Checking into POR, has this happened to you?

[mnmomma]

At check in, the section of the hotel I requested we didn’t get. In April when we originally booked, I requested a building that I read about in a Disney guidebook. On recommendations of this web site I wanted to switch the building. I called my travel agent two weeks before we left; she called to change it and sent me new itinerary. When checking in the clerk told me that because I had two requests that they cancelled each other out. Now, I have never been in the hotel business, but common sense would tell me that the most current request would be the one the customer wanted. She also said that a request wasn’t anything but a request. We got our room and it was nice but looking at the map after a few days when we got the lay of the land, clearly it was the building farthest away from everything. What should I have done? We checked in at 4:30 in the afternoon and with 3:00 being the start of the check in time, are they that booked or was the clerk taking out her job frustrations on me?

 

[stinkerbelle]

She also said that a request wasn’t anything but a request.

...

We checked in at 4:30 in the afternoon and with 3:00 being the start of the check in time, are they that booked or was the clerk taking out her job frustrations on me?

The CM is absolutely correct...a request is nothing but a request.

Also - it doesn't matter when you check in...your room is already assigned. (*someone* has the job of going through all the reservations and assigning rooms...before your check in day.)

if you had wanted a different building, you should have asked at checkin if anything was available in the "XYZ building". then they might have been able to move you.

 

[Sammie]

As the CM stated requests at Disney are never guaranteed. As to the two requests there would be no way for the CM to know which request was made first.

At Disney requests are made to Central Reservations which is what your travel agent did for you when your reservation was made. Then your travel agent contacted reservations again 2 weeks prior to your trip and made another request. If anyone erred your TA should have made sure the second request was noted and the first one removed. Several days prior to the guest's arrival the info is downloaded into the hotel computer system. All they see is 2 requests not when they were made, etc.

They are definitely very busy and many check in early during the day, so by 4:30 it is possible they did not have any other location to give you.

As stated the best thing to do is ask after you are given your room assignment if you want to try and change.

 

[NCombs]

Also, rooms become available at 3:00 but many people check in before that time.

 

[dcgrumpy]

What should I have done?

nothing




I always request a building just for the heck of it. I always assume though that I probabaly won't get it, so far I've been right. LOL. Like everyone else has said a request is just that, a request.

The official check in time may be at 3:00, but a lot of people check in earlier. I always tak an early morning flight and have never had to wait until 3:00 for my room to be ready.

 

[dixiedizfan]

Our last three trips we stayed at All Star Sports, Dixie Landings and Coronado Springs. I made building and/or section requests all three times. I even called CS a few days before arrival to make sure our request was noted. Never got what we wanted at any resort, and CS wasn't even half full when we were there. Now I wonder if our requests might have been ignored because we weren't paying rack rate, but using room-only discount codes. Each resort placed us in the section furthest from everything.

 

[jtdl]

Now I wonder if our requests might have been ignored because we weren't paying rack rate, but using room-only discount codes. Each resort placed us in the section furthest from everything.

We didn't pay rack rate on our last trip to Pop and every request I made was granted, even one I had requested to the CM at check in. I had requested a certain building and floor. When we arrived at check in, the CM said our room wasn't ready yet (11 am). I asked if it was possible to get a lake view room. She took a look and said that yes there was a lake view, same building, same floor available and the room was available right then. So, the room assigner would have granted my first two requests - building and floor - and then the CM took us out of that specific room and assigned us another.

 

[mill4023]

When we went in May, the staff at POR was very accomodating. We had requested a certain building and we would have gotten it except we checked in at noon and our room wasn't ready. They said we could wait for it or they could find us another room that was ready. We opted to take the room that was ready even though it meant being a little farther away.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Also - it doesn't matter when you check in...your room is already assigned. (*someone* has the job of going through all the reservations and assigning rooms...before your check in day.)

Actually that is not correct. The room assigner is only pre-blocking rooms to guests that have medical needs and/or are traveling with multiple parties. Single reservations with no medical necessities are not pre-blocked. The check in cast member is the one that is actually going into the avalaiblity and finding your room for you at that very moment that you are standing in front of them. They do this so that when you arrive there is a possibility that there will be a clean room right away. If everything was pre-assigned and you arrived at 10am, the room you are assigned is dirty, you have to wait until 3pm for your room even though there are a bunch that are clean... makes no sense.

With that said, as others have mentioned requests are just requests, they are not guaranteed. The reservations don't even download from Central Reservations to the actual hotel until 7 days prior to your check in. 3 days before arrival, the room assigner will start looking at medical requests/needs and travel withs, but all other requests are on a first come first serve basis. Basically the earlier you arrive the better chance you have of getting the room that you want, if you arrive at 10pm you are pretty much left with the left overs.

 

[Bride In The Attic]

Actually that is not correct. The room assigner is only pre-blocking rooms to guests that have medical needs and/or are traveling with multiple parties. Single reservations with no medical necessities are not pre-blocked. The check in cast member is the one that is actually going into the avalaiblity and finding your room for you at that very moment that you are standing in front of them. They do this so that when you arrive there is a possibility that there will be a clean room right away. If everything was pre-assigned and you arrived at 10am, the room you are assigned is dirty, you have to wait until 3pm for your room even though there are a bunch that are clean... makes no sense.

