# HGVC Marbrisa or Grand Pacific Palisades



## mki (Nov 2, 2011)

Hi,  

I have been reading every tread on these two properties and have visited both several times.  They have equal pros/cons from a day use perspective.  

I am trying to figure out what is a better purchase from an exchange perspecive: 5000 pts at Marbrisa or a 2 bedroom Summer week at Grand Pacific Palisades (not hilton affiliated).   I called RCI and a summer 2 bedroom has a very high trade value so we would be able to trade it for a summer week at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  However, the points would get us there too.  One advantage of the GPP is that we could rent the unit and recoup our maintenance fees if for some reason we are unable to travel.  I hear this might happen since we have children ages 5 and 8.  Anyway, the costs are comparable so I'm trying to figure out what is  the better all around value.

We know we want to use this for Hawaii every 4 yrs and winter skiing.  We also like the open season or last minute trips..  

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks!


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## RX8 (Nov 3, 2011)

I too have been studying both of these resorts but am still far from an expert.  Marbrisa's gold season is 1-21 and 43-50.  With two kids in school, and if you are going to want to use this resort in the summer, you may have trouble with Marbrisa.  I do not know how easy it is to book a summer month with HGVC at Marbrisa nine months out but I would suspect it is not easy.  An owner who has that summer week may be renting it out just as you pointed out is a viable option.  Also, I believe day use at Marbrisa was included in the original purchasers escrow documents.  What this means is that on a resale there would be no day use priveledges.  If you are looking to use Marbrisa for the points only and use the resort for day use, you will obviously want to verify this.  For HGVC points only, you can find cheaper MF elsewhere.  GPP day use is for deeded owners.

A 5000 point Marbrisa recently sold on eBay for $1.25 (plus fees which includes a hefty HGVC transfer fee).  That may not pass ROFR.


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## oneohana (Nov 3, 2011)

We own Marbrisa resale and have never been denied day use.


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## RX8 (Nov 3, 2011)

oneohana said:


> We own Marbrisa resale and have never been denied day use.



That is good to hear because that is one thing that had me leaning away from Marbrisa.  

Where I got my info from was from the Grand Pacific Resorts website.  It states about Marbrisa's day use:

_"Owners that purchased on their first visit to the resort are given Day Use privileges. Day Use privileges, if granted, are included in the Owner's Escrow Addendum. Due to overcrowding, no parties at the swimming pools or picnic/barbecue areas will be permitted. Day Use users are not to exceed the occupancy of the unit type they purchased."_

If the above is correct however, they could at anytime start to turn away those that are not eligible for day use.


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## chriskre (Nov 3, 2011)

oneohana said:


> We own Marbrisa resale and have never been denied day use.



They don't have a security gate so I'm not sure they'd even know you were using the facilities as a day guest or not.   

Maybe when HGVC starts building the next phase they'll gate it in, but right now you could literally come and go as a dog in his own home.


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## Steve (Nov 3, 2011)

RX8 said:


> A 5000 point Marbrisa recently sold on eBay for $1.25 (plus fees which includes a hefty HGVC transfer fee).  That may not pass ROFR.



I was following that auction.  I have been told that HGVC does not have ROFR on Marbrisa.  I know they don't have it on the affiliate resorts in Southwest Florida.  Does anyone know for certain if there is ROFR at Marbrisa?

Thanks,

Steve


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## RX8 (Nov 3, 2011)

Steve said:


> I was following that auction.  I have been told that HGVC does not have ROFR on Marbrisa.  I know they don't have it on the affiliate resorts in Southwest Florida.  Does anyone know for certain if there is ROFR at Marbrisa?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Steve



Don't know for sure but Judi K's website has Marbrisa listed for sale and in the description it states YES for ROFR.


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## mki (Nov 3, 2011)

Thank you for the conversation.  I would love to hear from owners of GPP and HGVC to see what the advantages are.  How easily is GPP traded?  Can the week be split into two (3 days/4 days), etc.  What are the advantages of HGVC over a highly traded week at GPP?


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## mki (Nov 3, 2011)

Regarding the days use at Marbrisa, here is what I have found:  the addendum for Marbrisa’s day use privileges has many disclaimers in favor of HGVC.  For instance, they can change the rules and start charging a fee for day use, they can limit usage based on how full the resort is, etc.  There is a gate and a person checking you in who has stated many times to me that they will limit the # of people allowed based on the # of people who can occupy the unit owned.  They are getting very strict.  I know this because I’ve been to the resort ~ 4 times in the last two weeks checking it out.  I also have seen the addendum from two separate sources.  I’m also concerned about phase II and if it will really happen.  Their website states that the pool and activities room are not committed.   I do know that they are no longer allowing day use privileges for resale, however, we found a seller that can get around this.   I prefer this resort over GPP simply for the day use that they say is planned, but not sure if I trust it or not.


