Hilton Vacation Club

[Superhero 8,845]

Anyone do it?

Wife and I just sat through a presentation where they flashed a bunch of numbers and asked us to decide today because it’s on a special, one day only, OMG chance of a lifetime.

We walked away because I don’t like to be pressured, and plus I’m sure there will always be these one day specials if we change our mind.

Numbers seem good but I’m gonna throw them into a spreadsheet to see if it makes sense.

Also wanted to get y’alls’ opinion and experience. Much appreciate any input. 

[CooterBrown 18,031]

If it was beneficial to you, Hilton wouldn’t have to do the hard sell.

[shakahorn 1,645]

Timeshares in general never make 'financial' sense in that it will always be less expensive to piecemeal something together year after year.  You just gotta decide if the benefits are worth the extra cost.

[jimmyjazz 46,152]

Run.  Run away.  It's never a good deal.

[Jambon 176]

Don't do it.  You will never be able to get rid of it.  The assessment fees increases yearly and they can call special assessment fees anytime. 

[Baboontyme 2,825]

No. Let me tell you who this is a great deal for - your friends and relatives. You will keep footing the annual bill for eternity and at some point you'll be like fuck it, no one is using the place anyway - feel free to stay there!

Why not just take whatever your annual fees are and put that into an airbnb for a week-10 day vacation wherever you may want to go? 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

Did you at least get a free set of Callaway golf clubs?

[Superhero 8,845]

Thanks for the feedback.

My brother-in-law says he has friends who bought into timeshares. They compared it to owning a boat - enjoyed it for a few years, and couldn't wait for the day to get rid of it.

I'll go disappoint my wife now. She loves expensive vacations. I'd rather just go camping or find a cheap Marriott and go hiking everyday.

[Landomatic 3,813]

4 hours ago, Superhero said:

Thanks for the feedback.

My brother-in-law says he has friends who bought into timeshares. They compared it to owning a boat - enjoyed it for a few years, and couldn't wait for the day to get rid of it.

I'll go disappoint my wife now. She loves expensive vacations. I'd rather just go camping or find a cheap Marriott and go hiking everyday.

She does know she can get an expensive vacation without signing up for some rip-off timeshare deal right?

[Lidig8r 1,874]

Contrary view time ... If this is the same as "Hilton Grand Vacations," my significant other bought into it about 5 years ago.

We love it for a number of reasons.

First, you have the option of having a number of Hilton Grand Vacations be your "home base." Depending on the Home Base, your buy in varies. (For example, if NYC is your home base that costs you more than the Hilton in DC). When you acquire your Home Base you acquire a certain number of points. You are not limited to just one location.

These points can be utilized at any of the 56 Hilton Grand Vacation sites domestically and internationally. Each of these locations will cost you fewer points (less dollars) than what you would have to spend at comparable nearby hotels.

In the past four years, we have used Hilton Grand Vacations points to stay at the Hilton properties in the following locations: NYC (mid-town Manhattan), Washington D.C. (two blocks away from GW University, Key West, San Diego (Carlsbad, on the beach), Cabo (on the beach), Myrtle Beach (on the beach), Big Island of Hawaii,.

Check in at these hotels is depending on the location, expedited. For example, in NYC, you go right past the Great Unwashed on the first floor check in, zip up to the 44th floor and the personal concierge up there gets you checked in.

Here is the website on it:

https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/

If you want more information, PM me and I can give you her name and contact information.

[midtown 3,348]

There is always one who drank the punch.   

[Landomatic 3,813]

45 minutes ago, midtown said:

There is always one who drank the punch with the turd in it.   

Fixed

[orange dream 1,256]

I was having lunch with a co-worker I didn't know very well one day and in the process of getting to know him I asked about where he likes to travel, etc. and he leads with "well I inherited 8 timeshares from my mom when she died..."  I think I kind of blacked out after that.

Edited August 12, 2021 by orange dream

[Don Johnson 4,757]

"Let me check us in real quick and we can go up to our rooms and drop our bags off."

"No, honey, remember we are members.  That means we get to bypass this desk with no one in line, we take the elevator up to the 44th floor, check in there, then ride back down to our room on the 35th floor and drop our bags off."

"Ah, that's right.  Expedited."

[Lidig8r 1,874]

7 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

"Let me check us in real quick and we can go up to our rooms and drop our bags off."

"No, honey, remember we are members.  That means we get to bypass this desk with no one in line, we take the elevator up to the 44th floor, check in there, then ride back down to our room on the 35th floor and drop our bags off."

"Ah, that's right.  Expedited."

Sometimes, I feel like a Pilgrim in an unholy land. That's why I lurve Surly so much.

No, you heathen (with all due respect). All of the privately owned units are on the 44th floor.

So, of the 47 floors in the Hilton Midtown, 46 of them check in on the ground floor. All except 1.

Hold and cold running maids. Private lounge for the hoi AND polloi on the floor. Prostitutes which discount their prices.

"Lovie, my God ... he must be a Yale man."

[gmr548 16,617]

I honestly did not know timeshares still existed. I thought everyone knew the game.

[jimmyjazz 46,152]

18 hours ago, Landomatic said:

She does know she can get an expensive vacation without signing up for some rip-off timeshare deal right?

I mean, this is the obvious answer, right?  I can take my wife to a $400/night resort for a week and still pay a LOT less than I would if I owned a timeshare.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,922]

Every timeshare that I’ve ever seen has been full of Walmart people.  Who wants to go on an expensive vacation with Walmart people.

[RPM 26,355]

Here is a list of all the good things I've heard about buying a timeshare:

 

[Landomatic 3,813]

On 8/12/2021 at 12:04 PM, orange dream said:

"well I inherited 8 timeshares from my mom when she died..."  I think I kind of blacked out after that.

