# Grand Islander Purchase



## blueblade (Jul 28, 2018)

New to timeshares and trying to make a decision. Just wondering if getting 20k points with 7200 point bi-yearly at the Grand Islander for $30k is a decent deal vs purchasing in the resale market? I assume I won't be able to get any of the perks of a direct HGVC purchase (membership status, deals, etc).


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

Do you plan to use it every year as home resort or trade? If use, many of the lower 1 bedrooms units on the north side have a view of air conditioners and roof.  If trade, you can do much better $ per point values and trade into GI or elsewhere.  

Buy a Vegas resale (Paradise, Blvd, Flamingo) for $8 - 9K or less and get 7000 points annually to trade into GI if that is your desired resort.  With 14,000 points you can trade into a nicer unit on a higher floor EOY by combining years for 8K all in plus about $1000 MF per year.  Although MF is higher it would take many years to breakeven on the $22000 extra you would pay plus you can stay in a nicer unit for the points.

Rescind, Research, (buy) Resale


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## blueblade (Jul 28, 2018)

Are all points considered equal in HGVC? I assume the only thing that is an advantage is that I get priority at my home resort at GI. I plan to only stay at resorts in Hawaii. Do you still have the option of moving points into HHonors from a resale purchase?


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

Points are points unless you plan to stay at By Hilton Club (NYC, DC). Resales can convert to HHonors at same rate as dev.  But both are not a good value.

GI doesn't sell out because of high point values so priority doesn't matter - you can reserve in club season 6 months.  Home week only gets priority in the exact 1 bedroom category you buy for entire week, but may have view of air conditioners.

Plus because GI is a 3rd party dev resort, you cannot trade it in later to buy a different developer unit. HGVC only accepts HGVC resorts as trade-in.  Have you stayed at GI before?


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## fillde (Jul 28, 2018)

Points are points. You would have priority at 12 months reserving at your home resort.

 HHonors can be elected for resale  although it is strongly advised not to because of poor value.

I vote no on the deal.


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## csodjd (Jul 28, 2018)

blueblade said:


> New to timeshares and trying to make a decision. Just wondering if getting 20k points with 7200 point bi-yearly at the Grand Islander for $30k is a decent deal vs purchasing in the resale market? I assume I won't be able to get any of the perks of a direct HGVC purchase (membership status, deals, etc).


GI is expensive. Buy at Lagoon Tower. You can get more points for less money, every year. If you only want to go every other, you can rent out the year you're not going, or carry the points over and use the points to stay at GI, or stay two weeks at Lagoon Tower. 

For instance, you can buy for $28k 9600 pts, Lagoon tower, 2 bedroom ocean front unit, every year. That's WAY better than what you're getting at GI for $30k. If you go every other year, you'll have 19,200 points to "spend" at GI instead of 7200. But, if you have an OF 2 bedroom at Lagoon, why even go to GI? If you really want Hilton status, get a Hilton CC from AX (Ascend) which gives you Diamond status among other things.


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## blueblade (Jul 28, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Points are points unless you plan to stay at By Hilton Club (NYC, DC). Resales can convert to HHonors at same rate as dev.  But both are not a good value.
> 
> GI doesn't sell out because of high point values so priority doesn't matter - you can reserve in club season 9 months.  Home week only gets priority in the exact 1 bedroom category you buy for entire week, but may have view of air conditioners.
> 
> Plus because GI is a 3rd party dev resort, you cannot trade it in later to buy a different developer unit. HGVC only accepts HGVC resorts as trade-in.  Have you stayed at GI before?



Yes... Staying there now, but I have a partial ocean view with the view of the pool in a 1 bedroom. Its a really nice resort, but most likely a hit or miss with future stays. They promised higher privileges due to platinum status at 7200, but I don’t think that means anything. They just wanted the sale and loaded us up with points for the initial purchase to fish us in.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

In addition to Lagoon, you should also consider one bedroom OV in the Kalia Tower.  Resales harder to come by but if you wait, you might find a deal.


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## frank808 (Jul 28, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> GI doesn't sell out because of high point values so priority doesn't matter - you can reserve in club season 9 months.



GI 2br resort views are hard to get.  They are usually gone at the 6 month club season window for summer and holidays.

