventory with only two guideline differences. To provide home club priority, the booking window is reduced to only 11 month out  for reserving into each others club.  There are no bonus time privileges. There is no exchange fee between the two clubs.

WYNDHAM VACATION RESORTS:

With the acquisition of both by Cendant, Trendwest (Now WorldMark by Wyndham) and Fairfield Resorts (Now Wyndham Vacation Resorts) have already begun to leverage each other’s strengths. Though most of these arrangements are invisible to WorldMark owners, an especially significant one was a short-term exchange agreement that made twelve Wyndham Vacation Resorts available without exchange fees or restrictions.  The difference is that you can book 12 months out, not 13 like the WordlMark resorts.  I have listed them above in the resort chart for easier viewing according to areas.  WorldMark owners reserve just as they would at any other WorldMark resort, either through the on-line instant confirmation or by calling a vacation counselor.  Here are the Wyndham Vacation Resorts:

	#Wyndham Flagstaff	Flagstaff, Az.
	#Wyndham Sedona	Sedona, Az.
	#Wyndham Pagosa	Pagosa Springs, Co.
	#Wyndham Majestic Sun	Destin, Fl.
	#Wyndham Fort Lauderdale	Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
	#Wyndham Nashville	Nashville, Fl.
	#Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk	Honolulu, Hi.
	#Wyndham Skyline Tower	Atlantic City, Nj.
	#Wyndham Smokey Mountains	Sevierville, Tn.
	#Wyndham Myrtle Beach at Westwinds	North Myrtle Beach, Sc.
	#Wyndham Williamsburg at Kingsgate	Williamsburg, Va.
	#Wyndham Vacation Resorts at Glacier                Canyon	Wisconsin Dells, Wi.

 

VACATION CREDITS:

POINTS USAGE

Owners purchase vacation credits, which allow them to stay at any of the WorldMark resorts. Each year on the anniversary date of your vacation credits you are issued credits equal to the amount of the original purchase. Credits are automatically carried over for an additional 12 months. You may borrow all or part of the following year’s credits. Credits can be used on a weekly or daily basis at any WorldMark resort, but must be used according to Club guidelines and availability..

The Guidelines for vacation credit usage are as follows:

·        HIGH (RED) SEASON:  One week minimum stay booked 91 days to 13 months in advance with any day check-in available. Red or High season requires requires a seven night minimum if booked more than 90 days in advance.

·        MID & OFF (WHITE & BLUE) SEASON:  No minimum stay except for weekends.  Can be booked 48 hours to 13 months in advance.

·        WEEKEND ONLY:  Weekends require a two-night stay when both Friday and Saturday nights are available. 

Personally, I like the fact that you can set up your week to start on any day if the time is available. The options in terms of starting and ending your vacation can help save many dollars on airfare. You can also mix bonus time, (which we will talk about in the next section) with vacation credit time. The cancellation policy is also quite liberal depending on how far out you made the reservation.  For example, reservations made 90 days to 13 months from arrival you can cancel 30 days from arrival without penalty. 

Two types of credits can be purchased: a forty year right to use; or usage for perpetuity (which allows you to use bonus time).

The following is an average example of points needed to use a resort. With few exceptions, 10,000-12,000 credits will get you a one bedroom or a two bedroom, respectively for one week during red season.

 

Vacation Season	Unit	Season	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Red Season	One	Red	1000	1000	1000	1000	1450	1450	1100	8,000
(April-Oct)	bed	White	700	700	700	700	1125	1125	950	6,000
		Blue	300	300	300	300	700	700	400	3,000
White Season	Two	Red	1250	1250	1250	1250	1800	1800	1400	10,000
(Mar.& Nov.)	bed	White	850	850	850	850	1250	1250	1100	7,000
		Blue	600	600	600	600	925	925	750	5,000
Blue Season	Three	Red	1500	1500	1500	1500	2100	2100	1800	12,000
Jan.-Feb.)	bed	White	1000	1000	1000	1000	1450	1450	1100	8,000
		Blue	700	700	700	700	1125	1125	950	6,000

Besides the units listed above some WorldMark Resorts have two or three bedroom penthouse (Premium unit with upgraded amenities, and Jacuzzi); one or two bedroom deluxe (larger than typical WorldMark Unit); one or two bedroom suites (smaller than typical WorldMark Unit); one or two bedroom plus (extra sleeping room); and studio units. The number of units and type of units differ by resort.

Credit Usage Restrictions:

o        Red week usage must be for one week if booked more than sixty days in advance.

o        Two night minimum on weekends. A weekend is considered Friday and Saturday.

HOUSEKEEPING FEES:

·        You are allowed one free housekeeping service for the first credit reservation each anniversary year for each block of 5,000 credits owned.

·        For each subsequent credit reservation, more than one within the same anniversary year, you will pay a housekeeping fee.

·        Extra  housekeeping fees are based on the size of the unit you book and are collected at the time you make your reservation. The fees range from $40 for a studio to $100 or a 4 bedroom Penthouse.

