Now charging for laundry soap & dish soap?

[CalGalTraveler]

Thanks @dioxide45 for clarifying. We only stayed in HGVC Orlando Tuscany 12 years ago so do not recall. Was your visit during Covid? WKORVN curtailed midweeks but the BI HGVC had resumed mid-weeks in 2021. WKORVN eventually resumed in 2023.

We regularly visit Hawaii (including Ko Olina) and thought we got mid-weeks. I also stayed at Grand Chateau several times which I thought had it - but perhaps my memory fails me.

HGVC Elara Vegas, NYC, Hawaii (Waikiki and BI), FA Cabo and HVC/DRI Cabo Azul definitely provides midweeks as we stay there frequently. Plus Hyatt Pinon Point had it. Is this an eastern US MVC policy?

 

[Dean]

"Most?" AFAIK, the timeshares we've stayed at Vistana, Hilton, Hyatt, Independent (Europe) and (If I recall correctly) MVC all have it.

We would much rather tour the local area than participate in timeshare activities. We usually walk or hike outside the facility or use the workout room. Perhaps if we went to the same timeshare every year and our kids were young or we had grandkids we may enjoy the activities, however that is for a limited audience.

I intended to say that most US resorts don't provide a midweek cleaning. We've had the option in Aruba. European and other non US/Caribbean often provide far more. I'm thinking that OP had it at one time but not recalling for certain. Regardless it's an easy first step for cost savings with little to no adverse affects on the guest experience. In many areas where there are more frequent cleanings, it's more about local job promotion and/or cheap labor than anything else. For example this is common in MX but often done in such a way that tips are expected to actually pay for the service. As for activities, I think it depends on the resort and area. I do feel that activities are something that often differentiate between a condo and a resort but realize that most are not going to use them and could see reducing them. Same for game rooms and gaming activities. Even the pool is not going to used by every guest in a non urban area.

 

[dioxide45]

Thanks @dioxide45 for clarifying. We only stayed in HGVC Orlando Tuscany 12 years ago so do not recall. Was your visit during Covid? WKORVN curtailed midweeks but the BI HGVC had resumed mid-weeks in 2021. WKORVN eventually resumed in 2023.

We regularly visit Hawaii (including Ko Olina) and thought we got mid-weeks. I also stayed at Grand Chateau several times which I thought had it - but perhaps my memory fails me.

HGVC Elara Vegas, NYC, Hawaii (Waikiki and BI), FA Cabo and HVC/DRI Cabo Azul definitely provides midweeks as we stay there frequently. Plus Hyatt Pinon Point had it. Is this an eastern US MVC policy?

The Marriotts in Hawaii provide mid-week. Same for Vistana. I beleive Vistana also provides mid-week at other USA resorts as we have had them stop by during our stay at Sheraton Vistana Villages in Orlando. We've been to Grand Chateau the last couple of years with no mid-week. I am not aware that any MVC in the lower 48 that provide mid-week.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The Marriotts in Hawaii provide mid-week. Same for Vistana. I beleive Vistana also provides mid-week at other USA resorts as we have had them stop by during our stay at Sheraton Vistana Villages in Orlando. We've been to Grand Chateau the last couple of years with no mid-week. I am not aware that any MVC in the lower 48 that provide mid-week.

No mid-week cleaning/ tidy here at Sheraton Broadway Resort.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

In addition to Hawaii, we definitely had midweeks at Sheraton Steamboat, Westin Kierland, HGVC Valdoro/Breck, Vegas (Blvd, Elara). This is why I thought all hotel branded timeshares offered this.

I agree that if it is just two of us we tend to eat dinners out and don't really need a mid-week. In Hawaii I usually have family members present so we eat in the unit and the midweek is sorely needed - especially after tracking beach sand into the unit.

 

[Pink_Warrior]

We just stayed at Village d'ile de France. Much to our surprise, they were coming in daily. They made the beds, gave us fresh towels AND refilled dishwasher and laundry detergent. They also did our dishes and vacuumed an incredible amount of flaky crumbs from the chocolate croissants that they sell.

