I don't like this new trend.
They must be selling at Riviera if they're going to continue to make them.
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News Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge (Project 89 - Development near Fort Wilderness)
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
They must be selling at Riviera if they're going to continue to make them.
Creathir
Premium Member
It wouldn’t surprise me.
Think of all of the RunDisney events or quick trips to the world’s largest rave each quarter in Epcot.
Many adult couples who just need a small bedroom for their stay are over purchasing room wise for a studio.
Why not shrink the space by 1/3 and double the potential revenue? I can easily see the bean counters pushing for this, particularly if like you said, the demand truly is there.
Lensman
Well-Known Member
It's a bit of a different situation, but I often feel this way when traveling on business. I either get a King size bed or two queens. Both are pointless since I'm traveling alone, as is the sitting area and the desk for that matter. I'd rather pay less but usually, the only way to pay less is to get that same size room in a crappier hotel.
That said, I'm a bit suspicious of the point level. I not convinced that DVD is passing along enough of the savings to buyers.
note2001
Well-Known Member
That (in blue) is exactly why I don't like this.
IMHO this is a stunt unworthy of a Disney looking to promote a premium brand and experience.
cosmicgirl
Well-Known Member
I can see the demand for 2-person units. When there are just 2 of us travelling we'd be happy to trade off some space for a longer stay or a nicer resort. However, my gut is telling me people may be buying points for these units only to find out later that they're near impossible to book.
Dr.GrantSeeker
Well-Known Member
I don't like this new trend.
Are these really any different than the garden cottage rooms at the Boardwalk? I know the cottage rooms are a bit bigger but you can only have two people on the room reservation.
Lensman
Well-Known Member
Hmm. Does that mean that they should be allocating and building even more of them?
Looks like there are going to be 21 of these at Riviera if they're only going to be at in that turret structure, so 7% of the room count. How many garden cottage rooms are there at Boardwalk?
Dr.GrantSeeker
Well-Known Member
According to touringplans there are 14 of the cottage rooms at the Boardwalk.
cosmicgirl
Well-Known Member
Well, we are part of the riff raff who will bring cooties to the IG once the gondolas open, so we may not be the audience DVC aims to cater to...
We don't own, but have seriously looked into it and decided we had different priorities. Part of that decision was based on us not being interested in anything bigger than a studio and the need to book that 11 months out. Another part of the decision was the lack of 2 proper beds but they seem to be fixing that now with the murphy beds (which are super comfortable at Pop). Honestly, if you look at the demand for studios and the frustration you see online when owners can't get a studio I don't understand why they don't build more of them. I can see this being true for the 2-person studios, as well. With the exception of the Poly they seem to continuously build too many big units, 1BRs in particular.
I can understand from a business pov that they try to convince people to buy more points in a single contract with the bigger units but in the end the total number of points they can sell for a property would be the same (or even slightly more, right?) if it only had studios, or a much larger fraction of studios. The admin cost of having more owners would go up, but then at least they would genuinely be listening to their customers and meeting the demand.
Does anyone happen to know an estimated occupancy level of the cabins? Is there enough demand to justify their existence, or are they mainly point eaters which sit empty a lot of the time? Including them in Reflections (ugh) suggests there's a demand for them, but they could still just be something to show off during the tours which hardly anyone ever ends up booking.
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
That's not how DVC works though. They aren't selling specific rooms.
cosmicgirl
Well-Known Member
I'm sure @MisterPenguin means that the mini studios have been well received in the time that Riviera has been for sale, so that's why they're building more. If people are buying contracts of a size which matches a stay in a mini studio then they are buying with the intent of staying there. Hence, DVC can measure their popularity by looking at the number of contracts sold with that intent.
I'm sure you've seen the tool they use during the tour to determine how many points you should buy.
carolina_yankee
Well-Known Member
I don't like this new trend.
The Tower Studios are booking very quickly at Riviera, so they are proving to be very popular indeed.
As for the concerns of others, just because an efficiency-style studio is on offer doesn't mean the resort is cheapened, it just means there are more options for guests. There are still plenty of the more typical studios (quite nicely designed) with both standard and preferred views. I know many DVC folks who will gladly book a Tower Studio for a solo trip or for a park-intensive trip with a spouse. They are actually quite nicely designed.
Dirk
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
Are they booking because people like them? Or because people like spending the fewest amount of points possible to stay at the new resort?
carolina_yankee
Well-Known Member
Well, nobody has stayed in them yet, so at most they like the idea of them!
Following conversations on a major DVC board I help moderate, I think the attraction is for low-cost nice studios. People are always looking for ways to extend their points. As studio points go up in higher end places or across the board in attempts to re-direct demand, a low cost option will always be popular.
There is also a segment of solos and couples that has no interest in sleeping 4 and doesn’t need much space but wants deluxe accommodations. Personally, I think these Tower Studios are beautifully designed. If the bed is comfortable and easy to manage and the basics are there (fridge, coffee, etc.), people will go for them.
I do like to hang out so I’m not sure it would work for my husband and me, but I’d do it on a solo trip.
If they include them in Reflections, they will surely be nice and also popular. Question will be whether or not Disney increases the percentage of them.
Dirk
Lensman
Well-Known Member
I'm not quite sure why hanging out doesn't work in the tower studios? I was going to write that I think they are better for hanging out because it's kind of like having a one-bedroom hotel suite (not a DVC villa because it lacks a kitchen), in a "Transformers" kind of way because during the day, you can transform it into a living room.
One thing I don't like about hotel rooms even when they have a couch is that the bed is ever-present and reminds me that I'm in a hotel room.
prberk
Well-Known Member
I always loved the Murphy beds in the Fort Wilderness cabins. It disappears into the wall! An old-fashioned (even "I Love Lucy" had a vacation with a Murphy bed) but very, very practical approach. The living room becomes a bedroom -- and along the way, the theming is not compromised.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
Those Murphy beds were removed during the last refurb.
prberk
Well-Known Member
Were they really? That was a great feature. Are you sure that all of them were removed?