Westin Vacation Club Reviews

Bait and switch sales technique that leaves people financially distraught and angry. The properties cannot be sold after buying them; you can’t even give them away. We were told its re-sale value would continue to increase (NOT TRUE). Vistana offered us to repurchase it at a price that was twenty percent of what we paid, and that would only be possible after the mortgage was paid in full. The annual maintenance fees have increased by several hundred dollars in the couple of years we've owned it. They recently added another annual “Network Membership fees” fee of $238 annually. The bottom line is that we felt swindled, and they’ve done nothing to help us get out of this chokehold contract.

The entire way this tour and presentation came down was very misleading. While both the lady who set us up and the sales guy who gave the tour were nice enough, there was a lot of evasion of the real questions and a lot of double talk throughout. First, we were told this Vistana/Westin Vacation Club thing was absolutely not a time share, but by the time we got all the materials, it absolutely is 100% a timeshare!!!! The documents have time share written all over them. Several times throughout the meetings with these two sales people, they misrepresented the truth.

If there is a negative star rating, I'd give the Westin Vacation Club at the Riverfront Mountain Villas in Avon, Colorado a "negative 5 stars". During my stay at their timeshare unit, I've purchased an "Encore Vacation" package for a return stay. On September 2021, I used the vacation package for the stay. After I came home, I've noticed there was a charged from the WVC to my credit card of an amount almost the cost of the vacation package which I've already paid for. I've contacted the WVC four times and demanded an explanation of such charge. Each time of my call, I was told by a representative that someone will call me back to discuss of the charge. No response.

I was offered 6 days/5 nights at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resorts Villas, plus a “6 day Avis rental car for sightseeing, adventure, and island travel.” All for $649, with only a $199 refundable offer to accept. When I accepted, I was later told Avis car rentals were in short supply. Substitute offers were inadequate, and unattractive, so we declined, but they refused to refund my deposit. They very much use “bait and switch tactics” to get you “in the door,” but refuse to honor their offer!

Your Review: In 2017, we were contacted and offered a free stay at the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas. We specifically asked if this was going to be a timeshare presentation as we had previously experienced that with another company. The representative was quick to assure us that this was not the case, so we agreed to accept the “free” trip. When we arrived at the resort, we met with the staff that gave us a tour of the property and started talking to us about the opportunities that we had to own property in Maui.

This company only wants your money. It's too expensive and you can never get a hold of customer service. Been trying to call for days to get a hold of someone to change over my points. Recording says over an hour wait, try again....but this is the only thing you can do and it never changes. There are deadlines and you can't call to get anyone to help. The worst money ever spent is on this vacation club. If they can't answer the phones then they should make it to where you can do it online. And even the online chat says they cant help me at this time because I have to call in. Ridiculous!!!!

We have owned at Westin Kaanapali Ocean Villas in Maui since 2013. We have since added units in the Virgin Islands and at Nanea in Maui. Suffice it to say we would not have added units if we were unhappy with our experience. People seem to love or hate their time share; there is little middle ground. The key is to know what you are buying. We first bought Westin Maui because we love the location and value the brand. Our initial purchase was pre-Vistana. We were nervous/concerned about the ownership change. It has not been perfect but has largely smoothed out. We added Nanea since the change.

From the beginning, this has been an exercise in deceit. The salesperson, Lucy, at Nanea, Maui lied to me about special offers for buying points then made a token offer of 10,000 points when I called her out on her dishonesty. They also misrepresent their affiliation with Marriott - you do not have access to those properties. They are kept separate. They neglect to tell you they charge you additional fees for housekeeping, and I get dinged an extra $40 with every stay on top of the maintenance fees - by the way, there's no housekeeping during the pandemic, yet they still charge the fee.

I bought the timeshare at Westin since 2004. Recently due to Dovid-19, I have to reschedule the reservations in 2020 multiple times. All I want is to extend the reservations till 2021, but they are not flexible to extend them, without charging additional fees. Their website indicates they care for your health and safety but yet they make it difficult for you when you cannot travel due to health risks. Is there something anyone can do?

We have owned 1 Westin/Vistana timeshare that we bought when our kids were young... Seemed like a good idea then. At times, we've struggled to use it and have been annoyed that the locations have never expanded in the 10+ years we've owned it (a promise that was made to us when we bought). With the pandemic, we tried to get our 2020 week carried over into Jan 2021, as travel has obviously not been something we have looked to do thus far this year. When we called to see what accommodations are in place during this pandemic, they advised that the management is doing nothing to help out their owners! Not even a one week extension into January is possible. Unbelievable. This is the only company we know of not making any exceptions during an exceptional year. Shame on you. We will be looking to get out of our timeshare after this experience.

