NEW CANCEL POLICY - Restricted Star Options are good until end of 2021 and 120 day advance use.

[duke]

Called to cancel my WMH reservation due to receiving closure email.
They said:
1. Resorts are not closed for owners or StarOption reservations/use.
2. The email only applied to cash pay reservations which are being refunded.
3. Cancel policy has been updated today so that returned StarOptions are good until end of 2021 and can be used to make reservations 120 days in advance.
4. These restricted options can not be exchanged for Marriott Points.
5. Policy may change again in future.
6. This change applies to cancellations made before where you received restricted options after March (date to be determined).

 

[emeryjre]

anything in writing??

 

[needvaca]

Still not updated on the app or website

 

[komosatp]

Called to cancel my WMH reservation due to receiving closure email.
They said:
1. Resorts are not closed for owners or StarOption reservations/use.
2. The email only applied to cash pay reservations which are being refunded.
3. Cancel policy has been updated today so that returned StarOptions are good until end of 2021 and can be used to make reservations 120 days in advance.
4. These restricted options can not be exchanged for Marriott Points.
5. Policy may change again in future.
6. This change applies to cancellations made before where you received restricted options after March (date to be determined).

I was told the same over the phone this morning. He said they hoped to have the new rules operational online in the system in a matter of days.

 

[emeryjre]

#1 is very confusing given that Atlantis has closed down. Does this mean that Harborside is still open to owners and star option reservations?
#2 same as #1
#3 canceled today, was told that my star options were resticted to 60 days and expired in 2020.
#4 OK, no issue with that one
#5 Please get consistent
#6 Same as #3.

Plea to Management. Please get this info out via the websites and hub.vacation.com and stop with the mouth to mouth transmittal of the information. Ties up the phone lines and makes management look really behind the curve in the digital age.

 

[dioxide45]

#1 is very confusing given that Atlantis has closed down. Does this mean that Harborside is still open to owners and star option reservations?
#2 same as #1
#3 canceled today, was told that my star options were resticted to 60 days and expired in 2020.
#4 OK, no issue with that one
#5 Please get consistent
#6 Same as #3.

Plea to Management. Please get this info out via the websites and hub.vacation.com and stop with the mouth to mouth transmittal of the information. Ties up the phone lines and makes management look really behind the curve in the digital age.

I expect it will take them some time to fix #3 in their system. Their IT departments are not up to par. They probably have to create a database script to run in an overnight process to update the restrictions and new expiration dates. This will take some time.

For #5, I don't think being consistent is possible. SO much change and everything is fluid. Even at State and Federal levels. They could have been consistent and kept their more restrictive policy. Would you have preferred that?

 

[emeryjre]

If we all know about the changes at the same time, they can change as often as they like. I would certainly have handled my post cancellation action today differently if I would have had the latest information. Top weeks for July are gone now and they were available this morning as I was told I couldn’t book out more than 60 days. They were within a 120 day window. Piss poor information flow caused me to miss out on Maui resorts for July.
All the people that booked July did not need the changes to the scripts and databases, they just had to get through on the phone and get the latest info.

 

[dsmrp]

So we won't have to pay a banking fee for those restricted options to carry over, right?
I'll likely have to bank my remaining 2020 options anyway... I can't very well take a week's vacation every month in the fall. Every 3 months is tolerable enough from mgmt's perspective.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

If we all know about the changes at the same time, they can change as often as they like. I would certainly have handled my post cancellation action today differently if I would have had the latest information. Top weeks for July are gone now and they were available this morning as I was told I couldn’t book out more than 60 days. They were within a 120 day window. Piss poor information flow caused me to miss out on Maui resorts for July.
All the people that booked July did not need the changes to the scripts and databases, they just had to get through on the phone and get the latest info.

Not sure what you was looking at but studios or a short stay (< 7 days) are all that was available throughout Maui (WKORV and WKORVN) in July as of Monday 3/23 and Tuesday 3/24 because I was looking at trying to move our 2BR reservation for 6/28 a few weeks further out.

