No More Tidy's at MVC?

[Red elephant]

All if not most HGVC's have mid-week cleanings and it sounds like Vistana does too. Why do people believe MVC and HGVC are equivalent in quality if these services are not regularly rendered at MVCs?

Moreover, the equivalent HGVC is hundreds if not a thousand less in MF for a similar unit so the argument that housekeeping will warp the cost does not seem to hold water.

What is bloating the costs at MVC (and Vistana)? I am a WKORV and WKV owner and I cannot believe how much costs have inflated vs. HGVC. Almost $4000/week for a 2 bdrm in Hawaii is crazy and will lead to defaults. If we weren't grandfathered into Abound we would be selling now. Depending on our visit review in 2025 we may sell out of Hawaii and keep our low cost traders.

This is what I do not understand about MVC and now Vistana . Why is that HGVC can keep MF down and still provide mid week tidy but MVC cannot with the highest MF.
At least Vistana still has it and that’s what I am used to. That is what was sold to us when we first bought with Starwood. I was very surprised when I went to Barony and there was no such thing. Then went to Paris Disney property and it was daily housekeeping and I had to put the sign on the door declining it daily.
Stayed at Aruba Ocean Club for 10 days and got a midweek and a full cleaning.

 

[vol_90]

Daily housekeeping at the Phuket Beach Club. Just returned from a 6 week stay at our home away from home. Staff, service and property were awesome as always

 

[ljmiii]

I was told by a NYC HGVC sales rep that unions impact this service - at least in NYC...

I'm sure you were told that by a HGVC sales rep...and it is every bit as accurate as everything else they say. Some of the best hotel service I have ever received in the US has been from unionized hotel workers in NYC.

 

[claraj]

I know this is a little off topic but I am at Westin Riverfront on an Encore package and was surprised to come back to my villa after 1 night to find the room refreshed. I didn’t put a DND sign on the door because I wasn’t expecting house keeping. I’m surprised and confused.

 

[daviator]

Westin Desert Willow gives a mid-week tidy on week-long stays. If you’re staying longer than a week, you get a full clean after seven nights in addition to the tidy or tidies (one tidy for every full week you stay.)

It's possible that it’s more complicated than that. For example, maybe the housekeeping you receive is different when booking with a weeks ownership vs. Abound points. I am typically booking with weeks ownership and always get the tidy.

We stayed last week at the new MVC Waikīkī and received daily maid service, including making the bed, taking out trash, fresh towels, etc. even though we were only there three nights. Is that normal at City Collection (Pulse) properties?

 

[ljmiii]

We stayed last week at the new MVC Waikīkī and received daily maid service, including making the bed, taking out trash, fresh towels, etc. even though we were only there three nights. Is that normal at City Collection (Pulse) properties?

Yes. At least it has been at the ones in which we’ve stayed recently - Boston, DC, and SD. It may also have been true for South Beach…but that was a while ago and I don’t remember for sure.

 

[mjfehl]

This has been a fascinating read. We don't want anyone in our rooms and have always turned down any mid-week service. I didn't know people actually wanted those!

 

[dioxide45]

As long as we've owned at Barony Beach and SurfWatch we haven't had mid-week tidy service unless we're willing to pay for it. I always understood that it was only the Marriott Hawaii and non-US resorts that had them more frequently than weekly, didn't realize until this thread that some of the FL beach resorts had them (Crystal Shores didn't when we were there in 2009.)

We prefer it when they don't come into our unit so when we do cash stays in the timeshare units, we decline the daily service. Same if we're in a hotel for only 2 or 3 days but longer stays we ask for a mid-stay tidy only - single hotel rooms always feel more claustrophobic if they're untidy-ed.

Which FL beach resorts were reported in this thread as having a mid-week tidy? Perhaps I am missing it?

 

[dioxide45]

A different World here in South East Asia
MVC Phuket Beach Club 2025 MFs $1,153.34 and a very comprehensive full daily housekeeping.

I suspect labor costs have a lot to do with it?

 

[Hindsite]

This has been a fascinating read. We don't want anyone in our rooms and have always turned down any mid-week service. I didn't know people actually wanted those!

I'm with you on that, its annoying to have to tidy and put things away or secure them, and inevitably they want to come in when we are having a snooze.
It doesn't stop us getting fresh towels or taking trash out and getting resupplied if needed.

 

[Bunk]

If you are looking to have a full service cleaning we can coordinate with our Housekeeping team to provide one for an additional fee.
2 Bedroom Villa - $170
Master - $105
Lock-Off - $75

Is this the fee for full cleaning that the Trust pays the Desert Springs Villas II HOA each time there is a stay of less than seven days?

