# My experience with HGVC for past 9 years



## hgvcowner9 (Aug 1, 2016)

Just wanting to share who would be interested in buying HGVC, I want to share my experience so that you can have some ideas. 

I purchased 5,000 yearly points back in 2009 paying retail price of 20k for Parc Soleil in Orlando, FL. They gave me 15,000 bonus points at that time and now my maintenance is $1,200. I didn't know the existence of resale market and yes, I was not happy after the fact but it was too late and oh well, I learned my lesson so it is okay. I don't own anything else but HGVC; currently owning one is what I can afford so no problem with that. 

And here is my vacations so far:

2009 Quebec City - stayed at Hilton hotel using bonus points
2010 Honolulu, HI and Big Island, HI
2011 no trip
2012 Honolulu, HI and Big Island, HI
2013 Honolulu, HI
2014 Myrtle Beach, SC
2014 Miami, FL
2015 Miami, FL and Canmore, AB
2016 Breckenridge, CO

Nights vary from 3 to 5 and bedrooms vary from 1 bedroom to 3 bedrooms.
Now I look back, 5,000 points seemed very little yet it was still possible to go to vacation to different places almost every year with great family memory. One key factor is that I had planned ahead of times, well in advance like 9 months for HI, CO and AB yet it was still doable. 

So in case someone is looking for little points like what I have yet wondering if you can go vacation every year, I would like to tell you that yes, you can with planning in advance.


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## vacationbear (Aug 1, 2016)

Great post! 

The very same applies to us, except that I come across TUG in time and saved $$$.
Since 2013 we, now, spend our vacations either at HHV or Kingsland.

And while the resale cost of our 2bd TS plunged since we bought in 2013 and 2014, the memories of a great time over there far more than outweigh it!

We now have a ton of flexibility within the system and we haven't even traveled to Florida or the other fabulous destinations, yet.

We just love those 2bd apartments, they fit our needs perfectly and none of the properties we have been visiting (LV Strip, Flamingo, Ma Brisa) has disappointed us.


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## holdaer (Aug 1, 2016)

hgvcowner9 said:


> Just wanting to share who would be interested in buying HGVC, I want to share my experience so that you can have some ideas.
> 
> I purchased 5,000 yearly points back in 2009 paying retail price of 20k for Parc Soleil in Orlando, FL. They gave me 15,000 bonus points at that time and now my maintenance is $1,200. I didn't know the existence of resale market and yes, I was not happy after the fact but it was too late and oh well, I learned my lesson so it is okay. I don't own anything else but HGVC; currently owning one is what I can afford so no problem with that....



We basically did the same in 2010.  Purchased 4,800pts annual at Parc Soleil from HGVC.  I learned about TUG afterwards and we've had many great vacations.  I just posted how much I like HGVC in a previous thread.

I learned about resale and the popular agents Seth and Judy. Once I learned how to get the most out of our membership, I needed more points.  So I purchased resale for my 2nd HGVC unit (5,000pts).  I understand that this is NOT a financial investment, as mentioned earlier but an investment in family time and experiences that I wouldn't normally do unless I had this membership. It's also nice to vacation in 2016+ based on 2010 dollars.

As time goes by, I may want to add to my portfolio with another TS company but I'm not sure which one is a good compliment to HGVC.

Good to hear some positive feedback!


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## clotheshorse (Aug 1, 2016)

*Our experience*

I agree; we found TUG in 2013, six years after a 15K EOY purchase that I later found the same property through TUG marketplace for $1 EY - much better deal.  My partner could not believe it and thought it was a scam.   We purchased that unit for $1 (I couldn't resist).  Then I caught the resale bug and bought eight more units (3 Hilton, 3 Vistana (Starwood at the time) and 2 Hyatt).   I have paid less for the eight resale properties than our 15K developer purchase in 2007.  Our first Hilton package was 4,200 EOY for $1,000, then we found a 5,000 EY for $499 that passed ROFR and I added Bay Club (7,000 EY), $1,500 this year.

