Sea Gardens is overbooked....

[richardm]

Wyndham Sea Gardens is currently overbooked and are shuffling reservations around to try and compensate. A resort employee told me that corporate thought people would cancel last minute so it wouldn't be a problem. The front desk has been told to tell guests staying with VIP upgrades that the privilege is just a "request" and Wyndham doesn't have to honor upgrades in high season- so they can check people into smaller units as needed.

 

[55plus]

How do 8 guests stay in a one bedroom that sleeps 4, when you upgraded to a 2 bedroom and wasn't notified about the issue prior to arrival. An upgrade isn't a request after the upgrade is completed and confirmed. Once completed and confirmed it's booked as a larger unit. It's not a request anymore.

As for thinking guests will cancel, since there's no incentive to cancel within 15 days out, Wyndham can't count on cancellation to balance their reservation books.

 

[capital city]

Why would a timeshare overbook? I understand an airline or hotel so that when 10% cancel they arr still full but a timeshare is getting paid through mfs regardless

 

[vacationhopeful]

GREED. Plain and simple.

And a bad computer system who counts units and NOT fixed week ownership.

 

[Sandy VDH]

There are plenty of fixed weeks here, and that causes problems. Why I do not know. You think they could figure it out, but I don't think the computer system we used to book points does not track the fixed weeks or at least properly.

I also suspect that the resort has a hand in this problem. Same problem at Santa Barbara. Royal Vista should not have this as it sold UDI points only and NO fixed weeks.

That front desk response that VIP upgrades are on request is pure BS. Problem is the resort caters to the owners they know who come year after year, and ignore the ones that come periodically because they know they will not have to deal with them likely ever again.

 

[am1]

Same old. Why not send out e-mails asking for cancelations?

 

[Jan M.]

If you made a reservation that received the upgrade at the time of booking then that size unit is what you reserved, period. If you requested an automatic upgrade if one becomes available then you received an email informing you of what your new reservation is and that is the unit size you will see when you pull up the reservation on your account. There have been some instances of the system giving automatic upgrades on messed up inventory. In those cases the owners were notified there was an issue beforehand. But I thought we were finally past that with this website.

It is my firmly held opinion that if there is actually an issue then only the reservations that received an automatic upgrade if one became available would be the reservations affected. No one who got the upgrade at the time of booking should ever be affected. The automatic upgrades should be taken in the order of the most recent automatic upgrades first. In other words if both you and I had reservations for the same time and one of us received the automatic upgrade at say 45 days and the other at 30 days, the 30 day one would lose their upgrade before the 45 day one.

Now as to why this wasn't resolved before anyone arrived is flat out incompetence. Both on the part of the website and the resort manager. I would bet, and bet big money, because we've stayed at this resort a number of times and are familiar with the issues there, that the problem is because of the fixed weeks. The resort manager absolutely knows that there are a number of fixed weeks at this resort and those owners should always be in their own unit. That isn't up for debate. Fixed week owners don't own points they own that week at that resort and no one should ever be in their unit during their week without the owners express consent. That means if they don't use it and it sits empty the resort still doesn't have the right to use that unit without reimbursing the owner. There is absolutely no excuse for the resort manager not to be given or have compiled a list of what unit numbers and weeks are fixed weeks and take them out of the inventory. As a VIP owner I can request a specific unit when I make a reservation. If that unit isn't available the system tells me it isn't and I select another unit number. There is no way it is that hard to take unit numbers xxx, yyy, and zzz for week 11 out of the available inventory.

 

[pedro47]

I feel all hotels and timeshare resorts overbook to a very small degree thinking’s that between 1% or 2% guests will cancel their reservation in the last 48 hours IMO.

 

[DrQ]

What does your contract say regarding reservations? Unless it is spelled out differently, a reasonable person would expect a confirmed reservation an offer and acceptance.

I would not rely on what you "hear" from lower level employees. Insist on talking to the manager ... on record. Note the date and time.

 

[55plus]

Timeshares are different than hotels. Timeshare owners have contracts with the timeshare companies whereas you don't have a complete usage contract with a hotel. Losing a timeshare reservation due to over booking constitutes fraud on the part of the timeshare company. A hotel is a different story.

