# Offer to upgrade my resale purchase to Elite Plus



## Clifbell (Sep 3, 2021)

I am staying at Park City Sunrise Lodge (review to come).  I attended a sales presentation and they told me they would upgrade my resale purchase for about $30k and make me Elite plus.. The idea of getting free upgrades seemed like a good deal especially when you consider how much you would save in fees for the different rates.   If Anyone is Elite Plus, could you tell me what the most enjoyable perks are?

I also am interested because for $30K, I could buy 25K points on the resale market (or more).  This would be a lot of maintenance fees compared to the free upgrades.  When you get upgraded you are in essence bypassing the extra maintenance fees needed to stay at the higher point level rooms.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts.


----------



## brp (Sep 3, 2021)

Sucker bet. You can always do better buying resale points (and passing on Elite) than taking their "upgrade" offer. if you do the maths on this, the number work in your favor, usually by a long shot, in going resale.

Cheers.


----------



## Clifbell (Sep 3, 2021)

brp said:


> Sucker bet. You can always do better buying resale points (and passing on Elite) than taking their "upgrade" offer. if you do the maths on this, the number work in your favor, usually by a long shot, in going resale.
> 
> Cheers.


I think I will do some math to your point


----------



## PigsDad (Sep 3, 2021)

Upgrades are not guaranteed.  I have been at the Elite Premier level for about 3 years now and have been upgraded only once in that timeframe.  Also, upgrades are _only _to a higher level room that is _the same size_, so you won't get a 1BR if you originally booked a studio, for example.  The upgrade would be to a Studio Plus from a standard Studio, for example.

This benefit looks good on paper, but in reality is not that big of a deal, IMO.

Kurt


----------



## Clifbell (Sep 3, 2021)

PigsDad said:


> Upgrades are not guaranteed.  I have been at the Elite Premier level for about 3 years now and have been upgraded only once in that timeframe.  Also, upgrades are _only _to a higher level room that is _the same size_, so you won't get a 1BR if you originally booked a studio, for example.  The upgrade would be to a Studio Plus from a standard Studio, for example.
> 
> This benefit looks good on paper, but in reality is not that big of a deal, IMO.
> 
> Kurt


I so appreciate TUG people... Somehow, I think I just saved $30K.... LOL


----------



## GT75 (Sep 3, 2021)

I have never been upgraded.


----------



## brp (Sep 3, 2021)

GT75 said:


> I have never been upgraded.



Me neither. Still have all the original parts...

Cheers.


----------



## dayooper (Sep 3, 2021)

brp said:


> Me neither. Still have all the original parts...
> 
> Cheers.



Lol! I bought all of my parts used. They both came with low miles from a little old lady (not from Pasadena).


----------



## ccwu (Sep 3, 2021)

PigsDad said:


> Upgrades are not guaranteed. I have been at the Elite Premier level for about 3 years now and have been upgraded only once in that timeframe. Also, upgrades are _only _to a higher level room that is _the same size_, so you won't get a 1BR if you originally booked a studio, for example. The upgrade would be to a Studio Plus from a standard Studio, for example.
> 
> This benefit looks good on paper, but in reality is not that big of a deal, IMO.
> 
> Kurt



We got upgraded almost 95% of our reservation. I never reserve studio, but recently reserved on for a friend in October, just receive hgv email that was upgraded to one bedroom. 
Almost 100% of my HHV Reservation being upgraded. 
Recently I reserved 57th street one bedroom standard and was upgraded to one bedroom premier, and I intend to stay at one bedroom standard (700 sq ft) instead of one bedroom premier (550 sq ft). I had to call elite premier service to change back. They told me that the computer automatically did the upgrade 45 days in advance. They had to cancel my reservation snd rebook one bedroom standard and click ‘decline for upgrade.’ To keep it not to automatically upgrade. 

So it is all on availability. Sometimes I could not see availability, but when time comes, I got upgraded. It is in a queue that per level and reservation time (early reservation, higher level got first priority). 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## brp (Sep 3, 2021)

ccwu said:


> Recently I reserved 57th street one bedroom standard and was upgraded to one bedroom premier, and I intend to stay at one bedroom standard (700 sq ft) instead of one bedroom premier (550 sq ft). I had to call elite premier service to change back.



