Marriott Vacation Club Reviews

After decades as a Marriott Vacation Club owner, I deeply regret my purchase. The initial high-pressure sales presentation deliberately misrepresented key aspects of ownership. What began as a reasonable investment has ballooned to nearly $70,000 of debt with maintenance fees continually increasing from what was promised as a "small annual fee" to thousands of dollars annually. Despite planning vacations 6-8 months in advance, I've barely been able to use my timeshare a dozen times in nearly three decades. Where’s the "easy access” they proclaimed? Then came the ultimate insult during my 71st birthday stay: another high-pressure sales session convincing me to invest $20,000 on "Trust Points" to rescue my investment. Surprise! These points can't even be combined with my deeded week as promised, it’s now practically worthless. Marriott also concealed that my children would automatically inherit these financial obligations. It was presented as a benefit, not the lifelong burden it truly is. Between the exhausting sales marathons, microscopic contract print, hidden fees, and impossible booking system, Marriott has perfected the art of overpromising and underdelivering. This isn't a vacation club - it's a masterclass in travel deception. Save your money, it’s not worth it!

Over three decades, our family invested over $250,000 in Marriott Vacation Club points, only to be repeatedly misled by aggressive sales reps and face increasingly unmanageable financial burdens. The company's approach has been characterized by consistent high-pressure to buy presentations at multiple resorts, with salespeople making exaggerated promises about rental income potential, resort availability, and point system flexibility. Our experience revealed a troubling pattern of deceptive practices. Each sales interaction involved being persuaded to purchase additional points, with representatives making unrealistic claims about potential rental income, future resort access, and club membership benefits. The maintenance fees have become super expensive, and the financing of purchases through high-interest loans has added significant financial stress. We found ourselves unable to use purchased weeks due to scheduling conflicts and facing misleading information about future benefits like Chairmans Club status. The company's tactics have been particularly predatory, targeting customers with complex and financially burdensome propositions. Our attempts to manage our investment were consistently met with minimal resort availability, growing financial challenges, and false promises from sales representatives. The mounting pressure and financial uncertainty have left us feeling trapped and deceived. We strongly caution potential buyers to thoroughly investigate Marriott Vacation Club's practices before committing to their timeshare program. Our experience serves as a warning to those considering similar investments, highlighting the potential pitfalls of their aggressive sales approach and questionable business practices. Beware!

We have had our Marriott timeshare for over 2 1/2 years and we love it. We have taken over 4 amazing vacations! For us, the key to make this work is having flexibility.

Marriott had always represented "family" and "value" to me, especially when my mother worked at the Marriott Hotel in Salt Lake City. Thanks to the family rate, I had the opportunity to stay at several Marriott-branded properties over the years. After my mother passed away, I was offered a package deal from Marriott Vacation Club to stay at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. This was just before the pandemic, around January 2020 or earlier. I attended the required sales presentation at the Sales Center near the Pulse property, where I was presented with a deal for a "deed" to the MVC MZC Orlando and was told my payments would be treated as mortgage loans. Nothing could be further from the truth; this product is worthless. As a traveling surgeon working six days a week, I have found it impossible to utilize my MVC club points as promised. I was never informed that the maintenance fees would continue in perpetuity, becoming a lifelong burden for my beneficiaries. The salespeople assured me I could rent out my timeshare to recoup costs – another blatant misrepresentation, as I can barely secure reservations for my own use. I have recently discovered that these supposedly "exclusive to owner" units are readily available to anyone with a credit card through online travel sites at a fraction of what I pay as an owner. Due to these numerous misrepresentations and the complete lack of value in this membership, I refuse to make any further payments to this predatory company. The entire experience has left me with such a bad taste in my mouth that I cannot imagine giving any more of my hard-earned money to Marriott. The trust I once had in the Marriott brand has completely disappeared.

