The mugs are length of stay. They are hard coded to be 14 days I believe but if you show your receipt they will reactivate it with no issues.
I explained my point better in another post somewhere, and what I said there makes a little more sense and sounds less judgmental. Most guests at HHI are a pleasure to be around, and that includes the special guests who have been coming for many years--as you say, some since the resort opened. And, yes, many of them are enjoyable, don't act entitled, and love to interact with the staff (quite a few of whom have also been there since the resort opened, mainly in housekeeping). As with any group, however, there are always those who. . .go against the grain, let's say.
Now, do I know that it was a VIP who made the stink? Nope. Could have been a first-timer who clamored so loudly they got what they want. Still, there are a handful of the VIP guests who are (were?) well known for being. . .disingenuous in their manner of getting what they want or flat out obstinate. Again, the large majority of them--and guests as a whole at HHI--are marvelous. I, too, made friends with guests there with whom I'm still in contact. . .who post on here! So, I apologize if I seemed cranky. Truly, it wasn't my intent. 
I’m sure a few people in this group were perfectly nice to chat with by the fire, but we go there most years in early March and to be honest we find them obnoxious. It is a very large group of multiple families and they tend to take over activities and events. It is fascinating that you say they stay in the exact same room every year. This never dawned on us, but good luck getting a non HA grand villa during this time period. Why should they get the same room every year and everyone else be stuck with rooms we do not prefer?
I think you were right on target and not cranky at all. No one should receive special treatment just because they have vacationed at HHI every year. All guests should be treated the same. It’s a timeshare. No one should get the same room every time they visit. It’s not the ritz Carleton.I explained my point better in another post somewhere, and what I said there makes a little more sense and sounds less judgmental. Most guests at HHI are a pleasure to be around, and that includes the special guests who have been coming for many years--as you say, some since the resort opened. And, yes, many of them are enjoyable, don't act entitled, and love to interact with the staff (quite a few of whom have also been there since the resort opened, mainly in housekeeping). As with any group, however, there are always those who. . .go against the grain, let's say.
The problem is if several reservations all get the same room every year and they are choice rooms (remember this is in reference to several families that travel together— maybe 20 from what I can tell), then everyone else is left with the “crappy” rooms even if they make a request because these VIP types expect the same rooms. If you look at GVs, there are 5, right? If 4 are taken by the same exact people every year and the only one left is the HA villa and that goes to the family who hasn’t been going since the resort’s inception, that’s ridiculous. We don’t complain about the rooms we get, but we have made requests at HHI. And we have NEVER gotten a request fulfilled there. I had no idea that groups of people were getting the same exact rooms every year. That’s simply not fair.
I can only guess these guest book at 11months and request at that time. For a room booker, much easier to see and book same rooms and work others from there. For what it is worth, the ones I spoke with were singles or couples,,,so no one needing GV or even 2bdrms. Most studios or 1 bdrm.
I have heard the term used at DHHIR for a couple to book a 2 bedroom and only use one side during their stay.
I'm trying to figure out why a couple would do that. I thought of the need/want for 2 Bedrooms or the fact that one spouse is a very loud snorer. But in either of those cases, they wouldn't really be "one-sider"-s. Could it be that maybe they want to be in a particular building which only have 2 bedrooms? I do know that I happened to look recently and compared point "prices" for one vs. two bedroom villas. I was amazed at how little more 2 bedroom villas cost.
I have heard DHHIR say that the "one-siders" book the 2 bedrooms since they may not have booked in time for a studio/1 bedroom or sold out already.
Exactly. 1BRs and studios are in short supply by virtue of having so few of them; ergo, 2BRs are more often available. I've done the same my last trip to HHI, in fact.
This year we booked a 2-BR on cash and points and have invited family for a portion of the trip. We are keeping the 2-BR the whole time so we don’t have to move. If family doesn’t end up coming with us, we will enjoy the extra space again.
Totally agree, especially about the CMs!
Yes I think they nailed on use the points for the 11 month window and not for SAP.
