MaldivesFreak

There isn't a lot of data for this particular situation but it's not unheard of. Usually this will happen if they overbook and since WVs are now available with points I guess your chances are a little higher, maybe in the order of a percentage point or two. Very difficult to say if it makes a difference that you have paid cash or not since if it did happen it would probably be down to overbooking. However if there were two guests that had the chance of being upgraded in such a fashion it would most certainly help if you were the one paying cash. There are other variables in the equation as well but that's the basics.
If you are quite keen on a SWV then my advice is to secure one with a paid upgrade; the rate is extremely reasonable from WV to SWV (see wiki for details).


+1

My recommendations are Mandhoo, Vilu & Sunset Grill. Don't miss those out.

_fly_

We had our 2nd stay on Rangali in March, again 5 nites with points. I contacted them beforehand and asked to move the last two nites of the reservation to Water Villa, because they had become available on points after we made our reservation. They agreed to this so we had 3 nites in Beach Villa and then 2 in overwater villa coming up.

When we arrived, to our great surprise they had upgraded us to a recently renovated Deluxe Beach Villa, which was awesome. And then it turned out for the last two nites we were given a Retreat Water Villa near the Overwater Spa. Needless to say, we were super happy.

So, upgrades do happen. I'm a Diamond.

MaldivesFreak

What card gets you the seaplane transfer comped? Is this something new?

Honestly, you will encounter the odd bout of subpar service now and then in every 5-star establishment but really, there's nothing to worry about. Most often it will be someone who hasn't worked there for long enough that you may find difficulties with. Just ask for an experienced server for your table and that will take care of that.

What a lot of folks don't realize is two things....well, probably three. 1) it's a Conrad so they're all trained very well, 2) the resort has been open 20 years and there are a lot of staff that have 15+ Year badges and really know their stuff and how to take care of guests, and 3) it's the Maldives. The local people are just like that anyway. You don't need to encourage them. They're not in the least bit lazy and they give it all on a consistent basis.
There are 2 golden rules here: You are already tipping everyone. Second, don't tip thinking it will get you anything extra or make the lazy bellboy suddenly jump up and be full of exhuberance and enthusiasm. That technique might be useful in some places around the world but it doesn't work like that there.

MaldivesFreak

This is a good example of them upgrading due to overbooking.

Willbur

The term was used very loosely. I wouldn't consider paying a $450 card annual fee and getting a $250 credit on Hilton bill as a "comped seaplane" but some might.

MaldivesFreak

Just a few updates to the wiki
* Upgrade rates. Now there is a section for 2019 rates
* One weather link was dead. Replaced with another, non-Maldivian-government website just in case theirs goes down or isn't reachable
* Added link to the New occupancy rules for BVs post. You can find it under 'Villa Types and Abbreviations used in this thread'
* And of course linked to the 'The Definitive Seaplane Transfer Information Post & FAQ' post under Seaplane Transfer Specifics'

** And added contingencies in case of bad weather to the 'Seaplane Transfer Information Post & FAQ' post's Q&A


And remember people, if you have any new update quotes from the resort's reservations department, especially for next year, don't forget to post them here and I'll add them to the wiki.
Cheers.

Majuki

There isn't one, but I was trying to make a joke on the available credit cards with travel credits, as Willbur pointed out. The motivation was that my original post about whether or not the food included with Diamond benefits was enough was met with a mild accusation that I was working on a travel blog post for one of those sites with 100 credit card affiliate links on each page. I was simply asking about restaurant recommendations and if any were worth going to more than others.

For the first part, is it because of the service charge? I always wonder at these places if the service charge makes its way back to the employees. I am always cynical that the management pockets the service charge. Also, when booking with points the service charge is zero. (It would be the same thing for the breakfast, afternoon tea, and happy hour I'd imagine?)

IvanCU

Regarding tipping, at a minimum I like to tip the person who makes up the room. I do this at the end of the stay by putting the cash under a bed pillow. I tended to tip elsewhere as well, especially for particularly good service, but that's just me.

MaldivesFreak

You can't be serious about Hilton LLC pocketing all the service charge?! Anyway, you can read my post a couple of months back about how much of the monthly salary it can make up.

As for redemption stays, there are between 20 and 30 villas booked on points at any time. But don't worry the resort still makes plenty of money! And don't forget that the people on points spend plenty on F&B, spas, excursions etc, probably more on average than folks there on cash stays.

gnomey

Thanks for the updated info on BV, MF.

Has anyone got more photos to share on the DBV (post renovation)? The last few photos we seen here... had looked a bit dingy. Decor quite different from BV

(Hoping to have a more positive impression)

_fly_

You might be right but I must say the resort did not seem that full when we were there. One reason for the lucky upgrades might have been that we were three ppl in one room, and they did their best to accommodate our daughter with some space of her own (in the overwater villa she had her own room, which was nice - they rearranged the massage "wing" for her). But that's just me taking a guess of course.

lhrhappy

No offense intended, just a joke that didn't land. I understand where you're coming from, and it's a good question. I went there as a diamond, and I found that breakfast, tea, and happy hour provided more than enough food. In fact, we usually skipped afternoon tea so that we would have room for dinner.

Majuki

No problem, and I appreciate the replies. I understand the location and inflated prices. I don't mind paying, but I've read some mixed reviews recently on this thread and other online forums.

I think we might do the following: Ithaa (maybe lunch), Mandhoo, Sunset, and Ufaa. We are there for six nights.

When the restaurant says smart casual, what does it mean in the context of a resort in the middle of the Indian Ocean?

lhrhappy

Expect the prices to be what you'd pay in Midtown Manhattan or Mayfair London. Maybe slightly higher. The quality is comparable, too, except maybe less extravagant and creative at the high end. A $300 fixed menu at a three-star restaurant in London will be more impressive than the $300 fixed menu at Ithaa.

It's pretty relaxed. I wore a lot of linen. No shoes unless you really want to wear them. They're not even allowed at Ithaa because they make too much noise. I wouldn't bother with a jacket either--too hot.

MaldivesFreak

That's the good thing about Rangali. Even when occupancy is near 100% you don't notice it, although if it was during the recent unrest then yes, occupancy would have been low and it would have been a ghost town.

Three in a room is commonplace. A good portion of rooms have an extra occupant. No reason at all to upgrade.

The thing is, low-end rooms are the first to go - both booked and overbooked - and that's because there's much more availability, especially for 2 & 3-night blocks, in the other categories once you combine them all. You were in both BV & WV, both available using points which makes it easy for them to free up nights (into blocks of 5) in those low-end room types for other guests who book on points using 5th Night Free. But there's an even higher probability they assigned another 5-night redemption booking to your original 5 BV nights (and consequently upgraded you) immediately after you contacted them and asked to move the last two nights of the reservation to a WV. That freed up a 5-night block in the BV that they originally assigned to you and so they could then give it to another 5th Night Free (or concurrent 5th Night Free) redemption booking.

So in effect you went from;
5N BV >>>> 3N DBV + 2N FWV
not
5N BV >>>> 3N BV + 2N WV >>>> 3N DBV + 2N FWV
i.e; upgraded only once, not twice as it appeared.


Same here.