WSJ owner's update

we just got back from the WSJ. Got to go on the quickest owners update i have ever been on. 55 minutes in total and that was with actually viewing the new units. received 5000 starpoints for the update.

nice to be home.

barbra

so... did you enjoy STJ?

the beaches and pools were great. but the hotel should only be a category 3 at the most. we were upgraded to a suite but it was old and smelly.

the service around the pool and beach left a lot to be deisired.

considering starwood is trying to represent this as the premier timeshare in its collection, mind you at a very hefty price, the service must go with it and it was not.

we get much better service at WKV hands down. Even at SVV and HRA is much better than we received. and it was not just us, I spoke to many other people and they felt the same way.

we met some very nice people, the food was good, and we relaxed which was the main reason we went. we had great weather and now it can be crossed off my bucket list. glad we went but i like the other resorts better.

but mind you we DO NOT snorkel or scuba dive and my DH is not a beach person.

just giving an opinion based on the hotel stay.

the villas are gorgeous. got to see the 3 br with the pool and it is amazing.

can't wait to go back to HRA in a month.

pointsjunkie said:

the service around the pool and beach left a lot to be deisired.

but mind you we DO NOT snorkel or scuba dive and my DH is not a beach person.

just giving an opinion based on the hotel stay.

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It really is all about expectations. I can completely understand and share that expectation of what the WSJ would be like. But after spending the past 10 days at St. Thomas, I think the USVI as a destination - regardless of the resort - has a lot of work to do in the service category. Except for bartenders and the snorkel/sail tours, I cannot say I was blown away by any of the service we received. I think that service is just not a priority at most businesses here.

In talking to some of the locals on the west end, there are a lot of problems here. As one person said to me, it is not all suntan lotion and pina coladas. Go to the message boards on www.vinow.com if you want a little more insight. They just have a different way of life down here.

But I do have to confess, when I read your comment about snorkel and beach, my jaw about hit the floor. It is almost like staying at the DVC Animal Kingdom and saying you are not into theme parks. I understand what you are saying, and we all have a bucket list to x out, but in my mind that is the only reason to come here. Otherwise Hawaii is a much better destination.

And for anyone who is pained by the stink eye in Hawaii, be prepared if you come here, unless you intend to stay at the resort the entire time. It is not that they are hostile, they are just mostly indifferent. As much as the guidebooks tell you to always say hello or good morning/afternoon, sometimes it just makes no difference. It is not 100% or even 50%, but is more frequent than most would like for a tourist based economy.

I understand and having written about the STJ experience extensively. We have had zero issues in our 3 years in coming here (or my lengthy sailing trip over a decade ago) except my American Airlines experience last year. You will find people to be either cool, or very quick to smile and laugh - but never mean (of course I would not walk home from Cruz Bay at night).

TBH - I thought the same thing when I read about not liking the beach or snorkling - if I had known that I would have recommended to Barbra not to visit (it would be like me going the Disneyland - actually Disney would be okay for a day).

Anyway - sorry to hear that you did not enjoy yourself. I have written many times that if you go to WSJ/STJ and expect great service - then you will be disappointed. When we go we expect nothing and ask for very little - and prefer it that way - the less interaction with staff the better (there and everywhere else, and a reason we like TSing over hotel stays)

I have to strongly disagree about not leaving the resort (at least in STJ as I would not go to STT except to go to the few beaches there worth visiting) - to only stay at WSJ would be truly a waste.

we are east coasters and we wanted a free trip. AA had the free air and the starpoints gave me the free hotels. we always wanted to see the resort, not unhappy we went, we were just expecting what other category 5 hotels give their guests. I will be contacting Starwood about their hotel category values of this hotel.

DavidnRobin said:

I understand and having written about the STJ experience extensively. You will find people to be either cool, or very quick to smile and laugh - but never mean (of course I would not walk home from Cruz Bay at night).

Anyway - sorry to hear that you did not enjoy yourself. I have written many times that if you go to WSJ/STJ and expect great service - then you will be disappointed. When we go we expect nothing and ask for very little - and prefer it that way - the less interaction with staff the better (there and everywhere else, and a reason we like TSing over hotel stays)

I have to strongly disagree about not leaving the resort (at least in STJ as I would not go to STT except to go to the few beaches there worth visiting) - to only stay at WSJ would be truly a waste.

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I have softened my original post a little, as it was too harsh. And I think your observations about service are spot on. And I think you capture the spirit of my point better - do not come to STT/STJ expecting great service. If you get, it is icing on the cake.

I was not suggesting that they are mean, just indifferent. I could give five or six examples off the top of my head. On the "great" category - maybe two.

Come here for the great beaches and snorkeling. I have not been everywhere in the world (yet), but they rate very high in my book. It is debatable, but I think for off-beach snorkeling, STT and particularly STJ is a much better choice than Hawaii. And easier to get to.

My comments were more about USVI in general, and how I felt Barbara's experience was what I felt was status quo for service down here.

And Barbara I understand completely why you came here. My guess is that the rating is more about the unique location rather than the physical plant. With so much of the island being a National Park, WSJ is in a unique position.

pointsjunkie said:

we are east coasters and we wanted a free trip. AA had the free air and the starpoints gave me the free hotels. we always wanted to see the resort, not unhappy we went, we were just expecting what other category 5 hotels give their guests. I will be contacting Starwood about their hotel category values of this hotel.

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Please do - I got some action when I started my write-in/email campaign when Owners felt like the maintenance we were getting for our MFs was not up to par. I would agree that it is not a Cat5 resort in the strict sense - more rated that way because of its location. It is difficult to get people to work hard there - and from what I understand even more difficult to fire them.

Take a look at the real estate market there - unbelievable - the workers have to be brought in by ferry from STT.

