Wyndham TravelUp - a new benefit being touted at sales update meetings...

[bnoble]

"offers on hotels, cars, cruises and experiences."

There are lots of programs that do this. Most of them are worse than worthless, and it sounds a lot like most of Plus Partners.

 

[chapjim]

It seems ridiculous to me (as an avowed non-VIP) that they don't throw this into an existing Founders-level (including PR) ownership without an additional purchase. Even the other levels, I mean, you can pretty much be sure retail owners have spent at least $10k with Wyndham already, which seems fair to get "up to" a modest percentage off some travel. But if I were a Founder or PR owner and they suggested I needed to make a new purchase to get this program, I'd laugh in their face.

Especially when I'm in the process of selling off about 2.75 million points. Fortunately, we never are asked to attend an update or whatever they call it.

 

[John_and_Val]

Does anyone actually have access to the website for this (Travel Up)? Only way to find out if this thing has any true benefits is to find someone who has purchased points recently, and recieved the login information.

 

[jerrybev]

My wife and I attended an owner update in Nashville on Monday June 7th and as an existing owner we had to buy 64k points to have access to Travel Up. The potential savings seemed inflated and were said to be discounts from full retail so the actual savings vs what you could likely get on the open market would of course be less than what they are advertising. We were also told we had this one time chance to get Travel Up and the program will close in Sep of this year. Meaning we will never get another chance to get it. Especially after Sept. Of course we didn’t believe that either. We were told we could cruise at 75% off. If we would have had more time we would like to have had them look up the price of equivalent cabins for two cruises we already have booked just for comparison. But we were ready to leave.

hi
one can go to www.vacationstogo.com and book cruises 75-80% below cruise companies listed prices.
jerry

 

[Vegasgirl]

Does anyone actually have access to the website for this (Travel Up)? Only way to find out if this thing has any true benefits is to find someone who has purchased points recently, and recieved the login information.

I have access at the silver level. Cruises and rental cars have the biggest discount and definitely bigger than online through Expedia etc. I booked a hotel in New York City cheaper than by brother could through his Hilton employee benefits. I think it’s worth it if you’re spending a lot of money outside of Wyndham. Like everything, it’s not saving if you weren’t going to spend it anyway.

 

[chapjim]

Thank you ~ I’ll check out this link, very helpful ~ I love the phrase “certain amount of truth”

“Certain amount of truth” is the norm for Wyndham's "updates"-- 5% truth, 95% embellishment/nonsense/untruth.

 

[HitchHiker71]

I have access at the silver level. Cruises and rental cars have the biggest discount and definitely bigger than online through Expedia etc. I booked a hotel in New York City cheaper than by brother could through his Hilton employee benefits. I think it’s worth it if you’re spending a lot of money outside of Wyndham. Like everything, it’s not saving if you weren’t going to spend it anyway.

Thanks for this positive feedback @Vegasgirl. This is the type of feedback that we haven't really been able to get here on TUG. If it's not too much to ask - would it be possible to post a couple of screenshots/examples where you can show the Expedia (Etc.) pricing vs the TravelUp pricing for the same cruise/rental cars/flight pricing? We are simply trying to get a better sense of the discounts people are seeing at different levels. So for example, you are VIPS, hopefully over time we get a few VIPG/VIPP/VIPFs who make a retail purchase and get TravelUp at that point and can then share their pricing examples for comparison sake.

 

[Vegasgirl]

Thanks for this positive feedback @Vegasgirl. This is the type of feedback that we haven't really been able to get here on TUG. If it's not too much to ask - would it be possible to post of couple of screenshots/examples where you can show the Expedia (Etc.) pricing vs the TravelUp pricing for the same cruise/rental cars/flight pricing? We are simply trying to get a better sense of the discounts people are seeing at different levels. So for example, you are VIPS, hopefully over time we get a few VIPG/VIPP/VIPFs who make a retail purchase and get TravelUp at that point and can then share their pricing examples for comparison sake.