Since I found TUG and purchased the eight additional properties, we have visited:
2013 - Palm Desert, Club Intrawest through Hilton with the in laws
2014 - Las Vegas x 2 (Elara)
2015 - Westin Desert Willow Villas and the Westin Mission Hills 
2016 - Grand Waikikian with close friends, Las Vegas Elara for a birthday party (reserved three rooms), and Desert Willow last month with classmates in my dissertation program (reserved nine rooms for three days, it was our write-cation, let's say there was more partying than writing that weekend).
We are looking at Key West later this year or next year and Carmel.  

As the OP indicated, with planning, owning a timeshare is great.  I have been able to create wonderful memories with family and friends.   All of the properties are beautiful and many of my friends and family members would not be able to afford the type of accommodations offered through our Hilton and Vistana points.  I get the greatest pleasure being able to extend invitations to our family and friends.

Thanks to TUG for the informaiton and service.  We look forward to many more great vacation memories.  Also thanks to Mary and LT Transfers, my name has come across their desk for at least six of the eight properties. 

FYI, I am done buying!!!


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## JSparling (Aug 8, 2016)

hgvcowner9 said:


> ... you can with planning in advance.



You called it. HGVC is great for people who pay attention and who can/will *plan ahead* right at the 9/12 months mark. 

Jason - I'm back - and ready to debate what a good "investment" HGVC is!  Well, maybe not "investment" (other than in terms of family memories), but definitely "deeply discounted luxury travel" AS LONG AS YOU PLAN AHEAD AND USE YOUR POINTS!!!


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## Jason245 (Aug 8, 2016)

JSparling said:


> You called it. HGVC is great for people who pay attention and who can/will *plan ahead* right at the 9/12 months mark.
> 
> Jason - I'm back - and ready to debate what a good "investment" HGVC is!  Well, maybe not "investment" (other than in terms of family memories), but definitely "deeply discounted luxury travel" AS LONG AS YOU PLAN AHEAD AND USE YOUR POINTS!!!


Always up for a debate...

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## MJ1 (Aug 9, 2016)

*Disappointed*



Jason245 said:


> Always up for a debate...
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk



I bought at Tuscany in Orlando in 2006, well before I found this forum. I have to say, I have been lucky finding something at short notice as well as in advance. This year, I stayed at Tuscany, Anderson Club in Myrtle Beach, and just returned from Seaworld. 

But I have to say, I think the quality of the experience at HGVC has gone way down. The Seaworld stay was by far the worst experience. We were given a 2 bedroom suite that had been clearly flooded recently. The entire experience from check in to end was horrendous. The front desk was incompetent. The room smelled like mold. A couple times there were absolutely no towels at the pool and had to ask an employee that was wandering around aimlessly. Even though there is a schedule for the activity center, they will close it whenever they feel like it. The common bathrooms were disgusting. The disgusting bathrooms seem to be at every resort I visited this year. 

I was planning on upgrading my membership, but at this point I was thinking of getting something else. I have been looking at Marriott. Anyone else disappointed since purchasing?


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## JSparling (Aug 9, 2016)

MJ1 said:


> I bought at Tuscany in Orlando in 2006, well before I found this forum. I have to say, I have been lucky finding something at short notice as well as in advance. This year, I stayed at Tuscany, Anderson Club in Myrtle Beach, and just returned from Seaworld.
> 
> But I have to say, I think the quality of the experience at HGVC has gone way down. The Seaworld stay was by far the worst experience. We were given a 2 bedroom suite that had been clearly flooded recently. The entire experience from check in to end was horrendous. The front desk was incompetent. The room smelled like mold. A couple times there were absolutely no towels at the pool and had to ask an employee that was wandering around aimlessly. Even though there is a schedule for the activity center, they will close it whenever they feel like it. The common bathrooms were disgusting. The disgusting bathrooms seem to be at every resort I visited this year.
> 
> I was planning on upgrading my membership, but at this point I was thinking of getting something else. I have been looking at Marriott. Anyone else disappointed since purchasing?



Sorry, I have to say I love HGVC and haven't had any issues like yours. The only time I was really unhappy with HGVC was with a scumbag salesman at Marbrissa lying to us. Otherwise, we love the brand and the resorts.


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## MJ1 (Aug 9, 2016)

I did too, until this year. 


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## presley (Aug 9, 2016)

JSparling said:


> Sorry, I have to say I love HGVC and haven't had any issues like yours. The only time I was really unhappy with HGVC was with a scumbag salesman at Marbrissa lying to us. Otherwise, we love the brand and the resorts.