Certainly a personal view, but we defintiely prefer the premier over the standard. For the Studio, the premier is larger and higher floor/better view. Surprising that the size is reversed on the 1BR. We did a 1BR once and never used the space, so it was a waste.

Cheers.


----------



## Clifbell (Sep 3, 2021)

ccwu said:


> We got upgraded almost 95% of our reservation. I never reserve studio, but recently reserved on for a friend in October, just receive hgv email that was upgraded to one bedroom.
> Almost 100% of my HHV Reservation being upgraded.
> Recently I reserved 57th street one bedroom standard and was upgraded to one bedroom premier, and I intend to stay at one bedroom standard (700 sq ft) instead of one bedroom premier (550 sq ft). I had to call elite premier service to change back. They told me that the computer automatically did the upgrade 45 days in advance. They had to cancel my reservation snd rebook one bedroom standard and click ‘decline for upgrade.’ To keep it not to automatically upgrade.
> 
> ...


Would you do the upgrade to Elite Plus if you were offered to upgrade one of your resale units?


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Sep 3, 2021)

@Clifbell $30k just for Elite and no more points is a lot. I would run the numbers but my "back of the envelope" below suggests that the breakeven would be several decades.

e.g. upgrade 3x / year 7000 - 8400 = 1400 points x 3/year = 4200 points * .22/point (assumed all-in resale cost) = $924/year savings

$30,000 divided by $924/year = 32 years!


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Sep 3, 2021)

BTW...You would also save on avoiding reservation fees and banking fees. If we assume that would save you up to $1500/year ($924 + 576 in fees) that still comes out to 20 years to breakeven. IMHO not a great deal.

You should ask the HGVC sales person to run the numbers for your situation, however be careful with non-conservative assumptions.

Besides, with resales you can always unload some of your portfolio if your life situation changes and you can't travel. Can't unload or resell Elite - once the money is paid it is gone.


----------



## Clifbell (Sep 3, 2021)

CalGalTraveler said:


> @Clifbell $30k just for Elite and no more points is a lot. I would run the numbers but my "back of the envelope" below suggests that the breakeven would be several decades.
> 
> e.g. upgrade 3x / year 7000 - 8400 = 1400 points x 3/year = 4200 points * .22/point (assumed all-in resale cost) = $924/year savings
> 
> $30,000 divided by $924/year = 32 years!


I would get an additional 5000 points.  Will run the numbers.


----------



## ccwu (Sep 3, 2021)

Clifbell said:


> Would you do the upgrade to Elite Plus if you were offered to upgrade one of your resale units?



HGV has elite, elite plus, elite premier. We are elite premier (the highest elite with 34,000 points from HGV. We buy it if we think there is value. We bought 56,600 retail points from HGV. Value is personal. Everyone has different value. My last owner update, they offered us resale 10,000 points for $98,000 and offered 14,400 points for about $32,000 plus bonus points and we took it. Our MF from 0.33 per point to 0.13 per point saved about $1200 per year. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Smclaugh99 (Sep 3, 2021)

I am currently Elite Plus with 24000 Hilton Club points by retail. I would say it has been better than regular Elite which was pretty much not worth it. My reservations have been upgraded about 75% of the time. 

Along with the above, I have the following resales (all from EBay, in order of purchase):
HGVC SeaWorld 7000 (2BR Plat)
West 57th bHC 3750 (Studio Plus Gold)
West 57th bHC 3750 (Studio Gold EOY Odd)
The Residences bHC 8700 (1BR Gold)
West 57th bHC 10500 (2 Studio Plus Plat)
Hilton Club 5000

My total EBay purchases were cumulatively less than $15k. That has made the high dollar retail more palatable (going from $7.30/point to about $3.1/point), though I sure wish I had put that retail money in Crypto 

Since I have more than 60,000 points to use per year (many of them BHC), my plan is to get rid of the gold contracts. I have considered going up to Elite Premier with The Quin if the cash in is reasonable with trade in. But now that HGVC has gotten rid of the free airport transportation in favor of a Lyft credit, it’s not as appealing. Getting a free town car to/from JFK (easily >$80 each way) would have been nice for my future 8-10 trips per year. Just goes to show that the Elite “perks” are at the sole discretion of HGVC and can be changed or eliminated at any time. 

