AAA ratings of DVC resorts....?

[KLR-wlv]

Just wondering - I have an old AAA book that has VB and WL as 4 stars - but in the member guidebook I just noticed they said VB received "the prestigious 3 star" rating...and I know WL was downgraded as well - what is up with that? the same rating as any highway clarion or quality suites? I know HH is a 3 star and I can only imagine it is because they don't have elevator access to most of their rooms - but I can't imagine why VB - or WL - would be a 3 star...I stayed at a 3 star quality suites in Jax on the way to DW that gave me the willies...I don't think their ratings are very reassuring these days if half the dvc resorts are 3 stars...

 

[CaptainMidnight]

HH also does not have on site dining, although nice dining is very close. Great observation, whose making these ratings anyway? WL doesn't have a 4 star rating? Brings the whole AAA system into question.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Excellent post. To think that the Hampton Inn I am staying at on my next trip down has the same three stars as the VWL.

Maybe I'll just tell the family we are not moving from the Hampton Inn. It must be quite the place to have the same rating as the VWL.

HBC

 

[MiaSRN62]

WL doesn't have a 4 star rating? Brings the whole AAA system into question.

Unbelievable....I also just can't imagine WL or VB getting anything less than 4 stars ? AAA needs to rethink their system.
BTW, I'm an AAA member but don't have this guidebook ? How did u acquire it may I ask ?

 

[KLR-wlv]

you can get state guidebooks for free at any AAA office. I think mine is from 2000 when WL had a 4 star - then I looked at my parents Florida book from 2002 and it had a 3 star...didn't think to look at VB since I just assumed it would still be a 4 star.

They seem to be extremely forgiving of chain hotels, and unbelievably critical of other places - like Disney - and B&B's. Going by Conde Nast and Travel & Leisure ratings seem to be much more accurate.

 

[Lew]

AAA has used a diamond as their rating symbol for as long as I can remember. I believe Mobil uses stars when rating hotels and restaurants.

According to the AAA website, WL gets four diamonds, BWV gets four diamonds, Y&BC gets three diamonds (BCV are not rated separately), and OKW gets four diamonds.

VB and HH are both rated as three diamonds.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

I think ratings by these firms are rather subjective, it just depends on the mood of the person, or persons, rating I guess. Some people will complain about anything.

The DVC official website, in the Members Only section, says both BoardWalk and Beach Club Villas are rated 4-Diamonds by AAA.

DVC also says Conde Nast Travelers "Gold List" has BoardWalk and Hilton Head on it.

I suspect a previous poster is joking, but give me a nice big DVC property anyday over a Hampton! Good grief!

 

[poj7]

Here's the "latest" from the DVC website:


Resorts Earn AAA Four Diamond Award



AAA recently announced their Diamond Award ratings for 2003. Disney's BoardWalk Villas and Disney's Beach Club Villas each earned the AAA Four Diamond Award. The award is earned through a process of unannounced evaluations that rated quality, consistency, and customer service. Of the more than 42,000 properties AAA inspects each year, only 4 percent attain the prestigious Four Diamond Award.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

According to the AAA website, WL gets four diamonds,

Diamonds? stars? I can't really tell what they are. What I can tell you is that on page 726 of the 2003 Florida edition tour book (that we just picked up from AAA) the Wilderness Lodge and Villas are rated three (3) somethings and on page 725 Old Key West is rated three as well. On page 689 a Hampton Inn has the same rating as do many other chain hotels.

Their rating is a joke to put these in the same category. YES I was joking. Please note the after my comment!

HBC

 

[Maistre Gracey]

There are some folks here that believe WL is "less deluxe" because of smaller average room sizes, and less on-site amenities. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

disclaimer- I have yet to figure out spell check on this new laptop

 

[MiaSRN62]

They seem to be extremely forgiving of chain hotels, and unbelievably critical of other places - like Disney - and B&B's.

Hmmm....you'd almost suspect payoffs or something fishy in the wings ?

you can get state guidebooks for free at any AAA office.

Thank you.....

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
There are some folks here that believe WL is "less deluxe" because of smaller average room sizes, and less on-site amenities. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

disclaimer- I have yet to figure out spell check on this new laptop

Disney, the Unofficial guide and AAA must all be wrong, LOL.

AAA tends to rate hotels and resorts against their immediate counterparts. While it is confusing by creating a moving target, there is some information that can be learned. At a place like WDW they tend to compare one resort to another. That does mean that a 3 star on WDW property is not the same as a 3 star off property. At WDW I'd personally have to give GF a 5* (barely), all of the moderates a 3* and the rest 4*. I guess I'd have to give OKW a 3* due to the lack of certain amenties but I personally prefer it over the others. While there are some differences between the resorts I would rate 4*, I don't see that much difference overall to warrant otherwise.

 

[MiaSRN62]

all of the moderates a 3* and the rest 4*. I guess I'd have to give OKW a 3* due to the lack of certain amenties but I personally prefer it over the others.