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## Jan Handlers (Nov 3, 2011)

*GPP Rental Program*

We bought GPP many years ago.  It is a powerful trader, but I do plan well ahead.  For the last four years, we have rented our week 26 through GPP and have actually made a little more than our maintenance fees each year.


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## presley (Nov 3, 2011)

mki said:


> Thank you for the conversation.  I would love to hear from owners of GPP and HGVC to see what the advantages are.  How easily is GPP traded?  Can the week be split into two (3 days/4 days), etc.  What are the advantages of HGVC over a highly traded week at GPP?



A fixed summer week at GPP would be easy to trade.  They do have a split week option.  I am not sure what the actual day breakdowns are for checking in/out.  

I have heard from a HGVC owner that buy joining HGVC, the GPP units have a higher trading value in RCI through the HGVC portal.


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## rebel (Nov 3, 2011)

We have stayed at HGVC and went over to GPP for a couple of hours.  In our option there is no question.  It would be HGVC.  When we were at GPP the folks were rude and no customer service.  Plus HGVC is newer and nicer.  But the day use is a concern for non local folks.


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## richardm (Nov 3, 2011)

Sorry I missed this until now.. Hilton points do not transfer via a Marbrisa resale. If you are buying for HGVC, you will be disappointed. 

Also, the Marbrisa does not have ROFR but there is a large transfer fee plus an estoppels fee required at closing.  $160 estoppels demand fee and $150. transfer fee..  

(All this based on a sale last year, accept my apologies in advance if this info has changed since then.)


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## sjuhawk_jd (Nov 3, 2011)

richardm said:


> Sorry I missed this until now.. Hilton points do not transfer via a Marbrisa resale. If you are buying for HGVC, you will be disappointed.
> 
> Also, the Marbrisa does not have ROFR but there is a large transfer fee plus an estoppels fee required at closing.  $160 estoppels demand fee and $150. transfer fee..
> 
> (All this based on a sale last year, accept my apologies in advance if this info has changed since then.)



Yes, most of this has changed. Marbrisa resales transfer with HGVC points, and there is a $995 transfer fee (includes estoppel, transfer, HGVC enrollment etc) for doing this. Doing this is also mandatory. Earlier, you could buy Marbrisa resale, and just keep your ownership and not enroll in HGVC. This is no longer an option. 

Palisades units that are already enrolled in HGVC can also be enrolled in HGVC via resale by paying this $995 fee. Doing this enrollment is optional for Palisades. 

Palisades units that are not enrolled in HGVC can not be enrolled in HGVC.


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## Judi Kozlowski (Nov 3, 2011)

*ROFR Marbrisa*



RX8 said:


> Don't know for sure but Judi K's website has Marbrisa listed for sale and in the description it states YES for ROFR.



Grand Pacific has the first right of refusal on the Marbrisa property.  I don't think they have ever exercised.  As of today they are telling us that you can't join HGVC when you purchase a resale unit through a third party.  This may change but that is the rule today.


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## chriskre (Nov 3, 2011)

mki said:


> There is a gate and a person checking you in who has stated many times to me that they will limit the # of people allowed based on the # of people who can occupy the unit owned.  They are getting very strict.  I know this because I’ve been to the resort ~ 4 times in the last two weeks checking it out.  I also have seen the addendum from two separate sources.  I’m also concerned about phase II and if it will really happen.  Their website states that the pool and activities room are not committed.   I do know that they are no longer allowing day use privileges for resale, however, we found a seller that can get around this.   I prefer this resort over GPP simply for the day use that they say is planned, but not sure if I trust it or not.



Did they just put up the gate?  I was there October 1st and didn't see any gates or any security.   

I drove right in past the Sheraton hotel next door and you can also drive in from the opposite side near the airport road.  Were we at the same resort?   The one next to Legoland?


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## oneohana (Nov 3, 2011)

Thanks Judy for the information.

We were there in early Oct. also. The only gate is the one going to the pool.

We are going there this Sat. so I will find out. We always use day usage for parking to Legoland and go to the lobby to get the parking pass.

mki, where are you getting this information? The seller that can work around a resale to look like a developer week?


