The Traveler's Pledge - new to Wyndham and WorldMark

[Eric B]

Received a link to this by email today:

Take The Traveler’s Pledge
Traveling allows people of all backgrounds to meet and celebrate their differences, and our business strives to provide a memorable experience to everyone*
By establishing the Traveler’s Pledge, a Code of Conduct for our customers, our team strives to provide a memorable experience while ensuring everyone enjoys a safe, secure, and welcoming experience that is aligned with the Company’s values. We embrace multiculturalism globally and strive to foster an environment of mutual respect among our customers and associates.
The Pledge:

• Treat everyone with courtesy and respect, and conduct yourself in a manner that doesn’t harm another person’s vacation experience.
• Refrain from using verbal and/or written language that is abusive or offensive toward anyone ─ including guests, associates, or others ─ in any situation. In addition, the use of profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive, or offensive behavior is not permitted.
• Clothing or anything on your person should be appropriate for a family-friendly environment.
• Vacation Club owners and members are responsible for their guests’ conduct, including those travelers the owner may not personally know.
• The traveler whose name is listed on the reservation is responsible for the conduct of all others in their suite.
• Follow posted rules, including health and safety protocols, when using amenities, including pools, spas, fitness centers, or other resort facilities.
• Facilities are for the use of everyone unless otherwise identified.
• All applicable laws and ordinances at your destination must be followed. Violators may be prosecuted.

The Traveler’s Pledge applies to all aspects of your vacation and servicing of your ownership or membership. Travel + Leisure Co., including its brands, subsidiaries, and affiliates, shall have the exclusive authority to implement and enforce this Pledge. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, and there may be conduct issues that it does not explicitly address. We reserve the right to amend this document at any time. You can access any updates to the Traveler’s Pledge from your owner/member website.
Failure to act in accordance with this Pledge will result in restricted club access or dismissal from the vacation club.
Learn more about the policies of your vacation club, as approved by their respective board of directors as applicable, on your owner/member website.
Thank you for your support for and adherence to this Traveler’s Pledge. We look forward to providing you with fantastic vacation experiences, wherever your travels may take you.
*Everyone means everyone. We invite every person regardless of race, color, religion, veteran status, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy status, sex, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by law to feel acceptance.

 

[Eric B]

While I don't find it objectionable, though I haven't really examined and thought about it much yet, it seems odd and out of normal processes for imposing a code of conduct on owners without involving the boards of directors of the various HOAs, etc.

(Edit) Actually, I do find part of it objectionable - the reservation of the right to implement, enforce, and amend the document at any time. That's a bit disturbing in that it intrudes an awful lot on ownership rights. I don't think they're going to make us all participate in consciousness-raising activities as part of a stay (e.g., as a part of mandatory owners updates), but they are reserving the right to do that if they want to. It kind of creeps me out. Also, it wasn't part of my contract for purchasing my ownership, so how do they believe they can impose this on owners in general. There's also a dress code in there....

 

[Eric B]

... and another thing, I'm going to have to start saying "Heck" and "Gosh darn in" instead of using expressions that are a bit more colorful that I learned when I was in the Navy in order to avoid getting thrown out for using profanity. So much for respecting my veteran status ... and on Memorial Day weekend. Golly gee wilikers! (Oops, just looked that one up in the Urban Dictionary; good thing I'm not at a Club Wyndham or WorldMark right now!)

 

[r4rab]

So when a sales person or parking pass person does not take "No" for an answer and keeps harassing a guest to attend an "update", does it violate this?

• Refrain from using verbal and/or written language that is abusive or offensive toward anyone ─ including guests, associates, or others ─ in any situation. In addition, the use of profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive, or offensive behavior is not permitted.

 

[Eric B]

Vacation Club owners and members are responsible for their guests’ conduct, including those travelers the owner may not personally know.

I wonder if Travel + Leisure Co., including its brands, subsidiaries, and affiliates, will be taking responsibility for their guests' conduct, including those travelers it may not personally know when renting out stays through extra holidays or exchanges through RCI. They are in the position of Vacation Club owners and members for developer-owned weeks/credits, after all.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a particular issue with the spirit of the code of conduct they are reaching for. I just don't think they've thought through what all of the potential issues with how some of the things they have in there come across as well as the potential unintended consequences vis-à-vis accepting the risk of misconduct of guests for their rentals, for example.

