Reserving a Hard To Get Week

I know this has been discussed before, in the wake of Revolution. But I'm wondering what the current thought/strategy is.

I need 5 days (OK, not a week) at a hard to get location (details later). My thoughts are that I can:

1. Reserve the first 3 days when available, then add a day at a time.

2. Reserve the first 3 days, then wait 2 days to add those together.

3. Wait until all 5 days are available.

4. Make a "fake" reservation starting 2 days earlier than I want, to include the first "real" day. Then move those 3 days down a day at a time. Then add the last 2 days, one day at a time.

I already knew that Revolution requires availability outside your existing reservation -- it doesn't give up your reservation until you have the new one. But it was pointed out to me on this thread that it also holds your points on your existing reservation. So either you need to first change it to something like a studio, or have enough points to cover both reservations. Yuck! I could see it borrowing from 2015 when I want it to use my rescued 2013 points and my 2014 allocation.

BTW, I'm not looking for HHV, as you might have guessed. I'm looking for Kingsland, which would normally be an "easy" reservation. But I want a 3BR there, and I've discovered that there are only two 3BR and two 3BR Premier units in the entire resort; and they're always booked. Which means that if anyone is trying for a 3BR at the same time, I'm toast. The Premier is a boatload of extra points for a unit that's identical, but on the 2nd floor rather than ground floor. I'd rather not spend those points; but I will if I have to.

So what say all you wise TUGgers? Surely some of you have had this problem and devised a strategy. Spill!

-Bob

I've had success at HHV with #2 by booking the first 3 days online, then calling to add the other 2 days. There's no charge because you can't change the reservation like this online.

I recently booked 13 nights for August of 2014.

The first 8 nights are at Kings Land, 2 BR. No problem getting. Started by booking three days on the first day I could then added one day at a time each day. I was able to do this through the online revolution system.

The last 5 nights are at HHV Lagoon Tower 2 BR Premium. This was hard to get. I'm pretty sure that I got lucky here. Booked when three nights were available and then added one night each of the next two days. I had to call for this. There was no charge. Pretty sure this was the last room as after there was no availability.

Overall, I got exactly what I was looking for and I don't mind playing the book three and add a day game to get it.

I've been watching HHV for about a month or so, July and August are hard to get. The weeks get booked very quickly, often in the first 8 hours of becoming available.

Based on my experience I would recommend booking three when you can and add one each day until you get what you are looking for.

GL.

Blues said:

I already knew that Revolution requires availability outside your existing reservation -- it doesn't give up your reservation until you have the new one. But it was pointed out to me on this thread that it also holds your points on your existing reservation. So either you need to first change it to something like a studio, or have enough points to cover both reservations. Yuck!

Click to expand...

It gets really scary when you have 7 out of 9 days in a 1 or 2 bedroom and you have yo switch that reservation to a 3 day studio so that you can get your last couple of days. On time in the middle of my switch the system decided to have problems. I was stuck with the studio. Fortunately I was able to get the unit back the next morning.

I too have had success calling. When there was only a single unit available you can't use the revolution system. As it does not give you your current booking as inventory. But they will allow you to call and add the days for no additional charge.

I suggest calling.

Hopefully you don't need to make this reservation before the end of the year.

If so, keep in mind that as we get closer to the end of the year their online system and call center will be overloaded. Seriously, if you need to make the reservation before the end of the year, call in every day (because some days you might not get through )

In addition to the normal online HGVC activity (RCI searches, Home and Club reservations, etc), in December we have members who are also trying to
(1) take advantage of Open Season rate for stays during the Holiday Season at all HGVC resorts
(2) take advantage of the lower point requirements for Gold Season in Oahu and the Big Island by reserving at the 9 month mark
(3) pay their maintenance fee due Jan 1 (even though late & finance charges don't occur until much later)
(4) take advantage of point stretching option (depositing, rescuing and HHonors conversion) before the 12/31 deadline.

The Changeable Reservation Option Sucks !!

Perhaps it's better during non-peak booking times, but it goes off to never never land when trying to add an extra night at midnight.

