How to book at a "booked" MVC resort?

[jmhpsu93]

Anyone have any advice on how to book at a MVC property with no availability on MVC site, but has availability to book via marriott.com? I'm a newbie points owner.

I've heard "call and ask"...but are there any specific things I should say/do?

Thanks!

 

[Fasttr]

They are different buckets of inventory from different sources. You will see that from time to time.

Can't hurt to ask, but not likely anything they can do for you. One option is you could book it with cash using your MVC owners discount, but you likely want to use your DC points.

 

[Quilter]

Well you could search rentals on redweek.com and see if someone with an owner's week would want to exchange for DC points.

 

[ljmiii]

"Call and ask" is unlikely to help...for the reason Fasttr noted. Make a cash reservation and keep looking for a points reservation is a technique I've successfully used in the past. More to the point, keep looking for 1, 2, and 3 day availability and slowly convert your cash stay to points - understanding that you may have to move rooms.

 

[Steve Fatula]

I have made several reservations with DC points that had no availability. Marriott has a waitlist. You do call and they add you to the list. Works great.

 

[Pamplemousse]

"Call and ask" is unlikely to help...for the reason Fasttr noted. Make a cash reservation and keep looking for a points reservation is a technique I've successfully used in the past. More to the point, keep looking for 1, 2, and 3 day availability and slowly convert your cash stay to points - understanding that you may have to move rooms.

I have also had success “collecting” days to fill out an MVC trip- booking concealable cash nights as back up and then searching for single days through MVC until I had my full stay. As long as they are the same view Marriott can combine them into one reservation- a single room. Last time I did this I had a single cash room in the wrong view and the rep I spoke to at Marriott reservations somehow put me on a wait list and when the correct view came up they moved my reservation so I had a hybrid MVC points (5 nights) / cash stay (1 night cash, 1 MR points) all in one room.

I find “collecting” more successful than getting on the points waitlist- as long as you keep an eye on the 60 day points cancellation deadline.

Learning so much from all of you- thanks.