Marriott Ko Olina room request for exchangers

[Pmuppet]

Hello,
I have an exchange at the Marriott Ko Olina and I called to make a room request (high floor and nice view). They said they don’t take requests from exchangers. Is that always been the practice from Marriott properties, it is just at the Marriott Ko Olina property, is it a new practice at Marriott, or did I get someone who just doesn’t understand my request?

Obviously, exchangers should be the lowest priority when it comes to rooms. I would expect Marriott to give the top priority to people booking on their website who paying the most for the rooms as they want repeat business, followed by contractual obligations on the deed of people who own at that resort, and then lastly lowly exchangers like myself.

I have always had the mindset as an exchanger that I expect the worst room the resort has to offer given I pay so much less than others who stay there. But, I do appreciate being able to make a request for a high floor especially. I hope this person got it wrong, but she was adamant that is their policy and she had been there for many years.

So, instead of calling back and talking to someone else, I thought I would ask the TUG community.

Thanks in advance!

 

[klpca]

I've had no luck with requests at MKO. When are you going? If it is too far out then I agree there is no point. Maybe our resident MKO expert @frank808 will chime in with his experience.

 

[Dean]

Hello,
I have an exchange at the Marriott Ko Olina and I called to make a room request (high floor and nice view). They said they don’t take requests from exchangers. Is that always been the practice from Marriott properties, it is just at the Marriott Ko Olina property, is it a new practice at Marriott, or did I get someone who just doesn’t understand my request?

Obviously, exchangers should be the lowest priority when it comes to rooms. I would expect Marriott to give the top priority to people booking on their website who paying the most for the rooms as they want repeat business, followed by contractual obligations on the deed of people who own at that resort, and then lastly lowly exchangers like myself.

I have always had the mindset as an exchanger that I expect the worst room the resort has to offer given I pay so much less than others who stay there. But, I do appreciate being able to make a request for a high floor especially. I hope this person got it wrong, but she was adamant that is their policy and she had been there for many years.

So, instead of calling back and talking to someone else, I thought I would ask the TUG community.

Thanks in advance!

I'd call back at a different time of day on a different day and ask again. Also, if you get a welcome email you can respond to, you might ask that way as well. With Covid all I've gotten has been an informational email with no chance to interact but it's possible you may have a chance to make a request that way as well. The other options is if you get a request for a tour you could ask through that route as well.

 

[frank808]

Sorry but I haven't called to make a request at MKO. I put in a request for high floor whenever I get emails from the welcome team about a couple weeks before checkin. Though it has been hit or miss in getting emails.

Speaking with the management at MKO it is a policy that exchangers are usually assigned to floors no higher than 5th floor. Because of covid it has been less stringent if the resort has low occupancy(most of 2020). The resort is running nowadays at about 65% and it is usually higher on the weekends and holidays like this weekend. Resort is at 98% starting today through monday from what I was told. Occupancy is improving as there is now a bell man available until 11pm or midnight now. Everything is almost normal except for the nneed to reserve pool times (hot tubs are also open now) and limited fitness room hours. The sauna/steam rooms, billiards room and family room is still closed. Can even get movies from the DVD machines again (although the movies are the same from a year ago).

If you have any other questions I will be glad to answer them or find the answer for you if I do not know it.

BTW if anyone is here at MKO this week, I would like to invite any TUGGERS for an impromptu meet n greet. GregT will be here this coming week and we will try to meetup. I would love to meet anyone else that would like to put a face to a name.

 

[JanT]

It’s colder than a well digger’s butt here in Texas today and tomorrow’s going to be worse!! I so want to head back to KoOlina!!!

 

[Pmuppet]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It is a last minute booking for my friends arriving tomorrow so I didn’t think they would be able to make a request (because the rooms are probably already assigned). I was just surprised to hear you can’t make a request and pray they can fulfill it.

Thank you tuggers for your help!

 

[TXTortoise]

SteveTing previously posted the assignment hierarchy at MKO, but I don’t have it handy. It doesn’t directly address your question, but worth seeing if he has it handy.

