[ 2021 ] Preferred Check In Experience? What is this? [MERGED]

[KProuty]

I just got an email from Marriott Vacation Club about my Preferred Check In Experience? (This is for Grande Vista.)
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Dear Marriott Owner,

Your upcoming vacation to Marriott’s Grande Vista just got better. You've been selected to enjoy a Preferred Check-in Experience. This special offer includes:

Preferred Check-in Area
This exclusive lounge for Preferred Owners lets you sit back, relax and enjoy an ice cold beverage while you check in.


Preferred Experience Planner
As your Preferred Experience Planner, I can help you answer questions about Orlando’s theme parks, book reservations at local hot spots, discover the resort’s amenities, and more.

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It wants me to call my Preferred Experience Planner. Is this a chance to get me to go to an Owner's Update? Went to one about five years back. Husband says he is never going to go to another one.

 

[Lv2Trvl]

It sure sounds like a chance to sign up!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[MIbeachgal]

We are currently at Grande Vista, having checked in a couple of weeks ago. When we arrived at the gate, the guard asked our names, said we had preferred check-in and handed us a laminated sign, saying “Preferred Pass”, which we were to take with us to Registration. After parking and walking toward registration, someone met us outside, addressed us by name, and then guided us into a room off to the left, bypassing those waiting in registration lines at the desk. We were offered snacks and complimentary beverages and even though it was before 4 p.m. we were given our room assignment and keys before leaving the area.
And, yes, even though we had attended a presentation on an encore package a few weeks earlier at Oceana Palms, we were still offered a presentation incentive, which we were not obligated to accept.

 

[KProuty]

Thanks, @MIbeachgal, do you own there, or are you just visiting? If you didn't get an email, maybe this is a new offering? The email said to call to confirm details over the phone.

 

[Steve A]

A way of sucking you in for a presentation.

 

[pedro47]

Sound like a sale presentation invitation . We just left the Manor Club, we did not received this email; maybe because we have always stayed two week in January/ February for the past 10 years.

 

[Big Matt]

Sound like a sale presentation invitation . We just left the Manor Club, we did not received this email; maybe because we have always stayed two week in January/ February for the past 10 years.

I missed you. I was there last week Sunday to Sunday.

 

[pedro47]

I missed you. I was there last week Sunday to Sunday.

To be honest I want to take a two weeks cruise to the ABC Islands next year in January or February with a week vacation in Florida.

Maybe , next year, we can see one another. I heard they will start updating all villas next year.
The cold rain and the poor weather conditions tampered our two weeks stay this year.
Did you observe the large brown table in the foyer have been refinished in some buildings ?

Still do not understand why the tennis and basketball courses or the game room activities are still closed.

Also, You still could not rent bikes.

Plus, why is the onsite restaurant still closed?

 

[tiel]

I can't be sure, but I believe they have been offering the Preferred Checkin for at least a year. The nicest things about it is you don't have to wait in line, and you can sit while the process is completed. There is a push to do a presentation, but you can always decline.

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

If it sounds like a duck...

 

[MIbeachgal]

Thanks, @MIbeachgal, do you own there, or are you just visiting? If you didn't get an email, maybe this is a new offering? The email said to call to confirm details over the phone.

We received an email. I called and was directed to Preferred check-in (and it went to voicemail...lol)
We own a couple weeks at KoOlina, OceanPointe, OceanWatch (for another year) and DP. We come to GrandeVista every year as part of our winter escape.

 

[NboroGirl]

Last year we got preferred checkin and it was just as MIbeachgal described. (However, our room wasn't ready and we had to wait until 4:00 to get our room keys.) This year I got an email about it. It surprised me because there was "URGENT" splashed all over the email, and much of the text was highlighted in yellow. What's so urgent about requesting preferred checkin? The email also claimed that for security purposes I HAD to call the stated phone number to get it. So I called and got voicemail, asking me to leave my name and number, and someone would get back to me within 72 hours! 72 hours doesn't sound very urgent to me! I started wondering if it was a ploy to get us to sign up for a sales presentation. The email also mentioned helping with park tickets, dining, etc (the sort of thing the concierge desk does, just like signing people up for a sales presentation), and also mentioned villa preferences. So now I'm wondering if instead of the usual email asking us to state our villa preferences, they now do this Preferred Checkin email trying to get us to sign up for a sales presentation, killing 2 birds with one stone.

 

[dioxide45]

We stayed at Grande Vista a few weeks ago on an AC. No preferred checkin for us. THough I did see that small room off to the side where they do it. The whole checkin process is a ploy to try to get you to sign up for a presentation. You can't get your parking pass at the main checkin desk, instead you have to do a 180 and walk about 20 steps and talk to a "concierge" to get your parking pass after they have asked if you want to attend a presentation. I really liked the system DVC had in place with direct to room. Just checkin online and use your mobile device or Magic Band to get into your room after receiving a text that it is ready.

 

[dioxide45]

To add to this, it seems that Lakeshore Reserve is now using a new pre-arrival email/web form process. We didn't get this for our stay last fall but received one for our stay in a couple weeks. Normal pre-arrival email with a link to a web form to fill out all your details and even a place to put in an actual villa request!