 

[emeryjre]

As you know inventory changes fast. There were several 2 bedroom units available at all 3 Maui resorts on a search I did that morning. I was on the phone and was told that those units were too far out for my restricted star options.
A friend I talked with later in the day got one at North in the morning. He said he had seen a post about the change to 120 days and called VSN. He explained to the rep about the change. Rep checked, discovered it was true. Rep booked unit with a phone call to someone else while friend was on hold. Friend called an associate to tell him. There was nothing available at that point. Maybe 20 minutes later.

 

[GrayFal]

Property Updates | Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Stay up to date on resort and destination information – from applicable weather impacts and relevant maintenance projects to certain health measures and governmental mandates in response to communicable illnesses.

www.vistana.com

now on the website


Canceling a Reservation 1 – 60 Days from Arrival

As of March 12, 2020, due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 situation, we are extending the 60-day restriction on StarOptions to 120 days.

Reservations cancelled within 60 days of arrival will be returned as Restricted StarOptions and can be used for a future reservation within 120 days of arrival date. This change will take approximately 14 days to process. The expiration date of those restricted StarOptions has also been extended for use through December 31, 2021. This extension will be visible in your online account within 45 days.Additionally, cancellation fees are waived due to COVID-19

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

If the resort is closed, how can they restrict your SO's. That should be illegal. By making their policy a little better, they are appeasing folks. They actually wrote to us to tell us to cancel our April stay.

 

[DeniseM]

Question - I know that the refunded Staroptions can be used until the end of 2021, but is there a fee to bank them, like usual?

 

[okwiater]

Question - I know that the refunded Staroptions can be used until the end of 2021, but is there a fee to bank them, like usual?

You can’t bank them. The expiration date is being extended.

 

[controller1]

You can’t bank them. The expiration date is being extended.

Correct. Restricted StarOptions are not eligible for banking or conversion to Bonvoy points.

 

[DeniseM]

So they can be used in 2021, without banking? Cool!

 

[CPNY]

So they can be used in 2021, without banking? Cool!

I wonder if they change my options to restricted since they were cancelled as unrestricted.

 

[CPNY]

Correct. Restricted StarOptions are not eligible for banking or conversion to Bonvoy points.

So when i cancelled the rep removed the restrictions (before the official policy came down). Do you think they would run reports on who cancelled and then restrict the points? Or once restrictions removed i should be ok?

 

[controller1]

So when i cancelled the rep removed the restrictions (before the official policy came down). Do you think they would run reports on who cancelled and then restrict the points? Or once restrictions removed i should be ok?

They're so busy I wouldn't bet on them going back to find your StarOptions that were not restricted.

 

[KACTravels]

Your SO detail will show that they are restricted. The reservation that I had to cancel was after March 12th and show as restricted, but they have not updated the footnotes to indicate that they have the 120 days reservation window and expire at the end of 2021 yet. They did say it would take awhile to update the system.

 

[NJDave]

I have a reservation for Harborside in April using StarOptions that expire December 2020 (banked from 2018). It will be interesting to see if I cancel if they will now expire in 2021 with 120 day restriction..

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - but the recovered Staroptions may not be listed correctly in your account for 45 days, per their announcement.

 

[DeniseM]

I just cancelled a reservation within 60 days check-in, and it's available for 120 day reservations, so looks like it's working.

 

[KACTravels]

I just cancelled a reservation within 60 days check-in, and it's available for 120 day reservations, so looks like it's working.

Does it show on your dashboard or did you try a fake reservation between 61-120 days out?

 

[CPNY]

Your SO detail will show that they are restricted. The reservation that I had to cancel was after March 12th and show as restricted, but they have not updated the footnotes to indicate that they have the 120 days reservation window and expire at the end of 2021 yet. They did say it would take awhile to update the system.

So if it doesn’t show restricted which it shouldn’t since I can bank them now. I might just do that and be done with it