Vistana is telling me no small 1 bedrooms for prime summer 2019 are available

[needvaca]

So, I own a mandatory Vistana property with Staroptions and a resale gold plus weeks 9-43 SBP 2BR.
I went on Vistana.com to see availability of SBP. My SBP home resort usage is available weeks 23, 24, 25, but not week 26 (check-in Fri, Sat or Sun)
However, my StarOptions are showing availability for check-in on Friday June 28, Sat June 29 and Sun June 30 (exactly 12 months out today) for all units (2BR lockoff, 2BR, 1BR premium, and 1BR- 37,000 options so I know it's plantation phase.

This leads me to believe Vistana has availability for mandatory owners, but not voluntary SBP owners of 2BR (or in your case 1BR) for this prime 4th of July week. Is that legal in the Vistana rules? It doesn't seem like it should be.
This makes me angry as well. Vistana should not be able to withhold 4th of July week from owners who bought that season.

 

[dioxide45]

I suspect that they somehow have those small 1BR coded incorrectly in their system and it is blocking home resort reservations. The weeks are there, there is just a bug (a big one) preventing owners from booking them.

 

[tschwa2]

So, I own a mandatory Vistana property with Staroptions and a resale gold plus weeks 9-43 SBP 2BR.
I went on Vistana.com to see availability of SBP. My SBP home resort usage is available weeks 23, 24, 25, but not week 26 (check-in Fri, Sat or Sun)
However, my StarOptions are showing availability for check-in on Friday June 28, Sat June 29 and Sun June 30 (exactly 12 months out today) for all units (2BR lockoff, 2BR, 1BR premium, and 1BR- 37,000 options so I know it's plantation phase.

This leads me to believe Vistana has availability for mandatory owners, but not voluntary SBP owners of 2BR (or in your case 1BR) for this prime 4th of July week. Is that legal in the Vistana rules? It doesn't seem like it should be.
This makes me angry as well. Vistana should not be able to withhold 4th of July week from owners who bought that season.

And to make it worse Vistana members don't have to pre-pay their MF's to book their home weeks but non Vistana owners at SBP do. I think if you had tried to book the full lock off at midnight you would have been able to but not waiting unitl the next day.

 

[tschwa2]

I suspect that they somehow have those small 1BR coded incorrectly in their system and it is blocking home resort reservations. The weeks are there, there is just a bug (a big one) preventing owners from booking them.

The problem with that theory- and I had that one last year too, is that there is no problem booking March weeks and September weeks as home weeks for the small one bedroom- just nothing for weeks 25-33 for sure and maybe a few on the sides but I didn't specifically check for those.

 

[rickandcindy23]

So, I own a mandatory Vistana property with Staroptions and a resale gold plus weeks 9-43 SBP 2BR.
I went on Vistana.com to see availability of SBP. My SBP home resort usage is available weeks 23, 24, 25, but not week 26 (check-in Fri, Sat or Sun)
However, my StarOptions are showing availability for check-in on Friday June 28, Sat June 29 and Sun June 30 (exactly 12 months out today) for all units (2BR lockoff, 2BR, 1BR premium, and 1BR- 37,000 options so I know it's plantation phase.

This leads me to believe Vistana has availability for mandatory owners, but not voluntary SBP owners of 2BR (or in your case 1BR) for this prime 4th of July week. Is that legal in the Vistana rules? It doesn't seem like it should be.
This makes me angry as well. Vistana should not be able to withhold 4th of July week from owners who bought that season.

Yes, Staroptions is different inventory. Supposedly, weeks deposited into RCI are also different inventory.

You needed to call ahead by a week to book your week 26. The inventory was definitely there a few days ago for 2 bedrooms. You can book 12 months + 1 day to 24 months ahead. You must pay your fees first to book, and you have to call to book it. If your voluntary unit is a lockoff unit, you couldn't have gotten the full lockoff, even last week, because there are apparently no small one bedrooms available for prime summer months. It's exasperating.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I suspect that they somehow have those small 1BR coded incorrectly in their system and it is blocking home resort reservations. The weeks are there, there is just a bug (a big one) preventing owners from booking them.

Man, I wish it was that simple. That would be awesome, if they had a problem like that they could fix. However, I believe, truly, that they deposited way too much inventory into RCI 18 months out. They shouldn't do that at all, but it's in Vistana's best interest to do so. They should wait until all home resort reservations are over and done, and just bank 10 months out.

I would guess RCI has them over a barrel for the 1-in-4 guest restrictions. Vistana has always wanted that 1-in-4 rule (like Hilton), and that brings a never=ending stream of new guests into Vistana's resorts, for timeshare sales' presentations. I am sure RCI told them in order to do that, they must bulk bank way ahead of the 10 months out, and they must give prime inventory.

I am sure you noticed that Hilton bulk banks well over a year out. Inventory for summer of 2019 at the Hawaii resorts has come and gone already. Some fall weeks still linger. but those get booked right away, and it's a whole new batch each year for the sales' department.