Thanks for this positive feedback @Vegasgirl. This is the type of feedback that we haven't really been able to get here on TUG. If it's not too much to ask - would it be possible to post of couple of screenshots/examples where you can show the Expedia (Etc.) pricing vs the TravelUp pricing for the same cruise/rental cars/flight pricing? We are simply trying to get a better sense of the discounts people are seeing at different levels. So for example, you are VIPS, hopefully over time we get a few VIPG/VIPP/VIPFs who make a retail purchase and get TravelUp at that point and can then share their pricing examples for comparison sake.

I tried to upload pic but it’s saying the file size is too large. I’m not tech savvy enough.
For an example I picked a hotel in nyc and on a random Sunday. A hotel that was $795 on priceline was $548 on travel up (31% savings) I saw some people comment that it’s like last call. It’s not. They have Disney and high end hotels. The higher end the hotel or cruise. The bigger the savings seems to be. The activities savings is not much and they told me that airfare was discounted. But I have yet to see any.

 

[Mr. Phil]

I have access at the silver level. Cruises and rental cars have the biggest discount and definitely bigger than online through Expedia etc. I booked a hotel in New York City cheaper than by brother could through his Hilton employee benefits. I think it’s worth it if you’re spending a lot of money outside of Wyndham. Like everything, it’s not saving if you weren’t going to spend it anyway.

This is ONLY available for new owners or new purchases.

 

[Jan M.]

You can pay to join Travel Up on your own, no need to make a developer purchase.

On Priceline I've used coupon codes from Retail Me Not that got me more off the Express Deals. I also got a really good deal for a several night stay using their pricebreaker option. They also have VIP deals too. Hotels.com, Hotwire or any of the other sites I checked could do better than the prices I got on Priceline.

 

[HitchHiker71]

You can pay to join Travel Up on your own, no need to make a developer purchase.

On Priceline I've used coupon codes from Retail Me Not that got me more off the Express Deals. I also got a really good deal for a several night stay using their pricebreaker option. They also have VIP deals too. Hotels.com, Hotwire or any of the other sites I checked could do better than the prices I got on Priceline.

How do you join TravelUp on your own without making a developer purchase? Here's the two links that I'm aware of for the Wyndham TravelUp timeshare owner benefit:

Travel Online Booking

vacationclubbenefits.com

https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/owner-exclusives/club-wyndham-travel/travel-up

The first link requires a separate login that I have not been able to obtain yet. The second link clearly indicates that a "qualifying purchase" is required (screenshot below for reference). What is meant by a qualifying purchase specifically? My general understanding is that a developer purchase is required - but I'd love to be wrong here if there's a simpler annual subscription cost for example, for existing owners...

 

[Jan M.]

How do you join TravelUp on your own without making a developer purchase? Here's the two links that I'm aware of for the Wyndham TravelUp timeshare owner benefit:

Travel Online Booking

vacationclubbenefits.com

https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/owner-exclusives/club-wyndham-travel/travel-up

The first link requires a separate login that I have not been able to obtain yet. The second link clearly indicates that a "qualifying purchase" is required (screenshot below for reference). What is meant by a qualifying purchase specifically? My general understanding is that a developer purchase is required - but I'd love to be wrong here if there's a simpler annual subscription cost for example, for existing owners...

View attachment 49365

From what other people posted you can join Travel Up directly. I got the impression that it wasn't through Wyndham. I think they said there was a six months trial membership offered and then you paid monthly.

 

[Jan M.]

I just Googled Travel Up and went through the all but the final steps of booking a flight. It never told me I had to be a member. However the price of the flight was what I'd seen in looking at the airlines websites. Do you get a better price if you're a member?

 

[HitchHiker71]

I just Googled Travel Up and went through the all but the final steps of booking a flight. It never told me I had to be a member. However the price of the flight was what I'd seen in looking at the airlines websites. Do you get a better price if you're a member?

That's exactly the question we cannot seem to get an answer to LOL. We need documented side by side comparisons of the public site vs the Wyndham ownership benefit. Haven't been able to generate these side by side comparisons yet unfortunately.

