Waiohai - best option for better room?

[Dean]

Two key point here are Wiaohai was sold with only two categories - ocean view and garden view. Lots of the OV have had little ocean view from the beginning. Some of the OV have been blocked by new construction and vegetation. I own there and do not go there anymore as the manager is focused on keeping the multiple week owners (4 or more) in their preferred ocean front villas every year. I had a several month discussion on management and room assignments to no avail. We were castigated by the front desk for adding points days to the beginning and ending of or week reservation ( better/cheaper/upgradeable flights) and it was our fault that our OV was bad.
The good news is that the lawn to the right of units are perfect for a small walk martini and cheese plate for sunset views. In addition the folksyou meet are delightful as well.
Bottom line is Wiaohai is a poorly run MVC location with only two bedroom units and limited good views. It is a quite location with good local snorkeling. While there are grocery stores the local restaurants are limited.

aland0524 - you proved what I stated - thank you. I agree that Hale 1 and 8 are great buildings but they are controlled via a collaboration of long time multi week owners and a corrupt management. Can you tell me how many weeks you own - it has to be two or greater to do week reservations at 13 months?

I'm curious as to why you think the management is corrupt. It is Marriott policy to give owned weeks priority over any exchanges and multi week owners priority within their category. It is reasonable to expect the lowest assignment when points (an exchange) and weeks are combined or else to move units each time. Some resorts give points a priority over exchanges but some exactly the same priority.

 

[aland0524]

aland0524 - you proved what I stated - thank you. I agree that Hale 1 and 8 are great buildings but they are controlled via a collaboration of long time multi week owners and a corrupt management. Can you tell me how many weeks you own - it has to be two or greater to do week reservations at 13 months?

We actually own only one week at Waiohai but we own two at MOC/Napili and we are Chairmans club so we can book 13 months. I understand the reservation system at the Waiohai and am comfortable with it ... it rewards week owners and is also practical if you own multiple weeks (since you probably wouldn’t want to move once you check in). So Room Control really has limited options once these large blocks of time are in place- particularly since Waiohai apparently has one of the higher multiple week ownership among the Hawaiian resorts and probably also has a smaller footprint than MCO or MKO. Fortunately for us, we haven’t had as many issues with our room assignments which can be frustrating for most people. But I’ve interacted with the Waiohai front desk and staff and they try their best to do what ever is in their power to give you a good experience. (We were supposed to go to Waiohai 4 weeks ago but we’re advised to go somewhere else due to Kauai’s very restrictive quarantine protocol.) So we’re in Maui instead and have been here for 5 weeks. At the Nanea now (this is pix from lobby) and killing time before we leave for the cold (MN) tonight. Aloha and see you next year Hawaii. Since I had to give up my Waiohai II at the last minute, I’m going to need a lot of luck seeing if I can get something decent at 59 days before checkin at the Waiohai in 2022. Maybe my perspective will change depending on what happens. Stay healthy everybody and hang loose!

 

[jd2601]

"At the Nanea now (this is pix from lobby) and killing time before we leave for the cold (MN) tonight. Aloha and see you next year Hawaii."

Were you on the direct flight from Honolulu to MSP tonight? We had a maintenance delay and took off late. Early into the flight they announced trouble with the landing gear and back we went to Honolulu. I am still in Honolulu. I hope you were on a different flight and made it back to Minnesota.

 

[Luvthebeach23]

Oops picture somehow got deleted. Here is again. View attachment 33085

This is the view we want and are willing to pay for! My intent originally was to rent a week 13 months out from an owner but he decided he didn’t want to rent both weeks at the time I’d like to go, because he’d have to find someone to rent the second week.

I know the view is not important to some, but for us it is very important.

I have been searching for other condos on Kauai, in that area, but there doesn’t seem to be much out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[BigTimeOwner]

Expect this Ocean View (yes, this is Ocean View):

View attachment 32966

Who cares your in Hawaii for Pete's sake, how many hours do you spend in your room

 

[klkaylor]

I'm curious as to why you think the management is corrupt. It is Marriott policy to give owned weeks priority over any exchanges and multi week owners priority within their category. It is reasonable to expect the lowest assignment when points (an exchange) and weeks are combined or else to move units each time. Some resorts give points a priority over exchanges but some exactly the same priority.

