VIP SPECIFIC UNIT REQUEST " GONE WITH THE WIND "

[dcdowden]

We have been Plat VIP Owners at Royal Vista for almost 20 years. Previous versions of the reservation system used to make actual reservations for a specific unit and tell you at the time if it was not available. Royal Vista always appeared to honor that request. We booked the same room in the oceanfront building for 3 or 4 weeks every year. Bonnet Creek never honored a specific unit request in our experience, but we didn't own anything there either. It does appear that the new reservation system just records a requested room and doesn't actually reserve anything, but we haven't been able to go the last couple years and have now entered the certified exit program.

 

[schreff]

True, your assessment is correct. You can request a room but if the room is not available, you will not get it upon arrival at the resort.

Now, in my experience, I generally call a couple days before arrival and check to see what I have been assigned. Might not be the exact room but, it will be similar. I also generally arrive as early as possible to be sure that a 'complainier' is not reassigned into the room I've been assigned. Recently, I did not get a room similar to what I requested and I was told 'that weekday checkins don't see the turnover that weekend checkins do and that sometimes the type of room you've requested is just not available'. At this resort, I've started checking in on Saturdays in hopes that I get the type of room that I have requested. Trying to improve my odds.

I would not say that a benefit has been removed or 'gone with the wind', but, rather would say that the room benefit is never a quarantee.

Good post, thanks. We have been snow birding at our home resort, Palm Aire, as VIPs for many years and have never had a problem getting a specific tower and poolside unit in the past. As VIPs, we add the unit requested with a note stating only the tower and view with our reservations. Some of the time this is still honored. Years ago, when we made reservations by phone we called, were told by the vacation counselor if a specific room was available, reserved the unit we wanted and then added a DO NOT MOVE. This worked without a problem. We always checked in on Saturdays but there was a changed in management along with Wyndham policy which caused the TRUE definition of the Ability to Reserve a Specific Unit benefit to disappear. The way some interrupt it now removes it as a benefit and converts it to a how loud you complain, how soon you get there, or who you know syndrome which is not a benefit it is a ruse. We have seen the best of times and worst of times at Palm Aire and Wyndham/Fairfield in general. Sure, the new resorts have added value but the plummeting of VIP benefits from A to Z have made it not cost effective for the average buyer to move into the VIP ladder for most.
In ending, the Specific Room Request is not guaranteed and how is it a benefit if the above examples prove that other non VIPers receive no benefit greater than another nonVIP owner?

 

[schreff]

We have been Plat VIP Owners at Royal Vista for almost 20 years. Previous versions of the reservation system used to make actual reservations for a specific unit and tell you at the time if it was not available. Royal Vista always appeared to honor that request. We booked the same room in the oceanfront building for 3 or 4 weeks every year. Bonnet Creek never honored a specific unit request in our experience, but we didn't own anything there either. It does appear that the new reservation system just records a requested room and doesn't actually reserve anything, but we haven't been able to go the last couple years and have now entered the certified exit program.

Thanks for your post. You are correct with one minor exception which most likely applies to us only because we were not only Plat VIPs but also Palm Aire was our home resort. Palm Aire always made sure our request for Areca poolside was honored in the past when Brian Dixson was the manager and then district manager. Since he was promoted, the new management team has used Laissez-faire management techniques and Wyndham has de-centralized inventory control which resulted in a VIP benefit turning into a tainted nothing burger. As you state, " the new reservation system just records a requested room and doesn't actually reserve anything ". Good luck with the certified exit program.

 

[schreff]

I don't know what you think I was trying to say there (5 weeks ago!), but I can assure you it's not whatever you're assuming. I'll extend the benefit of the doubt that you don't fully understand the particularities of how this message board functions. Once a user makes a post or comment, they can't delete it - only edit it. I had made an immediate comment replying to someone (probably you) without reading to the bottom of the thread. After posting my reply, I continued reading to the bottom and found that another user had made the same point (and if I had to guess, I think it was chapjim's response here, which was surely more succinct and clearer than whatever I had said). So when I got to the bottom of the thread I edited my post to remove the redundant reply (no need to pile on if it's already been said) with a self-deprecating dig at myself. That's all.

Though since I'm here, I'll mention something else that I noticed lately.

Consider yourself lucky. In the last few months, I've been called insane, attention-seeking, shameful, and evasive right here on this forum by someone who didn’t choose to hold their tongue.

Seems so strange that the avoidance of an answer to a simple question is so hard for you to understand. There must be a reason for this lack of response. Here it is again, please be specific.

TRUE OR FALSE, the truth is that the VIP benefit of the ABILITY TO RESERVE SPECIFIC UNITS....Request a specific unit number when making reservations only means that if the unit is available at the time you are assigned a unit (most likely when you arrive at the resort) and the availability of that unit during high demand is highly unlikely. It has nothing to do with if the unit was available at the time of reservation.

And then please explain how is this a VIP benefit if a Wyndham VIP and Home Resort Owner arrives 5 minutes after the room he or she reserved 13 months previously is given to a nonVIP and nonHomeResort owner????

 

[cbyrne1174]

If anyone is interested, I'm 100% resale and this usually works for me:

I arrive at the resort super early and say "I would prefer this room type/view and I don't care when it's ready as long as I have an amenities key" and they usually accommodate me. Ive gotten what I wanted at most of the FL locations because I usually arrive before noon and just use the pool until it's ready.

They usually ignore room requests until check in anyways.

 

[WManning]

If anyone is interested, I'm 100% resale and this usually works for me:

I arrive at the resort super early and say "I would prefer this room type/view and I don't care when it's ready as long as I have an amenities key" and they usually accommodate me. Ive gotten what I wanted at most of the FL locations because I usually arrive before noon and just use the pool until it's ready.

They usually ignore room requests until check in anyways.

I checked into Wyndham Grand Desert last week at 8:00 am. Requested tower 2, higher floor with a poolside view. Called at 7 am to see if early check in was available customer service rep said it's first come first serve with a room available now with my requested higher floor and poolside view. I wasted no time checking out of Westgate Las Vegas and calling for a Uber ride! This resort was 100% full for conventions for the week. Sometimes it better to be lucky and polite when asking.

 

[schreff]

If anyone is interested, I'm 100% resale and this usually works for me:

I arrive at the resort super early and say "I would prefer this room type/view and I don't care when it's ready as long as I have an amenities key" and they usually accommodate me. Ive gotten what I wanted at most of the FL locations because I usually arrive before noon and just use the pool until it's ready.

They usually ignore room requests until check in anyways.

Thanks for the post folks....This just further confirms the fact that Wyndham VIP benefits mean little or nothing anymore. Where are the early VIP checkins at 2 PM while other Wyndham nonVIPs owners have to wait until 4PM?

 

[cbyrne1174]

Thanks for the post folks....This just further confirms the fact that Wyndham VIP benefits mean little or nothing anymore. Where are the early VIP checkins at 2 PM while other Wyndham nonVIPs owners have to wait until 4PM?

I have this theory that Wyndham will discount a lot of inventory at the 60 days mark for EVERYBODY just so they don't have grandfathered VIPs constantly spending like 6k points a night on an entire 2 bedrrom lock off Sun-Fri with their unlimited HK. It's cheaper for them to give a non VIP those rooms because they will run out of HK and are more likely to buy an extra one vs a VIP with unlimited HK.