Seawatch Plantation Advance Courtesy Call

[Explorer7]

I booked a few days at Seawatch for a birthday and valentines get away in Feb and to my surprise received a courtesy call from the resort last week to welcome me, give me details about the resort and area along with inquiring if I was celebrating a special occasion.
This is the first time I’ve received an advance call from any of the many resorts my wife and I have booked.
During the call I discovered that I had booked a villa rather than an ocean front tower. Fortunately I was in time to cancel the reservation and find another 1br to upgrade into one of the Tower Ocean front units.
Though most of my reservations are made on the web in this case I had to call a vacation councilor to locate an ocean front room in one of the towers and rebook the reservation placing a room lock request on the room location I wanted.

Were it not for the courtesy call I would have had a lesser room for the same points and found out to late to do anything about it.

That was good customer service from both the courtesy caller and the vacation councilor that helped me rebook into the best room available for my points used.

I’m looking forward to my first stay at Seawatch

 

[scootr5]

During the call I discovered that I had booked a villa rather than an ocean front tower. Fortunately I was in time to cancel the reservation and find another 1br to upgrade into one of the Tower Ocean front units.
Though most of my reservations are made on the web in this case I had to call a vacation councilor to locate an ocean front room in one of the towers and rebook the reservation placing a room lock request on the room location I wanted.

Were it not for the courtesy call I would have had a lesser room for the same points and found out to late to do anything about it.

They should not have been the same amount of points. A 1 bedroom in the towers in February is 105,000 points for a week, while a 1 bedroom in the villas is 94,500.

 

[learnalot]

They should not have been the same amount of points. A 1 bedroom in the towers in February is 105,000 points for a week, while a 1 bedroom in the villas is 94,500.

But I think Ira is VIP and so was eligible for an upgrade.

 

[Explorer7]

But I think Ira is VIP and so was eligible for an upgrade.

That’s true Learnalot, what I should have said is that my original reservation was a 2br in the villas which was the result of upgrading a 1br.
The rebooking would not have worked if all the 1br’s were gone leaving me nothing to upgrade from in order to rebook into the towers.

I usually am just happy to get a good upgrade and don’t pay much attention to the room location but at Sea watch I learned it makes a big difference for my taste.

Also note that I have found the only way to use the room lock request benefit for Gold and Plats is to call a VC and book the room number you want subject to availability at booking then request the lock. (which is still not a full guarantee)

And unless I am wrong the only way to know the room number of the unit you are booking is to speak to a VC.

 

[jjmanthei05]

Ira,

I'm not sure if this is a new policy but we had a similar call for our stay at great smoky's lodge over new years. This is the first time we got one of those but it was nice because it saved me from having to call and request a room placement.

Jason

 

[rrlongwell]

... Also note that I have found the only way to use the room lock request benefit for Gold and Plats is to call a VC and book the room number you want subject to availability at booking then request the lock. (which is still not a full guarantee)

And unless I am wrong the only way to know the room number of the unit you are booking is to speak to a VC.

A better way is to follow up with a call to the resort and confirm the room number that way. It works well for me when I go that way. A direct call to the resort works great.

 

[Explorer7]

Ira,

I'm not sure if this is a new policy but we had a similar call for our stay at great smoky's lodge over new years. This is the first time we got one of those but it was nice because it saved me from having to call and request a room placement.

Jason

Well Jason,
Based on your feedback it very well may be a new effort at certain resorts to help visitors plan a better experience.

The young lady was careful to tell us that she can’t call everyone but does a best effort to reach as many as possible.
During the phone conversation I had with her she made an effort to help me work with the front desk to switch my villa to a tower but the front desk said they would have to go to corporate to change the reservation. So since I was outside the 15 day no cancelation without forfeiting points window I felt it was simpler to just cancel and start over with a short phone call to a VC.

 

[Explorer7]

A better way is to follow up with a call to the resort and confirm the room number that way. It works well for me when I go that way. A direct call to the resort works great.

Per your advice It may be wise for me to follow-up the room lock on the original booking with a call to the resort to make sure they plan to honor the request.

