Inside John's Locker

Brian and I heard it again yesterday in a conversation with Alex, our web developer: “You know, this business looks so simple….but your website is one of the more complicated sites I’ve ever worked with.” And I was talking with my old boss from my corporate stiff days who’s one of our investors a couple of days earlier. “John,” he said, “this is a VERY complicated business. I didn’t realize the complexity at first.”

Owner’s Locker does appear to be deceptively simple. We drop off your Locker; you enjoy having your stuff; we pick up your Locker and store it until you come back.

But let me tell you…when you pull back the curtain, you won’t find someone pulling levers as in the Wizard of Oz. It’s all high tech and we realize every day that it is very, very detailed and complicated. So intricate that we have a patent pending on our business process!

And the neat thing is that none of this shows. The whole point is that it SHOULD be easy for our Members. Drop dead easy, in fact. We are supposed to take some of the hassle out of vacations and make them more convenient. So everything our Members see is easy. Our site has to be simple to use and the Lockers…well they just need to be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there.

Owner’s Locker has two secret weapons behind our curtain: our website and our warehouse management system. The warehouse management system is our custom-designed barcode tracking software. Every time your Locker changes location, it’s movement is tracked by our scanners. It also organizes all of the data entered into our site by Members about their visits and tells us which Lockers need to where and on what day. It can even tell us which van to use and which resorts to visit in which order. And here’s my favorite function: when your Locker comes back into our warehouse, the systems measures its “velocity” and, if you have been coming a LOT, it tells us to store your Locker in a location toward the front of the warehouse so it will be easier to get to next time!

We are also very proud of our website which has been designed to make it easy for our members to use. Easy to sign up. Easy to schedule or change a Visit. The website collects all of the data you enter, shares it with our warehouse management system, charges you the appropriate amount and then communicates all of this to us and you. It’s the website that sends you all of the e-mails confirming your visits, letting you know your Locker is about to be delivered and when it has made it safely back to the warehouse.

The most complicated part of the site is something you’ll never see and that is the billing. With most e-commerce sites, you buy something, you get charged and that’s it. The Owner’s Locker site has three different types of charges to deal with (the one time Membership Fee, the recurring Annual Plan fee and the extra Visit fee. Add to that the multiple Locker discounts off the Membership Fee and the Visit fees.

The conversation Brian and I were having with Alex yesterday involved tweaks to the site to address Members who order additional Lockers. We realized that unless we did something, the Lockers would have different Anniversary Dates. Can you imagine asking our Members to try to remember that Locker 1 had a free delivery for the year starting June 15 and locker 2 had a free delivery for the year starting August 3. The obvious answer is to pro-rate the Annual Plan charge for the additional Locker so that they both have an Anniversary date of June 15. That makes it easy for the Member but it means quite a bit of behind the scenes programming on the site to make that happen automatically.

Another challenge for Alex but better that he has a tricky issue to program for than giving our members fits, don’t you think?

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The short answer to both of those questions is “no.”

A lot of people ask us how far in advance they need to sign up. Maybe they assume that there is some sort of 30 day deadline or something like that. That if they leave it until the last minute, they won’t be able to sign up for Owner’s Locker. Not true.

It won’t surprise you to learn that we want to make it easy for people to become Members of Owner’s Locker. If someone is on vacation, sees our van or someone carrying a Locker and thinks, “Gee, I need one of those,” we don’t want them to have to wait until their next trip to WDW.

So you can sign up for Owner’s Locker anytime---even if you’re already at your resort in Orlando and we’ll have your Locker to your resort the next day at the latest. We get a lot of calls from people while they are on vacation and I love signing people up over the phone from their room. My favorite story, though is the day I saw Brian flying out the door with an empty Locker saying he would explain later. He'd gotten a call from a Member who was in the parking lot of their resort about to head for the airport when they realized they needed another Locker pronto. Brian to the rescue.

It’s not just a quest for Members that’s involved here, though. The whole point behind Owner’s Locker is convenience and treating people the way WE would like to be treated.

When we were building our systems, Brian and I discussed the issue of deadlines and decided that we just wouldn’t have any. After all, we are dealing with people’s vacations. And we both hate that “gotcha” feeling you get when you wind up paying a penalty because a deadline was missed.

