In recent months, Club Wyndham has made numerous changes to guest confirmations, restricted dates, and several other aspects of the Club Wyndham Program. Confused? You’ve come to the right place! Our team at KOALA has handled plenty of emails and phone calls from Club Wyndham owners asking about these changes. Many of them are pretty confused, and some have received conflicting answers from Club Wyndham Owner Care. As a Club Wyndham owner for more than 15 years, I understand (and empathize). So I put together this special handbook decoding the policy, including some of the recent changes. 

Here are the key points to know:

1. You May Be Entitled to Fewer Guest Confirmations Now 

The number of guest confirmations (aka guest certificates) you receive each year is based on your membership level. But a recent change in how Club Wyndham counts points may mean you now have fewer guest confirmations available than before. As you may recall, Club Wyndham officially separated developer and resale points in all owner accounts, and resale points do not qualify towards any VIP tier. The result was that many owners with “hybrid” ownerships dropped a VIP tier, and thus lost some of their free guest certificates. 

To see the updated membership tiers — and the number of guest confirmations allotted for each tier — click here. If you run out of guest confirmations, you can purchase additional ones online for $99 each. Please ensure you factor this into your costs when listing or fulfilling a reservation on KOALA, as all fees associated with a reservation are the host’s responsibility.

2. Everyone’s Use Year Remains the Same

Unlike points, the use year for all owners’ guest confirmations is the same. They reset on January 1st of each year and expire on December 31st. Your points may have a different use year.

3. Your Dates May Be Restricted

In June 2021, Wyndham began restricting reservation usage for guests for certain dates at certain resorts. Because this list changes often, we recommend checking the most updated restrictions before making any reservations you plan to rent on KOALA. (Note: make sure you check the entire list, as there are several blocks towards the bottom that aren’t in date order.) Does this mean you can’t send a guest to one of these resorts during these dates? Not necessarily. Here is a breakdown of rules surrounding these restricted dates:

• Two Restricted Guest Certificates Per Year: Each member (regardless of membership type) is able to use two guest confirmations per year for reservations that fall within restricted periods. (These two still count towards the total number of guest confirmations used; they are not two additional guest confirmations added to your account.)
• Automatic Cancellations: Once you have used two guest confirmations during restricted dates, other [guest] reservations will be automatically cancelled from your Wyndham account once you add a guest name during those restricted periods.
• Owner Travel: If you are traveling at the same time and to the same resort as a guest, the guest confirmation used should not count towards the two restricted guest confirmations. (Please note: KOALA only allows hosts to use two guest confirmations per year during restricted dates, even if you are traveling during the same time.)

4. Know When to Update a Guest Certificate

Because guest confirmations are more limited than in previous years, be careful not to waste any unnecessarily. Whether you create a listing on KOALA, fulfill a reservation request on our Hub, or use any other rental platform, be sure you consider the guest’s cancellation policy. On the Hub, for example, the policy is set to 16 days, so you don’t want to update the guest certificate until 16 days prior to check-in, in case the traveler cancels. For listings you’ve created yourself, simply adhere to the cancellation policy you set for that booking.

5. Know How To Deal With Overlapping Dates

If you have two reservations with overlapping dates (regardless of resort/location), the guest name on any additional reservations must be updated within 48 hours of making the reservation. Be sure to consider this when choosing reservations to fulfill on our Hub. 

This can be confusing, so here is an example: 

Let’s say you have one reservation under your name:

1. Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon, May 20-24, 2022

Now, you want to make a second:

2. Club Wyndham Nashville, May 22-25, 2022

Because this second reservation overlaps with the other reservation, it will get cancelled unless you change the guest name within 48 hours of making the reservation. Tip: If you have multiple owners on your Club Wyndham account, you can use different owner names for each reservation until you’re able to update the guest name. This ensures your reservations will not get cancelled.

Note: Wyndham recently updated their policies/system effective April 13, 2022, cancelling overlapping reservations without notice to owners. (Previously owners could have two overlapped reservations under the same name.) Be sure to check your reservations to see if you were affected by this latest update!

6. Guest Confirmations Are Non-Refundable 

Guest confirmations are non-refundable and cannot be modified without using another one. Make sure you spell the guest name correctly, and again, don’t change the name until the guest is out of the cancellation period! (To reiterate: The Hub cancellation policies are always 16 days. So owners fulfilling on the Hub won’t update the guest certificate until 16 days in advance of check-in.)

Still have questions? Please email us or call us at 1(833)-562-5226. We are always happy to help!