Notes from HVVS annual mtg

jsfletch said:

As I indicated previously I was going to attend the HVVS annual mtg. The following are my notes concerning that mtg.
I was surprised that the mtg lasted only about an hour. They handed out an agenda and quickly dispensed with the business of the association. A quorum was present so the mtg. Was able to proceed. Two directors were elected. One existing - Wendy Shinbori, and a new director, Bruce Christensen. From what I can tell and in side conversations with three directors I don't think anyone has any significant affiliation with the Hilton. After the perfunctory business was dispensed with Henry Perez, General Mgr gave a presentation re: the ongoing renovation projects. There were no hand outs so my notes are very cryptic: in 2015 they have completed the renovation of the washer and dryers and the elevator cars. They are currently in the process of renovating the lobby and in the lobby have three samples of the complete room renovations that will take place this year. The planned renovation will close three floors at a time. I asked if they had considered installing wood floors. The bldg. is not suitable for wood floors.
They also have plans for a renovation of the Village itself. They will install a zip line but it won't be called a zip line. It's going to be a Coconut line...... Much more refined and slower,,, less dangerous.
Next speaker was Randy Piatt, head of the HGVC in Orlando.
The objective of the Club is to have 50 new club members everyday. 11% of member base is elite.
Re other properties:
Tuscany is very successful and very difficult to book
Scotland is also very successful but a little easier to get into.
They have acquired or are bldg. a new facility in Hilton Head. To be finished in late 2016.
Planning a 2nd property in Park City.
Something about Phase III inKingsland with 800 units. I think this is at completion. Not sure.
There is going to be a new timeshare on Maui. Sometime in 2017.
Next speaker was our attorney re: the on going law suit. Nothing really to report, it's still ongoing.
Misc: 97.8% occupancy in Lagoon Tower. Hilton has a customer satisfaction tracking system and they have to reach 60% satisfaction. When that is reached Henry Perez and some of the staff will shave their heads.
Re: Phyliss's email: The board had received it and the directors I talked to wer very concerned that this could happen. I told Phyliss's that in open session I brought up the subject of this email and the Pres. I don't think wanted the rest of the audience to be made aware of its existence, although stating that Henry Perez is preparing a respond to Phyliss.

Im tired writing so I'll sign off for now and my iPad is dying.

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Re: Responses to email dated April 6, 2015 to Associated Management Services

Dear Don and Phyllis:

Thank you for your email dated April 6, 2015. Your letter was read to the Board of Directors on April 9, 2015, and we would like to address your comments below regarding the Lagoon Tower:

(1} NEW HIGH TECH TOILETS

QUESTIONS:
a) Based on HGVC experience with the TOTO washlets, how easy are these to maintain from a housekeeping and (maintenance) engineering perspective?
Response:
Based on our experience with washlets. which are currently installed in all units in the Hokulani property, they have operated very successfully, and have been in constant use for the last year and a half. Currently, there are no Housekeeping or Maintenance issues.

b) How does the life expectancy, maintainability and overall expense of the TOTO washlets compare to existing traditional toilets currently in the Lagoon Tower units today?
Response:
Since we do not have long-term experience with washlets, we estimate life expectancy to be 7 years. The Grand Waikikian Penthouse units have been outfitted with washlets for the past 5 years. There are no issues to date.

c) What is the projected impact to Lagoon Tower maintenance fees over a ten year period?
Response:
There is a onetime cost per unit of $1 ,200.00, spread amongst 51 Owners. Subsequently, the cost will be built into the Reserve Study for the future. The cost will then be built into the Maintenance Fee.

(2) ONGOING MAINTENANCE ISSUES

QUESTIONS:
a) What improvements are in place to address ongoing housekeeping/engineering issues?
Response:
We have currently hired 3 additional Housekeeping Managers to inspect the rooms prior to rooms being occupied by Owners or Guests. Housekeeping is working closely with Engineering to address all maintenance issues.

b) What housekeeping oversight is in place to ensure that each room has been cleaned to an acceptable standard? What improvements will be in place in the future?
Response:
As stated above, we have hired 3 additional Housekeeping Managers to inspect units before usage.

c) What processes are in place or identifying engineering work that is needed? What improvement will be in place in the future?
Response:
We have what is called "working tickets" inputted into a computer by Housekeepers and Managers. These electronic tickets are put into system and assigned to a Maintenance Technician. Once the issue is resolved, the technician enters the system and records the completed work.

d) Who is responsible for ensuring the engineering work was completed? What 'closes the loop'?
Response:
The way the loop is closed is by having Housekeepers go into the unit and make sure the work is completed before occupancy.

e) Does the HOA receive metrics on number and types of issues being reported by Lagoon Tower guests?
Response:
Yes. We have a computer system, "Synergy," that tracks every unit in the Lagoon Tower

f) How does the HOA determine owner satisfaction with the overall quality and cleanliness of the Lagoon Tower units?
Response:
The way we determine guest satisfaction is on SALT (Satisfaction and Loyalty Tracking) scores sent out after their stays to random guests to complete. The responses are tracked in a computer system.

