Does DVC regret Poly?

[OKW Lover]

They also know there will be a ton of park construction for the next several years. The fewer resorts they have in active sales, will be a good thing.

How does one lead to the other?

 

[cedricandsophie]

I don't really understand the purpose of Poly. They talk about the connectivity of studios for larger families. But in touring the studios, I would never want to stay there with a large family and connecting rooms. There is no where for families to congregate. The rooms are too small. The fact there is only one bed is a problem. The split bathroom is nice, but the lack of laundry facilities would make it very unappealing. And the villas, while nice, still only have two bedrooms. Why not do three bedroom villas with three bathrooms so that it would be worth it for a large family. We have 1400 points across seven resorts and would never consider buying Poly anyway. But it's just very unappealing.

 

[dizfan]

How many laundry facilities do BLT and VGF have? How many studios?

PVB has 4 washing machines for 360 studios. All the bungalows have their own washing machine/dryer.
BLT has 3 washing machines for the maximum of 133 studios. If any studios are booked as lockoff 2BRs, it is even fewer studios competing for the laundry. All the 1BRs, 2BRs, and GVs have their own washing machine/dryer.
VGF has 2 washing machines for the maximum of 47 studios. If any studios are booked as lockoff 2BRs, it is even fewer studios competing for the laundry. All the 1BRs, 2BRs, and GVs have their own washing machine/dryer.

If they included 4 washing machines in each PVB longhouse, it would have been in between BLT and VGF (assuming no studios are booked as part of a 2BR lockoff). Realistically, a portion of studios are booked as 2BR lockoffs so even 4 washing machines in each longhouse would have been close to BLT laundry situation.

 

[dizfan]

How does one lead to the other?

My personal opinion is people don't like to spend valuable vacation time around construction. It's a challenge for some to spend $16,000 (or more) to commit to DVC for years/decades based on construction. People get emotional over the announcement of Star Wars land, Toy Story land, etc. However, emotion tends to fade when people need to commit hard earned cash.

I believe it's better to only have one resort experiencing the slower sales from construction. There may well be a reason they are expanding DVC near MK while Epcot (Frozen, Soaring), DHS (Star Wars land, Toy Story land), AK (Avatarland) all have construction.

 

[lovin'fl]

My thoughts are that they are trying to attract to the new younger buyer. And they have it priced so high that the new buyers can only buy so many points so they prefer to use them on studios. I am constantly seeing posts about 'what studios can I book for 5'. Now, back in 2006, we bought DVC after a stay at POR with our 3 kids. We wanted DVC for the condo style with a master bedroom (with a door between us and the kiddos) and the kitchen and washer/dryer were an added bonus. I think DVC (direct/new resorts) are so overpriced that young families just can't swing 200 points like we started with. There are also constant posts about 'what's the smallest contract I can buy as a new member'...'can we just buy a 50 point contract'. Now they're adding the TV flip down beds to studios to sleep 5. I think they know that new buyers buy small contracts and prefer to squeeze into a studio so they can stay for a week or so. Personally, I'd not buy DVC then and just stick with squeezing in at POR paying cash.

And, yes, I think DVC will regret it. I think they overestimated how many young new DVC memebrs they'd get. I think they swung too far over to appeal to that group and they need to come back to the middle on this VWL project. VWL already has 1BR and 2BR villas so I guess they will be good...but I'm waiting to see what they do with expiration date. In the meantime, they will probably need to offer some incentives to buying PBV.

 

[coastalhh]

It would have been great if they did something with the extra space. Like washer and dryer. Small kitchen. 2 small bedrooms etc.. Having two showers right next to each other so two people can take 2 showers side by side at the same time is the dumbest idea I have ever heard of.

I can't imagine the meeting where someone pitched that and all the higher ups went on to agree?????

I am positive once every tour they get the feedback. Why does this room have two showers?

A shower is 15 minutes a day. They dedicated that much space 24 hours a day for a 15 minute window.

 

[lovin'fl]

It would have been great if they did something with the extra space. Like washer and dryer. Small kitchen. 2 small bedrooms etc.. Having two showers right next to each other so two people can take 2 showers side by side at the same time is the dumbest idea I have ever heard of.

I can't imagine the meeting where someone pitched that and all the higher ups went on to agree?????