 

[Eric B]

So when a sales person or parking pass person does not take "No" for an answer and keeps harassing a guest to attend an "update", does it violate this?

• Refrain from using verbal and/or written language that is abusive or offensive toward anyone ─ including guests, associates, or others ─ in any situation. In addition, the use of profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive, or offensive behavior is not permitted.

Well, we have to bear in mind how they set up the pledge.

the Traveler’s Pledge, a Code of Conduct for our customers

That's one thing they did seem to think of; the sales pushers are not covered by it, but if you, "a customer," lose your temper as a result of the harassment and verbally express something that is offensive to the sales pusher (n.b., it appears to be a subjective test as written) in order to convey that there is no f'ing way your going to an update, you would be at risk of violating the Pledge and potentially subject to restricted club access or dismissal from the vacation club.

I'd be much happier about the whole thing if they published the code of conduct for their staff or made them subject to this one. Not entirely happy, though, as it seems a bit heavy handed.

 

[Jan M.]

My first thought upon reading the email when it came was does this mean the resorts will actually do something about owners and guests who are unruly or violate rules? I will be happy if this actually does improve the experience for owners and their guests but I won't be holding my breath. In one of the Facebook groups someone just this week was complaining about a stay they just got back from and security did nothing about teens throwing stuff off the balcony and carrying on well beyond a reasonable hour night after night of their stay. Of course other people responded with their recent experiences.

What I expect is that the front desk staff will now be reporting anyone who gives them a hard time and action will be taken. Today I got a text from Glacier Canyon warning that units may not be ready until after 8pm. Palm-Aire is another resort that people have reported lately for units not being ready until after 7pm.. Because of the staffing shortages at a number of the bigger resorts it's going to be a brutal summer season and the people who work the front desks are already tired of putting up with people going off on them.

 

[55plus]

I didn’t read it. Since I retired I only read stuff that has a lot of pictures.

 

[Eric B]

I didn’t read it. Since I retired I only read stuff that has a lot of pictures.

Was going to make a snide comment, but don’t want to get banned by Travel + Leisure. Also, I couldn’t figure out how to post a picture for it from my phone and figured you wouldn’t read it anyway because of that….

 

[Rolltydr]

The way I read it, they’re asking everyone, owners, employees, guests, to act like decent human beings. Kind of like I was taught by my parents, school teachers and Sunday School teachers. I don’t see where I will have any problems adhering to this.

 

[Sloane S]

So when a sales person or parking pass person does not take "No" for an answer and keeps harassing a guest to attend an "update", does it violate this?

• Refrain from using verbal and/or written language that is abusive or offensive toward anyone ─ including guests, associates, or others ─ in any situation. In addition, the use of profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive, or offensive behavior is not permitted.

that was my first thought - I can’t wait to see if the ”parking pass desk” complies with it at my next stay....

 

[Jan M.]

The way I read it, they’re asking everyone, owners, employees, guests, to act like decent human beings. Kind of like I was taught by my parents, school teachers and Sunday School teachers. I don’t see where I will have any problems adhering to this.

We just got home yesterday from a 72 night trip at 6 different resorts. From talking to the staff at several resorts I knew that Wyndham was coming out with a new policy. This new policy seems to have come about due to a CYA response to recent events in our Country and Wyndham employee complaints too.

It's unfortunate that the staff members we interact with are often on the receiving end when they have no control over policy or poor management. When we give the resort and staff a bad review in our surveys and complain to owner care it doesn't seem fair that they get dinged for things that are out of their control. When you fill out those surveys they do get read. So keep that in mind when you're pointing a finger of blame. Is it the staff or the resort management who are actually responsible or is it Wyndham policy and upper management decisions? I like to think that making it clear you're putting the blame where it actually belongs can help bring about positive changes.