I wish that I had somebody at my house that could do that. lol

 

[Superchief]

I think MVC should be looking for ways to cut operating costs and believe that the cleaning supplies and activities are key areas where reductions can be made without dramatically impacting the guest experiences overall. They just need to be reasonable with their actions and consider the implications on their labor costs.
Supplies per week:

• Toilet paper, coffee filters, and garbage bags should be provided upon request. These are inexpensive and the ones MVC provides are cheap and I doubt that many people would 'steal' them.
• 6 dishwashing packets and 1 small dish detergent, 1 scrubbing sponge are reasonable. If they cut this, more people will be leaving dirty dishes which will increase turnaround time and cleaning costs
• 2-3 packages of laundry detergent, more in resorts that require pool towels to be reused

Activities
I personally think that activity costs represent major cost reduction opportunities and the activity MF's vary dramatically by resort. The Activity staffs are becoming larger and also result in higher costs for HR and benefits. I've stayed at some resorts that have two activity calendars and almost every time slot is filled. Many are complimentary, including free food and booze. I don't think owners should be subsidizing free babysitting and and alcohol, especially now that very few guests are actually owners at the resort. Some GM's use free things to beef up their guest scores. These are my suggestions:

• Any activity that involves food and alcohol should charge a fee to cover the cost for these items. Some resorts pay for these expenses by using money generated from cabana rentals and other income, so these can still be offered.
• Popular group activities like exercise classes, entertainment by the pool, and games typically have a reasonable fixed cost and should continue as long as they are well attended.
• Schedules for children activities should be adjusted to meet the expected demand. There are typically fewer children at the resorts on week days during school season. I've been at resorts when most of the activities have only a few children attending because school is in session.
• MVC now appears to have dedicated staff who only have one responsibility, and they are overstaffed for slow times in the schedule. There is an opportunity to go back to the 'old days' where each staff member was flexible to perform multiple roles at different times.
• Consider having an 'activity credit' for each villa that can be applied to costs for activities. This allows guests to prioritize activities that best meet their needs, and is fair to everyone.
• Consider having 'zoom' activities that are directed from central locations.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I was originally annoyed by the whole concept of the extra fees, but have kind of softened up on that. I think biggest hassle would be dealing with sandy towels coming back from the beach.. On the days we do both beach and pools, its been really nice to just swap the towels out.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I think MVC should be looking for ways to cut operating costs and believe that the cleaning supplies and activities are key areas where reductions can be made without dramatically impacting the guest experiences overall. They just need to be reasonable with their actions and consider the implications on their labor costs.
Supplies per week:

• Toilet paper, coffee filters, and garbage bags should be provided upon request. These are inexpensive and the ones MVC provides are cheap and I doubt that many people would 'steal' them.
• 6 dishwashing packets and 1 small dish detergent, 1 scrubbing sponge are reasonable. If they cut this, more people will be leaving dirty dishes which will increase turnaround time and cleaning costs
• 2-3 packages of laundry detergent, more in resorts that require pool towels to be reused

Activities
I personally think that activity costs represent major cost reduction opportunities and the activity MF's vary dramatically by resort. The Activity staffs are becoming larger and also result in higher costs for HR and benefits. I've stayed at some resorts that have two activity calendars and almost every time slot is filled. Many are complimentary, including free food and booze. I don't think owners should be subsidizing free babysitting and and alcohol, especially now that very few guests are actually owners at the resort. Some GM's use free things to beef up their guest scores. These are my suggestions:

• Any activity that involves food and alcohol should charge a fee to cover the cost for these items. Some resorts pay for these expenses by using money generated from cabana rentals and other income, so these can still be offered.
• Popular group activities like exercise classes, entertainment by the pool, and games typically have a reasonable fixed cost and should continue as long as they are well attended.
• Schedules for children activities should be adjusted to meet the expected demand. There are typically fewer children at the resorts on week days during school season. I've been at resorts when most of the activities have only a few children attending because school is in session.
• MVC now appears to have dedicated staff who only have one responsibility, and they are overstaffed for slow times in the schedule. There is an opportunity to go back to the 'old days' where each staff member was flexible to perform multiple roles at different times.
• Consider having an 'activity credit' for each villa that can be applied to costs for activities. This allows guests to prioritize activities that best meet their needs, and is fair to everyone.
• Consider having 'zoom' activities that are directed from central locations.