Hi...
Just curious.....what do u feeling it's lacking that would comand the 3* vs the 4* ? Is it because it's more of a laid-back, spread-out resort style design as opposed to a hotel-feel with inside corridors and elevators ? Because honestly, that's the only difference I can see ? Thanks.

 

[PamOKW]

Some of the requirements that these rating systems use don't always "fit" with WDW resorts.

OKW, of course, is not really a hotel and not really a condo, it's a hybrid that many of us love. But, if you are running down the checklist of items, there is no grandiose lobby area, there is no 24 hour room service, and there may be some other "hotel-like" features that are not needed at OKW and are, therefore, missing when running down a standard checklist.

I remember a few years ago hearing how the GF was trying to get the Mobil 5-star rating. That is one of the reasons Citrico's was opened. It "fit" into one of the areas that the raters would be looking. One drawback to the GF reaching top status is that they do not enforce any dress code. People hanging out in the lobby in their cutoffs works against them on the standard "checklist". Ritz-Carlton's tend to have dress codes for the public areas and for the restaurants, even at their most casual resorts.

So, while ratings are a guide they don't necessarily mean a resort won't meet your own personal expectations.

 

[MiaSRN62]

So, while ratings are a guide they don't necessarily mean a resort won't meet your own personal expectations.

Oh...I totally agree with this. OKW is my home resort and I know that it doesn't truly deserve the lower 3* rating. I was just curious as to how the system works in regards to rating. OTOH, there have been hotels that got 3 or 4*'s that I didn't feel deserved it. It really is a quirky system.

there is no grandiose lobby area, there is no 24 hour room service,

Once again, I agree that OKW doesn't have a ritzy lobby area---that would go against the whole theme of the resort. But neither do some of the hotel chains in and around Orlando that have received 4* ratings---and beyond the state of FL even. As far as 24 hour room service---I agree, it's not really needed at OKW because of the kitchen facilities, but does Boardwalk and VWL and BCV have 24 hour service ? If they do, I was not aware and this is interesting. Thanks.

 

[poj7]

This is a fun thread. But we know the quality of the DVC resorts. What does it really matter if AAA calls it this or that?

It is really a limitation of their system if some of the DVC resorts are 3*, because we all know they're not like staying at a 3* Holiday Inn on I Drive.

Apples and oranges!

 

[Cruelladeville]

There is money involved to be listed in the AAA book, and to get to a certain diamond level, so one can probably safely assume that some of the money goes to the person doing the rating. I, too, have been to some 3 diamonds, that give me the creeps. I stayed in one in Georgia, and I saw a cockroach crawl across the buffet table in the restaurant. This is the honest to God truth--I nearly fainted!! So those ratings are not very reliable.

I would put far more value in the ratings on the TUG board where thousands of its members gave all the DVC resorts the hightest ratings of any resorts. BWV is consistently in the top 10--these are all timeshare users, and most of them are not DVC members. You might want to look at their ratings.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
Hi...
Just curious.....what do u feeling it's lacking that would comand the 3* vs the 4* ? Is it because it's more of a laid-back, spread-out resort style design as opposed to a hotel-feel with inside corridors and elevators ? Because honestly, that's the only difference I can see ? Thanks.

Maria, as someone else said, the resorts do not fit well into a 1-5* or diamond rating system. I'm going to answer your question at the risk of another "my resort is better" interchange. If one gives GF a 4*, I think it's fair to call OKW a 3*. Reasons include the lobby, lack of certain amenities and the like. Does that mean that Hampton Inn is a 3*, no way. I guess I'm comparing the WDW resorts to themselves just like AAA seems to be doing.

How about this as a rating system and my feeling as to where they'd be. I think I posted similar info previously but I didn't go back and find it so there may be some slight differences. The numbers will be an overall impression of the resorts desirability to regular non member WDW visitors, my personal preferences are more towards OKW, BWV and VWL. It also takes into account the overall resort feel and amenities and in the case of WL and BC/YC concentrates on the hotel and not the villas since the hotel portion is the main portions there.

1. GF - 94
2. YC/BC - 93
3. Boardwalk - 92-93
4. Poly - 91-92
5. Cont, WL, AKL - 90-91
6. OKW - 89
7. All moderates 85-87 (depends on which one)
8. Value - 80
   [/list=1]
   Your list might be different but I feel I'm an extremely objective person when it comes to these types of things. Some people subscribe to the Martha Burke school of resort evaluation that says my favorite is tops and how dare anyone else say otherwise, that's their right.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Dean, I know you and I have gone around on this before, but I still don't understand why BWI/BWV would be considered "more deluxe" than some others. There is not a restaurant on-site at BWV/BWI. I realize there are some in the area, but so what? Would a Hilton or Marriott get that high of a rating without an on-site restaurant or would they just point to upper-scale places across the street? Or Perhaps the one down the road? I believe BWI/BWV are fantastic accommodations, but I would just like the amenitie reasoning to applied evenly across the board. I know if there was not an on-site restaurant at VWL/WL that would be ammo for the nay sayers to say it is "less deluxe".

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
Dean, I know you and I have gone around on this before