Disappointed with Palm Aire

[Jan M.]

We live about 25 minutes from the Pompano Beach resorts. I book Palm-Aire I'd say at least four or five times a year when we have guests. Once in awhile I'll book Royal Vista too. We've been fortunate in that we haven't had many issues.

Palm-Aire is a busy resort and a good sized one too. Getting all the units turned over in a timely manner is a challenge at any busy, large resort. Sometimes the hallways smell musty but that happens in Florida. We've had that at Bonnet Creek.

Something we do that I saw someone else mention is arrive early. If the unit isn't ready we run errands, have lunch, hang out in the outside seating areas. When we do get in the unit it's still early enough in the day for them to be able to do something if there's a problem with the unit. When you arrive late afternoon or early evening or don't get into your unit until then and there's an issue there's often no options left.

One thing I've noticed is that once you're in a unit the resort is very resistant to moving you. I think that's a management directive to the front desk staff.

A lot of the complaints are from people who book through RCI. Those units are in Queen and Royal Palm buildings. Also from the Wyndham owners or their guests who have reservations those buildings and aren't happy once they get to the resort and see where their unit is.

 

[troy12n]

In addition to RCI, users can book Palm Aire through the Wyndham Hotels side. It costs 30,000 WR points per night, I have seen them there before, 1 and 2BR, I would have to assume they go into Fountain and Queen Palm

 

[schreff]

I think you will be ok. Snowbird season seems to be the worst and I imagine it is because of multiple multi-week reservations. I also suggest you plan on arriving earlier in the day (not later than 5pm).

Yes, good advice. Calling and/or emailing multi individuals meant nothing even though we are VIP Plats owning over 1/2 M developer points there along with 300,000 resale points. Palm Aire is our home resort and we made it perfectly clear when we requested our unit at the time of booking that any Areca poolside unit would be fine. Our problem is that they fill the units with anyone who comes in early and there is a room ready. Forget about VIP 2 PM early check in or the ability to request a specific unit, these benefits are down the drain. Ain't doing the snowbird thing there anymore even thought the weather is great and the activities are fun. Also, the housekeeping and maintenance staff is great too. Management is the ?????????

 

[schreff]

In addition to RCI, users can book Palm Aire through the Wyndham Hotels side. It costs 30,000 WR points per night, I have seen them there before, 1 and 2BR, I would have to assume they go into Fountain and Queen Palm

Me too. Perhaps just another factor in their over booking syndrome.

 

[lotus921v]

We live about 25 minutes from the Pompano Beach resorts. I book Palm-Aire I'd say at least four or five times a year when we have guests. Once in awhile I'll book Royal Vista too. We've been fortunate in that we haven't had many issues.

Palm-Aire is a busy resort and a good sized one too. Getting all the units turned over in a timely manner is a challenge at any busy, large resort. Sometimes the hallways smell musty but that happens in Florida. We've had that at Bonnet Creek.

Something we do that I saw someone else mention is arrive early. If the unit isn't ready we run errands, have lunch, hang out in the outside seating areas. When we do get in the unit it's still early enough in the day for them to be able to do something if there's a problem with the unit. When you arrive late afternoon or early evening or don't get into your unit until then and there's an issue there's often no options left.

One thing I've noticed is that once you're in a unit the resort is very resistant to moving you. I think that's a management directive to the front desk staff.

A lot of the complaints are from people who book through RCI. Those units are in Queen and Royal Palm buildings. Also from the Wyndham owners or their guests who have reservations those buildings and aren't happy once they get to the resort and see where their unit is.

I had booked directly through Wyndham and paid for the Areca building. They gave our unit away and put us in Royal

 

[troy12n]

I had booked directly through Wyndham and paid for the Areca building. They gave our unit away and put us in Royal

You are speculating that's what happened, but have zero evidence that this is actually what happened. You don't know, neither do we.

Did they overbook? Maybe?
Was the room you had assigned unusable (for any reason)? Maybe

Did they give your room away? Maybe, but to whom? This is where your speculation falls flat... "give it away" to whom? And what does Wyndham gain by something like this?
Fact is, this is an older resort, older resorts have maintenance issues. Pipes break, toilets break, shower fixtures break, air conditioners break, refrigerators and other appliances break. Which would render the unit "out of service".

You booked it during spring break month, the previous tenants could have been some unruly college students who trashed or damaged the unit and they possibly could not get it ready for you.

These are all things more inside the realm of possibility moreso than "they gave it away", which is irresponsible speculation.

Sometimes these things happen, and there is a reasonable explanation, not a infowars level conspiracy theory about how they are out to get you. Despite rhetoric to the contrary from a couple disgruntled owners, Wyndham desires happy owners, they know putting them in lesser units creates unhappy owners, so they have a vested interest in NOT doing this.