We had a terrible visit about 4 yrs ago and have not been back but they have not changed the management either. Long story short we had 12 days of stay with an owners week between two points stay - exactly what we were told was a good plan by the MCV folks. On arrival we were told we would have to change rooms twice due to having three reservations despite my efforts to get the reservations folks knowelgeble of our reservations. Called them three times and each time was told they understood but they would/could not help it would just be a catch as catch can on arrival. We could not find/use baggage carts for the back building and we we did find them in the garage we were yelled at for using them. The covered parking has been taken over by the staff - both for parking and storage - and the guest used the back lot. When I tried to discuss the room change issue with the front desk and manager I was told to "suck it up buttercup" or leave. They are in charge. At the grill - kinda the barber shop of the timeshare world- I was amazed at the number of folks who were having to change rooms, unhappy with their room, etc. You have to remember that if you change condos you have to be out at 1000 and cant get back in till 1600. It appear that this was so common that they have a whole system to store cold goods from the refrigerator. You boxed it they took it to a community refrigerator??? and then sent it back. No temp control/conformation or isolation at all was provided. High risk for food contamination/spoilage and not acceptable for a commercial storage. The manager did not come to owners meeting and was not interested in the community as a whole.
I had a long email conversation on these facts with MVC corporate but the manager won and stayed.
It was clear from talking with the "low life" one week Wiaohai owner but high point owners/multiweek MVC owners that there is a small group of recurent multiweek Waiohai owners that lock up the true ocean view rooms with the help of the front desk and the others are left behind.
I understand your thought that those folks "earned" that status but with a change from weeks owners to point ownership there should be some hope of getting those good rooms. The other issue is that in reality there is a very small amount of true ocean view rooms at the Waiohai but there are lots of unit listed ocean view. That is a big part of the problem as well and the staff is not honest in dealing with that issue.
In closing love the property - hate the management - dislike the way the rooms are given out and have voted with my points and feet. Maui has treated me very well over the last few years so...
May try again when I really need a two bedroom HI stay but till then lots of other options and no reason to waste energy on a bad program.

 

[vacationtime1]

The original sin at Waiohai is how Marriott classified rooms. About half of the ~240 units are ocean view and half are island view, but ocean view means that you can see a sliver of the ocean, not an expansive ocean view. @echino's photo at post #3 shows the extent of the mislabeling. I would estimate that only about 25% of the units classified as ocean view are fairly called ocean view (my standard here is comparing OV at Waiohai to OV at the Maui Ocean Club).

Full disclosure: we owned OV at Waiohai for 14 years and were placed in a good unit exactly once.

Question: could Marriott be discriminating between developer purchasers and resale purchasers in room assignment at Waiohai?

 

[Dean]

We had a terrible visit about 4 yrs ago and have not been back but they have not changed the management either. Long story short we had 12 days of stay with an owners week between two points stay - exactly what we were told was a good plan by the MCV folks. On arrival we were told we would have to change rooms twice due to having three reservations despite my efforts to get the reservations folks knowelgeble of our reservations. Called them three times and each time was told they understood but they would/could not help it would just be a catch as catch can on arrival. We could not find/use baggage carts for the back building and we we did find them in the garage we were yelled at for using them. The covered parking has been taken over by the staff - both for parking and storage - and the guest used the back lot. When I tried to discuss the room change issue with the front desk and manager I was told to "suck it up buttercup" or leave. They are in charge. At the grill - kinda the barber shop of the timeshare world- I was amazed at the number of folks who were having to change rooms, unhappy with their room, etc. You have to remember that if you change condos you have to be out at 1000 and cant get back in till 1600. It appear that this was so common that they have a whole system to store cold goods from the refrigerator. You boxed it they took it to a community refrigerator??? and then sent it back. No temp control/conformation or isolation at all was provided. High risk for food contamination/spoilage and not acceptable for a commercial storage. The manager did not come to owners meeting and was not interested in the community as a whole.
I had a long email conversation on these facts with MVC corporate but the manager won and stayed.
It was clear from talking with the "low life" one week Wiaohai owner but high point owners/multiweek MVC owners that there is a small group of recurent multiweek Waiohai owners that lock up the true ocean view rooms with the help of the front desk and the others are left behind.
I understand your thought that those folks "earned" that status but with a change from weeks owners to point ownership there should be some hope of getting those good rooms. The other issue is that in reality there is a very small amount of true ocean view rooms at the Waiohai but there are lots of unit listed ocean view. That is a big part of the problem as well and the staff is not honest in dealing with that issue.
In closing love the property - hate the management - dislike the way the rooms are given out and have voted with my points and feet. Maui has treated me very well over the last few years so...
May try again when I really need a two bedroom HI stay but till then lots of other options and no reason to waste energy on a bad program.

