What would you do?

[Carolyn]

Last June we booked an October 20th week at the Westin Cancun in an oceanside unit. I knew they were being converted into timeshares and the Vistana website also stated the construction would be complete by the end of August. I looked the other day and was shocked when I saw this hidden away under "Special Conditions":

Resort Renovations: Through October 2018
While we are nearing the end of the extensive, multimillion-dollar renovation on the resort, there will be ongoing renovation work in the following areas:

• El Palmar Restaurant and the surrounding triangular swimming pools. Sea & Stones Restaurant is affected due to its proximity to the triangular swimming pools.
• Heavenly Spa by Westin™
• WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Studio
• Renovation to the sidewalks at the property’s main entrance

Additionally, the oceanside villas are closed to occupancy at varying times during the renovation project. When this occurs, Guests who have been confirmed into oceanside villas will be placed into lagoon-side villas. All other restaurants, pools and amenities, including the new FlowRider®, will remain open for Guests’ enjoyment.

During this time, construction areas will be fully surrounded by fencing and work will occur daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Guests should expect moderate noise during this time; all efforts will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.

Thank you for your patience during this resort enhancement project. Please contact the resort for additional information.



So.... 2 restaurants, 1 pool, the Spa and Fitness Center plus construction noise...

We booked an oceanside studio and so not want to be on the lagoon side. And construction will start at 8am every day!! We booked Southwest airlines so I can use the airfare another time. I decided to cancel and asked Vistana to waive the $50 Cancellation fee because I would have never booked this under these circumstances. They would not do it so I haven't cancelled just yet. Does anyone know if I have any other recourse to have this fee waived? Possibly an email of a Supervisor? Thanks for any advice.

Carolyn

 

[grab]

I would call again and see if the rep on the phone will help you and if not I would ask to speak with a supervisor. I am sure they will waive the fee. If they don’t then ask them the same question on their Facebook page.

 

[controller1]

I would call again and see if the rep on the phone will help you and if not I would ask to speak with a supervisor. I am sure they will waive the fee. If they don’t then ask them the same question on their Facebook page.

Since visitor posts on a company's Facebook page tend to be hidden, I would also suggest Twitter @Vistana to get more widespread coverage. That's assuming OP has a Twitter account with some followers.

 

[bogey21]

so I haven't cancelled just yet...

If it were me, my first consideration would be getting the Reservation cancelled. If they will waive the cancellation fee, great. If not, I'd eat it and move on...

George

 

[dioxide45]

If you booked it with StarOptions, those will also be restricted since you are inside of 60 days.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

Last June we booked an October 20th week at the Westin Cancun in an oceanside unit. I knew they were being converted into timeshares and the Vistana website also stated the construction would be complete by the end of August. I looked the other day and was shocked when I saw this hidden away under "Special Conditions":

Resort Renovations: Through October 2018
While we are nearing the end of the extensive, multimillion-dollar renovation on the resort, there will be ongoing renovation work in the following areas:

• El Palmar Restaurant and the surrounding triangular swimming pools. Sea & Stones Restaurant is affected due to its proximity to the triangular swimming pools.
• Heavenly Spa by Westin™
• WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Studio
• Renovation to the sidewalks at the property’s main entrance

Additionally, the oceanside villas are closed to occupancy at varying times during the renovation project. When this occurs, Guests who have been confirmed into oceanside villas will be placed into lagoon-side villas. All other restaurants, pools and amenities, including the new FlowRider®, will remain open for Guests’ enjoyment.

During this time, construction areas will be fully surrounded by fencing and work will occur daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Guests should expect moderate noise during this time; all efforts will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.

Thank you for your patience during this resort enhancement project. Please contact the resort for additional information.



So.... 2 restaurants, 1 pool, the Spa and Fitness Center plus construction noise...

We booked an oceanside studio and so not want to be on the lagoon side. And construction will start at 8am every day!! We booked Southwest airlines so I can use the airfare another time. I decided to cancel and asked Vistana to waive the $50 Cancellation fee because I would have never booked this under these circumstances. They would not do it so I haven't cancelled just yet. Does anyone know if I have any other recourse to have this fee waived? Possibly an email of a Supervisor? Thanks for any advice.

Carolyn

Are there openings at Lagunamar?

 

[PamMo]

Were the "hidden conditions" in the original confirmation and you didn't see them until now? If so, I think you're out of luck. If you just got the notice, it seems unfair to get charged the $50 and have restrictions on your StarOptions if you cancel.

 

[Carolyn]

Were the "hidden conditions" in the original confirmation and you didn't see them until now? If so, I think you're out of luck. If you just got the notice, it seems unfair to get charged the $50 and have restrictions on your StarOptions if you cancel.

I read the "hidden conditions" prior to booking and it stated all renovations would be done by August 31.This was back in June when I booked. I just happened to look at it again and have a feeling every month they keep extending it. JMHO.

 

[PamMo]

Tough call. Unfortunately, construction timelines are notoriously optimistic, so your experience isn't so unusual. I feel your pain, though. I've had several vacations that included the sights, sounds, smells, and dust of construction, plus restricted access to amenities. Some of those vacations turned out fine, others not so much. Two weeks in an oceanview suite at Marriott's Maui Ocean Club with hammer drilling at the main pool right below us A-L-L.....D-A-Y.....L-O-N-G comes to mind! We spent a lot more time on the beach and had a great time, in spite of the construction.

TripAdvisor reviews on the Westin Cancun Resort and Spa (hotel and timeshare) for the last few weeks are all over the place. If you've been to Cancun before and have lots of outside activities planned, you'd probably be fine at the end of October. If you were planning on spending most of your time at the resort and/or this is a rare trip to Cancun for you, I'd just cancel. Losing $50 would be worth your peace of mind.