If you’re somewhere cold and dreaming of sunny Hawaiian beaches, I just got this e-mail from Hilton Grand Vacations for a discounted Hawaii vacation package if you attend their timeshare presentation. I appears to be open to all. Offer expires 2/28/18.
- 5 nights at a Hilton property in Honolulu (Oahu) or Waikoloa (Big Island) for $699. $299 non-refundable deposit initial deposit required. Balance of $400 + tax due when travel dates are selected. Looks like taxes are another $93-$98. You have up to 12 months from purchase date to travel.
- 5,000 Hilton Honors™ Points.
- $200 Spend a Night on Us certificate toward your next Hilton hotel stay.
- Flexible travel dates – reserve your package now and select your travel dates at your convenience
- You must attend a two-hour timeshare sales presentation “where you’ll learn how you and your family can enjoy the many benefits and privileges of vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations Club”. Married couples must attend together.
I’ve only done one timeshare presentation in my life, and as a young couple it felt worth exchanging our time for the free show tickets if a bit mind-numbing. They will do some theoretical math that if you travel X times at Y room rate at Z inflation/annual price hikes, you will spend $253,332.45 dollars. Surprise! The timeshare is always “cheaper” using their numbers.
Keep in mind you can always buy after the presentation is over, it’s not like they will say no down the road, no matter what “limited-time pricing” they dangle in front of you. Once you are out of the pressure cooker, you can do a reality check and compare what they are asking retail and the current resale value. If anything you might buy resale instead, keeping in mind that those annual maintenance fees also go up every year…
Here is the fine print. Paying what works out to ~$160 per night including taxes could be a sizable discount to booking directly. I’m unlikely to participate, but I am interested to see what others think. Has anyone had experience with this type of Hilton Grand Vacations offer?
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I attended one in NYC and though we declined couple of supervisors came by and tried to sweeten the deal by giving more points and offering flexible financing etc…. Some of the international destinations on offer were places I may not necessarily visit.
Hilton area hotel or Hilton Grand VacationsClub resort
This seems sketchy, we are planning a trip this summer. Notice they don’t let select a date, and there are no refunds. Seems like they could have a lot of blackout dates. Additionally it says hinton area hotel Or a club. So you could be paying 200 plus sitting through a time share which usually take closer to 3-4 hours and they put you at double tree off the beach. You are paying a lot to take a chance and be at tier mercy.
I have done a few of those. They are worth it if you do not yield to high pressure sales tactics and have no trouble saying a firm NO to a very sweet and extremely polite sales person.
As a suggestion, don’t try to explain in details why you are refusing to buy. Just say you are not ready for this decision. Otherwise, they will counteract any of your replies with reducing price dramatically and inducing an emotion of guilt in your mind. Remember, you are facing a top notch personnel who received a superb psychological training in high pressure sales tactics. Just keep saying NO as long as it is required and enjoy Hawaii.
I usually make people mad — or at least annoyed — when I get into discussions on this topic. I certainly would never defend the time share industry and its tactics, but I find myself equally uncomfortable with the idea of attending a pitch — for a vacation, shows, amusement park tickets, or whatever — with no intent from the start of considering the offer. I know people who actually seek these things out when they are traveling just get whatever deal or freebie is available. I know that it’s the deal being extended — no obligation that is — but for me it’s a matter of “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Although a case might be made for enduring this for some nice vacation accommodations, I find it puzzling that people (some friends of mine have actually done this) would give up 3-4 hours of their vacation time to get something like discounted Sea World tickets. You can usually find a discount of 10% or so just looking online, using your AAA membership, etc. and use those 3-4 hours of your life actually at the park.
That is certainly a valid opinion. It’s not for everyone. In my opinion, it’s kind of like credit card sign-ups. Even if you are mainly enticed by that 50,000 Hawaiian miles (imagining that free flight to Hawaii), some of those people will still probably end up keeping that credit card for whatever reason, free checked bags, etc. After staying at a timeshare-style resort with my family, we actually found we liked that style – 1 or 2-bedroom suites with full kitchen and laundry works great for a family with multiple kids. Who knows, some people might love Hilton Waikoloa Villas or whatever the name is. It feel it is my responsibility to present the full picture and alternatives that you might not hear at the sales presentation, like the resale market and the option to decide to buy later. Then people can decide for themselves.
I’ve done plenty of these and done trips to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. One tip… NEVER ACCEPT THE FIRST OFFER FOR THE TRIP. Balk at the price a few times. You’ll usually get a manager to offer you a lowball price 1/4 of what the original off was. $250 for the whole trip is way better than $850. Figure in you’ll have to fly there, deal with taxes, fees, etc…
And be careful at the presentation. I had one last WAY longer than promised then started to get badgered for not buying. Keep your cool, be firm, say NO and be done. Don’t let them ruin your trip.
If you ask your local hotel (in my case during our DoubleTree stay in Downers Grove-Chicago in May 2018) this deal for Hawaii is still available. The only difference is $100 Spend a Night vs. $200.
just checking if you have any of these promotions for july 2019???
I was a timeshare salesperson for Hilton Grand Vacations for 5 years. I absolutely love their vacation ownership! It is very flexible and will definitely save you money in the long run if you are truly going to vacation. If you aren’t going to vacation, it’s a mute point. You can stay at any of their properties, condos or hotels anywhere in the world. They have have a 1-6 rating on their hotels and that determines how many nights you can stay per year. If you chose a condo you will always get a 2 bedroom, 5 star accommodation because Hilton is a 5 star product! You can go for 2 nights or more depending on how much vacation time you have purchased. I once had someone buy so much vacation time (which we call points) that they could literally vacation every day of the year, if they wanted to! Now that’s living!! I would still be working for Hilton, but I had some very series health issues and had to take some time off. Trust me when I tell you, you never know what life has in store for you. Vacationing and building memories with people that you love is priceless. Don’t worry about the length of a presentation, trust me they are trying to help you take Beautiful Vacations for your lifetime, your childrens lifetime and your grandchildren’s lifetime! Sit back, relax, have a snack and enjoy your time with them! Hopefully, your on your first of many more amazing vacations with Hilton!!
If anyone is serious about buying a Hilton timeshare, don’t forget to compare with the option of buying it on the resale secondary market. You will also be able to get an idea of what your resale value would be if you bought and needed to sell later. Here is one site (no affiliation or experience):
https://www.fidelityresales.com/hilton-timeshares-listings