How much would you pay for Max?

[letsgobobby]

Say you owned a mix of HGVC and/or bHC resale deeds.

HGVC offers to upgrade you for no additional deeds required - just cash.

How much would you pay?

I've had a peek at Max availability so that informs my response, if you don't know what availability looks like your response could be different.

 

[ljmiii]

To my knowledge there is only one Diamond (Poipu) and no Bluegreen properties at which I would be willing to use my HGVC points...so $0. There are a few Embarc resorts...so if one day (if ever) they fully integrated those resorts the number might come up a smidge.

 

[Yzfguy06]

I’d say under 500. Anymore than that no thanks.

 

[brp]

I voted $0 only because you don't have any options for how much they would pay me.

Cheers.

 

[geist1223]

As a DRI member (Cabo Azul) they can not pay me enough to opt into MAX. We would lose most of our Bennies being Platinum. Also lose Club Select Club Combination. We can Book into many Hilton Resorts through RCI more than 6 months in advance.

 

[letsgobobby]

To my knowledge there is only one Diamond (Poipu) and no Bluegreen properties at which I would be willing to use my HGVC points...so $0. There are a few Embarc resorts...so if one day (if ever) they fully integrated those resorts the number might come up a smidge.

Embarc is theoretically available and there have been some sightings.

 

[escanoe]

How are you supposed to answer if willing to pay something between $0 and $1? I might go in for a penny, but a nickel would be too much.

I would go slightly higher if allowed to pay with Monopoly money, considering some properties that are “theoretically” available.

 

[skier4]

I'll be the outlier for the group and say I would pay something but not nearly as much as they're asking. I'm not high enough to have significant legacy benefits to lose, and I do make multiple smaller trips in a year so the per-stay reservation fees add up. This group touts RCI exchanges for access to Max properties which is true, but there are fees there too. Every time I've looked at an RCI exchange it's not worth the fees (again, it's those small trips). So for more options and ease of booking I would hand over some cash. Sadly they want waaayyy too much cash for us to consider it.

 

[alwysonvac]

To stand at the back of the line for the leftovers ($0).

 

[jp10558]

I don't have any special status due to just one resale HGVC deed, but I might pay $100 one time, or maybe $20 a year, to see what's available. Especially if it would end up cheaper than the $300 RCI exchange fee. Then again, I tend to hear the availability is bad, so not sure what it gets me.

 

[brp]

I don't have any special status due to just one resale HGVC deed, but I might pay $100 one time, or maybe $20 a year, to see what's available. Especially if it would end up cheaper than the $300 RCI exchange fee. Then again, I tend to hear the availability is bad, so not sure what it gets me.

And that's a big part of it. There's a reason for what's left over at 6 months. Unless there is a specific reason to want a place that may be less popular (and there are certainly valid reasons for some), I don't see that this buys much.

Cheers.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

It mostly depends (typical story). Speaking from HGVC POV ...
Me: $0
anybody young enough that buying more deeds or pts and adding more MFs is no biggie: $0
anybody with few enough existing TSs that buying more deeds or pts and adding more MFs is no biggie: $0
In general: if someone is old enough that they just cannot imagine adding more MFs and that person already has a huge # of pts burning a hole in his/her pocket, plans to make 5 or more exchanges/yr, wants to use HGVC pts to pay for at least 1 wk in Europe every yr for the next "N" yrs, then idk, wild guess, maybe $3000 max for Max?

obviously this poll began due to yesterday's "Is it a good deal?" drive-by where a person with (seemingly) ONLY 1 DEED was thinking Max was a big bennie. How someone can think that, btsom. I asked. No response. Typical of the "Is it a good deal?" drive-bys. Dont know what they really have on the table. Don't know how to answer the key questions. Life. Or some facsimile

 

[WaikikiFirst]

hear the availability is bad

It is the (lack of) Network Effect. availability will be bad til large majority have and use it. Aren't they giving it away "free" with new retail purchases? They need to. They need to build the Network. BUT, if a 1st-time buyer buys 1 deed and gets Max, and doesn't even exchange every yr, that does almost nothing for availability.
I would not be surprised if the biggest exchangers are the resale owners, so almost perversely, they are exactly who would build the Network the fastest.

 

[letsgobobby]

sometimes Max just shows up for free in your account, and you still can't find anywhere you'd want to go. Sedona seems nice but the reviews on some of the properties are just horrific. If Embarc Whistler or Zihua showed up in season I'd totally be down... but they haven't (or maybe you have to call).