The issue really came up as we discussed what the cutoff time would be for scheduling and changing Visits. Should Members have to tell us ___ days in advance for us to have their Locker waiting for them? Well, we looked at each other and both said, “no.” That’s one of the reasons we use bar codes and have a highly sophisticated scheduling and tracking system. We think you should be able to tell us about a Visit any time—even if you’re already at your resort. And we feel that you should be able to modify your Visit at any time as well. Plans change, waitlists come through, people change resorts. And we didn’t think it was fair to charge people extra for last minute changes. We just pushed the developers to come up with a system to handle all of these possibilities.

And once we had this capability built for Visits, it was easy to use it for signing up as well. So sign up any time you want!

But are we sure that new Members don’t have to give us 30 days notice? Yes we are sure…..but I’ll tell you where that 30 days comes in…..and it will help me answer the second question about signing up. And that is that it is never too early to sign up.

While we want to be as convenient as possible to our Members, we also like to know as far in advance about when people are coming and, in particular, when people want to join. The first Visit is a lot of work for us as we have to build a new Locker and get it ready for the new Member’s first Visit. So we would prefer that new Members sign up as soon as they decide they want to use Owner’s Locker rather than waiting until the last minute.

But while we want to encourage people to sign up as early as possible, we don’t want to penalize you by making you pay for something months before you’ll see it. Again, we wanted to be fair. So, when you sign up, you will not be charged your Membership Fee until 30 days before you arrive for your first Visit. This way you can go ahead and sign up when you make your reservations or even before and not get charged. You can also use the site and use the online inventory function to list the things you are going to put in your Locker.

We think that’s a fair way to treat people. This is not a short term relationship we want to build! Just ask that family in the parking lot. Boy were they releived when Brian showed up with another Locker.

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, without trying to sound like Goldilocks, we hope your Locker is not too big (to carry); not too small (to hold your stuff); but just the right size (to hold what an average family would like to keep in their home away from home).

Actually, there was a lot of time and research that went into the decision to go with your Locker. On the outside with the lid on, its 24 inches long; 20 inches wide; and 14 inches high, by the way. And the inside dimensions are 22 inches long; 18 ½ inches wide; and 13 inches high.

The decision on length was largely determined by the distance between the shoulders on an average person, which is 24 inches. It is amazing that something just a little wider starts to become unwieldy. I honestly didn’t believe it, so I got several different sized containers and gave them a try. Something weird happens when your arms aren’t at a 90 degree angle to what you’re carrying. The wider the spread, the larger the angle and the more difficult it is to carry. I also found that I couldn’t carry as much weight if the length of what I was carrying was greater than 24 inches. And, I discovered the extreme knuckle discomfort of trying to carry a container much wider than 24 inches through a door. Trust me and don’t try it.

The width of the Locker was also driven by ergonomics. When you pick something up, it’s natural to grab the item by its longest side so the width needed to be less than 24 inches. And, as a container gets wider you have to carry it farther from your body and we’re back with the unwieldy issue. Also, if the width is not shorter than the length it will tend to tip over—either backward—or worse—forward. So that’s where the 20 inch width came from.

The decision on the height of the Locker was far less scientific but just as logical.
I thought the Locker needed to be tall enough for a bottle of champagne to fit in. I’m not kidding. Bottles of liquor tend to be easy to fit into a container but a champagne bottle is tricky because it’s taller.

Enter the weight factor. I feel very strongly that you ought to be able to carry a fully loaded Locker. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Brian and I have looked at each other more than once as we’re moving our Members’ Lockers in and out of the van and said “bricks don’t weigh this much.” But a normal person should be able to carry a normally full Locker. We really didn’t think it was fair to offer a product that you HAD to have a cart or bell services to transport for you. We tried loading up larger prototype Lockers and it would take two people to carry it.

So taking all of this into consideration we were comfortable going forward with the Locker whose dimensions are set out above.

But even though we had given it our best shot, Brian and I still worried a LOT about what Members might think of the size and concluded that the only real way we could find out if we had gotten it right was to let our Members decide. One of the benefits of our Beta Trial, where we had 100 volunteers test our service, was that we could try different things out on a relatively risk free basis and get feedback.