Sean


----------



## ccwu (Sep 4, 2021)

Smclaugh99 said:


> I am currently Elite Plus with 24000 Hilton Club points by retail. I would say it has been better than regular Elite which was pretty much not worth it. My reservations have been upgraded about 75% of the time.
> 
> Along with the above, I have the following resales (all from EBay, in order of purchase):
> HGVC SeaWorld 7000 (2BR Plat)
> ...



The free limo is just one way from airport to resort. Not from resort back to airport. I assume the Lyft is temporary situation due to Covid. 

HGV sales person told us to buy a small piece of 57th street if we want to use owners lounge. We bought a resale 5250 platinum season studio of 57th street in 2020 because both HCNY and NY Residence Club were closed. We used other timeshares do RCI exchange into 57th street and since we are owner, we can use owners lounge.


----------



## WORLD TRAVELER (Sep 7, 2021)

The only upgrade potentially worth applying for is Elite Premier since all ancillary fees would be waived.  If you are currently Elite, you could purchase Resale Scotland through HIGVC at the resort such as Craigenderach or Dunkeld and become Elite Premier.  It could be more cost effective than than trading in existing unit to obtain Elite Plus.   There has been a posting regarding this previously along with the contact person to email or call in Scotland to perform this type of upgrade.


----------



## WORLD TRAVELER (Sep 7, 2021)

Here is the Scotland's Rep contact info from a previous post:

John Pringle
Sales executive
+44 (0)13397 53454

Braemar Road, Ballater, Royal Deeside, Scotland, AB35 5XA

JPringle@hgvc.com


----------



## fernow (Sep 8, 2021)

Late to the party here but my take on Elite status is that it is worth it if it is worth it to you.

Wouldn't be surprised if many folks who say Elite status is not worth it drive a BMW or Mercedes.

Are those cars "worth it"?  No.  Not for a $/mile basis.  (read $/point)

We are Elite members.  Don't know how standard members are treated but we always seem to be treated as though we are special for whatever that is worth. Anytime we make special requests, they have been honored and "Since you are Elite members..."  usually precedes the  acquiescence.  We don't qualify for free upgrades but have on two occasions upgraded to better units for $25/night, one time from a 1bdrm to a 2bdrm and one time from a 2bdrm with no view to a 2bdrm with a nice view, both times "because you are Elite members". 

Not everything has a "$ per" tag.


----------



## Clifbell (Sep 8, 2021)

fernow said:


> Late to the party here but my take on Elite status is that it is worth it if it is worth it to you.
> 
> Wouldn't be surprised if many folks who say Elite status is not worth it drive a BMW or Mercedes.
> 
> ...


Good perspective... All the comments have been super helpful and I think it is a healthy discussion.


----------



## brp (Sep 8, 2021)

fernow said:


> Not everything has a "$ per" tag.



This is an excellent way to look at it. While this particular benefit is not worth the $ per to us, there are things that I would have no way to truly explain/justify to others that are similarly "excessive" by any objective measure, but are worth it to us.

Cheers.


----------



## GT75 (Oct 14, 2021)

ccwu said:


> I assume the Lyft is temporary situation due to Covid.


I wouldn't make that assumption.    I think that it is here to stay would be my assumption.


----------



## dayooper (Oct 14, 2021)

GT75 said:


> I wouldn't make that assumption.    I think that it is here to stay would be my assumption.



 I agree.


----------



## Gunfighter (Oct 18, 2021)

WORLD TRAVELER said:


> The only upgrade potentially worth applying for is Elite Premier since all ancillary fees would be waived.  If you are currently Elite, you could purchase Resale Scotland through HIGVC at the resort such as Craigenderach or Dunkeld and become Elite Premier.  It could be more cost effective than than trading in existing unit to obtain Elite Plus.   There has been a posting regarding this previously along with the contact person to email or call in Scotland to perform this type of upgrade.



We have only resale HGVC points. If we buy one week in Scotland, does that get added to our existing resale points or are they kept in two separate categories for Elite status qualification. I guess what I'm trying to ask is if buying in Scotland is a cheaper way of gaining Elite status levels.


----------



## PigsDad (Oct 18, 2021)

Gunfighter said:


> We have only resale HGVC points. If we buy one week in Scotland, does that get added to our existing resale points or are they kept in two separate categories for Elite status qualification. I guess what I'm trying to ask is if buying in Scotland is a cheaper way of gaining Elite status levels.


