Wyndham and WiFi

[clotheshorse]

During my East coast vacation - DC and Williamsburg. We spent four days at Wyndham Alexandria, nice property and couldn't beat the proximity to The Metro to get to DC. We drove down to Willamsburg and stayed at Governor's Green. GG is good location for visiting Colonial Williamsburg. We own Hilton and Westin, love their properties. We decided to try Wyndham, so far I rate their properties (the two we stayed in) between five and an eight. One of our biggest complaints is the lack of consistent internet service. I know all of us have our preferences, but in our "wired" society, this is a minimal expectation. Where are all of our maintenance fees going? I will add this to my feedback during the owners update. Thank goodness we bought resale, thanks to TUG!

 

[MaryBella7]

I have found the wifi to be spotty at best in almost all of their resorts that I have stayed in. I hope they do upgrade it somehow, but I believe it is a huge undertaking - I know this only because when they upgraded the school broadband, there was a LOT of wiring, adding access points, etc. being done. I use my own mifi now because I have no expectation of decent or even working wifi service. I wish there were consistant service, though! I'd love to stream while on vacation!

 

[Timeshare Von]

Many of the Wyndham resorts that I've stayed at over the past several years have had relationships with AT&T that allowed me to use my home AT&T internet service account in the resort for free.

As a general statement, I'm OK with not having to pay the added cost for WiFi/internet as part of my MFs.

 

[vacationhopeful]

If those 2 resorts were between a 5-8 in your rating scale, I have a long list of Wyndham's to avoid.

And WIFI is just a minor coin in my bucket for evaluation... there is still lengthy list of "pay to USE" or "really, WIFI is down, AGAIN?" resorts ... so, I use my McDonald's or Lowes locator APP on my phone to read the longer messages or write longer replies on my tablet verses the little widget keys on my cell phone.

Now, with Wyndham resorts, don't get me started on 35 yo sofas, paper thin walls between units, 92 steps from my car to the master bedroom, rooms where you take the elevator to your floor and then find the ONLY way to YOUR unit is down (or up to get back to civilization) a flight of steps (the new resort was PLANNED that way), security guards with room keys who decide your guest don't get a key at 2AM (I get the call at 2:03AM) or "who sits in the manager's chair this week" resort game (very popular recently).

 

[Ron2]

If those 2 resorts were between a 5-8 in your rating scale, I have a long list of Wyndham's to avoid.

And WIFI is just a minor coin in my bucket for evaluation... there is still lengthy list of "pay to USE" or "really, WIFI is down, AGAIN?" resorts ... so, I use my McDonald's or Lowes locator APP on my phone to read the longer messages or write longer replies on my tablet verses the little widget keys on my cell phone.

Now, with Wyndham resorts, don't get me started on 35 yo sofas, paper thin walls between units, 92 steps from my car to the master bedroom, rooms where you take the elevator to your floor and then find the ONLY way to YOUR unit is down (or up to get back to civilization) a flight of steps (the new resort was PLANNED that way), security guards with room keys who decide your guest don't get a key at 2AM (I get the call at 2:03AM) or "who sits in the manager's chair this week" resort game (very popular recently).

Are you referring to Royal Vista or Shawnee? Just kidding, I’m sure its Shawnee. I never could understand why Wyndham took over that old Pocono resort.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Are you referring to Royal Vista or Shawnee? Just kidding, I’m sure its Shawnee. I never could understand why Wyndham took over that old Pocono resort.

Actually, ONLY these of my list covered FLAWS at Shawnee ....
A) 35 yo old sofas are really closer to 40 years old - Dupey
B) 92 steps if River Village I units

The rooms down a flight of steps AFTER you get off the elevator was La Belle Maison ... I really like the privacy as not even the hangtag girls would take the steps at the back of the building to a door (only unit) you could NOT see. It was also a long MARCH (walk) from the elevators plus lots of turns ... just strange for a rehab old building (qurickly!).

The Security Guard issue is Santa Barbara .. been going on for YEARS. Had have more than one guest who had to go over to Royal Vista for a bed waiting for the Front Desk are Santa Barbara to come into work ... SB has only 3 units less than Royal Vista. :ignore:

As to WHO sits in the Manager's chair ... that has been a LONG running game. No one seems to last long .. but the real fun is, WHY did the old (last person) go and what is the rumor? One night shift manager was renting rooms for cash by the hour (best one).