To be honest, we thought we might need to test different sizes of Lockers and we were ready to give some Trial Members different Lockers if size became an issue in the feedback.

But the comments about the size and capacity of our Locker were extremely favorable and we decided that our best shot had been a winner. Here are some of the comments from our Trial members:

Rob L. “The box is bigger than we expected…”

Kathy W. “It’s AWESOME…the Locker is huge.”

Carol A. “It’s bigger than I realized…”

Sabin E. “WOW, I was expecting a smallish recycle box, not a large box…”

Gary H. “The box was bigger than I thought it would be…”

Laura J. “I was very happy with the size of the Locker

Sue P. “It exceeded our expectations of what we could fit in it…”

Debbie A. “I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the Locker…”

And, to be honest, we now realize that we have come up with just about the maximum size for a Locker. Our Members have been utilizing them so efficiently, that they would simply be too heavy for them, us and Bell Services if they were any bigger.

And, one final note. Early on, we planned to have a custom Locker manufactured (at a rather large expense) because we worried that the Locker we used in the Beta Trial might look too “industrial.” We even showed a computer rendering of our “future Locker” to our Beta Trial Members. But it didn’t attract much attention at all. And once we launched and had the Lockers made in our custom purple, the need for a future locker just faded away. Gotta listen to your customers!

Posted by JDVM at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know, there really isn’t a day that goes by that Brian and I don’t look at each other at least once and say “I never thought of that.”

What’s great about Owner’s Locker is that it’s SO personal.

Which is really what we’re all about. We help people make their time here they way THEY like it. And that’s different for each of us. We’re amazed (and impressed) at the things our members say makes them feel more “at home” while they’re here. Special champagne glasses, fitted sheets, a vase for flowers, a game console for the kids.

And, speaking of champagne glasses, we recently got the sweetest note from one of our Members, Sue Ploski. She and her husband have been using Owner’s Locker for themselves but they gave it a special twist earlier this month. Their son Kevin was getting married and part of their wedding gift for the couple was a honeymoon at the Beach Club Villas at Disney World.

AND, Sue cooked up a special surprise for her son and his new bride, Krista. When she and her husband were here earlier in the year, they loaded up their Locker with special wedding treats including a bottle of champagne—and yes, some special champagne toasting glasses!

Voila—our first Wedding Locker!

She had a special “Just Married” Christmas ornament made with their wedding date and also included some bath bombs for the Jacuzzi, some gifts cards for special dinners and, of course bride the groom Mickey ears Kevin and Krista are wearing in the photo. Sue even found some bride and groom flip flops that left “Just Married” impressions in the sand as they walked along the beach. What a nice mom and mother-in-law! And what a great way to use an Owner’s Locker!

As it turns out, I wound up giving Kevin and his bride a wedding surprise as well—actually it was more of a shock, I suspect. I saw the Ploski Locker in our staging area and assumed it was Sue who was visiting so I called what I thought was Sue’s room and left a message saying I’d like to get together for a drink and reminding them that I wanted to do a video of them for our website splash page. Can you imagine what this poor couple on their honeymoon thought when they got a message from a stranger wanting to do a video?? I’m surprised they didn’t call the police!

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Got your attention, didn't I?

But I'm serious. I know you've got one. Where is it?

I'm talking about the stash of vacation stuff you've got hidden away somewhere.

Is it in a box in the garage? You know, the ponchos, the guide books, the Orlando map? Those extra pins for trading?

Or have you dedicated a drawer in your chest and filled it with things like small bottles of shampoo, extra kitchen utensils, an old PlayStation and some art supplies?

Some folks keep a dedicated suitcase under the bed... With a vase for flowers, T-shirts you only wear "here" and flip flops, of course.

And, you know what's a real pain? When you forget where your stash is....or even worse, when you do remember where you put it but you're kinda sad you did...because it's all moldy from being in the garage...or it's a bit cooked from being in the attic.

There is an alternative, you know.