Hello, We bought a timeshare here after visiting this resort. Told it would be an ocean view and in a particular "quiet" bldg. Told we can roll over points to get 2 weeks together. Went to make a reservation for next summer - could only reserve one week as "points" can only be used 8 months out. "But a special tip, call at midnight 8 months out and you MIGHT be able to book. No, the agent told you a specific bldg but that is just contractual language... we can put you in any view room." Same old TS lies. I am so so sorry this reputable company has stooped to these tactics. Sorry I ever bought it.

We own 3 Vistana timeshares. With the pandemic, the parent company is not providing any assistance to its owners, especially seniors. Obviously, being senior citizens it is not safe for us to travel to any of our timeshares in 2020. When I called to see what accommodations are in place during this pandemic, they advised that the management is doing nothing to help out their owners. We will lose our weeks of options that are expiring this year, and we would have to pay to bank other options that we cannot use this year. Probably the only company in this country not willing to work with its clients.

My husband and I are owners of a villa at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui. We had a reservation there for June 13-20 (which we booked a year ago) and which we fully intended to honor, but were forced to cancel due the ongoing Coronavirus-Covid-19 pandemic. In calling owner services to cancel the reservation, I was advised that the cancellation would result in restrictions, and that we would be unable to bank star-options and/or book more than 120 days out. I was both astonished and outraged to learn that in the middle of a national/global crisis, Westin (Vistana) is penalizing owners for something that is beyond their control. I submitted a formal complaint and intend to file complaints with appropriate local, state, and federal authorities.

I wish I could rate this zero stars... I went on one of those 3 days weekends that included a presentation and was led to believe that it would be worth $12,500 to buy a week's vacation with Vistana Westin. I was shown various locations and hotels that I could possibly exchange my staroptions for. Three years later, I am cancelling my ownership and cutting my losses. The available resorts are terrible - weird locations, old, and uncomfortable. You can stay in these "resorts" for about $250 a week easily.... with no membership. The "exchange" they touted is nonexistent. This year I just converted my Staroptions to Marriott points, which gave me... wait for it.... ONE DAY AT A MARRIOT HOTEL. Please do not fall into this trap... Just a waste of money.

We own a Week Timeshare at the Westin Maui North Resort. We received an offer for a timeshare presentation for the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Kauai, which is a five night stay. In order to hold this offer, we paid $500. We then made a reservation at the Westin Maui for December 27, 2020--January 3 2021, and planned to make the reservation for Kauai to arrive on Jan 3, 2021 to stay the 5 nights. However, when I called the make the reservation for Kauai, I was informed that I was not able to make the stay consecutive with the stay in our Maui timeshare. They would not refund the deposit! The restriction is in the small print the you have to navigate to.

Horrible customer service. My husband received an offer in the mail for five days four nights in Cancun Mexico. He paid the hundred dollar deposit. I talk to some people in line to change our reservation to a different resort. They refused to change it. They would not accommodate us at all. So if we don’t go we lose our hundred dollar deposit. I don’t travel outside the country so bad news for us. Now with my husband is furious with me and will not speak to me because I’m nervous about going to Mexico on vacation. Totally unsympathetic people in customer service. Would not do anything to help us out.

I can’t understand how this industry still exists and furthermore how a reputable company like Westin would associate themselves with these criminals. Every time I asked a question, the sales agent said her manager would answer that, but he never did. I found the exact same timeshare for 1/4 the price. It’s sad to think that they close an average of 15 deals per day. I feel sorry for the unsuspecting, uneducated and unsophisticated people who buy into this scam. Everything about this pitch is a lie. From the value of the points to the unlimited amount the annual dues can increase, these guys make used car sales people look like supreme court justices. What made it worse is that they treated us poorly because they knew we were too smart to buy into this. They never answered our questions and when we called them on their lies, they became extremely defensive.

I was scammed by these guys for this package and they kept changing the deal terms (extra charges for extension etc.). Not sure how do they expect to upsell ownership with this kind of attitude. On top of that, Marriott doesn't take any ownership of their charges/acts, etc (Yes, beware all Marriot Bonvoy Gold/platinum members). I have used Hilton vacation club and have an amazing experience. The only region I was exploring Westin was to make sure we explore all the options before buying ownership. Strongly suggest everyone to stay away and avoid Westin!

