Wyndham Booked from obtaining Manhattan Club - Who has more info?

[Sandy VDH]

Oops title should have been BLOCKED not booked. Moderator can you change.


I was looking for a Manhattan Club studio for 2009, but I wanted to use HGVC points as I had some stuck in the RCI system.

I did get a MC unit for 2009, but in the sightings discussions someone posted that Wyndham Weeks, NOT any ST, 1 BR, 2 BR or 3BR even RED season whould NOT pull a Manhattan Club. See this tread for info you like
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77737

The posted said it had been discussed, but I don't recall seeing or hearing that info. Can someone please elaborate on their experience.

 

[bnoble]

It's "generic points" that won't pull it, not weeks. If you get a visible week, you might be able to swing it, depending. And, it's not blocked so much as, doesn't have the trade power.

There are some August and September studios there still that I see with another deposit. If anyone has enough points to do a 2 or 3BR Red search-first, give it a try, and report back.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Even if it is generic that won't pull it, then WHY?

That means that no amound of Generic is worth a MC even a studio and that makes not logical sense to me.

Surely a 2or3 BR red should be worth a ST at the Manhattan Club. Frankly I would not bite at that price, but to not even have that option is outrageous.

I have multiple system that I have points in, Wyndham, HGVC, RCI Points and as a result I have 3 associated RCI Weeks accounts (1 paid by Wyndham, 1 paid by HGVC and 1 that comes with my RCI Points that I pay for). I hate it when I have to pay MFs and annual dues, but I LOVE it for flexibility. I can "price" an exchange I want in multiple currency and "buy" it with the account that yields the lowest price. In this case my HGVC was cheaper as the cost of the points used was about $385 now even with a $164 RCI exchange fee, that is a great value for a week in Manhattan.

Certainly Wyndham Generics have gotten more expensive over the years, as you pay more by having to put in bigger point deposits and you get less in trade power exchange, but when you can't even price an option with it because it is not even an option, irritates the heck out of me.

I find that I use Wyndham more and more for just Wyndham, ARP and 60 day windows primarily. Occasionally I book at the 4 or 5 month mark. But I have been keeping it all inside of Wyndham and not putting into RCI unless I absolutely have to. For instance, because it is the end of the year and I have cancelled points I can't pool so I must deposit with RCI.

 

[bnoble]

Worrying about why something does or doesn't work in RCI is like trying to understand why the wind blows.

I have a guess, though, and my guess is that this is a consequence of the current deposit strategy Wyndham is taking for the real weeks that back the generics. Deanne mentioned at the VOA meeting (or maybe the pre-meeting) that deposits are made (a) 7-8 months prior to use, and (b) from inventory that is not being booked heavily by owners at the opening of the Standard window.

Both of these are bad from RCI's perspective---8 months is "late" for a deposit, and only low-demand resorts and shoulder time is going in, the peak weeks are being reserved for owners. And, now that one can no longer ARP into RCI, there really are very few true "peak weeks" from Wyndham making it in.

Of course, from the point of view of most owners (who probably don't often use RCI) this is a pretty good thing. After all, the Wyndham system is large---it covers many interesting areas, so the need to use external exchange is lower than it might be for a fixed-week owner with only one resort.

Personally, I have to admit that I prefer this strategy as well---while using my points internally may not be the best bargain, it's much much easier than trying to get a specific exchange even with the very good traders that I own. I take your strategy as well: I try to use Wyndham for Wyndham---either to use or to rent. I try to use other things for exchange, because for the most part they provide much better value. I still get the infrequent 28K windfall, but I'm not looking for them nearly as often these days.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Worrying about why something does or doesn't work in RCI is like trying to understand why the wind blows.

I just thought it was completely unreasonable that NO Wyndham generic could ever get a Manhattan Club. EVER.

That defies the rules of RCIs own trading system.

 

[bnoble]

Well, it's not that it will never happen. It's that, at present, there is no deposit with sufficient trade power. That could change, but if my theory is correct, it won't change unless Wyndham changes the way they decide to deposit time with RCI.

Being an owner with insufficient trade power to get into MC happens all the time!

 

[donnaval]

I have written to Deanne, Barbara O'Donnell, and spoken to a Wyndham customer service rep (not VC) recently about the decline in RCI trade power. All have assured me that the decline is all in my head, that RCI swears our trade power is the highest in the system. Those of us who trade through RCI know it is not true.

A week or so ago, I had an email from Deanne saying that they were having a 3-hour meeting with RCI and would discuss the trade power issue among other things that could possibly impact the value of our RCI membership. The wording of her email troubled me a bit.

I wrote back thanking her for the info and said I hoped we would be notified that our trading power would be restored. So far, I have not heard anything back from her.

I agree, the decline in trading power definitely dates back to the loss of our ability to use actual weeks to deposit.

Right now, in my account I have a non-Wyndham unit that I deposited 14 days in advance of check-in that trades better than my 70k red generic deposit. Sad.

 

[bnoble]

The only way to restore trading power in general is for Wyndham to deposit better weeks. Some owners (who like using RCI) would prefer that. Other owners would prefer that the best inventory be reserved for internal use. No single policy is going to make everyone happy.

 

[Jya-Ning]

The only way to restore trading power in general is for Wyndham to deposit better weeks. Some owners (who like using RCI) would prefer that. Other owners would prefer that the best inventory be reserved for internal use. No single policy is going to make everyone happy.

I don't think deposit at 9 month to 8 month period will be a big factor. If it is decent week, it will get demand and take. I do believe there will be need to deposit better week if the trading power need to be up.

There will be no way to make everyone happy. However, if think this as big community, there is a way to balance the resource based on the desire of owners, and can be make as fair as possible. One way I can think of is allow owner to deposit there home resort at 12 month to 11 month as soon as they make and get the reservation. It will allow the owner 3 years of search, while still reserve the most desirable week to the home owner at ARP period. And if an owner really willing to deposit 3 or 4 BD president to RCI at that moment, I wll believe they do want the exchange resort worth that much.

Wyndham may not be able to see things from 360 angle, so it become owner's responsibility to show them different angle. I believe they did delay the open on-line one hour early, and revert back the VIP discount benefit.

Jya-Ning

 

[bnoble]

I agree, Jya-Ning. While it seems reasonable that the bulk-banks be from inventory that the owners are not booking for themselves, it would also be reasonable to allow owners to reserve a week directly, for whatever their purpose, including exchange.

 

[sandkastle4966]

I disagree about the 8-9 month window not mattering - the trades that can get the Manhatten Club and the like are not weeks that are hanging around at 9 months. They are the weeks that are gone (definitively) at 1 hour after the 10 month mark, and are usually gone by the 12 month mark.

Wyndham needs to open their eyes and use their own product. It is NOT in our heads - the solution is SO EASY. I can ARP and use it, rent it, let it go empty, put it in REDWEEK - but I can't put it into RCI.

Insanity.

 

[acesneights]

I keep wondering about the new 15 day cancel rule and the sudden appearance of inventory in RCI at 14 days.

It seems plausible that all the inventory cancellations on day 15 are deposited into RCI on day 14 (the absolute deadline for an RCI deposit) diluting the trading power of generic deposits down to the current pathetic levels.

The home exchange preference explains the usefulness at other FSP resorts and the real bulk deposit availability.

Stan