To date, I have not used a single point or taken a vacation, yet I am saddled with two Marriott Vacation Club contracts I cannot afford OR utilize. As a single parent juggling a demanding career, these deceptive practices have placed an unfair burden on my family, exploiting my trust in Marriott as a reputable brand. As a professional managing a building and construction company, I do not have the bandwidth to rectify a deeply troubling experience with Marriott Vacation Club and have sought assistance from their Executive Team. I was misled, pressured, and deceived into signing not one, but two-timeshare contracts under false pretenses. The Sales Team at the Marriott Vacation Club’s Shadow Ridge put me through a grueling two-plus-hour sales presentation. Exhausted and desperate to return to my family, I reluctantly purchased a timeshare. When I attended an “owners’ meeting” a salesperson informed me my initial purchase lacked sufficient points for my vacation needs, contrary to prior assurances. Trusting his guidance, I agreed to what I believed was an upgrade—only to later discover I had been sold a second, separate contract. The deception continued. I was told that by paying $1,800 quarterly, my mortgage payments would be eliminated, and the two contracts would be combined. This never materialized, leaving me with two distinct financial obligations. Additionally, I explicitly requested that my credit not be run, as I am planning to buy a home, yet Marriott Vacation Club disregarded this, further jeopardizing my financial stability. Finally, I was assured maintenance fees would not apply until 2025, yet I received an invoice on October 19, 2024, due December 2, 2024, an outright contradiction of what I was promised. I have respectfully requested to be released from both contracts and refunded all payments made, given the misrepresentations and unethical sales tactics I endured. They need to do the right thing and put an end to this behavior.

Biggest scam. Don’t invest in this.

Our journey with Sheraton began in July 2011 when we were approached at a theme park as a young couple with a small child. We were invited to what was promised to be a one-hour presentation with the incentive of receiving money to use at a Disney Springs restaurant. Instead, we were subjected to nearly three hours of high-pressure sales tactics where we were led to believe we were becoming part of something "grand and elite." The sales representative aggressively pitched this as a real estate investment, emphasizing that its value would increase over time and that we would be able to pass down this owned and deeded property to our daughter. A full decade later our frustration culminated in an owner's update meeting in July 2022, like our initial presentation, was promised to be an hour but stretched to three hours. Using false urgency tactics, the sales representative pressured us into upgrading our package, claiming we could apply equity from our old unit into the new contract and promising better vacation locations and more flexibility in reservations. They also hid the existence of a $250 annual club fee and additional charges for reservation changes. We've since discovered we can book comparable vacations for significantly less money without the burden of time share ownership. Throughout all our interactions, sales representatives consistently omitted critical information about our children's future obligations. We were never told that our children would be responsible for both the maintenance fees if the timeshare was passed down. Multiple representatives encouraged us to take out additional loans to pay off the timeshare mortgage while concealing that maintenance fees could increase indefinitely, regardless of the mortgage status. When we specifically inquired about maintenance fee changes, we were assured that the amounts shown during our meetings were final and complete. We were never given clear or honest information about our total financial commitment.

Fraudulent company and not a part of JW Marriot

Avoid Harborside at all costs! I attended a presentation that was conducted by Elura Rolle and Sherry Rolle. They are responsible for getting me into this mess with this company. This presentation occurred in October 2012 when I was visiting Atlantis as part of a cruise tour. They approached me and invited me to complete a presentation with them. They misrepresented it to be exclusive and not to mention their lack of transparency. They didn’t disclose product related fees and gave me nothing more than false statements regarding the timeshare. I didn’t realize much of it then because I trusted their judgement and knowledge of their product they presented. Verbally everything sounded good and then they had me sign through a contract leaving out important details. I realize now that I was set up and now, I am dealing with trying to exit this timeshare. Consider this a warning and do not do business with Harborside.

Marriott Vacation Club is a Total Scam. During the presentation, they will tell you that you can have vacations anywhere around the world with your points. However, once you pay $25,000, you're essentially trapped. This amount is non-refundable, and top of that there is Yearly maintenance cost of $1,800. IF you plan to exit from the Program, you won't receive a penny back from the initial $25,000 investment. I have been trying to book a resort 13 months in advance and still have not been able to secure a reservation. Totally lost my money I will never suggest anyone any timeshare.

just on a personal mission to get their average rating down to one star. if the whole business went under tomorrow it wouldnt be soon enough. truly disgusting moneygrubbing excuse for a business

Our Marriott timeshare has been nothing short of a nightmare. We were told we’d receive exclusive vacation benefits if we signed for a timeshare, but now we know we’ve been misled and given empty promises. We were told that by joining the resort, we would have access to exclusive and private vacation properties that weren’t available to the public. We have a second home in Myrtle Beach, so we were uninterested in a “vacation share” limited to that area. They assured us we would have access to numerous resorts across the U.S. and we could use the Interval International network for overseas travel. Unfortunately, this was only the first of numerous misrepresentations. The booking process has been complicated, and we keep running in to difficulties trying to find availability at the resorts we want. They tried to use Disney as an incentive to sign, knowing we have a younger daughter. Unsurprisingly, the promises made about easy booking and availability were not kept.  On a scale of 1-10, we would rate the sales pressure we experienced as 10 (highest), and our satisfaction with Marriott and its representatives as 1 (lowest). If I could give them negative stars, I would.

