A 5-day, 4-night stay at The Westin Lagunamar for just $319?

I got an email yesterday advertising a deal that sounded too good to be true.  A 5-day, 4-night stay at the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort and Spa in Cancun, Mexico, for only $319 dollars?  But wait, there’s more.  In addition to the 4-nights, you get to choose either 5,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points or a $75 certificate that can be used towards dining, spa treatments, etc…

Is this a time-share type deal where you have to sit through a presentation?   Has the hotel been condemned?  What’s the deal? This sounds way too good to be true.

I did some research and it’s too good to be true, but not for the reason you may think.  The deal is legit.  It’s from Westin Vacation Services, something I’d never heard of before.  There are a ton of T&C, but again, all legit.  Ah ha, I finally found it…yes, this is one of those time share deals.  Here’s the fine print: “I am signing this form electronically and I am giving Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. (SVO), and its subsidiaries permission to contact me about this and future offers.”  So there it is.  For the rest of your life, you will be called, contacted and cajoled until you give in and say yes to vacation ownership.

For some people, this is a great deal. Go on a nice holiday for $319 and sit through a short presentation about time-shares and then get calls for the next umpteen years.    My family did something similar and we are now proud Disney Vacation Club members!  So this may not be a bad deal for everyone.

So why did I say this was too good to be true?  It’s a targeted offer.  Take a look at the email image above…notice the name? Chad. Who is Chad?  I don’t know a single solitary Chad.  That’s why the offer is too good to be true. I’m not targeted, Chad is, whomever he is.  You gotta love email glitches! Will the real Chad please stand up?  I’m sure if I really, really wanted to do this I could convince them to give me the deal. If they think they can sell a time-share, they’ll likely give anyone the deal.

So check your email. Did you get the offer?  Are you willing to sit through a presentation to take a 4-night vacation for $319?