We just returned from the HWV (stayed 1/27-2/2 on ALON as Gold). Our experience couldn't be more different from the OP. We requested a room in the Lagoon tower two weeks before our stay and again the day before (our 3 children were with us and the children's pools and activities are there). None available. Not one, not for the entire 6 days we were there. The first room we were assigned (Ocean Tower, 30 minutes to Lagoon Pool) featured dirty glasses, mold on the faucets, torn carpet and a dented, beat up refrigerator which appeared to have dried yogurt (or possibly cream cheese) smeared on the inside.
When we complained to the front desk, we were told that the room was scheduled to be remodeled that year (why tell me this???). The following day we were moved to a service road view room in the Palace Tower (no apology, just a curt message saying the room was ready and could only be held a short time).
I told the desk how disappointed we were in both the original room and the general treatment. Desk manager listened politely and did....nothing.
The public grounds at this hotel are very nice. I loved the hammocks located around the property. The lagoon is cool. The pools are nice (but certainly not as spectacular as I had imagined based on other reviews here a FlyerTalk).
But the service is almost uniformly motelish. For example, we saw extra rollaway beds standing by the elevators every day of our stay (one day there were 6 of them, but on every day there was at least one). Room service trays with congealed, half eaten food lined the halls for up to 24 hours (they were picked up once a day so a late breakfast tray would sit all day and all night until the next day's pick-up). The "Concierge" for our tower was often absent (once gone for the entire day, when I called the front desk for assistance, they said she "must have just stepped away" and suggested I wait. I later found out she was out sick and no one had replaced her). When we needed security to let us into our room we were told that he "was in the tower and would be there momentarily". Eventually, we gave up waiting and my husband went to the Ocean Tower to have a new key made while I waited in the hall with the kids. He was back with that key well before security arrived). The Trams run on no apparant schedule (we often boarded and waited 5-10 minutes for the tram to start moving, who knows why? Other times we waited for 15-20 minutes before giving up and walking) There were stands at some stops with the "wait time" to the next tram posted, but these times bore no relation to reality (it once said "2 minutes", after 15 minutes my husband gave up and carried our sleeping daughter, diaper bag and sundries back to the room on foot). There were no nice amenities (no robes, slippers, even the coffee and water we were supposed to receive as Gold never showed up).
Worst of all, there was no real response to complaints. We received the canned welcome message from the "assistant manager" asking us to call if he could be of assistance. When I called, I was put on hold indefinitely (I hung up after 11 minutes). The "perfect vacations" button on the phone was useless.
When our rental SUV was damaged at valet (by another guest pulling out, not by valet) and we spent a half day dealing with the reports/police/car replacement, the HWV could have cared less.
We emptied our HHonors account for this award. Based on our experience, we don't plan to accumulate more. Our experiences with Starwood awards have been vastly better (the Swan, Essex House, Moana Surfrider).