Are you an existing or prospective Vistana owner looking to reserve a vacation at a Westin or Sheraton branded timeshare resort? If so, this guide is for you! We will be discussing how far in advance you can book your vacations within the Vistana Signature Network of Westin and Sheraton resorts. So whether you’re an owner with the use of HomeOptions / StarOptions or have a week-based Vistana timeshare, we have all the information you need regarding the different booking windows available to you. Keep reading for more information!
Before we get started, we will first have to explain the different types of reservations that can be made.
The Different Types Of Vistana Reservations
The 2 different types of reservations that can be booked for Vistana timeshare owners. Each type of reservation carries differing booking windows that determine how far in advance you can book each type of reservation.
Now that you know all the different ways you can use your Vistana timeshare, we can walk you through the booking windows for each type of travel.
Booking Your Home Resort
All Vistana owners are granted a priority reservation period that starts 12 months prior to check-in and ends 8 months prior to check-in. This is called the Home Resort Reservation Period, and it allows owners a 4 month priority booking window before owners of other resorts can book at the resort that they own.
Home Resort Reservation Period
Reservations during the Home Resort Reservation Period are available to be made 12 months prior to your desired check-in date, at 12 AM midnight eastern time. For example, if you wish you book July 9th, 2024, that check-in date would become available to book on July 9th, 2023 at midnight eastern time.
In order to make a reservation at midnight, you would need to make this reservation using the vistana.com owner website, as owner services’ hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 5 PM eastern time.
Home Resort Reservation Period Benefits For Weeks-Based and Points-Based Timeshares
Vistana timeshares are sold by the developer using two different methods of ownership. These two types of ownership are either points-based (HomeOptions) or weeks-based (Vacation Ownership Interest) timeshares, and each has differing benefits when booking during the Home Resort Reservation Period.
If you’d like to learn the exact differences between them, and the history of how Vistana ended up with two types of ownerships you can read our article on the subject here: Vistana HomeOptions Explained: Weeks-Based vs Points-Based Timeshares.
Reserving Your Home Resort Using Your Weeks-Based Vacation Ownership Interest
During the Home Resort Reservation Period, weeks-based owners must:
- reserve their deeded villa type at their deeded resort
- reserve a 7-night stay at their deeded resort
- check-in on Resort-Specific check-in days (Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays)
- reserve within their deeded season (if applicable)
- lock-off option may be available
Reserving Your Home Resort Using Home Options
During the Home Resort Reservation Period, HomeOptions-based (Sheraton Flex, Westin Flex, or Westin Aventuras) owners can:
- reserve any available villa type at any resort within their trust
- reserve anywhere from 1 to 14 nights
- check-in any day of the week
- reserve any available dates, regardless of season
- use all or just a portion of their HomeOptions
Fixed Weeks / Event Weeks / Ultra-Premium Vacation Periods
Some Vistana owners have purchased the rights to a specific event or ultra-premium week at select resorts that offer these special event of holiday weeks. In these cases:
- Specific deeded weeks or event periods will be reserved automatically on the owner’s behalf (usually with a check-in day of Friday)
- Owners must confirm the reservation within a specified time frame (generally between 12 to 10 months prior to check-in date)
- If not confirmed, the reservation is released and may be reserved by other owners
- If not confirmed, the owner’s week will become a floating week
Using StarOptions To Book Vistana Signature Network Resorts
Starting at 8 months prior to check-in, owners of both weeks-based Vistana timeshares and HomeOptions-based timeshares can use StarOptions to book at any resort within the Vistana Signature Network (VSN), which include Westin Vacation Club and Sheraton Vacation Club resorts.
When using StarOptions to book 8 months or less in advance, owners can:
- reserve any available villa type at any resort within VSN (subject to availability)
- reserve any number of nights
- check-in any day of the week
- reserve any available dates, regardless of season
- use all or just a portion of their StarOptions
- borrow from next year’s StarOptions (owner must pre-pay estimated annual fees)
Reservations using StarOptions are available to be made 8 months prior to your desired check-in date, at 12 AM midnight eastern time. For example, if you wish you book July 9th, 2024, that check-in date would become available to book on December 9th, 2023 at midnight eastern time.
The number of StarOptions a deeded week is converted into is determined by the characteristics of the week, such as home resort, unit size, view (if applicable), and season. The exact number of StarOptions a deeded week can be converted to during the 8 month or less booking window can be found by looking at the StarOptions value charts for each Vistana resort.
Vistana Cancellation Policy
Vistana does allow you to cancel reservations if your travel plans change, but you would be subject to Vistana’s cancellation policy. If you’d like to learn everything there is to know about cancelling a Vistana reservation, please read our article on the subject here: Vistana Reservations Cancellation Policy: Westin & Sheraton Resorts.
Learn More About Vistana Signature Network
Understand Vistana’s reservation booking windows is an important step in becoming familiar with how this timeshare works, we hope this article has been helpful for new or prospective Vistana owners.
Our team of timeshare professionals have extensive knowledge on owning and using Vistana timeshares, and can answer any questions you may have about the resale process. So, if you have any remaining questions about how Vistana timeshares work, or what benefits transfer on the resale market, feel free to contact us for your free consultation with one of our Licensed Real Estate Agents.