Also does the Trust also reimburse the HOA for the tidy service fee that is provided for an Encore stay?

 

[VacationForever]

Is this the fee for full cleaning that the Trust pays the Desert Springs Villas II HOA each time there is a stay of less than seven days?

Also does the Trust also reimburse the HOA for the tidy service fee that is provided for an Encore stay?

I don't think the Trust pays differently for "less than seven days". The trust is made up of weeks and each week has its MF. The belief is that "skim" of electing weeks into Abound points help pay for the extra fees. Encore stays are fully paid out of MVC marketing department and not through the trust. The mechanism of how money goes from the right pocket to the left pocket is unclear to me.

 

[bizaro86]

I don't think the Trust pays differently for "less than seven days". The trust is made up of weeks and each week has its MF. The belief is that "skim" of electing weeks into Abound points help pay for the extra fees. Encore stays are fully paid out of MVC marketing department and not through the trust. The mechanism of how money goes from the right pocket to the left pocket is unclear to me.

I mean, there doesn't seem to be any reason to me why the trust as an owner of weeks at DSV (or anywhere else) should get a bunch of extra housekeeping without paying for it.

If they're using more housekeeping services than other owners are entitled to they should pay for that.

 

[Hindsite]

If they're using more housekeeping services than other owners are entitled to they should pay for that.

They may pay for it, but you'd have to ask your HOA for the information on that as to how they account for it as it may vary across the resorts.
Below is an extract from the Manor Club accounts, where you see they do get reimbursed for the additional costs associated with club points usage.

 

[dioxide45]

They may pay for it, but you'd have to ask your HOA for the information on that as to how they account for it as it may vary across the resorts.
Below is an extract from the Manor Club accounts, where you see they do get reimbursed for the additional costs associated with club points usage.

View attachment 103211

Correct. There is a contribution made by the trust to the HOAs for the added costs of short stays.

Is this the fee for full cleaning that the Trust pays the Desert Springs Villas II HOA each time there is a stay of less than seven days?

Also does the Trust also reimburse the HOA for the tidy service fee that is provided for an Encore stay?

I don’t know exactly how cleaning costs are covered for Encore and cash stay (Bonvoy) reservations. But I suspect for cash bookings it comes out of the cost of room rental rates and Encore probably comes from the marketing agreement. The annual budgets don’t really spell this out in the housekeeping line item as these reimbursements just offset the housekeeping fee line item.

 

[Lakeshore]

Just got this from KoOlina today…

HOUSEKEEPING​

To request additional housekeeping services, you can contact us prior to your stay. See below for current pricing. Prices listed are per day and will be posted directly to your room bill. Guestroom 1-bedroom 2-bedroom 3-bedroom Tidy Clean (no linen change) $50 $75 $105 $150 Full Clean (with linen change) $110 $175 $245 $355 Note: Pricing is subject to change and can be verified upon arrival.​

Want to make additional plans for your upcoming stay? Be on the lookout for an email from our prearrival team, coming soon. Or, if you have questions or need more information now, you can contact us. Have a safe trip, Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Team​

 

[Dean]

IMO owners should not receive mid week or additional cleanings unless it's required by law, the standard of the area (MX, etc) or the owners pay for any additional costs. My guess is that those in the US that still provide it do so, in part, to keep their housekeeping staff busy and to justify their pay.

 

[daviator]

IMO owners should not receive mid week or additional cleanings unless it's required by law, the standard of the area (MX, etc) or the owners pay for any additional costs. My guess is that those in the US that still provide it do so, in part, to keep their housekeeping staff busy and to justify their pay.

Au contraire: mid-week tidies have been part of the product sold at the properties where I own, literally for decades. Removing this benefit is a lessening of the standard the owners paid for (and continue to pay for, year after year.) I always assumed this service was an industry standard but perhaps it's property-by-property. In any case, properties which have traditionally provided this service should continue to do so: it's part of what we bought into.

Just because you apparently don't want or need any mid-week housekeeping, doesn't mean that folks who do appreciate it should be denied. Put your Do Not Disturb sign out if you don't want service.

 

[Hindsite]

In any case, properties which have traditionally provided this service should continue to do so: it's part of what we bought into.

Unfortunately if your fellow owners aren't prepared to pay for that in their maintenance fees, the HOA may remove it to 'show' that they are doing what owners want.

If not enough people complain when it's implemented and GSI stays good, they'll probably leave it not in place.

