Newbie: Confused by HGVC Sales Lady

Boy am I confused. I am thinking of getting into Timeshare ... starting either with HGVC or Marriott. The HGVC sales lady made the Hilton system sound very attractive... though few if any (none) of the Hilton owned properties are places that my wife and I are likely to use.

So, for this to be a viable option-- it boils down to the RCI exchanges I think. If I purchase a Hilton TS with 7000 points (as an example), how do I find how many points it takes for a specific RCI property via HGVC? Is there a list of the properties, and the points it takes for each season that I can see?

Are all of the HGVC properties "gold crown" (she implied that they were). Where do i find a list of these and there HGVC point costs?

THanks

It really doesn't make any sense to buy into a resort system that you don't intend to use. If you want to buy into one of the systems, find one that has resorts that you'd like to visit. You are paying a premium for the hotel systems, so it makes more sense to buy where you want to go. Also - exchanging is a crap shoot, and buying a resort that you will only use for exchanges, is bound to be disappointing.

But if there are good RCI listings to exchange, then why not? And when I said I would not stay at any of the Hilton timeshares I mean the ones that they own and that seem to be associated with HGVC points. Some of the ones that they manage but do not own look pretty good (like captiva).

So how does the point system work for RCI listings?

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

But if there are good RCI listings to exchange, then why not? And when I said I would not stay at any of the Hilton timeshares I mean the ones that they own and that seem to be associated with HGVC points. Some of the ones that they manage but do not own look pretty good (like captiva).

So how does the point system work for RCI listings?

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Exchanging is not guaranteed and it can be very frustrating. Having to always find an exchange for every trip would get old pretty quickly, and it's nearly impossible to find exchanges for holiday weeks. For an exchange to be available, another owner has to deposit the exact week, at the exact resort that you want. It's not like just calling up and making a reservation. The people who are the best at exchanging really work at it. That's not everyone's cup of tea.

I see that you are a TUG member - a good way to test the water would be for you to go to the TUG Sightings board below the TUG lounge and see what kind of exchanges are available. If you like, ask for a Sighting at an RCI resort you'd like to exchange into, and see what is actually available for exchange.

I'm an HGVC owner and I like their system, but its clunky for RCI exchanges.
You simply will not be happy using the Hilton system primarily for that purpose.

The principal reason is that with HGVC, you do not have (cannot get) your own personal RCI account. Thus, the only way to find out what's available and to initiate a stay is to call HGVC and ask (beg) them to find something for you. The points required are set forth in a chart in the annual Member's Guide. HGVC has a booklet of preferred RCI properties, and they will try to restrict you to these when you call. IOW, you are at the mercy and vagaries of the call center and whatever CSR takes your call.

HGVC points are most efficiently and effectively used for HGVC and HGVC-affiliated resorts. If you intend to make a major use of RCI, you'd be much happier buying an independent resort property which lets you have your own personal RCI account.

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

Are all of the HGVC properties "gold crown" (she implied that they were). Where do i find a list of these and there HGVC point costs?
THanks

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Many of the "preferred" properties are Gold Crown, but not all. That has no affect on point costs, however. Only season (red is highest demand, blue is lowest) and unit size determine points needed to make an RCI reservation.

I see what you mean. and probably i am not the type to spend a lot of time hunting for exchanges. that is why i thought renting may make sense.

Our primary interest is to get a week in a luxury resort in warm weather each year ... sometime in february or early march. perhaps, alternating the caribbean with southern florida, or even palm desert (though i am not sure if florida or palm desert are warm).

any suggestions as to resorts or systems? we usually use hotels but thought the TS route was worth considering. what do you think?

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

Our primary interest is to get a week in a luxury resort in warm weather each year ... sometime in february or early march. perhaps, alternating the caribbean with southern florida, or even palm desert (though i am not sure if florida or palm desert are warm).

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Then you could buy two every-other-year deeds - one for the Caribbean and one for Florida or Palm Desert. Your best resource for resort Info. is the TUG Reviews, where, in addition to reviews, the resorts in each area are ranked.

One note - Florida and Palm Desert/Palm Springs weeks are not strong exchangers, so if you buy a week there, you will want to make sure the other week you buy is a strong exchanger. If you are baseball fans, an Arizona TS would be one to consider, too, and there are some very nice ones there.

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

we usually use hotels but thought the TS route was worth considering. what do you think?

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Take your time and learn more about timesharing. I suggest reading TUG's Timeshare 101 (link) on the TUG Advice page (link).

Instead of buying a timeshare, you can also rent.
There are several rent by owner websites (including our own TUG Marketplace (link) - see TUG's Frequently mentioned resale and rental websites (link)
Also one of the major exchange companies (RCI) has a timeshare rental website (link)

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

any suggestions as to resorts or systems?

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It depends on where you want to vacation and how much you want to spend.
Take a look at the threads that start with "STICKY:" at the top of the "All Other Timeshare Systems" forum (link)

Also know that there is a rising number of folks trying to get out of timesharing. Take a look at these TUG threads
"Are you are like me, own a week not 'worth $1" (link)
"What happens if I stop paying my maintenance dues?" (link)
"What happens if I don't pay MF ever again?" (link)
"What happens if you just STOP paying maint fees?" (link)

generally speaking, given my goals and your expereience ... do you think i would be better off continuing to stay at hotel resorts (hilton) rather than renting a timeshare?

