# HGVC Open season



## brettskyg (Mar 24, 2016)

I am noticing for Las Vegas the Open Season prices are actually a few dollars higher than the prices if I book through Hilton directly.

Is this normal?  $146 versus $150.  Would an Open Season reservation earn HH points?  If not, then booking through Hilton.com would be better right?

Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.


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## jestme (Mar 24, 2016)

brettskyg said:


> I am noticing for Las Vegas the Open Season prices are actually a few dollars higher than the prices if I book through Hilton directly.
> 
> Is this normal?  $146 versus $150.  Would an Open Season reservation earn HH points?  If not, then booking through Hilton.com would be better right?
> 
> Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.



No, Open Season will not get you HHonors points. Nor will it count as a "stay", and you will have to be out at 10AM instead of 11, and you can't check in until 4PM. You also will not get HHonors points for any meal or bar  charges you sign back to your room with an Open Season room either. You can only book Open Season 30 days in advance, not a year like a hotel, and you must book a minimum of two days. In addition, you will not get maid service, and there is no cancellation option. 
As you point out, you can get better deals at Hilton.com, let alone other travel booking engines. However, according to Barbara Rinks at HGVC, Open Season is still a "benefit of ownership". Unfortunately, the past few years of price increases and season / location premiums have made it effectively useless as a viable travel option. For a room that used to be a large discount of the rate everywhere else, it was worth the loss of the above mentioned things. Now, there is no point at all.


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## presley (Mar 24, 2016)

brettskyg said:


> Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.



Thanks for posting that. I wasn't aware of that. Do you show the screenshot when you check in?


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## brp (Mar 24, 2016)

brettskyg said:


> Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.



Do you have a link to the Hilton information about the price match? IME, Hilton are very strict about "you must book from Hilton" to get benefits, and I've not heard of them matching, but this would be great to find.

Also, are the rates you're seeing on the HHonors site reflective of the HHonors discount? If not, that might make them more comparable.

Cheers.


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## alwysonvac (Mar 24, 2016)

*Sadly this is normal*

HGVC Open Season rates are not always the best deal. As Jestme pointed out, it's only gotten worse with the ongoing increases. It's in your best interest to always shop around, especially in over built areas like Vegas and Orlando where there is more than just Hilton to choose from. 

NOTE: If you book through Hilton.com you also get HHonors points and daily housekeeping.

For week long stays, RCI Extra Vacation cash rentals can be cheaper.
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232484&highlight=Vegas
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220328&highlight=Vegas
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208000&highlight=Vegas
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232542&highlight=Vegas
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170364&highlight=Vegas
_*Note: Need to be a TUG Member to view the links above.*_


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## alwysonvac (Mar 24, 2016)

The link to Hilton Price Guarantee is located on the main page 
http://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/best-price-guarantee/overview.html

Terms and Conditions link - http://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/best-price-guarantee/terms.html


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## Jason245 (Mar 24, 2016)

brettskyg said:


> I am noticing for Las Vegas the Open Season prices are actually a few dollars higher than the prices if I book through Hilton directly.
> 
> Is this normal?  $146 versus $150.  Would an Open Season reservation earn HH points?  If not, then booking through Hilton.com would be better right?
> 
> Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.


You should call hgvc owner services and complain..

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## brettskyg (Mar 24, 2016)

presley said:


> Thanks for posting that. I wasn't aware of that. Do you show the screenshot when you check in?


book the stay through hilton.  Fill out the online price match form.  They will then write you back an email asking you for proof/documentation.  You can then send them the screen shot from the hotel Tonight app.  This app is great as it does qualify for the price match where hilton properties are listed.  Hilton will then price adjust your reservation and also send you the gift card.  I have had success several times.  You also get HH points.  Its a great find b/c expedia prices are always the exact same as hilton.com but these prices always beat them.

So you can book an identical room from hilton.com as you book for "open season" and get the cleaning service?  That is bizarre.  Where is the benefit for us as members?  I presume that rooms sold on hilton.com are essentially unsold timeshares which hilton kept in inventory.  I wonder whether hilton contributes their pro-rata share for MF on these unsold units?


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## SmithOp (Mar 25, 2016)

brettskyg said:


> I presume that rooms sold on hilton.com are essentially unsold timeshares which hilton kept in inventory.  I wonder whether hilton contributes their pro-rata share for MF on these unsold units?




It could also be inventory to offset HGVC points that members convert to HHonors points, thus the member has already paid the MF.


