OKW Observations from recent stay

[pattyoh]

We stayed in an OKW GV (1523 6 nights) (1522 1 night) from 1/12-1/18. These are some observations my husband and I made and discussed with one another. Background: Members since 1994 -- stay mostly at OKW, but have stayed at VB, HH and BWV.

Replacement blinds are being put into the OKW villas. The old blinds were wood, but new ones are plastic. The new plastic ones are not as classy, and are more subject to warping than the wood blinds. And plastic is cheaper.

I observed replacement drapery panels in the master bedroom. You know, those pink stripe panels. The material is the same color and stripe, but is a thinner material and does not have the same polished cotton finish as the old. This was noticeable as in our bedroom three of the panels were new and one panel was old. The room darkening liner on the new panels is cheaper as it is not as heavy as the old and where the old liner was white on both sides, the new liner is white on the side facing out, but the side against the curtain is black and shows through the new thinner drapery fabric, creating a very dismal look when the draperies are drawn shut. (And the three new panels were 2 inches longer than the old panel.)

Also the door handles are being replaced and are not of as good a quality as what they are replacing.

My husband and I discussed these observations and wondered what any of you might make of this. We had this tiny sinking sensation of our vacation investment being cheapened from what we bought into.

Anyone else make these kind of observations and what do you make of it?

P.S. We just bought 50 more points and that sinking sensation is not good on top of that purchase.

Pattyoh

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I have not seen this, but then again, I have not stayed at OKW.

That being said, this is one reason why you will never hear me complain about rising maintenance fees. I would much rather see my fees increase, as to maintain a high quality level.
I hope DVC will never cave to the pressure for low fees, at the expense of quality.

--Just my opinion

PS- Thanx for the report!

MG

 

[tjkraz]

Good point, MG. I tend to agree with that philosophy.

Perhaps DVC is feeling some pressure due to the recent dues increases at OKW.

pattyoh: Make sure you share your comments with DVC!!!

 

[eva]

I feel the same way. I miss the decorations that used to be in the rooms, the placemats, the peach towels, etc. I can't believe that they are now replacing the wooden blinds with plastic. I sadden a bit everytime I hear that a resort has gone cheap in some area. I agree with Maistre Gracey, I would rather pay the higher dues and keep the quality.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I vote for keeping the quality too. One thing that was VERY obvious when we did the two exchanges to Hawaii last year, was that the exchange through DVC to II was a resort that used high quality materials, and the exchange through the other agency to a resort not accepted by DVC used "cheap" materials, and it showed. The same goes for the kitchen utensils. I also noticed on our trip this month that the tea kettle is no longer provided at OKW. It seems to have gone the way of the placemats and terry napkins. I also noted that the hot pads were no longer a color that mathched the color scheme. We had forrest green pot holders, and that does not match OKW colors at all.

 

[Granny]

We had forrest green pot holders, and that does not match OKW colors at all.

So that's where those VWL pot holders went!!

Just kidding! Seriously, I concur with all who have posted. We are paying a lot of money for a luxury vacation experience, and the nickel/dime savings efforts can serve to cheapen that experience. What I can't understand is why they could afford the higher quality materials in the beginning but not now?? Our dues have certainly kept up with inflation (exceeding the CPI the past few years, in fact). I know that much of that was supposedly driven by insurance rate increases, but I agree wholeheartedly that the villas need to be maintained as premium accommodations.

I am especially concerned to hear about "cheapening" fixtures and other semi-permanent materials in the villas.

I'm hoping that there is a good reason for it besides saving a few dollars.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I also noted a couple of years ago when they changed the fabric on the occational chairs in both the master bedroom and living rooms, that the fabric (especially in the master) didn't really fit the decorating scheme anymore. It used to be a kind of searsucker pink stripe, and now it is a heavier fabric that really is a bit too heavy and dark for the OKW theme.

 

[PamOKW]

I'm another member who would rather pay a bit more to keep the same quality materials in the units. I would suggest that you drop DVC a line or e-mail to let them know you were disappointed with the replacement materials. It's the only way we can make our feelings known to those who can do something about it.

 

[Pa@okw95]

You will not believe this but after staying at OKW as a cash customer back in 94 I bought into OKW thinking it was a real class operation. One of the things that made me think this was the towels and the sheets were a matching color, not white. I also noticed many people working outside landscaping,. They also were changing a palm tree like you and I would a flower pot. There were housekeepers everywhere, much like a class place, there was a check in area for members. Olivia's was a better restaurant than it is now. Of course, I thought DVC was a place for the well-off, boy was I wrong in that area. The thing that caused me to buy again were the towels matching the sheets-really. I did not ask the price-I did not know about free tickets or what ever- I just thought this was a real class place-boy was I wrong-don't get me wrong it is nice but has become something other than what I thought.