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## mki (Nov 4, 2011)

"We were there in early Oct. also. The only gate is the one going to the pool."

My apologies.  The gate I referred to is the one to the pool.  There is a person checking day use for the pool, gym, and activities... not parking.


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## sjuhawk_jd (Nov 4, 2011)

Judi Kozlowski said:


> Grand Pacific has the first right of refusal on the Marbrisa property.  I don't think they have ever exercised.  As of today they are telling us that you can't join HGVC when you purchase a resale unit through a third party.  This may change but that is the rule today.



This rule (and misinformation) only applies to big time brokers. I own about 12 weeks at Marbrisa, most of them resale, and they are all in HGVC. Judi, you are asking the wrong people for this info. You do not have to ask Hilton, you have to ask folks running the show at Marbrisa. Hilton has no interest in telling you the truth, but Marbrisa wants to collect $995 transfer fee and let you have the points in resale. None of this fee goes to Hilton, so they will keep on telling you a lie (which is not all that uncommon in timeshare industry). 

Big time sellers on ebay are openly selling Marbrisa with promise of HGVC points and are delivering on that promise.


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## mki (Nov 4, 2011)

oneohana said:


> mki, where are you getting this information? The seller that can work around a resale to look like a developer week?



It's a special circumstance that this seller has.  We still don't know if it is worth the premium that they are asking, especially since one just sold on EBay for a lot less...


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## Talent312 (Nov 4, 2011)

sjuhawk_jd said:


> This rule (and misinformation) only applies to big time brokers. I own about 12 weeks at Marbrisa, most of them resale, and they are all in HGVC. Judi, you are asking the wrong people for this info. You do not have to ask Hilton, you have to ask folks running the show at Marbrisa. Hilton has no interest in telling you the truth, but Marbrisa wants to collect $995 transfer fee and let you have the points in resale. None of this fee goes to Hilton, so they will keep on telling you a lie (which is not all that uncommon in timeshare industry).



The tail is wagging the dog?
Maybe its like how at the airport, call the airline and they cannot help you.
But go to a gate agent and they'll say, "Oh, yeah. We can do that for you."


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## djyamyam (Nov 4, 2011)

Judi Kozlowski said:


> As of today they are telling us that you can't join HGVC when you purchase a resale unit through a third party.  This may change but that is the rule today.





sjuhawk_jd said:


> This rule (and misinformation) only applies to big time brokers. I own about 12 weeks at Marbrisa, most of them resale, and they are all in HGVC. Judi, you are asking the wrong people for this info. You do not have to ask Hilton, you have to ask folks running the show at Marbrisa. Hilton has no interest in telling you the truth, but Marbrisa wants to collect $995 transfer fee and let you have the points in resale. None of this fee goes to Hilton, so they will keep on telling you a lie (which is not all that uncommon in timeshare industry).
> 
> Big time sellers on ebay are openly selling Marbrisa with promise of HGVC points and are delivering on that promise.



SJuhawk is correct on this.  There is a specific transfer specialist that handles all the GPR ownership transfers.  If you are purchasing a floating Marbrisa unit resale, you must be part of the HGVC points program and pay the $995.  Fixed week owners have the option of joining or leaving as weeks usage.  I am in the midst of doing one right now and spoken with the transfer specialist a number of times this week nailing this down because the information I get from the broker isn't clear.


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## memereDoris (Nov 4, 2011)

I am currently at GPP.  The staff has been wonderful all week.  We have not encountered any rude service.  The resort shuttle that takes you anywhere within 5 miles has been very handy.  Only the pools are gated.

We converted our GPP and Seapointe ownerships to HGVC with a very small points purchase at Marbrisa this week.  I usually don't suggest developer prices, but the deal was very good.  We also added another couple (sister) to our current deeds.  The costs associated with the changes we wanted to make were included at no cost.  

If they would have offered to convert only the GPP unit, we probably wouldn't have converted.  With all three, we now have a great points package.


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## frank808 (Nov 4, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> I am currently at GPP.  The staff has been wonderful all week.  We have not encountered any rude service.  The resort shuttle that takes you anywhere within 5 miles has been very handy.  Only the pools are gated.
> 
> We converted our GPP and Seapointe ownerships to HGVC with a very small points purchase at Marbrisa this week.  I usually don't suggest developer prices, but the deal was very good.  We also added another couple (sister) to our current deeds.  The costs associated with the changes we wanted to make were included at no cost.
> 
> If they would have offered to convert only the GPP unit, we probably wouldn't have converted.  With all three, we now have a great points package.



