Is there a room renovation schedule for DVC resorts (specifically BLT)?

[ChrisM]

I've always assumed there would be a standard rotation of renovations at DVC resorts (e.g. minor rehabs every X months, full soft goods replacement every X years, full renovation/rehab every XX years) but have no idea if that's true or not. Does anyone know if they operate on a set schedule like that or is it completely haphazard?

I've been thinking about my stays at BLT, specifically, in 2011 and 2014. Even just two years after the property opened during my 2011 stay our 2 bedroom looked pretty worn. In 2014 our 2 bedroom looked like it was ridden hard and put away wet. While a touch-up would be helpful, I imagine a lot of those rooms need a serious rehab.

 

[Lynne M]

Moving this to the DVC Member Services board.....

 

[deedisneydream97]

I've always assumed there would be a standard rotation of renovations at DVC resorts (e.g. minor rehabs every X months, full soft goods replacement every X years, full renovation/rehab every XX years) but have no idea if that's true or not. Does anyone know if they operate on a set schedule like that or is it completely haphazard?

I've been thinking about my stays at BLT, specifically, in 2011 and 2014. Even just two years after the property opened during my 2011 stay our 2 bedroom looked pretty worn. In 2014 our 2 bedroom looked like it was ridden hard and put away wet. While a touch-up would be helpful, I imagine a lot of those rooms need a serious rehab.

Not really sure of the schedule, but what you think should be the standard rotation would cause my dues to skyrocket in order to fix stuff that would otherwise be in good condition if people would treat the furnishings and appliances as if they owned them. Of course things look worn after constant use after a few years. I have not been to a value resort in years, but remember how shabby and gross they looked to me. Do they have some kind of rehab schedule I wonder?

Do you own at BLT or just get cash rooms through DVC? Can you describe in better detail what you mean by "ridden hard and put away wet"? We stayed there recently and had no complaints about our home resort.

 

[TagsMissy]

We just checked out of BLT on Saturday , we had 2 other friends there in different villas and all three were in good condition... no issues at all so I'd like an explanation as well as to what you expect and what you mean.

 

[erionm]

From the highlights of the 2014 Annual Condo Association Meeting:

And finally, design work is in progress for upcoming soft goods rehabs in 2016 at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s
Contemporary Resort, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s
Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.g...tices/2014/2014_Meeting_Highlights_121214.pdf

 

[disneynutz]

Normal wear is one thing but it seems that some guests are really hard on a room. At BLT during different stays we have had a dented lamp shade above the dining table, the blinds hanging loose on the patio door, large black marks on the wall going to the bedroom, a hole in the ceiling above the kitchen island about the size of a champagne cork, chipped laminate on the kitchen cabinet, stained carpet, and missing remotes.

Disney has a non-confrontational policy so often the guest is never billed for room damage.

Bill

 

[DenLo]

The thing I always notice at BLT is the how stained the arms of the pull out couch are in the studios. They are not all like that. Will housekeeping deep clean the couch?

 

[ChrisM]

Not really sure of the schedule, but what you think should be the standard rotation would cause my dues to skyrocket in order to fix stuff that would otherwise be in good condition if people would treat the furnishings and appliances as if they owned them. Of course things look worn after constant use after a few years. I have not been to a value resort in years, but remember how shabby and gross they looked to me. Do they have some kind of rehab schedule I wonder?

Do you own at BLT or just get cash rooms through DVC? Can you describe in better detail what you mean by "ridden hard and put away wet"? We stayed there recently and had no complaints about our home resort.

We are not DVC members and always get cash reservations for our rooms - that being said, we are very scrupulous about how we treat our rooms any time we are on vacation.

As for the condition of the rooms themselves, there were always gouges and marks on the walls, noticeable stains on the furniture, and something was always broken (non functional lamps or other lighting, door locks, phones, etc). None of it was ever a disaster, but very noticeable and always disappointing, especially when you're paying over $1,000 per night for a room. I'm sure I'd feel the same, or worse, if I had made an investment in DVC.

Now, given the traffic these rooms see, I understand they will get worn at an accelerated rate, which is why I was curious as to what the maintenance and rehab schedule was (presuming there would have to be one). And since I'm not a DVC owner, I don't have any direct way of knowing. Maybe it's presumptuous of me, but I'd think having a fairly regular (monthly? quarterly?) schedule for deep cleaning carpets and furniture and doing quick "patch and paints" on gouges wouldn't be terribly costly.

Thanks for all of the responses!

 

[erionm]

As for the condition of the rooms themselves, there were always gouges and marks on the walls, noticeable stains on the furniture, and something was always broken (non functional lamps or other lighting, door locks, phones, etc).

I hope you reported the non working items to either house keeping or maintenance so that they could be repaired or replaced.

 

[ChrisM]

I hope you reported the non working items to either house keeping or maintenance so that they could be repaired or replaced.

Of course!

 

[deedisneydream97]

We are not DVC members and always get cash reservations for our rooms - that being said, we are very scrupulous about how we treat our rooms any time we are on vacation.