I am positive once every tour they get the feedback. Why does this room have two showers?

A shower is 15 minutes a day. They dedicated that much space 24 hours a day for a 15 minute window.

I totally agree. I love the BLT studio layout, though the size is too small. If they could have done that layout, with the galley kitchen and a larger bathroom and bedroom...I'd have loved it. And if they added a washer/dryer in the kitchen or bathroom somewhere..I would have really really considered adding on. Plus, they didn't make connecting studios a bookable category (like OKW's HH section) and they should have. I'd do 2 connecting studios, like I mentioned, for my family of 5. OMG...if they had a W/D in every studio and I booked 2 connecting, my teens could do their OWN laundry. I would have SOOOOO loved that.

 

[Dean]

It would have been great if they did something with the extra space. Like washer and dryer. Small kitchen. 2 small bedrooms etc.. Having two showers right next to each other so two people can take 2 showers side by side at the same time is the dumbest idea I have ever heard of.

I can't imagine the meeting where someone pitched that and all the higher ups went on to agree?????

I am positive once every tour they get the feedback. Why does this room have two showers?

A shower is 15 minutes a day. They dedicated that much space 24 hours a day for a 15 minute window.

A normal W/D would have been tough but a european style unit would have been easy. I have to believe they had a plan, you know there had to be discussions about the issues before decisions were made. All they really have to do is sell it, not everyone has to approve or buy in. While I personally believe they should have upgraded the units with a super studio or mini 1 BR and had more points to sell, I can see not have unique villas in this manner. A king bed, W/D combo, apartment sized fridge with true mini kitchen and micro convection with cookware and utensils would have been easy and well worth the cost for the return IMO. An additional full size murphy bed or 2 queens or similar would have been a little tougher but possible as well.

 

[freediverdude]

I think it's the point costs that they want to reach. After so many people could only afford to buy points to stay in studios at VGF, they have decided to keep point costs high and go for more studios, like they did at Poly. And I think VWL2 is going to be the same way- high point cost renovated hotel rooms as studios in the main lodge, and super high point cabins for the wealthy.

Like somebody else said, selling a 250 point contract for $40,000+, not too many people are going to go for that so they can stay in 1 and 2 bedroom units. They're going to concentrate on selling them 100 point contracts for $16,500 and sell studios, because they really like the profit on $165 a point.

 

[MountainMouse]

So on the lines of targeting new buyers was DVD possibly trying to focus on families with small kids or even just one small kid. Folks with only one child I would think would tend to have more disposable income...just in general not that you always have a higher income if you have only one child. Fit into a studio now expand into connected rooms later.

 

[Gryhndmom]

We just bought 100 BLT to add to current 100 paiying 118 per point. DVC wanted 170 direct. Resale guy said poly has been a disappointment for DVC so resale prices going up. Back in jan BLT going for 100 per point. If only I had bought at that time!

 

[DenLo]

We just bought 100 BLT to add to current 100 paiying 118 per point. DVC wanted 170 direct. Resale guy said poly has been a disappointment for DVC so resale prices going up. Back in jan BLT going for 100 per point. If only I had bought at that time!

But the resale guy would say that, wouldn't he as his goal is to get you to buy resale only. Why would DVC tell him anything?

I expect DVC would have preferred all those folks that were spouting, "You build a Poly DVC and I'll buy it" really meant what they said. And I think DVC believe that Poly guests would be more interested in buying into DVC. But it's not happening. Add on that many DVC members are not adding on they have to be a bit shell shocked. But then are the figures really are not that far below the average sales for VGF per the DVC News.

 

[Minniesgal]

We just bought 100 BLT to add to current 100 paiying 118 per point. DVC wanted 170 direct. Resale guy said poly has been a disappointment for DVC so resale prices going up. Back in jan BLT going for 100 per point. If only I had bought at that time!

I can't see them being that disappointed the sales are a bit behind but not that far behind VGF. I think there is more members hype about Poly being a flop than reality.

It certainly isn't for me we are 1 bedroom people and I've never liked the Poly but there are many who like studios.