 

[rickandcindy23]

And to make it worse Vistana members don't have to pre-pay their MF's to book their home weeks but non Vistana owners at SBP do. I think if you had tried to book the full lock off at midnight you would have been able to but not waiting unitl the next day.

Were you able to book a full lockoff at midnight? If so, why did they say they have no small one bedrooms for prime summer weeks?

 

[tschwa2]

Were you able to book a full lockoff at midnight? If so, why did they say they have no small one bedrooms for prime summer weeks?

No. I don't own any lock offs. I own dedicated 2 bedrooms and the small bedrooms.

 

[vice]

It seems that there is no explanation on the lack of small one bedrooms for the entire summer. This makes zero sense to me. It's obvious Vistana is holding back, or depositing into RCI, more of the small one bedrooms than are deeded and owned.

I was able to get my small one bedroom booked. It's a small unit, standalone with no lockoff door, for 6/29 of next year. That was easy enough to get. But the small sides of those two bedroom lockoffs, nothing is available.

If you own a lockoff unit, it's time to get on the phone and find out what is going on with this. I shouldn't have to pay 24 months in advance to book my deeded weeks, but I might have to do it.

RickandCindy23,
Curious if you tried the 24 months in advance booking for July 4th week of 2020? I know it stinks to prepay over a grand for a reservation 2 years in the future but it would at least help in getting to the bottom of exactly what is causing your inability to book your deeded lock-off units.
As a data point, I booked online my floating (deeded week 23) Gold plus 2 Bedroom non-lockoff SBP Plantation phase voluntary unit for week 26 July 4th Holiday 2019 right when the window opened up at midnight a few nights ago then followed up the next morning and called in to book my deeded week 27 floating Gold plus 2 Bedroom non-lockoff SBP Plantation phase voluntary unit on the phone. Of course prepaying maintenance fees online for both ahead of trying to book. Also, as expected because of knowledge I gained from one of your previous posts, I had to explain to the phone rep that I had the ability and right to book my deeded week more than a year out because those are the rules at SBP Plantation phase. She eventually got it booked for me.
I guess I lucked out and bought 2 Bedroom units rather than 2 Bedroom lockoff units judging from all of the trouble you are having booking. I do hope you get it resolved.
-vice

 

[rickandcindy23]

No. I don't own any lock offs. I own dedicated 2 bedrooms and the small bedrooms.

I was able to book the small one bedroom unit I own for 4th of July next year. It is the small 1 bedroom that has no door to separate the two one bedrooms in the lockoff. That was easy to book.

I will be interested in how easy it is for you to book your units. Is that the unit type you own?

 

[rickandcindy23]

RickandCindy23,
Curious if you tried the 24 months in advance booking for July 4th week of 2020? I know it stinks to prepay over a grand for a reservation 2 years in the future but it would at least help in getting to the bottom of exactly what is causing your inability to book your deeded lock-off units.
As a data point, I booked online my floating (deeded week 23) Gold plus 2 Bedroom non-lockoff SBP Plantation phase voluntary unit for week 26 July 4th Holiday 2019 right when the window opened up at midnight a few nights ago then followed up the next morning and called in to book my deeded week 27 floating Gold plus 2 Bedroom non-lockoff SBP Plantation phase voluntary unit on the phone. Of course prepaying maintenance fees online for both ahead of trying to book. Also, as expected because of knowledge I gained from one of your previous posts, I had to explain to the phone rep that I had the ability and right to book my deeded week more than a year out because those are the rules at SBP Plantation phase. She eventually got it booked for me.
I guess I lucked out and bought 2 Bedroom units rather than 2 Bedroom lockoff units judging from all of the trouble you are having booking. I do hope you get it resolved.
-vice

Yes, it's the lockoff units that are the issue. I have no problems booking anything in my 2 bedrooms, except this morning I called too late. I cannot book online because I own too many, and the system times out on me.

 

[vice]

Yes, it's the lockoff units that are the issue. I have no problems booking anything in my 2 bedrooms, except this morning I called too late. I cannot book online because I own too many, and the system times out on me.

So did you book a 2 BR Lockoff unit for week 26 of 2020, or was the "owners have already booked ALL of the small one bedrooms" excuse used when you tried to book 24 months in advance?

 

[rickandcindy23]

So did you book a 2 BR Lockoff unit for week 26 of 2020, or was the "owners have already booked ALL of the small one bedrooms" excuse used when you tried to book 24 months in advance?

I haven't done that yet. I may do it. I just think paying two years in advance is ridiculous. I would ask for the inventory first, then pay, so I wouldn't pay ahead. I own week 23, week 27, week 28, week 31 and week 33, all in lockoff units. There are only 3 that are really prime weeks.

I sent Vistana an email and had to send it in three parts because it was more than 1,200 words. I tried splitting into two, but it was still too many words, so I had to send three emails. :O

 

[pchung6]

I have the same problem. I can't book SBP small room week 28 next year. I want July week, but never available.