FYI grand islander and hokulani open season is at 6 months not 9 months.  

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## frank808 (Jul 28, 2018)

blueblade said:


> Yes... Staying there now, but I have a partial ocean view with the view of the pool in a 1 bedroom. Its a really nice resort, but most likely a hit or miss with future stays. They promised higher privileges due to platinum status at 7200, but I don’t think that means anything. They just wanted the sale and loaded us up with points for the initial purchase to fish us in.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Buying a platinum unit does not convey status or views.  You have to buy a unit that is ocean view.  Platinum is the season that you can book during home resort week. 

How do you tell when a timeshares salesperson is lying?

When their lips are moving.  

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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

frank808 said:


> GI 2br resort views are hard to get.  They are usually gone at the 6 month club season window for summer and holidays.
> 
> FYI grand islander and hokulani open season is at 6 months not 9 months.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk



Oops forgot about these exceptions(!)  Thanks for pointing out. I just corrected the post to 6 months.

There are many other room types, including 1 bedroom mountain and resort views available at the 6 month window. The OP indicated a 1 bdrm would suffice.

Can you shed light as to why the 2 bedroom resort view is so desired?  We stayed in one this summer and I much prefer the Lagoon Tower.  The finishes were nice, view over pool and Hale Koa good, but thought the unit was small and dark compared to Lagoon.


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## alwysonvac (Jul 28, 2018)

blueblade said:


> New to timeshares and trying to make a decision. Just wondering if getting 20k points with 7200 point bi-yearly at the Grand Islander for $30k is a decent deal vs purchasing in the resale market? I assume I won't be able to get any of the perks of a direct HGVC purchase (membership status, deals, etc).



Hmm.. you can get 7,200 HGVC Every Other Year (EOY) @ Grand Waikikian via resale for less than $8,000 + Closing Fees. *So is 20,000 Points (HONORS or HGVC) worth $20,000?* No.

From http://judikoz.com/Search.aspx






blueblade said:


> Yes... Staying there now, but I have a partial ocean view with the view of the pool in a 1 bedroom. Its a really nice resort, but most likely a hit or miss with future stays. They promised higher privileges due to platinum status at 7200, but I don’t think that means anything. *They just wanted the sale and loaded us up with points for the initial purchase to fish us in.*



Yep, get out while you can. You’ll only have one chance to rescind. Learn about the program first on TUG then if you’re still interested buy resale.

You basically bought the lowest level (one bedroom garden view = lowest floors with no view).
Grand Waikikian Views -
https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?attachments/gw_layoutandpoints-pdf.1470/

Grand Waikikian Point Chart (see below)
Point Charts can be found at https://club.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/resort/hawaii-oahu


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## frank808 (Jul 29, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Oops forgot about these exceptions(!)  Thanks for pointing out. I just corrected the post to 6 months.
> 
> There are many other room types, including 1 bedroom mountain and resort views available at the 6 month window. The OP indicated a 1 bdrm would suffice.
> 
> Can you shed light as to why the 2 bedroom resort view is so desired?  We stayed in one this summer and I much prefer the Lagoon Tower.  The finishes were nice, view over pool and Hale Koa good, but thought the unit was small and dark compared to Lagoon.


I have no idea why it would be so hard to book.  The only reason why is that there are probably less than 30 of these 2br std units.  If you look at last week of march 2019, the only gi units missing days are the 2br standard view.  Well the penthouse views are not showing but unless you own gi penthouse you cannot book those. 

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## Cyberc (Jul 29, 2018)

csodjd said:


> For instance, you can buy for $28k 9600 pts, Lagoon tower, 2 bedroom ocean front unit, every year.



Hands down I haven’t followed the resale prices at HI but $28k for 9600 points sounds very high. If you are booking during club season where points are points I would recommend buying points in Vegas with lower buyin costs.


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## Cyberc (Jul 29, 2018)

frank808 said:


> .....
> 
> FYI grand islander and hokulani open season is at 6 months not 9 months.




Just wanted to clarify. It’s club season which opens at 6 months not open season


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## csodjd (Jul 29, 2018)

Cyberc said:


> Hands down I haven’t followed the resale prices at HI but $28k for 9600 points sounds very high. If you are booking during club season where points are points I would recommend buying points in Vegas with lower buyin costs.


