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Are CI rooms rare?

presley

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I've tried to book CI Palm Desert a few times and haven't been able to. There was one time where I was able to book it 11 months out, but we ended up changing that reservation to something else.

I was checking on November and December and there is nothing open. She said she looked for someone else a couple days ago and there was nothing for the rest of this year, but looking for me just now, she sees that a few days in October just came available and I should check back frequently.

I have tried to book a summer there in the past and couldn't. The rep was very surprised that there weren't any rooms available because it is the lowest season there. I am wondering if the rooms are very rare and I shouldn't bother trying to booking them. I don't enjoy calling in every day.
 

tashamen

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I don't know what kind of arrangement HGVC has with CI, so don't know how much of the inventory is available to you.

I checked the CI owner webpage for availability at PD, and you're definitely late for October and November - there are only a handful of units available for 1 or 2 nights in those months. But beginning with the first week in December, there is plenty of availability in most types of units through the whole month.
 

clotheshorse

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I've tried to book CI Palm Desert a few times and haven't been able to. There was one time where I was able to book it 11 months out, but we ended up changing that reservation to something else.

I was checking on November and December and there is nothing open. She said she looked for someone else a couple days ago and there was nothing for the rest of this year, but looking for me just now, she sees that a few days in October just came available and I should check back frequently.

I have tried to book a summer there in the past and couldn't. The rep was very surprised that there weren't any rooms available because it is the lowest season there. I am wondering if the rooms are very rare and I shouldn't bother trying to booking them. I don't enjoy calling in every day.

You have to keep trying and start early as CI has limited properties and they are popular with their owners, leaving limited supply for HGVC members. I was able to get a room the first week in December last year, even theen there was limited availability. It is a great property and I do look forward to going back. Good luck.
 

tashamen

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Another option would be direct exchange

To OP - a suggestion is that you could try a direct exchange with a CI member. One of them could book the CI resort for you through CI, and you could book an HGVC property for them through HGVC. CI doesn't charge anything for members to have someone else use their reservation - we just need to notify the resort before check-in.

Note that this is not an offer from me right now! But there are probably many of us CI members who don't belong to the Extraordinary Escapes program in CI, so HGVC properties are not available to us.

There needs to be a level of trust for this type of transaction, but I've received offers from TUG members to book them CI properties in exchange for one of their own ts resorts.
 

presley

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To OP - a suggestion is that you could try a direct exchange with a CI member.

I'll consider that for the future. This particular try would involve me changing an existing HGVC reservation. So, a trade wouldn't work this time.

I do often see the CI palm desert deposits in II with my Shell, but those are for full weeks and I am usually looking for 3 or 4 night stay.
 

SLO-Hedger

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I tried to make reservations at CI Palm Desert without success this whole summer.
Any chance HGVC would open its own resort in Palm Desert/Palm Spring? Marriott has a big presence there.
 

clotheshorse

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I tried to make reservations at CI Palm Desert without success this whole summer.
Any chance HGVC would open its own resort in Palm Desert/Palm Spring? Marriott has a big presence there.

That would be nice. Given the limited availability of CI, I currently trade into Westin through SVO. For CI, are you trying for a week? I have found success with three or four days when I talk with the HGVC agent. If you are flexible or can combine it with another Timeshare property in the desert, maybe this would be a strategy.
 
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