Question about not being able to book Aspen

[ijustwantwhatipaidfor]

Hi I'm sorry if this is a repeated thread and I didnt see it in my search. I've owned a week at Pinion for about 18 or so years - right when they first opened, but I tend to just use my points anywhere that makes sense when we're booking out vacays. I dont pay much attention to the ongoings of timeshare life, and for the most part I've used this program over the years since 2006 with little or no issues.

BUT: I keep trying to book Aspen and it allows me to get all the way to the end of "finalize reservation" but then it errors out and I'm never able to book under a variety of parameters. I called Hyatt and they said I had to call the property but no one can give me an answer as to what's happening with my reservation process. I know there was a change in management a few years back but as it's still listed on the reservation system it's confusing: are Hyatt owners NOT able to use Aspen anymore at all? If not, why is it still on their website?

I found this website and dig it a lot as a resource - seems full of people who are super knowledgeable about the timeshare community. Thanks in advance for any insight, and apologies again if I am doubling up on something that was covered extensively two years ago - I did look I promise! haha.

 

[mjm1]

Welcome to TUG. You are correct, this is a great resource for timeshare owners.

With regard to the Aspen property they require a minimum of 3 nights. Not sure how many nights you are trying to reserve or if that is the issue. We currently have a waitlist for a 3 night stay, so are hoping it comes through. We’ve never stayed there. Others wit( more direct knowledge will weigh in too. Good luck.

 

[ijustwantwhatipaidfor]

Any/all for any amount of time and it always lists dozens of nights but never lets the actual rez go through, at the end I get an error that says "JSOP entry denied" or something like that on the final step.

Do we need to call them now or ?

 

[mjm1]

Since you already called Hyatt I would try to resort and see what they say. I’m not sure they can help and they will probably refer you back to Hyatt. I would think a Hyatt rep could help you make the reservation.

 

[ScoopKona]

Since you already called Hyatt I would try to resort and see what they say. I’m not sure they can help and they will probably refer you back to Hyatt. I would think a Hyatt rep could help you make the reservation.

They'll absolutely send inquiries back to Hyatt. End-runs around the reservation process are very, very rare.

Aspen doesn't have much availability -- except during mud season. And even then, people still trade there.

 

[Sapper]

I loved the Aspen property prior to the recent shenanigans. To put it mildly, they don’t want anyone from Hyatt to book there. They will play silly games on the front end, like the three day thing, to dissuade you from booking. When you arrive, they will extort a per night fee plus a parking charge. If you disagree with it, they don’t care, you can go somewhere else. The games the new management company are playing have destroyed any good will the property previously engendered.

 

[AJCts411]

I loved the Aspen property prior to the recent shenanigans. To put it mildly, they don’t want anyone from Hyatt to book there. They will play silly games on the front end, like the three day thing, to dissuade you from booking. When you arrive, they will extort a per night fee plus a parking charge. If you disagree with it, they don’t care, you can go somewhere else. The games the new management company are playing have destroyed any good will the property previously engendered.

Isn't Aspen the resort that voted out mvw aka Hyatt?

 

[Sapper]

Isn't Aspen the resort that voted out mvw aka Hyatt?

They did, however, Hyatt still has a toe hold because HPP owns a large percentage of the property. The property has imposed additional restrictions on this ownership group.

 

[mjm1]

I loved the Aspen property prior to the recent shenanigans. To put it mildly, they don’t want anyone from Hyatt to book there. They will play silly games on the front end, like the three day thing, to dissuade you from booking. When you arrive, they will extort a per night fee plus a parking charge. If you disagree with it, they don’t care, you can go somewhere else. The games the new management company are playing have destroyed any good will the property previously engendered.

Thanks for the tip regarding resort fee and parking. I found a unit in Breckenridge and the dates line up a bit better than Aspen would have for us. Given that and the fees at Aspen, and their attitude toward Hyatt owners, I booked Breck. We’ve been wanting to stay there too.

 

[claraj]

Just got back from Breck and it was great! Going back in March ...

 

[Sapper]

Thanks for the tip regarding resort fee and parking. I found a unit in Breckenridge and the dates line up a bit better than Aspen would have for us. Given that and the fees at Aspen, and their attitude toward Hyatt owners, I booked Breck. We’ve been wanting to stay there too.

