Not sure about Omni ownership but we own in Puerto Vallarta and switched our week to stay at the Omni this summer. I can tell you with our Sheraton timeshare we received numerous amounts of paperwork including a contract. To switch the week with a different hotel and different city we had to fill out paperwork and send to the timeshare company we deal with. I would think he should have some information available as whne he purchased the timeshare should have received a contract.

So let me get this straight...He wants you to send him the entire amount of the trip upfront and then wait until Feb '07 for confirmation that you got a room that he can't even confirm he owns? If I got that straight and you're going ahead with the it.... boy do I have a deal for you.... lol

Mom, my inclination is to agree with you! What do you have...some land in New Orleans for me? lol! Sign me up! I think I'm going to have to give him one last chance to verify his ownership and then pull out if he can't. He has mentioned several times that he will lose money if he cancels the reservation.

Christine

How did you guess where it was? You'll love it. It's right in (oops I mean on) the water. lol

Call Omni directly or email them and ask how their timeshare program works and then tell the guy this is the way it is going to be. I'd be interested in how long he sticks around.

this thread might help you with some ideas of how other timeshare folks rent out their place.

…tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150807-i8-k60358…

As an owner, I can always provide proof of ownership and a way that the person renting from me can verify it. Although there is no formal rental agreement that I must use, I always have something drafted up as a means to CYA for both myself and the renter.

BSQ I actually started that thread you linked to. That's excatly why I feel uneasy about this and wondered if this was common for the Omni. I think I'd be fine with sending a decent deposit now and the rest when the letter arrives. I did call Omni (both the hotel and the member services). They can't give me any information about whether someone is an owner. They don't receive the timeshare reservations and send confirmation until 30 days before arrival. They did say that there should be a "pre-confirmation" a week after the reservation request is made. I was told that the owner may not want to reveal their reservation fee so may be reluctant to forward that. I have to call him today, but I wanted to get my act together first.

Just to update, I called the "owner" and said I'd like to rent if he can provide verification of ownership or reservation and he said he didn't want me to rent from him. I was very pleasant, and never said anything personal to him. The conversation took about a minute. I guess my instinct was right...he may not be on the up and up.

Is it offensive to ask for a way to verify ownership? I guess I thought of this as a business transaction where both parties want to be reassured and protected.

sorry, didn't realize I linked you to your own thread. I just remembered answering a similar question on another thread. Habit I suppose.

bottom line, IMHO, I wouldn't be offended if anyone asked if they could verify my ownership if I rented to them. You're investing a lot of green in a vacation, it's only right.

Hi Christine,

I guess I am in the same boat. I am trying to rent a timeshare at the omni for next April. I think I might be dealing with the same person. This person is requesting the entire amount up front, and asked for a cashiers check or money order (not a personal check). I found the rental on redweek too. He did send me a confirmation sheet with a number on it. What are you going to do?

Liz

Liz, that sure sounds familiar. I ended up telling him no. He was very short and just said he didn't want me to rent from him anymore. Whatever! I was relieved to be done with thinking about it. Was the listing for a 2 bedroom unit for $1300? I don't want to say the man's name online, but you may be right that we may be dealing with the same man. Is he real chatty? Did he send you a big zip file of info?

I am moving on and probably going to rent from someone at a Royal resort. It is next door to the Omni. Let me know what you do. I was nervous to tell him to give me something to verify his ownership or I couldn't rent, but I just couldn't stand to be asked to be so completely trusting. It didn't feel right.