Sooo... why would you pay upwards of 8k for just a week of a condo? Wouldn't it be cheaper to book a nice suite or something? What's the motivation?

It’s an investment. Sure it’s 8K now, but then you have it for life. After 20 years of vacationing, a one time payment of 8K doesn't seem to be that much considering how much you’d spend paying for a week in a condo every year. And since you can use it (via trading) all over the globe, it makes for a nice variety of vacationing.

The caution is, however, that after a few years your shiny new timeshare doesn't trade as well, or at least that's what my Grandmother experienced. Not that she couldn't find good places, but the newer (and nicer) ones she'd have to trade multiple weeks for (since you can accrue them, etc.).