New Website: Upgrade Processing

[ecwinch]

Has anyone noticed when the system processes upgrades for VIP members?

Yesterday (June 7), I made a reservation at Indio for Aug 8-10 in a 1BR. Selected the option for automatic upgrade. It was at full pts, as it was 61 days out.

After midnight, I checked to see if the upgrade cycle had processed and upgraded my unit. It had not.

But if I book the same reservation right now (June 8), it offered me the pts discount and the upgrade.

ps. Edit: So I went in 10 minutes later (approx 12:40am CST). All 2 BR's are gone, and my existing 1 BR reservation has not been upgraded. Just FYI.

Upgrades processed. 1 BR is now a 2 BR.

 

[ronparise]

so it took nearly an hour to process the upgrades?

and I wonder if there are now more one bedrooms available

 

[55plus]

Midnight Easter Time Zone (Orlando time)?

 

[cyseitz]

So, they upgrade all reservations at a certain time or do they upgrade it when the upgrade comes available?

 

[ecwinch]

so it took nearly an hour to process the upgrades?

and I wonder if there are now more one bedrooms available

I don't know the exact amount of time, but it was less than a hr.

Yes, it seemed be running in a batch process, triggered by the 60 day upgrade window opening at midnight. But it did not seem to run at exactly 12:00am EAstern. Maybe there are some other operations that process first.

What was weird is that I could have jumped in and done a cancel rebook before the upgrade cycle ran and presumably took the available larger units.

 

[ecwinch]

So, they upgrade all reservations at a certain time or do they upgrade it when the upgrade comes available?

In my example, the 60-day upgrade window was not open when I made the reservation. It opened a few hrs later.

Based on my few tests it does not seem to be an immediate match.

 

[Sandy VDH]

In my example, the 60-day upgrade window was not open when I made the reseravtion. It opened a few hrs later.

Based on my few tests it does not seem to be an immediate match.

That was my same experience. The window to do live upgrades does not actually work until and hour or two into the 60 day window @ 12 ET. I tried for 90 minutes before I could see auto upgrade at time of booking actually available to book. It does not offer an upgrade at exactly 12 ET.

 

[ecwinch]

So last night the upgrade cycle had not run by 3:30am Central. Was able to do a cancel/rebook/upgrade with the pts discount before I turned in.

When I checked this morning on my 1 BR this morning, it was a 3 BR. Which raises the question of how the upgrade logic works. Does it start matching upgrades with the 2 BR's until all larger units are assigned? Meaning older reservations are more likely to get a 1 unit size upgrade while newer reservations are more likely to get the larger units?

 

[Sandy VDH]

So last night the upgrade cycle had not run by 3:30am Central. Was able to do a cancel/rebook/upgrade with the pts discount before I turned in.

When I checked this morning on my 1 BR this morning, it was a 3 BR. Which raises the question of how the upgrade logic works. Does it start matching upgrades with the 2 BR's until all larger units are assigned? Meaning older reservations are more likely to get a 1 unit size upgrade while newer reservations are more likely to get the larger units?

It likely does mean that, I assume it just starts upgrading 2 BRs until it runs out and then it upgrades 3 BR. So in that case being first is line is NOT the best place, but somewhere after that is. You would think it would be smart enough to say I have 12 VIP Platinum Requests and 9 - 2 BRs and 3 BRs available to book them into. In that case I would process the 3 BR to the folks who had the booking the longest, but I assume the dummies over a Wyndham didn't think about that in their upgrade batch processing. But they had the data, both on the unit sizes booked & number of upgrade requested AND on the number of units available to upgrade into. Starting at the larger unit requests first, thus perhaps even opening up additional units for subsequent upgrades (e.g. upgrade a 3 to a 4, Now 3 available, upgrade the 2 to a 3, now a 2 available, upgrade a 1 to 2. 1 BR becomes available.) But i assume a logical approach that would be giving the coders more credit and understanding that there is a logical and optimal way to maximize the number of upgrades provided.

In my mind it is a combination of Member type first, then unit sized booked and date of booking priority within unit size. Then start with the oldest booking first. What ripple does that have, because freeing up 1 unit, likely will result in a smaller unit now being available for upgrade. I DON'T KNOW what the algorithm is, or IF WE WILL EVER FIND OUT.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Sandy, you are thinking like someone who understand the Wyndham reservation system.

