Club Wyndham National Harbor — Hotel in Oxon Hill

1-Star Review: Great Place, But the Presentation Pressure Is Too Much

I want to start by saying that I absolutely love my timeshare and the people who work here. I’ve been coming here often, and I know many of the staff by name. Everyone has always been kind, and I’m not writing this to call anyone out individually. This review is not about people—it’s about a practice that doesn’t align with the values and mission this resort promotes: hospitality, respect, and relaxation.

Upon arrival yesterday I was surprised to find that the check-in process had changed. Rather than receiving my keys at the front desk, I was directed to a separate area where I was told I had to speak with the presentation team before getting my room key. I was immediately asked to sign up for a meeting. I kindly declined and explained that I had just visited three weeks ago, that I come often, and that I wasn’t interested in any meetings, promotions, or gifts.

Despite my clear “no,” I was questioned further. A supervisor was called over—someone I actually know and greet regularly. He respectfully explained that they get credit for signing people up, and I shared that I understood, but I’m not a new owner. I explained that I live here in the city and came simply for rest and recovery because I hadn’t been feeling well.

The young woman continued to press me, even after I said no multiple times. Then a third team member was brought over, who told me that since I was an P1 she would waive holding my card on file which is common to guarantee showing up to the meeting. I explained again I didn’t want to attend the meeting. At that point, I was overwhelmed. I just wanted my keys and to enjoy my stay. I ended up in tears and stepped outside with my daughter to regroup.

Eventually, I went back inside, and the general manager saw me and asked what was wrong. Once I explained everything, he immediately gave us our keys and had someone escort us upstairs. I appreciated his compassion, and again, I want to emphasize that the staff are wonderful individuals. My issue is not with them personally—but with a high-pressure process that feels coercive.

As an owner, I know there is no requirement in my contract to attend these presentations. And yet, my room key was held hostage because I declined. That doesn’t align with the values of respect and freedom that I expect as a loyal guest and owner.

This kind of pressure makes me question my decision to invest in a timeshare. It’s the only thing I regret. I even own a driving school and would love to recommend this resort to my students and their families, but I would never want them to go through what I experienced.

It would be far more respectful—and effective—to simply let owners opt in to presentations. A posted schedule of upcoming presentations we could sign up for at our own discretion would be a great solution. Give us the freedom to choose. Honestly, the pressure has gotten so intense that even if you offered me $1,000, I still wouldn’t attend a presentation right now. This is the only location where when I say no I’m continued to be pressured. I only experience this pressure at NH.

Wyndham’s Official Commitments: Wyndham publicly emphasizes a culture of hospitality, respect, and integrity toward its guests. The company’s mission and value statements highlight how every guest should be warmly welcomed, treated with respect, and never pressured. Wyndham even makes clear that attending any promotional or “owner update” meetings is entirely voluntary.

Wyndham’s own policies explicitly state that any timeshare presentation or “owners update” meeting is optional and up to the guest.

Wyndham even acknowledges that guests who have no interest in buying “may opt to not go through with the sales presentation In short, attending a sales talk should always be the guest’s choice, without coercion or withholding of hospitality services.

I love coming here and want to continue doing so for years to come—but I also want to feel respected, and not pressured, during what is supposed to be my...

Well, let's just say we waited for the private survey from the property before leaving this public review. We even called to remind the staff at member services to send over the survey they said we would receive and it was never sent. Also nobody followed up with us at our request. So here we are.

We booked the 4 bedroom presidential suite from Monday through Friday with the intention of exploring the DC area and the National Harbor.

We traveled in a 12 passenger van and looked ahead to find out that we would need to park off site at an adjacent lot which was $25 a day. Online it said that as long as the vehicle fit in a regular sized spot we were good. Unfortunately, they charged us for 2 spots despite the fact that we fit well within a regular spot. Parking came to $200 for the time we were there. This is at NO fault of Wyndham but we wanted to share that for others who may also travel the same way.

Upon arrival at the hotel there was staff outside directing vehicles. It was helpful because multiple vehicles were unloading at once. They directed us on where to go for the alternate parking since we could not clear the parking garage by a few inches. A gentleman came over to help us unload the van and brought our things into the lobby. Would have paid extra for the option to valet.

I checked in at the first desk and they charged us $250 incidental which is understandable but typically card info is held rather than a full on charge that's refunded later. This is where things began to take a turn. They didn't give us the key. We were directed to the member services desk. The woman asks for my card again and runs it for $60 and asks me what time I would like to meet with member services. I asked why and she said to discuss our membership. I told her that when we booked we weren't told we had to attend any sales presentations and that we had a tight schedule and I would have to rearrange the plans. I asked her 3 times if it was mandatory. Every time she said YES! She told us it was "required at this location". She put us down for a 60 minute meeting. only then did she provide our keys.