Yes, if you are working with club season, you can get those points for FAR less. 

I did a quick Redweek lookup for buying AT Lagoon Tower, something of a worst-case scenario price-wise, allowing for Home Week ownership, and it was STILL way, way, less expensive and/or better than the offer made to the poster. This would allow the poster to get more than twice as much (more points, every year) AND home week in Hawaii (meaning access to prime times such as Spring Break and summer, important if you have kids in school) for about $2,000 less. 

Simply put, if you want to spend $30k, you can have every other year 1-bedroom in GI (buy from developer), or every year, 2 bedroom ocean-front in Lagoon Tower (buy on secondary market). If you have flexible travel dates, you can probably get those same 9600 pts for a third of that amount and use club season, though that's less flexible and less sure.


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## Cyberc (Jul 29, 2018)

csodjd said:


> Yes, if you are working with club season, you can get those points for FAR less.
> 
> I did a quick Redweek lookup for buying AT Lagoon Tower, something of a worst-case scenario price-wise, allowing for Home Week ownership, and it was STILL way, way, less expensive and/or better than the offer made to the poster. This would allow the poster to get more than twice as much (more points, every year) AND home week in Hawaii (meaning access to prime times such as Spring Break and summer, important if you have kids in school) for about $2,000 less.
> 
> Simply put, if you want to spend $30k, you can have every other year 1-bedroom in GI (buy from developer), or every year, 2 bedroom ocean-front in Lagoon Tower (buy on secondary market). If you have flexible travel dates, you can probably get those same 9600 pts for a third of that amount and use club season, though that's less flexible and less sure.



Is the 2br OF really that expensive I mean approx $30k resale is a lot for a week in HI?


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## csodjd (Jul 29, 2018)

Cyberc said:


> Is the 2br OF really that expensive I mean approx $30k resale is a lot for a week in HI?


Just a quick Redweek check (these are Lagoon Tower):





I recently paid $15,500 for 8400 pts, Lagoon Tower, 2-bed plus (ocean view). There are very limited ocean front units in Lagoon Tower and they get something of a premium. Grand Waikikian is even more than Lagoon Tower, though I don't know why. 

Hawaii TS have been holding and even increasing in cost. Marriott in Maui costs even more, despite maintenance fees that are double what Hilton costs.


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Oops forgot about these exceptions(!)  Thanks for pointing out. I just corrected the post to 6 months.
> 
> There are many other room types, including 1 bedroom mountain and resort views available at the 6 month window. The OP indicated a 1 bdrm would suffice.
> 
> Can you shed light as to why the 2 bedroom resort view is so desired?  We stayed in one this summer and I much prefer the Lagoon Tower.  The finishes were nice, view over pool and Hale Koa good, but thought the unit was small and dark compared to Lagoon.



Actually, I would prefer 2 bedrooms, but it didn't feel right to pay $50k for it at GI.


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

Cyberc said:


> Hands down I haven’t followed the resale prices at HI but $28k for 9600 points sounds very high. If you are booking during club season where points are points I would recommend buying points in Vegas with lower buyin costs.



Where do I find information on what HGVC club season means? I'm assuming that it has any relation to Gold vs. Platinum?


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

frank808 said:


> I have no idea why it would be so hard to book.  The only reason why is that there are probably less than 30 of these 2br std units.  If you look at last week of march 2019, the only gi units missing days are the 2br standard view.  Well the penthouse views are not showing but unless you own gi penthouse you cannot book those.
> 
> Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk



You might be right on the supply and demand side of things. I heard from the sales guy that GI is popular with Japanese tourists on summer break. They might be taking up priority at GI due to how new and modern it is, but that is just my guess.  Will most likely die down once the resort gets a little older.


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## Cyberc (Jul 29, 2018)

blueblade said:


> Where do I find information on what HGVC club season means? I'm assuming that it has any relation to Gold vs. Platinum?


Club season is where all points are equal. For most resorts(by far) club season starts 276 days before checkout date(referred to as 9months)

Open season is for most resorts 30 days before checkout date.

Home week can be booked 365 - 276 days before checkout.

