California Inventory Problems

[johnsorg Member Find all posts View Profile Close johnsorg]

I have stayed at San Luis Bay Inn the last two years in August. I made reservations about 10 months out. I am now checking 13 months out and there is no availability. I have noticed the same problem with Coronado Beach Resort. There is nothing 10 months out or even in February. Last year there was plently on availability at both places this far out. With the economy being so bad you would think less people would be traveling. Has anyone else noticed this? It is very perplexing. I hope Diamond is not renting Club units to raise more revenue.

[JoeMid Banned Find all posts View Profile Close JoeMid]

I have stayed at San Luis Bay Inn the last two years in August. I made reservations about 10 months out. I am now checking 13 months out and there is no availability. I have noticed the same problem with Coronado Beach Resort. There is nothing 10 months out or even in February. Last year there was plently on availability at both places this far out. With the economy being so bad you would think less people would be traveling. Has anyone else noticed this? It is very perplexing. I hope Diamond is not renting Club units to raise more revenue.

The lack of inventory at SLB has been discussed before, and theorized that their computer geniuses haven't mastered the difference between 10 months and 13 months when it comes to that resort. In answer to your last statement though, like RCI, points for tickets, miles, rental cars, etc. gives the company license to rent inventory points used by members for those other things to raise the revenue to pay for them. How DRI decides what to fence off is anyone's guess but it makes sense that they aren't going to lose money in the deal and will be reserving what they think will rent for them out of owner inventory.

[eagleman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eagleman]

Inventory

Not only does DRI use this resort for owners but so does two other major timeshare companies. Along with that all you have to do is search a little on the internet and you will find numerous companies offering rental units for fee to any and all comers. The website Sky Auction frequently has 'deals' on many properties also owned by DRI as well as other timeshare companies. Do the math. These companies cannot survive in my opinion on annual dues alone but must generate income in other ways as well.

[johnsorg Member Find all posts View Profile Close johnsorg]

The lack of inventory at SLB has been discussed before, and theorized that their computer geniuses haven't mastered the difference between 10 months and 13 months when it comes to that resort. In answer to your last statement though, like RCI, points for tickets, miles, rental cars, etc. gives the company license to rent inventory points used by members for those other things to raise the revenue to pay for them. How DRI decides what to fence off is anyone's guess but it makes sense that they aren't going to lose money in the deal and will be reserving what they think will rent for them out of owner inventory.

You are right about computer problems at San Luis Bay Inn. Currently, there is plently of availability if you search 12 months out but none for 13 months. However, something else is going on Coronado Beach Resort. I have found no availability for any period and last year there was plenty even at peak times.

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

You are right about computer problems at San Luis Bay Inn. Currently, there is plently of availability if you search 12 months out but none for 13 months. However, something else is going on Coronado Beach Resort. I have found no availability for any period and last year there was plenty even at peak times.

Coronado isn't part of DRI; the only inventory that would appear would be the rather miniscule amounts that show up via their swaps with other companies.

Those relationships that DRI has with other companies almost all involve very limited amounts of inventory; those arrangements are mostly done for show so that the sales people can list more properties as available through DRI.

It's not all suprising that you don't see any inventory. What is surprising is to see significant inventory within DRI from a non-DRI property.

[winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close winger]

...
Those relationships that DRI has with other companies almost all involve very limited amounts of inventory; those arrangements are mostly done for show so that the sales people can list more properties as available through DRI.....

. . . and the sales manager (closer) at one of the resorts got offended when I called listing affiliates as "fluff" ... because I first-hand tried seeing availability at these affiliates and saw almost NONE available even at 10 months out.

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

. . . and the sales manager (closer) at one of the resorts got offended when I called listing affiliates as "fluff" ... because I first-hand tried seeing availability at these affiliates and saw almost NONE available even at 10 months out.

but, because it usually isn't based on direct DRI management, you never know what will show up in inventory or when it will show. It may not be at 10months out, it may be whenever they trade or contract for it, who knows, certainly not THE Club member.

[Carlos Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carlos]

No Rhyme or Reason

Spence is right as far as upredictability with availability. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

I was looking for availabilty for the South Africa properties. One week I look and I cannot find anything going month to month to month. Then the next week, going through the same routine I see resorts coming up all over the place.

That Coronado property is tricky too especially when you are looking for a full week. I suggest looking for four or five days if you can and you will probably have better luck except for holiday weekends and the summer. It's nearly impossible then. Often it is easier to pull a studio and sometimes a one bedroom. I did not even know they had two bedrooms until one day I visited San Diego and stopped by the property and was told by the receptionist they had two bedrrooms. Those never show up.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

The lack of inventory may be as simple as the changes in the economy right now. It could be that more people are driving to this resort and it's more in demand than in the past. It could be owners are using their owned weeks at this resort resulting in less availablity for exchangers.

