Renting Points for Aulani Villa

hswillia07

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Hi all!

We've never been to Aulani and never rented points. I was just looking at the Aulani site for a certain date and the cost for the 2 bedroom villa is $7500, on David's DVC is $4080 - is this correct?? such a huge savings! I'm nervous about renting points, I think because I don't entirely understand the process. Can someone who has done it give me some pointers? how far in advance can you book if you're renting points?

Thanks!
 
I've never rented DVC points, but do own DVC. When you rent points, the person you're renting points from will book a trip in your name. That person can book rooms at their home resort 11 months out and at any other DVC resort 7 months out. Depending on what room you're looking for, it could be very challenging to have them book it 7 months out.
 
We are renting points for the first time for a trip next month. So I can't give insight on how it works once we check in, etc, but I can tell you about the rental process!

First of all, yes it has amazing savings. The rack rate at Aulani is ridiculous. We are only staying two nights in a studio villa and we saved at least $300. We used the DVC Rental Store and at the 11 month mark we put in our request. A reputable store like Davids or DVC Rental will typically cost more per point because you are paying a broker, essentially. There are also people here on the DIS that will personally rent out their points. There's a whole thread devoted to how that works (here). If you really need to save money, check them out. If you are okay with a little financial flexibility, then I find great comfort in renting from an established shop with good history and a great reputation.

Aulani goes pretty quickly because there are so few people who have it as their home resort in comparison to one of the WDW resorts. I would say get in there as quick as you can to book your spot. We booked in January for a Thanksgiving stay. DVC Rental Store also has a 'cancel for any time' protection plan which can be attractive, particularly when you book that far in advance. They do have a pretty hefty deposit, so be ready with that.
 
Years ago we rented points 3 or 4 times which eventually led to us buying DVC, buying into Bay Lake as our home resort even before it was opened! When we were renting, I believe my wife rented directly from DVC owners and we were very happy with the process and accommodations. We have now rented out points 3 times directly to friends. Admittedly, there is a huge trust factor when renting direct (versus renting through a broker like Davids). So you'll have to decide if it's worth the extra cost to use a broker to get the added security.
 


We are renting points for the first time for a trip next month. So I can't give insight on how it works once we check in, etc, but I can tell you about the rental process!

First of all, yes it has amazing savings. The rack rate at Aulani is ridiculous. We are only staying two nights in a studio villa and we saved at least $300. We used the DVC Rental Store and at the 11 month mark we put in our request. A reputable store like Davids or DVC Rental will typically cost more per point because you are paying a broker, essentially. There are also people here on the DIS that will personally rent out their points. There's a whole thread devoted to how that works (here). If you really need to save money, check them out. If you are okay with a little financial flexibility, then I find great comfort in renting from an established shop with good history and a great reputation.

Aulani goes pretty quickly because there are so few people who have it as their home resort in comparison to one of the WDW resorts. I would say get in there as quick as you can to book your spot. We booked in January for a Thanksgiving stay. DVC Rental Store also has a 'cancel for any time' protection plan which can be attractive, particularly when you book that far in advance. They do have a pretty hefty deposit, so be ready with that.

Thank you so much! I would love to hear how it goes for you. It definitely seems the way to go for Aulani! and how exciting - you have a trip next month!!
 
Thank you so much! I would love to hear how it goes for you. It definitely seems the way to go for Aulani! and how exciting - you have a trip next month!!
Yes and we are so excited! I will make a note to try to come back to this thread and update with info from our experience. Feel free to DM me with any questions, as well :D
 
We rent points frequently for WDW trips and did the same for our Aulani trip last year. Since we're familiar with the process and pros/cons, we did it ourselves privately through an owner. But using a broker like David's is a good way to go for the first time. As mentioned, you can book as early as 11 months out but David's would need to have an Aulani owner with enough points to rent out at that time. At 7 months, they can use any owners' points. It's best to put your request in as early as possible, even before the 11 month mark, so they can get you on the list. We booked around 10 months out and had no issue with availability, but we traveled during September which is low season. Also, stay flexible with dates, room types, view types, etc. and your chances of securing a room will increase.

The main things to note are that your reservation is not refundable and dates can't be changed. You need to book early and it will be set in stone. So you have to be sure of it. You also will not receive daily housekeeping. You can opt to pay extra for it per day, but otherwise you will have free laundry in your unit and there is a trash room on the floor to dump your trash. They will replace towels on day 4 and I believe do a full cleaning on day 7 - I think I have that right, but may have it backwards. We were there 6 days and I'm pretty sure they just replaced towels and trash.
 


We rent points frequently for WDW trips and did the same for our Aulani trip last year. Since we're familiar with the process and pros/cons, we did it ourselves privately through an owner. But using a broker like David's is a good way to go for the first time. As mentioned, you can book as early as 11 months out but David's would need to have an Aulani owner with enough points to rent out at that time. At 7 months, they can use any owners' points. It's best to put your request in as early as possible, even before the 11 month mark, so they can get you on the list. We booked around 10 months out and had no issue with availability, but we traveled during September which is low season. Also, stay flexible with dates, room types, view types, etc. and your chances of securing a room will increase.

