Exchanges and Resort Ratings - Timeshare Wholesalers - Specializing in Timeshare Foreclosures and Timeshare Resales.

Exchanges and Resort Ratings

There are two major exchange companies out there; Resort Condominiums International & Interval International. RCI has more resorts to exchange with, II has, some say, a higher quality of resort overall. My opinion is there are six of one, half a dozen of another.

The Exchange Companies have designated special awards or ratings to signify excellence and have set-up rigorous qualifications for the resorts to adhere to in order to receive those awarded ratings.

RCI has designations of Gold Crown (the best, expect luxury) and Resort of International Distinction (just a step below a gold crown) and Standard ( just what it sounds like, don't expect a ton of amenities). If it is a standard resort, no designation is made in our descriptions.

Interval International has only one rating of excellence- 5 Star! These include the Marriott and much of the Sunterra resorts. The rest of their resort affiliates are something less than a 5 star so it is difficult to gage what to expect at many of their resorts.

Exchange Company Name	R.C.I.	I.I. (Interval Int'l)
Exchange Company Phone	800-338-7777	800-828-8200
E-mail Address	RCI.COM then Contact RCI	customerservice@interval-intl.com
Annual Membership Fee	1 yr $84;3 yrs $226; 5 yrs $355	1 yr $79; 3 yrs $209; 5 yrs $329
Exchange U.S. & Canada	$124	$109
Exchange International	$162	$129
When Exchange Fee Due	At time of exchange request	At time of exchange request
Guest Certificate for Exchanger	$49	$29
Mandatory Bank First?	Yes	Yes
Resort Directory	Biannual	Annual
Number of Resorts	Apx 3500	Apx 1900
Exchange Company Location	Indianapolis, IN	Miami, FL
Web Site Address	www.rci.com	www.intervalworld.com
Full Service Travel	Yes	Yes
Name for Bonus Time	Vacation Escapes ®	Getaways ®

Finding out the true quality is simple; Either join www.tug2.net and enter the "Rankings and Reviews" pages to see what other timeshare owners say about their recent visits to resorts, or order a rankings and reviews booklet from www.timesharing-today.com and, again, see how other timeshare owners rate resorts. You can also enter the message board at Timesharing Today's website and ask if someone has been to that resort recently.