Official APH Rate Info for Universal Loews Hotel Properties

[NicoleLarson]

I just feel like something weird is going on with UO right now. Theres not 1, not 1 single suite available at PBR for Feb. 25-27. I just have a very hard time believing that. Really?! Not 1, it seems like those are always available with an AP discount but they're suddenly all booked at rack rate?

 

[hmcater]

I just feel like something weird is going on with UO right now. Theres not 1, not 1 single suite available at PBR for Feb. 25-27. I just have a very hard time believing that. Really?! Not 1, it seems like those are always available with an AP discount but they're suddenly all booked at rack rate?

Someone mentioned on the date and rate thread (but it was deleted) that they called reservations and they told her that they are very behind with releasing AP rates due to a lack of staff to handle that and all the changes and cancellations going on right now.

 

[weather_lady]

Someone mentioned on the date and rate thread (but it was deleted) that they called reservations and they told her that they are very behind with releasing AP rates due to a lack of staff to handle that and all the changes and cancellations going on right now.

Yes - that was me. And I confess, I'm not totally buying what they told me. I can understand a little bit of delay, but how can they be this far behind? I see no excuse for the tardy APH rates, except as a money grab to ensure that a greater number of rooms get booked for full price -- and simultaneously cheating passholders out of one of the best benefits of their membership. I realize that APH rates are never guaranteed, but the total failure to release APH rates even as inventory disappears -- for dates just 6 weeks away -- is a sea change from our prior experiences as passholders. If this is the new normal, we'll never renew again.

 

[LaDonna]

I just feel like something weird is going on with UO right now. Theres not 1, not 1 single suite available at PBR for Feb. 25-27. I just have a very hard time believing that. Really?! Not 1, it seems like those are always available with an AP discount but they're suddenly all booked at rack rate?

My exact thoughts

I’ve also heard a couple of people say they called and theyve said to keep checking every day……a small ray of hope

 

[mamapenguin]

I’ve been looking for mid-March dates. I held off booking until an AP discount came out, but now it looks like they increased the rates for all of the hotels for the week I need. Hoping that doesn’t mean they won’t offer an AP discount.

I agree, that was quite a jump yesterday for the Premiere hotels. I will likely stay at Sapphire for SB and just use our after 4 express. I had HRH at $488 a night for 5 nights and I decided that was too much. Now rack rate at RPR jumped from $486 for 6 nights, to $601…. My dates are end of March.

 

[keishashadow]

I just feel like something weird is going on with UO right now. Theres not 1, not 1 single suite available at PBR for Feb. 25-27. I just have a very hard time believing that. Really?! Not 1, it seems like those are always available with an AP discount but they're suddenly all booked at rack rate?

No mystery. Quick google shows a large conference there.

Unsold room blocks/inventory typically released 6-4 weeks out

 

[hmcater]

Yes - that was me. And I confess, I'm not totally buying what they told me. I can understand a little bit of delay, but how can they be this far behind? I see no excuse for the tardy APH rates, except as a money grab to ensure that a greater number of rooms get booked for full price.

I can see how they may be behind. I think them changing the mask policy affected them more than they expected. I’ve seen a ton of people say they are canceling their vacations due to it. Just a thought….I say more room for me! LOL

 

[weather_lady]

I can see how they may be behind. I think them changing the mask policy affected them more than they expected. I’ve seen a ton of people say they are canceling their vacations due to it. Just a thought….I say more room for me! LOL

I see your point, but I'm not personally convinced that there really have been that many cancellations. To the contrary, there are currently _no_ premier hotel rooms available for a stay from 2/21-25, and haven't been for some time.

 

[keishashadow]

Honestly, don’t find it unusual at all that rack rates took a bump.

they’ve obviously garnered enough reservations to feel confident as to ‘challenging the market’. If people don’t bite, they’ll revert or offer promos

JMHO, the rates for the deluxe properties are now veering in line with the less expensive WDW deluxe resorts, if not the mods. Just looked at the WDW APH rates thru July & SMH at prices & availability. We are talking $200 night for standard values & WL courtyard room over $600 a night for dates I checked

if there is no need to discount the rooms, they won’t; period

 

[hmcater]

I see your point, but I'm not personally convinced that there really have been that many cancellations. To the contrary, there are currently _no_ premier hotel rooms available for a stay from 2/21-25, and haven't been for some time.

I have been checking 100 times a day and have seen 2 mornings this past week that showed rooms available at HR and RP during presidents week, not suites just regular rooms.

 

[weather_lady]

I have been checking 100 times a day and have seen 2 mornings this past week that showed rooms available at HR and RP during presidents week, not suites just regular rooms.

I think my post was unclear -- I was referring to consecutive nights. There are some scattered rooms available for a night here and there -- I've mainly been searching for 2/20-21, and 2/21-25, as those are the dates for which we have reservations. For 2/20-21, there are some standard or even king rooms available at the premium resorts, although none at any kind of discount rate, and as others have observed, the "seasonal" rates for those rooms were abruptly jacked up within the past week. For 2/21-25 (consecutive) however, there's been no rooms available at any premium resort -- meaning Universal has dithered so long (purposely or otherwise) that there are no longer any premium hotel rooms to offer at an APH rate for our dates.

