Beware Palace View!

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

I've been exchanging through RCI for 18 years, and this place is the WORST I've exchanged into, by FAR!

Floors/ceilings are PAPER-thin in the 800 building. I had requested - both by phone and in writing, 5 months prior to the exchange - a top-floor unit, but the reservation staff insisted multiple times that they never rec'd it until, lo and behold, there it was in their file, with "Done" hand-written across it. By that time, they had no top-floor units left to give us.

We didn't sleep for sh*t one single night. Every step above us was like a giant stomping. These buildings must have been thrown up with no standards at all, just as cheaply as possible. I feel sorry for owners at Palace View, as the maintenance costs over the lifetime of this place will be astronomical, and the staff there could use endless hours of customer-service training.

I have NEVER "bitched" about an exchange ANYWHERE before, and I've stayed in places as bad as run-down converted motel rooms, so keep this in perspective. This is not just some lunatic rant. The staff at PV had 5 months' worth of chances to prevent this, and they JUST - DIDN'T - CARE!

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Location ?

I've been exchanging through RCI for 18 years, and this place is the WORST I've exchanged into, by FAR!

Floors/ceilings are PAPER-thin in the 800 building. I had requested - both by phone and in writing, 5 months prior to the exchange - a top-floor unit, but the reservation staff insisted multiple times that they never rec'd it until, lo and behold, there it was in their file, with "Done" hand-written across it. By that time, they had no top-floor units left to give us.

We didn't sleep for sh*t one single night. Every step above us was like a giant stomping. These buildings must have been thrown up with no standards at all, just as cheaply as possible. I feel sorry for owners at Palace View, as the maintenance costs over the lifetime of this place will be astronomical, and the staff there could use endless hours of customer-service training.



I have NEVER "bitched" about an exchange ANYWHERE before, and I've stayed in places as bad as run-down converted motel rooms, so keep this in perspective. This is not just some lunatic rant. The staff at PV had 5 months' worth of chances to prevent this, and they JUST - DIDN'T - CARE!

Thanks for the warning. Where, exactly, is this ?

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

Thanks for the warning. Where, exactly, is this ?

Branson, on the west end of town just south of the Green Mtn/165 intersection.

Great location, but with so much competition nearby, why would anybody go to a place like this?

Tom

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

We don't own at this resort, or any in Branson, so we don't have a dog in this fight, but as I said OY, this is a case of a bad experience at a good resort.

Palace View - the WORST exchange I've had in 18 years, by FAR - Timeshare Users Group Online Community Forums

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

You have to put Branson in the summer into perspective. It's big time family season as it's a driveable vacation for millions of families. In the summer time there's going to be TONS of kids. We had the same noise issue experience over at Westgate Branson Woods and it was mostly because we were surrounded by families with three to five kids around us. They run, they jump, the play the TV at volumes that a deaf person can hear and they shout everything.

Some resorts are better prepared for the family onslaught than others. For instance, we did not have the same issues at Horizon's by Marriott when we stayed there but, I don't know for a fact that I had a family with kids in the room above us either. When we've stayed at Falls Village we've been on the top floor and end units. In the unit next to us at Falls Village has been elderly couples and, though I've been able to hear them they've been quite. So to some degree you're probably always going to be facing this problem in Branson during the summer time. But that's just MHO. We've found we have much better luck in the Spring and Fall outside the family summer vacation time.

What is really disappointing is that the resort has such bad communication skills with the front desk personel. The request was made, the request was granted on paper but there was no follow up and the request ended up not being fullfilled. In this situation with the special needs child and it's affect on that child, this is unexcusable and a good reason to possibly avoid this resort in favor of others when exchanging into Branson. When staff is unresponsive to guests needs or reasonable requests that's never a good thing.

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

What is really disappointing is that the resort has such bad communication skills with the front desk personel. The request was made, the request was granted on paper but there was no follow up and the request ended up not being fullfilled. In this situation with the special needs child and it's affect on that child, this is unexcusable and a good reason to possibly avoid this resort in favor of others when exchanging into Branson. When staff is unresponsive to guests needs or reasonable requests that's never a good thing.

Absolutely; you "got" my point perfectly. And why should anybody take that kind of risk with their precious vacation time, especially when there are so many other places available? As it turned out in this case, it was the first week of a 2-week vacation (the second week being spent in a different state at a non-timeshare property), so not only did it ruin our week in Branson, it sent us into our second week exhausted and ready to go home rather than relaxed and excited.

Good luck to all; I was just trying to help somebody else avoid a ruined vacation caused by the inexcusably indifferent staff at Palace View.

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

This, too, shall pass.

FWIW, not long ago a similar complaint, I believe the first discouraging words of any type, were posted for Big Cedar Wilderness Club.

When it comes to indifferent Guest Services, try one of the many motel conversions in the Ormond Beach/Daytona/New Smyrna Beach area. I believe they all attended the Don Rickles School of Hospitality.

Again, I don't have a dog in the fight, but I have been to many of the resorts and met/worked with staff. Generally speaking, Branson hospitality is as good as it gets. Most of the folks who work in that industry here understand how important it is. In fact, this whole area, generally speaking, is all about bending over backwards to make visitors welcome, and want to come back. Even I can smile and carry on a friendly conversation with visitors at Stonebridge.

But, and no offense to anyone, I don't see how they do it. I dread even driving in the area, to get to work. Or going shopping. I just love Wal Mart like on a Friday night or Saturday morning in the summer, with mom and dad and that pack of kids, trying to get their shopping done, bickering, worn out already. Man, this is fun and we're having it!!!

Tell ya what, give me all their names and I'll take them out back and give em a whippin. or, better yet, make them spend a day with our neighbors.

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

I sure wish I had a crapy place to trade into.

I still have to wait until next July to use my TS. And since I only own 1, cause I'm poor (relatively speaking of course), I can't even trade into a bad TS location.

Oh to have that freedom!



Big Papa

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

I sure wish I had a crapy place to trade into.

I still have to wait until next July to use my TS. And since I only own 1, cause I'm poor (relatively speaking of course), I can't even trade into a bad TS location.

Are you a member of RCI? If you are, you can do a last call or an extra vacation. If you own a resort, I believe you can join, for a fee, of course. And that's only if your resort trades in the RCI system. Some people keep their RCI memberships just to take advantage of these vacation options.

Sue

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

definitely keep an eye on the last minute rentals on Tug. You can find some fabulous trips on the cheap!