I just became a member in the last 30 days. Trying to get up to speed, on all things NOT BT related. I heavily checking out MM, IS and BT prior to picking up the smallest resale package possible. Put all of the other things I am just learning about now, renting and transfering points, from other or via FAX.
My plan was to mainly use it for BT for the TX area resorts. Since there seems to usually be very abundant availability in off seasons. Which is when I generally want it.
Availability changes, so the extra programs you mention will have a moving target of which resorts are available to book.
I have a reservation at WM Moab this month, that I thought I had made for three days, but turned out to be only two. My booking error. I called in the other day to WM to see about adding the third night I needed to the reservation. After lots of time on Hold and some hoop-jumping, I was told that there was no availability, can't do anything, and that was that. (Rather unhelpful person on the phone who seemed very uninformed about how WM programs work. He didn't even offer to see what could be done.)
I got off the phone, disgusted, and went back into the WM website myself to see what I could do. I found the night I needed WAS available after all, but it was in a different unit type. (2BR Special Needs, vs. the 2BR regular unit I had booked previously.) They hadn't even mentioned that on the phone. It was scheduling needs over unit type, so I booked the unit. As I was paying for it, because of the short timeframe (check-in is within a few weeks from now), I found I could either use credits (1350 plus a Housekeeping Token, for a cost of more than $260 for the night), or pay cash for Fax Time ($201 all in, no HKT needed.) I opted for the Fax Time, and paid cash. The worst that will happen is we'll have to move to the Special Needs unit for the third night. No biggie, if we need to do that.
Here's the thing: I had called the WM Moab resort the night before I called the WM offices. I was told by the resort that the Moab resort has 100% unit availability, but they're only booking at 50% right now. "So we have a LOT of empty rooms," she said. She went on to say they don't have a way to book people directly yet, and that they're recommending owners call WM and ask them to adjust reservations to use those unbooked rooms, since they're just sitting there, going to waste. When I suggested that to the WM phone person, he read me the verbatim we-can't-do-that script, and he wouldn't even try to understand what it was I was asking for. To his eye, there was no availability, so that was that. Done deal. When WM Moab goes to 100% occupancy, a lot of availability will open up.
My hope is that because they have all those empty rooms, and since I'll already be in the room for the two days prior, they will put me in one that will let me stay the third night, rather than make us move to a different room. They won't have to clean the second room that way, saving them time and money. We'll see.
So if you want to book WM Moab using those other discounted programs, watch for availability. The woman on the phone said they were hoping to go to 100% capacity soon.
Dave
