New Hilton Club for HGVC in New York

holdaer · May 5, 2016

Well, looks like we got some exciting news about some new urban resorts coming online soon.

The District by Hilton Club will be made available to all HGVC owners beginning June 2016. This isn't new news but I'm glad this isn't a product similar to The Hilton Club - New York. It appears this new Washington DC location will have a similar set up as West 57th Street with a club reservation window opening up at 45 days before check out.

Also, another NEW YORK location is coming online in 2018! It'll be called The Residences by Hilton Club and will be located on the upper floors of the Hilton New York Midtown. Like West 57th, all HGVC will have an opportunity to make reservations into this urban resort.

Good to see new urban destinations coming soon and HGVC leveraging Hilton's current foot print to bring new resorts/destinations.

I got this news from The Club Traveler online newsletter that was emailed to me.

Good stuff.

GrayFal · May 5, 2016

I love more NYC locations. thanks for the news.

Jason245 · May 5, 2016

I wonder if west 57 owners will be stuck with the same 45 day window as all other hgvc members or if they will get priority. .then the game will be buying the least expensive mf per point in the club..

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1Kflyerguy · May 6, 2016

Jason245 said:
I wonder if west 57 owners will be stuck with the same 45 day window as all other hgvc members or if they will get priority. .then the game will be buying the least expensive mf per point in the club..

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I guess the big question is as they roll out the Hilton Club brand, what perks do owners of other Hilton Club locations get. Do you get early booking at other Hilton Clubs or just your home location...

brp · May 6, 2016

GrayFal said:
I love more NYC locations. thanks for the news.

Not me. Our W. 57th steadily increases in value due to the sever shortage of timeshares in NYC. More is not better for us. And, yes, that's just the selfish viewpoint

Jason245 said:
I wonder if west 57 owners will be stuck with the same 45 day window as all other hgvc members or if they will get priority. .then the game will be buying the least expensive mf per point in the club..

1Kflyerguy said:
I guess the big question is as they roll out the Hilton Club brand, what perks do owners of other Hilton Club locations get. Do you get early booking at other Hilton Clubs or just your home location...

W. 57th isn't Hilton Club. I would expect Hilton Club folks to get some priority at other Club locations. But W. 57th is closer to regular HGVC than it is to Club, albeit with some different rules. So, yes, it will be interesting to see if we get 3 classes (Club, W. 57th, HGVC) or 2 (Club, HGVC) at the various Club locations.

Cheers.

holdaer · May 7, 2016

brp said:
W. 57th isn't Hilton Club. I would expect Hilton Club folks to get some priority at other Club locations. But W. 57th is closer to regular HGVC than it is to Club, albeit with some different rules. So, yes, it will be interesting to see if we get 3 classes (Club, W. 57th, HGVC) or 2 (Club, HGVC) at the various Club locations.

Cheers.

Here is a quote from the Hendrik Kouwenhoven, Senior Director of mMrketing and Customer Relations with Hilton Grand Vacations

Hendrik Kouwenhoven (HK): Yes, it is a truly outstanding time in the evolution and growth of Hilton Club! So, let me begin with some clarity around this brand within our Hilton Grand Vacations product offerings. First, Hilton Club is a Hilton Grand Vacations brand anchored in providing sophisticated experiences to Members in exciting urban destinations. With the introduction and success of West 57th Street by Hilton Club in New York City, Hilton Club evolved into Hilton Grand Vacations’ urban, lifestyle offering.

http://clubtraveler.hgvclub.com/you...lubtraveler&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hgv

I'm looking forward to more urban destinations for HGVC club members. :whoopie:

brp · May 8, 2016

holdaer said:
Here is a quote from the Hendrik Kouwenhoven, Senior Director of mMrketing and Customer Relations with Hilton Grand Vacations

Hendrik Kouwenhoven (HK): Yes, it is a truly outstanding time in the evolution and growth of Hilton Club! So, let me begin with some clarity around this brand within our Hilton Grand Vacations product offerings. First, Hilton Club is a Hilton Grand Vacations brand anchored in providing sophisticated experiences to Members in exciting urban destinations. With the introduction and success of West 57th Street by Hilton Club in New York City, Hilton Club evolved into Hilton Grand Vacations’ urban, lifestyle offering.

Interesting, thanks. I had thought that only Hilton Club New York was Hilton Club in New York, and W. 57th is not a part of that. I wasn't aware that it was called W. 57th by Hilton Club (although I don't look very hard) since it is a separate program from Hilton Club New York and we can not get into that location.