As for paper thin walls ... really, it is the connecting doors which get the complaints ... some are TVs too loud, some are people screaming above the too loud TVs but my favorite has been, couples "spanking" each other ... really, not hitting, but spanking, followed by other more common noises. I usually fix that at 6AM the next morning .... I sing in the hallway (I am tone deaf).

 

[vacationhopeful]

Are you referring to Royal Vista or Shawnee? Just kidding, I’m sure its Shawnee. I never could understand why Wyndham took over that old Pocono resort.

Shawnee is GREAT - great location, big enough to offer all that it does, 4 seasons of activities, and room to grow which has planning approvals in place. It is 6 drive hours from almost 35+ million people. It is on a river (the Delaware which separates NJ and PA down to DE; major highways (I-80. I-81, RT209); on a golf course (which they don't own); cute town (village really, but cute) ... new indoor pool and community center most resorts would KILL for.

And did I mention, the MFs are LOW - $650 for a 2/2 FW. Now, do the math on a converted FW to 189K in Wyndham points is plus the $.55 CWP fee? Even the 166K 2/2 are good in the numbers game.

I already have several of those in my points collection ... helps me balance out those Royal Vista MFs.

 

[missyrcrews]

We are headed back to Shawnee this summer. We went two years ago and stayed in the OLD OLD OLD Fairway Village. I vowed I would NEVER go again. But you know what? Kids don't notice the things that grownups do. (Rusty fridge, rotted out backdoor sill, peeling siding, parking a LONG way from the unit.) They notice that there is lots of room to play, that nobody had to sleep on the sofa bed because the second bedroom had two doubles, that there was more than one bathroom, that the pool was saltwater and warm, that they got to eat s'mores one night, and that the drive to activities didn't take forever. When it came time to pick a place for this summer...that's what they voted for. We are staying in Ridge Top Village/Summit this time around. (Hopefully...we were supposed to stay in Depuy last time....but got swapped.) Just goes to show that we all have different expectations!

 

[55plus]

The most reliable and fastest internet connection I found at a Wyndham VR was at Wyndham Panama City Beach. It wasn't a WIFI connection; it's with a RJ-45 cable connection, which they provide in each room and I prefer. It's not an option if you have a tablet, but you can't beat it if you travel with a laptop. WIFI connections are available in the lobby and Star Bucks, which is on the property.

 

[CruiseGuy]

The most reliable and fastest internet connection I found at a Wyndham VR was at Wyndham Panama City Beach. It wasn't a WIFI connection; it's with a RJ-45 cable connection, which they provide in each room and I prefer. It's not an option if you have a tablet, but you can't beat it if you travel with a laptop. WIFI connections are available in the lobby and Star Bucks, which is on the property.

When we were there, I found the PCB connection to often be slow. But at least they had the wired connection because at PCB you need to be practically be right next to the windows or on the balcony to get a wireless phone signal or data signal for a mifi/hotspot.

Does Bonnet Creek depend on your tower at all? When we stayed in Tower 3, I don't recall trying to use the wifi. When we were in Tower 6 a couple years back, people didn't seem to have an issue with Wifi. But during our more recent stay in Tower 4 it was horrible.

 

[vacationhopeful]

We are headed back to Shawnee this summer. We went two years ago and stayed in the OLD OLD OLD Fairway Village. I vowed I would NEVER go again. But you know what? Kids don't notice the things that grownups do. (Rusty fridge, rotted out backdoor sill, peeling siding, parking a LONG way from the unit.) They notice that there is lots of room to play, that nobody had to sleep on the sofa bed because the second bedroom had two doubles, that there was more than one bathroom, that the pool was saltwater and warm, that they got to eat s'mores one night, and that the drive to activities didn't take forever. When it came time to pick a place for this summer...that's what they voted for. We are staying in Ridge Top Village/Summit this time around. (Hopefully...we were supposed to stay in Depuy last time....but got swapped.) Just goes to show that we all have different expectations!

Just for the moms of the TUG community ... I was there during NYE week this year. I got to see BEAR footprints in the very fresh SNOW between my unit's front door and my vehicle ... as I was headed off to breakfast. I was in Ridgetop ... :hysterical: What hypernation cycle was that during? Midwinter? Early spring?

Ridgetop & Summit are way newer than Fairway & Depuy Villages.