You're experience was what it was but mine in 2018 was quite different. Parking in the underground garage was no problem and carts were readily accessible. My experience with the front desk and management was very positive. I had some issues at Ko Olina in unit assignments and had a meeting with the GM, COO & FD manager one afternoon. The GM knew I was headed to Kauai next and the GM from this resort was at Ko Olina that day so sat in on the meeting. I wrote about my meeting at the time, I'm sure you can find it if it matters. It does seem that they have become almost absolute on unit assignments at this resort and Ko Olina as a minimum, Covid no withstanding. But it's been clear with MVC even since I've followed them (~25 yrs), that owned weeks take priority over exchanges and that multiple week owners are at the top within their category. Realize that if someone staying a number of weeks arrives at a lower time where unit assignments are easier, they will likely get and keep a better room. And while some resort micromanage the priorities, points are just an exchange, plain and simple. Assuming all 3 of your separate reservations were in the same view type, I'm surprised you would have to move rooms though.

 

[Dean]

The original sin at Waiohai is how Marriott classified rooms. About half of the ~240 units are ocean view and half are island view, but ocean view means that you can see a sliver of the ocean, not an expansive ocean view. @echino's photo at post #3 shows the extent of the mislabeling. I would estimate that only about 25% of the units classified as ocean view are fairly called ocean view (my standard here is comparing OV at Waiohai to OV at the Maui Ocean Club).

Full disclosure: we owned OV at Waiohai for 14 years and were placed in a good unit exactly once.

Question: could Marriott be discriminating between developer purchasers and resale purchasers in room assignment at Waiohai?

IMO they either should not have had view types there OR should have had a different design for the resort or possibly have sold fixed units. There really aren't many good units, I think 25% is generous. I will say that MVC takes a lot of liberties with the term OV in general at many resorts and that while we here on TUG generally understand that, the masses generally don't. I would say in general I've been treated fairly and reasonably with unit assignments over the years across multiple resorts. My worse experience in unit assignments was the Ko Olina portion of the trip in 2018 and it was the grouping of 4 units grouped about as poorly as they could have done. Again, I've written about that before and to their credit, they owned up to the reasons it happened, to their credit.

 

[SueDonJ]

You're experience was what it was but mine in 2018 was quite different. Parking in the underground garage was no problem and carts were readily accessible. My experience with the front desk and management was very positive. I had some issues at Ko Olina in unit assignments and had a meeting with the GM, COO & FD manager one afternoon. The GM knew I was headed to Kauai next and the GM from this resort was at Ko Olina that day so sat in on the meeting. I wrote about my meeting at the time, I'm sure you can find it if it matters. It does seem that they have become almost absolute on unit assignments at this resort and Ko Olina as a minimum, Covid no withstanding. But it's been clear with MVC even since I've followed them (~25 yrs), that owned weeks take priority over exchanges and that multiple week owners are at the top within their category. Realize that if someone staying a number of weeks arrives at a lower time where unit assignments are easier, they will likely get and keep a better room. And while some resort micromanage the priorities, points are just an exchange, plain and simple. Assuming all 3 of your separate reservations were in the same view type, I'm surprised you would have to move rooms though.

Dean, doesn't consideration for your fortunate experience need to be given to the fact that you were granted an audience with the managers of both resorts? I'd guess that the very few who are lucky enough to get that are always prioritized. But if every owner/member were granted the same thing, it would come to mean nothing because the "worst" view units have to be utilized during high-demand periods.

