# Help, pls: HGVC Questions on ownership



## Cathyb (Mar 29, 2007)

I just looked at TUGs HGVC info sheet but it is dated 5/04, somewhat out of date.  I have the following questions:

1.  What is the difference in owning Hilton built resorts and Hilton affiliate resorts?

2.  Is there a third category when you want to go to Hilton Club in NYC?

3.  Has HGVC dropped any of their Florida resorts (Captiva, Sanibel, Marco) since 2004?

4.  May I have a website so I can see what additional resorts have been added to the HGVC family.

5.  What do you lose buying resale over from the developer?

Thank you in advance!  We are doing our homework before making a decision to buy (resale of course -- unless you say we lose certain benefits)


----------



## Cathyb (Mar 29, 2007)

bumping up -- where are you guys    No Hilton owners????


----------



## UWSurfer (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm an owner...but a newly minted one and don't really have knowledgable answers for you.

As I understand it, the affilated resorts are ones that weren't developed by Hilton and as such you can own there without choosing to join HGVC if you choose.  This would mean you would be staying pretty much exclusively at your home resort with this ownership.  There is a onetime fee of $399 I think go convert the week to HGVC points and then the usual annual membership fee if you want to belong to HGVC with as an affiliate owner.

The other question I can attempt to answer resale vs: direct...the only disadvantage I've read is via the developer you maybe eligible for elite status which requires purchase of 14,000 points.  I don't recall the benefit but the general consensus is it's not a big deal for most who would rather save buying resale.  There was also mention that it was possible to buy resale and qualify for this perk at one time if you bought resale through a specific Hilton employee resale agent...but there was also a note later that it was no longer available.  Again, the general consensus is Elite isn't worth the extra $ for most.

Once again I caution I'm very new and could  be wrong...but this is what I understand.


----------



## WORLD TRAVELER (Mar 30, 2007)

*Re: HGVC questions*



Cathyb said:


> I just looked at TUGs HGVC info sheet but it is dated 5/04, somewhat out of date.  I have the following questions:
> 
> 1.  What is the difference in owning Hilton built resorts and Hilton affiliate resorts?
> 
> ...





1. As I understand the Hilton Affiliates do not come with hgvc club point component - you would need to purchase that separately and I believe it is around $400.  The affiliates in South Florida do allow I.I. membership as well as RCI.

2. Hilton Club NYC is a separate membership and you can't trade into Hilton Club NYC if you're an hgvc owner. HGVC is building it's own timeshare for general use in NYC and will be completed by 2009.

3. As far as I know, HGVC has never dropped any of its resorts.

4. The website is: hiltongrandvacations.com

5. The only difference is that you can not qualify for Elite status which requires 14000 points and gives lifetime gold vip hhonors card, discounted reservation fees for online bookings, and the ability to book at certain resorts 12 months in advance without directly owning the resorts.  The gold hhonors vip benefit is great if you travel to hilton family hotels for pleasure or business.

A big advantage with Hilton is the ability to trade for hotel points on an every year basis and this available with resale purchases.  This benefit is nice for going to places where there are no timeshares or when trades thru RCI are not available.

Hopefully this info is helpful. We love the Hilton program and recommend it to everyone we meet.


----------



## Shamrock (Mar 30, 2007)

I upgraded(Hawaii) my package this year even though I only bought last year(Orlando) from the developer. I paid $51405 for a 2 Br. l/o pre construction platinium season, I got 14400 pts. 10,000 bonus points(with 2 years usage) and also elite status ( don't know if that is any real benefit or not but it came with it anyway) Being brand new to timeshare I didn't know anything or wasn't even aware of resale,TUG,etc. I suppose even if I knew about resale the commander in chief would probably want to buy from the developer for peace of mind in case there were problems, at least if you had a problem after buying from the developer you know where to go to *try * and get it sorted.

