MARRIOTT / CORONAVIRUS [MERGED]

[Dean]

The only thing I think DVC did that was super nice and only effect those that borrowed was to return your points to the original use year. But my guess, the accountants figured out how many were borrowed and how that would affect them in the long run. I don't think they made that decision as a way to be nice to us. LOL...

While obviously a different situation, this is c/w their normal disaster process (Hurricanes). And as I understand it, they went back and forth even publishing info at one point that they wouldn't do it. The one thing that drives me crazy about DVC is that they don't make decisions and stick to them, they are reactive rather than proactive.

 

[Steve Fatula]

The only thing I think DVC did that was super nice and only effect those that borrowed was to return your points to the original use year. But my guess, the accountants figured out how many were borrowed and how that would affect them in the long run. I don't think they made that decision as a way to be nice to us. LOL...

Wow, so DVC doesn't normally return borrowed points to their original use year!?

 

[Dean]

Wow, so DVC doesn't normally return borrowed points to their original use year!?

No under normal circumstances you cannot return them to the original use year. They also have a one time double secret exception that they allow on a case by case basis.

 

[Nsivertsen]

Aloha, all,

I have 4 weeks reserved for Marriott Ko Olina Resort in April/May, and am thinking about what I should do about the corona virus problem. Perhaps some of you can comment on my thoughts?

I called Marriott and asked about options, and the person I spoke to (who didn't sound very knowledgeable) told me that cancellation of owner weeks is a loss for me, and that is why I was supposed to buy vacation insurance. I had bought the insurance. So I should just call the insurance company, file a claim and get my Maintenance fees back?

Is that true? Is there no way to reschedule the date on my reservation to another time, say in September, if the weeks are available? Even if there is a change fee? I have a call-back request into Marriott right now, and I'm waiting to hear from someone there who can help me with the answer to this question, but I'm wondering if any of you have encountered this before?

Otherwise, would I deposit the weeks into Interval and hope I could exchange into something later? I think I have heard that exchanging back into a Marriott property, especially your home property, through Interval, is not available...True?

Also, if I deposit into Interval at this late date, (Late Deposit) would I only be eligible for last minute exchanges?

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do?

Mahalo

 

[Nsivertsen]

I too am getting the certificate deposited in II “as a goodwill gesture”, but my email from owner services says expiration to use by is 12/16/21.
Yesterday was the deadline for “it will be deposited in your II account within 10 business days”, yet no certificate is there. We are weeks owners in Platinum season at Aruba Surf Club, which ends April 30 each year. Maybe we can use it near Denver to visit our 2 yr old grandson. That would be worth it!!


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I too am getting the certificate deposited in II “as a goodwill gesture”, but my email from owner services says expiration to use by is 12/16/21.
Yesterday was the deadline for “it will be deposited in your II account within 10 business days”, yet no certificate is there. We are weeks owners in Platinum season at Aruba Surf Club, which ends April 30 each year. Maybe we can use it near Denver to visit our 2 yr old grandson. That would be worth it!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The only thing I think DVC did that was super nice and only effect those that borrowed was to return your points to the original use year. But my guess, the accountants figured out how many were borrowed and how that would affect them in the long run. I don't think they made that decision as a way to be nice to us. LOL...

be careful. The certificate that Marriott is giving you isn't the same as you depositing and requesting your choice. the certificate issued is to be used until 2021 but only the resorts that II has available. Usually not the same as you own and probably not the value of your own. good luck!

 

[hangloose]

I see my certificates now, but notices two things:

1. MVCI placed them in my II Corp account vs my II personal account which I had to pay to renew since it had my canceled COVID unenrolled weeks.

Did this happen to anyone else?

2. My canceled weeks were a 2BR and a 3BR. But I only received two 2BRs.

Shouldn’t one of them be a 3BR? Did this happen to anyone else?

 

[dioxide45]

I

I see my certificates now, but notices two things:

1. MVCI placed them in my II Corp account vs my II personal account which I had to pay to renew since it had my canceled COVID unenrolled weeks.

Did this happen to anyone else?

2. My canceled weeks were a 2BR and a 3BR. But I only received two 2BRs.

Shouldn’t one of them be a 3BR? Did this happen to anyone else?

If you won't be using that personal II account because of where they placed the ACs, perhaps you could reach out to the II TUG Members mailbox and see if they would refund the renewal/annual fee?

 

[tomvc]

I see my certificates now, but notices two things:

1. MVCI placed them in my II Corp account vs my II personal account which I had to pay to renew since it had my canceled COVID unenrolled weeks.

Did this happen to anyone else?

2. My canceled weeks were a 2BR and a 3BR. But I only received two 2BRs.

Shouldn’t one of them be a 3BR? Did this happen to anyone else?

Can you see exchanges to Marriott's with the certs in your Corporate account? If yes, that's a bonus since Marriott to Marriott trades might be free. If not, you probably need to have AC's moved to your personal account.

