Ocean Walk - Guest checkin

[Sandi Bo]

Just returned from an awesome visit to Ocean Walk. The place looks great, the renovated rooms are nice. We had multiple rooms and chuckled at the duplicated pictures in every room - joked about moving all the surfboard pics to one room, girls on motorcycle to another, etc.

But oh my - the new checkin setup! I am fortunate to be on the "do not ask to tour" list. I had no idea how fortunate I was. Until I stood in earshot of some poor guest of owner checking in. As Linda has alluded to for other resorts, gone are the parking pass desks. It is now the duty of the person checking you in to sign you up.

At checkin, the guest was harassed to attend a presentation. When he kept saying no, they brought in the big guns. A "manager" to further explain the offer and convince the guest to attend.

This poor man, just trying to checkin for a few days. Wife and 3 kids in tow, one hanging on his leg, just wanting his key. How many times must someone say no?

He was offered a late check out (noon) if he attended. I didn't hear an offer for a better room. We are VIP platinum, we waited til after 4 for one of our rooms. If they can't make their commitment to provide rooms on time, I don't feel they should offer late checkouts as incentives to tour.

VIP privileges are all but gone. It was not clearly marked where VIP checkin is. The line I was told was VIP was slower than the non-VIP. We did get a newspaper.

Once past checkin and in your room, it's hard not to kick back, relax, and re-energize. Sure is a beautiful place. The summer band shell concerts are an added plus

 

[ronparise]

Wyndham is changing their focus from up-selling existing owners, to making new owners. I wonder if existing owners are subject to the same pressure....

 

[55plus]

An issue I experienced at check-in last year at Ocean Walk: Myself along with a lot of other owners and some guests were standing in the check-in line. We had to endure listening to the staff try to signup owners for the tour/briefing, a.k.a high pressure sales tactics, and listen to owners and guests refuse and the check-in person wear them down until the owner agrees or begin to yell at them. We parked out front taking up a parking space waiting to check-in. We stood in line for about 45 minutes (what seemed like forever) listening to the 'sales pitch' to the owners in front of us over and over again. After finally checking in I went to my vehicle and noticed vehicles lined up in the street trying to get in. I don't know who's responsible for the change - probably some Wyndham brain trust who doesn't have to experience this crap. Having to wait because of sales pitches over and over to each check-in guest angered a lot of us owners. They got our money no now they are trying to get more of it. Screw them!

 

[bnoble]

Wyndham is changing their focus from up-selling existing owners, to making new owners. I wonder if existing owners are subject to the same pressure....

You would think the focus would be both/and instead of either/or, but what do I know?

 

[ronparise]

You would think the focus would be both/and instead of either/or, but what do I know?

It's not one or the other. Of course they want to sell to both. It's just that the pendelum had swung a little too far to the existing owners side, now its coming back. But either way its pretty close to 50/50

 

[vacationhopeful]

The Universal Agent is truly an employee who had SOME college, is handsome or pretty, youthful, trim ... I call them "WANT-TO-BE Salespersons". The swipe your credit card, hand you the key to the room the computer assigned you after you did OR did not agree to attend the 'owners update'.

So my next plan is "Agree to the update if offered" and either call afterwards "to cancel" due to Wyndham's version of the "Blue Flu" you caught when checking in or just don't go. And disconnect both your cell and room phone the minute you get into the room.

 

[dagger1]

The Universal Agent is truly an employee who had SOME college, is handsome or pretty, youthful, trim ... I call them "WANT-TO-BE Salespersons". The swipe your credit card, hand you the key to the room the computer assigned you after you did OR did not agree to attend the 'owners update'.

So my next plan is "Agree to the update if offered" and either call afterwards "to cancel" due to Wyndham's version of the "Blue Flu" you caught when checking in or just don't go. And disconnect both your cell and room phone the minute you get into the room.

I will be following this advice for all future check ins.

 

[Nomad34]

I bought at ocean walk preconstruction to purchase Gold VIP. Felt this was just what my trustees would like. This started our disagreements but softened until 2012 when GSL which put me to Silver and now am the only owner of 192k (odd points took me from 308k to 500k) plus 192k bonus for my granddaughter's Hawaii honeymoon in 2001 after her husband returned from Iraq. All went well until the hard sales started in 2008. I have stayed there only 4 times and never for bike or race time. Has been told I could rent it out for either for about $4000. But it was only purchased for reunions which we had only 2. I usually get checked in outside but when my grandson came from Melbourne and had to park across the street since only one parking spot allowed per unit. The last person I heard that bought there two years ago paid $38,000 but not sure about how many points.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Here is the BAD part ...

the Front Desk clerks most likely are totally paid (salary and benefits) by the HOA .. as that is a HOA expense and duty.

And the clerk might be getting a bonus/kickback when an unit's guest's actually attends the sales presentation AND another, if they buy (just like the OLD HANGTAG did).

 

[ronparise]

Here is the BAD part ...

the Front Desk clerks most likely are totally paid (salary and benefits) by the HOA .. as that is a HOA expense and duty.

And the clerk might be getting a bonus/kickback when an unit's guess actually attends the sales presentation AND another, if they buy (just like the OLD HANGTAG did).

 

[Braindead]

You would think the focus would be both/and instead of either/or, but what do I know?