It sounds like Waiohai does placements among Weeks owners the same way that NCV does, with the multi-Week owners practically guaranteed that they will always get the "best" while the single-Week owners are guaranteed the "worst." I've always thought that method is unfair and it's why I like the way that the Hilton Head resorts prioritize placement. Within the top tiers of Multi-Week Owners and Single-Week Owners, if you're placed in the "best" during a period with high owner occupancy then during the next you'll have a fair chance at being placed in the "worst," making each single-calendar-week intermittently available to every owner. The view discrepancies among units sold with the same designation was something I learned about on TUG prior to purchasing so we made sure to ask when we bought direct how our resorts handled it. Thankfully, our experience at our home resorts over the years has proved that selling point.

When we're talking about purchasing and using DC Trust Points, I disagree that DC Points are, "just an exchange" mechanism. Those DC Members have an ownership stake in the intervals that have been conveyed to the DC Trust and as such, they should be prioritized for placement in a proportionate number of units during any given period. I have no idea what the actual numbers are at Waiohai but for this example say there are 100 oceanview intervals, 85 owned by Weeks Owners and 15 conveyed to the DC Trust. IMO during high-demand periods those 15 Trust intervals should be prioritized for DC Trust Members' usage at the same tiers as Weeks Owners. (Now if you're talking about DC Members who own enrolled Weeks and use their elected DC Exchange Points to book through the DC Exchange Company, they're an entirely different breed and absolutely should be prioritized after Weeks Owners as exchangers.)

 

[SueDonJ]

Who cares your in Hawaii for Pete's sake, how many hours do you spend in your room

Me!

We've always cared about the view from the unit/balcony, we always will. It's why we chose to pay the premium based on unit view that they charged when we purchased our timeshares, why we pay a view premium when we stay at hotels for more than a quick one- or two-night stay. We start every day with coffee and tea on the balcony - even if that were the only time we ever used it (which it's never been but even if it were,) it'd be worth it for us.

I sometimes wonder how timeshares fit into the travel habits of people who are up-and-at-'em all day every day with every meal eaten out and the only thing the room is used for is a place to sleep, why those people would spend the money for timeshares. But just because I don't understand them doesn't mean they're wrong, and I hope they don't think I'm looking at them and criticizing what makes them happy when they travel or how they spend their money.

 

[Dean]

Dean, doesn't consideration for your fortunate experience need to be given to the fact that you were granted an audience with the managers of both resorts? I'd guess that the very few who are lucky enough to get that are always prioritized. But if every owner/member were granted the same thing, it would come to mean nothing because the "worst" view units have to be utilized during high-demand periods.

It's hard to know but I doubt it. I didn't say we had a great view, just that the assignments met my expectation, that is they were fairly close which is to say they were in the same building (but not same floor) which was my only request. A combination of OV/IV and exchanges plus points reservation. I've seen quite a number of entitlement exhibitions at the Front Desk and owners meetings with MVC as well as DVC so sometimes it's in the expectations and understanding of the realities of the system.

It sounds like Waiohai does placements among Weeks owners the same way that NCV does, with the multi-Week owners practically guaranteed that they will always get the "best" while the single-Week owners are guaranteed the "worst." I've always thought that method is unfair and it's why I like the way that the Hilton Head resorts prioritize placement. Within the top tiers of Multi-Week Owners and Single-Week Owners, if you're placed in the "best" during a period with high owner occupancy then during the next you'll have a fair chance at being placed in the "worst," making each single-calendar-week intermittently available to every owner. The view discrepancies among units sold with the same designation was something I learned about on TUG prior to purchasing so we made sure to ask when we bought direct how our resorts handled it. Thankfully, our experience at our home resorts over the years has proved that selling point.

It's not really different with the way GO does it. They rotate EOY with higher vs lower with owners having priority overall and they still prioritize multi week owners and stays over exchanges and they count points reservations and MVC exchanges the same when they know they're MVC exchanges. What that means in reality is that you'll likely be 3rd floor with an owned week one year and 4th or 5th next year while with a points or exchange reservation it's likely to be first or second at least during higher demand times. The one thing that some resorts do, which I feel is completely inappropriate, is they give priority to owners at that resort even when not staying on their owned week.