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## bevans (Mar 25, 2016)

Since the rise in open season rates has come about I have personally come to a couple of conclusions. Now more than ever you need to buy platinum points and try to use in gold season to get a real benefit for your maintenance fees. Buying small point contracts to get access to open season no longer works. I think this will increase the value of 7000 point and up contracts and smaller point contacts down. The other thing is there is still value in open season but mainly in the 2 bedroom reservations preferably in gold or silver season. Curt


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## Jason245 (Mar 25, 2016)

I actually think buying Plat and staying in silver season is best value. . With occasional gold.. 

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## jestme (Mar 25, 2016)

Jason245 said:


> I actually think buying Plat and staying in silver season is best value. . With occasional gold..
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk



If you want to stay in the worst possible season, surrounded by hurricanes or mud at the ski resorts, then that is the way to go with HGVC. Meanwhile, for $49 / night retail in the same time frame,you can get the same thing.
Going forward, I think the best thing to do is to buy the independent HGVC stock and use your annual stock earnings to purchase the vacation location you really want.


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## Jason245 (Mar 25, 2016)

jestme said:


> If you want to stay in the worst possible season, surrounded by hurricanes or mud at the ski resorts, then that is the way to go with HGVC. Meanwhile, for $49 / night retail in the same time frame,you can get the same thing.
> Going forward, I think the best thing to do is to buy the independent HGVC stock and use your annual stock earnings to purchase the vacation location you really want.


I live In south fl.. labor day in marco or on west coast of fl is awesome. . 

The legacy affiliates have silver season during interesting times.. even sea world orlando has silver for a few weeks..

Again...not for everyone. . But In the little over a year I have owned I have more then gotten my money worth. .

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## PigsDad (Mar 26, 2016)

Jason245 said:


> The legacy affiliates have silver season during interesting times.. even sea world orlando has silver for a few weeks..


There's even Bronze season at a few resorts.  Talk about point stretching!

Kurt


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## Jason245 (Mar 26, 2016)

PigsDad said:


> There's even Bronze season at a few resorts.  Talk about point stretching!
> 
> Kurt


Hey.  If I can turn my 7 day 1br into 4 days in a 2br and 8 days in a 1 br.. or more.. who am I to complain? 



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## lto (Mar 30, 2016)

I live in Canada and tried the hotel app and cannot find any hgvc available in Hawaii. I thought the open season rates in Hawaii around 170/ night is better than the 300+/ night in hgvc in Hawaii?


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## jehb2 (Mar 31, 2016)

alwysonvac said:


> HGVC Open Season rates are not always the best deal.



This is so sad.  There was a time when my husband attended a conference at Hilton Waikoloa and I got him a 2bdrm unit at the Bay Club for about $90.00 a night.  He loved his walk to the Hilton Hotel every morning.  And got there faster than a lot of his colleagues who stated at the hotel and took the tram.  His boss thought he was really cleaver and had the company host a get together at the unit.


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## Talent312 (Apr 1, 2016)

Even if O/S is somewhat cheaper, it may still be a better deal to book a refundable rate thru the hilton hotel-side, so you don't have to pay up front and can get your $$ back if have to cancel.  I have to wonder if the HGVC money-crunchers have decided they can make more $$ from hotel-bookings, regardless.
.


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## Tamaradarann (Apr 3, 2016)

*HGVC Open Season and Hilton Directly*



brettskyg said:


> I am noticing for Las Vegas the Open Season prices are actually a few dollars higher than the prices if I book through Hilton directly.
> 
> Is this normal?  $146 versus $150.  Would an Open Season reservation earn HH points?  If not, then booking through Hilton.com would be better right?
> 
> Secondly, for anyone who is not aware, there is an App called Hotels Tonight.  They offer steep discounted rooms.  Hilton will actually price match them if you take a screen shot and provide you with a $50 gift card for finding a better price.  They are listing the same room for $90.



I know that different dates have different rates.  However, I was looking at booking 10 nights in October in Las Vegas.  After taxes and resort fees the least expensive rate that I got from Hilton directly was approximately $150/night.  I couldn't use open season that far ahead so I looked at 10 nights in April using open season.  The rates that I got was about $100/night.  I looked up the same April nights on Hilton.com and the rates were even higher than the rates in October.  Now I am Elite Plus so I get a 15% discount.  However, that does not account for a 50% lower.  Therefore, at this point Open Season is still a good deal at times unless HGVC raises the prices more next year.


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