 

[MountainMouse]

Just wanted to throw this out there from a what was DVC thinking making all studios in Poly point of view. Doing all studios is likely to put more people in the resort. More people is more money spent at the parks so it's a way for Disney to maximize the number of dollars they get per sqft of Poly rooms. Someone in another thread brought up the more heads in beds driver for point rental rationale and it makes sense for a Poly financial rationale as well.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I've said more than once that IMO part of the consideration for DVC doing studios with an occupancy of 5 was for more heads at the Poly. But that it was mostly to be able to allocate greater Poly common area expenses to DVC and off of the hotel division. A few years ago when BLT took the first large jump part of the reason given was that the occupancy at BLT was greater than expected and with the higher head count BLT then was allocated more CR area expense. I think Disney liked that quite a bit.

 

[dizfan]

PVB having 360 studios instead of 120 2BR lockouts allowed them to have more points to sell. A 2BR is essentially the Square footage of three studios.

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it likely allows Disney to sell 200,000-300,000 more points having all studios for the longhouse.

 

[Dean]

PVB having 360 studios instead of 120 2BR lockouts allowed them to have more points to sell. A 2BR is essentially the Square footage of three studios.

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it likely allows Disney to sell 200,000-300,000 more points having all studios for the longhouse.

While true, it also may make it more difficult to sell. Had this been the main motivation I'd think that upgrading to super studios or mini 1BR units would have been even better. Even more points to sell and a fairly easy sales angle with a great return on investment. Even if they'd made them all 2 BR locks but used the same concept of say two mini 1BR, they could have had more points to sell as than now. I'm really at a loss as to why they did it this way, about the only thing that actually makes sense is they intend to expand later with 2 BR L/O villas in some way and don't want to start or announce it until sales are far enough along.

 

[drusba]

Why is the premise upon which this thread depends, that Poly is not selling well, correct? It only opened a few months ago and has been on sale for only a couple months before then and hit close to 100,000 points in both June and July. Does that mean sales are going badly? I personally feel sales are likely to be OK going forward and if DVD would just adopt a guaranteed connecting room option sales would even be better. The lack of any 1BR or 2BR option (and I don't consider the bungalows a reasonable 2BR option since they require a king's ransom in points to reserve) probably disacourages some possible purchasers but having a huge amount of large studios probably attracts many others.

 

[Dean]

Why is the premise upon which this thread depends, that Poly is not selling well, correct? It only opened a few months ago and has been on sale for only a couple months before then and hit close to 100,000 points in both June and July. Does that mean sales are going badly? I personally feel sales are likely to be OK going forward and if DVD would just adopt a guaranteed connecting room option sales would even be better. The lack of any 1BR or 2BR option (and I don't consider the bungalows a reasonable 2BR option since they require a king's ransom in points to reserve) probably disacourages some possible purchasers but having a huge amount of large studios probably attracts many others.

IMO it doesn't matter related to the principles. I don't know how it's selling in relationship to what they expect and we likely never truly will. About the only things we do know historically in this area in general is gathered from bits and pieces over the years and that is largely related to VB, HH and other abandoned off property options. My points would be that whatever it does could be better had they approached it differently (even at higher points levels) but that there are ways they could easily speed up sales if they chose to. I do think the setup will slow down sales over a more traditional setup. I chose to think they had a plan even if we don't know it but other than an expansion at the resort, I can't think of any other reasonable explanation for the choices there. It is what it is and it will sell at some speed regardless, SSR did. It's interesting that the last 2 projects have been specialty items, VGF because it's so small and Poly related to the issues being discussed here.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Why is the premise upon which this thread depends, that Poly is not selling well, correct? It only opened a few months ago and has been on sale for only a couple months before then and hit close to 100,000 points in both June and July. Does that mean sales are going badly? I personally feel sales are likely to be OK going forward and if DVD would just adopt a guaranteed connecting room option sales would even be better. The lack of any 1BR or 2BR option (and I don't consider the bungalows a reasonable 2BR option since they require a king's ransom in points to reserve) probably disacourages some possible purchasers but having a huge amount of large studios probably attracts many others.

There was the survey sent out to quite a few people that seemed directed at determining why Poly was not of an interest for them to purchase. I have not heard of that for any other recent project. It may only indicate that current owners had less interest but considering that current owners have generally been the easy sale in the past if this project has not produced the same number of sale to current owners it would be a question mark for DVC and would be a "not selling well" aspect.