 The reason I upgraded so soon was for the extra points, not elite,not bonus points, I want to have as many points as possible for the day I hang up the boots, so I will see how this goes for a couple of years and buy more if I'm happy with this deal. I will definetly be having a look resale next time and advising any friends that may be interested in buying, to check resale first. The only thing I suppose I would be afraid of buying resale is, if there were any changes made to the programme going forward that would exclude resale purchases,because as far as I can see the devolopers can pretty much do what they want. Best of luck in whatever you decide and the main thing is to be happy with with your purchase whether developer or otherwise, wer'e only passing through this life for a short few years and even if you spent a few dolars more than you could of got it for resale etc, theres only time for looking forward and not back
.
I know I could of got a better deal resale but its done now and I intend to get the most out of it, even if someone told me they got the same deal for $1 I wouldn't be bothered, I bought it for enjoyment and thats what I'm gonna do. Best of luck.


----------



## TerriJ (Mar 30, 2007)

It looks like you have most of your questions answered.  Just to add that overall we have been very happy with our HGVC purchase from eleven years ago.  We did buy through the developer and while it is not actually a "good investment" money wise, we have had years of great vacations with our family.  Hard to put a price on that.

You didn't ask, but I have found the website and counselors to be easy to work with and helpful.

I have thought about looking for more points, but so far 10,000 has provided several different vacations each year.  I'm still working, so this is enough for us.


----------



## Cathyb (Mar 30, 2007)

Rod: VERY helpful, thanks


----------



## Cathyb (Mar 31, 2007)

When buying resale, have the point costs gone up over time?  By how much if they have.  I am assuming $1.50 point is a 'good' price for Platinum, am I correct.


----------



## alwysonvac (Mar 31, 2007)

UWSurfer said:


> Once again I caution I'm very new and could  be wrong...but this is what I understand.



I think what you said above is correct but I don't own one of the Hilton affiliate resorts.

Congratulations on your HGVC purchase.


----------



## alwysonvac (Mar 31, 2007)

> A big advantage with Hilton is the ability to trade for hotel points on an every year basis and this available with resale purchases.  This benefit is nice for going to places where there are no timeshares or when trades thru RCI are not available.



At the moment, this is a big advantage but I would recommend to those would are looking to use the hotel option to use it sooner rather than later.

As stated above, the developer can change the rules at any time which
means

HGVC can continue to increase the conversion rate from HGVC to Hilton HHonor Points 
HHONORS can continue to increase the number of points required for a Hotel Reward Stay


----------



## OnMedic (Mar 31, 2007)

Cathyb said:


> When buying resale, have the point costs gone up over time?  By how much if they have.  I am assuming $1.50 point is a 'good' price for Platinum, am I correct.



Hi Cathy

Communication a few years back indicated that they were trying to raise the ROFR to at least 50% of developer for Gold, and higher for Platinum. Although the ROFR has risen slightly, it has not hit the goal that a knowledgebale broker had indicated.

Yes, 1.50 is a good price, it may not always pass ROFR. You would be hard pressed to find o 7,000 pt package at $10.5K and have it pass ROFR. Even $7,200 for 4,800 would be pushing it... but maybe a bit more likely then the 7,000 pt.


----------



## alwysonvac (Mar 31, 2007)

> The reason I upgraded so soon was for the extra points, not elite,not bonus points, I want to have as many points as possible for the day I hang up the boots, so I will see how this goes for a couple of years and buy more if I'm happy with this deal.



As you stated, the developer can pretty much do what they want. I'm wondering if anyone can ever have as many Clubpoints as possible with the new third dimension that will dictate the number of ClubPoints required to make reservations at the new properties.


----------



## ricoba (Mar 31, 2007)

In other posts, it seems that $1.80 - $2 per point is more in line with current sales.


----------



## Casper81 (Apr 1, 2007)

Cathyb said:


> I just looked at TUGs HGVC info sheet but it is dated 5/04, somewhat out of date.  I have the following questions:
> 
> 1.  What is the difference in owning Hilton built resorts and Hilton affiliate resorts?
> 
> ...




1-) The affiliated resorts are niche, higher in quality and in exclusive locations where there is virtually no more timeshare or hotel development allowed by local laws. For example Captiva, Sanibel, Breckenridge, Scotland. Buying at these resorts is a good deal as most of these sell extremely well in the re-sale market and they rent extremely well due to the low competition, as opposed to vegas and orlando where there are thousands of timeshre units and even more under development. Also The owners of these resorts have a very strong preferential rights in that their weeks are fixed and they do not have to give then up until 60 days before they begin, therefore the villas that members from other hilton built resorts receive are very little.