It seems this resort has a reputation for doing this more often than one would think, but one really cannot know if there is a legitimate reason for it or not.

This week, i'm at Kingsgate and got put in a Mobility unit. It's not ideal, but i'm dealing with it. The sink is tiny and makes cleaning dishes almost unbearable The shower doesn't have a shower curtain, because I guess that's how this accessible shower was designed. Me and my family are dealing with it. When I asked about it, the resort said they are at capacity, and that tracks with the number of people and cars I see.

 

[dioxide45]

You are speculating that's what happened, but have zero evidence that this is actually what happened. You don't know, neither do we.

Did they overbook? Maybe?
Was the room you had assigned unusable (for any reason)? Maybe

Did they give your room away? Maybe, but to whom? This is where your speculation falls flat... "give it away" to whom? And what does Wyndham gain by something like this?
Fact is, this is an older resort, older resorts have maintenance issues. Pipes break, toilets break, shower fixtures break, air conditioners break, refrigerators and other appliances break. Which would render the unit "out of service".

You booked it during spring break month, the previous tenants could have been some unruly college students who trashed or damaged the unit and they possibly could not get it ready for you.

These are all things more inside the realm of possibility moreso than "they gave it away", which is irresponsible speculation.

Sometimes these things happen, and there is a reasonable explanation, not a infowars level conspiracy theory about how they are out to get you. Despite rhetoric to the contrary from a couple disgruntled owners, Wyndham desires happy owners, they know putting them in lesser units creates unhappy owners, so they have a vested interest in NOT doing this.

It seems this resort has a reputation for doing this more often than one would think, but one really cannot know if there is a legitimate reason for it or not.

This week, i'm at Kingsgate and got put in a Mobility unit. It's not ideal, but i'm dealing with it. The sink is tiny and makes cleaning dishes almost unbearable The shower doesn't have a shower curtain, because I guess that's how this accessible shower was designed. Me and my family are dealing with it. When I asked about it, the resort said they are at capacity, and that tracks with the number of people and cars I see.

If it was a maintenance issue, wouldn't the resort have been more forthcoming with the reason why they were moved to a different section?

 

[troy12n]

If it was a maintenance issue, wouldn't the resort have been more forthcoming with the reason why they were moved to a different section?

We don't know that they weren't... all of it is pure speculation. Also, i'm not sure I would expect the check-in people to even know if that was the issue or not. They don't assign rooms, they just check people in. The resort GM, if the OP had engaged them, would have been able to get a more detailed response about the room assignment.

And I guarantee you their answer would not have been "we gave your room away"

 

[chapjim]

We don't know that they weren't... all of it is pure speculation. Also, i'm not sure I would expect the check-in people to even know if that was the issue or not. They don't assign rooms, they just check people in. The resort GM, if the OP had engaged them, would have been able to get a more detailed response about the room assignment.

And I guarantee you their answer would not have been "we gave your room away"

Their answer might not be the truth, either.

Resort managers have a whole sack full of reasons for moving a guest that can't be verified or disproven.

 

[troy12n]

Their answer might not be the truth, either.

Resort managers have a whole sack full of reasons for moving a guest that can't be verified or disproven.

While I would agree with you, I think the actual truth is, the resort didn't "give away" their unit.

They were either overbooked, or there was a maintenance issue. Period.

Now, being overbooked is not an excuse, it's unacceptable if this is a regular practice there, which it almost sounds like it may be... but "their" room wasn't given away... if you rationally scrutinize that statement, you will find it's really inconceivable.

To remove a room from someone and give it to someone else has a consequence and I cannot fathom a scenario where this would happen. If I was to speculate, they have X number of room type requested, and Y reservations... the OP arrived at the resort after inventory of room type X had been depleted. For whatever reason. So they got moved.

Admittedly this is unacceptable for the OP. But let's not let this devolve into a infowars level conspiracy theory or speculation on the nefarious behind the scenes tactics of Wyndham... because taking off your tin foil hats, you will realize that that's not what is going on...

 

[troy12n]

Or to put it another way, "given away" implies a nefarious or injurious motive or intent to harm the affected individual. I don't see that conceivably happening.

The OP was definitely inconvenienced by being put in a different section than they booked, and should have been made whole, as best they could. And it sounds like they were, eventually.

 

[Jan M.]

Semantics. Bottom line is the OP didn't get what they booked. What was substituted, for whatever reason, was inferior and unacceptable.

