A Question For The Experts

[Maistre Gracey]

We had a beach cottage reserved for our first two nights at VB, and were on the waitlist for the third night.

On day three, we were getting ready to move from the BC to the 2 br, when the front desk called and said the BC was available for our third night. I asked if there was a cancellation, and was told that there was not a cancellation. The front desk manager explained that once we were at the resort, they no longer had to abide by the declared inventory rules. He said MS could not book that night because of what was declared into the condominium, but he could waive that once we were at the resort.

I found this strange because that night two of the six cottages were obviously empty, and if we had moved to the 2 br, it would have been three of six empty.

Does DVD declare percentages of property into the condo, or specific buildings? Did DVD specifically not declare several cottages as to keep them for cash rental? I hope not.

Thanx for your insight...

 

[drusba]

The resort is sold in groups of "units." A "unit" actually usually consists of several rooms. Thus, while it is being sold, there will be units (or groups of rooms) not yet dedicated to DVC until prior ones are sold. Dedication to DVC goes on a rolling basis -- units are dedicated and as those get closer to sell out more are dedicated. As VB is not yet sold out there might still be some units not yet dedicated although I believe most if not all have been dedicated (but not all have been sold out). When the resort is sold out, DVD still retains a 4% interest; that is a 4% interest in each and every unit and thus all rooms are available for DVC reservations and cash reservations. Basically, DVD gets to do cash rentals for 4% of the total available use time for the resort (plus any additional cash rentals that result because DVC members do not reserve by 60 days out, as a result of members trading points to stay elsewhere such as at non-DVC hotels, or as a result of the Magical Beginnings program where DVD buys back first year points and thus can rent the time represented by those points. I doubt that there is one or more cottages at VB that are still not dedicated to DVD but it is very easy to get one day or two days in a row where DVD may have reserved rental times for those units and then gets no rentals. And yes, once you are at or very close to a date where a unit remains empty, a lot of flexibility can occur in relation to DVD rental unit time such as allowing it for DVC use simply because the hotel prefers to have rooms occupied.

 

[Dean]

I'm sure the Cottages are declared one at a time. When VB opened, it was declared a floor at the time and that was way too much so they had to change it to. I assume they charged you BC points.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Dean, yes they charged me the extra points for the BC.
What I can't understand is why MS can't book the BC when there are 3 of 6 going unoccupied. It sounds like they didn't declare all of them, as to save them for cash ressies.

 

[Dean]

I'd expect at least 5 of 6, if not all 6. declared at this point based on sales data I'm hearing. It is possible they're holding them back but to me that would be false advertising. Bait and switch so to speak.