 

[Dean]

Au contraire: mid-week tidies have been part of the product sold at the properties where I own, literally for decades. Removing this benefit is a lessening of the standard the owners paid for (and continue to pay for, year after year.) I always assumed this service was an industry standard but perhaps it's property-by-property. In any case, properties which have traditionally provided this service should continue to do so: it's part of what we bought into.

Just because you apparently don't want or need any mid-week housekeeping, doesn't mean that folks who do appreciate it should be denied. Put your Do Not Disturb sign out if you don't want service.

There are no contractual obligations to a midweek service and from what I can tell the majority of US resorts do not offer such an option. This was never something that was sold but it may have been hyped by sales and it may have been present at some resorts for some time. If one looks larger picture, this is unusual at timeshares in the US in general. IMO if you want such you should pay for it. IMO it should have always been that way but given the recent fee increases, it's time to eliminate them where possible. It's a change that would have a measurable impact on yearly fees.

 

[ljmiii]

This has been an interesting discussion. We're used to at least mid-week tidys...but never let them clean. What we do want is a 'trash and towels' service...particularly at those resorts where the trash/recycling is properly hidden from guests and W/Ds aren't in the villas.

 

[ljmiii]

There are no contractual obligations to a midweek service and from what I can tell the majority of US resorts do not offer such an option. If one looks larger picture, this is unusual at timeshares in the US in general. IMO if you want such you should pay for it. IMO it should have always been that way but given the recent fee increases, it's time to eliminate them where possible. It's a change that would have a measurable impact on yearly fees.

This lack of service hasn't been true for most of the MVCs in which we've stayed. Nor timeshares in general - DVC, bHC/HGVC, and MVC/RCC/Vistana. If I wanted to stay in BG/Wastegate resorts I would have bought into those systems. Nor do I understand your desire to push MVC to enter a 'race to the bottom'.

 

[daviator]

There are no contractual obligations to a midweek service and from what I can tell the majority of US resorts do not offer such an option. This was never something that was sold but it may have been hyped by sales and it may have been present at some resorts for some time. If one looks larger picture, this is unusual at timeshares in the US in general. IMO if you want such you should pay for it. IMO it should have always been that way but given the recent fee increases, it's time to eliminate them where possible. It's a change that would have a measurable impact on yearly fees.

I bought into what was, at least at the time, the best/highest-end timeshare network that had a decent footprint of properties in places I wanted to go. As @ljmiii said above, many (if not most) owners expect the very reasonable standards we were told we could expect to be continued.

Perhaps this is a conflict that's a foreseeable result of MVC's evolution into a mixture of resorts of varying quality and cost. And perhaps there are properties which are more bare-bones and bare-bones is all that owners there want, which is fine for those properties and those owners.

I do not expect that owners at the properties where I own would support the elimination of the paltry mid-week housekeeping service in order to reduce our MFs by $20 or something similarly insignificant. But yes, this is a danger of having most of the HOA boards completely controlled by MVC. Vistana owners have already seen significant declines in property standards since being sucked up by MVC. The race to the bottom is, apparently, real.

 

[Dean]

This lack of service hasn't been true for most of the MVCs in which we've stayed. Nor timeshares in general - DVC, bHC/HGVC, and MVC/RCC/Vistana. If I wanted to stay in BG/Wastegate resorts I would have bought into those systems. Nor do I understand your desire to push MVC to enter a 'race to the bottom'.

I stay at many timeshares and I do not see this as a major issue for a once a week cleaning. DVC is different, their daily option is a cover to check the rooms and be sure that there are no issues. I seem to recall a discussion a couple of years ago about the number that offer such options included but I'm certain just looking at US resorts that it is a minority of the actual MVC resorts. They all offer it as an option and therefore anyone can get it if they want. Some offer towel exchange instead which is far more reasonable IMO.

 

[Red elephant]

Au contraire: mid-week tidies have been part of the product sold at the properties where I own, literally for decades. Removing this benefit is a lessening of the standard the owners paid for (and continue to pay for, year after year.) I always assumed this service was an industry standard but perhaps it's property-by-property. In any case, properties which have traditionally provided this service should continue to do so: it's part of what we bought into.

Just because you apparently don't want or need any mid-week housekeeping, doesn't mean that folks who do appreciate it should be denied. Put your Do Not Disturb sign out if you don't want service.

It’s seems like Marriott in the states have not been doing this. I bought into Starwood with that expectation and thank goodness they are still doing the mid week. I bought into Marriott in Spain and they do it daily!!!