As for the condition of the rooms themselves, there were always gouges and marks on the walls, noticeable stains on the furniture, and something was always broken (non functional lamps or other lighting, door locks, phones, etc). None of it was ever a disaster, but very noticeable and always disappointing, especially when you're paying over $1,000 per night for a room. I'm sure I'd feel the same, or worse, if I had made an investment in DVC.

Now, given the traffic these rooms see, I understand they will get worn at an accelerated rate, which is why I was curious as to what the maintenance and rehab schedule was (presuming there would have to be one). And since I'm not a DVC owner, I don't have any direct way of knowing. Maybe it's presumptuous of me, but I'd think having a fairly regular (monthly? quarterly?) schedule for deep cleaning carpets and furniture and doing quick "patch and paints" on gouges wouldn't be terribly costly.

Thanks for all of the responses!

Well, I still don't get the "ridden hard and put away wet". I can tell you that I see maintenance always cleaning (steaming? shampooing?) the carpets in the hallways. I've checked in to rooms (usually the ones that I've wait until nearly 4 p.m. to get in to) and have noticed the carpets still seemed a bit damp....I assumed they needed cleaning after someone's mess. I've seen painting done in hallways one day and marks and gouges on those same walls two days later (people aren't too careful when dragging their luggage or strollers). Stains on the sofas really bother me.....mostly because it is caused by someone making the mess and not cleaning it or notifying housekeeping about it. If housekeeping deep cleaned every sofa and rug after every stay there would be people on here complaining about how they had to wait until 4 p.m. for their room to be ready.

I know what you mean about the non-functioning lamps, but I discovered that a lot of them have been unplugged (probably someone needed the plug for the computer charger or something) or they are plugged in to the wrong socket for the wall switch.

Not saying that you are not a good tenant....just that there are others that treat the rooms with an attitude of "I'm not cleaning that, housekeeping can take care of it". It irritates me that people are too lazy to put their glasses on a coaster or at least on a double folded paper towel (that are provided). It irritates me when people think it is okay to walk off with oven mitts, irons and hair dryers.

It really is impossible to fix every ding and hole and stain every time a room is turned over. Well, not impossible, but costly and time consuming. A couch could be deep cleaned one day and then have someone jumping on it with juicy juice the next.

This is "my" property and I expect people to treat it with respect (not you, OP). A lot don't. And I've been in conversation with DVC about this. I'm thinking some changes may be coming.

 

[ChrisM]

Well, I still don't get the "ridden hard and put away wet". I can tell you that I see maintenance always cleaning (steaming? shampooing?) the carpets in the hallways. I've checked in to rooms (usually the ones that I've wait until nearly 4 p.m. to get in to) and have noticed the carpets still seemed a bit damp....I assumed they needed cleaning after someone's mess. I've seen painting done in hallways one day and marks and gouges on those same walls two days later (people aren't too careful when dragging their luggage or strollers). Stains on the sofas really bother me.....mostly because it is caused by someone making the mess and not cleaning it or notifying housekeeping about it. If housekeeping deep cleaned every sofa and rug after every stay there would be people on here complaining about how they had to wait until 4 p.m. for their room to be ready.

I know what you mean about the non-functioning lamps, but I discovered that a lot of them have been unplugged (probably someone needed the plug for the computer charger or something) or they are plugged in to the wrong socket for the wall switch.

Not saying that you are not a good tenant....just that there are others that treat the rooms with an attitude of "I'm not cleaning that, housekeeping can take care of it". It irritates me that people are too lazy to put their glasses on a coaster or at least on a double folded paper towel (that are provided). It irritates me when people think it is okay to walk off with oven mitts, irons and hair dryers.

It really is impossible to fix every ding and hole and stain every time a room is turned over. Well, not impossible, but costly and time consuming. A couch could be deep cleaned one day and then have someone jumping on it with juicy juice the next.

This is "my" property and I expect people to treat it with respect (not you, OP). A lot don't. And I've been in conversation with DVC about this. I'm thinking some changes may be coming.

"Ridden hard and put away wet" is just an old saw from horse riding - it means whatever you're referring to isn't being taken care of properly (i.e. you rode your horse hard so it got all worked up in a sweaty lather and then didn't cool him off and brush him down afterwards).

I completely agree with you about some folk's attitudes towards their rooms...very cavalier. Maybe that's why seeing these things bothers me so much. And since my rooms have never been ready before 4pm, I wouldn't mind the wait if it means a little extra TLC in cleaning/prepping!

 

[stormer]

We stayed at BLT is August. We were having issues with the TV and they sent someone up to fix it. We were talking while he was fixing it and he mentioned that in a few months they would be replacing the televisions and carpets in all of the rooms. Not sure how accurate his info is, though.

 

[disneynutz]

There are many 1st class resorts and hotels outside of Disney that are booked constantly and they do not show the wear and tear that DVC does, why? We sometimes wait for a couple of hours or longer at Disney for maintenance to fix something in the room. A recent stay at a Vegas resort our smoke alarm battery needed replacing and maintenance was there in 5 minutes. Another day a switch on a lamp wouldn't work and again they were there in five minutes to replace the switch. The room was several years old but looked new and fresh.

Bill