Just be sure you go to the Monday Karoke Welcome Party ... 3 free cups of wine for each adult and fruit punch for the kids PLUS Popcorn. And the Karoke is better than almost ANY I had ever been to ... the off-duty or on-break staff is allow to participate ... many who would LOVE to be in Summer Stock work or who have tried out for Broadway ... plus the guests who are very experienced and LIVE for this part of their vacation. Did I mention the FREE Wine?

 

[KevinD40]

Forgetaboutit

[DUPLICATE POST DELETED: Forum rule prohibit duplicate posts. Please stop pasting the same thing over and over.]

 

[spring.solstice]

Ridgetop & Summit are way newer than Fairway & Depuy Villages.

We stay at Shawnee several times a year for skiing. We stayed in Depuy once and internet was horrible. The kitchen and living quarters were very old. We stayed at Ridgetop last 4th of July and it is a totally different world. Internet works fine and everything is brand new. One perk of staying at this location is discounted ski lift tickets and rentals (if you need them).

 

[vacationhopeful]

Another perk of owning at Shawnee is this resort has free Day Usage for owners.... so need a indoor pool? A gym to work out in? An outdoor pool in the summer?

And other perk ... converted fixed weeks with the right number of points has a MF ratio at $4.93 including the CWP fee.:ignore:

 

[WinniWoman]

Smuggs wi-fi used to be a lot better before it got bigger, but now it is slow and sometimes frustrating to use. Supposedly they are fixing this- but stay tuned....Same at Pollard Brook....

The resorts say it is harder now because many families have multiple devices in - smart phones, kindles, Ipads, laptops, etc. even some bringing Roku streaming sticks with them and I guess there is not enough bandwidth or something...

 

[WinniWoman]

Pollard Brook has free day use as well. Smuggs had something like that as well in the past but now that it is bigger and affiliated with Wyndham I am not sure as things have gotten somewhat convoluted.

 

[Don40]

Funny, I am Hilton Grand Wiaela resort, having wifi problems now, so not only a Wyndham issue. I never really depend on the resort wifi system if I need to do work or important business. Most phones have wifi hotspots, or you can get a mifi hotspot. Resorts will never be like home wifi.
My two cents.

 

[Timeshare Von]

Ridgetop & Summit are way newer than Fairway & Depuy Villages.

We did Depuy Villages Fall of 2013 and really did enjoy it. The WiFi in our unit was fine as well. Perhaps not the most up-to-date in furnishings, but everything in our unit was in good repair and clean.

As for the bear tracks mentioned NYE, Ridgetop is well known for habituated bears that cruise through the resort dining on the trashcans, etc. We also saw evidence of them in Depuy Villages too.

 

[Joe33426]

....I never really depend on the resort wifi system if I need to do work or important business. Most phones have wifi hotspots, or you can get a mifi hotspot. Resorts will never be like home wifi.
My two cents.

This.

I generally think it's a bonus when a resort's WiFi is actually good enough to use, rather than getting upset the other way around.

I make alternative plans for connectivity because my family has a MELTDOWN when they can't connect and they usually look at me to solve the problem...

 

[spackler]

With more & more people using personal hotspots thru their smart phones the availability of resort wifi is becoming less of an issue anyway.

 

[Ron2]

Shawnee is GREAT - great location, big enough to offer all that it does, 4 seasons of activities, and room to grow which has planning approvals in place. It is 6 drive hours from almost 35+ million people. It is on a river (the Delaware which separates NJ and PA down to DE; major highways (I-80. I-81, RT209); on a golf course (which they don't own); cute town (village really, but cute) ... new indoor pool and community center most resorts would KILL for.

And did I mention, the MFs are LOW - $650 for a 2/2 FW. Now, do the math on a converted FW to 189K in Wyndham points is plus the $.55 CWP fee? Even the 166K 2/2 are good in the numbers game.

I already have several of those in my points collection ... helps me balance out those Royal Vista MFs.

Linda-
What improvements are they planning at Shawnee? I hope that it’s more than just improved WiFi. I agree that there is much potential there but it seems that other area resorts (Kalahari and Camelback in particular) are way out ahead of Wyndham. With Shawnee being so close to Wyndham Corporate headquarters in Parsippany and the millions of people within a short drive of the resort, you would expect Wyndham would do more than they have to upgrade the resort, even possibly making it their flagship resort in the northeast. Your positive remarks about the resort have piqued my interest in Shawnee which is only an hour from my home. I guess I’ll ignore all the negative reviews I've read about Shawnee and give it a look on some weekend.