Hyatt vs Hilton

Thought I'd start a thread comparing these 2 TS systems.

Both HGVC & Hyatt have several things in common.
Deeded to a specific resort location, size and season.
Points assigned to size and season
Reserve any size and season at any resort location with your points
(Prices vary greatly with resort location, Buy cheap location and use points to go to expensive locations)
Top notch resorts and units

Several differences:
Hilton hotel rewards available for resale buyers
HGVC has resorts in high demand locations (But, also high supply locations)
Hyatt has resorts in very low supply locations (like Monterrey & Key west)
Hyatt has much smaller resorts than HGVC (most less than 75 units)

Hyatt exchanges with II, HGVC with RCI.
Hyatt owner with 2 bd platinum week can use points to do two II (2 bd) Red exchanges
HGVC owner with 2 bd platinum week can use points to do only 1 RCI (2 bd) Red exchange ( with small left over points)

What do you think?

(feel free to correct anything wrong which I've said.)

Well, I guess I'll chime in. I am still very new to the TS world and have a lot to learn. It is funny that you started this thread since these 2 systems were the ones we narrowed ourselves down to. We ultimately decided on Hilton for 2 of the reasons you stated: being able to convert to HHoners points (even though I know some people will chime in that it is not worth it) and because our two favorites places to vacation are Orlando and Vegas (after our first trip to Hawaii, I am sure it will become another of my favorites places to visit ). Since HGVC has lots of offerings in those 2 areas, that was good for us. Also, we have the Hiltom AmEx and charge a lot each year to earn mega points, which adds to our vacations!! I like having the option to convert some Club point to Honors points if we need a few more to get a Hilton Honors hotel stay.

I also understand that making reservations at HGVC properties at the 9-month mark is fairly easy which takes the hassle out of trying to get decent reservations. I also like that with HGVC we can reserve nightly stays for any days of the week, and with Hyatt, I believe you can only do split weeks. Someone correct me if I am wrong about that.

Like most people say over and over again, buy where you want to go and then doing exchanges is really just something extra (but no big deal if you don't get it). In other words, buy where you want to vacation. I wasn't too thrilled about the Hyatt locations as they stand today, but I think in the future we may be buying a Hyatt week once they develop some more of the properties they have in the works.

The downside to HGVC that I am not crazy about is that they trade with RCI, and I would soooooo prefer II. Maybe some day they will switch over......

I wasn't sure if you were looking for people to state WHY they like one versus the other or if you were just looking for general comments about the two, so I hope I contributed both. Like I stated, I am pretty sure that somewhere down the road we will be buying a Hyatt week to go with our HGVC membership. I think it would be the best of both worlds to own a week in both systems! I hear the Hyatt properties are some of the best as well.

Just my opinion! Bye for now!

Bill4728 said:

What do you think?

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I think that HGVC & Hyatt should join up and then we would have the best of both worlds!

ricoba said:

I think that HGVC & Hyatt should join up and then we would have the best of both worlds!

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Oh, you read my mind!! How awesome would that be?????!!!!!!!!! :whoopie:

Sir Newf chimes in...

I'll chime in a little too. Just went thru the same decision (HGVC vs Hyatt). First, I had to figure out that HGVC was Hilton (and not Hyatt). Although limited in locations- we chose HGVC as our 3d timeshare to balance our portfolio...The Westin Kierland- is perfect for us to enjoy 5 nites,then 3 w/family in Orlando. Laguna Beach is my answer to wanting a Laguna home- but who has a spare $3m, so this is my little Laguna spot once a year! And the 3rd, HGVC- for those long weekends to NYC, England, SanFran, etc (high priced Hilton hotel spots), and of course also- "Vegas Baby.."...:whoopie:
Anna...(Sir Newf, that's my dog)...

Any care to comment about the HGVC vs Hyatt locations?

Personally I like the Hyatt locations better. Because most of the HGVC locations even though high demand, places like Vegas, Orlando or O'hau, are places were there are so many other great resorts available. Where as Hyatt has nice "exotic" locations which have very little alternate supply available. With the announcement of the new Hyatt in Maui and the probable opening of a hyatt in Huntington Beach, CA I like the hyatt locations much better.

PS this may change if and when HGVC opens the new HGVC in NYC. (the hilton club in NYC just doesn't have enough available units for regular HGVC owners.)

You can trade with II if you buy an HGVC affiliate -- that was my reason for choosing an affiliate over one of the "original" HGVC resorts. I haven't traded mine with II yet ... but I like knowing I can. My only problem is that I like really like my HGVC membership and wish I had bought more points upfront!