Are those GPR weeks you own resale or original developer?  I attended the sales presentation at GPP for Marbrisa.  The saleswoman told me that for a small EOY purchase at Marbrisa they would convert my GPP units to HGVC and I would qualify for elite premiere as I would then have enough points.  I told her that I bought my weeks resale and I had all the weeks I needed to use.

Then she quoted that it would only take $10k new money for a small EOY and it would then be able to convert all my units to get in the elite club.  This got me intersted as it was a very very reasonable amount to get a conversion.  Made like I still wasn't really interested and they offered me some other spiffs and I said ok I am ready to sign.  Made it very clear that I would only buy a new EOY unit if they would convert my GPP to HGVC and qualify for elite premiere.  

Started all the paperwork and then manager intervened and said that resale units do not qualify.  Insinuated that I wasted their time by not telling the salesperson that I had resale units.  Well I told them I did mention it and why would I hide that fact from them?  They should have a record of of what I own and if I bought it from the developer or not.  Well then it took them another 30 minutes to close me out to get the presentation gift.


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## frank808 (Nov 5, 2011)

rebel said:


> We have stayed at HGVC and went over to GPP for a couple of hours.  In our option there is no question.  It would be HGVC.  When we were at GPP the folks were rude and no customer service.  Plus HGVC is newer and nicer.  But the day use is a concern for non local folks.



First off I own both GPP and HGVC units.  I have never had any rude service from GPP staff.  The times I have stayed at GPP the staff went out of their way to make sure my stay and experience was pleasant.  This past stay a few bulbs were burnt out so I called front desk and reported the problem.  Within 3 minutes a maintenance guy shows up to change the bulbs with a smile and apology .  To top it off this was about 8:00pm.  It has ranked up there and exceeded some of my experiences with staff at HGVC timeshares.  Comparing the newness of Marbrisa to GPP is like comparing a 2001 camry to a 2011 camry, of course the 2011 is newer and nicer.  GPP resales have day use privledges but Marbrisa documents state resale buyers have no day use.  If someone that has resale can confirm that resale at Marbrisa will have day use I will definetly buy a Marbrisa unit as the day use is the closer.  Why pay for gym membership when you can get day use privledges.


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## memereDoris (Nov 5, 2011)

frank808 said:


> Are those GPR weeks you own resale or original developer?  I attended the sales presentation at GPP for Marbrisa.  The saleswoman told me that for a small EOY purchase at Marbrisa they would convert my GPP units to HGVC and I would qualify for elite premiere as I would then have enough points.  I told her that I bought my weeks resale and I had all the weeks I needed to use.
> 
> Started all the paperwork and then manager intervened and said that resale units do not qualify.  Insinuated that I wasted their time by not telling the salesperson that I had resale units.  Well I told them I did mention it and why would I hide that fact from them?  They should have a record of of what I own and if I bought it from the developer or not.  Well then it took them another 30 minutes to close me out to get the presentation gift.



My GPP and Seapointe were resale purchases.  They were able to convert both to HGVC.  They had the records and saw that we had purchased resale.  We purchased a very small EOY at Marbrisa to accomplish this.  We were also looking at elite status.  

They may have changed their rules since you tried to convert your units.


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## RX8 (Nov 5, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> My GPP and Seapointe were resale purchases.  They were able to convert both to HGVC.  They had the records and saw that we had purchased resale.  We purchased a very small EOY at Marbrisa to accomplish this.  We were also looking at elite status.
> 
> They may have changed their rules since you tried to convert your units.



Maybe I am wrong but I took it to mean that it was an issue with the GPP converted HGVC points counting towards Elite status, not necessarily simply converting to HGVC.


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## djyamyam (Nov 5, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> We converted our GPP and Seapointe ownerships to HGVC with a very small points purchase at Marbrisa this week.  I usually don't suggest developer prices, but the deal was very good.  We also added another couple (sister) to our current deeds.  The costs associated with the changes we wanted to make were included at no cost.
> 
> If they would have offered to convert only the GPP unit, we probably wouldn't have converted.  With all three, we now have a great points package.



Was your Seapointe a fixed week?  I was told (by a salesperson) that Seapointe floating weeks didn't count towards HGVC.  

How small a package did you buy at Marbrisa.  I was offered a similar package as RX8 sometime last year.


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## frank808 (Nov 7, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> My GPP and Seapointe were resale purchases.  They were able to convert both to HGVC.  They had the records and saw that we had purchased resale.  We purchased a very small EOY at Marbrisa to accomplish this.  We were also looking at elite status.
> 
> They may have changed their rules since you tried to convert your units.