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Like @ljmiii there are only two resorts that I would occasionally use (Cabo Azul, KBC) and Embarc Palm Desert once in a while. However, I doubt I would be able to get any of these in prime season at 6 months. I would consider if they offered $100 one time for last minute access, and I didn't lose my Elite benefits (right now I would lose because MAX tiers are not an upgrade).

I highly doubt that day will come. So I will enjoy what I own and use my Vistana, trade or rent when I can't.

 

[jp10558]

obviously this poll began due to yesterday's "Is it a good deal?" drive-by where a person with (seemingly) ONLY 1 DEED was thinking Max was a big bennie. How someone can think that, btsom. I asked. No response. Typical of the "Is it a good deal?" drive-bys. Dont know what they really have on the table. Don't know how to answer the key questions. Life. Or some facsimile

Yea, I really don't get the whole drive by questions...

 

[dayooper]

Like @ljmiii there are only two resorts that I would occasionally use (Cabo Azul, KBC) and Embarc Palm Desert once in a while. However, I doubt I would be able to get any of these in prime season at 6 months. I would consider if they offered $100 one time for last minute access, and I didn't lose my Elite benefits (right now I would lose because MAX tiers are not an upgrade).

I highly doubt that day will come. So I will enjoy what I own and use my Vistana, trade or rent when I can't.

There are only a few DRI/BlueGreen resorts I would want. Cabo Azul, Maui and Kawaii from DRI and BlueGreen at Tradewinds in St. Pete's Beach Florida. Tradewinds is the only resort I would probably visit more than a couple of times and that's just because of the location.

Maybe I would visit Mountain Run at Boyne because that's a couple of hour drive for me, but I can get that with RCI and in 6 years of ownership, I haven't even looked at using points there.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I would be willing to pay a fixed fee, assuming that enrolled me and all of my points into the Max program.

Though to be honest, i have not found any resorts that i think we would visit multiple times... Our most frequent timeshare destination Hawaii, and between my existing HGV and Marriott ownership we have islands covered. Max would provide some different resorts, but not really any new destinations. Most of the locations on Maui and Kauai are close enough to the MVC resorts that we would still be eating at all the same restaurants....

 

[cd5]

sometimes Max just shows up for free in your account, and you still can't find anywhere you'd want to go. Sedona seems nice but the reviews on some of the properties are just horrific. If Embarc Whistler or Zihua showed up in season I'd totally be down... but they haven't (or maybe you have to call).

Embarc Whistler and Zihua are extremely unlikely to show up in season as Embarc members have to book at 11 month booking window opening (on the dot of 9am pacific time) to get a booking. Same applies to Palm Desert. By 6 months out, in Whistler there's a few odd days left during the off-peak seasons and for Zihua, the summer is wide open (but weather not desirable)

 

[muscae]

I don't agree with OP original post. Max is a downgrade from HGVC legacy. So, the question should be, "How much are you willing to pay to downgrade to Max?"

 

[toontoy]

I haven't found any Max resorts on the same level of quality as HGVC resorts. I have found some I am willing to stay at, the problem is the point cost and maintenance fee value. It's cheaper to book most through hilton.com, that doesn't even consider the cost to buy max.

 

[Nowaker]

Sedona seems nice but the reviews on some of the properties are just horrific.

I have an upcoming VIP Package stay in Sedona in May/June so I'll report if it's any good.

 

[SmithOp]

I have an upcoming VIP Package stay in Sedona in May/June so I'll report if it's any good.

I've stayed in DRI Sedona several times with Interval ACs, we preferred Sedona Ridge in Oak Creek. The units were very nice, the only issues were crappy wifi and TV (a small 32 inch with maybe 15 channels) - spoiled by the HGVC entertainment options.

 

[letsgobobby]

I don't agree with OP original post. Max is a downgrade from HGVC legacy. So, the question should be, "How much are you willing to pay to downgrade to Max?"

It's not possible for it to be a downgrade unless you have Elite status, which isn't possible for all resale owners except Scotland properties. I'd pay $1 for HGVC; I lose nothing. I wouldn't pay $500, and certainly wouldn't pay thousands of dollars.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Isn't conversion to Hilton.com moved to EOY from annual option in Max? This would be a downgrade for non-elites.

Indeed Max would be a downgrade for Legacy HGVC Elite resale. But not just Scotland. Valdoro, Gulf, and other affiliates count toward elite.