It's called Owner's Locker. We keep your things for you...so you don't have to look for them...so they don't get cooked (or frozen)...so they don't get lost. They just show up when you do and disappear when you leave....sorta like magic...even better than elves.

Jdvm
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What on earth does that mean anyway? Coping mechanisms? Well, read on.

“Interesting idea…but not for me.” We often hear people say that about Owner’s Locker. In fact, some of our most vocal admirers tell us they started out with that attitude. One formerly reluctant Beta Trial Member now describes Owner’s Locker as “addictive” and my favorite comment was posted by one of our Members on a discussion board who said that Owner’s Locker was like “moving from a studio to a one bedroom…ain’t looking back!”

How is it that people go from being skeptical to being a convert so quickly? Well, we obviously wish we knew the answer to that one. But here’s a possible theory: coping mechanisms. Repeat visitors have been coming to Orlando for a long time before Owner’s Locker was available and, you know what? They got along just fine. They coped. They dealt with it. They learned to pack. They learned to ship. They did without. They bought and threw away. Because that’s what they had to do. And, this is the key point, they accepted it. They didn’t argue. They didn’t complain. They coped.

And a lot of you are still doing it. I guess many of us are just creatures of habit and we tend to defend the way we deal with things.

But, take a deep breath and ask yourself the question, “What would I do if I didn’t have to haul things back and forth?”

I know you’re fine filling little travel bottles with your favorite shampoo. But dream a little. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a full sized bottle of your favorite shampoo waiting for you at your resort?

I know you can buy a case or two of bottled water when you visit. But, what if you had a water filter pitcher in your resort waiting for you? No more buying bottled water. No more adding to landfills with all of those empty bottles?

Yes, resorts do have glasses in the rooms but if you and your sweetie are sharing some champagne, wouldn’t it be better if you were drinking it out of glasses that were special for you? Maybe some glasses you’ve bought just to use while at your resort?

And, on those rainy days when everyone wants to just stay inside? Of course there’s the television. But what if you had that old game console that the kids don’t use any more and a few games for them? Wouldn’t that be better?

Wouldn’t all of these things make you feel more “at home?”

Of course you can cope your way through all of these little scenarios, but pause a moment and think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way than just coping. We think that better way is Owner’s Locker.

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What? You wouldn’t box sheets up and ship them to your resort? Or a really nice corkscrew? Or a mini food processor? Or art supplies for the kids? Or a game console?

How about champagne glasses? Or plates and silverware if you’re staying in a studio? Or full sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Or a couple of bottles of wine?

A lot of people DO ship things to their resort. But not stuff like this! These are things you might have at home but NOT while you’re on vacation. (We’d like to change your thinking on that one but that’s another topic for another time!)

That’s why we're just not sure it makes sense to say that Owner’s Locker is just like shipping. Sure, we’re competitive on cost and we’re WAY more convenient, but that’s not the point.

What’s important is that with Owner’s Locker you have a way to store things that you’d NEVER ship. I mean, how many people would ship a water filter jug back and forth? Or photos of the kids from previous vacations? (we have tons of fridge magnets with old photos in our Locker) Or a few bottles of liquor? Or a crockpot?

Why is this? Is there something wrong with wanting to have things in your resort that make you feel more at home? To be honest, we’re not sure why some people are reluctant to have the comforts of home with them on vacation. Maybe it’s the cost of shipping things that are bulky and heavy. Maybe it’s the worry of packages being lost, delayed or damaged or glass breaking during shipping. Maybe folks don’t feel like they’re supposed to have personal items around them when they’re on vacation.

Whatever the reason, feel free to ship anything you want back and forth to your resort. But when you consider whether Owner’s Locker might make sense for you, think outside of that shipping box and start dreaming about things that you’d like to have with you at your resort, if only there were a way………
JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We sometimes hear that shipping things back and forth to your resort is a good way to have your personal items on hand during your stay at your resort.

Well, we don’t think that’s such a good idea but we thought we ought to at least just see whether it might make sense or not---you know, competitive analysis, market research, that sort of thing.

We took one of our Lockers to the local UPS store to find out how much it would cost to ship it. We took the fully loaded Locker shown in another article on this blog (“What can You Store in an Owner’s Locker?”) Well, actually, it’s not FULLY loaded because we wanted you to be able to see all of the items in the photo. And it would not win the heaviest Locker contest if we ever sponsor one.