These Wyndham system designers, system analysts, senior programmers and the testing persons ... DO NOT TRULY UNDERSTAND what they are doing. It is sort of like asking a 4yo how does cake batter (which you use a spoon to eat) BECOME a cake (which you need a fork to eat). The 4yo is smart enough to get a spoon to eat cake batter but knows eating a cake with a fork is better than a spoon.

 

[ecwinch]

I agree that we are unlikely to ever know exactly how it works, but thru trial and error I think we can reach some general conclusions on how it works.

There were 2 BR and 3 BR units available last night. Given that my 1 hr old reservation got a 3 BR and not a 2 BR, I would lean toward a bottom up asssignment of unit sizes. Since the night before under similar conditions I only got a 2BR. Also they would not want a 1 BR to pull a 3 BR if 2BR's are available.

 

[cyseitz]

I agree that we are unlikely to ever know exactly how it works, but thru trial and error I think we can reach some general conclusions on how it works.

There were 2 BR and 3 BR units available last night. Given that my 1 hr old reservation got a 3 BR and not a 2 BR, I would lean toward a bottom up asssignment of unit sizes. Since the night before under similar conditions I only got a 2BR. Also they would not want a 1 BR to pull a 3 BR if 2BR's are available.

What resort?

 

[ecwinch]

Indio.

 

[cyseitz]

So last night the upgrade cycle had not run by 3:30am Central. Was able to do a cancel/rebook/upgrade with the pts discount before I turned in.

When I checked this morning on my 1 BR this morning, it was a 3 BR. Which raises the question of how the upgrade logic works. Does it start matching upgrades with the 2 BR's until all larger units are assigned? Meaning older reservations are more likely to get a 1 unit size upgrade while newer reservations are more likely to get the larger units?

Are you saying that the upgrades only happen at one certain time not continually as they come up?

 

[ecwinch]

It appears to be a nightly cycle. More testing is required to confirm.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Are you saying that the upgrades only happen at one certain time not continually as they come up?

There is a batch at exactly the 60 day mark, at around midnight-ish ET, for VIP Platinum. It is a batch because at that exact mark you are NOT offered an automatic upgrade. They are NOT even available for offer. Only after that batch is completed does it make inventory not taken by the batch available for upgrades if applicable. But I would speculate that because the cancel function does not immediately return those unit that are released in the upgrade process, (Assuming the same situation applies here, although it should not), there is a period of time that those cancel units are held (observations make it between 24 and 48 hours), until another batch sweep of existing upgrade requests are processed. So it happens initially at the 60 day mark, and then with some interval after that.

I recently booked a unit on June 4th, Was not offered an upgrade at time of booking, but I booked the unit in the discount window at 60 days out. Then 3 days later I noticed I was upgraded form a 2 BR to a 3 BR. No notification is sent. So upgrade did not happen immediately but did happen at some interval afterwards. I don't think it is a continuous sweep, but I might guess that the pending cancelled units waiting to show back up in inventory, are part of the pool, and eventually they will be checked for matches before they are released back in inventory. It is the one of a few only valid reasons why cancelled units are taking as long as they are to return to inventory. At the 45 Day mark at midnight another sweep starts for the VIP Gold processing. etc.

I wish they send an email or kept a data AND TIMESTAMP for each booking, that would give me more information about exactly WHEN the "match batch" job is running. I do not know the frequency of the running of the batch. But I wish I had better data than just anecdotal information from observances ONLY.

 

[Sandy VDH]

It appears to be a nightly cycle. More testing is required to confirm.

There is definitely a nightly one, but I suspect it might be more frequently than just NIGHTLY. I recall another person who said that while a upgrade wasn't available at time of booking, about 15 or 20 mins later a upgrade was match. I do not recall the time period however.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Sandy, you are thinking like someone who understand the Wyndham reservation system.

No I am acting like my day job, one where I have to understand and suggest to business HOW they functionally want to operate based on business rules and suggestions of requirements they are making. They are making a blank statement about what they want and I have to consider the ramifications and logic necessary to accomplish WHAT THEY INTENDED, and not just leave it to a developer to build it as they think it done, which often times is way over simplified. Often is ends up with unintended consequences, so I try to think about behaviorally what do they want to acheive, and deliver that.

My brain just doesn't shut off at the end of the day.

The algorithm works as programmed, they likely just didn't think about the optimization of upgrades, based on trickle down of units made available by upgrades freeing smaller units (which in turn could be someone else's upgrade). My guess it is a straight upgrade VIP status, date of booking. Which is a suboptimal upgrade process.