We went up to the suite and it was beautifully decorated and very very clean. Past stays at Wyndham locations had yielded rather disappointing accommodations from being shorted a bedroom to finding dirty underwear behind the furniture. The staff we met were always smiling and helpful. The hotel was recently renovated and done beautifully.

We go for the "required" sales presentation. We got to meet the sales person, Justin. He was kind, well dressed, well spoken and very hospitable. I'll bullet point the following interaction.

-Justin gave many options for ownership. -He went for his manager to assist us twice. Both times Mercedes showed up. No idea of she was a manager or not. She didn't behave like one. -Mercedes after getting on Justin for several minutes in front of us about his name tag turned on us. Highly unprofessional. -We explained that we could not move forward with ownership since our travel for the next 4 years would be to see our son at USAFA in Colorado. She aggressively tells us there is a Wyndham property in CO that would work. It was 3.5 HOURS away from the academy. -She said my energy was bad because I went to text our kids after 40 min. Told me she didn't like that I took a deep breath. I told her how unprofessional she was and she replies "take a breath". That was a problem a few minutes ago. -She tells us "this is MY house" and that we can't leave until the 60 minute meeting is over. -She asks why we bothered coming up there. We were told it was a "requirement". She says "you didn't read the fine print on your contract". throws her arms up and tells Justin to let us leave. -after this she walks back and forth behind us laughing saying "this woman is a problem" -staff apologized to us for her behavior

We both work in professions that serve the public. This was highly unprofessional and abhorrent behavior. We did not want to leave this review in this way but this must...

This was our first stay in National Harbor and at a Wyndham property. Up front: our stay was great — we enjoyed it. However, I would consider other hotels in the area if we stayed again — maybe splurge on the Gaylord — before I just came back here. That stated, I would definitely consider staying at another Wyndham property in the future.

Upon arriving, after a long wait to check-in that backed up traffic on the street, we were greeted by the friendly staff. Our bags were offloaded and brought to our room while we finished check-in. The check-in process did take much longer compared to the standard hotel check-in.

Then we got the unexpected sales pitch immediately after checking in. The person was very professional but we were caught off-guard. I would appreciate if they presented it as a sales presentation up front rather than skirting around it. Presenting it as though we were being gifted a favor felt deceitful. I would rather have been presented simply with the opportunity, the benefit, and let the property itself incentivize us with our experience.

Tips: At the time of our stay, parking is $20/night at the deck across the street. The Wyndham provided us a single ticket that we could use during our stay, allowing us to come/go freely without paying the hourly rates. Consider bringing groceries. There’s a CVS and a local grocery store but have limited stock and are a bit pricey.

Issues experienced:

1. The hot water on our jacuzzi tub was inoperable. This was reported but not resolved during our stay. We just used pans and transferred hot water from the sink. Wouldn’t have been a big deal except the kids REALLY appreciated the jacuzzi novelty.
2. The toilets in our unit would frequently, at random, gurgle violently (due to gas build-up in the pipes presumably) for extended periods of time. Caused a bit of anxiety….

General Pros/Cons: Pros: Cost of stay seemed reasonable. Fragrance of the resort was pleasant and inviting. Room was spacious, well constructed, and clean (spare the carpet upon further inspection). Wide hallways. Rooms were well stocked with towels (bath and pool), and dishes. Pool: kids will enjoy it. Temperature was right at both indoor and outdoor pools. Good mix of furniture. Activities: Beam room (kids LOVED it), foos ball, table tennis, pool table, outdoor connect-four Location, centrally in National Harbor, is great. Resort area was very clean. Friendly staff. Concierge brings bags to room on check-in. Despite $20/night, parking is directly across the street.

Opportunities for improvement: Check-in took WAY too long and cars were blocking the street. Longer pool hours would be nice. Activities are only available 8am - 8pm Pools are underwhelming (indoor and outdoor) for adults if you plan to swim (fine if you just want to lounge). Indoor hot tub was inoperable during our stay. Gym is underwhelming and small but has all the essentials. No bar/restaurant on establishment Room furnishings and appliances, while clean, are starting to wear out or are outdated. Carpet did not appear dirty but most certainly was; a good steam cleaning would help. Beam room (while being a hit with the kids) is perpetually on demo mode...being able to select a game would be nice. Amenities in general are just…a bit underwhelming — at least if you have kids. There's enough to fill time, but not stay at the resort. Maybe that was in the design. It's like a "lite" resort. There’s plenty to walk around and do. Stairs are way out of the way. Fortunately all the elevators worked during our stay but got very busy around check-out and check-in (as may be expected) $20/night for parking. Would be great if this could be factored into the stay, at least mentioned up front when reserving, or even better -- waived. (We were offered to have it waved if we attended the sales presentation, which we could not make due to the time...