(3) PEST CONTROL ISSUES

a) Since termite infestations have been ongoing, what actions are being taken to permanently address the issue?
Response:
We provide monthly pest control services to the Lagoon Tower by Ecolab. Severe cases are treated at that room to ensure the infestation goes away.

b) Is the housekeeping staff trained to detect the signs of bed bugs, termites and cockroaches? If they fail to recognize obvious issues how do we know they are aware of the more subtle ones?
Response:
All Housekeepers go through training to determine if bugs are present and to what extent the problem is.

c) Who is responsible for ensuring all of the appropriate notifications are made when the first signs/indications are detected?
Response:
Housekeepers are ultimately the responsible people to report any signs of pests.

d) Who determines the level of actions required when something is detected?
Response:
Once the Housekeeper notifies the Management Team, the appropriate next steps will be decided.

e) Who is responsible for ensuring that the issue has been resolved?
Response:
The Executive Housekeeper is ultimately responsible to make sure each issue is resolved.

f) Who is responsible for tracking these incidents (rooms & dates/times) and reviewing the metrics to determine if additional preventive measures are required?
Response:
Ultimately, the Housekeeping Department is responsible for tracking and logging the issues. These issues are reviewed by the Pest Control Company when doing the treatments.

g) Does the HOA receive metrics on outbreaks reported with details?
Response:
Yes. The HOA is issued reports of issues in the building at the Board of Directors meetings.


We hope these comments satisfactorily answer your questions.

Please call or email with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Henry Perez, RRP
General Manager
Hilton Grand Vacations Club
At the Hilton Hawaiian Village
hperez@hgvc.com
808-983-7901


Neil Goodhue
President - HWS Board of Directors
ngoodhue.hgv@gmail.com

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alwysonvac said:

Response from the Resort General Manager and the President of the HVVS Board of Directors

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presley said:

Thanks for posting. How do you feel about the response? Was it satisfactory to you?

Personally, I think they are putting too much responsibility on the housekeeping staff. Sure, the housekeepers need to let management know when there are bugs, but if management doesn't do anything, they are still basically saying that housekeeping is responsible for making sure the issue is fixed before the next guest arrives. I don't see anywhere that they explain how the housekeeping staff can fix the problem. It looks like me like they are supposed to tell someone else and hold off check ins until it is fixed. Sorry, but I don't believe that the front desk management would allow rooms to be held up while waiting for the problem to be fixed. And I am sure the housekeepers get blamed for rooms not being ready on time when it is really an issue of bad management.

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alwysonvac said:

Thanks for your comments. Phyllis has allowed me to respond. We feel that while Messrs. Perez and Goodhue did provide an answer for each question. They did not acknowledge or address the concerns and issues and as such is not satisfactory. We also believe that the answers provided to us while visiting are platitudes and selected from a scripted list to diffuse the immediate situation with as little escalation and expenditure as required. The infestations are obviously an on-going issue. It appears that the plan in place and/or actions previously taken have been reactionary and are not sufficient. Note the ‘treating’ a room at a time rather than systematic and preventative measures to avoid occurrences. There was no detail provided regarding what is done by Ecolab during their monthly treatments. Whatever is being done is not fixing the issue. Maybe they’ve given up on the issue and are willing to accept a certain level of infestation. (Tangential reference to the goal of 60% customer satisfaction) They certainly didn’t have an acceptable solution for us last September. I’m guessing that Messrs. Perez and Goodhue don’t accept termites in their homes for days at a time.

It seems that issues are categorized as either ‘housekeeping’ or ‘maintenance’. The housekeeping staff are the ‘eyes in the field’ and are crucial for the detection of issues/problems. It does seem that there is an unreasonable burden placed on housekeeping to “determine… to what extent the problem is”. Housekeeping staff are not pest control experts. Housekeeping is responsible if a ‘housekeeping’ issue is detected and escalation of ‘maintenance’ issues. There should be an assessment made to determine if the issue warrants keeping the unit out of inventory. (This would speak to your comment regarding front desk and is a whole other topic for discussion).

In our experience it appears that a fair number of issues are not being noticed or addressed. Examples, broken door stops, dirty furniture, faulty light bulbs, peeling paint, dripping faucets, moldy caulking, and infestations. We have even experienced the kick panel from the refrigerator on the kitchen counter. So the problem could be several places (and exposes gaps in the training, execution or management); is the issue not being noticed, not being reported/escalated, not being addressed and the corrective action not being confirmed. Also, ‘ownership’ of the issues and process seems to be of little concern. I have no reference regarding the ‘additional’ 3 managers. When were they added? What impact have they had? etc.

Also, certain issues are of a nature so as to be ‘radioactive’ and acknowledgement of and discussion to be keep to a minimum. Pest infestation is probably one of those issues.

Speaking to your comment of housekeeping being blamed may be accurate but any assignment of responsibility is conjecture and a waste of energy if metrics and actual root causes are not ascertained. There is no evidence that that is done at any level.

Again, Thanks for your comments and thoughts. I’m curious to know if there are any others who have experienced termites since last September.

Regards, Donald

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Jason245 said:

In the hotel industry, housekeeping is the front line of identification for maintenance and other issues. If an insufficient investment is made in housekeeping, the staff is unable to effectivly identify all issues pre check in.

The other side is Maintenance. Insufficient staffing and investment will result in issues not being addressed in a timely and effective mannor.

It sounds like the Resort tried to cheap out on those items and as a result people staying there are suffering the consequences. Assuming they are significantly increasing investment in those two areas, what more could you really ask them to do?

In the Ideal situation (which most of us expect), all issues are addressed pre check in. In reality, some owners may not like the idea of their MF going up to increase headcount at the resort (especially given the rising cost of labor). It seems that they would prefer to sit on fancy $1200 toilets and watch the termits buzz around...

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