The cost to ship it to Riverton, Connecticut was $44.51 by UPS Ground and $111.37 for Next Day. (We chose Riverton because we don’t have any Beta Trial Members who live in Peoria but we do have a great Member who lives in Riverton).

Now, that was one way. So the cost would be $89.02 if you were very organized; or $222.74 if you were a last minute type of person; or perhaps $155.88 if you were in a hurry to get it to the resort and in not so much of a hurry to get it back. This came with $100 insurance, which is what Owner’s Locker provides.

Then there’s the other shoe that needs to drop. A big difference between shipping and Owner’s Locker is convenience. For one thing, if we keep your Locker, you don’t have to remember whether your stuff was in the garage or the attic or the basement or over at aunt Martha’s. Our warehouse management system does that for you because it knows where your Locker is 24/7. And it’s nice and comfy in our climate controlled warehouse. Not freezing or cooking in the garage or attic or buried under a pile of dirty clothes.

And if you ship there’s at least one trip to the shipping store. You might be able to talk the resort front desk into handling the shipping when you return but, for the trip to the resort, it’s you taking the box to be shipped. With Owner’s Locker the driving, carrying and waiting in line is replaced by a few clicks on our website.

You know, there’s no right or wrong here. Some people might look at the table and say, “see, I told you so.” But we’ll bet there’s a lot of you out there that might want to trade the schlepping for some clicking.

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, the short answer is that WE wouldn’t want to be treated that way so we’re not going to treat YOU that way.

If you sign up to become a Member of Owner’s Locker, we don’t charge you right away. In fact, we won’t charge you for your annual storage and delivery plan until your Locker comes into our warehouse loaded with your personal items AFTER your first Visit. Some people have suggested that your storage year should begin the moment that you sign up. I guess we could do that; but it just doesn’t seem quite fair.

You see, we’re not just looking at making a quick buck. We want to establish a long term relationship with our Members. We want any surprises to be pleasant ones. I learned a long time ago in my career that there really isn’t anything wrong with a win/win relationship---and that’s what we’re striving for at Owner’s Locker. For a business relationship to last, BOTH parties need to think they are being treated fairly every time they write a check or cash one. We deal in credit cards, I know, but you know what I mean.

Clearly, it helps us if you tell us in July that you’re planning to visit in December. But, to be honest, our systems can handle your requests no matter when you tell us. I think more importantly, it’s better for you if you can schedule that visit (along with lots of others) on your Dashboard and change your arrival date or departure date or as many times as you’d like without any penalty. It puts you in control. And that’s what we want.

So when you sign up to be a Member of Owner’s Locker, your Membership Fee won’t be due until 30 days prior to your initial Visit. Your Annual Plan (or Premium Annual plan) won’t be due until after your initial visit. If the plan you choose requires payment for additional Visits, you’ll be charged the day you arrive. That makes sense to us and we hope it does to you, too.

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To over 200 locations in the attractions area—that’s where!

Have a look. Here's the list you'll see when you schedule a Visit on our site.

You know, we sort of assumed that people would have a favorite resort, come to Orlando and stay there. But like so many other aspects of this business, this is an intensely personal decision and there really are no rules, rights or wrongs.

Yes, there ARE people who come to one resort time and time again and stay there every night they are in town. But there are also people who like to move around during thiere stay; some who like to try a new resort each trip and, of course lots and lots of people start off or finish up their vacation in place that doesn’t burn through vacation points!

And, do you know why the first option listed is "OTHER"? So you can tell us of any special circumstances we haven't thought of!

So that’s why we deliver to and pick up from so many resorts: Beacuase it’s your vacation and we’re here to help.