If you buy a Scotland week directly from the sales rep on the property, then those points will count toward Elite.  They won't show up as a separate bucket in any way on your account, but if you eventually get enough Elite-qualifying points, your account will be marked as Elite.  Still no buckets.  It is all behind the scene.

Kurt


----------



## GT75 (Oct 18, 2021)

Agree with the post from @PigsDad.   I will only add that Scotland properties (both Craigendarroch and Coylumbridge Lodges) are RTU in perpetual.    I think that the Craigendarroch Suites have an end date on their RTU.    For Craigendarroch and Coylumbridge Lodges, Holiday Certificates are issued with Lodge # and Week # listed.   If you enroll the week into HGVC, the lodge/week will be automatically reserved similar to a normal fix week reservation which will show up on your reservation list.     This reservation can then be canceled on-line (if enrolled in HGVC) and you will receive the points into your account.   Of course, you will want to ensure that the Holiday Certificate is issued in the same name(s) as your other deeds so that it will be placed into you HGVC account.


----------



## Gunfighter (Oct 31, 2021)

deleted

After a little more searching I found a list of weeks for sale on the resort's website.

Home - Craigendarroch Owners' Club

Edit
John Pringle has retired. The new email is cdsales@hgv.com for onsite sales.


----------



## ccwu (Dec 4, 2021)

Clifbell said:


> Would you do the upgrade to Elite Plus if you were offered to upgrade one of your resale units?



Sure I would do it. 

We are elite premier for a decade. We got lots of resales after we learn resale. We were offer to upgrade a resale to Grand Waikikian in the past year. We don’t need to have extra resale point to advance further. But we like the package. The offer gave us the original price of the retail $98,000 for HCNY resale 10,000 point for 14,400 points by paying $27k plus 10k bonus points. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Clifbell (Dec 4, 2021)

ccwu said:


> Sure I would do it.
> 
> We are elite premier for a decade. We got lots of resales after we learn resale. We were offer to upgrade a resale to Grand Waikikian in the past year. We don’t need to have extra resale point to advance further. But we like the package. The offer gave us the original price of the retail $98,000 for HCNY resale 10,000 point for 14,400 points by paying $27k plus 10k bonus points.
> 
> ...


----------



## Clifbell (Dec 4, 2021)

ccwu said:


> Sure I would do it.
> 
> We are elite premier for a decade. We got lots of resales after we learn resale. We were offer to upgrade a resale to Grand Waikikian in the past year. We don’t need to have extra resale point to advance further. But we like the package. The offer gave us the original price of the retail $98,000 for HCNY resale 10,000 point for 14,400 points by paying $27k plus 10k bonus points.
> 
> ...


I did the upgrade to plus and am probably going to do premier. I got upgraded twice already and even ask for a manual upgrade to a two bedroom from a one. They did it because of my status.


----------



## ccwu (Dec 4, 2021)

Clifbell said:


> I did the upgrade to plus and am probably going to do premier. I got upgraded twice already and even ask for a manual upgrade to a two bedroom from a one. They did it because of my status.



I had all my reservation the past year automatically complimentary upgraded 45 days advanced notification to me. I don book rooms that have no room for upgrade. My Kalia tower studio (I like it because it has balcony and ocean view) we’re upgraded to one bedroom. I had to decline upgrade in case I don’t want to. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BK2019 (Dec 21, 2021)

Elite and Elite Plus members get free bookings for reservations of 7 days or more. Once booked can the member modify the reservation to be less than 7 days?


----------



## GT75 (Dec 21, 2021)

BK2019 said:


> Once booked can the member modify the reservation to be less than 7 days?


No, not without calling it in, I assume they will charge the fee.  Also, the initial reservation must be exactly 7 days for it to be free.


----------



## TheWindrider (Dec 21, 2021)

We’ve been happy with our Premier status too. Perhaps it’s the Covid situation resulting to more unoccupied units but we got upgraded 8 out of our 10 HGVC stays in 2021, all of them within 3-5 days before check-in. Of course, there are properties where an upgrade within same unit type may not be expected (McAlpin). In addition, booking 1 unit type below our preference also saved us points which, combined, totaled almost 8K points. And although HGVC did away with being able to select specific units, they’ve been very accommodating and would add our request to our reservation notes.


----------

