caribbeansun

I've read varying things on this board about HCC and the properties.

Some comments like cheap patio furniture, small TV's and such - is HCC responsive such comments? Do they upgrade the furnishings, etc. if enough people complain?

I'm a bit surprised that they don't have a standard defined within the club for basic amenities ie. 42" plasma TV's in all locations, standardized audio systems, defined standards for furniture, bed size, mattress type, etc. None of these are big ticket items so I would have thought they'd be a standard package.

Bourne

Here are some responses...

1. The patio furniture is being replaced.
2. NYC Condo got repainted because of feedback from this forum.

The economies of scale that come from standardization defined by you requires a lot more homes to make sense. IMHO, Exclusive Resorts is the only DC out there that may have implemented this. On the flip side, it's competitors take shots at them stating that ER homes can be "cookie cutter"

TarheelTraveler

I do think standardization has its benefits. Personally, I don't want the same furniture/decorations in every house across the porfolio, because they ought to vary IMHO based on the locations and have a local feel. However, I do like that every Crescendo (now A&K) house, for example, had the same supplies at every location (e.g., printer toner, batteries, post-its, first aid kit, kitchen supplies, etc.). The quality level of the furniture/decorations was standard across locations but the actual furniture/decorations varied based on the location. The houses always had Plasma or LCD TVs in every BR, for example, with DVD players, which we've liked, but A&K has added/is adding an improvement, which is the same universal remote across the board. It makes using the AV system much easier. I can't tell you how much time I spent trying to figure A/V systems out previously. I also definitely wasted plenty of on-site concierge time on the same.

I know the above is not about HCC, so moderators please feel free to move.

caribbeansun

I didn't mean to imply that the exact same furniture should be in every location but rather the quality should be comparable.

The audio/video can easily be standardized and as you say - same remote. My DW has a hard enough time with the one at home let alone a different one in each location - perhaps silly but...

pwrshift

I think there is room for standardization in quality of decor and furnishings, but because they are all different homes/condos there is a different 'look' to each of them. However, I don't like to think that some of them might have better appliances than another, or mattresses, seating, TV's, etc., and I guess that's where the standardization comes in.

Much as I like the upscale level of Starwood hotels, with the Sheraton brand you never know what each location will look like until you get there and some of them are a lot lower than others. Marriott, on the other hand, has much better 'branding' and if you check into a Courtyard you know pretty much what it will look like, same with Fairfield, Residence Inn, etc. JW Marriott differ a lot from each other, but the consistency is in quality of furnishings, service, restaurants, spas & pools, prime location, etc. Four Seasons are all different but in some ways similar.

DC's can learn about branding from the hotel chains IMO.

LTTravel

There is quite a bit of variability in all the homes in all the clubs. I think that HCC's homes probably vary from $550,000(Big Island Home) to $2.5 Million (Maui Home) (perhaps more if the Steamboat Springs home is rennovated) in value. Even in ER, I think the homes vary from $1.5 million to $5-6 Million in value(Scottsdale 3 BR vs Tuscany or the previous 4-Seasons home in Costa Rica). The homes in DHH probably vary from $1 million to $5-6 Million in value(Fiji home vs Beaver Creek). Also, in some areas and some countries, the audio visuals are very difficult to match. ER will have the same audio visual equipment in one location, but due to differences in availability in different countries, the setups are different.

LTTravel

I've seen alot of variability in Marriotts. Even if you look at TripAdvisor, or Mobil Guide or AAA ratings, there is significant variability.

pwrshift

There are actually 7 category levels at Marriott hotels (all brands) with Cat7 being the highest. There are not that many JW Marriott's in the roster (maybe 30 of the 2800?) and I've found them to be very consistent in quality and ratings. Some of the other Marriott brands do vary within the 7 category ranges -- some good, some not so good, but all definitely Marriott's including the Revive Bedding.

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/poin...ropertyList.mi

Steamboat Bill

I have had no MAJOR complaints about HCC.

It is hard to determine if the suggestions are being considered as I have not been back to the same property twice. My only complaints have been burned out light bulbs, occasional dust, occasional appliance did not work....nothing major.

The patio furniture issue, is limited to only one property and some locations have glass TVs rather than plasmas.

There is a review on this forum for the UE Elite home in Palm Beach FLorida that costs $6m that had glass TVs and a master bedroom with two "separate beds". I don't know if these have been fixed or not, but that was in a review several months ago.

Rather than focus on one or two isolated issues, it is better to see if there is a pattern of behavior and I believe all DCs (including HCC) is pretty responsive to their members.