I like the creative ideas, and think some of these could work.

Personally as someone that spends a lot of time in "zoom" meetings for work, I have no interest in zoom based leisure activities. A few clubs i used to belong to decided to remain zoom based after the pandemic, and I dropped all of those as a result.

 

[Superchief]

I like the creative ideas, and think some of these could work.

Personally as someone that spends a lot of time in "zoom" meetings for work, I have no interest in zoom based leisure activities. A few clubs i used to belong to decided to remain zoom based after the pandemic, and I dropped all of those as a result.

I probably used an incorrect term. I was thinking more about some children's activities or fitness classes with a centralized moderator/instructor. I totally agree about zoom meetings.

 

[dioxide45]

I think MVC should be looking for ways to cut operating costs and believe that the cleaning supplies and activities are key areas where reductions can be made without dramatically impacting the guest experiences overall. They just need to be reasonable with their actions and consider the implications on their labor costs.
Supplies per week:

• Toilet paper, coffee filters, and garbage bags should be provided upon request. These are inexpensive and the ones MVC provides are cheap and I doubt that many people would 'steal' them.
• 6 dishwashing packets and 1 small dish detergent, 1 scrubbing sponge are reasonable. If they cut this, more people will be leaving dirty dishes which will increase turnaround time and cleaning costs
• 2-3 packages of laundry detergent, more in resorts that require pool towels to be reused

Activities
I personally think that activity costs represent major cost reduction opportunities and the activity MF's vary dramatically by resort. The Activity staffs are becoming larger and also result in higher costs for HR and benefits. I've stayed at some resorts that have two activity calendars and almost every time slot is filled. Many are complimentary, including free food and booze. I don't think owners should be subsidizing free babysitting and and alcohol, especially now that very few guests are actually owners at the resort. Some GM's use free things to beef up their guest scores. These are my suggestions:

• Any activity that involves food and alcohol should charge a fee to cover the cost for these items. Some resorts pay for these expenses by using money generated from cabana rentals and other income, so these can still be offered.
• Popular group activities like exercise classes, entertainment by the pool, and games typically have a reasonable fixed cost and should continue as long as they are well attended.
• Schedules for children activities should be adjusted to meet the expected demand. There are typically fewer children at the resorts on week days during school season. I've been at resorts when most of the activities have only a few children attending because school is in session.
• MVC now appears to have dedicated staff who only have one responsibility, and they are overstaffed for slow times in the schedule. There is an opportunity to go back to the 'old days' where each staff member was flexible to perform multiple roles at different times.
• Consider having an 'activity credit' for each villa that can be applied to costs for activities. This allows guests to prioritize activities that best meet their needs, and is fair to everyone.
• Consider having 'zoom' activities that are directed from central locations.

Shoot, I saw on Instagram where Grande Vista was promoting their Polynesian Luau night event. It is complimentary at the pool. It seems this group goes around to a number of resorts as I have seen it advertised at at least one other resort in Orlando. Isn't that what you go to Hawaii for? Do we really need that at an Orlando resort? I am sure people enjoy it, but let's get real. They already have singers, a comedian and a third party DJ with karaoke that all come in on different nights. The place has turned into a cruise ship.

 

[Dean]

I'm currently at a Bluegreen resort in Williamsburg which is far better than I expected. The rooms are as nice as most Marriott's though the kitchen is slightly smaller and the sleeping capacity for a 2 BR is only 6. The staff has been great. They do a linen exchange daily as needed during usual maid hours and have a stash of items at the front desk if one needs things at other times. Bluegreen resorts can be extremely variable in this area but a few of them I've stayed at over the years have far outdone Marriott on their best day related to the area of discussion. I have considerable experience with Bluegreen, DVC, MVC and Wyndham in such matters though I tend to be vary careful about bothering the staff when it can be avoided and when it can't, approaching the matter in the way to make it as simple as possible. IMO DVC is the worst of the group in this type of issue and MVC will be right there with them with this change. I'm not complaining, I'm actually sympathetic to the resort's needs but just giving some perspective. As long as I know what to expect, I can handle the issues even if I'm flying though it's much easier if I'm driving.