Here's the crazy nonsense that I've noticed.
(1) It might ask you multiple times to confirm that you want to change your reservation. (I've selected yes multiple times, only to be brought back to the same screen )
(2) It takes forever to load (It displays the different loading stages as you wait )
(3) All of the sudden it flashes a screen with the drop down list of resort then changes the screen to display availability at the resort associated with your existing reservation (Doh !! their software folks forgot to take out the step to display the list of resort )
(4) Finally you get to see availability. If it's still there and if it's not the only one left then you'll be able to add a night. Of course, only after you've gone through a series of screens to get to the final screen. Hopefully at that point you don't get the dreaded message that it can't complete the transaction UGH !!

JMHO...AVOID THE STRESS :annoyed:
BOOK THE FIRST THREE NIGHTS ONLINE AND CALL MEMBER SERVICE EVERY DAY TO ADD ON UNTIL THEY GET THIS RESOLVED !!

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone! Thankfully, I don't have to do this until just after the first of the year. Hopefully the call center will have quieted down. I'm familiar with the craziness this time of year - I did the rescue thing back in Sept to avoid it.

So, it sounds like the recommendation is to reserve 3 days online, then call in for days 4 and 5. Do the reservation agents give you any problem with that? I mean, do they say hey, you're supposed to do that online?

Thanks, and Happy Turkey Day!

-Bob

Blues said:

Do the reservation agents give you any problem with that? I mean, do they say hey, you're supposed to do that online?

Click to expand...

No, they seem to know about Revolution's, um, limitations.

When I was making a reservation in New York in September, I booked the first night (single night stays being allowed in New York), and went back the next day at midnight to extend the reservation. There was availability at that point for both days, so it shouldn't have been a problem. But after a great deal of tedium trying to get through the booking process, I was presented with an obscure error. Tried again the next morning during business hours - same result.

When I called the reservations centre the agent didn't even bother trying to address the error, just extended my reservation without question. I then asked if I was likely to have the same problem again if I tried to book a third night online. She told me outright not even to bother trying, just call the reservations centre again.

As it happened I was able to add the third night online, but my overall experience was very much inline with alwysonvac and HatTrick's comments. They seem to be well aware of the issues.

Blues said:

So, it sounds like the recommendation is to reserve 3 days online, then call in for days 4 and 5.

Click to expand...

I tend to look at overall availability to determine my HGVC booking strategy.
For example, using the Classic reservation system, I did a search by month for Waikoloa and noticed so far there are no full weeks available in a 3 bedroom @ Kingsland for all of 2014

Based on my search results, I suggest that you go with option #4 from your original post (start 2 days earlier than you want) to increase your odds of getting all five nights in a three bedroom at Kingsland

Good Luck

alwysonvac said:

I did a search by month for Waikoloa and noticed so far there are no full weeks available in a 3 bedroom @ Kingsland for all of 2014

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As of today, the following availability (5 days or more) for a 3BR at Kings' Land in 2014 is showing on Revolution:

01/11 - 01/16
01/23 - 02/01
08/25 - 09/04

I currently have 2 "placeholder" 3 day reservations for 3 BR units at Kings Land. I have been moving them out a day each day until I get to my check in date. Then I will extend each to 8 nights. I use Revolution and have had minimal issues. Chrome works better with the site and Revolution (in terms of loading time) than IE.

I'm not following this

I don't understand how reserving 3 days allows you to move the days up or back. What if those days are not available when you try to reserve originally. Then how do they become available just by moving them on a daily basis?

joelisac said:

I don't understand how reserving 3 days allows you to move the days up or back. What if those days are not available when you try to reserve originally. Then how do they become available just by moving them on a daily basis?

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Example:

As of today (12/16/2013) the Club reservation window extends to 09/18/2014, so the latest possible 3-day reservation I can make will have a check-in date of 09/15/2014 and a check-out date of 09/18/2014.

Tomorrow (12/17/2013) the Club reservation window will have advanced one day to 09/19/2014. If there's availability and I act quickly, I can add 09/19/2014 to my reservation, making it a 4-day. Or I can try to shift the 3-day reservation so that the new check-in date is 09/16/2014 with check-out on 09/19/2014.

On 12/18/2013, I can add 09/20/2014 (if available) to my reservation or try shifting one day forward again.