It seems that, at present "Hilton Club" has two different meanings, and the new locations are coming into the second definition, and not the first.

Not the best example of program clarity

Cheers.

holdaer · May 8, 2016

Yes, it's very confusing how the term/brand Hilton Club is being marketed.

ccwu · May 9, 2016

We used to own Hilton Club (by Avenue of America). The points of Hilton club can be used for HGVC 9 months in advance. We can also book 57th street (but I never notice how advance since I do not need to) I understood that the other member from either HGVC or 57th street could not book into NYC Hilton Club. We eventually sold it back to Hilton when they offer us to buy back our shares due to they did not have inventory and there were more demand two years ago. We own HGVC and Hilton clubs's MF was high. We went the NYC many times and in the end, we were using the points to book most HGVC places with the Hilton club points (about 0.33 MF per point plus club fee) so we were gladly sold back to Hilton.

jwayne · May 10, 2016

New resorts for HGVC

I am not really excited about new resorts which subject HGVC members to the same restrictions as West 57th Street. It seems that by the time you reach the 45 days, everything is booked up.

Even though Washington DC is exciting, I need something which I could book sooner. It seems that HGVC has stopped adding new resorts for its members. I upgraded to Elite Plus last year and have become very disappointed over the lack of opportunities for HGVC members.

holdaer · May 10, 2016

jwayne said:
I am not really excited about new resorts which subject HGVC members to the same restrictions as West 57th Street. It seems that by the time you reach the 45 days, everything is booked up.

Even though Washington DC is exciting, I need something which I could book sooner. It seems that HGVC has stopped adding new resorts for its members. I upgraded to Elite Plus last year and have become very disappointed over the lack of opportunities for HGVC members.

You may be pleasantly surprised when Grand Islander, Ocean Oak (Hilton Head Island) and Maui come online. Also, Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta and Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya may be worth a look if you like resorts in Mexico.

Denise L · May 19, 2016

I went to a presentation for the Residences on Saturday since I was staying at W57 and it was so close by. The salesperson was nice enough, but didn't have any cold, hard facts for me on booking there, etc. But it sounds like it will be restricted like W57 and only be available for HGVC booking at 45 days out. He said things like the MFs are the same for studios and one bedrooms ($2100) if you buy early, but I can't imagine how that could remain that way for very long. He wanted to sell me the remaining inventory in W57, but was really vague in answering my questions about MFs, etc. He also couldn't show me a model of the Residences because they were "too busy."

1Kflyerguy · May 20, 2016

We are in New York this week, staying in a hotel with HHonors points. I did however decide to attend an update for the Residences in exchange for some gift cards.

At least according to the sales guy, they are indeed creating a brand within a brand for Hilton Club. Owners at one of the Club Locations will get you advance access to the other Club locations, and regular HGVC owners will have restricted access just like West 57.

In addition Hilton Club owners will be able to trade their points into HHonors points at the the 1;50 ratio. In fact that was his central sales point, i should buy now so that i can exchange into HHonors once i retire and my work travel slows..

Unfortunately for him, i was not convinced that was the best use of my capital or funding my retirement travel..

I had been hoping for a tour of the model, but never got that far after i turned down a few of their offers.. I had enough as well, and was happy to get back to being a tourist.

SmithOp · May 20, 2016

1Kflyerguy said:
In addition Hilton Club owners will be able to trade their points into HHonors points at the the 1;50 ratio. In fact that was his central sales point, i should buy now so that i can exchange into HHonors once i retire and my work travel slows..

Unfortunately for him, i was not convinced that was the best use of my capital or funding my retirement travel..

Terrible retirement savings advice, how can they pitch that with a straight face... Buy an asset that is worth .20 on the dollar as soon as the ink dries, has annual costs for life, for HHonors award levels that are bound to rise.

CalGalTraveler · May 20, 2016

SmithOp said:
Terrible retirement savings advice, how can they pitch that with a straight face... Buy an asset that is worth .20 on the dollar as soon as the ink dries, has annual costs for life, for HHonors award levels that are bound to rise.

Totally agree. Similar to timeshares, travel industry point values have devalued tremendously. We are finding free nights via credit card bonuses and points + cash options in many cities that are more attractive at Intercontinental and Hyatt vs. burning hundreds of thousands of HHonors points.

The travel industry cannot control their greed and consequently they are devaluing loyalty programs at a rapid pace. Because of this I am now favoring cash back cards and also finding deals on Ebay etc. for hotel and airline gift cards that are 20%+ off retail vs. wasting time on complicated point rules, devaluation and limited availability. This method doesn't commit us into perpetuity with one vendor or an annual travel budget. We enjoy our HGVC timeshare but will commit additional travel dollars to flexible credit card/cash back/gift card options to travel when and where we want.

