Unhappy with WKORV OF unit - smell and damp carpet

[jabberwocky]

We arrived to the resort late last night (around 11 pm). Was given a second floor OF room (not yet renovated). This was a SO reservation made exactly at 8 months as a 3* elite.

I Am not arguing the room placement; however, I was hit by a damp mildew smell as soon as I walked into the room. The carpet from the bedroom to the living rooms is very damp - so either they had a carpet cleaning go horribly wrong, or I suspect there was a water leak from a tub or other source. Bottom line is I am having difficulty sleeping with the overpowering smell

I’ve called down to the front desk and they said they’ve made a note, but I will have to call down tomorrow as HK is gone for the day and has not signed off on rooms that have been vacated - so they can’t move us into those.

Any suggestions? I can’t see how HK would have signed off on this.

 

[grgs]

I'm sorry to hear this. If they are at full occupancy with OF units, they might not be able to move you. If they can't take care of the smell, would you be willing to take an OV unit (if available)? If so, you should get somes SOs returned.

I also made a SO reservation for an OF unit at WKORV with a June 1 check in. I'm not expecting optimal placement, although we are 5* elite. Would you mind sharing a picture of your balcony view? I'm curious about views from the lower floors.

Keep us posted, please!

 

[rickandcindy23]

I would open the sliding door and the front door and air it out. They can put an ionizer or something in the room to clear the odor. They can also re-clean the carpet.
So sorry this happened to you. I would be so upset with an odor like that.

 

[Moparman42]

I've had that problem there as well once or twice. It was usually due to the AC unit. I made the best of it and pumped a half bottle of febreze through the cold air intake it got all better in a matter of hours. Just a thought. some things they can't fix quickly or control, but at least you're in Maui!!

 

[daviator]

I noticed that there is a warning on the Marriott site about emergency repairs to a water pipe, but I thought it said it was near Auntie's Kitchen, so that seems like a long way from any of the OF units. So probably not related but I thought I'd mention it.

Hope you can get a quick resolution, that is definitely below the standards we expect of Westin.

 

[divenski]

We arrived to the resort late last night (around 11 pm). Was given a second floor OF room (not yet renovated). This was a SO reservation made exactly at 8 months as a 3* elite.

Can you tell what the status is for the overall renovation? I was there in Dec and at least bldg 2 seemed close to done, but maybe the work was stopped for the winter season. And is it an OF or OFD room?

 

[jabberwocky]

Just an update, the carpet is still wet. I suspect that it is coming from the AC unit.

The did offer to move us into one on the 1st floor - all they had available (we are OFD). The suggestion of leaving the lanai doors open has helped keep the smell down, but the resort doesn’t seem interested in remedial action to fix whatever is causing the leak in the first case or to try and reduce the smell by cleaning/drying.

We decided to stay put. Having the elevated lanai is great for the mornings and late nights. To be honest we’re not spending much time in the unit itself, there is so much else to do.

I suspect management is just waiting until this unit get renovated to deal with the AC leak at that time - the carpet will be replaced anyways at that time.

I’m not sure where they are on the overall renovation. Really haven’t explored that part. There are workers on site actively working.

 

[mauitraveler]

Can you tell what the status is for the overall renovation? I was there in Dec and at least bldg 2 seemed close to done, but maybe the work was stopped for the winter season. And is it an OF or OFD room?

When we arrived on 4/30, they were almost finished with refurbishing the 6th floor. (They said that's why we were in the OFC villa on the 5th floor.) When we left on 5/7, they had finished refurbishing the east half of the 5th floor, and were getting ready to work on the west half of the 5th floor. So, by now they are probably close to being finished with the 4th floor. CJ

 

[rickandcindy23]

I would be livid. I would want it fixed asap. There is no reason to move you, when this needs to be fixed, anyway, so do it while you are there so you can enjoy the rest of your stay.

 

[SueDonJ]

I would be livid. I would want it fixed asap. There is no reason to move you, when this needs to be fixed, anyway, so do it while you are there so you can enjoy the rest of your stay.

I agree. An AC unit leaking to the point that the carpet is damp and the unit smells musty is a health issue. Maintenance to mitigate harmful health issues ought to be prioritized over anything else.

 

[jabberwocky]

I would be livid. I would want it fixed asap. There is no reason to move you, when this needs to be fixed, anyway, so do it while you are there so you can enjoy the rest of your stay.

Engineering and housekeeping will be coming by this morning to see if they can identify/fix the issue. They will be using something called “ozone” or something like that. Hopefully it resolves the issue.

They are also talking to room control to see if something else is available other than a ground floor unit. First best is still to not have to move units as I don’t want to waste 1/2 a day doing that.