 

[Lsfinn]

Our experience is that it’s hit-or-miss, even at the same resort: sometimes we’ve been asked to pay for additional laundry detergent (but never dishwashing detergent or dish soap), other times they just hand us some when we ask.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Tip housekeeping and they will give you all you want.

We usually tip during midweek clean and write a note thanking housekeeping and adding requests if any. Even during Covid without midweeks, you could ask for clean towels and sheets midweek without a clean. Tip and ask.

 

[bazzap]

Phuket Beach Club has by far our lowest MFs and by far the best daily housekeeping services of the 6x MVC home resorts we own.
So I definitely don’t want to see these services cut and I am not convinced it would have any significant impact on MFs.

 

[Theseus]

Using this policy change, even if only piloted at certain resorts, as the reason for declining owner updates may be the fastest way to end this absurdity (especially if only owner stays are subject to the charges).

 

[WanderlustAbuela]

We just returned from a 6 night stay in a 3 bedroom unit at Crystal Shores in Marco Island yesterday. We were not charged for extra paper towels, laundry or dishwasher pods. Also housekeeping delivered clean towels to swap out on day 3-4 when we requested them.

 

[jwalk03]

We just returned from a 6 night stay in a 3 bedroom unit at Crystal Shores in Marco Island yesterday. We were not charged for extra paper towels, laundry or dishwasher pods. Also housekeeping delivered clean towels to swap out on day 3-4 when we requested them.

The pilot is only at the South Carolina resorts.

 

[dgf15215]

We just stayed at Village d'ile de France. Much to our surprise, they were coming in daily. They made the beds, gave us fresh towels AND refilled dishwasher and laundry detergent. They also did our dishes and vacuumed an incredible amount of flaky crumbs from the chocolate croissants that they sell.

I wish that I had somebody at my house that could do that. lol

Yeah, the daily visit was amazing and a surprise. Really a great property.

 

[ljmiii]

We just stayed at Village d'ile de France. Much to our surprise, they were coming in daily. They made the beds, gave us fresh towels AND refilled dishwasher and laundry detergent…l

I’m sad that this is a Wow! and is no longer the normal and expected experience at a MVCI Resort. But the race to the bottom continues…

 

[Hindsite]

But the race to the bottom continues…

... all driven by "owners" relentlessly demanding maint fee costs are kept down. You get what you pay for....
Least cost at any cost causes resorts to go downhill for what can be years, before owners complain that it isn't as good as it used to be when they first bought.

 

[VacationForever]

As far back as I remember, mainland MVC never had mid-week clean. Vistana resorts always have had mid-week cleaning and still do.

 

[ljmiii]

... all driven by "owners" relentlessly demanding maint fee costs are kept down. You get what you pay for....

Indeed. If I in any way thought that the cost of excessive use of TP was driving MF increases I might be more sympathetic to the other side of this argument. But for now I am content with bad reviews and ‘stealing’ TP from communal bathrooms in hopes of convincing MVC managers of their current insanity.

 

[Dean]

Indeed. If I in any way thought that the cost of excessive use of TP was driving MF increases I might be more sympathetic to the other side of this argument. But for now I am content with bad reviews and ‘stealing’ TP from communal bathrooms in hopes of convincing MVC managers of their current insanity.

I made the point earlier that I think this is more of a personnel issue than a purchasing issue. This change could easily result in a reduction of 2 FTE staff.

 

[Fasttr]

I made the point earlier that I think this is more of a personnel issue than a purchasing issue. This change could easily result in a reduction of 2 FTE staff.

But if that was the case, couldn’t they just give you what you need for free with a visit to the front desk. I assume you have to go to the front desk to buy the items with their new setup.