This sticky have good info: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...y-hilton-club-booking-window-overview.274977/


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## Cyberc (Jul 29, 2018)

csodjd said:


> Just a quick Redweek check (these are Lagoon Tower):
> 
> View attachment 7607
> 
> ...



Thanks

I’m still surprised that they command a premium.


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

csodjd said:


> Just a quick Redweek check (these are Lagoon Tower):
> 
> View attachment 7607
> 
> ...



From the words of the sales guy, GI is a more modern version of the Grand Waikikian. Not sure what that means, cause I haven't seen what Grand Waikikian has to offer. Also, the sales guy says that demand and cost for Hawaii as a destination is getting higher and higher each year, but that is coming from the words of the sales guy.


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## GT75 (Jul 29, 2018)

I will just add to the advice that you have previously been given.     Rescind now while you have the chance.    After that is complete, then you can further research.    You can always buy this same offer from the developer again but I am sure that resales will be a much wizer choice.


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

GT75 said:


> I will just add to the advice that you have previously been given.     Rescind now while you have the chance.    After that is complete, then you can further research.    You can always buy this same offer from the developer again but I am sure that resales will be a much wizer choice.



Thanks for the reminder GT75. I have every intention to rescind the offer, as I'm still in Hawaii (vacationing) and can walk over to the sales office to submit the pre-printed "notice of mutual right of cancellation of time share purchase". Apparently, HGVC has a good reputation of cancelling within the 7-day window and they seem to have a pretty strong process in place to make sure it goes smoothly. Looking forward to figuring out how to best spend my money wisely. Thanks CalGalTraveler, fillde, frank808, csodjd, alwysonvac, Cyberc and GT75 for helping me out on making this decision. Hopefully, no HGVC rep is listening in on this conversation and tries to persuade me to not rescind. 

... as a side note, a funny story was that when visiting the local stadium swap meet and we decided to purchase what was thought to be a discounted luau, but it turned out to be yet another travel membership club. Ended up sucking up a few hours of our time. We must be a magnet for these things. Apparently there is not such thing as a great deal here in Hawaii without a catch.


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## alwysonvac (Jul 29, 2018)

blueblade said:


> Thanks for the reminder GT75. I have every intention to rescind the offer, as I'm still in Hawaii (vacationing) and can *walk over to the sales office to submit the pre-printed "notice of mutual right of cancellation of time share purchase*". Apparently, HGVC has a good reputation of cancelling within the 7-day window and they seem to have a pretty strong process in place to make sure it goes smoothly. Looking forward to figuring out how to best spend my money wisely. Thanks CalGalTraveler, fillde, frank808, csodjd, alwysonvac, Cyberc and GT75 for helping me out on making this decision. Hopefully, no HGVC rep is listening in on this conversation and tries to persuade me to not rescind.
> 
> ... as a side note, a funny story was that when visiting the local stadium swap meet and we decided to purchase what was thought to be a discounted luau, but it turned out to be yet another travel membership club. Ended up sucking up a few hours of our time. We must be a magnet for these things. Apparently there is not such thing as a great deal here in Hawaii without a catch.



The sales folks will try to persuade you to keep it if you return in person.

_TIP: If you do decide to walk it over don’t get into a discussion about resale otherwise they will try their scare tactics (see examples below) and/or get into their one time offer nonsense._

*They have been telling lies about resale vs retail for a very long time. *
Here are some old threads regarding the same old lie (scare tactics) from the sales folk.

Owner benefits from resale *(2011)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145004
Help:Eight Reasons NOT to buy Resale *(2009)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97652
HGVC - changes for resale buyers? *(2008)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70747
Went to Sales Presentation in Vegas *(2008)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61745
Newbie in need of some help: resale vs. developer purchase differences *(2008)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74675
Questions for seth *(2006)* - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20077

If you cancel in person, they might also offer their “try it before you buy it” package (aka Vacation Introductory Progam - VIP) but you’ll have to sit through another timeshare presentation on that return visit. This discount promotion is normally offered at the end of the presentation to those who decide not to buy that day. I think it was 7,000 one time HGVC points for less than $2000. Some folks take advantage of the VIP deal others prefer to use their money towards a resale purchase.Here’s an example of the VIP brochure - https://e.hiltongrandvacations.com/vip/11002/VIP-BRCH-11002.pdf