Did the conversion also qualify you for elite status?  For one purchase they let you convert 2 units?  If it works I will be back next year and push it.  How much was the EOY purchase if you don't mind me asking? thank you


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## memereDoris (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm sorry it has taken so long to respond.  Between travelling home and returning to work, this is the first chance I've had.

HGVC let me convert 2 units.  We purchased a 6200pt Odd Year at Marbrissa.  The Palisades and Seapointe units that were converted were both float units.  They also gave us a bonus of 20,000 pts.

I have checked and the conversions are going through.  

This is supposed to count towards elite status.  We will soon see if this was true or not.  I will keep you posted.


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## sjuhawk_jd (Nov 10, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> I'm sorry it has taken so long to respond.  Between travelling home and returning to work, this is the first chance I've had.
> 
> HGVC let me convert 2 units.  We purchased a 6200pt Odd Year at Marbrissa.  The Palisades and Seapointe units that were converted were both float units.  They also gave us a bonus of 20,000 pts.
> 
> ...



The HGVC point value for floating units is extremely low (for the maintenance fees that you pay on them), therefore, not worth converting in my opinion. What did you buy at Marbrisa (size, season) that gave you 6200 points. 

Your Marbrisa will count towards elite, but the Palisades and Seapointe should not (But you never know).


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## memereDoris (Nov 10, 2011)

sjuhawk_jd said:


> The HGVC point value for floating units is extremely low (for the maintenance fees that you pay on them), therefore, not worth converting in my opinion. What did you buy at Marbrisa (size, season) that gave you 6200 points.
> 
> Your Marbrisa will count towards elite, but the Palisades and Seapointe should not (But you never know).



The Marbrisa purchase is a 1 BR Plus - Platinum Week.  

The converted units give me a better cost per point than most of the resales that have been available on ebay.  I think it depends where you had a float week.  Mine had decent value.

I also doubt very much that I will get the elite, even though I was told that I would.  We will have to wait and see.


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## frank808 (Nov 10, 2011)

memereDoris said:


> I'm sorry it has taken so long to respond.  Between travelling home and returning to work, this is the first chance I've had.
> 
> HGVC let me convert 2 units.  We purchased a 6200pt Odd Year at Marbrissa.  The Palisades and Seapointe units that were converted were both float units.  They also gave us a bonus of 20,000 pts.
> 
> ...



Wow I will be going to the sales office next year on my annual trip to legoland.  How many points did they give you for the GPP and the Seapointe units?  Could you have bought a cheaper unit and still convert 2 units to HGVC?  What was the lowest price unit they were selling that would still allow you to convert your resale weeks?  thank you


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## memereDoris (Nov 10, 2011)

frank808 said:


> Wow I will be going to the sales office next year on my annual trip to legoland.  How many points did they give you for the GPP and the Seapointe units?  Could you have bought a cheaper unit and still convert 2 units to HGVC?  What was the lowest price unit they were selling that would still allow you to convert your resale weeks?  thank you



We could have bought a different unit but we wanted to make sure that the underlying week was one that we would use in the years we didn't convert to points.  

A few of the offers were lower points and some were higher.  The 6200 pts EOY had maintenance fees of $334/yr + $149/yr for taxes.

The conversion in points is exacty what your deed shows that you own.  Some resorts are worth more points than others.  For example - a 2 BR platinum at Sandestin is only 4,800 pts, while a 2 BR platinum at the Palisades ranges from 7,000 to 9,600 pts because they have a 2 BR, a 2 BR Plus and a 2 BR Premier.  The point values at some resorts are very low and would not be worth converting.


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## roblo64 (Feb 21, 2012)

How much did the consolidation and purchase cost to get those 20K points?  I purchased a Mabrisa 4800 EOY package and a 5000 every year package and want to consolidate.  I'd like a guestimate of how much this will cost to do when I go out there in August this year.


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## sjuhawk_jd (Feb 21, 2012)

memereDoris said:


> ...The converted units give me a better cost per point than most of the resales that have been available on ebay.  I think it depends where you had a float week.  Mine had decent value...



Your 2 bed, 2 bath floating Palisades converts to 5000 HGVC points for a MF of around $1000 (not a good value). Seapointe floating is probably 4800 points for a $1025 or so of annual MF (not a good value). All floats are the same at these 2 resorts (in terms of their converted value in HGVC chart).


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