With that said, as others have mentioned requests are just requests, they are not guaranteed. The reservations don't even download from Central Reservations to the actual hotel until 7 days prior to your check in. 3 days before arrival, the room assigner will start looking at medical requests/needs and travel withs, but all other requests are on a first come first serve basis. Basically the earlier you arrive the better chance you have of getting the room that you want, if you arrive at 10pm you are pretty much left with the left overs.

Thank you so much for this clarification - obviously you are "in the know" So, in your opinion, is it even worth it to note a request with CRO (other than medical requests/needs and travel withs) or do we get the same results just by giving our request to the CM at check in?

 

[jcat2312]

We stayed at POR 9/13-9/20. We had requested building 15 before we got there only to be assigned to building 25! I very nicely asked the CM if there was anything available in our requested building. She smiled and apoligized and placed us in a corner room in building 15.....

 

[jtdl]

If everything was pre-assigned and you arrived at 10am, the room you are assigned is dirty, you have to wait until 3pm for your room even though there are a bunch that are clean... makes no sense.

.

Actually, that is exactly what happened to us - the room we had been assigned was not ready at 11 am, so when I asked the CM if there were any lakeview rooms available, she said yes and it was ready at that time so we took it. I read another post on this thread that also stated upon arrival their room was not ready and they had a choice of another. So this, I would think, does point to the fact that yes the rooms are preassigned before arrival.

 

[WONDER26FEB06]

Hi,

I worked at CBR front desk. The previous poster is right- the desk agent makes the room assignment upon check in (unless there is a special need and that is done a few days before). Anyway, try to call the hotel directly that morning and as sweetly as possible make your request. Be really, really nice. They can preassign the room at that time (or at least that is the way it used to be).

 

[treehugger]

Hi,

I worked at CBR front desk. The previous poster is right- the desk agent makes the room assignment upon check in (unless there is a special need and that is done a few days before). Anyway, try to call the hotel directly that morning and as sweetly as possible make your request. Be really, really nice. They can preassign the room at that time (or at least that is the way it used to be).

I can see hundreds of front desk CM's right now reaching for aspirin.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

In regards to pre-blocking, some resorts do it to more of a degree than others. Each resort does things a bit differently. It also depends on how high the occupancy of the resort is. During extreme busy times, most rooms will be pre-blocked for maximum room efficiency.

It should also be noted that even if a room is placed on a reservation, its still no guarantee. The room could get removed from a reservation at any time by someone else.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Actually, that is exactly what happened to us - the room we had been assigned was not ready at 11 am, so when I asked the CM if there were any lakeview rooms available, she said yes and it was ready at that time so we took it. I read another post on this thread that also stated upon arrival their room was not ready and they had a choice of another. So this, I would think, does point to the fact that yes the rooms are preassigned before arrival.

As Tyler mentioned sometimes more rooms are assigned for different reasons... If the hotel is sold out or close to sold out they will "fill holes" what that means is if they are blocking medical needs for 3 days out (or further sometimes) it could create a "hole" where the room will be avaliable today, but the medical reservation does not check in for a few days. In this case the room assigner will go in and find a reservation that checks in today and checks out the day that the med reservation checks in thus "Filling the hole". It is possible that your reservation was "filling a hole"...a quick call to the room assigner and/or a knowledgable CM on the desk can blow the hole and fill it with a different reservation, or work it out another way so that you can be accomodate with a clean room on arrival (or to meet your requests better)...

To Bride in the attic... it never hurts to have your requests on the reservation and mention it at check in as well. In my experience if a request is very specific I will try and block it anyway, if it is basic then I won't. Also if they are looking to fill hole (as described above) and your requests are no where near that, then (for me anyway) I will look for another reservation to accomodate the need and leave yours open.

 

[DisneyElf]

Last time I stay on property - we were at POFQ -- loved it. Of course didn't get bldg. #2 or 5 as asked -- but got bldg. 6. BUT it didn't matter - since the longest walk as on 3 mins. from the food court or pool.

 

[KilleriMac17]

each time we have gone to disney, they have picked the room right there and then, as a matter of fact, twice, they actually gave us a map of the resort, and asked us where we would like. so not sure about pre-booking, maybe they do it if it is busy, and if its not too busy they just wing it.

 

[Sammie]

Our last three trips we stayed at All Star Sports, Dixie Landings and Coronado Springs. I made building and/or section requests all three times. I even called CS a few days before arrival to make sure our request was noted. Never got what we wanted at any resort, and CS wasn't even half full when we were there. Now I wonder if our requests might have been ignored because we weren't paying rack rate, but using room-only discount codes. Each resort placed us in the section furthest from everything.

Requests are best noted with Central Reservations when you make your reservation. When you called CS before your arrival you got a central call center that handles all the calls for all the resorts. So the chances of your requests getting passed on to the resort are very, very slim. I would never call.

When you check in, then see if they can honor your request again.