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Can I see ALL the available inventory online?

JohnnyFriday

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Hi all. First post but long-time reader. Thanks all for the great info. Helped a ton before we bought in.

I purchased my Wyndham points resale. I went to an owners presentation during our last resort stay. The sales person was telling me that I can't see all the actual available inventory online when I am using the online system to book. I figured this was just a sales pitch to get me to buy more points from the actual resort.

I called an actual reservation specialist at Wyndham to confirm and she told me that I CAN in fact see all the available units available at a particular resort using the online system. This contradicted the resort sales pitch.

Can anyone shed some light on this to confirm? I specifically remember the sales rep suggesting that because I am "select" or something or other that I can only see a certain percentage of all the available inventory at a particular resort.

Any help appreciated.
 

am1

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Within 10 months to check in it should be true but has not always been the case. If you just have a small amount of points it is something you should not worry about.
 

JohnnyFriday

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Thanks for the reply - I just want to make sure that the sales rep's claim that there is a good amount of inventory that I can't access because I am not "cool enough" is a bunch of bull.

I have plenty of points so that isn't the issue - What I think I am finding out though is that these resorts fill up WAY faster than I would have thought.

I think that must be the reason I can't find available inventory - NOT because I'm not one of the "cool kids" that doesn't get to see all the inventory.
 

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Once inventory is available online which starts at 10 months before check-in (Standard Reservation Period) you can see all available inventory. It doesn't matter whether you are Club Wyndham Select or Club Wyndham Access. The only difference is during advance reservation (ARP) which you can’t view online anyway. Select and CWA inventory is kept separate during ARP so likely your salesman was trying to sell you a CWA contract.
 

JohnnyFriday

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Ron - That makes sense. I figured we could see ALL available inventory for SRP but thanks for explaining that there is indeed a difference during ARP for CWA and select. (Too many acronyms in the timeshare business!) My trouble finding inventory at this specific resort must be because it has been picked dry. Thanks again.
 

Sandi Bo

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Unless they are trying to see you Presidential Reserve. I believe that would be an exception. I don't fully understand the rules around PR. But my understanding is PR rooms are sometimes only visible to PR owners (although sometimes they are released to the rest of us).

Otherwise, you see on online what the VC's see, and (other than PR) nothing is held back.
 

bnoble

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Thanks for the reply - I just want to make sure that the sales rep's claim that there is a good amount of inventory that I can't access because I am not "cool enough" is a bunch of bull.
Were their lips moving? If so, then yes, it was a bunch of bull.

(Caveat: Sandi is right, though: Presidential Reserve is effectively a different system that happens to have exchange rights with "regular Wyndham.")
 

am1

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But my understanding is PR rooms are sometimes only visible to PR owners (although sometimes they are released to the rest of us).

Otherwise, you see on online what the VC's see, and (other than PR) nothing is held back.

What gets me is sometimes they take PR inventory and it is PRH inventory.
 

Bigrob

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Unless they are trying to see you Presidential Reserve. I believe that would be an exception. I don't fully understand the rules around PR. But my understanding is PR rooms are sometimes only visible to PR owners (although sometimes they are released to the rest of us).

Otherwise, you see on online what the VC's see, and (other than PR) nothing is held back.

The other exception is specific to Outrigger resorts which are available only if you own Hawaii. The points costs of these resorts is outrageous making them impractical through the system anyway, so no great loss there.
 

slabeaume

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You may also have to search using different amounts of days---like 3 or 4 or 7. You can't put in one day and see all availability like you can in Worldmark.
 

happyhopian

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decreasing inventory

I will say that inventory has been greatly decreasing in the last year. Lost of people and companies have been scooping up after market contacts for pennies and using them as rentals making enough money to cover the MFs, pay for their own use and sometimes profits. Bonnet Creek is a perfect example. Since 2010 we have had no problem getting rooms 30 days in advance at any time of the year except Christmas. Now Bonnet creek is nearly vacant from Feb 5th through the middle of march. Spring break never hit Bonnet this bad. It could also by Wyndham booking out in extra holidays and not returning the inventory to the system as they have previously been required to do. Eitherway as a hawk who checks inventory everyday, Bonnet Creek has been impacted by something.
 

vacationhopeful

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I will say that inventory has been greatly decreasing in the last year. Lost of people and companies have been scooping up after market contacts for pennies and using them as rentals making enough money to cover the MFs, pay for their own use and sometimes profits. Bonnet Creek is a perfect example. Since 2010 we have had no problem getting rooms 30 days in advance at any time of the year except Christmas. Now Bonnet creek is nearly vacant from Feb 5th through the middle of march. Spring break never hit Bonnet this bad. It could also by Wyndham booking out in extra holidays and not returning the inventory to the system as they have previously been required to do. Eitherway as a hawk who checks inventory everyday, Bonnet Creek has been impacted by something.

