TouringPlans sunsetting room requests

[Mirabell Rose]

Sounds like what used to happen when BW view was just a request. Back then it was easy to simply make them into a separate booking category. If this sort of thing happens regularly now, then limiting or eliminating requests indeed might be the solution.

Or making it a category and charging more points like they did at SSR. It’s interesting how suddenly some people no longer want their prior request if will save them a few points.

 

[Boopuff]

What I'd like to see is owners getting priorty over cash and rental people for the "best" rooms. After all we "own" a portion of our home resort. In fact, I'd really like to see certain "preferred" areas be "grayed out" for cash/rental people.

 

[bookbabe626]

Additionally if I were in charge on cash side I would charge for the room selection access either via upgrade or room category (something between Club and Deluxe).

I haven’t worked my way through the entire thread yet, but this is pretty much what some of the hotels in Cabo San Lucas do. We have a booking at the Casa Caribe in November, and I can either let their system assign me a room for free, or pay extra to select my room online before arrival.

 

[J-Dog]

I haven’t worked my way through the entire thread yet, but this is pretty much what some of the hotels in Cabo San Lucas do. We have a booking at the Casa Caribe in November, and I can either let their system assign me a room for free, or pay extra to select my room online before arrival.

For the cash side...whatever...but I would be very against this for owners, as it would just be more nickel-and-diming us to death.

 

[VGCgroupie]

For the cash side...whatever...but I would be very against this for owners, as it would just be more nickel-and-diming us to death.

I’m not sure they are allowed to charge for room assignments. Someone more familiar with the POS legalities can chime in but my gut says they cannot.

 

[sndral]

I haven’t worked my way through the entire thread yet, but this is pretty much what some of the hotels in Cabo San Lucas do. We have a booking at the Casa Caribe in November, and I can either let their system assign me a room for free, or pay extra to select my room online before arrival.

. Reminds me of airlines - pay to ‘upgrade’ your ‘experience’ - for this fee you get priority boarding = check into your villa before 4 pm, for that fee you get to select your seat = select your villa location, etc..

 

[reddog21]

No one said anything about yelling at the cast member being in any way acceptable. Being very upset is different than mistreating someone else.

giving someone attitude that doesn't deserve it, is mistreatment. You don't have to yell to be a jerk

 

[DonMacGregor]

Bummer. We consistently had really good luck using TP (and I know it was TP versus MS, even though we also requested rooms via chat, because we never gave MS specific room numbers).

 

[Sandisw]

I’m not sure they are allowed to charge for room assignments. Someone more familiar with the POS legalities can chime in but my gut says they cannot.

In the POS that owners can be put in any room at the resort whether it’s declared or not.

Same with cash guests.

When it comes to room assignments, we hired Disney via the property management agreement to do this and I don’t think there is anything in that that allows them to charge a fee.

However, if Disney were to allow all guests to pay for room choice as an optional add on? I do think that would be allowed, even for DVC.

 

[walt34]

However, if Disney were to allow all guests to pay for room choice as an optional add on? I do think that would be allowed, even for DVC.

Can you explain your reasoning for this, please?

 

[Sandisw]

Can you explain your reasoning for this, please?

We pay Disney for property management, which includes deciding room assignments

We are also entitled to have benefits offered to onsite guests.

So, if cash guests have the option to pay for room assignments, I think they can offer it to DVC.

I don’t see anything that prevents that type of onsite amenity to be excluded from DVC.

Personally, though, I don’t see it and unpopular opinion, as I said, I think first available should always take priority.

I just don’t think clean rooms sitting empty for hours while someone has arrived and isn’t given it makes sense.

It’s was like when Disney charged cash guests for parking. Those guests paid it even when booking a DVC room.

We didn’t not, because we pay for it via dues, but nothing prevented it from being added for the cash guests.

So, nothing prevents Disney from doing a paid service to choose your room and since the POS gives them the authority to put us in any room within the category, whether they are declared or not, we don’t have a say to which rooms owners can be assigned.

It’s why if they did it, I don’t see them leaving DVC out of it.

 

[walt34]

We pay Disney for property management, which includes deciding room assignments

We are also entitled to have benefits offered to onsite guests.

So, if cash guests have the option to pay for room assignments, I think they can offer it to DVC.

But wouldn't they monetize something that we are already paying for? We paid for the rooms, we pay for the cleaning. I can see that there are different ways to allocate rooms (first come, preferences, etc) but taking money for getting better access to rooms sounds somewhat questionable to me.

 

[Sandisw]

But wouldn't they monetize something that we are already paying for? We paid for the rooms, we pay for the cleaning. I can see that there are different ways to allocate rooms (first come, preferences, etc) but taking money for getting better access to rooms sounds somewhat questionable to me.

Like I said, I don’t see anything that prevents it. We are not paying for requests or specific rooms…we are paying for a room.

However, take points based out of it, Disney can offer paid rooms selection to any of their cash guests who book DVC rooms, and why I think if it was ever to happen, they’d open it up to DVC too.

The POS allows the decisions on which room one gets within a category to Disney…since DVC contracts with them to provide property management.

The notion that certain rooms must be saved for an owner over a cash guest doesn’t match the way contract addresses this.

On the flip side, nothing prevents them from stopping all requests except medical. IMO, I think they’d go that route before having a paid program.

ETA: it’s similar to seeing AKV value rooms for cash guests….they are very hard to get for points and yet DVC takes them with their own points or with traded points because they are allowed to take any room.

