System Updates for Your Website

[dgalati]

On Wednesday, January 22nd, your owner website will be unavailable starting at 12 a.m. ET as we make updates to your to your online experience. Plan accordingly!!!

 

[John_and_Val]

HIDE THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!

 

[chapjim]

We've enjoyed as many updates to our online experiences as we can stand. (Hat tip to Porter Wagoner)

 

[Richelle]

The last time, they added the “search for alternative options” button which is handy. Maybe we will get something else handy?

 

[SNA27]

Such as Portland, Oregon as an alternative option to Newport, RI as @Sandi Bo found out! Very handy!

 

[WyndhamBarter]

In progress, as scheduled!

Hold tight, we’ll be back.
We’re currently in the process of updating our systems. Thank you for your patience as we continue to upgrade your online experience.

 

[SNA27]

We're holding tight! So tight we're turning blue!
But please don't hold back and tell us what incredible new experiences we will experience!
Curious minds and the bodies attached thereto are literally dying to know!

 

[Richelle]

Such as Portland, Oregon as an alternative option to Newport, RI as @Sandi Bo found out! Very handy!

If there was not thing in the Northeast area available, it was probably looking for something with similar features. Maybe the climates are similar or the resort has similar features. There could be any number of reasons it choose something on the other side of the country.

 

[Silverdollar]

I still long for the "good ole days" when the previous website would instantaneously provide you with a list of first available dates at all resorts. Now you have to slowly and methodically scroll through each resort, month-by-month, in hopes of finding an available date. This is an extremely tedious and time-consuming process compared to the previous website. Wyndham executives, if you are listening, we are coming up on year #3 of the "new" website. I think we have been patient enough.

 

[55plus]

I still long for the "good ole days" when the website would instantaneously provide you with a list of first available dates at all resorts. Now you have to slowly and methodically scroll through each resort, month-by-month, in hopes of finding an available date. This is an extremely tedious and time-consuming process compared to the previous website. Wyndham executives, if you are listening, we are coming up on year #3 of the "new" website. I think we have been patient enough.

That's by design to slow things down and hinder the mega renters. Wyndham already have your money so a more efficient doesn't benefit them.

 

[Sandi Bo]

If there was not thing in the Northeast area available, it was probably looking for something with similar features. Maybe the climates are similar or the resort has similar features. There could be any number of reasons it choose something on the other side of the country.

LOL, we'll know what goes inside that black box, will we?

 

[Sandi Bo]

That's by design to slow things down and hinder the mega renters. Wyndham already have your money so a more efficient doesn't benefit them.

The only mega renter left standing after the cleanup job Wyndham did, is Wyndham itself. Having an efficient system just doesn't appear to be a priority to them.

 

[Richelle]

LOL, we'll know what goes inside that black box, will we?

Maybe I’ve been working to much, but I’m not picking up what your dropping. Black box?

 

[Sandi Bo]

Maybe I’ve been working to much, but I’m not picking up what your dropping. Black box?

Sorry, maybe a non-technical term for us IT folks? Whenever there is an unknown part a system where we really don't know what's going on. You provide input to the black box, and voila you receive output as needed. But no-one can really explain how it worked.

 

[Richelle]

I still long for the "good ole days" when the previous website would instantaneously provide you with a list of first available dates at all resorts. Now you have to slowly and methodically scroll through each resort, month-by-month, in hopes of finding an available date. This is an extremely tedious and time-consuming process compared to the previous website. Wyndham executives, if you are listening, we are coming up on year #3 of the "new" website. I think we have been patient enough.

The old website had its own deficiencies. It was not perfect by any means and lacked features people were asking for like the ability to book ARP reservations. Or being able to book 24 hours a day. It was not mobile friendly at all. The feature you talk about was nice, but I like looking at the availability calendar. The old feature required some tweaking if the first available was in March, but I couldn’t travel until July. About the same amount of time it does for me to search for availability now. The site moves just fine for me. Could be that I usually access it on my phone and not computer. I rarely access it from a computer. The new site is not perfect by any means, but the “good old days” were not that great. I’ll take being able to book after hours and ARP reservations over the old site anyway.

Have you searched by city or state? You still have to choose a date, but I venture to guess that the majority of us have our dates narrowed down for the most part due to us having to plan around work and school schedules. It doesn’t take me long to search the month of August in Orlando where there are several resorts. Maybe 5 minutes, if I search each week individually. Again, the mobile site is fairly fast.

 

[Richelle]

Sorry, maybe a non-technical term for us IT folks? Whenever there is an unknown part a system where we really don't know what's going on. You provide input to the black box, and voila you receive output as needed. But no-one can really explain how it worked.