When we're talking about purchasing and using DC Trust Points, I disagree that DC Points are, "just an exchange" mechanism. Those DC Members have an ownership stake in the intervals that have been conveyed to the DC Trust and as such, they should be prioritized for placement in a proportionate number of units during any given period. I have no idea what the actual numbers are at Waiohai but for this example say there are 100 oceanview intervals, 85 owned by Weeks Owners and 15 conveyed to the DC Trust. IMO during high-demand periods those 15 Trust intervals should be prioritized for DC Trust Members' usage at the same tiers as Weeks Owners. (Now if you're talking about DC Members who own enrolled Weeks and use their elected DC Exchange Points to book through the DC Exchange Company, they're an entirely different breed and absolutely should be prioritized after Weeks Owners as exchangers.)

They are simply an internal exchange really little to no different than an owner using the II internal exchange option. As I noted, some resorts treat them exactly and some treat them with points above internal exchanges but it varies. While I do feel that points should come above exchanges (and below ALL Owned weeks) and that common sense should prevail, I can see both sides of the agreement. The reality is that those exchanging in through II using MVC deposits also have a commitment and ownership in the system. There is no way to separate out points derived from that resort vs other resorts.

 

[SueDonJ]

It's hard to know but I doubt it. I didn't say we had a great view, just that the assignments met my expectation, that is they were fairly close which is to say they were in the same building (but not same floor) which was my only request. A combination of OV/IV and exchanges plus points reservation. I've seen quite a number of entitlement exhibitions at the Front Desk and owners meetings with MVC as well as DVC so sometimes it's in the expectations and understanding of the realities of the system.

The one and only time I considered acting as one of the DYKWIA entitled people was during our last owner stay at Barony Beach. The resort was midway through a total renovation and the renovation of our HHI home was a few months from completion. We knew that we wouldn't be back to Barony for a long time, if ever, so I sent an email explaining that and requested placement in the building that had renovated OF units. Didn't ask for a high floor, didn't ask for any particular unit, just one that was newly-renovated. We got there to find that they placed us in the other building on a low floor and when I asked nicely, they said it was because our last placement had been in a high-floor unit in the renovated building. That was disappointing but they were following their system, which I'd always championed, so we let it go. We got into the unit to find a bottle of wine, a cheese tray, and a very nice note signed by the manager and staff saying they would miss us - man, was I glad I hadn't acted the fool!

It's not really different with the way GO does it. They rotate EOY with higher vs lower with owners having priority overall and they still prioritize multi week owners and stays over exchanges and they count points reservations and MVC exchanges the same when they know they're MVC exchanges. What that means in reality is that you'll likely be 3rd floor with an owned week one year and 4th or 5th next year while with a points or exchange reservation it's likely to be first or second at least during higher demand times. The one thing that some resorts do, which I feel is completely inappropriate, is they give priority to owners at that resort even when not staying on their owned week.

If you're talking about owners exchanging back in and still being prioritized among the ownership tiers, I agree. But if you're talking about owners exchanging back in and being prioritized within the exchangers tiers over non-owners exchanging in, I think that type of prioritization is appropriate.

... They are simply an internal exchange really little to no different than an owner using the II internal exchange option. As I noted, some resorts treat them exactly and some treat them with points above internal exchanges but it varies. While I do feel that points should come above exchanges (and below ALL Owned weeks) and that common sense should prevail, I can see both sides of the agreement. The reality is that those exchanging in through II using MVC deposits also have a commitment and ownership in the system. There is no way to separate out points derived from that resort vs other resorts.

I'm considering here the origination of the available intervals, giving consideration to the fact that the DC Trust "owns" and pays MF's on the Weeks which have been conveyed to it. That's the only Destination Club inventory for which I'd change the placement prioritization that all the resorts use, because I see Trust Members booking Trust intervals as on par with Weeks Owners booking owned Weeks (as compared to Weeks Owners using II or enrolled/elected Weeks Owners using the DC Exchange Company.) The system already tracks which/how much inventory has been conveyed to the Trust as well as when DC Trust Members use their DC Points to book intervals (regardless of whether a reservation is confirmed directly from the Trust or via the DC Exchange Company,) so why not spend a few extra minutes matching Trust Members to Trust-conveyed inventory?