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

I was an original owner at San Luis Bay Inn purchased before they opened over 20 years ago. I was always able to reserve prime summer weeks, including the 4th of July week 8 months in advance. This was until Wyndham took over the management of the resort about 4 years ago. All of a sudden I wasn't able to reserve summer weeks, let alone July 4th without a lot of trouble. I called them the minute I was allowed to reserve 13 months in advance and there was nothing. I kept calling each week and eventually got something but not what I wanted. I asked them what was going on but they just ignored it and were quite rude about it all. Finally an agent told me that there were only 2 weeks released for reservations when the window opened. There should be all of the weeks ( ~160 or so ) available each week. I put up with this BS from Wyndham for 2 years and then sold my San Luis Bay Inn timeshare.

Prior to Wyndham, we had great service from our management companies.

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

That Coronado property is tricky too especially when you are looking for a full week. I suggest looking for four or five days if you can and you will probably have better luck except for holiday weekends and the summer.

In my poking around for VI inventory in DRI, I've seen much more availability when looking for less than full week accommodations.

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

I was an original owner at San Luis Bay Inn purchased before they opened over 20 years ago. I was always able to reserve prime summer weeks, including the 4th of July week 8 months in advance. This was until Wyndham took over the management of the resort about 4 years ago. All of a sudden I wasn't able to reserve summer weeks, let alone July 4th without a lot of trouble. I called them the minute I was allowed to reserve 13 months in advance and there was nothing. I kept calling each week and eventually got something but not what I wanted. I asked them what was going on but they just ignored it and were quite rude about it all. Finally an agent told me that there were only 2 weeks released for reservations when the window opened. There should be all of the weeks ( ~160 or so ) available each week. I put up with this BS from Wyndham for 2 years and then sold my San Luis Bay Inn timeshare.

Prior to Wyndham, we had great service from our management companies.

All the big companies are about their bottom lines, anything they can hide behind their curtain of secrecy and make money off of is money in the bank to them.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

All the big companies are about their bottom lines, anything they can hide behind their curtain of secrecy and make money off of is money in the bank to them.

Only because the resort lets them get away with it. In John's case, the resort should have insisted that Wyndham, the Management Company, handles the reservations according to the rules and regulations of the resort and not the way Wyndham would like to run it. Our sister resort does this and always has.

To get away from this, you need a very active HOA, by owners, who does what is best for the resort but have a good working relationship with the Management Company too but keeps them in check.

Of course, it is a whole different story when the developer as well as the management company are one and the same as you may not know what is going on behind the scenes. I have read enough about it already right here about several of these big developers, including DRI, who handle both and always in the advantage of their bottom line.

I am not saying that it is easy to get the floating weeks that most people want but that is not the fault of Wyndham, in this case, but mainly because many other owners want the same high demand weeks too. It seems to be a problem with all floating week systems where everyone wants the school vacation and holiday weeks.

[Carlos Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carlos]

They are Suppose to pay Maintenance Fees Too

Yes, DRI is supposed to pay maintenance fees. They do but are able to seemingly avoid it or delay it when they are the management company. This was an issue as I read on the TUG board about one of their resorts, I want to say Polynesian Isles, wanting to get a new management company. One of the issues was that DRI did not pay management fees. However, DRI contended that they do other things for the resort such as pay for defauted mortgages, etc. but still do pay maintenance fees too. However, I do remember reading that DRI did eventually pay the maintenance fees. So one can say yes they do, but as stated by the last poster, the HOA needs to be on top of it.

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

I am not saying that it is easy to get the floating weeks that most people want but that is not the fault of Wyndham, in this case, but mainly because many other owners want the same high demand weeks too. It seems to be a problem with all floating week systems where everyone wants the school vacation and holiday weeks.

This was not the case for me. I have never had a problem getting the July 4th week at Gaslamp Plaza Suites for the past several years. The same was true at San Luis Bay Inn prior to Wyndham arriving on the scene. Both resorts are high demand Gold Crown coastal California. I use(d) them both strictly for exchanging.

Wyndham saying that there were only 2 units available for reservations when all units for that week should have been available is NOT a matter of everybody trying to reserve the week.

In any event, it doesn't matter to me anymore as I sold my San Luis Bay Inn timeshare so I am done with it.

I wish that others were as easy to deal with as VRI.