[ 2021 ] Preferred Check In Experience? What is this? [MERGED]

[frank808]

Just got the body snatching call on my cell. Offered $250 Visa or 400 Abound points . I said make it $300 Visa and we will go. Guy said hold on. Not even a minute later he said Ok, what time you want to attend.

One down and 2 more to go. Will see if I get body snatched at Lakeshore in a couple weeks. If offer is good, I will attend and gladly take the $300 Visa.

Will keep this thread updated to see how the games go.

Forgot to add we did a tour a couple months ago at Westin Nanea and body snatcher said our last tour was over a year ago.


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[dioxide45]

Just got the body snatching call on my cell. Offered $250 Visa or 400 Abound points . I said make it $300 Visa and we will go. Guy said hold on. Not even a minute later he said Ok, what time you want to attend.

One down and 2 more to go. Will see if I get body snatched at Lakeshore in a couple weeks. If offer is good, I will attend and gladly take the $300 Visa.

Will keep this thread updated to see how the games go.

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Great! Now if you are asked by the salesperson why you are there, you can't use @Dean reason that you were talked into it by the concierge.

 

[Dean]

My wife's rule is very different. Her's is not only yes, but heck yes. It does seem that their rules are based on the local sales office and do change over time. I recall checking in once at Shadow Ridge and signing up only to get a call saying they cancelled our tour because we had toured only a few months prior in Florida. We've never toured back to back on the same Hawaiian Island with the same company (Vistana or Marriott. Nor have we done the same in western states like CA, NV or AZ. We've done up to six tours out there, two in CA with Vistana and Marriott, then one in Las Vegas and two more in Arizona (at Canyon Villas, Desert Oasis and Kierland). This was several years ago when they seemed to also consider Sheraton and Westin tours as being somehow different.

I've been canceled when I showed up for the tour. To say I was unhappy is an understatement.

 

[dioxide45]

I've been canceled when I showed up for the tour. To say I was unhappy is an understatement.

We've never been cancelled at the sales office. We have been told once in a presentation that they shouldn't have invited us back so soon, but that it was on them. We were still gifted. Marketing and sales doesn't always seem to see eye to eye.

 

[Dean]

Marketing and sales doesn't always seem to see eye to eye.

That's for sure, they have an almost diametrically opposed agenda. As we've discussed here before, seems weird they continue to incentivize sales tours for those who have clearly demonstrated they willl not be buying.

 

[ChiefIlliniwek]

My wife's rule is not no but heck no. I talk her into it about once every year or 2. My understanding is there is no set rule for touring other than that established by the resorts sales department based on when one last toured. We've toured back to back in HI and were asked a 3rd time the third week and told we would be OK, we declined. I think the rule is more stringent if one has bought recently. I've seen a hard pass for that circumstance and it is apparently based on the date entered, not closing or submission.

I agree completely on their rules their responsibility. When asked at HHI this year why we attended, I simply told the truth that we were talked into it by the concierge.

Some salesmen have asked me that, too. "Why are you here?" Well, your concierge people made me an offer. As of late they have been asking what I was told in the previous presentation.

 

[ChiefIlliniwek]

My wife's rule is very different. Her's is not only yes, but heck yes. It does seem that their rules are based on the local sales office and do change over time. I recall checking in once at Shadow Ridge and signing up only to get a call saying they cancelled our tour because we had toured only a few months prior in Florida. We've never toured back to back on the same Hawaiian Island with the same company (Vistana or Marriott. Nor have we done the same in western states like CA, NV or AZ. We've done up to six tours out there, two in CA with Vistana and Marriott, then one in Las Vegas and two more in Arizona (at Canyon Villas, Desert Oasis and Kierland). This was several years ago when they seemed to also consider Sheraton and Westin tours as being somehow different.

Have you ever done multiple tours in a week while staying in Orlando? Stay at SVV and do a tour there, walk over to Bluegreen's The Fountains, Wyndham's Kingstown Reef, Westgate, etc. I imagine that resorts would let you do a tour without staying there?

