Inside exchange - understanding inventory with Interval International
We wrote an article last year looking at the process of timeshare holiday exchange, in which we introduced Interval International’s booking system. Here we take a closer look and get the inside track in a Q & A with Interval’s Senior Vice President of inventory revenue management, Kevin Wutzler, who has been with Interval for 28 years.
Why is it so important for weeks-based members to deposit and then request?
The best chance of being confirmed into the resort and time period a member wants is achieved through Interval’s pending request process. As new weeks enter the system from member and developer deposits, the weeks are first assigned to pending requests before being assigned members shopping for an instant confirmation on intervalworld.com. It’s also important to place requests as early as possible – up to two years in advance of your travel date – using our comparable exchange concept – when new deposits enter the system.
How is a member's trading power increased by depositing their week as early as possible?
When using Deposit First, early member deposits give us more time to ensure that the inventory is fully utilised and optimised to satisfy exchange requests. This translates into a member’s week having increased value in the exchange system, which in turn, is passed along to the depositing member in the form of increased trading power, which is similar to buying power. And increased trading power means members have a greater chance as getting the exchange they are after.
Ok, we talked about Deposit First. Why would a member opt for Request First instead?
Request First allows members to shop the Interval network for exactly what they want, all the while retaining their home resort usage rights of points until they find what they are looking for, and receive a confirmation.
Finally, with summer approaching, where will you be going with your family?
To get the most out of my money, I really enjoy a hassle-free escape at one of Interval’s all inclusive resorts.
For more information about Interval International please click here.