I have no objection whatsoever if this results in fewer incidents of owners and guests bad and inconsiderate behaviors negatively impacting other owners and guests. I hope this results in some owners and guests understanding that they don't get to ruin other peoples vacations. That parents understand that they don't get to take a vacation from parenting and let their kids and teens run wild. We do most of our traveling when kids are in school so until this past year we hadn't experienced much of what I see and hear other people complaining about. I certainly have a lot more sympathy now when I read people's posts about their experiences. Not just complaints about kids and teens but adults too. And most of us are fed up with people bringing dogs that aren't actual trained ADA service animals. It's not too much to ask to expect people to act like decent human beings

If you read though this policy there's another angle to it that I haven't seen anyone mention yet. I'm waiting for someone else to figure it out and bring it up.

 

[CO skier]

And most of us are fed up with people bringing dogs that aren't actual trained ADA service animals. It's not too much to ask to expect people to act like decent human beings

WorldMark has a "no animal" policy written into the Declaration of Vacation Ownership. Every owner expects a "no pets" vacation experience.

An exception was made for ADA Service Animals.

More and more owners bring their fake "service dogs" and there is no enforcement of the Declaration of Vacation Ownership rules.

If Wyndham does not or cannot enforce rules that are written into the highest order Governing Document, how or will they enforce this "Pledge" that has no basis in any governing document?

The Pledge just seems like politically correct window dressing that can be ignored, because there will be no enforcement at the resort level, just like the "no animals" (except service animals) rule.

 

[Eric B]

If you read though this policy there's another angle to it that I haven't seen anyone mention yet. I'm waiting for someone else to figure it out and bring it up.

Do you mean the part where they say they can dismiss an owner from the vacation club they own an undivided interest in? That's one of the more interesting aspects - presumably that would entail Travel + Leisure compensating the former owner for what they are taking away either by returning all moneys paid or possibly the current market price. I don't believe it will ever actually happen because of the track record in this area, but I can picture the legal department there having to make the arguments that the market prices are best reflected by what they sell for on eBay rather than the retail pricing. That would be a hoot.

 

[bbodb1]

[ deleted: politically & socially contentious ]

 

[Rolltydr]

We just got home yesterday from a 72 night trip at 6 different resorts. From talking to the staff at several resorts I knew that Wyndham was coming out with a new policy. This new policy seems to have come about due to a CYA response to recent events in our Country and Wyndham employee complaints too.

It unfortunate that the staff members we interact with are often on the receiving end when they have no control over policy or poor management. When we give the resort and staff a bad review in our surveys and complain to owner care it doesn't seem fair that they get dinged for things that are out of their control. When you fill out those surveys they do get read. So keep that in mind when you're pointing a finger of blame. Is it the staff or the resort management who are actually responsible or is it Wyndham policy and upper management decisions? I like to think that making it clear you're putting the blame where it actually belongs can help bring about positive changes.

I have no objection whatsoever if this results in fewer incidents of owners and guests bad and inconsiderate behaviors negatively impacting other owners and guests. I hope this results in some owners and guests understanding that they don't get to ruin other peoples vacations. That parents understand that they don't get to take a vacation from parenting and let their kids and teens run wild. We do most of our traveling when kids are in school so until this past year we hadn't experienced much of what I see and hear other people complaining about. I certainly have a lot more sympathy now when I read people's posts about their experiences. Not just complaints about kids and teens but adults too. And most of us are fed up with people bringing dogs that aren't actual trained ADA service animals. It's not too much to ask to expect people to act like decent human beings

If you read though this policy there's another angle to it that I haven't seen anyone mention yet. I'm waiting for someone else to figure it out and bring it up.

Good points, Jan. I don’t remember ever having a negative experience with resort staff. The sales staff, of course, is another matter. And, I’ve reached a couple of phone reps who were less than helpful. Whenever I respond to surveys, I always try to be very specific to point out exactly who, or at least which department I’m complaining about.

 

[bbodb1]

..If you read though this policy there's another angle to it that I haven't seen anyone mention yet. I'm waiting for someone else to figure it out and bring it up.

Might it be the shot across the bow of anyone who rents?

• Vacation Club owners and members are responsible for their guests’ conduct, including those travelers the owner may not personally know.

