Purchasing my first HGVC/timeshare

HGVC

Hello, my wife and I attended a Hilton vacation club presentation at Elara last weekend. The room we stay in (w/the deal) was a studio that had not been remodeled by Hilton. I was not overly impressed. However, the remodeled rooms that they showed us were really nice. They said that owners get the new rooms. Do you think this is true? Honestly, I would be pissed if I purchased at Elara and received the accommodations in which we stayed. They offered us 8400 platinum points for >50K, which I obviously turned down. I did take them up on the VIP option where I receive 7000 pts for $1700. I plan to use at Kings Land. We are very interested in purchasing HGVC resale points.

We have 3 young children so platinum season is a must. I am thinking at least 8400 platinum pts, possibly more. We vacation often. The Mrs & I go to Vegas at least once/yr; often twice/yr for 4 nights at a time. We usually take a family beach trip for a week in the summer (we've been renting a house in the Destin, FL area, but it's not imperative that it be Destin. We usually go somewhere else for a week as well. We enjoy theme parks like Disneyland, but not every year. We also love Hawaii, but we haven't taken the kids to Hawaii with us yet. We will also travel less frequently out of the country (Mex, Caribbean and even Asia).

I've read to purchase points in LV bc of lower maintenance fees, but I've also read to purchase in Hawaii in you can afford it. I just don't want to be in a situation where I am always unable to book a certain location.
Based on what I have said, can some of you give me recommendations, where you would buy, # of points, and a reputable reseller, etc? Thanks so much!

If you own and book with hgvc points then im sure you will get the newer rooms. I stayed there in the old style last Dec, booked on the Hilton dot com hotel web site with my hhonors account. Even though the account is linked to my hgvc account they did not recognize me as an hgvc owner. They tried to get me to attend a presentation but I declined.

Smart choice picking Kings Land to use the VIP package, that is about the maintenance fee cost. Fees are much cheaper in Vegas. Dont focus too much on the buy in cost, other than getting it resale, its the annual maintenance fee per points assigned that will go on as long as you own it, every year. You are smart to consider platinum, it gets the most points for your annual maint fees.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk

OP: Fwiw, there is a Hilton specific forum here on TUG, where your HGVC-specific inquiry might well get more exposure to more HGVC owners, although the reply your received is certainly a knowledgeable one too. Just don't be surprised or offended if moderators "move" the whole thread over to that Hilton forum.

Elara Rooms

Hi:

FWIW we have stayed at Elara twice in the last 2 years as owners and both times received a renovated room.

We have 2 children and have used HGVC to travel extensively over the years and it has worked out very well for us.

theo said:

OP: Fwiw, there is a Hilton specific forum here on TUG, where your HGVC-specific inquiry might well get more exposure to more HGVC owners, although the reply your received is certainly a knowledgeable one too. Just don't be surprised or offended if moderators "move" the whole thread over to that Hilton forum.

Click to expand...

That would be fine.

ArkansasTraveler said:

Based on what I have said, can some of you give me recommendations, where you would buy, # of points, and a reputable reseller, etc?

Click to expand...

First, even though it sounds like HGVC is a good fit for you, make sure you spend a lot of time reading up on other timeshare systems. It sounds like you will often travel to where HGVC has properties, so that would make it a good fit. If you plan to exchange often, it isn't a good system to own because it costs so much more than other systems. They charge you for everything: making reservations, banking points, reserving for a guest, etc. Other points systems don't charge for everything.

If you decide HGVC is the best choice for you, Orlando and Vegas (excluding Elara and Trump) have the lowest annual dues. If you are sure you want to stay on Oahu during high demand times often, you'd need to buy there. The minimum buy in for your family would be 7K annual, but more if you can swing it. If you go to Vegas during non peak times, you can easily book the cash stays at 30 days out and not have to use any points.

The popular resellers are:
sellingtimeshares.net
judikoz.com
ebay

Before you bid on Ebay auctions, research the seller. Many are great. Some are horrible.

presley said:

First, even though it sounds like HGVC is a good fit for you, make sure you spend a lot of time reading up on other timeshare systems. It sounds like you will often travel to where HGVC has properties, so that would make it a good fit. If you plan to exchange often, it isn't a good system to own because it costs so much more than other systems. They charge you for everything: making reservations, banking points, reserving for a guest, etc. Other points systems don't charge for everything.

