Accor Vacation Club - Worthy or Un-Worthy?

If you've got your eyes set on the Accor Vacation Club, you may want to read this before you buy into it...

courtesy of Dreamworkers.com.au

Need a way to take more affordable vacations? Did the Accor Vacation Club come across as a solution to help you do just that?

By now you're probably wondering what exactly is the Accor Vacation Club and if it can really get you better more affordable accommodations than you can get on your own...

Well, here's the part where it really starts to get interesting...

The Accor Vacation Club in a Nutshell

The Accor Vacation Club is really a timeshare. In Accor's own words it's an "ownership" club. Knowing this fact, you are either no longer interested in the Accor Vacation Club because it's a timeshare or you're more interested in learning more about what Accor has to offer you.

If you absolutely have no interest in timeshares, make sure you read "Timeshare Alternatives."

If you're the latter, read on...

One of the good things about the Accor Vacation Club is that they have locations worldwide. One of things to look for when choosing a vacation club (although this is a timeshare and not a regular vacation club) is the amount of inventory the travel club has access to.

You want to be able to have a lot of choices to choose from. If you've ever tried to get access to a certain properties even months in advance to no avail, then you know how frustrating it is when you don't have many options to choose from.

Another thing about Accor is that there aren't too many negative reviews about it online. Here's some reviews here.

Keep in mind, that every business at one time or another will have people put up negative reviews of it.

You have to really read these reviews with an open mind and almost with a grain of salt - because anyone can post anything they want online...and they can do it anonymously. This is the how the Internet works.

Make Sure You Read: Discount Travel Clubs - The Important Things to Know

The only thing that concerns me about Accor Vacation Club is that it's still a relatively new club. It only been operating since 2000. That's over 10 years at this point, but you have to remember there are timeshares that have been in business at least twice as long.

What makes this timeshare different than the others? Good points? First of all, Accor is based in Australia. That is one major point difference than most of the mainstream timeshare companies. Depending upon where you live this could present a problem.

Accor Vacation Club Pricing

Like nearly all timeshares, Accor works off a point system. The more points you buy into the more vacations (and better vacations) you can buy into.

Now this either turns you on or turns you off. If you've had dealings with points before then you know that hassle it can become trying to wheel and deal and trade points just in order to get into prime vacation properties that you actually want to be in.

I've seen the pricing at Accor at around $25k with annual dues around $600 a year! You can refer to this post here and to Accor's Public Disclosure Statement Pdf for more info on that.

I like people to be informed and do their due diligence before joining a travel club or buying into any timeshare which is why I like to point to these outside sources.

So, now what we're left with is wondering if Accor Vacation Club is a good timeshare company?

In my experience and humble opinion, you have to be a smart traveler. It's not just a matter of dollars and cents, it's a matter of getting the best value for your money and time invested into a travel program.

If you have to spend countless hours of your time trying to fool around with points to get into good vacation properties then to me it's just not worth the headache, especially if you're paying over $25k grand just for an ok membership.

So, is Accor Vacation Club worth it? Well, I'll let you decide on that one.