OKW request for certain location

[bayknox]

Hello,

We are staying in a 1 bedroom at OKW this December. I called Member Services to put in a request to be near Hospitality House and the main pool. I was told they cannot take requests. They said it is based on availability and right now they no availability for any location near the hospitality house. They said I could be put On a waiting list for this location.

Can anyone share their experiences with this and do you know if this sounds right. There are not different booking categories for OKW, so I am not sure how this can be.

Thank you in advance

 

[DebbieB]

Hello,

We are staying in a 1 bedroom at OKW this December. I called Member Services to put in a request to be near Hospitality House and the main pool. I was told they cannot take requests. They said it is based on availability and right now they no availability for any location near the hospitality house. They said I could be put On a waiting list for this location.

Can anyone share their experiences with this and do you know if this sounds right. There are not different booking categories for OKW, so I am not sure how this can be.

Thank you in advance

There is a separate booking category for "near hospitality house" at OKW. Same points but a separate reservation category. It includes buildings 11 to 14 and 23 to 26.

 

[bayknox]

I'm still confused. Never when I have called have they offered a separate booking category if the points are the same.

 

[Chuck S]

I'm still confused. Never when I have called have they offered a separate booking category if the points are the same.

Actually, Boardwalk Villas has a similar situation. Boardwalk View and Preferred (Pool/Garden) view are the same number of points, but they are two different booking categories.

The Near Hospitality House booking category was added a couple of years ago at OKW, and yes, it takes the same number of points as the rest of the resort. If you want to be in one of the Near HH buildings, you will need to be in that reserved category, it is no longer a request.

 

[DebbieB]

I'm still confused. Never when I have called have they offered a separate booking category if the points are the same.

Since it was so often requested, they probably started it so that they would not have people upset at the check-in desk, just like boardwalk view at BWV. You know upfront if you got it or not. As Chuck said, it's been a couple of years.

Update - I searched through some old posts and found this:

From the member website:

As reported in the fall 2007 edition of your Member magazine, Disney Vacation Club is creating special room categories at Disney's Old Key West Resort to identify the limited number of Vacation Homes located near the Hospitality House.

The new categories include Vacation Homes in buildings 11-14 and 23-26. (In order to accommodate special-needs reservations, buildings 62-64 are not included in the Hospitality House category.) This new designation is designed to help Members secure this high-demand location based on availability at the time of reservation.

So it's actually been close to 4 years.

 

[Disneypapa]

I've requested 2 BR villa at OKW near hospitality house when making reservations and have always had good luck.

 

[mrsR123]

I've requested 2 BR villa at OKW near hospitality house when making reservations and have always had good luck.

If it was since 2007, then you got the room because there was availability when you booked, I would think.

 

[andersonsc]

I wonder if the difference is going thru DVC verses someone who gets a room but not thru DVC. When we went in June, I made sure to book a hospitality house room b/c I knew it was a separate booking category. Our confirmation email even had it as such. When I s/w a CM on the phone the day of arrival, she said it was just a request and they didn't have to give me a HH room. I corrected her and told her it was a reserved category.

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

we always ask for near hospitality house most of the time we get it , good luck

 

[n2mm]

This is a booking category and I ask for it everytime I've booked OKW. I had to waitlist once, but it did come through. If you book it, your reservation will show it booked like this one:

Arrival Date 01.18.2012 Departure Date 01.28.2012
Resort / Experience Disney's Old Key West Resort
Accommodation DLX Studio near HospHouse
Reservation Number ********** Vacation Points Used 109

If your reservation does not have it noted when you check it, then you don't have the HH area booked. You can request to be near the HH buildings, which would be the sections near the designated HH area, like 60-63 (which are very close and a good location).

 

[dianeschlicht]

If the HH booking category at OKW is already booked up, you have two choices. You can either waitlist for it or you can request one of the other buildings that are somewhat near HH, but not part of the category. Only buildings 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 are HH category. BUT...You can request buildings 28, 29, 62, 63, 64, 15, and 16 and still be very close. I'll attach a map here so you can see.

 

[Dean]

There are many separate booking categories that are the same points. You only have to look as far as 2 BR dedicated vs lockoff or at BCV, there are 3 cat for 2 BR units without any view categories. For the pst 3 years or so (there was around an 11 month lag time when announced) this has been a separate cat with little chance of success. MS won't even take or note the request most times.

 

[bayknox]

Thank you everyone for being so helpful. I think I will request to be in a building near the HH buildings as previous posters suggested. That is a great idea.
Thank you for the map as well

 

[DebbieB]

I wonder if the difference is going thru DVC verses someone who gets a room but not thru DVC. When we went in June, I made sure to book a hospitality house room b/c I knew it was a separate booking category. Our confirmation email even had it as such. When I s/w a CM on the phone the day of arrival, she said it was just a request and they didn't have to give me a HH room. I corrected her and told her it was a reserved category.

From what I've read, they don't offer the "near HH" category on cash reservations.

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

people used to get extremely upset if they were not able to get a particular building on a particular floor. I observed some were so obnoxious to the CM's that I was tempted to walk over and punch them out. This was the reason that requests were dropped. Everyone wanted the same area or building. From what the CM's told us on our last few trips, you can have preferences in your profile but it will always be first come first served. We simply request to not be placed in a handicap room and prefer the first floor due my knees being shot!

 

[Dean]

Thank you everyone for being so helpful. I think I will request to be in a building near the HH buildings as previous posters suggested. That is a great idea.
Thank you for the map as well

Wait list for the near HH booking cat else you have essentially no chance and it's unlikely they'll take it as a request anyway.

 

[Alexander]

If the HH booking category at OKW is already booked up, you have two choices. You can either waitlist for it or you can request one of the other buildings that are somewhat near HH, but not part of the category. Only buildings 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 are HH category. BUT...You can request buildings 28, 29, 62, 63, 64, 15, and 16 and still be very close. I'll attach a map here so you can see.

Penninsular Road is a HH booking category? YUCK! I hate where those buildings are located! That is no short walk from 27 to HH! 16, 62, and 63 are right across the road and much closer! I would not be happy if I booked HH and got 23-27! We prefer South Point or Turtle Pond, but have had 63 before and it is very close to HH, I honest to goodness thought it was a HH booking building.

 

[Chuck S]

Penninsular Road is a HH booking category? YUCK! I hate where those buildings are located! That is no short walk from 27 to HH! 16, 62, and 63 are right across the road and much closer! I would not be happy if I booked HH and got 23-27! We prefer South Point or Turtle Pond, but have had 63 before and it is very close to HH, I honest to goodness thought it was a HH booking building.

I think the 60s buildings were excluded from the HH category because they are the only buildings with elevators and are often held for those with medical/mobility issues.

I don't think 27 is actually in the near HH category, but may only be used as part of that category if the others are overbooked for some reason. Generally it is 11 to 14 and 23 to 26.

 

[carlbarry]

When I booked OKW 11 months out, I asked for HH. My reservation states "Hospitality House."

 

[castleri]

When I booked one day out the only option I had was HH area for a studio so I was very surprised. That has happened a couple of times although most were at least a month or so out. I really did not care about being in that area but was very happy to get my reservation on short notice.