If you decide HGVC is the best choice for you, Orlando and Vegas (excluding Elara and Trump) have the lowest annual dues. If you are sure you want to stay on Oahu during high demand times often, you'd need to buy there. The minimum buy in for your family would be 7K annual, but more if you can swing it. If you go to Vegas during non peak times, you can easily book the cash stays at 30 days out and not have to use any points.

The popular resellers are:
sellingtimeshares.net
judikoz.com
ebay

Before you bid on Ebay auctions, research the seller. Many are great. Some are horrible.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the information! I've read up on Marriott and SPG programs in addition to Hilton. Out of those 3, Hilton definitely wins out for my needs. I've tried reading up on Wyndham; that system seems very confusing to me, but they do have a lot of resorts and the buy in price is minimal on the resale market. You mentioned Oahu being difficult to book; what about Big Island?

ArkansasTraveler said:

You mentioned Oahu being difficult to book; what about Big Island?

Click to expand...

I've never heard of anyone having trouble booking Big Island. There are 3 resorts all on same property and they are still adding on over there. You may see people suggest buying King's Land, I think premium units, because you get so many points with it.

I posted this in the "buying" forum, but it was suggested that I post this here, so please forgive the double post.
Hello, my wife and I attended a Hilton vacation club presentation at Elara last weekend. The room we stay in (w/the deal) was a studio that had not been remodeled by Hilton. I was not overly impressed. However, the remodeled rooms that they showed us were really nice. They said that owners get the new rooms. Do you think this is true? Honestly, I would be pissed if I purchased at Elara and received the accommodations in which we stayed. They offered us 8400 platinum points for >50K, which I obviously turned down. I did take them up on the VIP option where I receive 7000 pts for $1700. I plan to use at Kings Land. We are very interested in purchasing HGVC resale points.

We have 3 young children so platinum season is a must. I am thinking at least 8400 platinum pts, possibly more. We vacation often. The Mrs & I go to Vegas at least once/yr; often twice/yr for 4 nights at a time. We usually take a family beach trip for a week in the summer (we've been renting a house in the Destin, FL area, but it's not imperative that it be Destin. We usually go somewhere else for a week as well. We enjoy theme parks like Disneyland, but not every year. We also love Hawaii, but we haven't taken the kids to Hawaii with us yet. We will also travel less frequently out of the country (Mex, Caribbean and even Asia).

I've read to purchase points in LV bc of lower maintenance fees, but I've also read to purchase in Hawaii in you can afford it. I just don't want to be in a situation where I am always unable to book a certain location.
Based on what I have said, can some of you give me recommendations, where you would buy, # of points, and a reputable reseller, etc?

These are highly reputable brokers who specialize in HGVC recommended here most often:
(1) Seth Nock at www.sellingtimeshares.net
(2) Judi Kozlowski at http://judikoz.com/
You can browse their websites for their inventory.

One can also find resales on e-bay; however, you need to do your homework to make sure that you are dealing with a legit seller and not some here-today, gone-tomorrow outfit.

Forget platinum and think points. The more points you can get for one maintenance fee is the best deal. But, check the resale prices and you will see that you can buy 5000 points for less than $5000 and 8400 points will cost more than $1 per point or maybe $10,000 - $12,000. If you own the timeshare for a lot of years, the higher cost for more points will be the cheaper way to go. One maintenance fee in Vegas is about $1000 for a week, in Hawaii it might be $1400. So if you buy Vegas and get 8400 points for $1000 a year, your cost is the most efficient.

Only buy Hawaii if you need to plan your vacation during Spring Break or the summer and if you plan to use it a lot. The cost for maintenance fees are higher because you have to pay hurricane insurance and all labor cost are higher to maintain the property. Therefore, maintenance fees are higher.

Whatever you decide, don't put all of your future vacation dollars into timesharing.
This will give you the flexibility in the future to choose the best way to visit your desired destinations. There might not be a timeshare at the location that you want to visit or if there is a timeshare it may be very hard to get an exchange. You may also want to visit a destination in an entirely different way via a cruise, hotel/resort stay, special discounted travel package, tour company, beach house rental, etc.

Also, don't base your purchase decision simply on the Hilton name or what you might have heard from a Hilton timeshare presentation.
I suggest that you take some time to research before you act on anything you heard from the sales guys. Try to learn as much as you can about Hilton's timeshare system ("reality" vs "fantasy"). Think about where you want to go. Look at the locations offered by Hilton. Also take a look at the RCI Resort directory to see if they offer resorts that meet your needs (in terms of location, quality, amenities, etc) and read the reviews. One size doesn't fit all. You'll have to decide what's best for you and your family.