I believe you are right ... but this is also a sign the economy is getting better. Many more owners also are booking - taking the family to Disney is EXPENSIVE trip... and owners are booking out further for cheaper flights over the mega-renters (mega-renters need the 60 day book for discounts & upgrades to cover the cost & profit formula). Mega-renters have their clients and ad history looking for $100 per night for a 2/2 unit from them ....
 

am1

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The issue is that the new resorts cost a lot of points to book. Park City, National Harbor, San Fran and a few others. Bonnet Creek's points chart is very reasonable. All the new owners with lots of points are chasing Bonnet Creek.

Also Tower 5 was renovated last fall and all the units were closed and this fall The newest tower to be built is already being renovated. Ask the sales people when tower 7 is going to be built.
 

Bigrob

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I will say that inventory has been greatly decreasing in the last year. Lost of people and companies have been scooping up after market contacts for pennies and using them as rentals making enough money to cover the MFs, pay for their own use and sometimes profits. Bonnet Creek is a perfect example. Since 2010 we have had no problem getting rooms 30 days in advance at any time of the year except Christmas. Now Bonnet creek is nearly vacant from Feb 5th through the middle of march. Spring break never hit Bonnet this bad. It could also by Wyndham booking out in extra holidays and not returning the inventory to the system as they have previously been required to do. Eitherway as a hawk who checks inventory everyday, Bonnet Creek has been impacted by something.

There was another long thread discussing Bonnet Creek and some of the activities that may be taking place there. http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219830

Also, all of Florida has been more difficult this year, with the lost inventory in South Florida, Daytona, etc. pushing people to alternate warm winter locations.

That being said, I agree with Linda, I think the improvement in the economy is definitely a contributing factor because both owners and renters are opening the pocketbooks for trips.

I haven't been watching Bonnet Creek in previous years, but I've certainly noticed that availability disappeared from Feb-late April very quickly. But if you looked in November, there was still a lot of availability. So it's not that it can't be booked... it just can't be booked last minute. However - I did have a lot of trouble booking there at Thanksgiving and I was online at 7:00 AM. What happened was that every time I clicked on the unit I wanted, it said the unit was gone. This happened often enough that I usually hit the security captcha before I ever got it to select. I don't know if that's something Wyndham is going to address eventually (when you select using the owner reservation system online, you are actually selecting a specific unit, rather than the generic unit type shown. Since that same unit is being shown to everyone simultaneously, it is often gone when you click it. There may be others of the same type available, but it just returns the message that the unit you selected is no longer available. and the call center is not the answer because they don't open for another hour and all availability is gone by then. I believe the bots are at play here.)
 

JohnnyFriday

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There was another long thread discussing Bonnet Creek and some of the activities that may be taking place there. http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219830



. However - I did have a lot of trouble booking there at Thanksgiving and I was online at 7:00 AM. What happened was that every time I clicked on the unit I wanted, it said the unit was gone. This happened often enough that I usually hit the security captcha before I ever got it to select. I don't know if that's something Wyndham is going to address eventually (when you select using the owner reservation system online, you are actually selecting a specific unit, rather than the generic unit type shown.

BigRob - Very interesting. I noticed this late last year when I was trying to book - my wife was in the other room and I would get up from the computer for maybe 30 seconds to check with her and when I would get back the room was gone. I thought to myself that was impossible - like the old days on eBay when there literally were dozens of other people online at the EXACT same moment putting in a last second bid on an auction.

I could not imagine though that ALL of the specific inventory that I was looking for suddenly evaporated in the blink of an eye but your explanation makes sense - that the system is booking a SPECIFIC unit and not what I had assumed that my selection was generic (i.e. generic 2 bedroom deluxe as opposed to specifically unit #7002 or whatever).

Thanks for all the info on this thread all - learning more and more every day.
 

Bigrob

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BigRob - Very interesting. I noticed this late last year when I was trying to book - my wife was in the other room and I would get up from the computer for maybe 30 seconds to check with her and when I would get back the room was gone. I thought to myself that was impossible - like the old days on eBay when there literally were dozens of other people online at the EXACT same moment putting in a last second bid on an auction.

I could not imagine though that ALL of the specific inventory that I was looking for suddenly evaporated in the blink of an eye but your explanation makes sense - that the system is booking a SPECIFIC unit and not what I had assumed that my selection was generic (i.e. generic 2 bedroom deluxe as opposed to specifically unit #7002 or whatever).

Thanks for all the info on this thread all - learning more and more every day.

Well unfortunately it is not the same as Ebay. In the case of ebay, people are setting "snipes" - they set their maximum bid with a "sniping" service that puts in their bid with 3-6 seconds left in the auction. They do this to avoid bidding the value up early and to prevent others from seeing their interest in the auction. Have you ever wondered why there may be 45 people watching an auction that only has 2 bids on it? That's why.

