"Gotten" by the minimum stay requirement

[daviator]

So we are currently staying at Westin Desert Willow for two weeks, the first of which is a Vistana reservation (I own there) and the second of which is with Club Points. It turns out that, for reasons which are irrelevant, I have a strong incentive to stay one extra night beyond what we have booked. Because Palm Desert is a road trip for us, we bring a lot of stuff, cooler full of stuff from the fridge, etc., so the idea of moving rooms or hotels for one night isn't very attractive.

No problem, I thought... I'll just book one more night with Club Points. We are set to depart on Saturday, 5/2, and so this would be 5/2 to 5/3. So I log on and try to book. Hmmm, all the weekends are "unavailable." I try again with a two night stay. Still no weekend nights. I try again with three nights. Suddenly all the weekends are available (and at a discount even, since it's within 60 days.)

Aha, I thought. Three night minimum. I figured I could call in and get them to waive it, since I'm really looking to extend an existing stay, and I wouldn't be costing the resort any additional housekeeping expense or anything, I'd just be using – and paying for – one night of unsold inventory. Nope. Owner Services said they couldn't waive the minimum, nor could a supervisor do it. This seems like a really dumb sword to die on.

Now I've appealed to the resort's GM, who is looking into it. But do I have any reasonable options other than booking three nights and leaving after the first night, which wastes something like 250 club points? I checked cash rates through the Marriott site, and even with the owner discount they are pretty ridiculous... plus I don't feel like I should even consider paying cash when I have Abound points unused and paid for.

I understand all the reasons for a minimum stay on weekends, but it also seems like they ought to be able to waive that in the rare case of situations like mine. After all, I could have just bought and eight night stay instead of a seven night stay and I'd have been fine.

I thought about cancelling the second week and rebooking for eight nights, but the first part of that week is Stagecoach weekend here and the resort is full, so if I cancelled my week I'd never get it back and I'd really be up the creek. The rep I spoke to said they couldn't extend my existing reservation (the second week, the one that doesn't start for several days) – is that really true?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Dean]

See if they can just extend your points reservation rather than just booking the 1 night.

 

[daviator]

See if they can just extend your points reservation rather than just booking the 1 night.

They told me they'd have to cancel and rebook, and that I'd likely lose the reservation by doing that. There is no availability for the first weekend of my second week so I can't rebook and then cancel (not that I'd really want to, as that would leave me with a bunch of points in a holding account.)

 

[Dean]

They told me they'd have to cancel and rebook, and that I'd likely lose the reservation by doing that. There is no availability for the first weekend of my second week so I can't rebook and then cancel (not that I'd really want to, as that would leave me with a bunch of points in a holding account.)

Since you're already working with the GM, hopefully they can come up with a solution. If not maybe you can get the single day later if you can hold out.

 

[WorldT]

Someone has the first weekend on the last minute forum, maybe that would help?

 

[daviator]

Someone has the first weekend on the last minute forum, maybe that would help?

Thanks – but I have reservations for that period, I'm just trying to add one day a week later when (ironically) the resort isn't full.

 

[Fasttr]

I have seen posts here that indicate that when asked, MVC has said it was the local resorts that implement these stay minimums. If that’s true, the GM should be able to get this overridden for you. If the GM has no control, at least we learn that these are implemented at the corporate level, not at the resort level.

 

[Dean]

I have seen posts here that indicate that when asked, MVC has said it was the local resorts that implement these stay minimums. If that’s true, the GM should be able to get this overridden for you. If the GM has no control, at least we learn that these are implemented at the corporate level, not at the resort level.

As I've noted previously, I've been told directly by corporate that there is a corporate level person who makes these determinations for each resort and that at times they're absolute and other times flexible. I've also been told it can change by the day. I did ask one of the GM's that I know fairly well and he said it was not done at the resort level.

 

[WorldT]

Thanks – but I have reservations for that period, I'm just trying to add one day a week later when (ironically) the resort isn't full.

Yes. If the request to add the extra day doesn't work, and cancelling and re-booking the first weekend does not work either, maybe this option will cover the first weekend and you book the rest with your points? Just an option to keep on the table if you end up needing it.

 

[Fasttr]

As I've noted previously, I've been told directly by corporate that there is a corporate level person who makes these determinations for each resort and that at times they're absolute and other times flexible. I've also been told it can change by the day. I did ask one of the GM's that I know fairly well and he said it was not done at the resort level.

I’ve seen your explanation of your conversation with corporate change a bit over the years, so I go back to one of your earlier posts linked below where you say you were told each resort has a person responsible for this.

MVC is blocking single night reservations... What Restrictions have you found?

Excepting reservation extension nights, can we agree that resorts should not allow 1 night stays? Should resorts incur the refurbishment costs associated with 1 night stays? How would the reservation system know the difference between a 1-night stay using club points and a 1-night extension...

tugbbs.com

I have seen others say they were also told this.

I have always assumed it was a corporate decision, but I’m just saying others have posted they were told it was a local resorts decision.

 

[Dean]

I’ve seen your explanation of your conversation with corporate change a bit over the years, so I go back to one of your earlier posts linked below where you say you were told each resort has a person responsible for this.

MVC is blocking single night reservations... What Restrictions have you found?

Excepting reservation extension nights, can we agree that resorts should not allow 1 night stays? Should resorts incur the refurbishment costs associated with 1 night stays? How would the reservation system know the difference between a 1-night stay using club points and a 1-night extension...

tugbbs.com

I have seen others say they were also told this.

I have always assumed it was a corporate decision, but I’m just saying others have posted they were told it was a local resorts decision.