It has been an unfortunate change with Aspen. Breck is a great town, fun location, nice folks. My one problem, and it’s mine, coming from sea level, I have trouble with the altitude.

 

[mjm1]

It has been an unfortunate change with Aspen. Breck is a great town, fun location, nice folks. My one problem, and it’s mine, coming from sea level, I have trouble with the altitude.

Yes, we will have to be careful about that, since that will be our first stop on the trip. We have been there once before during mud season, so some stores and restaurants weren't open.

 

[claraj]

My one problem, and it’s mine, coming from sea level, I have trouble with the altitude.

I have the same problem! I come from below sea level (I spend a lot of time in subways and basements in NYC ... Jk). On my most recent trip I stayed one night in Denver and bought a can of oxygen (see pic). This seemed to help, my symptoms were significantly less than my last trip to Vail where I went straight to the resort after landing in DEN.

 

[ivywag]

Hi I'm sorry if this is a repeated thread and I didnt see it in my search. I've owned a week at Pinion for about 18 or so years - right when they first opened, but I tend to just use my points anywhere that makes sense when we're booking out vacays. I dont pay much attention to the ongoings of timeshare life, and for the most part I've used this program over the years since 2006 with little or no issues.

BUT: I keep trying to book Aspen and it allows me to get all the way to the end of "finalize reservation" but then it errors out and I'm never able to book under a variety of parameters. I called Hyatt and they said I had to call the property but no one can give me an answer as to what's happening with my reservation process. I know there was a change in management a few years back but as it's still listed on the reservation system it's confusing: are Hyatt owners NOT able to use Aspen anymore at all? If not, why is it still on their website?

I found this website and dig it a lot as a resource - seems full of people who are super knowledgeable about the timeshare community. Thanks in advance for any insight, and apologies again if I am doubling up on something that was covered extensively two years ago - I did look I promise! haha.

You’re lucky. We can’t see any inventory at all for any number of nights for the next year. I’ve talked to Hyatt about this and they escalate it and nobody ever gets back to us. We have waitlisted 18 months in advance 2 years in a row and NOTHING! I call the reps and they can see inventory that we could book as legacy owners but we can’t see it. I think that there’s a glitch somewhere in the IT Department, but nobody will reach out to help me fix the problem. Frustrating!

 

[ivywag]

It has been an unfortunate change with Aspen. Breck is a great town, fun location, nice folks. My one problem, and it’s mine, coming from sea level, I have trouble with the altitude.

Me, too. I ended up in the hospital in Frisco and then was transported to Denver in an ambulance. The altitude was too much for me. Funny thing is that we have gone to Aspen and Beaver Creek twice a year for many years and never had a problem. Breckenridge was too much high for me!

 

[ScoopKona]

My brother used to live down-valley from Aspen.

Aspen is OK. Just OK. I don't really go for "$1,000 knicknacks next to bars with $120 shots of whiskey." It's a pretty town. But it's mostly for the CEOs and their trustafarian kids.

Carbondale, on the other hand, is everything I like about Colorado in one easy-to-walk package. So if you're in the area, absolutely see Aspen. Head down valley a little and have a drink at the Woody Creek Tavern -- even if you're not a Hunter Thompson fan. It's a Key West bar in the mountains.

But then head down to Carbondale, which feels far more like a real town with real people.

PS -- I'm taking the location of my fishing spot on the Roaring Fork to the grave, though. Sorry. I've fished that spot for 15 years and never saw another angler. And I aim to keep i that way. If I find a similar spot in Alaska, I'll reassess my position.

 

[Sapper]

My favorite Alaska fishing spot

 

[ScoopKona]

My favorite Alaska fishing spot

I like it. Looks ideal.

Since Alaska is now a quicker trip than Colorado, I'm going to do some exploring in the 49th. First, I have to find a town.

I'm not looking for the world's best fishing -- because that's what everyone else wants. So they all congregate there and you're elbow to elbow with everyone who wants to say "I fished the best."

I'm happy with "good enough" and especially "good enough and quiet."

So, basically, I want to find a town that has less than 1,000 people, walking distance to a nice river. Limited everything.