The vacation counselors see the actual inventory. We don't. Another interesting thing is that sometimes a VC can cobble together a reservation that we can't. For example, I needed a 9-day reservation during the SRP. One of the 3-day segments was a Mon-Thurs, which is not allowed during SRP in prime season. But somehow, the VC was able to get it. It may be that their system does not have the automated blocks that ours does, but they are supposed to abide by "our rules"... or perhaps she was able to do an override. No matter; the bottom line is if you can't get what you want directly, try calling in, they may be able to find something you can't.
 

bnoble

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I will say that inventory has been greatly decreasing in the last year. Lost of people and companies have been scooping up after market contacts for pennies and using them as rentals making enough money to cover the MFs, pay for their own use and sometimes profits.
I'm not sure it is an increase in rentals so much as it is people are wiling to travel with the improving economy rather than bank points to RCI in the hopes of future travel or just allowing points to expire. You'd be surprised at how many people don't actually use their timeshares!
 

JohnnyFriday

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Speaking of eBay - I can't believe how many dates are listed for Glacier Canyon on eBay (which is the exact resort I was sad to see had hardly any inventory left).

Now I know why there isn't anything left - much of the inventory is listed online!

Aaaaaahhhhhh, capitalism.

(I suppose there is no way to regulate this, in much the same way I myself benefited from the resale market when I bought my points online...)
 

55plus

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Speaking of eBay - I can't believe how many dates are listed for Glacier Canyon on eBay (which is the exact resort I was sad to see had hardly any inventory left).

Now I know why there isn't anything left - much of the inventory is listed online!

Aaaaaahhhhhh, capitalism.

(I suppose there is no way to regulate this, in much the same way I myself benefited from the resale market when I bought my points online...)

To free up mega renter inventory all Wyndham has to do is change their policy of reservations in the same name from 15 days out to a longer timeframe, like 60 days. That will free up a lot of inventory for the other owners.
 

Bigrob

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To free up mega renter inventory all Wyndham has to do is change their policy of reservations in the same name from 15 days out to a longer timeframe, like 60 days. That will free up a lot of inventory for the other owners.

I'm not sure that it would. A lot of the mega-renters are using multiple accounts with many different owner names to secure the reservations they want.
 

jebloomquist

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I'm not sure it is an increase in rentals so much as it is people are wiling to travel with the improving economy rather than bank points to RCI in the hopes of future travel or just allowing points to expire. You'd be surprised at how many people don't actually use their timeshares!

I heard the CEO of Marriott yesterday comment on the consecutive 5 year increase in hotel rentals.

I have a sense that the same thing has been happening to the Wyndham timeshares. More owners are actually using their timeshares.

I have seen an every year increase since 2010. In many cases, regular owners are now competing with other regular owners for the desirable times. I see it in my own family where it seems that each year there is an increase call for me to find more reservations.

The slow times starting in 2008 are now gone.

Jim
 

Myxdvz

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Thanks for the reply - I just want to make sure that the sales rep's claim that there is a good amount of inventory that I can't access because I am not "cool enough" is a bunch of bull.

I have plenty of points so that isn't the issue - What I think I am finding out though is that these resorts fill up WAY faster than I would have thought.

I think that must be the reason I can't find available inventory - NOT because I'm not one of the "cool kids" that doesn't get to see all the inventory.

I see you're from IL (like me!) so you must be looking at Glacier Canyon. Now, some resorts absolutely require you to be booking first thing at 8AM EST on the 10 month window. Glacier Canyon is one of them. The mega renters basically book ALL the summer, holiday and weekends ASAP so it's very tough to get Glacier Canyon unless you have ARP (13 months-10 months) or really early on the first day the 10 month window open.

You could also try on the 15 day cancellation when the mega renters start dumping any unrented inventory.

This is why I bought CWA because of Glacier Canyon. I try and book this within ARP.
 

Bigrob

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I see you're from IL (like me!) so you must be looking at Glacier Canyon. Now, some resorts absolutely require you to be booking first thing at 8AM EST on the 10 month window. Glacier Canyon is one of them. The mega renters basically book ALL the summer, holiday and weekends ASAP so it's very tough to get Glacier Canyon unless you have ARP (13 months-10 months) or really early on the first day the 10 month window open.

You could also try on the 15 day cancellation when the mega renters start dumping any unrented inventory.

This is why I bought CWA because of Glacier Canyon. I try and book this within ARP.

This is very good advice. Glacier Canyon and a couple of other locations are what makes CWA a good choice for those that want these locations, along with the flexibility of multi-resort ARP and stable MF's and SA's.
 
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