When I sailed thru the Grenedines - I was very taken back by the locals (at first) - it took me a while to get clued in to what it was about.

IMO - HI isn't even close to the USVI for either snorkling or SCUBA. We like both places - and WKV - and hope to visit HRA (cause I like to gamble) and WLR someday (and will use our WKV SOs to exchange via SVN)

Best.

DavidnRobin said:

IMO - HI isn't even close to the USVI for either snorkling or SCUBA. We like both places - and WKV - and hope to visit HRA (cause I like to gamble) and WLR someday (and will use our WKV SOs to exchange via SVN)

Best.

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I agree, but have got into a couple of tense discussions at the MFC hot-tub the last few nights on the subject. IMHO, you have to deal with many more ocean current issues in HI (at most locations).

No reports of people drowning here, vs the three reports when I spent a week in HI. Knock on wood.

I think W.S.J. attracts a different type of vacationer than most Westin resorts. While the resort is very laid back the vacationers that I meet there were seriously adventurous. Most of the time The resort looked empty because most everyone was out and about exploring around the Islands. No lounge lizards or lanai turtles(not that there is anything wrong with that). Backpacks, beach gear and outdoor equiptment thrown into jeeps leaving the resort was the norm.I can't wait to return.

Thanks for posting this info on WSJ. I haven't been there, and now I'm not so sure I want to rush to visit. I was considering trying to reserve there next year, but now probably not.

The hotel category is mostly, if not all (from what I have read), determined based on the average nightly rental rate for the previous year. Unfortunately, this doesn't always equate the higher categories with excellent service.

e.g. - walking a mile or so carrying snorkle gear, etc. in flip-flops in the sweltering heat/humidity out to Leinister Bay just to snorkle Waterlemon Cay...

From what I hear - I would not stay on the hotel-side, but staying in the TS villas are nice.


Added: I am going to link this thread to the WSJ main thread.

St John is for the "active" vacationer

I totally agree with Transit's observations on St John. We spend little time at the resort, most of our "down" time is in our villa's pool.

The hotel portion of the resort consistently gets low reviews, mostly by individuals who do not realize that it is not the "typical" luxury vacation destination. The main reason we bought our first pool villa ten years ago was that the island was exactly what we wanted in terms of a vacation. We LOVE the national park and the snorkeling opportunities it affords. We LOVE that there are no "chain" restaurants on the island (in fact our daughter remarked in November, while driving across St Thomas, "it looks alot like Toledo", meaning there were the same Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc. She's 7). We liked that fact that the resort had tennis courts and water sports opportunities on site, and eventually we realized the benefits of the Kid's Club and particularly the addition of the playground a few years ago. Another thing we liked about the resort was that there didn't seem to be alot of people just "lying around being waited on". That's just not our kind of vacation.

In fact, if you do any sort of research on the many St John discussion boards, you'll find lots of people happy to advise you that people either "get" St John, or they don't. Those who don't are usually the ones who want a "lounge chair" vacation by the pool, and want a high-level of service. St John's more of a do-it-yourself kind of place and I realize that's not for everyone. One of our friends who went with us was quite disappointed at our activity level on vacation. He likened it to a seven day marathon of beach hopping, snorkeling, hiking, a good meal, and then a few hours of rest before starting all over again. Obviously, he didn't "get" St John and hasn't been back.

So, while I'm sorry Pointsjunkie didn't enjoy the hotel, the villas (and the island) provide a much different experience.

Bottom line, DON"T come to St John unless you're an active, do-it-yourself, adventerous vacationer who likes to explore. There's really not much else to do on St John other than snorkel, hike, swim and sit on one of the many great beaches.

Off to St John Saturday.

Lori

Loriannf said:

Bottom line, DON"T come to St John unless you're an active, do-it-yourself, adventerous vacationer who likes to explore. There's really not much else to do on St John other than snorkel, hike, swim and sit on one of the many great beaches.

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Nicely said! I'm sure I'll get there one year, but at the moment I'm just too tired to think about such an active vacation.

pointsjunkie said:

...we were just expecting what other category 5 hotels give their guests. I will be contacting Starwood about their hotel category values of this hotel.

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Remember that category 5 doesn't (necessarily) have anything to do with the hotel's quality. The SPG category is based on the average room price. And during most of the year, the WSJ hotel charges a pretty hefty price!

Granted, they often go hand-in-hand, but SPG Category 5 doesn't necessarily equate to 5-star.

Maybe we should be glad they don't offer 5-star service at WSJ, since that might raise the hotel rates, and then it would be an SPG category 6 or 7 hotel!

The island was everything I thought it would be based on the description that it's mainly a nature preserve. We traveled with another couple and when we weren't snorkeling or hiking, we were playing tennis, playing cards, or bouncing on the trampoline and laughing til our sides hurt.

Had there not been one restaurant on the island, we would have still had as much fun. Heck, we only ate out 5 times the whole week. My family has owned a cottage on Lake Cumberland since before I was born and there are no restaurants or stores within a 45 minute drive. We leave around 11am and spend all day on a 30 foot pontoon, with nothing to amuse us but a few jet skis, the water, and each other. So we're used to low key, no frills, no service vacations.

Stayed at WSJ last summer for the first time. LOVED IT! However, while my DH snorkels me and my DD don't snorkel very much and we still had the best vacation ever. We fell in love with St John, visiting and lounging on beautiful beaches, swimming in warm clear water, eating at nice restaurants and in the villas as well. I think you can enjoy this island just relaxing. Hope that we can get in again, but would love to stay in the VG villas. We stayed in a 2 bedroom loft in BV, it was very nice and very big but we would so love to luck up and get a 3 bdrm pool villa!