To be a bit more serious here Bill...I agree, I think the Hyatt locations are more "exotic" or at least far more varied than the Hilton choices. But then Hyatt members may wish they had more urban/popular tourist destinations like we HGVC members do. That's kind of why I joked about that they should merge, it would really give an excellent well rounded choice of locations.

I am a Hyatt owner (Tahoe 1880 point week 8) but I thought I would give some thoughts on the Hyatt side of things. We originally purchased resale at Beach House 3 years ago and basically just got lucky with good pricing on a 1400 point unit (Didn't know the first thing at that time about timeshares and had never been to TUG at that point either). After 3 vacations in 18 months and alot of reading TUG we sold it for ~$2200 more than we paid for it. We quickly decided we needed a larger point unit since we found the Hyatt quality to be so outstanding.

We have now stayed at Tahoe, Breckenridge, Sedona, and all 3 Key West resorts. None of the resorts have been a disappointment other than maybe Sunset Harbor and I think that is just due to the age of the units. Sunset does make up for age with its location.

I have never stayed at a Hilton timeshare but I question if this is a fair comparision?? Trying not being biased as a Hyatt owner, isn't Hyatt a step up in quality to Hilton? The Hyatt locations are more remote, and you really feel like you are part of an elite ownership with locations like Sedona, Breck, and Tahoe since they are so small. Does Hilton give owners this same experience?
Example, at Tahoe you call up to the front office and tell them you want to BBQ and someone comes down and starts the fire for you.
Example, at Breck its a private ski storage and ski out for just the Hyatt owners, and they have a 30 person private Movie room.

It seems like the higher point Hiltons go for around $6-9k resale and it seems like the higher point Hyatts go for around $14-18k resale. Based on price I don't know it these 2 should be compared as equals?? but rather compared with keeping in mind that Hilton is more affordable so that should be factored into which resort to purchase based on what you get vs what you have purchased for.

Note: IMO when considering price to me it really isn't what you pay for it, but rather the maintence fees vs. the experience you get each year and then the purchase price really only matters on the difference in what you pay versus what you sell it for later.

It seems like Hyatt cost more across the board vs the Hilton resorts and I just think there is a reason for the pricing differences. So this isn't putting down Hilton but more stating that my impression is that Hyatt is like 1 star/step above the Hilton resorts. So in many cases when considering the 2 family of resorts, Hilton may be an overall better purchase with price as part of the consideration.

Just my 2 cents.

Steve

Bill

When you deposit your Hyatt week to II, it take 1300points for a 2 bedroom, 870 points for a 1 bedroom and I believe it takes 430 points for a studio. With Hyatt trades from II you can NEVER be upgraded to a larger unit, for example 1 bedroom for a 2 bedroom. Also the internal trading with Hyatt you may get confirmed 6 months out from the check in date. Hilton on the other had only trades with RCI except some of the affiliates. Hyatt is as a whole a much higher quality resort than Hilton, however Hilton does have some excellant properties that are on par with Hyatt. I have bought from both because I like to have both systems working for me.

Bill4728 said:

...PS this may change if and when HGVC opens the new HGVC in NYC. (the hilton club in NYC just doesn't have enough available units for regular HGVC owners.)

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Now what would you say if Hyatt announced a new property in NYC??

I believe the real value in HGVC resale is in exchanging for HiltonHonors points- any of the thousands of High quality hotels worldwide, talk about exotic locations- anywhere in the world... Hyatt can't even come close- they have beautiful resorts like Westin, but as a resale purchase- that's it (except thru exchange companies)...HGVC is the ideal at any price for world-wide travel, you know you'll receive a quality Hilton room in any country (generally priced at $500 to $1k daily), and of course, I can get to any Hyatt location quite easily thru exchange, ie:Sedona, San Fran, Breck, all can be exchanged into similar type resorts...Bottom-line- you can't go wrong w/either one, but HGVC does have it all- great value, great flexibility, great locations of hotels for full or split weeks and great quality. Cheers!
Anna (Sir Newf...that's my dog).

mesamirage said:

It seems like the higher point Hiltons go for around $6-9k resale and it seems like the higher point Hyatts go for around $14-18k resale. Based on price I don't know it these 2 should be compared as equals?? but rather compared with keeping in mind that Hilton is more affordable so that should be factored into which resort to purchase based on what you get vs what you have purchased for.

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Just to clarify - they are actually pretty close as far as price goes. I'm assuming by "higher point Hiltons" you are talking about the 7000 HGVC point packages, correct? If so, then those sell for around $13,500 at Sea World and upwards of $25,000 at Hilton Hawaiian Village. (The 5000 HGVC point packages at Sea World can be bought for around $7000 - maybe this was what you are referring to?) I believe 7000 will get you a 2BR in Platinum season, and 5000 would get you a 1BR in Platinum season. So overall, it appears they are close in value to the Hyatts.