 

[dioxide45]

Have you ever done multiple tours in a week while staying in Orlando? Stay at SVV and do a tour there, walk over to Bluegreen's The Fountains, Wyndham's Kingstown Reef, Westgate, etc. I imagine that resorts would let you do a tour without staying there?

We've never done a tour without staying at the property. I am sure we've done a Wyndham tour at Bonnet Creek and a Marriott or Vistana one on the same trip.

 

[Dean]

Have you ever done multiple tours in a week while staying in Orlando? Stay at SVV and do a tour there, walk over to Bluegreen's The Fountains, Wyndham's Kingstown Reef, Westgate, etc. I imagine that resorts would let you do a tour without staying there?

Often you get a better bribe when you get roped in from the mall or sidewalk, sometimes not. Some systems do that aggressively. MVC does it some but usually not from current members or those staying at the property from what I've seen in the past.

 

[frank808]

In n out in 45 minutes this morning. There at 1115am and out by noon. Sales guy said you are probably not buying anything and I agreed. Told me what can he do to get me to buy. Brought in his manager and he said let me see. Manager came back and said I can enroll your weeks for a 5k Abound purchase that came out to $57K plus triple points or 500k bonvoy points. I thought about it and wanted to clarify it was the enrollment of my 12.5 weeks for the purchase of 5k Abound points. He was astonished and said no that qualifies you to enroll 2 annual weeks. I said then that would not solve anything for me and declined immediately.

Also showed me email from March of this year that the lifetime for post enrollment is 10 weeks. After saying no to manager, sales guy came back and said that corporate would not approve deal because I am over the 10 week lifetime enrollment.

Fine by me. Now lets see if I get an invite in 2 weeks at Lakeshore.

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[jellen613]

Didn't get the preferred check in email or pushy rep at front to check in a couple days ago. But I did check in at 9am so preferred check in at Grand Vista was not open. BtW room was not ready till 4pm.

Also went to get parking pass and did not get invited to tour. Will check later on this week or next.

Does anyone know if MVC will let me tour here at MGV, then 2/3 weeks later at Lakeshore and then 3 weeks after that at Cypress Harbour? I am ok with sitting through those owner updates (if i get at least $225 in gift card or equivalent) to see what they try to sell me. Luckiest I have been is being let go at the 30 min mark.

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We went to a presentation in Fort Lauderdale during a points stay in April this year, then spent one night at the Miami Beach location. They offered us an incentive and presentation at the Miami Beach location the day after we left Fort Lauderdale. I was suprised it was offered (actually the Miami property called before we got there to try to arrange).

 

[frank808]

I just got the email from concierge at Lakeshore seeing if I wanted to do an update during our stay starting next week. Will wait till checkin to see what offers await us.

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[dioxide45]

We had preferred checkin at Cypress Harbour and upcoming preferred checkin at Oceana Palms. All I can say is preferred checkin means more annoying pre-arrival phone calls. We were called prior to our stay at Cypress Harbour. They asked what time we were arriving. Then on the drive we got out later than expected and when we were not at the resort by our originally mentioned time, they called us while we were driving to see where we were. Geez. We've had two calls from Oceana Palms. Until you actually talk to these people, they call you every day. I am not really seeing the benefit of preferred checkin.

 

[Hindsite]

. I am not really seeing the benefit of preferred checkin.

I guess we all assume that the "preferred" should relate to the experience of the guest as opposed to the experience of the sales and marketing team . Perhaps they have a metric that those using that method generate better leads.

 

[dougp26364]

We had preferred checkin at Cypress Harbour and upcoming preferred checkin at Oceana Palms. All I can say is preferred checkin means more annoying pre-arrival phone calls. We were called prior to our stay at Cypress Harbour. They asked what time we were arriving. Then on the drive we got out later than expected and when we were not at the resort by our originally mentioned time, they called us while we were driving to see where we were. Geez. We've had two calls from Oceana Palms. Until you actually talk to these people, they call you every day. I am not really seeing the benefit of preferred checkin.

Over the years the Oceana Palms sales team has become more and more aggressive in their sales approach. It use to be a reasonably comfortable conversation but has evolved more into an adversarial update. Not necessarily unpleasant but just higher pressure and full of more lies than what it used to to be.

