sydneyflyer12

Not 100% sure if you're referring to GV availability or upgrade availability so I'll answer both:
GV availability is hit or miss. The hotel is definitely finicky about releasing award availability and it doesn't help that there are only 4 GVs on the island. Availability is very much YMMV.
Upgrade availability is not an issue unless you wait until your stay and the hotel happens to be sold out. Just email them when you make your reservation. Standard upgrade rates during high season are $369 for OWV and $492 for SOWV. Note that all upgrades must be paid in full up front and are non-refundable.

Lookoutitzsean

rp88

I think that's too much. I paid 540 with 5th night free recently.

Dn10

Before the recent price increase? For the peak season (March 2020)? Agree that that is a lot of points and almost ridiculous, but it was what my ambassador quoted last week. Will it go down or am I stuck booking it?

She also quoted the W which was 840k or something just marginally cheaper.

rp88

It was 540k for me this May. I booked after the price increase. Maybe it's different in peak season 2020? No idea

Dn10

That's crazy? For an overwater villa?

sydneyflyer12

In my experience, OWV points rates are highly variable. Since the price increase I've seen rates as low as 120k/nt and as high as 190k/nt. It's important to note that the 5th night free generally only applies to the base pts (85k/nt) and not to the GV->OWV upgrade pts cost.

I would imagine you're much more likely to see the higher rates during peak season and the lower rates during low season although I wouldn't take that as a hard and fast rule. In the past, I've seen the exact same nights pricing out at different rates when checked over the course of a couple weeks so it's always possible the rate for the nights you're looking at could change.

rp88

Yup!!! 540k!
It's pricing out as 125k/night for an OWV.
125 x 4 nights = 500
5th night is free but you have to pay 40k for the upgrade from GV to OWV which is 40k
Thus the total is 540k


BTW if you look right now for lots of dates this May, you'll see the 125k/night price for an OWV.
I think the problem is you're going in peak season. If you could change your dates you may save lots of points!

Dn10

Thank you! Guess it comes down to saving almost half of the points to have a slightly higher chance of rain. Might not be a bad tradeoff.

Also wondering if new JW will be better priced perhaps.

escape4

I am confused, if 125k per night is the cost for an OWV not a GV, why do you need to add on another 40k to upgrade from GV to OWV?

Or did you mean 125k is for GV (not OWV), times 4 is 500k, then add 40k for upgrade GV to OWV?

sydneyflyer12

GV is 85k, upgrade to OWV is an additional 40k (in this case, can vary). However, the 5th night free policy only applies to the base rate so you still have to pay for the upgrade on the 5th night.
Effectively you're paying (85k*4)+(40k*5)=540k

escape4

Oh I see! Now I follow the math, thanks

sydneyflyer12

Yeah it's not immediately obvious and isn't helped by the fact that the OWV points rate varies quite a lot.

calvinoeh

From the hotel:

Dear Mr. XXX,



Sunny Greetings from The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort!



Thank you very much for your email.



We regret to inform you that the resort policies have now changed and the maximum occupancy for a Garden Villa with Pool is fixed at 2 persons. We are unable to accommodate your family of 4 in a Garden Villa with Pool. The only option is to upgrade to a higher category that can accommodate your family.



Furthermore, please be advised that we do provide complimentary upgrades in appreciation for the loyalty from time to time. However, these upgrades cannot be guaranteed in advance and is only confirmed at the time of check-in. Therefore, the only way to guarantee an upgrade is with a paid upgrade as offered in our previous email.



Trust the above information proves helpful and we remain at your disposal for any further assistance that you may require.

meehgz

Emphasis my own - shouldn't they be honoring the terms under which you booked (assuming you booked under terms that stated max occupancy was higher)?