 

[JudyS]

I have also had this problem with the small L/O villa in the original section of SBP. It has happened on-and-off to me over the past few years. I reported on it a few years back.

One year, the entire Gold Plus season was booked for the small L/O villas, before the usage year had even started. Even early spring and late fall was booked. In theory, there should always be a week for each owner, so there should be no way the whole season could book up before the year even starts. In practice, if too many weeks were deposited into exchange companies, it's possible that not enough would be left for owners who wanted to actually stay at the resort. There also could be some sort of problem with StarOption or FlexOption owners booking inventory that is supposed to go to flex weeks instead.

I have always eventually been able to get a July week, by either checking back online or by emailing Owner Resolution services. It's a real pain, though.

Maybe, when one of us is able to book our small L/O villa for a prime summer week, that person should report back here on TUG. That way, other owners here would know when to go online and book a week. I

 

[JudyS]

OK, I just checked. Nothing is showing at all for 2019 for the small L/O villa in the original section of SBP. Not mid-May, not week 9, nothing. The calendar view shows all dates for 2019 available (through 1 year from now), but when I put in a particular date, it says nothing available. It's extremely unlikely that lots of people are pre-paying their 2019 dues just so they can book off-season weeks in the spring. So, this is some sort of computer glitch.

 

[okwiater]

I can see and reserve the small 1BR for July 4 week using Flex.

 

[JudyS]

I can see and reserve the small 1BR for July 4 week using Flex.

Okwiater, do you mean you are using FlexOptions? Or, are you using a week that can be used only at SBP, but that floats (flex) rather than is fixed?

 

[okwiater]

Okwiater, do you mean you are using FlexOptions? Or, are you using a week that can be used only at SBP, but that floats (flex) rather than is fixed?

I mean using Sheraton Flex options rather than a seeded SBP week.

 

[JudyS]

I mean using Sheraton Flex options rather than a seeded SBP week.

I think the problem is only with the deeded (no StarOptions or FlexOptions) weeks.

 

[rickandcindy23]

OK, I just checked. Nothing is showing at all for 2019 for the small L/O villa in the original section of SBP. Not mid-May, not week 9, nothing. The calendar view shows all dates for 2019 available (through 1 year from now), but when I put in a particular date, it says nothing available. It's extremely unlikely that lots of people are pre-paying their 2019 dues just so they can book off-season weeks in the spring. So, this is some sort of computer glitch.

I have mentioned that to the Vistana people, and none of them has any answers. This is really disconcerting because the small one bedrooms have very low trading power with II, and I have about 8 of those to deposit for this year alone. Now next year's weeks too? What is going on with inventory, and especially ahead of the 12-month mark, when inventory should be there.

It used to be the opposite. The small one bedrooms appeared throughout the summer, even during the summer, I could count on some of those appearing out of the blue for a month ahead. I don't see that anymore. I believe inventory is mismanaged and being held back from owners. And the way Corealiss treated me, whatever her name is (that is how I would spell it) was extremely condescending during our conversation.

 

[tschwa2]

I contacted Vistana and got the same canned response so I responding again asking them to please check again and that the problem was specifically with the small bedroom of the lock out side and that I understood about availability but could they please check to see if there were any units being released at the time the rest of the units were being released. This time the response was they would check with the appropriate department and get back to me. That was on Friday so I am at least hopeful that they will be able to see there is a real problem rather than just brushing it aside.

 

[JudyS]

I wonder how many TUG members are having this same problem? Perhaps if we all wrote a joint letter we would have more effect.

I own two of the small one-bedroom lock-off units. I've always eventually gotten a summer week for both of them, after complaining to Owner Resolution services. However, I often end up with a week that is later in the summer, even though I was entitled to book a prime July week.

I didn't realize that small one-bedrooms were weak traders in II. I should try comparing them to my other II weeks.

 

[tschwa2]

I didn't realize that small one-bedrooms were weak traders in II. I should try comparing them to my other II weeks.

They were good traders until a year or two ago. I wonder if it is because they had a lot more deposits when owners couldn't reserve good weeks. It still is an ok trader but last year I was comparing my trading power to one that I had used previously but had eplus attached and the older deposit could see a lot better than the 2018 one that I deposited last year.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I contacted Vistana and got the same canned response so I responding again asking them to please check again and that the problem was specifically with the small bedroom of the lock out side and that I understood about availability but could they please check to see if there were any units being released at the time the rest of the units were being released. This time the response was they would check with the appropriate department and get back to me. That was on Friday so I am at least hopeful that they will be able to see there is a real problem rather than just brushing it aside.

I am hoping you get the answers I cannot get from anyone. I think they are mismanaging inventory and have no explanations because they would have to admit they gave too many weeks to RCI or to options inventory. I continue to watch daily for availability. What a waste of my time.