The main things to note are that your reservation is not refundable and dates can't be changed. You need to book early and it will be set in stone. So you have to be sure of it. You also will not receive daily housekeeping. You can opt to pay extra for it per day, but otherwise you will have free laundry in your unit and there is a trash room on the floor to dump your trash. They will replace towels on day 4 and I believe do a full cleaning on day 7 - I think I have that right, but may have it backwards. We were there 6 days and I'm pretty sure they just replaced towels and trash.

Thank you so much! I didn't know about the housekeeping, so that's good to know. Also good to know that it's not refundable. So much to think about! Thanks for all of the great info :)
 
Thank you so much! I didn't know about the housekeeping, so that's good to know. Also good to know that it's not refundable. So much to think about! Thanks for all of the great info :)
We rented 3 times before buying into both Aulani and Grand Floridian where we rented. We used David’s once and theIt main competitor twice (you can’t name it here due to boards rules)

All times, zero problems at all. The competitor has a slick sight, awesome customer service, a protection plan (that I found cost prohibitive but available) and a two payment option. David’s has more owners and therefore more availability but also many requests. You can put a request at both if need be. The last time we rented it was harder than ever due to demand now for rental. And David’s got it done where the other couldn’t.

Pros to David’s-
Availability
Market share
Reputation

Cons-
Make you choose 1 resort to wait for
Full payment when match found

Pros to the competitor-
User friendly
customer service
Two payment option
Cancel insurance

Cons-
May not always have the owners to book

As an owner, personally, I would only use a broker to rent my points or to rent. It’s just good to have a 3rd party with some skin in the game and someplace you can leave reviews etc as well as ease of execution and one point of contact that answers quickly.

Aulani is getting more and more difficult to book. As close to 11 mos the better. If you want holidays or summer or standard views you will need that window also.
 
As an owner, personally, I would only use a broker to rent my points or to rent. It’s just good to have a 3rd party with some skin in the game and someplace you can leave reviews etc as well as ease of execution and one point of contact that answers quickly.

i can't speak from the owner's perspective but from a renter's perspective, I respectfully disagree. I do agree for first time renters, but after that, its just as easy to locate and go with a private owner. Reputable owners who rent will typically have references available, written contracts to sign, and will allow payments in two with a portion due at booking and the rest shortly before travel. If you do your due diligence, the risk is the same as a broker and the benefit is that you can control your own search for points, make adjustments on the fly based on availability, and pay less per point.
 
i can't speak from the owner's perspective but from a renter's perspective, I respectfully disagree. I do agree for first time renters, but after that, its just as easy to locate and go with a private owner. Reputable owners who rent will typically have references available, written contracts to sign, and will allow payments in two with a portion due at booking and the rest shortly before travel. If you do your due diligence, the risk is the same as a broker and the benefit is that you can control your own search for points, make adjustments on the fly based on availability, and pay less per point.
Of course it’s personal, but for me its not worth a dollar or two per point to have to manage the client. Dave’s now pays $13 per point. I would rather they vet the renter and collect the money, which they do, before I commit my points or make any effort. I do not want to be a travel agent or do a bunch of leg work. I’d rather get a firm request with firm dates, wait for the money, book it, and have deadlines for changes and Dining Plans etc and move on with my life. No one else has my information and certainly I dont have to worry that if someone wants some last minute request or a room request (those are VERY hit and miss) that they will try to hassle me. As someone who has spent 20k on rented points in the past, I also felt much safer knowing I had an intermediary and a business with a reputation to protect. I also dont want to spend my time calling references on owners. Of course there are many private owners who are now renting their points who dont mind the trouble and thats great. Something for everyone.
 
I just wanted to check back in with you and say that our stay went very well. There were no hiccups with the rental process from beginning to end. Since you stay on points at Aulani the parking is free and your wristbands are the special sparkly 'member' wristbands. It was kind of nice to have those because there were a TON of DVC people milling about and since they thought we were already members they didn't bother us! It was fun to pretend for a little while :D

I definitely recommend renting points at Aulani. I had a very pleasant experience with the rental company I went through but if you do your research and have due diligence, then there shouldn't be any harm in renting directly from here on the boards.

ETA: I realize that I wasn't appropriately descriptive when I said 'DVC people'. What I meant was there were a lot of cast members promoting DVC milling about. I didn't mean for it to sound like I was saying anything negative about DVC members! I also wasn't being negative about the CMs, but it's hard to keep saying no to something you want very badly to say yes to :P
 
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I just wanted to check back in with you and say that our stay went very well. There were no hiccups with the rental process from beginning to end. Since you stay on points at Aulani the parking is free and your wristbands are the special sparkly 'member' wristbands. It was kind of nice to have those because there were a TON of DVC people milling about and since they thought we were already members they didn't bother us! It was fun to pretend for a little while :D

I definitely recommend renting points at Aulani. I had a very pleasant experience with the rental company I went through but if you do your research and have due diligence, then there shouldn't be any harm in renting directly from here on the boards.

I'm so glad you had a great time! Thank you SO much for coming back and letting me know that it was a smooth process - I really appreciate it!
 

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