 

[Eric B]

It would be interesting to know the statistics on what people are causing whatever issues this is supposed to be addressing, i.e., are they owners and their guests, people renting from owners, people renting from Travel + Leisure, Co., including its brands, subsidiaries, and affiliates, or people on exchanges via RCI, II or other independent exchange systems. If they were actually taking data on the problem, it might have helped them make more transparent decisions that could actually address it in a way that most people would support. It just doesn't seem like this is really well suited to addressing it.

 

[Zekes]

Resort staff at Bonnet Creek has always been extremely helpful. No problems with wristband folks either.

 

[paxsarah]

(Edit) Actually, I do find part of it objectionable - the reservation of the right to implement, enforce, and amend the document at any time.

What an absolute load of horse hockey.
The #woke agenda attempts to infect anything and everything it can and it appears someone at Wyndham has been brainwashed.

The core of this is basically in the directory in the program disclosures, and we've all been subject to it - they've just fleshed out some of the principles and gave it a name. (Refer to pages 254-55 of the 2018-19 directory, but similar language goes back as far as I have directories on my hard drive - 2009-10.)

Let's not forget the overarching truth:

But also that Wyndham has always maintained the right to impose consequences on behavior it deems detrimental:

There's nothing "new" or "woke" about the traveler's pledge. Much like the inventory Wyndham takes back through Ovations, it's just repackaged.

 

[wjappraise]

Behavior of many Americans (and perhaps all humans) has denigrated recently. And it’s part of an overall sense of entitlement we have. I’ve observed how poorly a small percentage of Wyndham “owners” treat the staff at resorts. That percentage seems to be growing.

I’ve found it amusing how “status” is used by some owners to push their demands for a nicer room or an earlier check in. I’ve found greater success by being kind or saying “I can take no for an answer, but I at least wanted to ask if I can get a lake view room.” Others curse or demand and don’t get their way.

Watching news reports about unruly airline passengers gives us a clue how on edge many people are, especially if they are told to mask up or buckle up. So, a stated commitment to expected and acceptable behavior is a noble idea. But not likely to change how people act.

As a a nation, We are in trouble.

 

[bbodb1]

[ DELETED: Contentious Social Issue ]

Avoid posting about politics, religion, or contentious social issues
Unless directly related to timesharing, such discussions are prohibited in these forums, including TUG Lounge. We've been down that road before, it was ugly, and we are not going there again.

 

[Sandi Bo]

Overall, I don't feel like this is any different expectations than I have anyways. Perhaps having it in writing will make it easier for them to enforce? More mention towards discriminatory type stuff? Perhaps that has been an issue. Some T-Shirts I've seen have shocked me, so having the ability to tell someone to turn it inside out (i've never done that to someone - haha) is okay by me. Maybe it's so they can tell you to turn your TUG shirts inside out?

I guess we've been lucky, worst issues we've had are things like lasers on the balconies at Ocean Walk (and yes security will hunt them down, if possible).

My BIL jumped in at Bentley Brook when someone was being terribly rude to the front desk staff (they had left their wallet in the car and needed a credit card). He just said what they couldn't (they were just doing their job). They take a lot of crap.

I know Panama City Beach takes no crap from the kids during spring break, maybe they could give some lessons to other resorts?

 

[chapjim]

Might it be the shot across the bow of anyone who rents?

• Vacation Club owners and members are responsible for their guests’ conduct, including those travelers the owner may not personally know.

Vicarious liability -- well tested in the case of employer-employee.

Can owner and guest contract out of this so that a guest is responsible for his conduct and that of other members of his party? (I can't believe I'm actually asking this!)

 

[bbodb1]

[ DELETED: Contentious Social Issue ]

Avoid posting about politics, religion, or contentious social issues
Unless directly related to timesharing, such discussions are prohibited in these forums, including TUG Lounge. We've been down that road before, it was ugly, and we are not going there again.

Wow, really?
So just hide behind your shield of anonymous moderation on one post and blindly ignore how 'socially contentious' Wyndham's pledge is. This issue needs to be discussed for what it is because it impacts us as timeshare owners. Wyndham dropped this load on us. Don't be what Facebook, Google, Twitter and other platforms have become.