BONUS TIME:

Bonus time was designed to encourage occupancy at times where there would probably be no or low occupancy. You call the vacation center 14 days ahead to find availability and can then book up to four days in one period (you can use two days at one resort and two days at another). The cost of the usage is currently 4.4 cents per credit, which makes a range of approximately $32-95 a day depending on the size of the unit and the season of usage. You can even do it for guests, but the lead time is only 5 days, which means you guests must be very flexible on location and dates. It is most available during midweek and at larger size resorts. Seems like a good trade-off to maximize usage while honoring owners first.  Use the internet website for WorldMark, (www.worldmarktheclub.com) to find bonus time for particular regions. 

Restrictions are:

o        Can only book one period at a time. Once you use the week then you can book another.

o        Can only book one weekend per quarter

o        Maximum stay four days.

o        Booking at more than one resort requires reserving consecutive days.

OWNER SPECIALS:

Inventory Specials work similar to bonus time, but allow owners to take greater advantage of inventory that may go unused.  Cost of usage is 4.4 cents per credit.  Like bonus time, don’t expect availability during the busy season. This is mainly white or blue time.  Calling at the 14 day and 2 day reservation windows may help you get very good deals during red season, but don’t count on it.  The specials are listed on-line and in the Destinations publication sent to owners.  Listed are the inventory specials available during a certain month, and their general availability.  A new feature on-line is bonus time available for resorts in a given region.  This is a real help in quickly finding bonus time. 

Depending on availability you can:

·        Book as many units as you want.

·        Book at several resorts.

·        Stay as long a you want during the inventory time span.

OUT OF NETWORK OFFERS: Cruise the Caribbean, ride a roller coaster, join other solo Footloose travelers in Europe, or see a movie with your family. This program allows WorldMark owners to use their WorldMark credits as payment for fun activities outside of the resort system. These value-added benefits are subject to changes, additions or deletions.

·         Tours

·         Cruises

·         Attractions
Theme Park Tickets
Movie Tickets

Direct exchange locations are listed in the Destinations newsletter and on-line.  These allow WorldMark owners to take advantage of special arrangements made with particular resorts to book an exchange.  The cost is an additional $139.  The following is an example of locations listed on-line in the July, 2007.  This is separate from exchanges that can be make through RCI or Interval.

Scottsdale Camelback Resort, AZ

Capistrano Inn, CA

Carlsbad Seapointe Resort, CA

Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, CA

Sun Valley, ID

Torres Mazatlan, MX

Vallarta Torre, MX

Santa Fe, NM

Moritt’s Tortuga Club, Cayman Islands

 

ASSOCIATES PROGRAM:  (This program is highly changeable, so the associates and my example may be outdated)

WorldMark’s Associates program allows you to use your credits to book one or more nights at associate locations. This is an opportunity to expand the reach of credits and stay in locations not currently served by WorldMark..  These are value-added benefits that are subject to change, addition or deletion.  As an example The current credit costs start at 3,000 credits per night at the Alyeska Prince Hotel and Resort in Girdwood, AK :  .  This is not a WorldMark resort, but a hotel accommodation that sleeps up to four adults.

 

 

TRAVELSHARE

 

This is a valued added program which is best described when you go to http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/media_center  and enter TravelShare as a search.  I will try to have more information at the next up-date about this program.

 

RCI EXCHANGE:

WorldMark has special arrangements with RCI that allow owners to call before depositing their credits in the space bank to check on units that are currently available for exchange. This is called "Confirm First", since no credits are used until you know exactly what you are getting in exchange. As an owner I was also allowed to use this line to exchange other timeshares that I wanted to space bank, a definite benefit. There are predetermined credits for each season and unit size. If you confirm 45 days or less in advance it cost only 4,000 credits regardless of unit size or season. I have used this several times for a wonderfully inexpensive vacation. Don’t expect to use it for summer or holiday weeks.

INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL:

WorldMark allows you to be part of Interval International exchange company also. II Members call their toll free WorldMark hot line at 1-877-678-4400 to book an exchange. They have a similar confirm first and allow 60 days or less in advance bookings using 4,000 credits regardless of unit size or season.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:

1. The staff has been helpful in making each mini or regular vacation a pleasant event. They go out of their way to answer questions, address concerns, and make you comfortable and informed.
2. The units have been clean, stocked with useful equipment, and comfortable furniture.
3. Reservations are pleasant to make, and on top of it no questions are too stupid to answer.
4. Persistence with calling 14 days ahead produces excellent bonus time usage during non-peak seasons for weekend usage.
5. Eight of the facilities are now within a reasonable drive from our home.
6. Owners can take advantage of two leveled educational events to help them better use their timeshare.

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER:

The information in this article is correct to the best of my knowledge. Since I have written a favorable article some readers have thought that I work for one or both of the entities listed above. I am not an employee, have not been an employee, or have any aspiration of being an employee of Wyndham or WorldMark, just an owner of credits. They have paid me nothing for this article, but if they want to send some money, I will keep it. The purpose is to enhance your knowledge of WorldMark by Wyndham while sharing my personal observations, so that you can more fully enjoy the world of timesharing.