 

[Dean]

The one and only time I considered acting as one of the DYKWIA entitled people was during our last owner stay at Barony Beach. The resort was midway through a total renovation and the renovation of our HHI home was a few months from completion. We knew that we wouldn't be back to Barony for a long time, if ever, so I sent an email explaining that and requested placement in the building that had renovated OF units. Didn't ask for a high floor, didn't ask for any particular unit, just one that was newly-renovated. We got there to find that they placed us in the other building on a low floor and when I asked nicely, they said it was because our last placement had been in a high-floor unit in the renovated building. That was disappointing but they were following their system, which I'd always championed, so we let it go. We got into the unit to find a bottle of wine, a cheese tray, and a very nice note signed by the manager and staff saying they would miss us - man, was I glad I hadn't acted the fool!

I tend to be very forgiving on unit assignments as I know how hard the job is and how they are often treated. Even with the Ko Olina issue I waited until the second half of the week to complain as I felt the only way to win was to help them to do a better job later in similar situations. I approached it as such and though I was clear about how I felt it should be done and should have been done in our case, there was no conflict. Quite the contrary, it created a line of communication for future trips. I also learned some behind the scenes options that will help me going forward when there is a puzzle to fit together involving unit types. I've seen a lot of people act like a fool in such situations and treat the staff beyond rude.

If you're talking about owners exchanging back in and still being prioritized among the ownership tiers, I agree. But if you're talking about owners exchanging back in and being prioritized within the exchangers tiers over non-owners exchanging in, I think that type of prioritization is appropriate.

I see no difference between DP reservations and exchanges using MVC though I know they are sometimes treated slightly differently at some resorts and not at others. Just so I'm clear, I think all owners using owned weeks should be ahead of everyone else. All MVC exchangers whether points or weeks should be treated the same or nearly so. And the multi week or unit stays should take priority over singles. But it can get more complicated and it does at MGO specifically as an example. Here's our example from last year. We have 9 owned weeks and 5 weeks between exchange and DP points with 4 of the owned weeks being OF and all others OS. So multi unit preference as an owner for 9 and as an exchanger for 5 with view qualify and floor reflective of the appropriate priority. And that's without lockout's or different unit sizes.

I'm considering here the origination of the available intervals, giving consideration to the fact that the DC Trust "owns" and pays MF's on the Weeks which have been conveyed to it. That's the only Destination Club inventory for which I'd change the placement prioritization that all the resorts use, because I see Trust Members booking Trust intervals as on par with Weeks Owners booking owned Weeks (as compared to Weeks Owners using II or enrolled/elected Weeks Owners using the DC Exchange Company.) The system already tracks which/how much inventory has been conveyed to the Trust as well as when DC Trust Members use their DC Points to book intervals (regardless of whether a reservation is confirmed directly from the Trust or via the DC Exchange Company,) so why not spend a few extra minutes matching Trust Members to Trust-conveyed inventory?

I"m sure they could track it if they wanted but since there is no home resort priority within the MVC system and the chance of mixed bags of points is high, I don't see it feasible even if they wanted to. And I really don't think it reasonable to give one who's points come from that resort any additional priority no different than I think it's reasonable to give an exchanger who just happens to own at that resort priority. In short, I think it would be too complicated to do so.

 

[Nonnie Capurro]

Who cares your in Hawaii for Pete's sake, how many hours do you spend in your room

Depends on you health and age! When my husband was going through chemo he was just greatful to sit on the Lanai and enjoy our beautiful ocean view.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[zentraveler]

Who cares your in Hawaii for Pete's sake, how many hours do you spend in your room

Many! I come to unwind and stop running around.

 

[Dean]

Who cares your in Hawaii for Pete's sake, how many hours do you spend in your room

We care but not enough for it to affect our vacation either way. We investigate and plan so there are no big surprises that we could have avoided. We understand the resort possibilities including view and unit assignments. Ultimately we chose to be content with the situation we find ourselves in.

 

[klpca]

We care but not enough for it to affect our vacation either way. We investigate and plan so there are no big surprises that we could have avoided. We understand the resort possibilities including view and unit assignments. Ultimately we chose to be content with the situation we find ourselves in.

I agree. It has to be an absolutely thankless job. I care about view for two or three days then it's just "the view". I actually care a lot more about the noise level and that is the only thing that will send me back to the front desk. I don't mind looking at trees for example, but if I have to listen to amplified music, beeping backup sounds from trucks, or noisy neighbors - that is my limit. Quiet is the only request that I make and if we are in a noisy spot I will try to change units. Luckily it is rarely an issue.