 

[am1]

If you made a reservation that received the upgrade at the time of booking then that size unit is what you reserved, period. If you requested an automatic upgrade if one becomes available then you received an email informing you of what your new reservation is and that is the unit size you will see when you pull up the reservation on your account. There have been some instances of the system giving automatic upgrades on messed up inventory. In those cases the owners were notified there was an issue beforehand. But I thought we were finally past that with this website.

It is my firmly held opinion that if there is actually an issue then only the reservations that received an automatic upgrade if one became available would be the reservations affected. No one who got the upgrade at the time of booking should ever be affected. The automatic upgrades should be taken in the order of the most recent automatic upgrades first. In other words if both you and I had reservations for the same time and one of us received the automatic upgrade at say 45 days and the other at 30 days, the 30 day one would lose their upgrade before the 45 day one.

Now as to why this wasn't resolved before anyone arrived is flat out incompetence. Both on the part of the website and the resort manager. I would bet, and bet big money, because we've stayed at this resort a number of times and are familiar with the issues there, that the problem is because of the fixed weeks. The resort manager absolutely knows that there are a number of fixed weeks at this resort and those owners should always be in their own unit. That isn't up for debate. Fixed week owners don't own points they own that week at that resort and no one should ever be in their unit during their week without the owners express consent. That means if they don't use it and it sits empty the resort still doesn't have the right to use that unit without reimbursing the owner. There is absolutely no excuse for the resort manager not to be given or have compiled a list of what unit numbers and weeks are fixed weeks and take them out of the inventory. As a VIP owner I can request a specific unit when I make a reservation. If that unit isn't available the system tells me it isn't and I select another unit number. There is no way it is that hard to take unit numbers xxx, yyy, and zzz for week 11 out of the available inventory.

If I had two units and the first was upgraded at 55 days you have one that was upgraded at 40 days and my second unit was upgraded at 25 days. If I decided I only need 1 and cancelled the one upgraded at 55 days you think you should still get precedence over my other one?

If a fixed weeks owner is down due to maintenance during their allocated week should the resort not try to accommodate them in a UDI unit if possible at no additional cost. There needs to be some flexibility.

 

[jules54]

Sorry but this is another case of an employee not knowing what they are talking about period. One of those just say something even if it's wrong situation.
When I have a final confirmation that has been upgraded it does not say that the unit is an upgrade on the confirmation. So is that employee saying they are going to everyone's account and seeing what has been upgraded. I seriously doubt that.
If points owners do not get the size unit that they booked or the type of view they booked the difference in points should be refunded back to their account. I know it's not easy for the room manager but that's too bad that's why it's spelled JOB not FUN. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.

 

[lost patience]

I had an instant upgrade (upgrade done at time of booking) at Grand Desert that was not honored. By the time I was notified, there were not any other rooms available in the system. When I pushed, the manager was able to provide 2 rooms, but used a guest pass for the second room, and said they were going to charge my account the points needed. This was a couple of weekends ago, and my guest pass is at -1, so far, no points were pulled.

 

[Jan M.]

I had an instant upgrade (upgrade done at time of booking) at Grand Desert that was not honored. By the time I was notified, there were not any other rooms available in the system. When I pushed, the manager was able to provide 2 rooms, but used a guest pass for the second room, and said they were going to charge my account the points needed. This was a couple of weekends ago, and my guest pass is at -1, so far, no points were pulled.

You should not be charged the points for the second unit. Your reservation with the upgrade at the time of booking was for a two bedroom; there is no discussion beyond that. Keep an eye on your account to make sure you don't eventually get charged the points and if you do call owner care.

 

[fer829]

A slightly different situation:
We checked in last week at Branson Meadows with a confirmed 1 BR Deluxe-Mobility (the "mobility" is a different story) for a Thursday through Saturday nights and was told at check-in that there was no 1 BR Deluxe available and I was being given a 1 BR Suite.
(There were several buildings closed with construction and the resort was very busy.)
I pressed the question several times and asked about a refund of the difference of points which she said they could not do.
We got to the room and called Wyndham to complain--she put me on hold to call the resort w/o success and since we had unpacked I said we would stay in the room but at least wanted the point difference.
I was told I should call owner care after we checked out, which we did the other day with a very sympathetic representative and did get the points difference posted to our account.
I was not a happy camper and don't understand the incompetence. It makes me think that I should have gone to the "update" instead of declining it--I might have felt a lot better after unloading on them.