 

[frank808]

We had preferred checkin at Cypress Harbour and upcoming preferred checkin at Oceana Palms. All I can say is preferred checkin means more annoying pre-arrival phone calls. We were called prior to our stay at Cypress Harbour. They asked what time we were arriving. Then on the drive we got out later than expected and when we were not at the resort by our originally mentioned time, they called us while we were driving to see where we were. Geez. We've had two calls from Oceana Palms. Until you actually talk to these people, they call you every day. I am not really seeing the benefit of preferred checkin.

Forgot to ask you yesterday about
what did you do to get preferred check in? Wife asked how did you get preferred. I told her we got it once at Grand Vista and it was a hard sell.

Went by sales desk yesterday and they were actually busy. Will go by today to see if I can get a $300 sales update.

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[WBP]

I do not have a good feeling about the “preferred” check-in or villa assignments that the MVC Sales Organization is deploying as a bartering tool, to incent guests to attend a sales presentation. The practice seems short, to me, on equity, corporate integrity, and smells of a conflict of interest, perhaps, an inherent conflict of interest, as a byproduct of MVC serving as both the property manager/management company, and sales organization (with MVC’s Executive Leaderships stacked with/by leaders from the sales and marketing domain, and not the lodging and hospitality domain).

I believe that MVC owners, when using their MVC ownership, (who, in this context, are not transient hotel guests), should be treated, equally. Knowing that one owner is enjoying an expedited check-in process, being provided food and beverage, in a lounge setting, and, potentially, receiving a preferred villa assignment, for agreeing to attend a sales presentation, sounds to me like an uneven playing field, unfair practice, and suspect of impropriety, by MVC.

I believe the line must be made much darker and clearer between the MVC sales and marketing organization, and the MVC resort operations organization. In the case of the above, I believe the MVC sales and marketing organization has crossed the line, by creating an uneven experience for MVC owners, in the context of owner arrival/registration, villa assignment, and hospitality. Related, I suspect that if one were to look at who was paying for the food and beverage in “the lounge,” those expenses are being borne by the MVC sales and marketing organization. On a recent MVC stay, we noticed that the alleged “Concierge,” really a MVC Marketing person (a pig wearing lipstick), was responsible for stocking and replenishing the “hospitality lounge.” Operating that lounge, sure appeared to be a Sales and Marketing function, and not a Resort Operations function.

All of the above, sure sounds Diamond Resorts, and Westgate-like, to me, part of the ongoing demise and denigration of MVC.

 

[Hindsite]

All of the above, sure sounds Diamond Resorts, and Westgate-like, to me, part of the ongoing demise and denigration of MVC.

I've had a couple of good stays at at former Diamond resorts, never even got asked to go to a sales presentation and I'm off to my third one next week.
I've never been offered room assignment priority as a sales incentive, quite the contrary, we know that Encore and Promotional packages, somewhat oddly, get the lowest priority.

You certainly are on a downward spiral with your view of MVC. Its not at all what I experience on my travels, so hopefully limited to other locations. Hope you find a resolution soon.

 

[dioxide45]

Forgot to ask you yesterday about
what did you do to get preferred check in? Wife asked how did you get preferred. I told her we got it once at Grand Vista and it was a hard sell.

Went by sales desk yesterday and they were actually busy. Will go by today to see if I can get a $300 sales update.

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I deon't know what I did to get preferred checkin and I suspect that most, if not all people that get it, don't know either. Random, something in our owner profile, something else? Not sure. I don't see it as anything special. The main difference is that you can sit down during the checkin process. Today I had to wait about five minutes at Oceana Palms because both people in the preferred checkin area were helping other people. I would rather have just walked up to the front desk and gotten it done.

 

[dioxide45]

I do not have a good feeling about the “preferred” check-in or villa assignments that the MVC Sales Organization is deploying as a bartering tool, to incent guests to attend a sales presentation. The practice seems short, to me, on equity, corporate integrity, and smells of a conflict of interest, perhaps, an inherent conflict of interest, as a byproduct of MVC serving as both the property manager/management company, and sales organization (with MVC’s Executive Leaderships stacked with/by leaders from the sales and marketing domain, and not the lodging and hospitality domain).