That's interesting. I own at Marbrisa and I think I'd say overall I am less happy with it than I am with anything else I own or ever owned. Marbrisa really needs to get it together to be on par with the other places as far as customer service goes.


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## Talent312 (Aug 10, 2016)

MJ1 said:


> ...I think the quality of the experience at HGVC has gone way down. The Seaworld stay was by far the worst experience...



We stayed in 2BR at Seaworld which had plumbing issues -- no hot water for the tub or sink. However, they were quick to fix it.

Considering that it's the 2nd oldest TS in the system (Flamingo was first) and has been in service for 20+ years, it's bound to have some issues. Still, IMHO, it's in remarkably good condition.
.


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## PigsDad (Aug 10, 2016)

MJ1 said:


> The Seaworld stay was by far the worst experience.



We have been generally happy owners since 2005, but our one bad experience was just last year at SeaWorld.  When we arrived around 2:30, we were told no room was available yet.  No problem, they would call us when ready, so we went to the restaurant and relaxed for a while.  

Exactly at 4:00, they called and then we got our keys and proceeded to our room.  We open the door and the unit was occupied!  No one was there, but there was stuff all around -- even a purse on the dining table!!!  

So we head back to the front desk, had to wait in line for 15+ minutes, and after explaining to them what happened, they didn't seem too surprised or concerned!  They gave us a new room and keys so we headed out again.  Guess what?  THAT room was occupied as well!!

Now we're pissed.  Called the front desk and they said they would send someone out to us (we were a few buildings away) to gather our luggage and they would have a new room and keys for us.  We ended up waiting there for over 45 minutes (we called a couple of times and they kept on saying they were "on their way") when finally a bellhop showed up.  

We were then given what I consider to be almost the worst room on site.  We are owners there and had originally requested (about a week prior) to be in a building close to the main pool.  Our room was now is the furthest building away from the pool, on the ground floor, with a noisy, busy street right behind us.  By this time, it was getting late, we were hungry, so we just had them put our stuff in the room and we headed out to dinner.

Later that evening I went to the front desk to complain, and they again just shrugged it off as no big deal.  They gave me keys to *two *rooms that were occupied!  Talk about a security problem!  I insisted on talking to a manager.  They said none was on duty, but promised the property manager would contact me the next day.  In the end, the manager did finally contact me (two days later) and did offer to move us to another room, but since we were only staying for 4 days, we didn't want the hassle of moving again.

This is the only bad experience we have had at a HGVC property, but it did put a damper on the whole vacation.  By the reaction from the people we dealt with, it sounds like this was not an isolated experience -- I think they have a serious problem at that resort w/ their reservation system.

Kurt


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## Talent312 (Aug 10, 2016)

PigsDad said:


> Later that evening I went to the front desk to complain, and they again just shrugged it off as no big deal.  They gave me keys to *two *rooms that were occupied!  Talk about a security problem!



Now that's unacceptable. They must have a supervisor or manager on-call.

Unfortunately, the "I don't care" attitude does not seem to be limited to Seaworld. At several resorts, I've encountered front-desk staff who think their only job is to hand out keys and anything outside that is not their problem.

Far different than at Disney, where employees are not allowed to say, "I don't know," and told to say, "I'll find out" instead, even if it means making a call. -- _from a recent story_.
.

.


.


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## Pardytime (Aug 11, 2016)

*Security issues at Seaworld*



PigsDad said:


> ...  They gave me keys to *two *rooms that were occupied!  Talk about a security problem!  I insisted on talking to a manager.  They said none was on duty...



Whoa, this is a serious security issue!  

I have an expectation of security when we stay at timeshares and hotels. Because of this issue, I will NOT be staying at Seaworld again.

I think HGVC at some higher level should be interested in knowing what transpired. I doubt that the manager at SeaWorld informed them of the incident. Plus, I find it unbelievable that there wouldn't be a manager on-call at all times.  Sounds like someone was just trying to not get in trouble.


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## SmithOp (Aug 11, 2016)

I agree that corp should have been notified of this issue but it may be too late now if it happened last year, the employee may be long gone.

I've never had an issue like this, but I've only stayed at California and Hawaii locations, this October will be my first visit to East Coast locations, Miami Beach and W57th.