 

[paxsarah]

I just Googled Travel Up and went through the all but the final steps of booking a flight. It never told me I had to be a member. However the price of the flight was what I'd seen in looking at the airlines websites. Do you get a better price if you're a member?

If you went here (https://www.travelup.com/en-us) I’m pretty sure that’s completely unrelated.

 

[Jan M.]

If you went here (https://www.travelup.com/en-us) I’m pretty sure that’s completely unrelated.

How likely is it that there would be more than one with the same name? Known businesses are usually protective of their name.

I did notice there's a log in. That's why I thought there could be different pricings. Member and non-member.

 

[Jan M.]

From what other people posted you can join Travel Up directly. I got the impression that it wasn't through Wyndham. I think they said there was a six months trial membership offered and then you paid monthly.

I wonder if the trial membership I saw OP talking about was to Travel and Leisure. If that was the case I can see how people would get confused.

 

[CO skier]

How do you join TravelUp on your own without making a developer purchase?

While not called "TravelUp" the "Travel and Leisure Club" (and I am guessing Wyndham now owns as part of its purchase of Travel + Leisure) sounds a lot like the TravelUp program.

Free 30 day trial, $14.95/month after that, cancel anytime.

Travel + Leisure GO

Online reservations at the guaranteed lowest rates!

www.clubtravelandleisure.com

And what a weird coincidence. The link description "Online reservations at the guaranteed lowest rates!" in TUG post #61 above is exactly the same

Travel Online Booking

vacationclubbenefits.com

 

[paxsarah]

How likely is it that there would be more than one with the same name? Known businesses are usually protective of their name.

I did notice there's a log in. That's why I thought there could be different pricings. Member and non-member.

Well, its domain was first registered in 2003, its Twitter was created in 2011, and it’s based in the UK, so I’m still guessing unrelated.

 

[magmue]

@HitchHiker71, re: "Existing owners can make a qualifying purchase to enroll and new owners get automatic TravelUP enrollment." on the webpage screenshot you posted above, DH and I converted our Kauai Beach Villas unit to Wyndham when we were there in January, and had to make a smallish developer purchase as part of the contract. Our first "use year" starts 4/1/22, so I think we qualify as new owners.

I just filled out their form , so that a "representative will contact you to discuss enrollment". I'll be interested to hear what they have to say.

 

[magmue]

Well, I know a little more, but not much. Somehow I got routed to Worldmark who also offers Travel Up - not a surprise I guess. We have owned WM for several years, and the Wyndham is recent enough that we don't have points in our use-year bucket yet. The nice WM lady called me back promptly because the message she was given was that I wanted to inquire about upgrades. Ummm, No. She advised me to call the main Wyndham # (800-251-8736) to find out about Travel Up.

After about 30" on hold (your approximate wait time is... 7 minutes x 4), I got to speak to a live person at Club Wyndham. After another 15" on hold while she looked for an answer, she came back to say confidently yes we were eligible, having purchased since June 2021, and that "it might take up to 45 business days from purchase to activate". But 45 business days = 7 weeks, and we signed the contract on January 4, which is more than 10 weeks ago. Long pause. "Well, expect a Welcome email by next week, with your user name and information on how to access". And if the email doesn't come? I have to call back, to 888-318-8280, which is the help # on Club Wyndham's Travel Up sign-in page.

 

[vlannin]

In February, I was persuaded to buy more points with Wyndham so I could join TravelUp and I would always be paying less, usually much less. Since then I have tried to use the website many times and NEVER found a better deal. Not only did a simple Google search find better prices at the same hotel, but there were more options for room-types and refundable bookings on other sites. Even for Wyndham hotels - today on Expedia I could get king sized or one bedroom suites at a Wingate, and only queen sized regular rooms were available on TravelUp. Additionally, most rooms on TravelUp are non-refundable, you need to dig deep and look at the fine print to find fully refundable rooms, if you can find them at all. The same holds true for airline searches. Less options pop up on TravelUp than on other sites. I keep comparing to find a better deal and it has yet to happen. The one hotel reservation I did book on TravelUp was overbooked when I arrived. They made me go to a different location of one of their hotels. It was 15 miles further away, and I needed to pay for my own Uber to get there. Lastly, the website is much more difficult to use to search near landmarks and preferred amenities as compared to other travel websites. FYI-I am a Founders member. While it was not an expectation of mine to have that be helpful, it's obvious that it truly didn't matter.

