When to make a room request?

[TheLittleKatie]

Hello,

We want to request a high floor for our January 2024 Copper Creek stay. We might even try to request a specific room if that's something people do. (The only option on the "room request" drop down list on MDE is "near transportation").

When is the optimum time to send a request, so that it's most likely to be granted? I don't want to send it too soon and it gets set aside and forgotten, but I don't want to leave it too late and the room has already been assigned.

When do you usually send your room requests, and how successful have they been? Do you request specific rooms?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PalmettoPath]

I always do very specific room requests and I have always done them by phone. The CMs sometimes help to reword requests to their lingo, for ones I may not have made before. We have a fairly good success rate with these. For example, at VGF where we go every March, we have got the exact same room five times in a row and the one before that, it was the same room but one floor down. So we have very good success -- I would say 80% overall -- not always for the exact room of course, but I find that they do their best to get you as close to that room or request type as possible even if it's not perfect. Usually that is a win for us.

I also never do online check-in because I like to ask at the front desk if we got our room request. They won't tell you the room number, but they will say yes or no or close. If it's a no, I have also had really good success with the front desk person working some magic to get our original request (or very close to it). I count that in our 80% success rate.

So all in all, I find that room requests are well worth making if you care about that sort of thing (I know some people don't). It's not perfect, but it's better for us than no request at all.

 

[Sandisw]

While we no longer request, because we want to get a room as soon as possible, i never found a difference in when I requested.

I did always make sure it was in 2 weeks in advance since we have heard rooms can be preassogned as early as that.

But, we were hit or miss with requests because they are not guaranteed and they do not use priority to grant based on when added to the notes.

The drawback with requesting a specific room is that they don’t know what you might want if that room isn’t available. General ones’ like high floor do increase your changes.

 

[PalmettoPath]

While we no longer request, because we want to get a room as soon as possible, i never found a difference in when I requested.

I did always make sure it was in 2 weeks in advance since we have heard rooms can be preassogned as early as that.

But, we were hit or miss with requests because they are not guaranteed and they do not use priority to grant based on when added to the notes.

The drawback with requesting a specific room is that they don’t know what you might want if that room isn’t available. General ones’ like high floor do increase your changes.

That's a good point. The timing of the request (as long as it's at least a couple of weeks in advance) hasn't proven to make a difference for us. I like to do it in advance just so that it's done. Also, my requests typically include both a specific and then a general component to them, which has helped us a lot to get close to our request if it's not exact.

 

[han22735]

We typically put the room request in right away and do it by chat. I'd start with your #1 priority. For my wife it's upper floor, then location. Ex..upper floor, "X" building, near pool.

 

[Stargazer65]

Two years ago I started doing it by email about a month beforehand. I get an email response and they send it to the front desk. I usually try to be as clear as possible in the wording what I desire. I don't usually ask for a specific room since they might not know what to use as a backup, but rather tell them what I want, for example a Lake View room at BLT: North wing, outer wall facing the MK is my primary request, highest floor available for my primary request is next most important. I've gotten good results.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Two years ago I started doing it by email about a month beforehand. I get an email response and they send it to the front desk. I usually try to be as clear as possible in the wording what I desire. I don't usually ask for a specific room since they might not know what to use as a backup, but rather tell them what I want, for example a Lake View room at BLT: North wing, outer wall facing the MK is my primary request, highest floor available for my primary request is next most important. I've gotten good results.

Who do you email? Is there a specific email for each resort? Thanks!

 

[CarolynFH]

Who do you email? Is there a specific email for each resort? Thanks!

Use the email link on the member website under Contact Us. Or chat. Either way you get a record you can save.

 

[Stargazer65]

Who do you email? Is there a specific email for each resort? Thanks!

What @CarolynFH said, that'swhat I do:

Use the email link on the member website under Contact Us. Or chat. Either way you get a record you can save.

 

[Suzabella]

We have never put in a request until our last 2 trips because we had purchased help planning and they do room requests are part of their package. We got all but one of our 5 requests.

They send their requests at 30 days out and directly to the hotel.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

What @CarolynFH said, that'swhat I do:

Great thanks everyone!