#2-) Don't know

#3-) None of those properties have been dropped

#4-) www.hgvc.com

#5-) You are better off buying re-sale, you may loose some minor benefits but the amount of money you save more than makes up for it.


----------



## Cathyb (Apr 2, 2007)

casper: How do you buy resale at HGVC in Sanibel or Captiva if they are sold out? Sorry about all my questions, but I know we want to add Hilton to our repetoire of timeshares some time in the near future, but want to have the one that meshes well with our travels and present list of ownerships.


----------



## dvc_john (Apr 2, 2007)

Cathyb said:


> How  do you buy resale at HGVC in Sanibel or Captiva if they are sold out?



The ones I own at have resale offices on property. I know Sanibel Cottages and Hurricane House share a resales person. Casa Ybel has their own resale office, as does Seawatch on Ft Myers Beach and Eagles Nest on Marco Island. I assume they all do.


----------



## BayouTraveler (Apr 2, 2007)

*YES, of course buy resale*

Surf Club on Marco Island also has a resale office onsite (http://www.surfclub.hgvc.com/index.html).

I bought a 1 bd gold season @ Seaworld in 2001 from HGVC and a 2 bd (which we exchange for gold season) @ Surf Club in 2006 directly from an owner.  The only difference I've noticed is that I paid almost three times more for less when I made my first purchase.  I haven't used the I.I. or RCI exchange features yet on either.  So far we've been happy with the HGVC and Hilton hotel exchanges and I confess I've been a little nervous about the variability in quality of the outside resorts.  I've found some RCI/II beach resorts closer to home I'll try to trade into next year.   

I often say that the only mistake I made in buying a timeshare was purchasing direct from HGVC. But even at the developer's price it's been worth it for what it has done to bring our family together.

No regrets!!

BT


----------



## Steve (Apr 2, 2007)

Cathyb said:


> casper: How do you buy resale at HGVC in Sanibel or Captiva if they are sold out? Sorry about all my questions, but I know we want to add Hilton to our repetoire of timeshares some time in the near future, but want to have the one that meshes well with our travels and present list of ownerships.



You'll get a better deal buying directly from an owner who is selling than you will through the HGVC resale offices.  Search www.myresortnetwork.com or redweek or eBay.  

Steve


----------



## zdxlc9p6 (Apr 24, 2007)

We own one HGVC from the developer and four affiliated weeks. One week was from the on-site sales office, one from a couple we met while staying, and two on eBay. Since we were already HGVC members, there was no added fee to include them in our account. Each affiliated resort has it rules on use and converting to points, but once converted into our HGVC account, are usable for exchange to any HGVC just like the developer week.


----------



## Cathyb (May 1, 2007)

All this information has been extremely beneficial -- info you won't find on any Hilton website that is for sure.  Thank you all and I hope more keeps coming on this string.


----------



## atlanticwatergate (May 1, 2007)

zdxlc9p6 said:


> We own one HGVC from the developer and four affiliated weeks. One week was from the on-site sales office, one from a couple we met while staying, and two on eBay. Since we were already HGVC members, there was no added fee to include them in our account. Each affiliated resort has it rules on use and converting to points, but once converted into our HGVC account, are usable for exchange to any HGVC just like the developer week.


With your affiliated weeks-(I just bought two) can you search online or do you call HGVC and have them do a search ? Have you ever gone to RCI properties with your HGVC points and if so do you call HGVC for this as well?

THx


----------



## Bill4728 (May 1, 2007)

HGVC inventory can be searched online. RCI inventory can be searched only by calling the HGVC (RCI) reservation people.


----------



## Zac495 (May 1, 2007)

alwysonvac said:


> At the moment, this is a big advantage but I would recommend to those would are looking to use the hotel option to use it sooner rather than later.
> 
> As stated above, the developer can change the rules at any time which
> means
> ...




This is or is not (seems there may be a word missing) - about hotel trading? Can you use points for hotel stays with resale?

3400 points okay if you want to travel gold season one bedroom? Is there a reason to get more points?


----------