 

[Mr. Phil]

In February, I was persuaded to buy more points with Wyndham so I could join TravelUp and I would always be paying less, usually much less. Since then I have tried to use the website many times and NEVER found a better deal. Not only did a simple Google search find better prices at the same hotel, but there were more options for room-types and refundable bookings on other sites. Even for Wyndham hotels - today on Expedia I could get king sized or one bedroom suites at a Wingate, and only queen sized regular rooms were available on TravelUp. Additionally, most rooms on TravelUp are non-refundable, you need to dig deep and look at the fine print to find fully refundable rooms, if you can find them at all. The same holds true for airline searches. Less options pop up on TravelUp than on other sites. I keep comparing to find a better deal and it has yet to happen. The one hotel reservation I did book on TravelUp was overbooked when I arrived. They made me go to a different location of one of their hotels. It was 15 miles further away, and I needed to pay for my own Uber to get there. Lastly, the website is much more difficult to use to search near landmarks and preferred amenities as compared to other travel websites. FYI-I am a Founders member. While it was not an expectation of mine to have that be helpful, it's obvious that it truly didn't matter.

I looked into this program several times. Never found it to be a good option, especially with requiring to buy more "points". I have found using my college alumni association benefits website, gave me the best discounts, other than airfare. I believe TravelUp threads should die on the vine.

 

[HitchHiker71]

In February, I was persuaded to buy more points with Wyndham so I could join TravelUp and I would always be paying less, usually much less. Since then I have tried to use the website many times and NEVER found a better deal. Not only did a simple Google search find better prices at the same hotel, but there were more options for room-types and refundable bookings on other sites. Even for Wyndham hotels - today on Expedia I could get king sized or one bedroom suites at a Wingate, and only queen sized regular rooms were available on TravelUp. Additionally, most rooms on TravelUp are non-refundable, you need to dig deep and look at the fine print to find fully refundable rooms, if you can find them at all. The same holds true for airline searches. Less options pop up on TravelUp than on other sites. I keep comparing to find a better deal and it has yet to happen. The one hotel reservation I did book on TravelUp was overbooked when I arrived. They made me go to a different location of one of their hotels. It was 15 miles further away, and I needed to pay for my own Uber to get there. Lastly, the website is much more difficult to use to search near landmarks and preferred amenities as compared to other travel websites. FYI-I am a Founders member. While it was not an expectation of mine to have that be helpful, it's obvious that it truly didn't matter.

Thanks for sharing this information. As a VIPF level member - according to Wyndham - you should be receiving the maximum savings benefit when using TravelUp. The fact that you aren't receiving additional discounts compared to other public travel websites - is not encouraging based upon the claims. Wyndham needs to do better.

 

[Eric B]

To me, the TravelUp benefit seems on a par with Vacation Sidekick - essentially just providing your contact information to other vendors to try to sell travel or other items for prices they offer to the public through various other means. I don't get the impression that Wyndham has any further involvement in either and doesn't contribute anything to the costs of purchases through those third party vendors, so I have a great deal of difficulty seeing what would motivate them (the third party vendors) to provide discounts of "up to 60%" off of the costs for airline tickets, etc. Wyndham might be able to get a third party vendor to do that initially by paying a membership cost or some other surrogate that has the effect of covering the discounts, but on an ongoing basis it doesn't make much sense. Bottom line for me is that if I can't understand what's in it for the vendor, it is quite unlikely to work out on an ongoing basis.