Need to Vent - Frenchman's Cove

We just checked in at Frenchman's Cove and I'm majorly disappointed in the units they assigned us. I own a 2 and 3 bedroom Plat Plus and am Premier in DC. I asked for the units to be next door to each other and gave them my top 3 building choices - Tortola, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. What did they give us? Second floor units in the Crown building. The units are really tired and the view is probably the worst in the complex. They said it was the only thing available with units next door to each other. Every 3 bedroom has a 2 bedroom next to it. I think they were just using that as an excuse to get rid of these dog units. 3 years ago they told me they only put exchangers in the Crown Building.
I think if they can't put you in one of your 3 choices ( since that is what they ask you for), they should ask you what your #4 is. Their questionnaire said they would put you in one of your building choices or your floor choice( I asked for a high floor). They did absolutely nothing for us.

This is probably because it is a peak travel week in the USVI. It is Christmas week after all. Special requests like adjacent units can cause additional issues in trying to accommodate that request. I can definitely understand the disappointment, others have reported similar issues like this at FC in the past year.

I would think being next door to family and friends during the holidays would be better than anything else.

Merry Christmas!

FractionalTraveler said:

I would think being next door to family and friends during the holidays would be better than anything else.

Merry Christmas!

Click to expand...

Being next door to each other with a great view from a high floor would be better though.

We've always had great units before. My family is fine because they want to be next to each other. Could there really be that many premier plus owners who trumped me on a fixed week, however?

suzannesimon said:

We've always had great units before. My family is fine because they want to be next to each other. Could there really be that many premier plus owners who trumped me on a fixed week, however?

Click to expand...

It probably has more to do with units available with the same checkin/checout dates than priority. There is probably a small number of adjacent units that have the same weeks checkin date. So the options of placement were limited. For better views you would have been better to have asked for units in the same building/floor but not necessarily side by side.

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that. There are probably more Sat than Sun check-in days. Still, we've always checked in on Sundays and always had great locations. It gives me a good excuse not to schedule an"update" when I meet with the concierge in the morning.

suzannesimon said:

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that. There are probably more Sat than Sun check-in days. Still, we've always checked in on Sundays and always had great locations. It gives me a good excuse not to schedule an"update" when I meet with the concierge in the morning.

Click to expand...

My take is this is definitely due to requesting 2 units next to each other. In Sept I had two units booked for the same week for a party of 8 at my home resort of Son Antem. They were not able to meet that request at all. It really does depend on what becomes available on your check in day and I learnt a few years ago to ensure my requests for location were always as simple to deliver as possible.

The tired units is a concern however. I'd take the opportunity of an update to bend someone's ear about your dissatisfaction.

As an owner at MFC I would be furious if they put me in the Crown bldg. If however your primary request was for two adjoining units then it seems they fulfilled your request. I guess we have to be careful what you wish for. After all how is the resort supposed to know what's more important to you? They filled your primary request.

This past summer I had four OF units at Ocean Pointe in the same week. I asked for the same bldg and they accommodated that request. High floor and a particular bldg preferences were secondary. I got my primary request but not everyone was on a high floor.

That said being a multi-week Plat Plus owner I would have thought they would have given you a second choice at least.

I've learned to put in comments which of my preferences are most important. Ie: high floor more important than building. Otherwise they have to guess which preference gets top billing. In your case, they guessed units together were most important. Apparently, that was wrong.

Next-door was an afterthought though they have always given me that without asking. Same bldg would have been preferable to the Crown Building. Same floor should have been easily available since all but 8 units are 2 bedroom. I'm convinced the next- door was an excuse to unload an undesirable unit.

suzannesimon said:

Next-door was an afterthought though they have always given me that without asking. Same bldg would have been preferable to the Crown Building. Same floor should have been easily available since all but 8 units are 2 bedroom. I'm convinced the next- door was an excuse to unload an undesirable unit.

Click to expand...

What would be in it for the resort to "unload an undesirable unit" off on you? If there were more desirable options that met your requirement that hey be next to one another, why would they elect not to do so for a multi-week plat owner in DC?

I bet there are non-multi week owners sitting in 3 bedroom units here with a non-multi week owner next door. I was told they only put exchangers and people on discounted sales trips in this 3 bedroom so I never worried about being in the Crown building. There isn 't even a king bed in the master bedroom.

When we went this summer had this same scenario--I complained and asked for manager and finally got a unit with great view--not sure which building but as you look at resort from the water all the way to the left. It is very irritating to fill out that survey and ask you where you would like to be and then you get none of your choices.