 

[Sapper]

I like it. Looks ideal.

Since Alaska is now a quicker trip than Colorado, I'm going to do some exploring in the 49th. First, I have to find a town.

I'm not looking for the world's best fishing -- because that's what everyone else wants. So they all congregate there and you're elbow to elbow with everyone who wants to say "I fished the best."

I'm happy with "good enough" and especially "good enough and quiet."

So, basically, I want to find a town that has less than 1,000 people, walking distance to a nice river. Limited everything.

My experience is not that everyone wants “the best” fishing, but the easiest with good fishing. That is why Ship Creek in Anchorage is shoulder to shoulder combat fishing… it’s easy to get to and the fishing can be good enough (assuming you don’t catch a fish hook in the ear).
The state maintains a website with fish counts, types of fish, geographic locations, historic records by date, etc… however, everyone else (well, anyone willing to look) has access to the same information. Maybe tie that information with some locations that are less easily accessible to help you find your happy place.

 

[Sapper]

Me, too. I ended up in the hospital in Frisco and then was transported to Denver in an ambulance. The altitude was too much for me. Funny thing is that we have gone to Aspen and Beaver Creek twice a year for many years and never had a problem. Breckenridge was too much high for me!

I’m sorry this happened to you. I have found flying in to Denver, and hanging out for 24 hours, then heading up to the mountains helps. Aspen and Beaver Creek are the highest I can go for any length of time. I have tried Breck three times now, and every time I have to go lower. I like the town, it’s a nice place, but I have figured out the best I can do is spend the day there and then go lower.

 

[mjm1]

As I shared earlier, we decided to book a studio in Breck and cancel our wait list for Aspen. Today is the day for the wait lists I had for August for Aspen. I decided to check availability manually and what do you know, both a 1BR and Studio for the day we originally wanted showed up. Now I didn’t try processing the request, so I don’t know if I would have run into the issue that the OP encountered.

 

[DAman]

Has the issue with booking Aspen online been fixed?

I'm looking at booking or setting up a wait list.

The studios look like they are the same small studios like at the Hyatt Northstar. Is that right?

If anyone has more information about this property I would love to hear. I know they charge a resort fee and possibly parking too.

 

[dagger1]

It’s a shame so many are affected by Breckenridge’s altitude. We are there every winter and every July and it seems packed with folks. We love it and never have this issue.

 

[boraxo]

It has been an unfortunate change with Aspen. Breck is a great town, fun location, nice folks. My one problem, and it’s mine, coming from sea level, I have trouble with the altitude.

Both my wife and I have suffered altitude sickness in Aspen, but only at the higher mountain altitudes. The portable O2 cans are a big help. You can also ask your MD to get you some Diamox in advance if you anticipate problems. Unfortunately the only real way to resolve the condition is to go to a lower altitude or to adjust over time (which doesn't work well for visitors).

 

[boraxo]

My brother used to live down-valley from Aspen.

Aspen is OK. Just OK. I don't really go for "$1,000 knicknacks next to bars with $120 shots of whiskey." It's a pretty town. But it's mostly for the CEOs and their trustafarian kids.

Carbondale, on the other hand, is everything I like about Colorado in one easy-to-walk package. So if you're in the area, absolutely see Aspen. Head down valley a little and have a drink at the Woody Creek Tavern -- even if you're not a Hunter Thompson fan. It's a Key West bar in the mountains.

But then head down to Carbondale, which feels far more like a real town with real people.

PS -- I'm taking the location of my fishing spot on the Roaring Fork to the grave, though. Sorry. I've fished that spot for 15 years and never saw another angler. And I aim to keep i that way. If I find a similar spot in Alaska, I'll reassess my position.

Aspen is a fun town but way overpriced, even by (my) California standards. That is why it is nice if you can score a timeshare room or use hotel points (i.e. St Regis next door). An Ikon pass also cuts the ski cost significantly if you can use it elsewhere (e.g. for us at Palisades fka Squaw Valley). Unfortunately there are few budget restaurant options.

I would never ever stay in Carbondale for skiing. Snowmass is okay but pretty boring - better to stay in Aspen and take the bus to Snowmass rather than v.v.