OTHER (see special notes)
AmeriHost Resort
Amerisuites Orlando Convention Center
Amerisuites Universal Studios
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Barefoot'n in the Keys
Baymont Inn & Suites Convention Center I-Drive
Best Western Airport Inn & Suites
Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel
Best Western Lakeside
Best Western Plaza International
Bluetree Resort at Lake Buena Vista
Bryan's Spanish Cove
Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa
Buena Vista Suites
Caribe Royale Orlando
Celebration Hotel
Celebrity Resorts Lake Buena Vista
Clarion Hotel and Conference Center
Clarion Hotel Universal
Comfort Inn International
Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista
Comfort Inn Universal Area
Comfort Suites Main Gate East
Comfort Suites Orlando
Country Inn & Suites - International Drive
Country Inn & Suites - Lake Buena Vista
Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Orlando - Maingate
Courtyard by Marriott - Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre
Courtyard by Marriott International Drive/Convention Center
Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Marriott Village
Crowne Plaza Orlando Airport
Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal
Crowne Plaza Resort Orlando
Cypress Pointe Grand Villas
Days Inn Convention Center
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
Disney's All-Star Music Resort
Disney's All-Start Sports Resort
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas
Disney's Beach Club Resort
Disney's Beach Club Villas
Disney's Boardwalk Villas
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Coronado Spring's Resort
Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney's Old Key West Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney's Villas at Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Doubletree Castle Hotel
Doubletree Club Hotel/Lake Buena Vista
DoubleTree Guest Suites in the Walt Disney World Resort
Doubletree Hotel Orlando at the Entrance to Universal Studios
Embassy Suites Hotel Lake Buena Vista Resort
Embassy Suites Hotel Orlando - I-Drive South Conv. Ctr.
Embassy Suites I-Drive/Jamaican Court
Embassy Suites Orlando Airport
Embassy Vacation Resort - Grand Beach
Enclave Suites
Extended Stay Deluxe Convention Center-Pointe Orlando
Extended Stay Deluxe Lake Buena Vista
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Orlando I-Drive
Fairfield Inn By Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Marriott Village
Fairfield Orlando - Star Island
Florida Sun Vacation Homes
Floridays Resort Orlando
Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center
Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando I-Drive North
Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista
Hampton Inn Orlando Convention Center/I-Drive Area
Hampton Inn South of Universal Studios
Hampton Inn Universal
Hawthorn Suites Airport
Hawthorn Suites Orlando
Hawthorn Suites Universal Orlando
Hilton Garden Inn - Airport
Hilton Garden Inn SeaWorld International Center
Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld International Center
Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive
Hilton, located in the Walt Disney World Resort
Holiday Inn Express Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at Universal Orlando
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Convention Center/I-Drive
Holiday Inn In the Walt Disney World Resort
Holiday Inn International Drive Resort
Holiday Inn Main Gate West
Holiday Inn Nikki Bird Resort (Maingate-WDW Area)
Holiday Inn Select Orlando International Airport
Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort LBV
Homewood Suites by Hilton Closest to Universal Studios
Homewood Suites by Hilton-I-Drive near Universal Studios
Horizon's by Marriott Vacation Club at Orlando
Howard Johnson Hawaiian Court
Howard Johnson Inn International Drive
Howard Johnson Inn Maingate East
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
La Quinta Inn & Suites Convention Center
La Quinta Inn at International Drive
La Quinta International Drive North
Liki Tiki Village
Marriott Residence Inn - Lake Buena Vista
Marriott's Cypress Harbour
Marriott's Grande Vista
Marriott's Imperial Palms Villas
Marriott's Royal Palms
Marriott's Sabal Palms
Masters Inn - International Drive
Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club
Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn
Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate
Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge
Orange Lake Resort & Country Club
Orbit One Vacation Villas
Orlando Airport Courtyard
Orlando Airport Marriott
Orlando International Resort Club
Orlando World Center Marriott
Orlando's Sunshine Resort
Palomino Suites Lake Buena Vista
Parc Corniche Condominium Suite Hotel
Parkway International
Peabody Orlando
Quality Inn Airport
Quality Inn International
Quality Inn Plaza
Quality Suites Maingate East
Quality Suites Universal
Radisson Barcelo Hotel Orlando
Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration
Radisson WorldGate Resort
Ramada Inn & Suites - Orlando Airport
Ramada Inn International Drive Lakefront
Ramada Plaza Gateway
Red Roof Inn #200
Regal Sun Resort (formerly Grosvenor Resort)
Renaissance Orlando Hotel - Airport
Renaissance Orlando Resort Hotel at SeaWorld
Residence Inn by Marriott - Convention Center
Residence Inn by Marriott - I-Drive
Residence Inn SeaWorld International Center
Rodeway Inn International
Rodeway Inn Maingate
Rosen Centre Hotel
Rosen Plaza Hotel
Rosen Shingle Creek
Royal Plaza in the Walt Disney World Resort
Saratoga Resort Villas
Savona Suites Lake Buena Vista
Seralago Hotel & Suites Main Gate East
Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites
Sheraton Studio City Hotel
Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport
Sheraton World Resort
Sheraton's Vistana Resort
Sheraton's Vistana Villages
Sleep Inn Convention Center
Springhill Suites by Marriott Convention Center I-Drive Area
Springhill Suites by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Marriott Village
Staybridge Suites - Orlando/I-Drive
Staybridge Suites Orlando / Lake Buena Vista
Suburban Extended Stay Hotel - Universal
Sunterra Polynesian Isle
The Florida Hotel and Conference Center
The Fountains - A Bluegreen Resort
The Palms Hotel & Villas
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
The Villas of Grand Cypress Golf resort
Universal's Hard Rock Hotel
Universal's Portofino Bay Hotel
Universal's Royal Pacific Hotel
Vacation Village at Parkway
Walt Disney World Dolphin
Walt Disney World Swan
Westgate Blue Tree at Lake Buena Vista
Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa
Westgate Leisure Resorts
Westgate Palace
Westgate Towers
Westgate Town Center
Westgate Vacation Villas
Wingate Inn Universal
Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort
Wyndham Vacation Resorts-Cypress Palms
Wyndham Orlando Resort
Wynfield Inn Orlando Convention Center

