Cancelling reservation and rebooking: how quickly are staroptions made available in VSN system?

[trook]

I didn't get the ideal dates I was hoping for on a staroptions 8 month out. I ended up booking something just to get a vacation on the books, but its not my ideal dates. I am now considering other dates that seem to be available. If I were to cancel my current reservation at 11:59pm, are my staroptions immediately re-available to me in the system to rebook at midnight a new date? or in your experience is there some sort of processing time or set timeframe that they are not available? Also, is that reservation that I cancelled then immediately re-available to book if I want to pick it back up?

 

[Markus]

The Staroptions come back right away, but if you drop your existing reservation, you may not be able to get tit back.

 

[Mroze]

If someone has an open request waiting, then your canceled week may never show up again.

Have experienced both.
1. When my canceled reservation showed up immediately for me to book again.
2. When my canceled reservation NEVER showed up again [this was for a high-demand week in March at Kierland]. Most likely matched to an open request.

 

[trook]

If someone has an open request waiting, then your canceled week may never show up again.

Have experienced both.
1. When my canceled reservation showed up immediately for me to book again.
2. When my canceled reservation NEVER showed up again [this was for a high-demand week in March at Kierland]. Most likely matched to an open request.

Sorry, maybe a newbie question... what is an "open request"? How does one make those?

 

[Mroze]

If a specific week is not immediately available, owners can place requests.
In the past, Vistana used a manual process [human check] to match these open requests.
Thus, a returned week could show up as available until the next morning for someone else to grab [i.e. you could rebook your canceled week].

However, a few years ago, Vistana implemented an automated [computer match] system which meant that as soon as something is placed in inventory, that could be matched to an open request.
Since there is a lower probability of someone requesting a low-demand week [e.g. summer in AZ], those are likely to show up immediately [no pending request] after cancellation.

 

[trook]

If a specific week is not immediately available, owners can place requests.
In the past, Vistana used a manual process [human check] to match these open requests.
Thus, a returned week could show up as available until the next morning for someone else to grab [i.e. you could rebook your canceled week].

However, a few years ago, Vistana implemented an automated [computer match] system which meant that as soon as something is placed in inventory, that could be matched to an open request.
Since there is a lower probability of someone requesting a low-demand week [e.g. summer in AZ], those are likely to show up immediately [no pending request] after cancellation.

So an open request can be placed by calling owner services the morning after a date becomes available if you are unable to book at midnight because it is entirely full already?

 

[Mroze]

So an open request can be placed by calling owner services the morning after a date becomes available if you are unable to book at midnight because it is entirely full already?

A request would need to be made as early as possible.
If you make the request the morning after it becomes available, there could be many [10's or 100's or requests that were placed months earlier].
The earliest request will be fulfilled first.

I haven't done one in a while [not since the Abound integration] so my guidance could be outdated.

 

[kozykritter]

You have to be Presidential or above to put a waitlist in within the VSN and only for the float period 8 months or less out, basically equivalent to the old 4* or 5* elite level. This is per the elite benefits chart they put out after they replaced the * elite levels. Abound waitlist, anyone can do but in the VSN only those highest levels can.

 

[timsi]

Based on my experience, the inventory usually goes back online immediately, except perhaps within 60 days or less before check-in. However, there is a risk that someone else might snatch it up. To minimize this risk, it's probably best to release/rebook at times when fewer owners are actively looking, such as late at night or early in the morning.