Regarding locations: I 100% agree with everyone on the fact that Hyatt has more "exotic" locations. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the quality of the Hyatt resorts, which is why it was a very hard decision for us. I don't think there is a dissatisfied Hyatt owner out there which speaks volumes for the fact that they must be doing something right!! But ultimately, I think people should think in terms of their vacation needs at the moment. For us, with two kids ages 3 and 6, Orlando and beach vacations are our top priority, so HGVC was a good fit. Then we can always do a weekend in Vegas or Hawaii for ourselves. But down the road, that will change and we will want more of what Hyatt can offer us. Oh how I wish I had some extra cash to be able to purchase a Hyatt week now just for DH and I to vacation once a year in those exotic locations! Some day I will, I just have to start saving for it!

Cheers & Bye for now!

One difference:
With HGVC you own a specific resort, season, room size.
With Hyatt, you own a specific unit/week.

At HGVC, you can reserve any resort, unit size, season, and number of days (3 day minimum) at 9 months out.
At Hyatt, the owner of a unit/week has until 6 months out to reserve their own unit. Therefore, reservations are more likely to come thru around that time. Also, the reservations are for a specific 7 day, 4 day, 3 day, or 2 day reservation. You can't necessarily start a reservation on any day you choose, or choose any number of days you like.

Also, at HGVC you pay one annual club fee no matter how many weeks you own.
At Hyatt you pay an annual club fee for each and every week you own.

As mentioned, Hyatt is II and HGVC is RCI, although I really wish HGVC was II.

I own at both HGVC and Hyatt, and enjoy both systems. But I think Hyatt is more complicated to use for in-system exchanging.

StuckinChicago said:

Just to clarify - they are actually pretty close as far as price goes. I'm assuming by "higher point Hiltons" you are talking about the 7000 HGVC point packages, correct? If so, then those sell for around $13,500 at Sea World and upwards of $25,000 at Hilton Hawaiian Village. (The 5000 HGVC point packages at Sea World can be bought for around $7000 - maybe this was what you are referring to?) I believe 7000 will get you a 2BR in Platinum season, and 5000 would get you a 1BR in Platinum season. So overall, it appears they are close in value to the Hyatts....

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The most economical 2BR Hyatt property (sold thru Hyatt) starts at about $25K for a high season week. For other resorts the top end of the range is beyond $600K. I don't think Hilton comes anywhere close to Hyatt pricing and level of quality.

If you want to see current RETAIL HGVC prices look here

Yep, that's my point. Hyatt is a very hi-end system.

Am I missing something? It looks like the 7000 point packages at HGVC also sell for about 25K - same as Hyatt.

Holy smokes! I couldn't even imagine having the money to spend 600K on a week at a timeshare resort!! One can only hope - although if I had that kind of money I certainly would use it elsewhere!

Kal said:

Yep, that's my point. Hyatt is a very hi-end system.

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P.S. By the way, Kal, you have an AWESOME web site of Hyatt stuff!! It really helped us when trying to learn and read everything we could about the Hyatt system. So here's an official thanks for your efforts!

First post and a timeshare newbie. I own a Hyatt at sedona and just want to share my experience with Hyatt. I don't know much about the Hiltons system.

Here is what I can do with 1 week of Hyatt ownership(Gold).
Dec 2006 - 4 nights at Hyatt Sierra Lodge 2 bedroom
Jan 2007 - Trade a week(Studio) to Marriott's Ko Olina at Oahu thought II
May 2007 - 2 nights at Hyatt Beach house 2 bedroom
May 2007 - 4 nights at Hyatt Coconut Plantation 1 bedroom

and I still have 430 points left to spend. That's good enough for another studio week somewhere.

Can 1 Hilton Gold week do something like that?

So far, i'm a happy owner but I wonder how other systems work. One thing I don't like about Hyatt is that they charge for every reservation except the home resort week.

StuckinChicago said:

Am I missing something? It looks like the 7000 point packages at HGVC also sell for about 25K - same as Hyatt.

Holy smokes! I couldn't even imagine having the money to spend 600K on a week at a timeshare resort!! One can only hope - although if I had that kind of money I certainly would use it elsewhere!

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The $25K price is basically at the low end of quality Hyatt properties. It goes up from there. As an example, you could expect to pay about $80-$120K for a Carmel ownership. Having said that, with the Hyatt points system you could buy the $25K unit (maybe $13K resale) and use the points to stay at Carmel or even the $600K Aspen unit.