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## presley (Aug 11, 2016)

Pardytime said:


> Whoa, this is a serious security issue!
> 
> I have an expectation of security when we stay at timeshares and hotels. Because of this issue, I will NOT be staying at Seaworld again.



I've seen this happen at Peacock Suites in Anaheim and Cindy has posted that it happened to her at a Marriott. I never leave anything important in my room because of it.


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## JSparling (Aug 11, 2016)

I agree with Presley. Even if the front desk does their job and doesn't hand a key to your room to another guest, there are still dozens of front desk/maintenance/housekeeping people who have a key to your room. Given that fact you should never leave anything out or that isn't secured in the safe. And when you're in the room flip the bolt and latch so you're safe.


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## alwysonvac (Aug 12, 2016)

*input@hgvc.com*

Friendly Reminder

Please also report all issues to input@hgvc.com so that the corporate office is aware. According to a HGVC resort manager I spoke with years ago, issues/problems reported by members via input@HGVC.com gets the corporate office attention and priority. Just try to be courteous  and basically explain the issue(s) and your expect_ed_ outcome as a HGVC owner.




MJ1 said:


> I was planning on upgrading my membership, but at this point I was thinking of getting something else. I have been looking at Marriott. Anyone else disappointed since purchasing?



I can report that we haven't experienced issues with the top ranking Marriott or Westin timeshare resorts. These other hotel based timeshare systems don't seem to rely on guests/owners to indicate what needs to be addressed from a housekeeping/maintenance perspective.

I've shared my experience over the last 12 years on the "Have you been  surprise by HGVC" thread. 
You can find it here - http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223671 (starting in post #33)


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## lto (Aug 13, 2016)

I am heading to seaworld in November , hopefully no issues. They said all the rooms at seaworld should be upgraded by then. Last year I got a room by the pool but it was on the old and rundown side


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## jiffyent00 (Aug 23, 2016)

*New HGVC member with time to get out*

It is great to see so many positive experiences with HGVC. I have just purchased 3400 points for 15k and only 5k bonus points. I found the resale website and was surprised with some of the mark downs.

My fiance is a member of Fiesta Americana. As a member he has access to the Hilton Resorts. We were told that Hilton will be dissolving their partnership with Fiesta Americana in the future which kind of surprises me because Hilton does not have Mexico locations and Fiesta only has their Mexico locations.

I was wondering if there are any additional benefits of being with HGVC or if we would be better off purchasing existing points with Fiesta Americana as we would have a cheaper maintenance fee. I know I automatically got HHonors silver membership and I am still trying to figure what that gets me.

I have until Friday to cancel my current purchase.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## presley (Aug 23, 2016)

jiffyent00 said:


> I have until Friday to cancel my current purchase.
> 
> Any thoughts would be appreciated.



You need to cancel it right now and then think about which system you'd rather own. You can get the same thing you just bought for under $1,000. If you bought it for that amount, you wouldn't need to be concerned about which one has better MFs because you'd have an extra $15K to use towards MFs for the future.

Hilton has not told us they are dissolving their partnership with Fiesta, but they generally don't give us a head's up about anything. Where would you rather stay? Mexico or the HGVC locations? That is what will matter in choosing what you want to buy. You could just keep using Fiesta for Hilton until the partnership dissolves (if it ever does) and then by Hilton resale. No reason to waste money now for something that may or may not happen someday.


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## Talent312 (Aug 23, 2016)

jiffyent00 said:


> I was wondering if there are any additional benefits of being with HGVC or if we would be better off purchasing existing points with Fiesta Americana as we would have a cheaper maintenance fee.
> 
> I have until Friday to cancel my current purchase.



First, know this: Even those here who bought directly, paying full-freight, can tell you this is a bad-deal.  You should *CANCEL* immediately for two reasons:

1. That puny a point-package is way overpriced. You can buy the same package resale for less than 1/4 what you paid HGVC. BTW, those bonus points will disappear quickly, and you'll be stuck with a TS for which you paid ~ $12,000 too much. 

2. You still have questions about which system is a better fit for you. You have no business buying a TS worth less than 1/4 what you paid when you're not sure it's what you want.

Use the method specified in your contract - to the letter - even if you think there's a better way.

*Then, research your options and decide what's best for you, at your leisure.*

.


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