I was told each resort has a person but it's at the corporate level and I did ask one GM directly and he said it was not done at his resort but by corporate.

 

[OutAndAbout]

I thought about cancelling the second week and rebooking for eight nights, but the first part of that week is Stagecoach weekend here and the resort is full, so if I cancelled my week I'd never get it back and I'd really be up the creek. The rep I spoke to said they couldn't extend my existing reservation (the second week, the one that doesn't start for several days) – is that really true?

Thanks for any hehelp.

Can you shorten your current points reservation (remove last 2 nights) then book a 3 night new reservation?

 

[daviator]

Can you shorten your current points reservation (remove last 2 nights) then book a 3 night new reservation?

Oh that's an idea. Let me call and try.

Edit: It was a good idea, but it looks like the Thursday night (4/30), which would be the first night of a three-night stay if I shortened the reservation, is sold out. I have read too many horror stories of owner services cancelling a reservation intending to immediately rebook some of the cancelled nights, only to have them disappear to another owner, perhaps someone on the waitlist, to want to risk that.

 

[daviator]

There is a happy ending to my story.

This morning I started to worry that the night I need was going to sell out and that I'd end up with no options, so I decided to bite the bullet and make a three night reservation, and just leave after the first night, and throw away the two extra nights. So I made that reservations using Club Points.

But then a couple hours later, I got a call from a helpful gentleman in the front office who had been asked to try to help my situation. He could see my (new) three=night reservation and wanted to confirm that I actually only wanted the first night. He said he had a call into someone in inventory control and was going to try to shorten the stay. So later this afternoon I got a new confirmation (for just the one night desired) and the extra Club Points returned to my account.

For all the maligning of MVC that happens here, much of which is deserved, the on-property staff is generally fantastic and will occasionally bend over backwards, when able, to solve a problem such as mine. I am grateful. MVC corporate has become very rigid and unwilling to bend the rules even when it makes sense for both company and owner, but in this case, at least, the property management was able to get them to bend.

I continue to be a happy owner.

 

[Dean]

Great, glad it worked out. Still more complicated than it should have been.

 

[daviator]

Great, glad it worked out. Still more complicated than it should have been.

Yes, way more complicated. It seemed to me that my situation should have warranted an easy bending of the rules by owner services. Taking that extra night (which could easily have been part of my original reservation) doesn't cost MVC a dime (just delays the housekeeping by a day) and is a win-win.

So this experience has increased my appreciation for the on-the-ground property folks and further diminished my appreciation for MVC corporate. But at least it got done.

 

[Dean]

Yes, way more complicated. It seemed to me that my situation should have warranted an easy bending of the rules by owner services. Taking that extra night (which could easily have been part of my original reservation) doesn't cost MVC a dime (just delays the housekeeping by a day) and is a win-win.

So this experience has increased my appreciation for the on-the-ground property folks and further diminished my appreciation for MVC corporate. But at least it got done.

It's not necessarily understanding of the rules as they clearly have the ability by rule to require a minimum stay. It's just not reasonable to stick to that requirement this close and it's not reasonable unless published so we all know what to expect. Put it on the reservation page or the HUB.

 

[daviator]

Yes, the lack of transparency around minimum stays is disappointing, especially since most of us were sold into points ownerships with the promise that we could book any number of nights beginning at 1.

I totally understand the necessity of minimum stays in some cases, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (whether deserved or not) and accept that they only realized there would be a need for minimum stay restrictions after a few years of offering points. But at the point they started implementing them, they should have found a way to be more transparent about where and when the restrictions exist, and also offered flexibility for situations like mine (adding a night or two to an existing stay.). And, of course, they should have stopped promising prospective buyers the ability to book any number of nights, but they haven't stopped that either.

 

[MabelP]

I find the front desk at Westin Desert Willows to be extremely accommodating.

 

[aklausing]

There is a happy ending to my story.

This morning I started to worry that the night I need was going to sell out and that I'd end up with no options, so I decided to bite the bullet and make a three night reservation, and just leave after the first night, and throw away the two extra nights. So I made that reservations using Club Points.

But then a couple hours later, I got a call from a helpful gentleman in the front office who had been asked to try to help my situation. He could see my (new) three=night reservation and wanted to confirm that I actually only wanted the first night. He said he had a call into someone in inventory control and was going to try to shorten the stay. So later this afternoon I got a new confirmation (for just the one night desired) and the extra Club Points returned to my account.

For all the maligning of MVC that happens here, much of which is deserved, the on-property staff is generally fantastic and will occasionally bend over backwards, when able, to solve a problem such as mine. I am grateful. MVC corporate has become very rigid and unwilling to bend the rules even when it makes sense for both company and owner, but in this case, at least, the property management was able to get them to bend.

I continue to be a happy owner.

In an earlier post you said you were within the 60 day period for this reservation. I'm curious since you made the reservation for three days and they ended up allowing only one, did the points go back into your account as holding points, or did they somehow over ride your original three day with the one day reservation and no points needed to be returned to your account?

 

[daviator]

In an earlier post you said you were within the 60 day period for this reservation. I'm curious since you made the reservation for three days and they ended up allowing only one, did the points go back into your account as holding points, or did they somehow over ride your original three day with the one day reservation and no points needed to be returned to your account?

They returned the points to me as normal points (not holding account.). I wondered about that too.

But the change to (shortening) the reservation was made within 24 hours of me making the reservation, so I think technically I was still within the period to cancel it and get all the points back unrestricted. So perhaps that's why they were able to do it. Or perhaps they just "did it" since they could. I don't know.