It's not one or the other. Of course they want to sell to both. It's just that the pendelum had swung a little too far to the existing owners side, now its coming back. But either way its pretty close to 50/50

Every resort I have been to this year claims Wyndham is cutting way back on gifting.
Atleast one sales weasel claimed they are implementing a 3 strike and out policy. When an existing owner has turned down 3-5 offers you will be put on a no gifting list. You can still attend an update if you request but will not be gifted. Hopefully sales weasels are getting tired of waisting their time with owners that are there to see how fast they can get to gifting.

It must be my personality or lucky on which sales weasel I get assigned to but I have never experienced the high pressure sales tactics.

 

[Nomad34]

I haven't had high pressure but fast talking so it helps to have another set of ears with me who wants the $100 for her services. They bring me a gift for the update information, sometimes very nice and others questionable.

 

[Nomad34]

I recently joined TUG because the Wyndham Facebook and Internet all had answers from TUG and I thought someone might know why I was blocked from Voyager and the annual meeting in Orlando but evidently you don't know either.

 

[nicemann]

The Universal Agent is truly an employee who had SOME college, is handsome or pretty, youthful, trim ... I call them "WANT-TO-BE Salespersons". The swipe your credit card, hand you the key to the room the computer assigned you after you did OR did not agree to attend the 'owners update'.

So my next plan is "Agree to the update if offered" and either call afterwards "to cancel" due to Wyndham's version of the "Blue Flu" you caught when checking in or just don't go. And disconnect both your cell and room phone the minute you get into the room.

Are they collecting deposits though from the universal agent? That is what they typically do to make help encourage people not to back out.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I simply state for the "showup deposit" .. "

sorry, I have a $300 credit card limit as my pocketbook was stolen .. resort took their security deposit and the last night's stay was $145. And I brought gas & pizza before checkin. And I don't want to get the card locked while away from home. Trust me to show up .. .as I need that $100 gift card to go grocery shopping. I will be there."

No worse than the sales staff staying they "don't need the sale" or "Trust me, I am Platinum ...".

But my best line is, "$100 VISA gift card? ... I can use that to buy groceries for the week? .. money is tight since I got fired 4 months ago".

 

[Dis.Dad]

They also seem to be cutting back on staff. I checked in a few weeks ago at about 9pm. While waiting, heard desk person ask a guest to come down there. Turns out he was looking for toilet paper! Their unit had run out but OW didn't have anyone who could run any up to him that hour of night! Really?

Someone asked about current points? They wanted to sell me 105K for $60,000 then got me a deal for $25,000 and moving those + my current deed to CWA. Yes, the wife and I fell for it, but we rescinded when we got home and wised up.

We stayed at Orlando International Resort Club for 5 days. Small little place, very nice. No hint of meeting requests. I don't think they had anything to sell!

 

[am1]

105k for $60 000 seems very very very high. Are you sure you heard the number correctly? Also what salesmen is trying to only sell someone a 105k points?

 

[55plus]

They also seem to be cutting back on staff. I checked in a few weeks ago at about 9pm. While waiting, heard desk person ask a guest to come down there. Turns out he was looking for toilet paper! Their unit had run out but OW didn't have anyone who could run any up to him that hour of night! Really? Someone asked about current points? They wanted to sell me 105K for $60,000 then got me a deal for $25,000 and moving those + my current deed to CWA. Yes, the wife and I fell for it, but we rescinded when we got home and wised up. We stayed at Orlando International Resort Club for 5 days. Small little place, very nice. No hint of meeting requests. I don't think they had anything to sell!

The sales weasels make it sound like you're getting a deal at $25K instead $60K for 105K points. The real deal is getting more than 105K points for pennies on the dollar through resell, but they won't tell you that.

 

[Dis.Dad]

They were trying to sell us on Club Access. Told us we missed the boat converting from deeded Palm Air to CWA. How there were more places we could do ARP with. The 105K was to add to our 166K and all go to CWA.

 

[Jan M.]

They were trying to sell us on Club Access. Told us we missed the boat converting from deeded Palm Air to CWA. How there were more places we could do ARP with. The 105K was to add to our 166K and all go to CWA.

That is a truly horrible offer.

 

[Dis.Dad]

Which part, 105K points for $25K or moving my deed to CWA?

 

[cayman01]

Which part, 105K points for $25K or moving my deed to CWA?

Both.

 

[55plus]

You can't go wrong buying resell v. developer. You'll save tens of thousands of dollars and you can dump them without a big loss (you might even make a few dollars) when Wyndham starts screwing you over with policy changes, fee increases and the rest of the BS they like to inflict on owners.

 

[Braindead]

You can go wrong buying resell v. developer. You'll save tens of thousands of dollars and you can dump them without a big loss (you might even make a few dollars) when Wyndham starts screwing you over with policy changes, fee increases and the rest of the BS they like to inflict on owners.

You have seen the light. You just endorsed buying from Wyndham.
Just teasing I know what you meant!! Should of been You CAN'T go wrong
Blame the eclipse

 

[Dis.Dad]

Yeah. Wish someone had told me that when I dropped $14K to get the first 166K at Palm Aire! Anyways, now I'm either going Ovation to get out or going to ante up and pick up something with $4.10/1000 MF. Probably both!

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this thread. Oceanwalk needs some work on it!