Any one purchasing a $600K Aspen unit has a bit more discretionary cash than I do.

clinc said:

First post and a timeshare newbie. I own a Hyatt at sedona and just want to share my experience with Hyatt. I don't know much about the Hiltons system.

Here is what I can do with 1 week of Hyatt ownership(Gold).
Dec 2006 - 4 nights at Hyatt Sierra Lodge 2 bedroom
Jan 2007 - Trade a week(Studio) to Marriott's Ko Olina at Oahu thought II
May 2007 - 2 nights at Hyatt Beach house 2 bedroom
May 2007 - 4 nights at Hyatt Coconut Plantation 1 bedroom

and I still have 430 points left to spend. That's good enough for another studio week somewhere.

Can 1 Hilton Gold week do something like that?

So far, i'm a happy owner but I wonder how other systems work. One thing I don't like about Hyatt is that they charge for every reservation except the home resort week.

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Actually yes. All your examples (except Hawaii) are weekdays and Bronze or Copper season.

With HGVC, a 2-br plus gold is 5800 points which is probaly most comparable to a 2-br gold Hyatt.
Hyatt has 7 seasons, and gold is 3rd highest. (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Mountain)
HGVC has 4 seasons, and gold is 2nd highest. (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze)

With 5800 points at HGVC, you could get:
1 seven day studio RCI red season exchange: 2400 points.
4 night 2-br silver season somewhere: 1400 points
2 night 2-br silver season somewhere: 700 points
4 night 1-br silver season somewhere: 960 points.
Still have 340 points left. (Although this wouldn't be enough for an RCI studio week. HGVC points don't go as far in RCI as Hyatt points go in II. A 2-br gold Hyatt is 1880 points, and an II red studio week is 430, or 23% of your points. A 2-br plus gold HGVC is 5800 points, and a RCI red studio week is 2400 points, or 41% of the points).

At Hyatt, I generally go for 4-day midweek stays to stretch my points.
And at HGVC, I generally do 5 nights stays avoiding weekends to stretch my points.

Incidently, I own at High Sierra Lodge, but tend to go to Coconut Plantation a lot. I've stayed at 9 of the 12 Hyatt resorts (missing only Carmel, Beach House, and Aspen), and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

DVC_John,

I noticed you own 7 Disneys, do you like them better than your Hyatt or Hilton?

Hilton points

With 5800 points at HGVC, you could get:
1 seven day studio RCI red season exchange: 2400 points.
4 night 2-br silver season somewhere: 1400 points
2 night 2-br silver season somewhere: 700 points
4 night 1-br silver season somewhere: 960 points.

Nice comparision of how Hilton can be used for multiple stays at different locations/times. I have been considering trying to find a Hilton resale to add to our timeshares and the info you outlined helps me understand the possibilities. Is there a per reservation fee with Hilton? What are the advantages of purchasing one resort with Hilton over another? Is it basically mostly a points play?? With Hyatt you have your deeded location/unit/week should you choose to lock it in, which adds value to picking the right resort should it be a location you want to visit.

Steve

MLC said:

DVC_John,

I noticed you own 7 Disneys, do you like them better than your Hyatt or Hilton?

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I like everything I own, but all for different reasons. I guess if I had to choose a single resort I like best, it would be a toss-up betwen DVC's Old Key West resort and HGVC's Sanibel Cottages. And, while I don't own Hyatt Coconut Plantation, that resort is among my favorites.

For DVC, staying on property is a big plus for me. They are all top quality resorts. And, I think DVC is the most flexible system I own as far as reserving different resorts, unit size, season, and length of stay. DVC has only 7 resorts (an 8th announced today), and 5 are at WDW. But I feel the best value of DVC is using it at the DVC resorts, and I don't mind not having that many resorts to trade to.

HGVC is nearly (not quite) as flexible as DVC. Several of my HGVC's are affiliated resorts on Sanibel Island, and I pretty much always use those weeks. The others I own are in Orlando and Hawaii. Again, there aren't that many HGVC developed resorts, but they are in places I go regularly.

Of course Marriott are top quality resorts also, but, for the most part, are weekly stays. The big advantage of Marriott for me is the vast number of locations to trade to.

Hyatt is kind of complicated for in-system exchanges. But the resorts are really special, and in some unusual places for big name timeshares (Carmel, San Antonio, Sedona, Key West, Aspen, Puerto Rico, etc.)

At DVC, HGVC, and Hyatt, a person can really stretch their weeks/points by avoiding weekends. And, being retired, that's no problem for me!