[2016] Marriott Grande Vista- room requests experience?

[Yolie912]

So I called Marriott Grande Vista to put a building requests and the lady told me I can't do that and that I'm definitely not going to be in that building because my 3 bedroom is in the other section and not a lock off. I understand but can't they just give me a lock off and put me in the building I want? Are they that strict and difficult?. So weird.

 

[spookykennedy]

In our experience it's terrible. In April we were assigned to an absolutely horrible accessible room that was loud about 18 hours/day. We should have demanded a new room but after a red eye from the west coast we just wanted a room. After complaining and finding out we never should have been assigned that room we were given the manager of room assignments and as our "compensation" she promised us "stellar assignments" on every future stay. Well, my family was just there in 2 villas last week and surprise, surprise. They got terrible assignments and not close together even though the manager assured us they would be. We had emailed back and forth ahead of time and she assured me they would be "taken care of". When we asked the front desk person told my brother in law "Sorry we gave away your rooms that we had held" and this was at 4 pm (check in time!). Anyhow, don't count on any of your requests - no matter how simple - to be honored. We own a 3BR here and honestly if it weren't for trading we may not keep it. Also, do not, I repeat, do NOT arrive late in the day or you will 100% be guaranteed the worst room in the resort.

 

[dioxide45]

They should be able to move you between the unit types. It is a floating unit resort. A few years ago, I requested a 2BR dedicated unit when the II confirmation was for a lock off. They actually made the change to the unit type when I made that request. I recently did another similar request, but this time they said it would be noted but was dependent on available units at checkin.

 

[Yolie912]

Wow! That's so crazy! Do you happen to have the managers name and email so I can email them? Also we are arriving late on a Thursday. Hopefully the hotel isnt to capacity.

 

[dioxide45]

Wow! That's so crazy! Do you happen to have the managers name and email so I can email them? Also we are arriving late on a Thursday. Hopefully the hotel isnt to capacity.

I just replied to the email from the person that replied to our preference request.

 

[Yolie912]

I just replied to the email from the person that replied to our preference request.

Thank you!

 

[Big Matt]

Be nice to the person and you should get what you want. Be mean and aggressive and you will get a lousy unit.

My experiences have been mixed, but generally I have received what I wanted.

I've witnessed some of the worst human behavior at check in where people are literally screaming at the check in staff about things like floor location, building, etc. Get over it and enjoy your vacation.

 

[Yolie912]

Be nice to the person and you should get what you want. Be mean and aggressive and you will get a lousy unit.

My experiences have been mixed, but generally I have received what I wanted.

I've witnessed some of the worst human behavior at check in where people are literally screaming at the check in staff about things like floor location, building, etc. Get over it and enjoy your vacation.

Thanks Big Matt! I am always very nice and polite.

 

[hajjah]

Yikes! We're checking in on Friday. I had no idea that this resort was so difficult in honoring unit/building requests. We replied to the email from the Grande Vista two weeks ago with our requests. I thought I read somewhere recently that this is the largest Marriott timeshare resort.

My request was based upon the feedback that I received here on TUG. Our flight is scheduled to land before 2:00, so hopefully, we can get a quiet refurbished unit since we are not traveling with children. We'll find out soon enough.

 

[dioxide45]

Yikes! We're checking in on Friday. I had no idea that this resort was so difficult in honoring unit/building requests. We replied to the email from the Grande Vista two weeks ago with our requests. I thought I read somewhere recently that this is the largest Marriott timeshare resort.

My requests was based upon the feedback that I received here on TUG. Our flight is scheduled to land before 2:00, so hopefully, we can get a quiet refurbished unit since we are not traveling with children. We'll find out soon enough.

We have never had an issue with our villa requests. Though we often travel in off or shoulder season. Cases I have read where people didn't get what they requested tended to be in the busy season. If you aren't a Marriott owner though, that may be something working against you.

 

[hajjah]

We're actually using an II AC, so we will be pleased with whatever we are assigned.
Thanks for the postings.

 

[rthib]

If you are really having problems, I would drive down to the Sales Center at the entrance to Grande Vista and ask to talk to someone there.

I imagine someone sitting in the entrance of their sales center asking if anyone could help them get rooms, might get a sales managers attention.