We have sadly been a member since June 2021 and have been trying to get out of this membership since January 2022. We have written to the President of Marriot Vacation Club; and if he is worth his salt, he will take swift steps to resolve our ongoing issues by cancelling our continued financial ties to the company. We very clearly documented our experience, complete with the names of the employees who participated in these unethical behaviors. We have exhausted all avenues at Club level, they simply are inept and have not responded appropriately to our demands by ignoring us. To date we have received no response outlining how they intend to resolve these issues. If we don't receive a satisfactory resolution, we will pursue all available legal remedies, including reporting these deceptive practices to the State Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection Agencies, and sharing our experience on social media and review platforms. We are only starting with the Better Business Bureau. Consumers should be on alert to avoid entrapment by Marriott Vacation Club; especially in Las Vegas where they told us outright lies regarding the product and costs. We will not be victimized by them further!

We encounter difficulties with booking vacations at the locations and during the times we preferred. We found ourselves settling for whatever was available to us, despite paying a significant membership fee. Marriott Vacation Club offered a discounted trip to Las Vegas along with a sales meeting and a gift card. We accepted the offer as an opportunity to voice our concerns about the difficulties we have been facing with bookings. The solution presented to us at the time was to purchase additional points as part of a “new system” for point usage. Regrettably, we did not fully understand that this would result in us entering into a new timeshare agreement with another payment plan. And yet the issues we had with availability remained unchanged, and we were often told that we did not have enough points to book the vacations we wanted. The increased maintenance fees each year have further compounded our dissatisfaction with the membership, especially as it isn’t delivering what we were promised. Seems Marriott is interested in upselling us rather than resolving our issues, especially as the supposed “upgrades” have all the same problems. Also, they did not disclose the rate and fees.

Our experience with Sheraton/Marriott timeshare has been nothing short of disappointing. What began as a vacation in Orlando quickly turned into a nightmare when we encountered multiple issues with our room, including unsanitary conditions and a four-hour wait for resolution. During our stay, we attended what was supposed to be an "update" presentation about our existing timeshare. The sales representative, Jeff Hughes, made numerous enticing promises about a new "Titanium Status" upgrade. He claimed we would receive personal concierge service, access to Disney resorts, the ability to rent out weeks to cover maintenance fees and even stays at the Ritz-Carlton. The pressure was intense, with emphasis on the 'Time-sensitive" nature of the offer. After a grueling three-hour presentation and 45 minute contract signing process, we agreed to apply our existing equity of $31,092.94 as a down payment for the upgrade. However, reality fell far short of the promises. It took eight months just to activate our "Titanium Status," and when we finally received it, the benefits were minimal- often just courtesy acknowledgment at check-in. Jeff Hughes became increasingly difficult to reach, eventually stopping communication altogether. The promised personal concierge service never materialized- Instead we were directed to handle everything ourselves through a website. We discovered hidden fees for Interval and Club memberships, learned we couldn't rent our weeks as promised, and had no access to Disney Resorts. Perhaps most deceptively, we were told we were purchasing tangible property, which turned out to be false. The difficulty in booking the desired vacation times and the complete lack of promised services have made this upgrade a regrettable decision that has left us feeling thoroughly misled.

679 Nights, 3.5 Years as Titanium Elite – Yet No Real Recognition from Marriott Bonvoy” I have been a loyal Marriott Bonvoy member, staying 679 nights in five-star Marriott properties in just 3.5 years, consistently holding Titanium Elite status. In reality, I have been staying with Marriott even longer, but I only created my Bonvoy account in late 2021. Despite this, I have seen no real recognition of my loyalty or any exclusive treatment that would justify the effort of maintaining Titanium Elite status year after year. Marriott treats members who accumulate 600+ nights in just a few years the same as those who take 10 years to reach that milestone. This rigid approach fails to recognize the highest-tier, most engaged guests and does not differentiate between truly committed travelers and casual long-term participants. Additionally, Marriott completely ignores individual circumstances, rejecting requests with cold, standard responses rather than engaging in a meaningful conversation. When I reached out twice regarding my case, I was dismissed with generic copy-paste replies, simply redirecting me to my account to check program details—as if I hadn’t already done so before reaching out. This felt dismissive and disrespectful. I reached out with a specific request—to consider early qualification for Lifetime Platinum Elite status, since I have already exceeded the required 600 nights and am progressing toward the 10-year requirement at three times the standard pace. Marriott didn’t even attempt to review my case in detail but instead sent a formal refusal with no sign of a personalized approach. If there is no real recognition for those who go above and beyond, what is the point of striving for status? Why should I continue to maintain Titanium Elite if the treatment is indistinguishable from that of far less active members? Other hotel programs, such as Hyatt, are known for a more thoughtful and personalized approach to their most valuable guests, and I am now seriously considering shifting my loyalty. I expected better from Marriott, and this experience has left me deeply disappointed. Bonvoy Number: 989031986