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

Alex is our web designer and he does a fantastic job (don’t you agree!). But he’s very protective of his designs and one of his techniques for getting his way and keeping me out of his hair is to pretty much leave what I do in this blog alone. OK, he made it purple and put the computer screen and coffee mug up there. But it seems like every time I write some copy for the site, he politely says, “John it’s too long---put it in the blog.” So this should be pretty safe because I don’t think he comes here very often.

Well, we need to have some explanatory photos on our site showing in more detail exactly what a Locker looks like. Naturally, Alex wants us to ship a fully loaded Locker to him in Miami so he can take “proper photographs.” But you know, Brian and I were about to take it to the UPS store when I thought, “wait a minute—let’s take some pictures first.”

I’d been having a message board/e-mail conversation with a potential Owner’s Locker Member who was asking (quite logically) exactly what a Locker looked like. In fact, she wanted me to ship an empty Locker to her just so she could get an idea of what would fit in it. I don’t think I quite realized that it costs about the same to ship a locker full of air as one filled with bricks, but that’s another story.

So after the shipping the empty Locker idea didn’t fly, I offered to send some pics and, well you may as well see them too.
The Locker you see here is actually the one shown on the site (it’s blue—like the ones our Beta Trial Members used)….but in those photos, you can’t quite see everything. For one thing, you can barely notice the small container with 10 compartments for things like medicine, batteries and Q-Tips. When I was testing out the concept, it drove me nuts rummaging around for a battery or nail clippers.

You also can’t see that there are dividers in the Locker. They come with your Locker assembled in a grid but they can be reconfigured (or discarded). They’re great for keeping tall things like bottles standing up or creating a perfect slot for something like a Brita Water pitcher.

The other problem with the photos we have on the site is that the Locker shown isn’t crammed to the hilt. We thought it would be better for you to be able to see all of the items stored. Here’s what this baby looks like fully loaded!!

And you know, maybe it won’t be such a bad thing if Alex DOES find out about these pics. I’ll bet it’ll make him get the “proper photos’ don’t pronto!!

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

…well, it’s a new company…..

...and, it’s a great new service that allows you to store your vacation stuff in Orlando between visits……

...and, it’s a special container that you load with your vacation gear!

Here’s what an Owner’s Locker looks like:

It’s about 22 inches long, 20 inches wide and 13 inches high. There’s space to store lots of personal items…you know….the things you like to have on vacation. Until now, you’ve had to do without, haul the items back and forth or even buy them every trip and then just throw them away.

