Main areas of interest from Member’s Meeting

[YorkshireT]

Ok so I just watched the whole thing now, here are the main areas of interest:

1. OKW refurb is lasting until 2019 after all. Rooms look similar to before after member feedback. Kitchen units look (are) the same. Will have new bathrooms, appliances, carpets, furniture. No details on bed situation- see below. See the photo in my other post today.
2. SSR refurb to commence 2018. Still in development so not much detail given. There will be a new concept of room developed, then test rooms built for people to stay in and feed back. Tom- I’d expect you to be requesting one of these and making your mark in what goes through to final design
3. Housekeeping- they know it needs sorting and are installing new management and processes, which they’ve apparently been trialling at BLT to good feedback. A new tech solution for quicker resolution of problems and maintenance will also be implemented.
4. Will be 2 soft and 2 firm pillows on each bed and mattresses and toppers are being replaced.
5. This drew some laughs- ‘ We WILL get the sofa beds right’. Commentary- We know what’s coming here I think, the Murphy sofas so widely praised on test. No mention of them though. Given the photo of OKW refurb and the lack of a Murphy there (then again it would block the windows there, maybe they still plan one for the studio), maybe they will also go with more standard sofas in some places- like the improved one Tom reported on. Speculation-I think we will see Saratoga with new Murphy sofas and maybe even Murphy TV units, which will make Saratoga very desirable if that happens there first.
6. WiFi is being upgraded.
7. The shampoos etc going to bigger bottles but not dispensers.
8. New paid for concierge type community hall with food etc, first one at Copper Creek.
9. More offers and discounts coming and a suggestion DVC will get more exclusive front row, soft opening invites etc.
10. Ken Potrock said what I’ve been saying for a long time, why do they do Moonlight Magic- Answer to sell more DVC! I admired his honesty. They get such good feedback, that they are having at least one a month, more to be announced.
11. Ability to amend reservations online. Commentary- Now this worries me as I reckon it will cause en mass walking of reservations, making it extra difficult to get reservations for non walkers. For those who don’t know, walking means booking, say, the week before you really want to travel, then ringing every day to cancel off the first day, and add on the last day. This means you get your 7 days booked up ahead of time, and inch your way towards your goal, blocking others out. This is quite widespread practise by those in the know with too much time on their hands. But many don’t bother as you have to call member services every day. However when these changes come in, people will just log on and click every morning and I anticipate we will see this as a widespread practise.
12. 300,000 visits to Epcot Lounge last year. No mention of what is in the future save they know members ‘love’ the lounge. Commentary - as the lounge is supplied by DVD, not DVC, just like the Moonlight Magic events to sell timeshare, whether they have another after the current one is levelled in the Epcot development, will depend entirely on how much it costs compared to how it helps sell new timeshares.

Think those were the main points.