 

[pedro47]

Correction! Correction! Sorry for the error but according to The Commander-in-Chief, we did rec'd the new pre-arrival email/web form process for our Manor Club stay..

 

[zentraveler]

I take it for granted that anything that requires you to go to a desk other than the check in desk is a ploy for them to pitch the pitch to you. Recently at WKORV and wanted to go to one of the resort activities and not only did I have to "call the concierge desk" but they wanted me to come and get a voucher (which seemed ridiculous). It was of course, unneeded and just a way to try to get me to sign up for the presentation aka pitch. Usually way better at spotting these. Must have been an off day for my pitch-spotting radar .

 

[NboroGirl]

I called the number several times today, from morning, to midday, to afternoon, to evening, and every time I got voicemail. For those of you who are at or have been to MGV lately, did you get the usual email asking you about your villa preferences? I am a week and a half away and I haven't gotten it yet. Should I call room control?

 

[KProuty]

I got an actual phone call asking for room preference on February 6th, I think, for February 27th checkin. They told me about the mask mandate, what was opened and closed, and I gave them my room preference and my Bonvoy number. My Bonvoy didn't make it from Ii to this reservation for some reason.

I got the URGENT preferred checkin email this weekend.

 

[dioxide45]

I called the number several times today, from morning, to midday, to afternoon, to evening, and every time I got voicemail. For those of you who are at or have been to MGV lately, did you get the usual email asking you about your villa preferences? I am a week and a half away and I haven't gotten it yet. Should I call room control?

When we went to Grande Vista a few weeks ago, we did not get any email asking for villa preferences. I called instead only to be told they won't take requests for specific buildings or even certain villages. Only requests for high floor, low floor, golf course view or lake view. Not sure what you say if you want pool view.

 

[NboroGirl]

When we went to Grande Vista a few weeks ago, we did not get any email asking for villa preferences. I called instead only to be told they won't take requests for specific buildings or even certain villages. Only requests for high floor, low floor, golf course view or lake view. Not sure what you say if you want pool view.

I'll be at MGV in about a week and I never got the email asking for villa preferences either. BUT, I finally got through yesterday to the Preferred Checkin Desk. I have been trying every day only to get the voicemail. Even though I left my name and number, no one ever called back. Anyway, the woman did not ask me to attend a sales presentation. She merely went over where I go for preferred checkin, the rules (mask wearing, etc.), what was opened/closed, and stated the number of rooms and beds in each bedroom of our villa. She asked if I had any villa preferences, so I told her my preference to be on a higher floor close to a pool, and she made note of that.

 

[Keep Traveling]

I did the preferred checkin at Grand Vista, mine said it was because I am a Titanium owner. I asked around while there and no one else got it. They took all my information, credit card, etc. Never a mention of a presentation. Once I arrived I bypassed the line and my keys were waiting. No presentation offered. I asked why they did this, and they mentioned try to streamline check especially for "Preferred Guests"

 

[Pamplemousse]

We had this last January. I thought it would be a push for sales presentation or such and even tried to refuse it but they said no. As others have said we were met at the door, ushered into a room on the side, offered refreshments and then it was the usual check in/ concierge offerings. We are owners, but not at GV. They said it was just something they were trying out and offering to some guests. No calls while we were there, no follow up since.

 

[Steve A]

In October 2020 it involved a fairly heavy pitch to sign up for a presentation. We're going to be there in a few weeks and received an email telling us that we would go to the special check-in. We had received an email a week or so before asking us for our preferences. In the comments we asked for a couple of buildings. They got back to us and said that those buildings weren't available with a cert since they were lockoffs and the cert was for a two bedroom non-lockoff. We selected a couple of other possible buildings.

It looks like the temps will be up to the 80s. It will be in the 60s here, HHI, so looking forward to getting into shorts.

 

[TravelTime]

I received this email. At first, I thought it was a really nice perk and my second thought was this is a scam. But then I realized it’s a new way to get people to a sales presentation.

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PREFEREED OWNER CHECK-IN AT GRANDE VISTA ORLANDO--IMPORTANT

Dear Marriott Owner,

Your upcoming vacation to Marriott’s Grande Vista just got better. You've been selected to enjoy a Preferred Check-in Experience. This special offer includes:


>
Preferred Check-in Area
This exclusive lounge for Preferred Owners lets you sit back, relax and enjoy an ice cold beverage while you check in.


>
Preferred Experience Planner
As your Preferred Experience Planner, I can help you answer questions about Orlando’s theme parks, book reservations at local hot spots, discover the resort’s amenities, and more.


Your stay is quickly approaching and we are here to assist you with having a seamless vacation experience. We are contacting you at this time to share important details regarding your reservation.

To ensure that we protect your information, we are only confirming these details over the phone. Please contact us at 407-529-2800 as soon as possible.

We will do our best to accommodate your requests, but please note that villa location and readiness are based on availability and are not guaranteed.



I look forward to seeing you at check-in

Ms. Indira Telhu
Your Preferred Experience Planner
Direct:407-529-2990

 

[Dean]

Others have reported this at GV and it didn't sound like an additional sales pitch from what I've seen posted.