 

[brianfox]

You can deposit it directly into II yourself but if you get too close to your 60 days, I would call Marriott. Every time I have deposited weeks with II, several days later Marriott confirms that I own that particular week and have deposited it into II. I just don't know when II actually counts the deposit. So why take chances. I also feel you have nothing to lose by trying to change your reservations with Marriott to later in the year. Your same options will still be available if HI doesn't open up. Just calendar when your 61 days time frame is and make the decision later this year.

Thank you for this advice.
Marriott has QUITE A FEW open weeks at Ko Olina later in the year. One trick to getting one is requesting a Full Villa (a 2BR non-lockoff). We pushed our 2 weeks out to end of October. Will try to re-rent them and if things are still closed down, we will deposit. I could have chosen November or even December, but I have a feeling we may be in the midst of "Phase 2" at that time. October may be the "sweet spot" if such a thing exists this year...

Waiohai was a different story entirely, with everything taken for the rest of the year. We were only able to push one week out to late October. Cancellations may happen, but Waiohai is such a small resort compared to Ko Olina. But at least we still have the opportunity to rent out our week.

 

[hangloose]

Can you see exchanges to Marriott's with the certs in your Corporate account? If yes, that's a bonus since Marriott to Marriott trades might be free. If not, you probably need to have AC's moved to your personal account.

Yes. I can use my Certs to see Marriott availability in my Corp Account.

With II certs....can we do OGS...within the 120 window? Or no OGS at all? I'm not sure if using a Cert...you can do Marriott to Marriott re-trades for free? Is that only for when using your actually MVCI enrolled week...vs a cert?

 

[hangloose]

2. My canceled weeks were a 2BR and a 3BR. But I only received two 2BRs.
Shouldn’t one of them be a 3BR? Did this happen to anyone else?

NO 3BR II CERTS.

In talking with MVCI, there were no MVCI COVID II certificates that allowed 3BR. So, those who lost a 3BR reservation ...were given a 2BR II cert.

Two downsides.
- Potential demand trading of 2BR vs 3BR (if even relevant here)
- Additional $99 upsize charge potentially. I was told to talk with a supervisor to waive the $99 upcharge if using my 2BR certificate (received for my 3BR) for a 3BR exchange.

 

[hulachic]

Did anyone else see that MVC changed the Covid-19 policy to before and after June 1 this morning? I know I'm not crazy but now it is back to showing May 14. What the heck?!!

 

[Pamplemousse]

.

 

[hulachic]

Did anyone else see that MVC changed the Covid-19 policy to before and after June 1 this morning? I know I'm not crazy but now it is back to showing May 14. What the heck?!!

I'm not sure why it did that but it shows June 1 again. We were able to cancel our May 16th arrival at MOC and get the $99/120 day certificate. We were getting uncomfortably close to that 14 day mark so I'm glad they moved the date out today. The rep we spoke to said he was just reading about the change when we called and we were the first to call with an arrival date within the extension. Thankfully, everything was handled quick and easily. Now we wait for the certificate to show up in II and go from there.

 

[dioxide45]

Interesting, I thought with the change to a June 1 date, they would now be blocking new trades and bookings in to Marriott and Vistana properties through June 1st. Looking at II though, you can still confirm a trade on or after May15th.

 

[macroprez13]

We had a reservation for a week at Grande Ocean on Hilton Head Island from May 9-16, 2020 using Vacation Club Points. Then the coronavirus issue hit the world. Since I along with my wife and our two travel companions are in our upper 60’s, we heeded the advice of the public health community and decided it was not safe for us to travel. So on March 18 we cancelled our reservation for Grande Ocean.

I was advised that my points from 2020 would be good until December 31, 2021. That is good news and I appreciated the extension. But what really bothered me was that I was advised these points could only be used for a villa reservation within 120 days of arrival vs. the standard 12 months. This was because I canceled my reservation less than 60 days before arrival. MVC was happy to tell me that they had extended this reservation window from 60 to 120 days!

I missed the 60 day cancellation requirement by 8 days. This was in mid-March when the virus became a major issue. Therefore, we did not have enough fair warning of the stay at home policy to cancel our reservation more than 60 days in advance. So why are we being penalized for not knowing more than 60 days in advance of our reservation that we needed to stay safe and not travel?

I e-mailed, chatted with and called MVC, even talking to a supervisor, but they all said there was nothing they could do. I am so pissed at MVC for their inflexibility towards owners who had reservations in April & May of this year. No wonder why MVC and vacation clubs in general are getting a bad reputation and our kids are using Airbnb. Even the airlines, normally known for inflexibility, are responding with positive changes to cancelled flights. Come on MVC!

 

[frank808]

We had a reservation for a week at Grande Ocean on Hilton Head Island from May 9-16, 2020 using Vacation Club Points. Then the coronavirus issue hit the world. Since I along with my wife and our two travel companions are in our upper 60’s, we heeded the advice of the public health community and decided it was not safe for us to travel. So on March 18 we cancelled our reservation for Grande Ocean.