 

[hmcater]

I think my post was unclear -- I was referring to consecutive nights. There are some scattered rooms available for a night here and there -- I've mainly been searching for 2/20-21, and 2/21-25, as those are the dates for which we have reservations. For 2/20-21, there are some standard or even king rooms available at the premium resorts, although none at any kind of discount rate, and as others have observed, the "seasonal" rates for those rooms were abruptly jacked up within the past week. For 2/21-25 (consecutive) however, there's been no rooms available at any premium resort -- meaning Universal has dithered so long (purposely or otherwise) that there are no longer any premium hotel rooms to offer at an APH rate for our dates.

No I do check for consecutive, my dates are 2/20-2/26. So these were consecutive but showing early in the morning around 6 am eastern time. There is actually a room showing right now for that week, at RP for a seasonal rate.

 

[weather_lady]

No I do check for consecutive, my dates are 2/20-2/26. So these were consecutive but showing early in the morning around 6 am eastern time. There is actually a room showing right now for that week, at RP for a seasonal rate.

It's gone now. But even if when a standard room at a premium resort is fleetingly available, I don't think that kind of "inventory" is enough that Universal will start offering such rooms with an APH discount.

My overarching point is that Universal has waited so long to release APH rates that there's not enough rooms to be offered at the premium hotels -- at the APH rate -- to amount to anything. Even if an offer for a single room pops up once or twice a day, that's a drop in the bucket compared to all the passholders who will be searching for a discounted room. The problem is particularly compounded for families like mine who can't stay in a single standard room, and either need a suite or two connecting standard rooms. Despite that, we've been visiting Universal for years and have never had any problem getting a suite or 2-room accommodation with a passholder discount, even when traveling during past vacation weeks like President's Day Week. Sometimes we had to switch hotels or do a split stay, but that was okay. This time around, it looks like the pickings will be slim-to-none. Given that our past hotel booking experiences as passholders were so positive, this is a bitter pill to swallow, particularly given that Universal doubled rates for that week to start with, and continues to jack them up. Hopefully I'll be proved totally wrong and it will turn out that Universal has kept back some inventory so it would have a few figurative crumbs to toss to passholders when it finally gets around to it, but I'm afraid my optimism is waning.

 

[trompettecon]

I can see how they may be behind. I think them changing the mask policy affected them more than they expected. I’ve seen a ton of people say they are canceling their vacations due to it. Just a thought….I say more room for me! LOL

Based on my FB groups I think the cancellations are more about having Covid than having to wear masks...

 

[NicoleLarson]

No mystery. Quick google shows a large conference there.

Unsold room blocks/inventory typically released 6-4 weeks out

Ah ha! Thank you, that does solve a bit of the mystery. Do you know what the conference is? I'm not finding anything. I did also notice that the double tree is sold out, which is also shocking. But I found the Hyatt place on priceline express deals for $90/night including tax. So its just weird whats available

 

[dez1978]

Idk, but I hadn't checked rates for my rooms in May for a couple of weeks. Its up a bit more now than last time. for a 4 night stay was 1610. Same room now is almost 2400. That seems crazy to me. Maybe in line with everywhere else, Idk. But dang... I can stay at the Hilton for around $500 lol. (yes I know Apples to oranges but still)

 

[LaDonna]

I ended up booking with Clarion suites to be on safe side if Ap rates don’t show up…….but then my husband found a great rate for Rosen inn closest to Universal so we got 7 nights for $550! canceled Clarion, but will definitely book on-site if rates come out

 

[keishashadow]

Even if an offer for a single room pops up once or twice a day, that's a drop in the bucket compared to all the passholders who will be searching for a discounted room.

Hate to say it, if AP rate rooms being released in limited number; perhaps they should pull that perk from the lower tier APs to lessen the pool of potential seekers

Ah ha! Thank you, that does solve a bit of the mystery. Do you know what the conference is?

Forget the name, didn’t ring any bells. Did cover nearly a week span if not longer

 

[n2mm]

I was looking to do a few days at US. Was shocked not to find any AP rates. Glad to see I’m not crazy. Was thinking any time in March or late April. Other than the website being slow I couldn’t find anything. Normally this isn’t the case. I’ll keep watching. I havent been in 2 years and everytime I try to put a trip together, life gets in the way.

 

[weather_lady]

Hate to say it, if AP rate rooms being released in limited number; perhaps they should pull that perk from the lower tier APs to lessen the pool of potential seekers

There's never been a problem with lack of APH inventory before -- at least, not that I've experienced, even when traveling during exactly the same holiday week 2 years ago. Universal created the scarcity this time around by failing to release APH rates within the usual 3-6 month timeframe, thus allowing resorts that would otherwise have been offering rooms at APH rates to become fully booked before a single APH rate was offered. In my [concededly limited, just 3-4 years] experience as a passholder, this is new. I just hope it's a one-time mistake, and not reflective of a change in policy/diminution of APH benefits.