That’s a new one to me, and I’ve been working on IT for over 20 years. Lol. Makes sense though.

 

[HitchHiker71]

LOL, we'll know what goes inside that black box, will we?

I think you missed a key word: LOL, we'll never know what goes inside that black box, will we?

 

[Silverdollar]

That's by design to slow things down and hinder the mega renters. Wyndham already have your money so a more efficient doesn't benefit them.

I suppose you are right. It is just another example how a few (mega renters) can abuse the system and hurt us all. The "first available date" feature was great if you weren't "tied" to booking at a specific resort on an exact date. Instead, if you were flexible, you could do an "opportunity search" and quickly discover the first available dates at all Wyn. resorts. In less than 60 seconds you could scan availability across the entire chain, make a selection and book it. If they bring back that feature I may have to take back all the "less than complementary things" I said (and thought) about the "new" website.

 

[SNA27]

Do pages load faster? Or am I imagining it?

@Richelle

Search for alternative options

Funny... if you search for Newport, RI and nothing is found, so select 'Search for Alternative Options'... Portland, Oregon, is suggested. I suppose it is an option, LOL.

tugbbs.com

 

[Sandi Bo]

I think you missed a key word: LOL, we'll never know what goes inside that black box, will we?

Oops, yes!

 

[Richelle]

Do pages load faster? Or am I imagining it?

@Richelle

Search for alternative options

Funny... if you search for Newport, RI and nothing is found, so select 'Search for Alternative Options'... Portland, Oregon, is suggested. I suppose it is an option, LOL.

tugbbs.com

Your question and your link together make no sense.

 

[Richelle]

Oops, yes!

Now it makes even more sense. lol

 

[SNA27]

I remember the old system vaguely from 2017. IIRC, it was patterned after the RCI search scheme. I do remember it being very cumbersome with no visibility as to detailed availability at a particular resort. I never did use my points in 2017. It's still rotting in RCI awaiting expiry in August 2020.
The new Frontend is much better but it could be faster. I wish I could just specify the booking month instead of specific dates and go to that month's availability right away. There's no need to build the entire availability calendar before the page loads.

I almost never specify check-in/check-out dates in the booking dialog on the landing page. It's a complete waste of time for me when it tells my dates are not available and directs me to search all dates. Then it takes forever to load and starts me off in the current month and it takes forever again to load the month I want.

Instead, if they only provided the booking month the landing page dialog and it shows me the availability for that month, it would save me many useless steps and REDUCE the load on the system by avoiding pointless queries. Alternatively, if my check-in/check-dates are not available, just load that month with a message that my dates are not available. Why go through all the useless steps that cost me time and loads the system unnecessarily. Every query that is pointless is a cost to the system.

A lot of such small improvements would enhance the user experience, imo.

 

[Richelle]

I remember the old system vaguely from 2017. IIRC, it was patterned after the RCI search scheme. I do remember it being very cumbersome with no visibility as to detailed availability at a particular resort. I never did use my points in 2017. It's still rotting in RCI awaiting expiry in August 2020.
The new Frontend is much better but it could be faster. I wish I could just specify the booking month instead of specific dates and go to that month's availability right away. There's no need to build the entire availability calendar before the page loads.

I almost never specify check-in/check-out dates in the booking dialog on the landing page. It's a complete waste of time for me when it tells my my dates are not available and directs me to serach all dates. Then it takes forever to load and starts me off in the current month and it takes forever again to load the month I want.

Instead, if they only provided the booking month the landing page dialog and it shows me the availability for that month, it would save me many useless steps and REDUCE the load on the system by avoiding pointless queries.

A lot of such small improvements would enhance the user experience, imo.

Agreed that there are areas that need improvement. The mobile site is pretty fast to load, but likely because it has lower overhead. The few times I used the desktop site, it moved just fine with the exception of that one time I had issues with booking Kingsgate. I just remembered that one. Happened on the mobile site too. Otherwise, the only time it was slow for me is when I searched the entire south region and didn’t specify a unit type. They took away region search which I was disappointed in. Obviously they think there are still improvements that need to be made, or else they wouldn’t have system maintenance. Whether the improvements work or not, is a whole other story. I do think they are slowly getting better with their releases, but still far from perfect. They don’t have as many instances where the “fix” actually broke something. I have not noticed one of those in awhile, but I may have missed it if it did happen recently.

 

[SNA27]

Many of these small improvements don't require major projects and big budgets and will produce maximum bang for the buck in terms of improving speed, reducing load and enhancing user experience. I am sure they can easily analyze their web traffic and quantify the number of 'wasted queries' that didn't result in a reservation but just annoyed the user and wasted the system resources.