My spouse had a health emergency and will not be flying for the foreseeable future. I have a $400 deposit to visit Maui Westin through Hawaiian Airlines offer. I contacted the Westin Vacation Club via US mail about a week outside the cancellation period of 14 days. No response. Emailed them multiple times. No responses. I have called them and I cannot cancel, extend or go alone to the Westin Maui Vacation package. One phone representative told me I may be able to cancel if I have Dr's paperwork but when she transferred me the next representative said no. Remind me not to book Westin anything in the future.

I am baffled how Westin would associate themselves with this organization - Vistara. Stay away from this timeshare industry. No disclosures made when I paid my deposit for the "invitation". When I paid the balance realized what is going on. Theft in the open!

Check in and out without a bill. High quality properties; amenities, services, and booking. Fixed costs for the accommodations, that I pay in my regular budget. Locations in incredible, top level places, and right on the beach; the ski slope, Atlantis, Disney World, and more.

SCAM!!! I booked the 5 days Westin Maui package, and even paid $100 to reschedule it. 45 days before the arrival day, I make a phone call to ask if we can reschedule it to another date or get the refund because we have some time conflict. Contacted them twice, and was informed I was not able to make any change, and it's non-refundable, because it beyond 60 days window. After thoroughly consideration, we decided to squeeze some time to make the trip. Called them again to confirm the arrival date, and was told it was FORFEITED by the manager. If I don't ever make the phone call, I wouldn't even known the $900 package was gone with even a notice to me. This is really a scam.

I was an owner of a Westin Timeshare and had an awful experience. First, it is next to impossible to trade in your week of ownership for weeks at other properties. Second, there is zero market for selling your timeshare if you no longer want to own the property. It took me two years to sell at half of the purchase price, of which I owned the timeshare for 15 years. Third, when you sell the property, even if you have paid 100% of your dues and additional fees (yes, that is right - additional fees) to convert your usage into points for travel to other locations - you are deemed to "forfeit" all rights to the usage of those points and any reservations you have will be cancelled.

Total scam! I received an offer as I am an SPG Rewards Member and paid $199 up front in February 2018 for a stay and a chance to potentially buy into the program. I was told I could not book January until June 2018. So at that point I called every week. They said I would receive an email when booking opened up. Never did. During this weekly call I was told I was too late and could only check in on Jan 6th. Really? That's a pretty short window of time. If I wanted something later, I'd have to call back at a different time as they do not yet have any future dates available. Don't do this with Westin.

I received an “exclusive invitation” for a 6 day and 5 night stay at Westin Princeville Ocean Resort and Villas in the mail. The offer said it was redeemable by the person whose name was on the offer (myself). I called an agent to discuss the nature of the offer. Based on some reviews I had read online, I wanted to know if I would be required to attend a timeshare presentation if I redeemed the offer. The agent I spoke to told me that this particular offer was “unrelated” to any timeshare offers so I would not be required to attend one, but that they would be available at the property should I like to attend one. The agent and I reviewed available dates and I told her I’d call her back to make the reservation.

After posting this review, I was finally able to talk to someone at WVC and had the penalty reduced to $100 to rebook our vacation which was the original penalty stated in their disclosure. I am presently looking forward to our stay at the Westin in Maui. I've heard that it is very nice!

Westin timeshare owners BEWARE... Westin has changed their policy and now charge $50.00 for your family, even children, to use your timeshare (even if it's listed in your family trust). You need to change your title to list all family members you may want to give access to check in even if you plan on joining them later during the vacation. I wish I could file a class action suit against them for changing their terms and making my family pay for something I own and paid for. So upset right now with a resort that promotes itself as family friendly. SHAME ON YOU VISTANA!

My husband and I got tricked into signing a timeshare contract by some sweet talking salespeople from Westin Vacations. Later on we discovered misrepresentations, lies and other alarming issues which led us deciding to terminate the contract. We believe we have every right and grounds to do this even past the rescission period for reasons enumerated below:

With this club, we can go on vacations and not have to worry about where to get money to buy food or money for hotels. We could take our kids anywhere they want to go on vacation. There is no additional fees because you already have the money. I love going on vacations and so do my kids. The offered locations is anywhere in the world. I love Cape Cod especially because that's where I went when I was a child. The perceived value was cheap. It did not cost a lot of money. I love Cape Cod because it is cheap and the food, hotels and vacation is cheap.

The booking system was not a problem. Online at least. It was not complicated and it did not consume more than the average time it takes to book any other way. The additional fees were too much. You think you are getting a deal until you reach the payment page. It is like a whole other room or night that you are paying for. There should be more locations if they want to improve their business. I have to travel a long way to get to this place and for what it is, it is not worth it to me. The experience was average and I expected more. I will give them something positive. The value of the room and set up was not bad. For what you are paying you might expect a little bit more, but overall it's enjoyable.