Inside, it has dividers to keep things like bottles from falling over. And a neat transparent box with lots of compartments for little things.

You pack it up and seal it. We pick it up and store it until you come back. And then we have it waiting for you at the front desk of your resort for your next visit.

Pretty neat, huh?

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (3)

Pets and small children NO

Your mother-in-law NO

Just about anything else YES

How you use your Locker is really up to you. It’s our job to provide you with a convenient way to have the things you want while you’re on vacation. It’s your job to decide what those things are.

Here are all of the things we were able to fit in our Owner’s Locker:

And, In case you’re wondering, here’s our little list:

1 swim mask
1 snorkel
1 kelp herbal supplement
1 Garnier kids conditioner
2 Lancome shower gel
1 Birnbaum Disney guide
1 bottle Listerine
5 pool dive sticks
1 Banana Boat SPF8
1 Suave hairspray
1 Renu contact lens solution
1 Pantene Pro V shampoo
1 Pantene Pro V conditioner
3 swim goggles
1 disposable camera
1 stapler
1 package Kleenex
1 box bandaids
1 box 64 Crayola crayons
1 Cuisinart Mini-Prep
1 portfolio with park passes
1 Secret clear gel deodorant
1 pool ball toy
1 Sure clear dry deodorant
1 Old Spice Red Zone deodorant
1 box Carefree maxipads
1 Old Spice High Endurance deodorant
1 box Tampax regular
1 Nair with Aloe
1 St. Ives moisturizer
1 bottle Jack Daniels
1 Banana Boat SPF 4
1 Day trips From Orlando guidebook
1 flashlight
1 hair straightener
1 Cutter insect repellant
1 Dry Idea deodorant
1 Listerine pre-brush rinse
1 Suave kids shampoo
1 Edge shaving gel
2 chip bag clips
1 chapstick
4 AA batteries
4 AAA batteries
20 hair ties
50 Q-tips
1 box Advil
1 hair brush
1 toothbrush-dad
1 toothbrush-mom
1 toothbrush-Katie
1 box Rolaids
2 razors
1 box Benedril
1 bottle kids’ One-A-Day vitamins
1 pair tweezers
1 tube Crest Clear Min Gel toothpaste
1 pair scissors
1 set measuring spoons
1 Orlando map
1 box of tea candles

TOTAL VALUE $342.18

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

We're tempted to say it's magic or perhaps little elves.

Actually, it's a unique combination of technical wizardry including barcodes, an electronic warehouse management system and an easy to use website, all of which are connected to our secure database and web servers.

Think of all of the sophisticated gear the delivery person has when they bring you a package, scan the barcode on the parcel, and note the delivery on their hand held device. Now take it up a notch or two and that gives you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes at Owner's Locker.

With our warehouse management and tracking system, we know where each and every Locker is at any moment in time and we have a trail of each movement the Locker makes (which you can access with the Track My Locker function). Which means we also have a foolproof system to let us know whose Locker is whose.

Our technology also allows us to assemble all of the visit requests we get from you and other Members so that we can have everyone's Locker where they want it waiting for them when they arrive. The system keeps track of any changes to your itinerary you notify us of, constantly updating our delivery and pickup orders. Coming a day early, not a problem. Staying a few extra days, easy.

We know that it's your vacation we're dealing with and that there just isn't room for mistakes. We're very proud of our behind the scenes capability and even have a patent pending on the process!

When your arrival date nears, you receive an e-mail notifying you that your Locker is on its way, we pull your Locker from the warehouse, load it on one of our spotless delivery vans, each of which has a friendly driver, and take it to your resort so it is there waiting for you when you arrive. And when you go back home, the process works in reverse as we pick your Locker up when you leave, take it back to the warehouse where it is placed in storage until your next visit. You even get an e-mail confirming that your Locker made it home safely. Forgive us for bragging but our system even measures your Locker's "velocity" as it returns to the warehouse. If you return to your resort often, our computers suggest we store your Locker at the front of the warehouse. Now how cool is that?

JDVM
www.ownerslocker.com

Posted by JDVM at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)