Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is available for a Getaway week in Interval International from July 12-19.  Only studios are available at this writing and you can pick it up for only $886/week.  That’s only $126.57/night for a $500/night room.  Act quickly before it’s gone.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is one of the most difficult timeshare resorts in Interval International to exchange in to.  One reason is because the people who buy there spend a substantial amount for their purchase and are therefore less likely to want to exchange it somewhere else.

Another reason it is such a difficult timeshare exchange is because of the sweetheart deal Marriott has with Interval International.  When any Marriott owner deposits a week with Interval International it goes into a separate exchange pool for 30 days that is made available exclusively to other Marriott owners.  This drastically reduces the amount of weeks made available to non-Marriott owners and is very unfair.

Of course another reason it’s such a difficult timeshare exchange is because of the demand for Hawaii in general, and Maui in particular.  The waiting list for Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is enormous and you must have both a very powerful exchanging timeshare and to have maximized your exchange power to be placed high enough up on the wait list to get confirmed.

To learn how to maximize your exchange power in both Interval International and RCI Click Here Now.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is one of my favorite timeshare properties.  The views of the island of Lanai or the West Maui Mountains are incredible.  It’s location right on Kaanapali Beach is one of the best and besides the restaurants on site, you are a short walking distance to Whaler’s Village for access to many more shops and restaurants. Don’t miss the old whaling village of Lahaina Town nearby.

Don’t miss this rare chance to visit one of the most beautiful islands in the world and stay at one of Interval International’s best timeshare resorts.

For those of you that like to take a timeshare vacation on the 4th of July in RCI or Interval International, you should already have your request in for 2009.  I’ve found, in the 18 years that I’ve been in the timeshare business, that the people who exchange for holidays are the most knowledgeable timeshare exchangers in the world.

There are two things that make getting a timeshare exchange during a holiday so difficult.  First is the fact that the owners are more likely to want to use their home resort on holidays so fewer weeks are given up to RCI and Interval International. 

Second, the demand for holiday weeks is much greater than normal.  Fewer weeks coupled with much greater demand leads to a much more difficult timeshare exchange.

There is already a waiting list for many timeshare for next 4th of July so get your request in now.

Cell phone numbers going public tomorrow so you can expect a call from timeshare telemarketing companies soliciting for you to attend a presentation.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS!!!

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.  It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time.  It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.  You can also register for DNC by clicking here.

Hilton Grand Vacations plans on opening their West 57th Street club in New York City in the second quarter of 2009.  It consists of 161 luxurious studio, 1 bedroom and penthouse suites located one block from Central Park.

With floor to ceiling windows, elegant furnishings, flat screen televisions, marble and granite details and much more, combined with its location, it’s sure to sell out quickly.  Opening prices will range from $58,000-$100,000 per week.  To read more, click here.

So what about timeshare exchange possibilities?  Of course it will be one of the most difficult exchanges you’d ever do because the people who pay that kind of money for a timeshare aren’t going to be in a hurry to give it up to go somewhere else.

Typically, it takes 5 years before there’s any decent amount of exchange activity.  Since West 57th Street is part of the Hilton Club, Hilton members will be scooping up most of the availability in the beginning before RCI members.  This is typical for any new timeshare that opens in a marquis location, is a brand named and part of a club.

So here are a few timeshare exchange strategies to help you out for this, or any extremely difficult exchange.

First, call RCI and see if they are taking requests for West 57th Street now.  If they are, give as many dates as possible that you’ll accept between October 2009, a few months after grand opening, and May 2010. (you can’t request more than 2 years in advance)

Next, tell RCI you’ll accept any size suite, including a studio, even if you’re giving up a 2 bedroom.  This increases your chances exponentially.

Finally, before you do the first 2 things, you should get my guidebook on how to maximize your exchange power for even more valuable timeshare exchange tips.  Click Here Now to read more about it. You’ll need all the help you can get to be successful at getting into Hilton’s West 57th Street. 

Even doing everything right this will be a very difficult exchange but you may be pleasantly surprised.

You can now start your search for a timeshare exchange in RCI for only $1 instead of the normal $164 or $199 fee.  The offer is good only until May 30, 2008 and I would recommend it only for new searches. 

In other words, if you currently have a search going and have paid the full exchange fee, don’t cancel it and ask for a refund so you can start the same search for only $1.  If you do, you will start your search all over and you will be placed lower on the waiting list. You will be responsible for the balance of the exchange fee once you are confirmed.

The airlines are at it again.  As if flying isn’t expensive enough already, now the some airlines are adding on fees to what were once given for free seeking to offset higher fuel costs.  You’re likely to find these extra fees tacked on as fuel surcharges, booking a ticket by phone rather than the Internet, handling fees and extra luggage fees. Click here to read the entire article on MSN.

Following US Airway’s (my least favorite airline) lead, Northwest, Delta, United and Continental have started to charge if you want to check more than one bag.  Now expect to pay at least an extra $25 per bag if you’re checking more than one per person.  Look for many new fees to be implemented May 5, 2008.

Be sure to weigh your bags before you leave.  If you even slightly exceed 50 pounds per bag you could be hit with another $80-$100.  And once you’re at the airport ready to leave for your timeshare vacation, they have you over a barrel.

Those of you planning on doing a timeshare exchange to Hawaii should check out airfares before you’re week is confirmed.  Aloha Airlines, Hawaii’s second largest airline that’s been in service for 60 years, filed for bankruptcy and suspended operations.  A few days later, ATA, a low cost provider of air transport to Hawaii, did the same. 

Who knows if this will be good for the traveler or bad but A quick look on the Internet found fares ranging from about $550 to $1700 roundtrip from Phoenix to Maui.  Only Hawaiian Airlines had the fare for $550.  Plus, no charge for the second bag of checked luggage. 

US Airways, not surprisingly, wants $1064 round trip and they don’t even buy you dinner first - unless, that is, you count a bag of pretzels.

So before putting in your request for your timeshare exchange do some homework to find out what you can expect to pay for airfares and luggage.