Here are some links.
TUG Advice Page for HGVC - http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/hilton-grand-vacation-club-timeshare-information.html
HGVC Program - http://www.hgvclubprogram.com/
HGVC Club Rules - http://www.hgvclubprogram.com/resources/club-rules/
HGVC Fee Schedule - http://www.hgvclubprogram.com/resources/fee-schedule/
HGVC Resorts (includes point requirements for each resort) - http://www.hgvclubprogram.com/resorts/
Number of units at each Club resort - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218728
RCI Resort Directory - http://www.rci.com/resort-directory/landing


Here's what I wrote on another thread

From http://tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1733451&postcount=33

The one-time Purchase price is just one factor to consider. The ongoing ever increasing fees are just as important to consider (maintenance fees, club dues, reservation fees, banking fees, exchange fees, etc).

Lots of folks enter in timeshares without understanding the PROs and CONs. If you don't own a fixed week at a specific resort, you will most likely compete with lots of other timeshare owners when trying to book your stay. I sometimes compare the process to the children’s game of “musical chairs” where there are only a fixed number of units for any given week and sometimes way too many folks trying to compete for the same limited number of rooms at the same time.

Most families want to vacation during peak travel periods when the kids are out of school (holiday, spring & summer breaks and XMAS/NYE break) and/or want to visit peak travel destinations like beach resorts during peak summer season and ski resorts during peak winter season. High Demands areas and/or peak travel periods will be booked up first. So owners that can’t plan ahead in order to reserve a unit as soon as booking window begins, may not find availability during these peak travel times.

NOTE: Over built areas will have lots of availability such as Orlando and Las Vegas. Beachfront locations will book quicker than non-beachfront location. Centrally located resorts will book quicker than non-centrally located resorts.

Here's a link on what I learned about RCI over the years via TUG. It's not specific to HGVC. It works the same way regardless of which timeshare I use for a RCI exchange http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1702883&postcount=4

Click to expand...

Good Luck

Think Outside the Box

We have found 7000 pts to be about right for us. We are borrowing a few of the following year's points. But we also have DVC and have used the SFX promotions.

You may also want to consider buying a second timeshare too. We own HGVC and DVC (Disney) to give us flexibility in where we want to stay. The advantage to the second timeshare company is additional locations that HGVC may not offer. A drawback is having to learn how a second system works.

ArkansasTraveler said:

They said that owners get the new rooms. Do you think this is true? Honestly, I would be pissed if I purchased at Elara and received the accommodations in which we stayed.

Click to expand...

In a word "No". Anything you are verbally told is not true unless they point out a specific provision in the contract. Ask them to show you where this this so-called rule is set forth in writing. Assuming it is untrue, you will be less pissed off paying the resale price then the retail price.

phil1ben said:

In a word "No". Anything you are verbally told is not true unless they point out a specific provision in the contract. Ask them to show you where this this so-called rule is set forth in writing. Assuming it is untrue, you will be less pissed off paying the resale price then the retail price.

Click to expand...

You can always add that provision to your purchase contract during the signing phase if you buy retail, and then enforce it if they violate.

If you by resale, there really isn't anything you can do to guarantee a room.

I don't know HGVC, and won't pretend I do.
But, many resorts do give some kind of preference to owner owned/occupied units vs exchanges and/or rentals.

I stand with what was said above.....'if it's not in the contract...' but that doesn't mean that owners (especially those with status/multi weeks etc..) aren't treated differently when convenient.

JMHO.

Not disputing any of the comments above. Just adding.

ArkansasTraveler said:

I've read to purchase points in LV bc of lower maintenance fees, but I've also read to purchase in Hawaii in you can afford it. I just don't want to be in a situation where I am always unable to book a certain location.
Based on what I have said, can some of you give me recommendations, where you would buy, # of points, and a reputable reseller, etc?

Click to expand...

tompalm said:

Only buy Hawaii if you need to plan your vacation during Spring Break or the summer and if you plan to use it a lot. The cost for maintenance fees are higher because you have to pay hurricane insurance and all labor cost are higher to maintain the property. Therefore, maintenance fees are higher.

Click to expand...