I was advised that my points from 2020 would be good until December 31, 2021. That is good news and I appreciated the extension. But what really bothered me was that I was advised these points could only be used for a villa reservation within 120 days of arrival vs. the standard 12 months. This was because I canceled my reservation less than 60 days before arrival. MVC was happy to tell me that they had extended this reservation window from 60 to 120 days!

I missed the 60 day cancellation requirement by 8 days. This was in mid-March when the virus became a major issue. Therefore, we did not have enough fair warning of the stay at home policy to cancel our reservation more than 60 days in advance. So why are we being penalized for not knowing more than 60 days in advance of our reservation that we needed to stay safe and not travel?

I e-mailed, chatted with and called MVC, even talking to a supervisor, but they all said there was nothing they could do. I am so pissed at MVC for their inflexibility towards owners who had reservations in April & May of this year. No wonder why MVC and vacation clubs in general are getting a bad reputation and our kids are using Airbnb. Even the airlines, normally known for inflexibility, are responding with positive changes to cancelled flights. Come on MVC!

I look at this from a different perspective. At least MVC adjusted the T&C and allowed an extension to 2021.

It could have been worse and MVC stuck to the T&C that we all agreed to upon signing on the dotted line. I am glad they extended the points for another year of use until 2021 with 120 day window. Much better than the actual rule of holding points use within 60 days that expire at the end of this 2020.


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[normab]

I agree with Frank. We had to rebook points and an exchange week. When we first cancelled, they were only extending to Dec 31 2020. It put us in a difficult position. We are grateful they extended it through next year.

 

[DeeCee]

Thank you everyone for all your input. Hope all of you are safe and well. We’re still stay at home and hoping we get somewhere with an safe answer so we can begin to reopen and have someplace to go!!!

Marriott told me our week would be deposited within 10 days (into interval). That was the last week in March. It’s still not deposited. I called last week and they said it would take up to 45 days from that conversation to show up.

We are not in any hurry since we don’t see travel as safe yet, and there are so many other issues around the current state of society, so we’re ok with it being in hold.

The amount of loss and suffering we are hearing of within our circle and our community sure puts things in perspective. Of course, no one wants to lose money or time, but it has become so blatantly secondary. So we’re just chillin.

Thanks again for listening and for your input.

A huge shout out and THANK YOU to all first responders and healthcare workers, grocery store workers and all those doing their part to help keep America safe! You’re hero’s!

Dee

 

[Gutdoc7]

Dear Marriott Vacation Club Owner,

As a valued member of the Marriott Vacation Club family, we wanted to provide you with an update on our ongoing efforts to keep our resorts around the globe comfortable and safe environments for our Owners, guests and associates. Simply put, there is no higher priority for our organization.

We have been actively monitoring and reacting to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation since its emergence in the Asia Pacific region late last year. As the situation began to develop, we quickly took steps to stand-up our dedicated and tested emergency preparedness and response teams, and subsequently charged each of those teams with preserving the safety and well-being of our Owners, guests, and associates.

I am pleased to report that we have continued to welcome Owners and guests to each of our resorts without disruption since earlier this year. Our resorts and associates look forward to welcoming you and your family on your next vacation, and rest-assured that we will continue to evolve our on-site response to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

On that note, our corporate and site leadership teams continue to closely monitor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statements and advisories regarding COVID-19. We continue to follow both WHO, CDC and local/state health department guidance, as well as any guidance which may be issued by local/state health departments regarding recommended hygiene standards. We are also working closely with our industry and vendor partners to adopt best practices around cleaning processes.

You should also know that the daily health and safety measures that are already in place at our resorts are designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19. Those health and safety measures extend from handwashing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to villa and common-area cleaning procedures.

However, in response to the spread of COVID-19, our resorts and properties have increased the cleaning protocols for high-frequency guest touchpoints as well as the following public areas, where applicable:

• Public restrooms
• Lobbies
• Fitness centers and locker rooms
• Activities and Kids Clubs
• Shuttle buses
• Other key guest areas

Our associates are also expected to follow the WHO and CDC recommendations for everyday preventative actions to help prevent the spread of diseases, and we encourage all Owners and guests to do the same both at home and while at our resorts.

Traveling is a fundamental part of our lives and vacations are an important part of finding balance in a fast-paced world while we reconnect with family and friends. Vacations are circled on our calendars long in advance of lazy days by the beach, hitting the slopes, exploring new urban destinations, and simply spending quality time with loved ones.

Our resorts are open, our pool decks are set, and our associates look forward to welcoming you and your family on your next vacation.

Thank you for being part of the Marriott Vacation Club family, and I look forward to seeing you at our resorts as I vacation with my family throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Steve Weisz
President & Chief Executive Officer