You were in Tortola which is my favorite building. It is hard to find a different 3 BR here on a holiday week at this point. There are only 8 of them.They would have to move someone. - not likely. I also would have to move 14 of us, small kids and a crib as well so I'll just chalk this up to experience. Next time I'll ask for any building but Crown and see if that works. Incidentally, I think we are the only ones in this building so I must not be the only one who didn't want to be here.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make unit assignments. There's always going to be someone who's upset. Granted if I was a multi week owner staying at my home resort and they failed to put me in any of the buildings requested, I wouldn't be pleased. But I still think they felt that units together was the #1 priorty. If they didn't have two adjoining units anywhere else or, if by some strange quirk of fate you weren't the #1 status owner, I can see this happening on a Platinum Plus week where owner occupancy is likely to be pretty heavy. It could also be a rotational thing where everyone gets their turn in the "bad" location and this just happened to be your week.

It's hard to say exactly why but I'm sure there's a reason other than their desire to unload the worst location on a valued owner. Or I could be absolutely wrong and the management at your resort has gone down the drain.

To my lnowledge there are no adjoining units - ie units that have a door connecting them. They are just next door to each other. I will "cope". The weather is gorgeous.

Is there any chance that the resort is also using the "rotational" system that's in place at a few others, where owners are rotated from stay-to-stay among the best and worst units in their unit/view type? I ask because my two resorts both state it outright in their published Priority Placement System and appear to follow it, but I hardly ever hear of it happening at most of the other resorts.

I agree with the others that it's probably your request to be side-by-side with your guests that limited your choices the most, but especially during the busiest times maybe the rotational system is also at play?

If they have that policy, it has never been mentioned and they shouldn't send you a questionnaire asking your floor choice and top 3 buildings. It also stated that if they couldn't get you in one of your buildings, then they would give your floor choice (high or low), so they gave us nothing that I asked for. I think that the problem is the DC. Lots of people here on points and may be staying an odd number of days or checking in on odd days. Our "vacation advisor" said there was a family of 6 with 2 2-bedroom units and a Sunday check-in and they couldn't get in the same building.

I've often wondered how legitimate these telephone calls are prior to a visit when they ask if you have any special preferences. They are in reality sales calls to interest you in making an appointment to see a sales person. When I have asked the caller for a room or a building preference they always beg off by saying that building assignments are made a week in advance by the reservations department or by a computer.

My understanding is that they have a strict placement rule that puts a home resort owner over other Marriott owners trading in. If so, it would seem the OP should have gotten a better placement considering his ownership status. It could be that it was a odd day to check in but the OP's request of FC seems reasonable.

I once traded into NCV and was assigned to a building with no elevator. They moved me to the ground floor after I objected to it and refused to check in. Maybe that is the only way to get the assignment you requested. Unfortunate but possibly so.

The 2 units we have are really not up to the standard of the rest of FC. I think they were correct when they told me they were used for discount vacations for the sales tours. It may be my imagination, but the living areas seem smaller and there is no king bed in the 3 bedroom unit. Learn from my mistake when you are coming here.. Whatever your preferences are, also state that the Crown Building is not acceptable. I plan to spell that out in the future and tell them any building but Crown.. It appears that there is only one other occupied unit in this building so I'm apparently not the only one that feels this way.

suzannesimon said:

The 2 units we have are really not up to the standard of the rest of FC. I think they were correct when they told me they were used for discount vacations for the sales tours. It may be my imagination, but the living areas seem smaller and there is no king bed in the 3 bedroom unit. Learn from my mistake when you are coming here.. Whatever your preferences are, also state that the Crown Building is not acceptable. I plan to spell that out in the future and tell them any building but Crown.. It appears that there is only one other occupied unit in this building so I'm apparently not the only one that feels this way.

Click to expand...

We are visiting MFC next year in November on DC points - so I took a look at the resort map to see where the Crown Building is located but could not see it marked on the resort map. Just where in the resort is it located?

I will ensure we ask for a any unit in Tortola, Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda.

The Crown Building isn't even listed on the map. It is listed as the Check-in Building.

suzannesimon said:

The Crown Building isn't even listed on the map. It is listed as the Check-in Building.

Click to expand...

Oh! Not a good place to be then.

suzannesimon said:

The Crown Building isn't even listed on the map. It is listed as the Check-in Building.

Click to expand...

Oh, that building...that is REALLY an odd place to put a Platinum PLus Fixed week 51 owner.