 

[Eggrollcreative]

Yup Spring Break, why they ask where we want to be I’ll never understand…they did give us a corner unit. It is a great size but A/C makes a sound like a clown winding down when it shuts off…they did fix it…the perfume smell of air fresheners is very strong…the elevator got hung up for about 15 minutes…they fixed that also…so glad we were not on first floor where hallway has a smell that could be urine in the first section. Also sad we had to use a laundry room, no laundry in the unit. I do appreciate all the activities…tennis, mini golf, Pilates, music and karaoke nights…love the walking path along the ponds/lakes…may be our last time there though. Leave it for the families to enjoy.

 

[snickers104]

If I book a 2bdrm through RCI but add 3 nights prior to the RCI reservation with Wyndham points in Sabal do you think they will make me move?

 

[Jan M.]

If I book a 2bdrm through RCI but add 3 nights prior to the RCI reservation with Wyndham points in Sabal do you think they will make me move?

Afaik the RCI units are in Queen and Royal Palm buildings. Your best bet would be to call the resort to let them know you have the Wyndham reservation and the RCI reservation. Ask them to note on your reservations that you would like to be able to stay in the same unit in Sabal or Fountain Palms buildings. The earlier you can get there the day your reservation begins the better off you will be. If you'll be there at a very busy time I don't know what your chances of success will be. Good luck.

 

[vroomandzoom]

If it was a maintenance issue, wouldn't the resort have been more forthcoming with the reason why they were moved to a different section?

We were at Palm-Aire a few weeks ago and our washer/dry unit broke and was replaced within 1 hour!

 

[noreenkate]

the OP arrived at the resort after inventory of room type X had been depleted. For whatever reason. So they got moved.

In some states this kinda hotel type bait and switch is considered deceptive business practices.

No matter what you believe happened to cause the “move” the OP should not have to wait to checkout before they will discuss the points difference and or refund…OP should not have had to get on the phone with Wyndham-

As soon as whomever made the decision that OP was to be moved that process should have started with minimum a phone call to OP- with an apology and a suggested solution such as this is what we have available…

I have only had rooms go down with DVC and my family needed to be moved in the middle of the night. I had stopped by the desk with a maintenance request after we returned back from the parks.

The acting manager- had us moved to a different building, other than where we booked, as Jumbo house was full. We didn’t lift a finger entire room was done by staff. We were given an upgraded room view, each of us received gift cards and my points for the entire stay were returned. I did not have to ask for anything as far as compensation it was just done.

I have no expectations for this level of service at Wyndham but a some sort of reasonable customer service would have been appropriate not apathy.

 

[schreff]

We were at Palm-Aire a few weeks ago and our washer/dry unit broke and was replaced within 1 hour!

Agree, Palm Aire has a fine maintenance staff but a crumb doesn't equal a whole loaf of bread. VIPs and home resort owner's who bought into the VIP program should at least have their benefits recognized as promised and as written within the contract and supporting documentation.

 

[MikeandLisaR]

And in all fairness to the OP they booked the higher point building Areca, not the Royal Palm, which is less points.

At this resort different building has different points.

I have had this happen to friends of mine at Sea Gardens. I booked them Ocean Palms which is more points, and the front desk tried to put them in Cabanas. I warned her about them trying this and they did. I told her to call me if they tried it, and sure enough they did.

If points are higher for some buildings and lower for others, and you book the higher points you should have an expectation that you will be in that building.

That is NOT asking for an upgrade. That is asking for what you booked.

I've been trying to find threads about Sea Gardens putting people with Ocean Palms reservations into Cabanas. Just checked into Sea Gardens last night,1/25/25, and they did it to us saying that then didn't have any room in the tower. Any idea who has the power to change a room code in the computer? The person at check-in showed me the screen on her computer and said it was a Cabanas reservation. Supposed to talk to the manager today, next day, to get moved. There seems to be something fishy going on here. We booked a 2 bdrm dlx. The pointed taken are for a 2 bdrm dlx, not cabanas 2 bdrm. Any ideas?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I've been trying to find threads about Sea Gardens putting people with Ocean Palms reservations into Cabanas. Just checked into Sea Gardens last night,1/25/25, and they did it to us saying that then didn't have any room in the tower. Any idea who has the power to change a room code in the computer? The person at check-in showed me the screen on her computer and said it was a Cabanas reservation. Supposed to talk to the manager today, next day, to get moved. There seems to be something fishy going on here. We booked a 2 bdrm dlx. The pointed taken are for a 2 bdrm dlx, not cabanas 2 bdrm. Any ideas?

@MikeandLisaR I made that comment nearly 2 years ago.