 

[cyseitz]

No I am acting like my day job, one where I have to understand and suggest to business HOW they functionally want to operate based on business rules and suggestions of requirements they are making. They are making a blank statement about what they want and I have to consider the ramifications and logic necessary to accomplish WHAT T,HEY INTNDED, and not just leave it to a developer to build it as they think it done, which often times is way over simplified. Often is ends up with unintended consequences, so I try to think about behaviorally what do they want to acheive, and deliver that.

My brain just doesn't shut off at the end of the day.

The algorithm works as programmed, they likely just didn't think about the optimization of upgrades, based on trickle down of units made available by upgrades freeing smaller units (which in turn could be someone else's upgrade). My guess it is a straight upgrade VIP status, date of booking. Which is a suboptimal upgrade process.

When you say VIP status, do you mean that they upgrade platinum first, then gold, then silver?

 

[Sandy VDH]

When you say VIP status, do you mean that they upgrade platinum first, then gold, then silver?

YES indeed. Platinum window for upgrade start at 60 days. Gold's doesn't kick in until 45 days out, and silver has to wait until 30 days out. So it is possible that all upgrade opportunities are depleted before all Plats are upgrade, then by the time the gold window rolls over you have just more people waiting for an upgrade.

But remember any cancellation makes an upgrade possible.

But yes I assume Plat first then Gold then Silver, and at appropriate trigger days, your reservation goes into the check for upgrades available pool.

How else do you envision the priority working? Since Plat has a 15 day head start on every other group, they are going to get first chances at cancellations. After the 45 day mark, I suppose Wyndham could just put everyone in the same pool, but I doubt it.

(I guess you have just realized the NEW sales tactic to get victims (I mean owners) to upgrade to developer purchased points. You want to be closer to the front of the upgrade line, don't you)

 

[ecwinch]

That implies a recent Plat reservation gets priority over an older Gold reservation. Since they seem to be taking the simplest approach, I would say they are just ignoring the VIP level for ranking and lumping all eligible requests together sorted by reservation date.

 

[Sandy VDH]

That implies a recent Plat reservation gets priority over an older Gold reservation. Since they seem to be taking the simplest approach, I would say they are just ignoring the VIP level for ranking and lumping all eligible requests together sorted by reservation date.

I am implying that as Wyndham gives Priority by VIP Type by having separate windows already.

I guess we can ask but who has been getting upgrades through the request process.

I have and I am platinum. But then again I got my upgrade during the window where ONLY plats get upgrades.

So I guess to figure out WHAT IT IS REALLY DOING instead of guessing we would have to start collecting data about Status, date upgrade requested (in the new system booking date = request date, but in the current system booking dates are anything PRIOR to 5/19/17 and request dates are anytime AFTER 5/21/17.)



So if you get up upgrade state Status, Resort When Booked/Requested (both if those are different) and # Days prior to check in you received your upgrade. Maybe we can make some conclusion if we have data. Please make a note if you upgrade was INSTANT vs through the upgrade processing list. Make any NOTES if booking date was significant (booked during discount window).

PLEASE POST THE FOLLOWING INFO FOR YOUR SUCCESSFUL UPGRADES, so we can make some conclusions:

STATUS, RESORT, BOOK/Req Upgrade DATES(s), UPGRADE DATE, Notes or observations

Here are my only success upgrades since the conversion to the new system.

VIP Plat, Bonnet Creek, booked/requested 6/4/17, received upgrade 57 (6/7/17) days prior to check in. booked PLAT discount window, upgrade was 3 days later

VIP Plat, Great Smokies Lodge, booked w/Instant upgrade 5/22/17, booked/upgrade at 9 days prior to check in.

 

[cyseitz]

I have a one-bedroom suite that I clicked that I wanted an upgrade. I just saw 2 two bedrooms in inventory for my dates. It looked to be the same type unit as my one-bedroom suite, so, why didn't it upgrade me?

Does that mean that the upgrades happen during the night? Has anyone had an upgrade in the middle of the day or have all of your upgrades occurred during the night?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I have a one-bedroom suite that I clicked that I wanted an upgrade. I just saw 2 two bedrooms in inventory for my dates. It looked to be the same type unit as my one-bedroom suite, so, why didn't it upgrade me?

Does that mean that the upgrades happen during the night? Has anyone had an upgrade in the middle of the day or have all of your upgrades occurred during the night?

Click on the 2 BR and see if it was really there. There is a lot of phanton inventory sticking around.

 

[cyseitz]

Click on the 2 BR and see if it was really there. There is a lot of phanton inventory sticking around.

How do I check to see if it is really there