 

[Big Matt]

Hajjah,
just call them the week you are planning to arrive and talk to them. The people are usually very nice and will put you in queue. From what they've told me, most people never even request a building. They just show up and take what they get. Shouldn't be difficult unless you are asking for one building or something like that where you are limiting their options. Remember that not everyone checks in on the same day so the available slots are much smaller than the number of units in the entire resort.

 

[mdurette]

We have stayed there a few times and never had an issue. One time our week was Sat-Sat and we arrived on Friday and paid OOP for a studio. They realized this at check in and moved things around so that our 2BR week stay would be part a lock off to the studio we were already in so we wouldn't have to move things between two different room locations.

 

[hajjah]

Thanks for the additional suggestions. We are scheduled to arrive this Friday. I replied to the emailed requests for preference about a week ago.

 

[Gemini Chica]

Thanks for the additional suggestions. We are scheduled to arrive this Friday. I replied to the emailed requests for preference about a week ago.

Interested to see how you get on. We go in 3 weeks. What did you request?

 

[hajjah]

Our check in went very smoothly on Friday. We are assigned to building #96, which is close to the guard gate. This is one of the most recently renovated buildings. Grande Vista is a large resort. We are certainly getting our monies worth using an AC certificate for our 3 bedroom unit.

 

[NboroGirl]

We have stayed there a few times and never had an issue. One time our week was Sat-Sat and we arrived on Friday and paid OOP for a studio. They realized this at check in and moved things around so that our 2BR week stay would be part a lock off to the studio we were already in so we wouldn't have to move things between two different room locations.

They did that for us too, even though we didn't ask them to, and it comes across as being helpful and accommodating, but it was a nightmare because while we stayed in the lockoff portion the first night, the following week my husband and I were to occupy the master suite of our 2BR and our friends were going to get the lockoff. Yet Marriott wouldn't clean the lockoff first after we checked out of the room (even though they were two separate reservations). They wanted to charge us to have it cleaned. They finally waived the fee (which never should have existed) but it took 4 phone calls and visits to the front desk before they actually cleaned the lockoff for our friends. It was an aggravating way to being our vacation.

 

[NboroGirl]

I've owned 2 weeks at MGR since 2003 and we've always, always gotten our requests honored... UNTIL about 2 years ago. I don't know what happened, but they never give us what we've requested anymore, even thought we 1) book our week a year in advance, 2) fill out the villa preference form immediately upon receiving it, and 3) arrive around 11:00 a.m.

So for the past 2 years after getting a not-desired villa I end up asking the front desk if anything is available in the building or buildings we prefer. Usually there is, but we have to wait hours before the room is clean and available. We are going in 3 weeks using an AC and my expectations are low of getting any of my requests honored, even though it's off-season.

Want to hear something else I found interesting? We booked a guestroom to stay in our 1st night (before our week-long stay in a 2BR). I got a villa preference request form for that first night, but the only views that were available to choose from were lake view and golf view. Then when I got the villa preference request form for the week-long stay, in addition to lake and golf views, pool view was an option. I guess they don't give guestroom customers the option of a pool view (?).

My husband and I are going down a day early and will stay the first night in a guestroom, then my son will be joining us for the week when we move into a 2BR, and they had better not link our reservations and try to put us in the same villa and then refuse to clean the guestroom after we check out, like they tried to do to us last time. This time I requested a lake view for the first night, and a pool view (followed by a golf view as my 2nd choice) for the week-long stay. It will be interesting to see how they handle it this time.

 

[SueDonJ]

Be nice to the person and you should get what you want. Be mean and aggressive and you will get a lousy unit.

My experiences have been mixed, but generally I have received what I wanted.

I've witnessed some of the worst human behavior at check in where people are literally screaming at the check in staff about things like floor location, building, etc. Get over it and enjoy your vacation.

I wish it always worked that way but in my experience I see way more nasty than polite behavior rewarded at check-in! We've made specific requests in advance of stays only a few times and getting those met has been hit-or-miss, which is what I expect and happily accept. And I have to say that we've occasionally been surprised by extras above and beyond, like the bottle of wine given to us during one of our stays in the middle of Don's two-year India adventure.

