Short answer: Vistana Signature Experiences is now owned by Marriott Vacations Worldwide, which runs an Exit Services team covering Westin, Sheraton, and Marriott Vacation Club owners. Qualifying generally requires the ownership to be fully paid off and maintenance fees current, and Marriott Vacations Worldwide decides each request case by case. Owners who don't qualify — still financed, in arrears, or resale purchasers — typically need legal cancellation instead.
Vistana Signature Experiences is the vacation ownership company behind Westin and Sheraton branded timeshares, operating resorts including Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Westin Kierland Villas, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Sheraton Vistana Villages, and Westin Nanea Ocean Villas. Its products include legacy deeded weeks, the StarOptions network, and the newer Flex trust programs.
Vistana's ownership has changed hands twice in the past decade, and owners are frequently unclear on who actually holds their contract today. Getting that straight is the first step to exiting, because it determines who you call.
Table of Contents
- Who Owns Vistana Now?
- Does Vistana Have an Official Exit Program?
- Who Qualifies for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Exit Services?
- What Is the Difference Between Vistana Weeks, StarOptions, and Flex?
- Vistana Exit Options Compared
- Can You Sell a Westin or Sheraton Timeshare?
- What Is Right of First Refusal on Vistana Resales?
- What Happens If You Stop Paying Vistana Maintenance Fees?
- How Does Legal Cancellation Work for Vistana Owners?
- What Is the Best Way to Get Out of a Vistana Timeshare?
Who Owns Vistana Now?
Marriott Vacations Worldwide owns Vistana Signature Experiences. Interval Leisure Group acquired Vistana from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide on May 12, 2016, along with an exclusive 80-year global license to use the Westin and Sheraton brands in vacation ownership. Marriott Vacations Worldwide then completed its acquisition of Interval Leisure Group on September 1, 2018, in a transaction valued at approximately $4.6 billion.
So a Westin or Sheraton timeshare purchased before May 2016 was sold by a Starwood affiliate, one purchased between 2016 and 2018 by an Interval Leisure Group affiliate, and one purchased after September 2018 by a Marriott Vacations Worldwide affiliate. In every case, the obligation now sits with Marriott Vacations Worldwide.
Owners routinely contact Marriott International or Westin hotel customer service seeking an exit and get nowhere. Those are hotel companies; they license brand names to the timeshare operator but hold no deeds. Exit requests must go through Marriott Vacations Worldwide, with Vistana owners accessing the process via vistana.com.
Does Vistana Have an Official Exit Program?
Yes. Marriott Vacations Worldwide operates an Exit Services team serving Westin, Sheraton, Vistana, and Marriott Vacation Club owners, providing internal deedback and surrender pathways for qualifying ownerships. It is a discretionary program rather than a contractual right, and the company evaluates each request individually.
The program functions as a surrender channel: the owner transfers the ownership back, and the obligation for future maintenance fees ends. Owners receive no payment for the interval and recover none of the original purchase price.
Marriott Vacations Worldwide does not publish approval rates, standard processing fees, or guaranteed timelines. Owners should expect a case-by-case review rather than an entitlement, and should get any accepted terms in writing before transferring anything.
Who Qualifies for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Exit Services?
Owners generally need the ownership fully paid off with no outstanding loan balance and all maintenance fees current. Marriott Vacations Worldwide decides each request case by case, and meeting the baseline requirements does not guarantee acceptance.
The paid-off requirement excludes a substantial share of owners, particularly those who financed through the developer at double-digit rates and whose affordability problem is precisely the reason they want out.
The current-fees requirement creates a similar trap. An owner who stops paying to force the issue disqualifies themselves from the cheapest exit available. Fees must be brought current before Exit Services will process a surrender.
Ownership type also matters. Deeded weeks, StarOptions-eligible weeks, and Flex trust interests are treated differently, and some legacy deeded weeks at desirable resorts are more readily accepted than others because the developer can resell them.
What Is the Difference Between Vistana Weeks, StarOptions, and Flex?
Vistana sold three distinct structures, and which one you own determines both your resale prospects and your exit path. Legacy deeded weeks convey a specific interval at a specific resort, StarOptions is the internal exchange currency attached to eligible weeks, and Flex programs are trust-based point products without a deeded week at a named resort.
| Ownership Type | What You Hold | Resale Prospects | Exit Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy deeded week | Deed to a specific week and unit | Best — mandatory resorts retain value | Most likely to be accepted by Exit Services |
| Deeded week + StarOptions | Deed plus internal exchange currency | Good at high-demand resorts | StarOptions may not transfer on resale |
| Vistana Flex trust | Beneficial interest in a trust | Weak — limited secondary demand | Harder to resell; surrender often the realistic route |
A critical detail for owners considering resale: StarOptions and certain internal exchange privileges frequently do not transfer to a resale buyer. That restriction suppresses resale value and is a common source of owner complaints when it was not clearly disclosed at the point of sale.