Also known as..."my bitch mother died and left me with a ton of debt"

[Neonmoon 38,130]

Reminds me of a great work conversation I had about vacations

coworker: You could get a timeshare 

me: Fuck that, only idiots fall for that scam 

newly hired coworker: I have a timeshare in Cabo

me: I mean…if you use it, yeah…then it’s totally worth it. 
 

[Mo Horn 8,855]

My son has a buddy whose family is well off, and they belong to this. He and some other buddies do a guys trip every year and always use it. Just did Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Have done Miami, Key West, Outer Banks, and others I can't remember. He said it's great. But he doesn't pay for it, and just enjoys the benefits. That's the way to do it. 

[Landomatic 3,813]

I've always heard/known these are a huge ripoff, but what is it that actually gets you? Hidden fees? Lack of resale? Whynotboth?

[conVINCEd 21,469]

1 hour ago, Landomatic said:

I've always heard/known these are a huge ripoff, but what is it that actually gets you? Hidden fees? Lack of resale? Whynotboth?

It is my understanding that the monthly maintenance fees are where they get you.

[midtown 3,348]

My ex-wifes parents bought into a timeshare and listed her as the beneficiary when they die.   They then moved out of the country and stopped paying.   My ex wife still gets letters from the timeshares lawyers telling her she's responsible for paying now.

Edited August 14, 2021 by midtown

[Zepol87 9,191]

3 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I've always heard/known these are a huge ripoff, but what is it that actually gets you? Hidden fees? Lack of resale? Whynotboth?

Always wondered this as well. No one in my family ever had one but I had friends parents who did but always heard it was a ripoff but never looked into why. 

[pops 7,006]

If there is something that multiple lawfirms make their entire book of business out of (getting you out of a timeshare)  it probably isn't a great deal. 

[ROFL BOX 6,649]

The ONLY way I could see any potential for this sorta thing is if you had 5 or 6 other families that were interested in the program & would all equally share in expenses / use of the program (not knowing what the limitations are on actual # of times per year it can be used).

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[jimmyjazz 46,152]

4 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I've always heard/known these are a huge ripoff, but what is it that actually gets you? Hidden fees? Lack of resale? Whynotboth?

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it hasn't take a lot of effort to shoot holes in the concept on the few occasions I've sat through the pitch.  (We've done a couple of family vacations where the room is free as long as you go through the hard sell.  It's annoying, but if you go in knowing your answer is "no" and you can brush off the hard sell and pity stories, it can be a net positive.)

I mean, you know what a nice hotel at Disney or in Belize or wherever costs, right?  Multiply by 14 and compare to your annual timeshare burn.  It has never come close to equal in my experience.  They try to get you to bite on the idea that you can choose ANY timeshare at any of their 100+ locations, which kinda falls apart when you realize that you have that same choice (and more) if you're just booking hotels.

It's just a bad deal.

[HornPhD 1,368]

We don’t have a timeshare; however, we (my wife ) joined a travel club. $500/week for a small suite in Park City in the summer is worth it for what we paid up front (we also get discounts on Mexico trips). We’ve calculated the break-even point and will get out then. Too much BS. 

[CooterBrown 18,031]

We don’t have a timeshare; however, we (my wife ) joined a travel club. $500/week for a small suite in Park City in the summer is worth it for what we paid up front (we also get discounts on Mexico trips). We’ve calculated the break-even point and will get out then. Too much BS. 

A quick look at VRBO and there are dozens of very nice 2-3 bedroom condos and townhouses running $200-350/night in July.

I don’t know how paying for a club or a timeshare is remotely worth it unless spending 10 minutes of research is too much effort.

[Chopper 17,255]

Not to argue with the "timeshares make no sense to me" sentiment, because timeshares aren't for me either, but pre-covid the nicest, most expensive hotel at Disney was going for well over 500 a night, and it was small and not very nice. They had to spiff up the disneyworld hotels when the NBA did their play-in in Orlando last year.

I have a wealthy older cousin with an upscale timeshare at peak season at a prime location on Madeira that they use for 2 weeks every year and love it. If you enjoy going to the same place every year and aren't counting nickels and dimes, perhaps it makes sense, not "cents". 

If you were going to weigh dollars and cents for every vacation transaction, few people would buy a vacation house.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chopper

[Ag with kids 581]

20 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it hasn't take a lot of effort to shoot holes in the concept on the few occasions I've sat through the pitch.  (We've done a couple of family vacations where the room is free as long as you go through the hard sell.  It's annoying, but if you go in knowing your answer is "no" and you can brush off the hard sell and pity stories, it can be a net positive.)

I mean, you know what a nice hotel at Disney or in Belize or wherever costs, right?  Multiply by 14 and compare to your annual timeshare burn.  It has never come close to equal in my experience.  They try to get you to bite on the idea that you can choose ANY timeshare at any of their 100+ locations, which kinda falls apart when you realize that you have that same choice (and more) if you're just booking hotels.

It's just a bad deal.

If you INHERIT one, it's not that bad of a deal - you avoid the upfront cost which makes the overall deal horribad.

We've got a couple from my GF's mom that are actually useful.  We take a 2 week trip to St Martin every Christmas that costs $199 (plus $900 annual maintenance fees).  We usually get the same place, but that's just because we like the area.

We've also stayed in the DR 5 times and never once at the same place.  One of the timeshares could get us about 3-4 months in Cancun.  That's going to make retirement nice...

Both have a "home base" condo - one is in Branson the other in Florida.  We've never been to either of them and doubt we ever will.  We use it for other places.  Did Benalmedina in southern Spain a few years ago.

But, as I said, they're only useful because we didn't pay any upfront costs.  Both are in RCI so they've got places all over the world.