FWIW, Maui does it differently, as I was never able to get them to confirm if it was the same after sharing the list with them. MOC does usually assign the room type as provided on the Interval reservation.

 

[samara64]

It’s colder than a well digger’s butt here in Texas today and tomorrow’s going to be worse!! I so want to head back to KoOlina!!!

Jan, I hope we will not be digging wells when we come in few weeks as I already did my part here in Seattle. What part of Texas are you in. Are you close to Dallas.

We will be back to Koolina Aug 29-Sep12 or Sep 19 God willing. Hope to see you there.

If you need help with II sightings, let me know.

And to appreciate Hawaii more, today we woke up on a small snow storm that we get every few years here. Pics are from the greenbelt behind our house. There is a small stream in the background that is frozen. Hope it goes away soon.

 

[JanT]

Oh my!! That looks sooo cold. Guess I shouldn’t complain - we haven’t had snow yet. It’s 27 degrees though and that is cold for where we live. We’re about 6 hours from Dallas, Sam. When are going and for how long. Weather permitting we may be going through there in very early March.

Jan, I hope we will not be digging wells when we come in few weeks as I already did my part here in Seattle. What part of Texas are you in. Are you close to Dallas.

We will be back to Koolina Aug 29-Sep12 or Sep 19 God willing. Hope to see you there.

If you need help with II sightings, let me know.

And to appreciate Hawaii more, today we woke up on a small snow storm that we get every few years here. Pics are from the greenbelt behind our house. There is a small stream in the background that is frozen. Hope it goes away soon.



View attachment 32295

 

[samara64]

PM sent Jan.

 

[jmmoultn]

We loved Ko Olina but got the same policy three years ago. Two years ago, we got much nicer rooms with DPs, but our “effective” cost was much higher


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[frank808]

It’s colder than a well digger’s butt here in Texas today and tomorrow’s going to be worse!! I so want to head back to KoOlina!!!

It is a little colder here than normal. It went down to 79 today.

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[b2bailey]

I spent 3 weeks at Ko-Olina in January. All were Interval exchange weeks. First 2 weeks were coded studios island view -- and that's what I received. Last week, coded Ocean view, and I was pleased with my room assignment. I'm forgetting building names, but the one which houses reception area was not available to me for a high floor, ocean view.

 

[frank808]

You were probably in Moana.

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[regatta333]

We checked in yesterday for our second, non-consecutive week. First week check-in was 1/30. Even though the first week was low occupancy (they said 40%), we were first assigned a handicapped unit. I told them that the lower counters would not work for us and they gave us ONE other room option, a 5th floor resort view in Hale Moana. This was a nice view, but when we requested something similar for this week, we were told we would be in the same building, but with a golf course view. I asked again about a resort view at check-in yesterday, but no go. They are MUCH busier this week. Tough to find parking and lines at the elevators. We are Vistana owners, but here on an exchange. I got the impression that don't accommodate preferences for exchangers.

 

[JanT]

I’ll take 79 and sunny! Still so cold here and the power companies are asking people to conserve their electrical use. Yeah, Texas doesn’t like natural gas, of course. In times like these that’s not a good thing.

Enjoy Hawaii!!

It is a little colder here than normal. It went down to 79 today.

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[b2bailey]

We checked in yesterday for our second, non-consecutive week. First week check-in was 1/30. Even though the first week was low occupancy (they said 40%), we were first assigned a handicapped unit. I told them that the lower counters would not work for us and they gave us ONE other room option, a 5th floor resort view in Hale Moana. This was a nice view, but when we requested something similar for this week, we were told we would be in the same building, but with a golf course view. I asked again about a resort view at check-in yesterday, but no go. They are MUCH busier this week. Tough to find parking and lines at the elevators. We are Vistana owners, but here on an exchange. I got the impression that don't accommodate preferences for exchangers.

I forgot -- they first assigned me a handicap room -- but I went back to front desk and asked for a room with a bathtub.

 

[b2bailey]

Here's what I am thinking. If the resort has owners who book with DP and pay the extra for OV but stay only for a few days -- then that week would be taken out of the pool for weekly exchanges. I was thinking that about Newport Coast when I was there last week.