I believe that MVC owners, when using their MVC ownership, (who, in this context, are not transient hotel guests), should be treated, equally. Knowing that one owner is enjoying an expedited check-in process, being provided food and beverage, in a lounge setting, and, potentially, receiving a preferred villa assignment, for agreeing to attend a sales presentation, sounds to me like an uneven playing field, unfair practice, and suspect of impropriety, by MVC.

I believe the line must be made much darker and clearer between the MVC sales and marketing organization, and the MVC resort operations organization. In the case of the above, I believe the MVC sales and marketing organization has crossed the line, by creating an uneven experience for MVC owners, in the context of owner arrival/registration, villa assignment, and hospitality. Related, I suspect that if one were to look at who was paying for the food and beverage in “the lounge,” those expenses are being borne by the MVC sales and marketing organization. On a recent MVC stay, we noticed that the alleged “Concierge,” really a MVC Marketing person (a pig wearing lipstick), was responsible for stocking and replenishing the “hospitality lounge.” Operating that lounge, sure appeared to be a Sales and Marketing function, and not a Resort Operations function.

All of the above, sure sounds Diamond Resorts, and Westgate-like, to me, part of the ongoing demise and denigration of MVC.

I don't think there is any preferred villa assignments to those doing preferred checkin. Though we did have both of our requests fulfulled for Cypress Harbour and Oceana Palms. I don't know if that had anything to do with preferred checkin or not. I doubt it though.

As to who is paying to stock the lounge. I suspect you would complain if the HOA was paying for it because it would be Marriott just charging owners money (and earning the 10%-15% management fee to boot) on the added cost. It seems they can't win either way.

 

[dioxide45]

Over the years the Oceana Palms sales team has become more and more aggressive in their sales approach. It use to be a reasonably comfortable conversation but has evolved more into an adversarial update. Not necessarily unpleasant but just higher pressure and full of more lies than what it used to to be.

Yeah, we've done a number of tours at Oceana Palms over the years and have noticed the same thing. I still remember one about 10 years ago, maybe more, where they told us that Marriott was no longer gong to offer a gift or incentive to attend. You could still go, just no gift. Here we are all those years later being offered an incentive to attend. They actually offered us the most Bonvoy points ever.

 

[Superchief]

I deon't know what I did to get preferred checkin and I suspect that most, if not all people that get it, don't know either. Random, something in our owner profile, something else? Not sure. I don't see it as anything special. The main difference is that you can sit down during the checkin process. Today I had to wait about five minutes at Oceana Palms because both people in the preferred checkin area were helping other people. I would rather have just walked up to the front desk and gotten it done.

When I was checking in at Surf Watch last January, the preferred check-in area was very busy and I just wanted to get into my villa after driving for 7 hours. They wouldn't allow me to check in at the main desk, so I had to wait for a while. One problem with preferred check in is that the staff is much more chatty, acting like they want to help but really trying to convince you to sign up for sales pitch. Preferred check-in definitely adds time to the process.

 

[dioxide45]

One problem with preferred check in is that the staff is much more chatty, acting like they want to help but really trying to convince you to sign up for sales pitch. Preferred check-in definitely adds time to the process.

Yes, there is certainly a lot more, over the top, small talk with preferred checkin. I say over the top because it comes off as fake. I guess that's just how sales works and preferred checkin is ultimately there to sell you on signing up for a presentation.

 

[VacaSmart]

Forgot to ask you yesterday about
what did you do to get preferred check in? Wife asked how did you get preferred. I told her we got it once at Grand Vista and it was a hard sell.

Went by sales desk yesterday and they were actually busy. Will go by today to see if I can get a $300 sales update.

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Did you get that $300 sales update?

 

[Pennytx]

Have you ever done multiple tours in a week while staying in Orlando? Stay at SVV and do a tour there, walk over to Bluegreen's The Fountains, Wyndham's Kingstown Reef, Westgate, etc. I imagine that resorts would let you do a tour without staying there?

Were you able to do?
What did they pay?