Talent312 said:

Thus, the only way to find out what's available and to initiate a stay is to call HGVC and ask (beg) them to find something for you.

The points required are set forth in a chart in the annual Member's Guide.

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Or use the RCI request page from the HGVC Web site.

For 7 nights:

Studio: 2400 (red), 1700 (white), 1200 (blue)
1BR: 3400 (red), 2400 (white), 1700 (blue)
2BR: 4800 (red), 3400 (white), 2400 (blue)
3BR: 5800 (red), 4000 (white), 2900 (blue)

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

generally speaking, given my goals and your expereience ... do you think i would be better off continuing to stay at hotel resorts (hilton) rather than renting a timeshare?

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Each destination is going to be different. You would need to compare the PROs and CONs.
Honestly, if you're not willing to put in any time or effort into reading and investigating then I would say stick with the hotels.

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

generally speaking, given my goals and your expereience ... do you think i would be better off continuing to stay at hotel resorts (hilton) rather than renting a timeshare?

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One of the nice things about a hotel-resort system, such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Wyndham, is that you can use or convert your points for hotel stays. Thus, whenever an RCI exchange proves difficult, booking a hotel is a fall-back.

With some systems, such as Hilton, you are automatically signed up for a hotel-membership program (HHonors) which enhances your ability to book free hotel stays, esp. if you use a CC that adds points to your membership. Hilton Honors point requirements are a little on the high-side, but with their affinity CC's the points add up quickly.

IOW -- A hotel-system may not be the best way to get RCI exchanges, but if you want to book a hotel as an alternative, they can be advantageous. But your points are still best used for their primary purpose, i.e. in-house resort stays.

You are really going to need to spend the time on the RCI website and see if they have the places you'd like to go to. Next, do a search on Tug for those places and see if they come up, particularly on the sightings board.

Assuming you find places and you see them coming up now and again, I still wouldn't buy HGVC to use primarily as a way to exchange in. I LOVE HGVC but as has already been stated it's a little cumbersome and frustrating to get the place you want, when you want as an exchange...and when doing it with HGVC it's a little like doing it with your eyes closed as you can't work the system directly. One rule I belive in is to buy where you want to stay. Worse case if everything else doesn't work out for you in attempting an exchange, you've got someplace you like to go to. A mini-system offers you more choices than a single resort.

I bought a week at a non-hgvc resort which had already converted to the RCI points system. I got it resale via ebay. It was done by the owner of the week who had points already accumlated in their account which transferred over when I purchased it. Maintenance fee's are lower than my HGVC weeks and I can work the system directly on-line via the RCI site.

Exchanges still aren't a sure thing, but the points system does offer a fair amount of flexibility. Still, you might be better renting for now.

lreinstein@sphcs.org said:

generally speaking, given my goals and your expereience ... do you think i would be better off continuing to stay at hotel resorts (hilton) rather than renting a timeshare?

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In my opinion,
I think you would be very happy with HGVC.

If you want to go to Florida HGVC has resorts in Orlando, and many affiliate resorts in Captiva, Marco island etc.

If you want Palm Desert- HGVC has an affiliate resort, Club Intrawest in Palm Desert. And of Course...... Vegas.

Who knows , you may decide on Hawaii one day............


(just fyi, HYATT also has resorts in the keys ft. Lauderdale and also the Western cities- Sedona, Tahoe, Carmel, you may want to check them out too.)

lreinstein said:

generally speaking, given my goals and your expereience ... do you think i would be better off continuing to stay at hotel resorts (hilton) rather than renting a timeshare?

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RENTING at a timeshare is more or less like staying at a resort - the main difference is that timeshares offer more rooms with living rooms, multiple bedrooms, and kitchens. You choose where and when you want to stay, try to find a location with availability, and then pay your money.

As others have described, BUYING at a timeshare is a different kettle of fish. I've gone into longer detail in other postings, but the quick answer is that if you want to stay frequently in Orlando, Hawaii, or Las Vegas then HGVC is a fabulous choice. However, if you mainly want to trade into other locations, then I would go with another system which is more focused on exchanges (e.g. Marriott/Interval International).

enjoy,
leo

I have to agree with DeniseM. I'm an extremely happy Hilton owner and I've had some neat RCI exchanges. That said, if I knew I mainly wanted to exchange via RCI I would explore other options.

Mainly, Hilton does not allow you to deal wit RCI directly. You have to go through them. You can't search online anytime you please just to see what's out there. You also can only exchange in to "their" list of RCI timeshares. This isn't terrible since they won't let you exchange into a dog. But there is a timeshare in Maui that I can't go back to because it's no longer on their list.

I'm also guessing that you can get into the RCI system with something that had cheaper maintenance fees.

On the plus side, HGVC is a really good trader. So if you book earlier enough and owners actually exchange their TS in the given resort then you should get your request. Good Luckl