 

[MarineBlue]

Maybe they can put a portable dehumidifier in your room. Fans are helpful, too, in drying out carpet. Good luck!

 

[klpca]

Engineering and housekeeping will be coming by this morning to see if they can identify/fix the issue. They will be using something called “ozone” or something like that. Hopefully it resolves the issue.

They are also talking to room control to see if something else is available other than a ground floor unit. First best is still to not have to move units as I don’t want to waste 1/2 a day doing that.

I had to move mid week at Waiohai a few years ago to accommodate a renovation. Even though I didn't think it would be that big of a deal since I was there by myself waiting for my daughter to arrive mid week, it was a pain to not get into the new unit until 4pm. Make them do as much of the work as possible re:moving your stuff to storage and keeping the perishables cold. Then ask about getting into the new unit as early as possible. Surely your unit could be the first one cleaned?

Also, by way of karma, I was able to get a Waiohai unit using a $300 AC during covid (late 2020). We were assigned a third floor unit in building 1 or 8 - off the top of my head I can't remember which - but it was definitely an ocean front unit. So what goes around comes around when you least expect it. Good luck.

 

[robertk2012]

Engineering and housekeeping will be coming by this morning to see if they can identify/fix the issue. They will be using something called “ozone” or something like that. Hopefully it resolves the issue.

They are also talking to room control to see if something else is available other than a ground floor unit. First best is still to not have to move units as I don’t want to waste 1/2 a day doing that.

Make sure you are not in the room with the ozone generator.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rickandcindy23]

Westin North made us move for our second week in March. Consecutive weeks via II exchange, so I was sure we wouldn't have to move. That was most inconvenient. The second week was not as great a view, so we bought oceanfront at South to get our guaranteed view every year.

 

[jabberwocky]

Maintenance was in yesterday - they unclogged the AC drain, so that has stopped the dripping. They had a blower on the carpet and ozone machine going for most of the day yesterday, so the carpet has mostly dried out, but there is still a bit of a smell - but it is not nearly as bad and you only notice it when coming in from outside.

I guess the thing I've been most disappointed with is it took them two days to consider the complaint seriously and address the root cause. But the front desk manager that came in on Thursday morning was very responsive - it's too bad it took so long to reach her level.

With regards to the renovations, they are currently working on the fourth floor in Building 3 towards the east end of the building (furthest from the ocean). I'm hearing pounding in the unit immediately above us, so I believe they may have also started working on the 3rd floor OF units - this is the first day we have noticed any noise.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

So sad to hear that it took 2 days out of your vacation to deal with this. This sounds like a nightmare.

We had a similar situation at Ko Olina with cockroaches in our unit. This was after we waited until 7:30 PM to check in even though we arrived early at 1:00. The the carpet in our room was damp. However I suspect someone got sick and they had to clean the carpets and let it dry before we could occupy. The carpets were damp.

Marriott management was polite but "meh" and when we finally got them to pay attention 2 days later, they couldn't place us in any other units. (it was peak summer and the only unit was a bottom floor unit darkened by the kids waterslide). We were on a promotional stay so didn't pay much for the room. If this was my EOY owner's stay, I would be livid.

Have you considered asking for compensation to offset this disaster?

 

[jabberwocky]

So sad to hear that it took 2 days out of your vacation to deal with this. This sounds like a nightmare.

We had a similar situation at Ko Olina with cockroaches in our unit. This was after we waited until 7:30 PM to check in even though we arrived early at 1:00. The the carpet in our room was damp. However I suspect someone got sick and they had to clean the carpets and let it dry before we could occupy. The carpets were damp.

Marriott management was polite but "meh" and when we finally got them to pay attention 2 days later, they couldn't place us in any other units. (it was peak summer and the only unit was a bottom floor unit darkened by the kids waterslide). We were on a promotional stay so didn't pay much for the room. If this was my EOY owner's stay, I would be livid.

Have you considered asking for compensation to offset this disaster?

They offered me $100 resort credit. I’ve taken that as I don’t want to spend more time worrying about this. My focus is just on enjoying the island.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Well you got about what we got. $100 seems to be a MVC standard. We purchased a cabana for a day so they could spray the room for cockroaches. Not impressed and it left a bad impression because we had to vacate our room. I sure hope Westin service is not going the way of MVC service. Although it is never bad, it is just "meh." I feel that people are going through the motions because they must. This is why we won't invest more in MVC and may sell our WKORV-N when we are done.

BTW...it may be different at other MVCs but I have experienced this at Ko Olina, Grand Chateaux and WKORV. YMMV.