This. We've stayed in Hawai'i 3 or 4 time now and we don't own any points in Hawai'i. We used HCNY points once (yeah, not the best in terms of cost, but we had the points...and it illustrates the point) and Flamingo (Vegas) points. We book far enough in advance and not during peak times. Since we're very flexible (we can go "whenever") we have no need to buy Hawai'i points to stay there. If you can do this as well, buy Vegas.

Oh, and our stays are at the Bay Club on Hawai'i, to be specific.

Cheers.

Jason245 said:

You can always add that provision to your purchase contract during the signing phase if you buy retail, and then enforce it if they violate.

Click to expand...

I would doubt that they would agree to this in writing unless all of the HGVC units have been redone. In the event that they have not all been redone and they do for some reason agree, I would add a clause that if they fail to comply with this obligation then you may terminate your ownership and HGVC shall within thirty (30) days refund your entire purchase price upon your delivery of a deed back to HGVC. If you merely add a clause that you will always get a refurbished unit and they fail to comply it will not be practical for you to hire a lawyer to enforce the provision. The legal fees may far exceed your purchase price. Put the remedy in the contract and provide that it will survive closing.

In the end, either all of the units allocated to HGVC owners were redone or they will not agree to the obligation. Keep in mind that the definition of "redone" will change over time; particularly when your ownership is in perpetuity. My advice is to buy resale and be less pissed off later.

phil1ben said:

I would doubt that they would agree to this in writing unless all of the HGVC units have been redone. In the event that they have not all been redone and they do for some reason agree, I would add a clause that if they fail to comply with this obligation then you may terminate your ownership and HGVC shall within thirty (30) days refund your entire purchase price upon your delivery of a deed back to HGVC. If you merely add a clause that you will always get a refurbished unit and they fail to comply it will not be practical for you to hire a lawyer to enforce the provision. The legal fees may far exceed your purchase price. Put the remedy in the contract and provide that it will survive closing.

In the end, either all of the units allocated to HGVC owners were redone or they will not agree to the obligation. Keep in mind that the definition of "redone" will change over time; particularly when your ownership is in perpetuity. My advice is to buy resale and be less pissed off later.

Click to expand...

I will only purchase resale.

Great advice from Alwaysonvacation don't put all your vacation dollars in one timeshare or in timeshares in general.


Can we just go to the beach now...please!!!

ArkansasTraveler said:

I will only purchase resale.

Click to expand...

Be careful purchasing resale at Elara, there are mostly Westgate units on the resale market, HGVC has not been selling their remodeled rooms long enough to have much of a resale market. HGVC manages the Westgate units, but has not offered to move them into the HGVC system. They are orphans that have to be traded through Interval.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk

SmithOp said:

Be careful purchasing resale at Elara, there are mostly Westgate units on the resale market, HGVC has not been selling their remodeled rooms long enough to have much of a resale market. HGVC manages the Westgate units, but has not offered to move them into the HGVC system. They are orphans that have to be traded through Interval.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I've been leaning towards Flamingo or maybe one of the Orlando properties.

I've seen lockout units on the resale market. I understand that people split up weeks by using only part of the lockout unit; how does this work with HGVC since it's points based? Also, I've not seen any resale of units at Sandestin. Is this because you cannot purchase at Club Intrawest? How difficult is it to book at these affiliate locations since we do love that area? Thanks!

ArkansasTraveler said:

I've been leaning towards Flamingo or maybe one of the Orlando properties.

I've seen lockout units on the resale market. I understand that people split up weeks by using only part of the lockout unit; how does this work with HGVC since it's points based? Also, I've not seen any resale of units at Sandestin. Is this because you cannot purchase at Club Intrawest? How difficult is it to book at these affiliate locations since we do love that area? Thanks!

Click to expand...

HGVC doesn't do lockouts at this time, even though some of the Marbrisa units are lockouts. Strictly points, I dont think they will split and let you book the studio, at least not that anyone can tell me.

The affiliates have to be booked by calling in and checking for availibility, only a few of them show up online like Bay Club, Eagles Nest, Valdoro, Plantation Beach, Club Regency Marco Is. I think the reps look into the Intrawest booking system for you on the phone.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk

ArkansasTraveler said:

Also, I've not seen any resale of units at Sandestin. Is this because you cannot purchase at Club Intrawest?

Click to expand...

If you buy a Club Intrawest property, you'll own Club Intrawest and not own HGVC. You'll have the benefit of being able to book HGVC through that membership. If you exchange out of the system, Club Intrawest trades in II and HGVC trades in RCI.