Resorts That Assign Units

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

On another timeshare forum there has been considerable discussion about a certain resort that assigns all the units that exchangers get, rather than allowing the exchangers to obtain a specific unit that has been deposited. On that site some of the owners at that resort have been very vocal, to the point of being offensive, that that is their resort's right and you can head on down the road if you don't like it.

Something happened today to illustrate that the consumer has the right to know what they are getting when they make the decision to buy. Actually, had nothing out of the ordinary happened today, shouldn't the consumer have the right to know what they are getting before they buy?

Today's incident did not happen at that resort, but it did happen at another resort that assigns units, so that the consumer does not know what they are getting when they make the decision to exchange there. I posted the following on that other forum also.

All the girls in Jenny's family headed out on Aunt Jenny's Girls Week Out to the Fairfield, Nashville, an annual event. This year her 70-ish mother has had both hips replaced. She fell trying to navigate the curb at the resort's Welcome Center when they were checking in. They had to call the paramedics and do an accident report.

To add insult to injury (literally), they then found out they had been placed in a second-floor unit, despite both Jenny and me calling in advance and requesting a first-floor unit.

To add further insult, when I called for the General Manager, I was told she was in a meeting. General Managers should not be in meetings when people call to ask about an accident that just occurred on their property, if you understand what I am saying.

We have always had nothing but praise for Fairfield Nashville, and this is the first time they have let us down.

The point I'm trying to make is that if we knew the specific unit(s) we were exchanging for at the time we were faced with that decision, and we decided to take a second floor unit, then it would have our bad judgement, not the resorts.

I just spoke with a person trying to smooth things over at Fairfield Nashville, and they appear to be as accomodating as they always have been.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

On another timeshare forum there has been considerable discussion about a certain resort that assigns all the units that exchangers get, rather than allowing the exchangers to obtain a specific unit that has been deposited. On that site some of the owners at that resort have been very vocal, to the point of being offensive, that that is their resort's right and you can head on down the road if you don't like it.

Something happened today to illustrate that the consumer has the right to know what they are getting when they make the decision to buy. Actually, had nothing out of the ordinary happened today, shouldn't the consumer have the right to know what they are getting before they buy?

Today's incident did not happen at that resort, but it did happen at another resort that assigns units, so that the consumer does not know what they are getting when they make the decision to exchange there. I posted the following on that other forum also.

All the girls in Jenny's family headed out on Aunt Jenny's Girls Week Out to the Fairfield, Nashville, an annual event. This year her 70-ish mother has had both hips replaced. She fell trying to navigate the curb at the resort's Welcome Center when they were checking in. They had to call the paramedics and do an accident report.

To add insult to injury (literally), they then found out they had been placed in a second-floor unit, despite both Jenny and me calling in advance and requesting a first-floor unit.

To add further insult, when I called for the General Manager, I was told she was in a meeting. General Managers should not be in meetings when people call to ask about an accident that just occurred on their property, if you understand what I am saying.

We have always had nothing but praise for Fairfield Nashville, and this is the first time they have let us down.

The point I'm trying to make is that if we knew the specific unit(s) we were exchanging for at the time we were faced with that decision, and we decided to take a second floor unit, then it would have our bad judgement, not the resorts.

I just spoke with a person trying to smooth things over at Fairfield Nashville, and they appear to be as accomodating as they always have been.

THAT is apalling. I believe that resorts should be aware of physical needs and should do their best to meet those needs if possible.

As an offshoot I was thinking that information regarding unit assignments ( do you get the unit on your confirmation or do they pull an OLCC? Sunterra does their best to place you in a requested unit if you call them 2 weeks prior to check-in et al) could be placed in the resort database as well as "insider info" such as which units are oceanview, which floors are most desireable, what the resort provides in kitchen stuff and toiletries etc.

I think that information would be beneficial to people who are exchanging.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Or at least instructions on how to check on what you're getting.

1. Call and ask RCI what unit(s) is/are available.
2. Check to see if there is a resort website and if it has a site layout.
3. Call resort to confirm information on their website, or ask them about units if they don't have a website.
4. Confirm exchange is unit is satisfactory.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

This is a problem now at the Royals as they have been assigning units on check in this year. I would really want to know what unit before check in there, particularly for the Royal Mayan and Club International where there are non-ocean view rooms.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Hmmmmm....I would think if an occupant has a physical disability, they should be told at the time of booking whether or not their needs can be accommodated.

That is clearly different then requesting a view, or a refurbished unit, etc.

However, if you book a room at many hotels, they can tell you at the time of booking if you will have a view, along with every other amenity in your room. Why is it so much different with timeshares?

Is it because they can not charge you for the better amenities, so they just don't want to be bothered?

[Keitht Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Keitht]

Hmmmmm....I would think if an occupant has a physical disability, they should be told at the time of booking whether or not their needs can be accommodated.

I agree that a resort / hotel should advise at the time of booking if special requests can be accommodated. This assumes that they are asked or that the system they operate enables special requests to be made at the time of booking.

That is clearly different then requesting a view, or a refurbished unit, etc.
However, if you book a room at many hotels, they can tell you at the time of booking if you will have a view, along with every other amenity in your room. Why is it so much different with timeshares?

Many hotels will also only make a note of requests for view, high floor etc and will not guarantee fulfilling those requests.

Is it because they can not charge you for the better amenities, so they just don't want to be bothered?

