Is a split stay impossible to book?

[KAL918]

We have a 7 night reservation at our home AKL Kidani the week after Thanksgiving. Looking to do a split stay with BWK. I called MS and they told me they'd have to cancel our original reservation and re-book two separate reservations. When the CM looked at the inventory, there was only one room available at BWK for one of our nights and no inventory for Kidani 7 nights so I was taking a risk that we'd lose both.

Is this really the case? MS doesn't have a way to modify an existing reservation for a split stay?! I asked how people normally do split stays and he said there is normally more inventory - right now we're working against Thanksgiving time, 50th anniversary and people booking who didn't go in 2020. All of that sounds legit but I'm more flabbergasted at the way their reservation system (doesn't) work. I'm not surprised but just frustrated.

Any tips or is this just the way it is? Thanks!

 

[Chuck S]

You can try to modify the reservation online, if there is availability, by modifying your original reservation to shorten it, and then booking the reservation for where you wish to move...but they are correct that it will always be separate reservations...split stays are never considered a single reservation. B ut there is the risk that while you are shortening your existing reservation, the availability for your split disappears, and you lose the split AND the nights you dropped. The best way, if you have enough points, is to book the the room for the split, then modify your existing reservation dropping the extra nights.

 

[Marionnette]

We have a 7 night reservation at our home AKL Kidani the week after Thanksgiving. Looking to do a split stay with BWK. I called MS and they told me they'd have to cancel our original reservation and re-book two separate reservations. When the CM looked at the inventory, there was only one room available at BWK for one of our nights and no inventory for Kidani 7 nights so I was taking a risk that we'd lose both.

Is this really the case? MS doesn't have a way to modify an existing reservation for a split stay?! I asked how people normally do split stays and he said there is normally more inventory - right now we're working against Thanksgiving time, 50th anniversary and people booking who didn't go in 2020. All of that sounds legit but I'm more flabbergasted at the way their reservation system (doesn't) work. I'm not surprised but just frustrated.

Any tips or is this just the way it is? Thanks!

It's true that you cannot modify an existing reservation to form 2 reservations. You can reduce the number of days in your existing reservation and then book the new reservation at another resort. Or if you have enough points, book the new reservation and then modify the reservation at your home resort to fewer nights.

 

[starry_solo]

So, in the future, for this to work, you have to book two separate reservations at your 11 month mark for your home resort. Make sure the lead guest is different so the reservations don’t get merged.

so if you want to have 3 days at your home resort and 4 days at another, book the 3 days at your home resort at the 11 month mark. Then several days later, 11 months to the day of the beginning of the second part of the reservation, book the other 4 days.

 

[Chuck S]

So, in the future, for this to work, you have to book two separate reservations at your 11 month mark for your home resort. Make sure the lead guest is different so the reservations don’t get merged.

so if you want to have 3 days at your home resort and 4 days at another, book the 3 days at your home resort at the 11 month mark. Then several days later, 11 months to the day of the beginning of the second part of the reservation, book the other 4 days.

That is really the same as modifying the original reservation, dropping nights, and booking the second resort.

 

[KAL918]

Thanks everyone! These are great tips...although it sounds like they all come with some sort of risk, except for making 2 separate reservations at the beginning. I wonder if you go that route and end up keeping both reservations at your home, do you have to move rooms?

I think we're out of luck for this year with all the issues against us and the low inventory. Can't complain too much though Very much looking forward to being a place other than my home!

 

[Marionnette]

That is really the same as modifying the original reservation, dropping nights, and booking the second resort.

Yes, sort of. The idea behind it is that you guarantee that you will have a room by splitting your home resort stay into 2 separate reservations. That way, you don't risk losing out if you cancel part of your stay and then cannot pick up the other resort at 7 months because someone else booked it faster.

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks everyone! These are great tips...although it sounds like they all come with some sort of risk, except for making 2 separate reservations at the beginning. I wonder if you go that route and end up keeping both reservations at your home, do you have to move rooms?

I think we're out of luck for this year with all the issues against us and the low inventory. Can't complain too much though Very much looking forward to being a place other than my home!

You can always call MS to have them merge the reservations if the split stay doesn't materialize. (Hint: I have never had reservations automatically merged by MS unless it was when a waitlist filled. I always keep the lead name the same.)

 

[10CJ]

Given the availability issues, I would only attempt this for this year if you have the points to make a second reservation now, without modifying the first.

I agree with the strategy of splitting the initial booking if you want to do a split stay. Then you can modify one of the reservations and do not have to risk losing nights in the process. If you end up not switching resorts member services can merge the reservations together so that you do not need to change rooms.