1Kflyerguy · May 20, 2016

SmithOp said:
Terrible retirement savings advice, how can they pitch that with a straight face... Buy an asset that is worth .20 on the dollar as soon as the ink dries, has annual costs for life, for HHonors award levels that are bound to rise.

I am not sure if everyone gets that pitch, or perhaps its because i travel a lot for work. But the last few updates i have attended they keep focusing on showing me ways to " continue to get HHonors point after i stop my work travel".. The basic premise was to protect against inflation i should buy the NY Club, and lock in a set amount of points each year.

But as CalGal mentioned inflation hits the point awards too, so this does not provide as much protection as they suggest.

SmithOp · May 20, 2016

1Kflyerguy said:
I am not sure if everyone gets that pitch, or perhaps its because i travel a lot for work. But the last few updates i have attended they keep focusing on showing me ways to " continue to get HHonors point after i stop my work travel".. The basic premise was to protect against inflation i should buy the NY Club, and lock in a set amount of points each year.

But as CalGal mentioned inflation hits the point awards too, so this does not provide as much protection as they suggest.

Someone else reported a slight variation where you build up HHonors points as a retirement travel bank because they never expire. This assumes you are too busy working your a** off now to take vacation.

CalGalTraveler · May 20, 2016

SmithOp said:
Someone else reported a slight variation where you build up HHonors points as a retirement travel bank because they never expire. This assumes you are too busy working your a** off now to take vacation.

LoL...if one accumulates a million HHonors points, that would buy 1 - 2 weeks at an upscale Hilton...perhaps it's a trip of a lifetime, but not much of a retirement travel bank to last the next 30 - 40 years...

Jason245 · May 20, 2016

1Kflyerguy said:
I am not sure if everyone gets that pitch, or perhaps its because i travel a lot for work. But the last few updates i have attended they keep focusing on showing me ways to " continue to get HHonors point after i stop my work travel".. The basic premise was to protect against inflation i should buy the NY Club, and lock in a set amount of points each year.

But as CalGal mentioned inflation hits the point awards too, so this does not provide as much protection as they suggest.

Seriously.... my response to them would be "If I don't spend $30k on this and instead put it in a savings account earning zero interest, and put the $1500/year in MF in that same savings account for the next 20 years, I will have $60k. At $150/Night, I am pretty sure I can rent accomodations at hilton for at least 400 nights. If I earn even 1% interest a year on that money It will be even more. "

MikeinSoCal · May 20, 2016

^ But that's wise sensible financial thinking. :hysterical:

vacationhopeful · May 20, 2016

SAMPLE ONLY:

My next TUG private exchange offer could be: My Ft Lauderdale (within 200 feet of beach) Spring Break 7 night week for LIKE SIZE and same number of nights HCNY for early Dec.

Hotel room for 2; 1bdr for 4 or 2bdr for 8.

This is NOT an actual offer .. just a discussion as to what and how preceived values change over time.

CalGalTraveler · May 20, 2016

vacationhopeful said:
SAMPLE ONLY:

My next TUG private exchange offer could be: My Ft Lauderdale (within 200 feet of beach) Spring Break 7 night week for LIKE SIZE and same number of nights HCNY for early Dec.

Ft Lauderdale...isn't that where college kids go to the beach to party and get drunk on spring break?

CodyA88 · May 20, 2016

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between Hilton Club and HGVC? Thanks for the insight.

holdaer · May 21, 2016

CodyA88 said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between Hilton Club and HGVC? Thanks for the insight.

It appears that Hilton Club is a brand within Hilton Grand Vacations Club. So when you see a resort name followed by Hilton Club, then that means that resort will be an urban style vacation.

New York:
West 57th by Hilton Club
The Residences by Hilton Club

Washington DC:
The District by Hilton Club

Chicago (unconfirmed):
Hilton Chicago by Hilton Club

1Kflyerguy · May 21, 2016

SmithOp said:
Someone else reported a slight variation where you build up HHonors points as a retirement travel bank because they never expire. This assumes you are too busy working your a** off now to take vacation.

I got a similar pitch a few years back at an update in Vegas. The sales person even coined the term "401V" as a vacation savings plan... sort of like a 401k for money but for hhonors points.

New Hilton Club for HGVC in New York

holdaer

GrayFal

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brp

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