In the past I have had very limited success when making a specific room or view request at the resort level and for a time became very frustrated because I would get so many different policies expressed depending on the resort and/or the front desk rep I would speak with.

Examples are ;
“you have to wait until 2 weeks before check in because we don’t get the list of people checking in until then”
“ you have to call us back 48 hours before check in because that’s when the person on staff who makes room assignments lines up the rooms and takes into consideration those who have placed specific unit holds first”
“ The best we can do is place and note on your reservation with your request” (when we go to check in sometimes there’s a note and sometimes there’s nothing”
My DW and I do lots of 2,3 and 4 night stays where most places the rooms are very nice no matter what so I kinda let go of getting a specific room in most cases.

 

[rrlongwell]

...
Examples are ;
“you have to wait until 2 weeks before check in because we don’t get the list of people checking in until then”
“ you have to call us back 48 hours before check in because that’s when the person on staff who makes room assignments lines up the rooms and takes into consideration those who have placed specific unit holds first”
“ The best we can do is place and note on your reservation with your request” (when we go to check in sometimes there’s a note and sometimes there’s nothing”
My DW and I do lots of 2,3 and 4 night stays where most places the rooms are very nice no matter what so I kinda let go of getting a specific room in most cases.

Yes, I have got some of that to. It would be nice if the Wyndham Managed resorts standardized their policies on this.

 

[antjmar]

That was good customer service from both the courtesy caller and the vacation councilor that helped me rebook into the best room available for my points used.

I’m looking forward to my first stay at Seawatch

The staff at seawatch is great! We loved our stay their last year! well maybe not the earthquake and Irene. But the staff made our stay great! We own at westwinds but are going back again this year! You wont be disappointed!

 

[vacationhopeful]

A better way is to follow up with a call to the resort and confirm the room number that way. It works well for me when I go that way. A direct call to the resort works great.

Robert, the room/unit number is assigned at booking on the computer. That is HOW the room/unit inventory is managed. Yes, the resort can assign you to a different unit - if there is unassigned inventory or IF they move another guest to your unit by swapping the room assignments. The big IF is that the other fellow has NOT marked his reservation with a "DO NOT MOVE" on their reservation. A unit assignment and a "DO NOT MOVE" is a priviledge of being a GOLD or PLATIMUM VIP.

Resorts have those reassignment abilities for the time they access to the inbound inventory - about 2 weeks before check. It helps to keep stayover guest in the same unit (housekeeping goes in when staff is available) most of the time. Some resorts (esp the Snowbird resorts) have a RULE that guests MUST change units every 2 weeks - fairness from a person having the best unit in the resort OR problems with an unit due to a guest's lifestyle of failure to bath. I have called the resorts to move a family member over 85+ to be nearer the in-laws who own their own Wyndham points and keeping my family member on the first floor.

Resorts have also move guests who might show poor judgment to lower floors (like SPRING BREAK). As for the "I am special and must have oceanfront" syndrome => it does provide much entertainment at the front desk. My one resort has the "oh, you don't own here look" as most owners prefer the intercoastal view. That is the view looking at the evening lights over the city and NOT hearing the 5 bars playing music, the honking of the cars or the groaning from the sports bar or the rising sun (bright sunlight) in the early AM.

 

[rrlongwell]

... A unit assignment and a "DO NOT MOVE" is a priviledge of being a GOLD or PLATIMUM VIP ...

I think you are right on the above quote. I think the orginal poster is Gold or Plantium.

 

[Joan-OH]

I received a call last July when I sent my sister to Ocean Blvd. They just wanted to make sure she would go to NORTH Myrtle Beach, rather than Myrtle Beach since there is a building with the same street number in Myrtle Beach.

Joan-OH

 

[Explorer7]

I received a call last July when I sent my sister to Ocean Blvd. They just wanted to make sure she would go to NORTH Myrtle Beach, rather than Myrtle Beach since there is a building with the same street number in Myrtle Beach.

Joan-OH

The young lady did mention something similar to us and gave us landmarks to look out for as part of her call. She also said that she was physically located at Ocean Blvd but calling on behalf of SeaWatch