 

[walt34]

Like I said, I don’t see anything that prevents it. We are not paying for requests or specific rooms…we are paying for a room.

But these rooms belong to DVC owners, don't they? Building an extra business on top ('Want one of the nice rooms? Then you'll have to pay us extra') doesn't sound right.

However, take points based out of it, Disney can offer paid rooms selection to any of their cash guests who book DVC rooms, and why I think if it was ever to happen, they’d open it up to DVC too.

This would mean that Disney gets first pick for cash guests? My expectation would be that cash guests in DVC rooms have the same priority as every other DVC guest.

 

[Tatebeck]

But wouldn't they monetize something that we are already paying for? We paid for the rooms, we pay for the cleaning. I can see that there are different ways to allocate rooms (first come, preferences, etc) but taking money for getting better access to rooms sounds somewhat questionable to me.

What we get with our points/membership is first come first serve access to book a room in a view category.

They can fulfill that booking with ANY of the rooms in that category, we are not guaranteed or booking a specific room with our points. They can assign them as they see fit. Which has been "random" up to this point, even if they did allow room requests, it has always been clear nothing was guaranteed and it depended upon availability.

So I also think it is possible that they make some system to let guests either choose specific rooms or get preferential treatment for their specific room requests either for a fee or as part of an extra membership option or reward tier to reward continued direct owners

But these rooms belong to DVC owners, don't they? Building an extra business on top ('Want one of the nice rooms? Then you'll have to pay us extra') doesn't sound right.

This would mean that Disney gets first pick for cash guests? My expectation would be that cash guests in DVC rooms have the same priority as every other DVC guest.

I do agree that it would be very bad optics (to DVC owners/purchasers) to give the better options to cash guests/renters through Disney themselves and not owners at the resorts themselves. So I think anything they do will have owners stay on par with (or hopefully have better options than) any they have for cash guests.

 

[Sandisw]

But these rooms belong to DVC owners, don't they? Building an extra business on top ('Want one of the nice rooms? Then you'll have to pay us extra') doesn't sound right.

This would mean that Disney gets first pick for cash guests? My expectation would be that cash guests in DVC rooms have the same priority as every other DVC guest.

The rooms belong to the association But we pay Disney to decide which room we get, through the property management agreement.

As I said, we don’t get a say in which rooms are kept for owners and which are allowed to be used for cash guests. That is completely up to Disney.

So, if Disney wants to offer their guests a chance to pay to pick a room that they have booked with their points, traded points or breakage points, they can.

We don’t get a say of what Disney charges their guests…hence why they could collect parking fees from cash guests staying in DVC rooms.

And yes, if they were to offer cash guests a program like this, then they might get rooms owners see as better. That is why I said if Disney were to do it, I imagine they’d include DVC owners being eligible to do it as well.

Whether one thinks it should be different? I get that but it’s not.

Disney can give a cash guest any room they want and owners have no priority when deciding room assignments.

I agree with other poster that I don’t see Disney doing a paid program and not including DVC.

But, I see nothing that prevents them from creating one.

 

[walt34]

So I also think it is possible that they make some system to let guests either choose specific rooms or get preferential treatment for their specific room requests either for a fee or as part of an extra membership option or reward tier to reward continued direct owners

I complete agree that they can change the system how they allocate rooms. It hasn't exactly been first come first serve, as they considered requests before, nor do I think it's random (it's more like Tetris, fitting rooms with lengths of stay and then trying to keep families close, considering requests).

I don't think they can introduce a paid product, where you get first priority on pick of rooms and those DVC members who don't pay it, only get assigned the leftovers.

 

[Sandisw]

I complete agree that they can change the system how they allocate rooms. It hasn't exactly been first come first serve, as they considered requests before, nor do I think it's random (it's more like Tetris, fitting rooms with lengths of stay and then trying to keep families close, considering requests).

I don't think they can introduce a paid product, where you get first priority on pick of rooms and those DVC members who don't pay it, only get assigned the leftovers.

The only piece that you have to remember is that as owners we have no say in what Disney does on the cash side.

We can’t stop them from offering that perk, even if paid, to their guests.

Matter of fact, I think owners have a better case via POS language to require a paid program of this nature to be offered to us.

 

[walt34]

The only piece that you have to remember is that as owners we have no say in what Disney does on the cash side.

We can’t stop them from offering that perk, even if paid, to their guests.

Matter of fact, I think owners have a better case via POS language to require a paid program of this nature to be offered to us.

So, are you arguing that Disney already has and (and possibly uses) priority for cash guests in assigning DVC rooms? The guest who pay Disney cash, get the best rooms in the category, regular owners get what's left?

 

[Sandisw]

So, are you arguing that Disney already has and (and possibly uses) priority for cash guests in assigning DVC rooms? The guest who pay Disney cash, get the best rooms in the category, regular owners get what's left?

No. What I am saying is that there is no priority when assigning rooms.

Whether you are a cash guest or on a DVC points reservation is irrelevant when they assign rooms.

If a cash guest and a points guest requests the same thing, the cash guests chances are as good as the points based guest and vice versa.

I think Disney does the best to grand requests if they are there and then assign the rest of the rooms in way they match.

But, they do not consider how the reservation was booked when deciding.

As a DVC owner, they don’t consider that when they decide which room I am going to get.

I had friends who did a TPV 2 bedroom last year at BLT and were on Floor 10 and they were cash guests

That means there were DVC owners who were on lower floors, which some would say isn’t as good.

Basically, no one is currently given any priority over others.