While I think there are a number of things Marriott does better than DVC said:This isn't the sign-up for a sales presentation. No sales pitch to sit through, you just go to the welcome desk and pick it up. The "gift" for the sales presentation is usually Marriott Reward points/gift cards for area attractions/dining. As a Marriott owner, I've done those occasionally to learn about new things.
Not in my experience. For the tour, they'll call in advance to schedule it.But that's the intent, to get you to stop by so they can ask you about the tour. Same for the discount list/card.
I've owned with Marriott for 20 years and currently own 14 weeks. This is out of the marketing budget. Otherwise they'd give it to you at check in rather than having you go to the concierge who are the ones that schedule the tours. Maybe there's something in your file that says they're not supposed to schedule you, I do know of a few people that are blacklist from tours. Of course if you don't qualify or are already scheduled, they won't say much either most of the time.Not in my experience. For the tour, they'll call in advance to schedule it.
I've owned with Marriott for 20 years and currently own 14 weeks. This is out of the marketing budget. Otherwise they'd give it to you at check in rather than having you go to the concierge who are the ones that schedule the tours. Maybe there's something in your file that says they're not supposed to schedule you, I do know of a few people that are blacklist from tours. Of course if you don't qualify or are already scheduled, they won't say much either most of the time.
I probably average 3-4 resorts and 10 weeks per year total (with family trips). They're not usually pushy unlike say Westgate, Bluegreen or Wyndham and I own with 2 of those as well. In reality I enjoy the sales tours most of the time though my wife isn't a fan. I've seen shirts, mugs, lotion, sunscreen among others. This past July it was $10 credit per room times 7 villas. I took the entire $70 since I was covering all the rooms anyway. IMO DVC misses out on a lot by not working exchanges, renters, etc. Marriott, and others like Hilton, are consistently professional but pursue possible sales leads far better than does DVC. And while some will tell you they like this about DVC, in reality there has been quite a bit of "cost" to the membership in terms of lost resort options over the years.That must be it. Marriott calls before we arrive and we either schedule a session or decline. Seen quite a few changes in Marriott timeshares since buying in 1994. Although we don't own quite as many weeks as you. New to DVC so it's interesting to see the differences and similarities.