OK, today is Dec 16. Say I want Sept 16-23, just over 9 months away. If I wait to reserve the entire week, I have to wait until Dec 23 to do it -- 9 months from the checkout day. But instead, I can just reserve the first 3 days, Sept 16-19, by only waiting until Dec 19. Then on Dec 20 I can extend it to Sept 16-20, on Dec 21 I can extend it to Sept 16-21, etc.

An even more aggressive approach would be to first reserve Sept 13-16, which I can do now, on Dec 16. Tomorrow I can change it to Sept 14-17, and the next day I can move it to Sept 15-18, etc. Then I can extend day-by-day as above.

Kinda silly games to play, but those are the rules. And some properties are so popular that you need to play those games.

HTH,
Bob

ETA - it looks like HatTrick and I crossed paths - and he was quicker!

OK, got it. Thanks.

Speaking of a hard-to-get week...

Currently, there's a 1BR-Plus unit at HHV Lagoon Tower available for up to 9 nights, beginning Saturday, May 17.

By the way, how does it work for Open Season reservations? If you need a week at Lagoon or GW, can you make an Open Season reservation for 2 days, then extend it? Or are you required to make separate Open Season reservations? In which case, you might make 3 separate reservations to get a week.

My company is sending me to HHV for a week in late Feb, and they're paying for the hotel room. But right now, the Grand Waikikian is showing available for 2BR units for that time (no 1BRs for the whole week). Since it's still less than the cost of the hotel room, I'm sure they'd go for paying for the 2BR; and it would be cushy digs for a work week. Of course, they'll probably be gone before the 30 day window...

-Bob

Blues said:

Of course, they'll probably be gone before the 30 day window...

Click to expand...

I often see random days in open season for both GW and Lagoon. I don't think if they will combine open season to extend a longer stay or if you will have several reservations.

Blues said:

By the way, how does it work for Open Season reservations? If you need a week at Lagoon or GW, can you make an Open Season reservation for 2 days, then extend it? Or are you required to make separate Open Season reservations? In which case, you might make 3 separate reservations to get a week.

My company is sending me to HHV for a week in late Feb, and they're paying for the hotel room. But right now, the Grand Waikikian is showing available for 2BR units for that time (no 1BRs for the whole week). Since it's still less than the cost of the hotel room, I'm sure they'd go for paying for the 2BR; and it would be cushy digs for a work week. Of course, they'll probably be gone before the 30 day window...

-Bob

Click to expand...

2 days is just the minimum Bob, you can book as many nights as you want that are available. If it's different units you can call in for them to combine.


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SmithOp said:

2 days is just the minimum Bob, you can book as many nights as you want that are available.

Click to expand...

True. But the issue is that if I wait until 30 days before the checkout day of a 7 day rental, it's likely that the first few days will already be gone. So I'm asking about the equivalent of the Club Season trick of reserving a few days and then extending.

-Bob

Blues said:

But the issue is that if I wait until 30 days before the checkout day of a 7 day rental, it's likely that the first few days will already be gone. So I'm asking about the equivalent of the Club Season trick of reserving a few days and then extending.

Click to expand...

I've never done it, but it seems logical that if you make a 2-day reservation when the Open Season window, er, opens, you can extend it one day at a time if there's availability.

Blues said:

True. But the issue is that if I wait until 30 days before the checkout day of a 7 day rental, it's likely that the first few days will already be gone. So I'm asking about the equivalent of the Club Season trick of reserving a few days and then extending.

-Bob

Click to expand...

Sorry, misunderstood where you were going with this.

The answer is in the Club Rules Book, Open Season is not changeable.

Changeable Option. A changeable option is offered for all Home Resort and Club reservations using ClubPoints which allows reservation modification by date (travel must be completed during the same calendar year), unit size or type, location or duration, without incurring additional transaction fees.

Within 30 days prior to arrival, no changes can be made and the standard cancellation policy applies.

All Home Resort and Club reservations booked online using ClubPoints at hgvclub.com automatically receive changeable option status and subsequent changes must be made online. If a resort does not have online reservation capability, the changeable option is only available by telephone. When making a reservation via telephone, you have the option of securing a changeable reservation by paying the applicable changeable reservation fee (see the Club Fee Schedule). Bonus Points may not be used for changeable reservations.


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