Assigning rooms when you make a reservation

[Disney1fan2002]

Does anyone know why MS can't pre-assign you your room when you are making a reservation? I got to thinking about this over the weekend. When you call up DCL, you are assigned a cabin right on the spot, and that is your cabin when you check in. When you call to make a reservation with DVC, the CM has the inventory of rooms right on the computer screen, do they not? What would be the problem of Mrs Smith wanting a 2 bdrm BCV villa, non smoking Epcot view. The CM can see she DOES have a room that fills those requests for the dates Mrs. Smith wants. WHY can't she assign the room right then and there? If someone is in the room for the dates prior to Mrs. Smith checking in, and they want to extend their stay last minute, just like any timeshare program, they will have to change rooms. I have another timeshare, and when I book my week, I have a room number assigned on my confirmation card. Just wondering if anyone knew why Disney does not do it this way. It would really give the people at the 11 month window an advantage, thus ensuring more people make the resort they like to stay at their home resort. Maybe I am uneducated to how hotels go about assigning rooms, but if DCL can do it, why can't MS do it for regular rooms? Also, if there is a special way they need to handle room assignments, it should not have to be the same way as a regular cash reservation. Like it or not, DVC IS a timeshare. I think if someone who wants to make a reservation to their home resort wants to make room requests at the 11 month widow, then they should GET the room the way they want it ( not saying they should request a specific room, just one that meets their requests). Can someone educate me here? Is there a reason why Disney does not do it this way?

I hope I am not starting something here, I know that alot of people have posted that they did not get any of their requests when checking in, and it seems to be a problem.

 

[InstImpres]

DCL is a different animal. Everyone checks in and out at the same time. If they preassign rooms at reservation time for DVC, than the puzzle doesn't fit right. It would leave many gaps that would essentially become unbookable and cause members to either lose points or result in lose of revenue (thus higher dues) as the rooms can't be rented.

The only way this would ever work is if DVC was a typical time share where check-ins were all the same day. I would rather take my chances on room and have the flexibility I do with DVC (check-in day, length of stay, size of room, etc.)

JMHO
Sandy

 

[Terry S]

Marie, I have often wondered the same thing. I still really don't understand why it can't be done! I am a computer programmer so I know that technically it can be done! It is basically what the front desk and or room assignor does, so why can't it be done at the time of booking? I would love to book at 11 months and know that I got my favorite room!

 

[CarolA]

Well, when you fav room floods from the overflowing toliet and you get there and discover you were moved then you would just be upset so.... Plus people extend and shorten vacations all the time. Yep, the programming could be done, but even if they did it I don't think they would ever tell us what we were assigned until we got there.

 

[Disneyaholic]

Aside from the above reasons, I would hate to see how long we'd have to wait on hold for MS, while a member "tries on" about ten different rooms -- looking them up on the resort map, etc.

No thanks. I think it's fine the way it is! (But then again, I'm one who doesn't fret a whole lot about room location. I have my preferences, but my vacation is not ruined if I don't get exactly what I had asked for.)

 

[Niagara2]

It would be a nightmare for us and DVC to preblock rooms 11 months out. So many factors come into play here. I call at 11 months out and book room 2322 for five nights in April at my home resort OKW. Ay 7 months out I call MS and find BCV has avalability for the same 5 nights and book room 321 and cancel 2322 at OKW. My friend also loves 2322 and tried to book it for 7 days as I had cancelled but couldn't as two of the days were prebooked by someone else.
Now the 5 days I booked only get booked again for three night and the other two nights are lost revenue for OKW.
In April I arrive at BCV, the tub overflowed in the room above me so 321 isn't available and I am disappointed.
Ms. Smith had an emergency and left early from 2322 so I just moved to OKW. Too bad the family that has three rooms are no where near each other as they booked at 10 months out and we all held everything at 11 months out but switched at 7 months out. The puzzle can't be redone everyday for 11 months. Assigning rooms is a hugh puzzle and a week at a time is hard enough, couldn't imagine how many room assigners would have to be hired to manage 47 weeks at a time, room by room.
I know the above examples are confusing and this is what would happen in real life. so many variables come into play that day to day yield management of room inventory is vital to a healthy hotel bottom line. Thus, demand controls pricing, Most hotels check monthly, then weekly, then daily as the time nears. Unsucessful hotels are those that practice poor yield inventory management and let me tell you, Disney is quite strong in this department. I think they do a great job in this department especially at DVC properties that have such loyal repeat guests. After awhile we have favorite areas and rooms, and we ask, and so many of us get what we ask for. That is service and good management.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Niagara2
It would be a nightmare for us and DVC to preblock rooms 11 months out. ..
I Unsucessful hotels are those that practice poor yield inventory management and let me tell you, Disney is quite strong in this department. I think they do a great job in this department especially at DVC properties that have such loyal repeat guests. After awhile we have favorite areas and rooms, and we ask, and so many of us get what we ask for. That is service and good management.

The great flexibility in room types and resorts we enjoy throught the Disney point system keeps room assignement from being an exact science. If we were like Marrott and owned "weeks" and were restricted to certain times of year, it might be easier to get specific requests. Anyone have any experience with that?