 

[normab]

This has been an interesting read for me. We own one week at Waiohai, and because it’s Island view, we’re just very happy to not look at a parking lot. We also don’t go every year, so they’ve been very good at giving us the koi pond view. But the reason I’m responding here is because I want to give the perspective compared with our week at Surfwatch and other reservations.....Just some opining...note we are chairmans level....and own 5 weeks and points...

We own oceanfront at SurfWatch. We also don’t go every year here. We probably only go every three or four years, because our travel patterns change and sometimes we go elsewhere in Hilton head using points. However, even though we might only go every third or fourth year, they will NOT give us a high floor in the one building that is ocean front.

So, I guess to me it sounds like Waiohai is doing well by their multi week owners and that they’re guaranteeing them great rooms, when we can’t even get a great room we don’t go over year. I respect SurfWatch’s decision, they don’t want to give the same people the top two floors every year, but it sounds like Waiohai is doing that…

I guess my point in this post, is that it’s sad that there’s not consistency. Clearly each resort makes their own decisions on how they will respect week ownership versus Chairmans level/whatever. Sometimes I even think it’s just the person doing the room assignments. It’s not the manager doing this work… It’s just the room assignment person. And also clearly some Ocean front rooms are better than other oceanfront rooms…

Further evidence re room assignments...There’s been times we have checked in at Beachplace Towers, (which was our first ownership week), and it’s not even documented in a points reservation that we are returning owners... even though I called and specifically told them this. Seriously, we never have a bad Beachplace room because they have only good views, ocean or intracoastal, but the point remains that whoever is making the room assignments, could be reading a request that’s missing some info...

I don’t want to belabor the point, we definitely have had some views that were better than others, and we’re disappointed in others. I think the system is imperfect because (1) people manage it, and (2) because they want people to buy points, but they also want to give the weeks’ owners preference too. You can’t have it all.

 

[Dean]

For MVC resorts, status (either MVC or rewards) is not a formal part of the assignment process at any resort I'm aware of.

 

[aland0524]

"At the Nanea now (this is pix from lobby) and killing time before we leave for the cold (MN) tonight. Aloha and see you next year Hawaii."

Were you on the direct flight from Honolulu to MSP tonight? We had a maintenance delay and took off late. Early into the flight they announced trouble with the landing gear and back we went to Honolulu. I am still in Honolulu. I hope you were on a different flight and made it back to Minnesota.

Sorry to hear about your delayed flight. We were on the Delta OGG to LAX flight originally leaving 10:10 but left 10:50 pm. Not too many passengers and my wife and I both managed to find 3 empty seats each and to lie on and get some sleep. We were worried about making the connection to MSP but delta managed to make it and we (and maybe a dozen others) made the flight. We also got upgraded to first so no complaints.

Your situation reminded me of something very similar that happened to us many years ago - we were also stuck in HNL for couple nights because Delta couldn’t fly in the part or equipment easily. (If you remember, this was the plane where part of the engine fell over Apple Valley I think but fortunately the flight made it over to HNL.). I didn’t think I’d ever want to leaveHawaii so badly but I did at that time!
Hopefully, you’re back in MN and enjoying the 60 degree weather we’ve been having. (Also, we dodged a bullet and missed all the rain and floods that has been plaguing the islands recently. Hope all those in Hawaii will be safe though..,)

 

[californiagirl]

Regarding the poster who was required to change rooms on a combo points and week stay. We have exchanged several times into Waiohai. Prior to owning at Waiohai we had only used points one time there. We stayed 6 nights. The room we were given was in a tight corner and looked directly across to another building. I went to the front desk to ask to be moved because I felt using Destination Club Points was equal to being an owner there. The desk clerk said she couldn’t move us because we were staying 6 nights instead of 7 and there were no more rooms available for under a week stay. I said I didn’t understand so she clarified further. At Waiohai they have rooms designated for complete week or 7 night increments only and other rooms for stays that do not fall into multiples of 7 nights. There must be a majority of weeks owners who continue to stay at Waiohai. I understood the logic of what they were doing but I still didn’t like my room.

My guess is that if you had multiple reservations equivalent to 14 days you would have stayed in the same room the entire stay.

 

[nerodog]

Expect this Ocean View (yes, this is Ocean View):

View attachment 32966

I'd take it !!!