HHV Presentation - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hhv-presentation.260393/
Questions on VIP package and buying HGVC - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/questions-on-vip-package-and-buying-hgvc.235961/
Is the HGVC Deal Worth It? Value of 7000 Points? - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/is-the-hgvc-deal-worth-it-value-of-7000-points.250487/

Good Luck and Welcome to TUG


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## GT75 (Jul 29, 2018)

I too would caution against submitting your letter to rescind the offer in-person. In addition to the reasons that @alwysonvac has provided, the rescind letter has a process spelled out in your packet.     I would follow that process exactly as written which is usually an address somewhere. ( i.e. not the sales office).     I would also want proof that the letter was delivered (certified mail).

JMO.


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## csodjd (Jul 29, 2018)

blueblade said:


> From the words of the sales guy, GI is a more modern version of the Grand Waikikian. Not sure what that means, cause I haven't seen what Grand Waikikian has to offer. Also, the sales guy says that demand and cost for Hawaii as a destination is getting higher and higher each year, but that is coming from the words of the sales guy.


I'm staying at the Grand Waikikian for the first time in a couple of weeks. I've always stayed at the Lagoon Tower in the past, so it'll be interesting to compare. Then it's over to the Marriott on Maui, also for the first time. Another interesting chance to compare.


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## csodjd (Jul 29, 2018)

blueblade said:


> Where do I find information on what HGVC club season means? I'm assuming that it has any relation to Gold vs. Platinum?


Home week is a week, not more or less, in the room-type you bought, at the location you bought it at. You can book a year in advance, and generally (virtually always) will get your room the week you want. It's a Saturday to Saturday stay. Basically, it's not related to points. It's just what you bought where you bought it. 

Club season opens up at the 9-month mark and allows you to use your points to select any room available at any location. Basically, the rooms that were not taken by home week users are opened up for anyone to use points on. I think it's a 3-night minimum, but other than that, you can choose the day you arrive (based on availability) and stay for as many nights as your available points and available rooms will allow. If you purchased a 2-bedroom, you can probably stay more than a week in a 1-bedroom. If you purchased a 2-bedroom with a view, you may be able to stay way more than a week in a 1-bedroom without a view. You can buy your points in a Vegas building (lower purchase cost and lower maintenance fees) and use them in Hawaii. All points are equal. But it is not likely there will be rooms available at prime locations at prime times. Spring break in Hawaii, for instance, is likely to get used by home week users and not leave anything for club season.


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## Tamaradarann (Jul 29, 2018)

blueblade said:


> Thanks for the reminder GT75. I have every intention to rescind the offer, as I'm still in Hawaii (vacationing) and can walk over to the sales office to submit the pre-printed "notice of mutual right of cancellation of time share purchase". Apparently, HGVC has a good reputation of cancelling within the 7-day window and they seem to have a pretty strong process in place to make sure it goes smoothly. Looking forward to figuring out how to best spend my money wisely. Thanks CalGalTraveler, fillde, frank808, csodjd, alwysonvac, Cyberc and GT75 for helping me out on making this decision. Hopefully, no HGVC rep is listening in on this conversation and tries to persuade me to not rescind.
> 
> ... as a side note, a funny story was that when visiting the local stadium swap meet and we decided to purchase what was thought to be a discounted luau, but it turned out to be yet another travel membership club. Ended up sucking up a few hours of our time. We must be a magnet for these things. Apparently there is not such thing as a great deal here in Hawaii without a catch.



I agree with those that suggested that you NOT return your recind to the sales office but send it to the address in the packet certified mail.  We did exactly that about 17 years ago when we bought and the cancelled a Westgate purchase.  Another reason to NOT return your remind letter to the sales office is that the mailing will probably take you less than 5 minutes.  Dealing with the sales office where they will try to get you to either not remind or buy something else like a trial week could take you hours.


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## blueblade (Jul 29, 2018)

I submitted it to the sales office and they faxed it and signed it. Took about 10 minutes. This is the second time we cancelled. Last year we did the same thing when we cancelled and we got the VIP package, but their policy is to not give a VIP package more then every 2 years, unlike the Marriot. Not sure how it is with other HGVC locations, but that was our experience.


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