Sheraton Vistana Villages Heads up

[HeatherC]

Just a heads up that check in is a nightmare. We madereservations last March of 2022 for this February.

We arrived today and we’re told along with everyone else trying to check in that no rooms are ready and they don’t know when they will be. What the heck?

This is unacceptable and they could care less that people have had long travel days etc.

If they don’t have the staffing then they need to not book rooms. We have no idea when we will get one. Nor does anyone else.

This is just so aggravating because we just came from Bonmet Creek and had an awesome experience. We are Marriott members and will not be staying here again and would not recommend it.

We understand things happen but in looking on TripAdvisor this is a common occurrence so it leads me to believe they don’t care to fix it.

So heads up. There are plenty of other places to stay.

 

[bankr63]

Sorry to hear about that. I would suggest a little latitude because COVID is still a thing and staff are hard to find. But yes, Marriott seems pretty determined to run the Sheraton brand into the ground. Too bad, they bought a competing premium brand with a very different audience and vibe and instead of trying to leverage that for added profit, they seem more determined to try to drive the Sheraton faithful over to Marriott. This is one owner who will certainly not be moving over to Marriott, but is seriously considering exiting Sheraton under Marriott.

 

[HeatherC]

Sorry to hear about that. I would suggest a little latitude because COVID is still a thing and staff are hard to find. But yes, Marriott seems pretty determined to run the Sheraton brand into the ground. Too bad, they bought a competing premium brand with a very different audience and vibe and instead of trying to leverage that for added profit, they seem more determined to try to drive the Sheraton faithful over to Marriott. This is one owner who will certainly not be moving over to Marriott, but is seriously considering exiting Sheraton under Marriott.

Thanks for the reply! Little update. After three hours waiting we were given a room that has not been renovated at all. I am a bit upset because I booked it last March and called to make sure we could request a renovated room. They said absolutely no problem and promised to put that note in our reservation. I then called last week again to double check and they also said absolutely, no problem. “We will have a renovated villa waiting for you.” Well today, they had none waiting and we were then placed in an old unrenovated one.

To be clear, I know a request is just a request. But after a couple calls confirming we would get a renovated unit and then have them say tough luck, kinda stinks.

Another thing is that after waiting three hours for a room, we get the text to pick up our keys. But then they make you wait in line all over again at check in. People were quite upset as they should be. We were already pre checked in. They could have had a separate desk where you picked up keys. The people working the timeshare desks told us it happens all the time and is ridiculous. They even said to complain to the manager and Marriott. So when I hear that from employees, I think the resort is not being running very good.

This certainly doesn’t ruin our vacation, but I do think it is valid for others to be aware of this. And like I said before, there are just so many other nice places to stay which may deserve your dollars more.

 

[mikehn]

That is total bs. Companies are quick to take your money, whether they can deliver or not. I've noticed this a lot lately

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

We were considering a stay at Vistana Villages (because we love Vistana Resort) and after reading this, we will pass. Thanks for the information!

 

[bfost87]

You didn't mention what time you arrived at the hotel?

 

[HeatherC]

You didn't mention what time you arrived at the hotel?

A few minutes before 4 which is check in time.

 

[Upatnoon]

A few minutes before 4 which is check in time.

You picked what is in my experience the worst possible time to check in to any timeshare. I try to avoid "check in time" as much as possible.

 

[Maliki2]

Just a heads up that check in is a nightmare. We madereservations last March of 2022 for this February.

We arrived today and we’re told along with everyone else trying to check in that no rooms are ready and they don’t know when they will be. What the heck?

This is unacceptable and they could care less that people have had long travel days etc.

If they don’t have the staffing then they need to not book rooms. We have no idea when we will get one. Nor does anyone else.

This is just so aggravating because we just came from Bonmet Creek and had an awesome experience. We are Marriott members and will not be staying here again and would not recommend it.

We understand things happen but in looking on TripAdvisor this is a common occurrence so it leads me to believe they don’t care to fix it.

So heads up. There are plenty of other places to stay.

It's not just local resorts. We booked Bay Lake Tower at Disney and the room was about 2 hours after they said it would be ready. It is happening all over.

 

[HeatherC]

You picked what is in my experience the worst possible time to check in to any timeshare. I try to avoid "check in time" as much as possible.

We travel all the time and have been visiting Orlando for years. Check in was 4pm….they should have rooms ready. I am paying to stay from 4pm on…simple as that. Like I said, I understand things happen. It appears it happens quite frequently here. And I should also mention that we saw the exact same thing happening two days later when we happened to be walking through the lobby around 5pm and it was full with people complaining about having to wait for rooms. So obviously not a one time thing. I do think it is ok to make people aware that they may encounter this issue.

 

[Upatnoon]

A few years ago, this issue was simply a big crowd of people all showing up at check-in time and not enough workers to process them all. Some of these timeshare resorts will have perks like VIP check-in slightly earlier, so if someone shows up at 3:30 they were told to wait. All this made for some packed lobbies and lines.

Now, in addition to the 4 p.m. crush, you have the added issue of rooms not being ready because of a lack of staff to clean them. This issue has certainly become worse since the pandemic, but we suffered through some long waits even before then.

Obviously, the resorts should hire more staff and improve customer service, but sadly it has become something I expect now on check-in day and it happens at many resorts.