Both owners died - death certificates were sent as requested months ago but after spending 4 hours today (transferred 10 times) they can't stop the debt collection on a dead person. The loan was paid decades ago - the collection is for maintenance payment for 2025 (4 months after the death of the last owner). We want nothing - they can have the property! All we want is for them to stop harassment and sending collection notifications on a dead person! That was too hard.. they want us to assume ownership so they can go after us instead. Never do business with this organization or they will harass your children.

The reality of my review of Marriott is intended to warn anyone who is thinking of purchasing a timeshare with this company. These people don’t care who you are or where you come from, if they can secure money into their bank accounts, they will deceive you in any way shape or form possible. I served in the US Army and spent two years in Vietnam to serve this country only to be repaid with lies and conned out of thousands of dollars. These people deliberately told me that Marriott is exclusive to club members and that by becoming a member I would reap lifelong benefits. To be clear they let anyone who’s anyone stay at their hotels and resorts. The difference is that if you are a member, you pay a whole lot more for something you can’t even use when you want. Their availability is slim to none, and the majority is already booked by those who are not members and pay less for the same benefits. These people don’t fully disclose to you the hidden extra fees and what you really pay for your timeshare. They didn’t provide us with full contracts and told us we need to pay $100 dollars to get copies that were not originally provided to us. Save yourselves the financial burden and don’t invest any money in Marriott. I already expressed no desire to continue my membership, and I hope they respond in a timely manner before I take this up with an attorney and see if they can help me. Do not trust these people.

As a retired Navy Lieutenant with 20 years of service, you can trust I am a man of my word. I urge you to stay clear of anything related to Sheraton Flex. The deceptive practices began at check-in when my driver's license was requested. What appeared to be a standard hotel procedure was strategically used to conduct a credit check, effectively holding us captive before the presentation even began. My wife and I were staying at the Westin Kierland Villas. We attended what was promised to be a “one-hour owners update” in exchange for additional points. We were held hostage for at least 3 hours, despite declining the infinite amount of offers to purchase. We were tossed from one representative to another each time declining a different offer. When we finally succumbed to the pressure and agreed to purchase, we were rushed through the contract signing process in a mere 20 minutes – clearly insufficient time to review and comprehend a contract laden with legal terminology. Not one of these three salespeople informed us of our legal right to cancel the contract within seven days, as required by Arizona law. This deliberate omission of our legal rights speaks volumes about the ethical standards – or lack thereof – in Sheraton Flex’s sales practices. We repeatedly stated our financial limitations and our desire to exit our existing Princeville Westin Flex contract due to its exorbitant costs. The sales team presented what they portrayed as a "downgrade" from Princeville Westin Flex to Sheraton Flex at the Desert Oasis. They claimed this would save us money because "the Arizona property is less desirable than Kauai." This turned out to be misleading, as while the maintenance fee decreased, our monthly payments increased, resulting in no savings. We were assured we could rent the property to cover the $2,800 annual maintenance fees. However, we've since discovered that regular tourists can book the same accommodation for less than half our monthly payment.

I can't believe how badly Marriott Vacation Club has screwed us over. It all started when we bought a $16,000 timeshare week in Phoenix. Then guess what? Within a YEAR, they completely changed to this points system that made our property useless for trading with other Marriott resorts. And it just got worse from there. For TEN YEARS we've been pressured into buying more and more points - another $10,000 here, $30,000 there - with empty promises about "better access" and "Elite Status." Every single sales meeting was the same story: the previous salesperson "didn't explain things correctly" and we just needed to spend MORE money to fix it. Nobody ever bothered to tell us we'd need to save up MULTIPLE YEARS of points just to book ONE week! Or that our kids would be stuck with all the maintenance fees (which keep going up like crazy) and any loans we haven't paid off. We finally had enough and wrote them a detailed letter explaining everything and asking them to terminate our contract because of all their lies. Want to know their response? They completely IGNORED everything we said and just sent us another bill! That's Marriott for you - they sweet-talk you during the sale, but once they have your money, you might as well be talking to a brick wall. Don't waste your time with these people. They're still out there pushing their points on new victims while making it impossible for actual owners to book stays by renting rooms to non-owners. Save yourself the headache and thousands of dollars we've lost for this scam. I’M WARNING YOU TO AVOID MARRIOTT, I wish someone had warned us before we got trapped in this nightmare.