The only time we requested being moved after getting to the assigned unit was within the last year at Barony. I called from the unit and nicely told them the same thing I'd put in the pre-arrival email, that because we'd bought a house on the island we knew this would probably be our last stay as owners and we'd like a chance to stay in one of the recently-refurbed units. Didn't matter, they refused and weren't nice about it. That was disappointing, honestly, but I still didn't have a meltdown over it. I was left feeling that I should have, going by what I've seen happen at check-in desks over the years.

 

[Big Matt]

I think you missed my point. I was discussing how to talk to the person over the phone before check in. You are describing how you emailed and didn't get what you wanted. Completely different scenario. The key is the call and making it personal ahead of time. That works well. My other point was that people are jerks at check in. I suppose that they didn't call ahead. JMO or course.

I wish it always worked that way but in my experience I see way more nasty than polite behavior rewarded at check-in! We've made specific requests in advance of stays only a few times and getting those met has been hit-or-miss, which is what I expect and happily accept. And I have to say that we've occasionally been surprised by extras above and beyond, like the bottle of wine given to us during one of our stays in the middle of Don's two-year India adventure.

The only time we requested being moved after getting to the assigned unit was within the last year at Barony. I called from the unit and nicely told them the same thing I'd put in the pre-arrival email, that because we'd bought a house on the island we knew this would probably be our last stay as owners and we'd like a chance to stay in one of the recently-refurbed units. Didn't matter, they refused and weren't nice about it. That was disappointing, honestly, but I still didn't have a meltdown over it. I was left feeling that I should have, going by what I've seen happen at check-in desks over the years.

 

[SueDonJ]

I think you missed my point. I was discussing how to talk to the person over the phone before check in. You are describing how you emailed and didn't get what you wanted. Completely different scenario. The key is the call and making it personal ahead of time. That works well. My other point was that people are jerks at check in. I suppose that they didn't call ahead. JMO or course.

Everything they say/do discourages calling ahead. They send a generic pre-arrival email and in my experience, if you respond to that then you will probably hear back via email from the onsite rooms controller who can give you a good idea of whether or not they'll be able to satisfy your requests. (Always, though, with the caveat that nothing is guaranteed in advance of check-in.) If they want people to use their system, why do they then turn around and reward the people who circumvent that system by calling instead even though it's discouraged?

For the disappointing placement I mentioned, I responded to the pre-arrival email and we emailed further because of it, so why would I also call in to make the request? And if they know that as an owner I don't have a history of making specific requests, why couldn't they meet it the one time I did ask? Especially if I followed their system when making the request?

This is one thing about owning Marriotts that makes me crazy. We shouldn't have to make any extra effort to be treated as equal to every other owner. The rooms controllers should be more consistent in giving every owner the opportunity to enjoy the best (and the worst) of ownership.

 

[LMD]

Just returned from MGV

We just returned. I requested a room with lake view and close to children's pool I got neither. We ended up in building 99 in a 3 BR lockout with view of golf course 9201/9202. It was actually quite nice. The building was just refurbished and still smelled like new carpet! It was a short walk to the lobby and we used the pool across the way. We were quite happy!

 

[Big Matt]

I've never had anyone explain to me that calling was discouraged. In fact most of the times when I trade emails with the person they tell me to call them if I need anything. When I follow up I get to know the person and to a person, they have always been friendly and responsive. I guess your experiences are just different than mine.

Everything they say/do discourages calling ahead. They send a generic pre-arrival email and in my experience, if you respond to that then you will probably hear back via email from the onsite rooms controller who can give you a good idea of whether or not they'll be able to satisfy your requests. (Always, though, with the caveat that nothing is guaranteed in advance of check-in.) If they want people to use their system, why do they then turn around and reward the people who circumvent that system by calling instead even though it's discouraged?

For the disappointing placement I mentioned, I responded to the pre-arrival email and we emailed further because of it, so why would I also call in to make the request? And if they know that as an owner I don't have a history of making specific requests, why couldn't they meet it the one time I did ask? Especially if I followed their system when making the request?

This is one thing about owning Marriotts that makes me crazy. We shouldn't have to make any extra effort to be treated as equal to every other owner. The rooms controllers should be more consistent in giving every owner the opportunity to enjoy the best (and the worst) of ownership.

 

[enma]

Going to Grande Vista in early September. We are owners there but this time bought a cheap Getaway from II. Traveling with another couple. May be worthless to request a building but any suggestions which buildings are refurbished and fairly close to a pool? We haven't been there in 15+ yrs.