In some cases it will certainly be simply that they don't want the hassle, but in others it will be a case that not all special requests can be accommodated. For example if everybody requested the top floor of a 30 storey building it would get pretty cramped.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

All OBX resorts give you what was deposited

All resorts on the OBX give the exchanger whatever unit was deposited, without trying to move exchangers into lesser units.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Many hotels will also only make a note of requests for view, high floor etc and will not guarantee fulfilling those requests.

Keitht,

I'm sure that is correct. What I was thinking about, is that Marriott will tell you if you have an Ocean View, or Ocean Front Room when booking at their hotels, or their timeshares, if you book direct. They charge you more for those views.

However, if you go thru II, you loose any view preference...even an Ocean Front is irrelevant....

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

All resorts on the OBX give the exchanger whatever unit was deposited, without trying to move exchangers into lesser units.

That seems simple enough, and a fair way of handling the situation....

[Keitht Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Keitht]

Keitht,

I'm sure that is correct. What I was thinking about, is that Marriott will tell you if you have an Ocean View, or Ocean Front Room when booking at their hotels, or their timeshares, if you book direct. They charge you more for those views.

However, if you go thru II, you loose any view preference...even an Ocean Front is irrelevant....

I understand what you are saying, but pre-allocated accommodation can be a double edged sword. When we go away, more often than not, we spend 2 weeks in the same resort. With pre-assigned units it is highly probable that we would have to move at the end of the first week. If the resort has a pool of accommodation it is much simpler to provide guests with continuity of occupancy.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

JLB,

Did your wife and friends get their situation squared away?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

It's interesting to listen to arguments on Internet forums.

Just because a resort assigns units does not mean they will be able to give you consecutive week stays in the same unit. In our 20 years of doing this we have not even noticed that it will increase the likelihood.

OTOH, just because a resort does not assign units--you get whatever was deposited--does not mean you cannot switch so that you stay in the same unit for consecutive weeks. Even when it says they won't switch you that does not mean they won't switch you.

I can date the to-do over Orange Lake on another website to our return from our stay there a couple years ago, when I reported about the Aussie brothers. They had been timesharing so long their first one was a cave (but a nice three-bedroom lockout), and they had five consecutive weeks at Orange Lake that stay. They had to move every Saturday. Check everything out by 10, get lost, and come back at 4!

I am simply a proponent of the consumer knowing what they are getting when they buy, and that is the case when you get a specific unit. You know exactly what you are getting if you care to know. With resorts that assign units it is a crapshoot which you sometimes win and sometimes lose.

Maybe some folks don't think to do it, but I have called resorts to check units out before confirming an exchange since the beginning.

I understand what you are saying, but pre-allocated accommodation can be a double edged sword. When we go away, more often than not, we spend 2 weeks in the same resort. With pre-assigned units it is highly probable that we would have to move at the end of the first week. If the resort has a pool of accommodation it is much simpler to provide guests with continuity of occupancy.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

The person that I talked to last night seemed capable of handling it, but I haven't heard back.

When someone falls on your property, especially in a situation where paramedics have to be called, that should be that business' priority until it is resolved.

JLB,

Did your wife and friends get their situation squared away?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Jenny called.

Without any prodding from me her first words were, "I don't even know why we call ahead and make requests."

They are still on the second floor and cannot even see the pool, so Granny can't see what's going on there.

Guest Services called and chastised them for not filling out some form and getting their parking permits at check-in. Well, duh!

Two lengthy recordings on the phone--an offsite welcome party and a discount tour--Tootsie Tour?

A resort person told her Wyndham takes over tomorrow and they will no longer be RCI. Given the 20 years we have been playing this game, we typically just ignore cracks like that.

So, does it sound like they have done anything to improve the girls' stay?

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Readers should also be aware that inventory management systems for floating resorts often do not identify specific units when exchanging entries are made.

For a resort that does not allow owners to reserve and deposit (which includes all bulk banking resorts), most of those systems work as follows.

• For each particular check-in day, the resort operator provides the total inventory and room number for each class of unit. For example, for Friday check-in, the inventory might be 10 1-bedroom garden view, 15 1-bedroom ocean view, 20 2-bedroom garden view, and 20 2-bedroom ocean view. The specific room numbers associated with each of those categories would also be provided.
  
• From this inventory list the software also calculates the total number of inventory in each size class. In the example, this would be 25 1-bedroom units and 40 2-bedroom units.
  
• As owners in each particular class of unit make reservations, that entry is counted against the inventory in that class, and is also debited against the maximum number of 1-bedroom units that can be boked.. An assignment to a room can also be made at that time. So, after 10 owners of 1-bedroom garden units make reservations, the system will no longer accept reservations for 1-bedroom garden view units.
  
• When the resort deposits units for exchange, the inventory management system tracks those exchanges as debits against the maximum number of that type of unit that can be booked, but does not assign the exchange to a specific category or unit.
  
• So following our example, let's say the resort had deposited for exchange five 1-bedroom units. Now let's say that eight owners have requested 1-bedroom garden view units and twelve owners have requested 1-bedroom ocan view units. At that point, the inventory management system stops accepting owner requests for 1-bedroom units, even though not all units have been specifically assigned in each view category, because five spaces need to be held for incoming exchangers. Of the incoming exchangers, three will receive ocean view units and two will receive garden view units.

In this type of inventory management system, there is no specific unit that is deposited with an exchange company. Hence, the concept of giving the exchanger the same unit that was deposited with the exchange company is not relevant or even meaningful.