Vistana Exit Options Compared
Vistana owners have four paths out, and the right one depends on ownership type, loan status, and whether the resort holds genuine resale demand.
| Option | Typical Cost | Credit Impact | Realistic Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVW Exit Services surrender | Case by case; no payment to owner | None | Moderate if paid off and fees current |
| Resale market | Broker commission | None | Real at premium Hawaii and Arizona resorts; weak for Flex |
| Stop paying (default) | $0 upfront | Severe — foreclosure, collections | Ends ownership at high cost |
| Legal cancellation | Firm-dependent | None when handled properly | Strongest where misrepresentation is documented |
Vistana sits between the extremes. Unlike Westgate, some Vistana weeks hold real resale value. Unlike Disney Vacation Club, that value is concentrated in specific premium resorts rather than spread across the portfolio.
Can You Sell a Westin or Sheraton Timeshare?
Sometimes, and far more successfully than most timeshare brands. Deeded weeks at premium resorts such as Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas and Westin Kierland Villas retain meaningful resale value, while Flex trust interests and weeks at lower-demand resorts often struggle to sell at any price.
The determining factors are the resort, the season or view category of the deeded week, and whether internal exchange privileges survive the transfer. A platinum-season oceanfront week in Maui is a genuinely marketable asset; an off-season week at a secondary resort generally is not.
Owners should obtain a realistic valuation from a licensed resale broker before assuming either outcome. Where a week does hold value, selling is preferable to surrendering it for nothing through Exit Services — the same logic that governs timeshare cancellation versus resale generally.
What Is Right of First Refusal on Vistana Resales?
Marriott Vacations Worldwide holds right of first refusal on most resale transactions in its portfolio, meaning the company can match an agreed sale price and purchase the interval itself. The seller still receives the agreed price, so right of first refusal does not block a sale.
Its practical effect is to establish a price floor at desirable resorts, because unusually low sale prices are more likely to be matched by the developer. Sellers should factor an additional review period into their expected closing timeline.
Right of first refusal is frequently misrepresented by upfront-fee resale operators as a reason an owner needs to pay for special handling. It is not. It is a routine contractual step handled by any competent broker.
What Happens If You Stop Paying Vistana Maintenance Fees?
Non-payment results in late fees and interest, loss of reservation and exchange privileges, referral to collections, credit bureau reporting, and eventually foreclosure on the deeded interest. It also disqualifies the owner from Marriott Vacations Worldwide Exit Services, which requires current fees.
For owners holding a valuable deeded week, default is especially costly because it forfeits an asset with real market value on top of the credit damage. A Maui platinum week surrendered to foreclosure is money destroyed rather than recovered.
Owners under financial pressure should list the week for sale or apply to Exit Services while still current, rather than withholding payment. Our guides to timeshare foreclosure and timeshare exit and your credit score cover the consequences in detail.
How Does Legal Cancellation Work for Vistana Owners?
Legal cancellation targets defects in the original sale rather than requesting the developer's permission to leave. For Vistana owners the most common documented grievances involve StarOptions and internal exchange privileges that were represented as transferable but are not, misstatements about resale value, and maintenance fee escalation presented as stable.
The repeated ownership changes have produced a second recurring issue. Owners report being told during Starwood-era or Interval Leisure Group-era presentations that specific brand benefits, exchange access, or hotel point conversions were guaranteed, only to see those terms change following the Marriott Vacations Worldwide acquisition.
Cancellation is the realistic route for owners Exit Services excludes — those still carrying a loan, those behind on fees, and those who acquired the interval on the secondary market or by inheritance. Documentation from the original presentation materially strengthens any claim.
What Is the Best Way to Get Out of a Vistana Timeshare?
Start by determining what you actually own. If it is a deeded week at a premium Westin or Sheraton resort, get a resale valuation first, because selling returns money while surrendering returns nothing. If it is a Flex trust interest or a low-demand week and you are paid off and current, apply to Marriott Vacations Worldwide Exit Services.
If you are still financed, behind on fees, or bought on the resale market, Exit Services will not take the ownership and legal cancellation becomes the practical path.
What does not work is contacting Marriott International or Westin hotel customer service, or simply stopping payment. The first routes you to a company that does not hold your contract; the second forfeits both your resale equity and your eligibility for the developer's own exit program.