 

[55plus]

A slightly different situation:
We checked in last week at Branson Meadows with a confirmed 1 BR Deluxe-Mobility (the "mobility" is a different story) for a Thursday through Saturday nights and was told at check-in that there was no 1 BR Deluxe available and I was being given a 1 BR Suite.
(There were several buildings closed with construction and the resort was very busy.)
I pressed the question several times and asked about a refund of the difference of points which she said they could not do.
We got to the room and called Wyndham to complain--she put me on hold to call the resort w/o success and since we had unpacked I said we would stay in the room but at least wanted the point difference.
I was told I should call owner care after we checked out, which we did the other day with a very sympathetic representative and did get the points difference posted to our account.
I was not a happy camper and don't understand the incompetence. It makes me think that I should have gone to the "update" instead of declining it--I might have felt a lot better after unloading on them.

Was the suite mobility accessible? If you requested and were confirmed a handicap unit, and Wyndham didn't notify you prior to your arrival one wasn't available, as a disabled veteran, I'd do more than only want the points difference. An ADA violation may have occurred.

Happened to me at Starr Island. I requested mobility unit. We checked in and went to our unit. It turned out to be one of the buildings that doesn't have an elevator. I can't climb stairs so went back to the desk. I was told they would have someone carry the luggage up for us. I said, no, how am I going to get up and down? After 10 minutes I finally got a building with and elevator. It wasn't handicap accessible, but I can live without that.

 

[Sandy VDH]

A slightly different situation:
We checked in last week at Branson Meadows with a confirmed 1 BR Deluxe-Mobility (the "mobility" is a different story) for a Thursday through Saturday nights and was told at check-in that there was no 1 BR Deluxe available and I was being given a 1 BR Suite.
(There were several buildings closed with construction and the resort was very busy.)

It sounds like poor reservation management on the resorts part. If they have buildings closed for renovations or other issues, they should have known in advance and informed you about that.

I just had friends I booked for Pagosa and they are having structure issues with all of Eagles Landing and they called me about a month in advance and told me the 2 BR Loft unit was NOT going to be available, and what exactly did I need for accommodations so that they could move me into another appropriate unit. That is how Branson should have handled things. Seems someone dropped the ball or the constructions was unplanned, but with several buildings that seems unlikely.

 

[fer829]

Was the suite mobility accessible? If you requested and were confirmed a handicap unit, and Wyndham didn't notify you prior to your arrival one wasn't available, as a disabled veteran, I'd do more than only want the points difference. An ADA violation may have occurred.

I guess that it was designated as a "mobility accessible" unit. However, the only thing that would seem to qualify for that is that there was an open space under the counter beside the lavatory that a wheelchair could have utilized. The toilet was not elevated, there were no grab bars in the bathroom, the doors had knobs instead of levers, the dishes were all in the high ceiling cabinets, and I can't even vouch for the width of the doors. My wife is not wheelchair bound, but it takes her a lot of effort with the bathroom. Fortunately, we threw the toilet seat extender in the car before we left so it mostly worked out ok.

It sounds like poor reservation management on the resorts part. If they have buildings closed for renovations or other issues, they should have known in advance and informed you about that.

Agreed--all of the buildings closest to the highway were blocked off (about 30% of the resort). Even though this is the slow season in Branson, the resort must have been full with spring break families since the parking was so full that we had to park each night all the way at the end by the construction material stockpiles. I had confirmed the unit several months ago so it was not a last minute problem that just popped up. The resort was definitely at fault.
The conclusion is that I have calmed down after complaining to owner care. Our time was fully booked with the series we were attending and we didn't do much in the way of cooking in the unit so I was satisfied with the return of the points difference. I did miss not being able to use the jacuzzi tub that would have been in the deluxe though.

 

[am1]

Wyndham never managed those units properly in the reservation system. Anyone could reserve them and then not sure how it was decided who stayed in them. In the 10 000 or so units I rented never once was I asked if the unit was accesible. A few times if it was stairs or elevators.

 

[DrQ]

If you can make a legitimate ADA complaint, it can really cost them. I don't know on a Missouri State level, but you can invoke federal violations. $$$

 

[jwalk03]

We went to Branson last March for Spring Break and several of the buildings were closed for construction then too! They were completely gutting all the units and replacing everything from the carpet to the appliances to the ceiling fans. So I would guess it was definitely planned construction! No excuse for not having the unit you were confirmed for.