One thing I learned in a service management class in college was that a bad situation is an opportune time to turn around a relationship with a customer. Depending on how well you react, you can turn a dissatisfied customer into a big fan. This never happened with MVC because the entire time I felt they were working from a customer service playbook and showed little empathy for how they ruined our vacation.

 

[klpca]

Well you got about what we got. $100 seems to be a MVC standard. We purchased a cabana for a day so they could spray the room for cockroaches. Not impressed and it left a bad impression because we had to vacate our room. I sure hope Westin service is not going the way of MVC service. Although it is never bad, it is just "meh." I feel that people are going through the motions because they must. This is why we won't invest more in MVC and may sell our WKORV-N when we are done.

One thing I learned in a service management class in college was that a bad situation is an opportune time to turn around a relationship with a customer. Depending on how well you react, you can turn a dissatisfied customer into a big fan. This never happened with MVC because the entire time I felt they were working from a customer service playbook and showed little empathy for how they ruined our vacation.

That is why I am so appreciative of having our TUG contact at Interval (Mark Delcampo). If you get in a pickle, he does his best to help you out and for me, it is the #1 reason that I feel loyal to II. It doesn't take much to do the right thing, or at least be sympathetic about an issue, and the benefit in customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations is worth every penny.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Katherine, I completely agree. It doesn't cost much, but makes for a more enjoyable experience. Good to know about the II contact.

To compare, 95% of the time, I feel recognized and valued as an owner at HGVC properties. We've had excellent service at our NYC HGVC (where we own). After our first visit since Covid, they left two small bottles of wine, a small box of chocolates and a handwritten note from the front desk welcoming us back "home" after Covid. (and we were not Elites then.) The Assistant General Manager wanders around and mingles with guests; on two occasions he stopped by the lounge to personally welcome and in the public areas to greet with guests and knows us by name. They have very low staff turnover and the lounge manager has been there since they opened. They know who we are because we return every year and make an effort to get to know their owners.

Although we don't get this service at every HGV resort, I feel that even at the busier Oahu resorts, and Elara, they try to please and we feel valued and recognized as owners. For example, at the Elara (where we trade and do not own), the front desk noticed proactively that the only 2 bdrm available was an accessible room because of renovations that week. Rather than forcing us to use that room, they proactively gave us two adjacent 1 bedroom grands on the elite floor and did not charge us for the difference.

At the Hilton on the BI the housekeeping staff not only performed the weekly housekeeping but checked in to see if we needed more towels or soap. The following week at WKORV-N, we never had mid-week clean "because of Covid" and had to call to remove garbage - had to seek them out. Both resorts were running at full capacity.

 

[daviator]

At the Hilton on the BI the housekeeping staff not only performed the weekly housekeeping but checked in to see if we needed more towels or soap. The following week at WKORV-N, we never had mid-week clean "because of Covid" and had to call to remove garbage - had to seek them out. Both resorts were running at full capacity.

It is long past time for Vistana to restore the mid-week tidy and return the items they have removed from all the rooms (placemats and cloth napkins, and I don’t know what else.) I don’t think it’s still believable to blame their absence on COVID, though it’s possible they have staffing problems at some, or many/all, properties. (If so, those are business challenges they need to overcome.)

Among other things, usually by midweek we are running short of toilet paper and it’s a little embarrassing to have to call for it and then wait around for them to deliver it. I usually go out and look for a cart to steal needed stuff from, but that really shouldn’t be a necessary part of every stay.

I have been putting comments about the missing mid-week tidy on the surveys they sometimes send out, and I hope others will do the same, unless we want the tidies to be a thing of the past forever.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@daviator Are you saying that they have not resumed the mid-week tidy? If so, that's crazy. Especially since owners pay about $500 - $1000 more on average in MF than the competition which resumed it last year. What are we paying for?

I certainly hope it is reinstated by the time we visit next year.

 

[daviator]

@daviator Are you saying that they have not resumed the mid-week tidy? If so, that's crazy. Especially since owners pay about $500 - $1000 more on average in MF than the competition which resumed it last year. What are we paying for?

I certainly hope it is reinstated by the time we visit next year.

I don’t think they’ve resumed the mid-week tidy anywhere, at least in my experience. My most recent stay was last month. They were still using Covid as an excuse.

 

[zentraveler]

I don’t think they’ve resumed the mid-week tidy anywhere, at least in my experience. My most recent stay was last month. They were still using Covid as an excuse.

FWIW, not about WKORV or Vistana, but stayed at a Hilton last month (HHV) and they scheduled a mid-week cleaning just as normal (i.e. not by request, or just towels etc.) They also had paper/pen back in the room. I also am peeved at some of the disappeared amenities that still are not re-appearing (hotels and timeshares).