I would get an image showing my reservation and the points used, I would get the points charts that apply to the Ocean Tower and Cabanas buildings showing the points values and I would ask for the manager to explain. I would also call corporate and ask for a refund if you don't get moved.

 

[Jan M.]

Before moving to Florida, we would do a winter vacation at Sea Gardens for a number of years. I always booked the Ocean Palms building as I liked the walk through the waterfall and garden sections on my way to the beach. Living not far from Pittsburgh, PA, seeing flowers and tropical plants in the wintertime was a treat.

For years the Sea Gardens managers or whoever now assigns the units have been notorious for putting owners wherever suits them or is easiest at the moment regardless of whatever the owner had reserved. Then flat out lying to the owners faces.

One major way they used to screw up, and likely still do, is because this resort has a number of fixed week owners. Especially in the winter months. For those of you who don't know, a fixed week owner owns their week in a specific unit. The resort absolutely shouldn't ever assign that week in that unit to anyone else. To give a little more info, a fixed week owner doesn't use or need a guest confirmation if they send a family member, friend, or rent their week in their unit. All they do is call the resort to inform them of who they are giving permission to check in for their week.

Now I'm sure we're all thinking how does it happen that someone at the resort puts someone who shouldn't be in the fixed week owners unit? Wouldn't you think they would be blacked out as unavailable and untouchable? Of course!

One particular fixed owner we haven't seen active in awhile, had a number of fixed weeks she owned. From what I remember she upon occasion told the resort to remove whoever they put in her unit or she would have the sheriff remove them and press trespassing charges. Some owners have been know to call their units to make sure no one was in them. If the resort put someone in them it's my understanding that those owners have requested and received financial reimbursement.

I can tell you from first hand experience that it's a nightmare of reshuffling when they have to move people out of a fixed week owners unit. We had it happen to us at Sea Gardens back when we were househunting for our upcoming move to the area. After a full day of work for DH, we'd spent the next few hours looking at houses with a realtor. After a late dinner we arrived back at the resort to have them ask us if we could help them out by moving that night instead of in the morning like we were scheduled to do. Being nice people we said sure.

I had taken time off work and flown down from Pennsylvania for the sole purpose of house hunting. So only had a few days and was on a tight schedule. DH was living mostly out of Palm-Aire and the two weeks he was staying at Sea Gardens was only because I wanted to stay there for the few days I was there. He had a lot of stuff plus a lot of food stuff. We'd packed his car with everything we could think of to set himself up in an apartment. Lol, we never, ever expected that I would be able to find stays for him from December 5th to April 8th!

BTW, I still like to give a shout out to Palm-Aire. When he moved back they put him in the sane unit for six weeks so he never had to move.

By the time we packed everything up, moved it all, unpacked in the new unit for the next week, and finally got to bed it was 1:30am. At 8am the phone rang with them saying we had to move. I was more asleep than awake and thought they thought we were in the old unit. So I said we'd already moved, hung up and rolled back over. Next thing I know they're beating on our door telling DH who answered the door that we have to get out. Not only that but we have to get a move on it so we're out by 10am. They're making it clear they're prepared to evict us if they have to.

So here we are starting the day exhausted. Once again doing all the packing, moving and unpacking, with appointments set up to look at more houses. To say I was not a happy camper is putting it mildly. However upsetting DH's morning routine and not even wanting to give him time to have coffee? The world is a better place if you don't go there. Even the menopause me of a few years earlier, who was pretty much a raging lunatic, didn't mess with that, lol. The resort manager gave us the points back for that week.

Once I learned here on TUG about Sea Gardens screwing around with fix weeks, I knew immediately that's why they had been so frantic to get us out of the unit. The unit they'd moved us to and we'd helped them out by moving to a day early.

When they're busy like they always are this time of year, having to fix their screw ups probably takes some work. My guess is that they'll take the easy way out if they can get away with it.

 

[MikeandLisaR]

Quick update. We met with the new manager of Sea Gardens and are very happy with the results of that meeting. Wayne, the manager since last summer, took the time to listen to our complaints starting with me. After listening to me for 5 or ten minutes he could tell Lisa was bursting to talk. He asked her directly what she thought. He listened as she told him just what she thought and the effect the night before had had on her. He explained what had probably happened and found a solution that was very satisfactory to all of us.

We've stayed at Sea Gardens January and February for five or six years now. We really like it here and consider it our winter home. I believe it was a "one of" and with the new manager things her will only get better.

Your right about fixed weeks making it difficult for then. And they do assign units at the last minute. We've had to move several time in the last few years and they will not tell anyone what unit they are moving to until they call and say it's ready. And it's hard to get a reservation this time of year. I'm hopeful that Wayne will do better. We're good for this year and will be back next.