# What does a "platinum" ownership mean in HGVC



## optimist (Apr 12, 2010)

My 6200 point Kalia Tower closed and I finally got my membership number   I am trying to understand the Hilton system and hope you will go easy on me! 
My deed does not designate a particular week, only that it's a "platinum".  What does that mean in the HGVC system? Is it just a designation to show how many points I have? 
How can I figure out when my three month exclusive home resort window ends  if I don't know when my ownership week is? 
I read that I have 365 days from the check out date to reserve my home resort. But if I have from January 8th to December 31st 2011 to designate as a check out date, that gives me a year long exclusive home resort window, not three months. I know I am making a mistake here but I can't figure out what it is


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## chriskre (Apr 12, 2010)

I could be wrong on this but I believe the Hawaii is Platinum all year long.

I own in gold season so that's more defined.  

I'm new to HGVC also and am still learning.

Congratulations on your purchase.


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## Talent312 (Apr 12, 2010)

chriskre said:


> I could be wrong on this but I believe the Hawaii is Platinum all year long.



Platinum at HHV-Kalia Tower are weeks 1-18 ... 23-35 ... 42-52. Gold is 19-22 ... 36-41 (from the Guide).
Its significant 'cuz home week reservations are only good for the season in which you own. Otherwise, its a club reservation, even durinng a lesser seasons.

ALSO: The home week reservation window is 365 days to 276 days prior to the check-in date (on the resort's standard check-in day). The club reservation window starts 276 days before the check-in date.


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## Adrienne (Apr 13, 2010)

I'm fairly too and had the same question, if I understand it correctly. 


The answer hard to put into words. As an owner, you can make a home week Kalia reservation 1 year to 9 months in advance. After 9 months it's open to all the other HGVC members...and you, but you'll be competing with more people. 
The easiest way to understand the system is look at the new reservation system online. It's graphic and interactive and will make sense if you fiddle with it long enough. That's how I did it. 

Didn't know about the gold season thing until now. So I guess you can't book with any exclusivity in May or September?  Weird. You'd think that Platinum would include Gold.


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## optimist (Apr 13, 2010)

Talent312 said:


> Platinum at HHV-Kalia Tower are weeks 1-18 ... 23-35 ... 42-52.
> ALSO: The home week reservation window is 365 days to 276 days prior to the check-in date (on the resort's standard check-in day). The club reservation window starts 276 days before the check-in date.




This is the part I find confusing. By way of comparison, if I want to check in January 1st of 2011, the latest I could have booked was sometime in March of 2010. But, if I want December 24th, 2011 I have to book by 12/24/10 at the earliest or sometime in March 2011 by the latest. Is that right?  Then my window of making a home resort reservation in 2011 is ALL of 2010, depending on when I want to travel. 
  At Hyatt, my "platinum" week is week 7.  So my exclusive period to use my unit, at my home resort in 2011 ends in August of this year.  It's a fixed target, not a moving one, as Hilton's seems to be. Hyatt is obligated to hold my unit until then, incase I decide I want it. If I don't exercise my right to stay there, they can rent it out, or let other members exchange into it. 
If I don't have a particular week assigned to me, how does Hilton know when my "exclusive" home period is over and that they can release it to other people?   Sorry if I am being thick


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## dvc_john (Apr 13, 2010)

If you own a Platimum week at Kalia, then you can book any platimum week at Kalia 1 year to 9 months in advance. You must book the size of unit you own, for a full week, in the platinum season, and begining on the resorts designated day-of-week check-in day. 

At 9 months or less, you can book any HGVC resort (except 57th St), any size unit, for any number of days (minimum of 3 days), beginning on any day of the week. 
You can still book Kalia in this time period, but so could all other HGVC members. 

For instance, if you own a 1-bedroom plus Platimum at Kalia, but you want to reserve a 1-bedroom in Gold season for 5 days beginning on a Monday, you could do that at 9 months or less. (That would be 2520 points for a 1-br plus unit or 2040 points for a 1-br unit.)

Of course, all examples are based on availability at the time, and the number of points you have to use.

HTH


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## brp (Apr 13, 2010)

dvc_john said:


> \
> At 9 months or less, you can book any HGVC resort (except 57th St)



And Hilton Club, New York, which is 6 months or less for Club booking.

Cheers.


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## Sandy VDH (Apr 13, 2010)

Only event weeks are guaranteed and booked for you automatically.  Event weeks are Christmas and new years ONLY. If your contract does not specify an event week than nothing is held for you. Inventory is available for you to book but no week is guaranteed. You have access to book any week available during your home season. 

If you are wanting Christmas than you must wait for an owner to give up one of their prebooked weeks.  That can happen anytime not just home week period.  If you want a non-event week you can book what is available during home week period.  Only owners at that resort can book units.  Now if you wait too long less than the 9 month mark, anyone in HGVC can book and you are no longer guaranteed a unit.

You must book what you need during home season if you want to be sure to get a week.


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## UWSurfer (Apr 18, 2010)

While the answers in this thread are on target, we may be focused a bit too much on the tree and forgetting the forest.   Platinum points are the highest value week you can own in HGVC.  This is a good value because you get more points while paying the same maintenance fee's as every other owner of your size unit.

I believe MOST HGVC owners don't book their home week but rather use their points to book the time & location they are interested in.   As such, your more points mean you can stretch them further depending on how you choose to use them.


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## Talent312 (Apr 18, 2010)

What may be confusing the OP is the notion that he bought a TS or a week.
What he should know is that there is no TS or week to which he has rights.
IOW, what he "owns" is the right to compete for reservations with his points.

As Surfer points out, many HGVC'ers never see their TS.
We actually tried once, but it was occupied.


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## rjp123 (Apr 18, 2010)

There are some interesting posts/replies in this thread.  Do people even bother to read the advice document or the stickies?


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## steve1000 (Apr 18, 2010)

brp said:


> And Hilton Club, New York, which is 6 months or less for Club booking.
> 
> Cheers.



Can HGVC members book at the Hilton Club New York? I thought it was only available to owners of HCNY but that HGVC members could book at W 57th St.


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## Talent312 (Apr 18, 2010)

steve1000 said:


> Can HGVC members book at the Hilton Club New York? I thought it was only available to owners of HCNY but that HGVC members could book at W 57th St.



You are correct, sir.
"Only Owners of _The Hilton Club -- New York_ are eligible to stay at this property." -- Members Guide, page 109.


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## optimist (Apr 18, 2010)

rjp123 said:


> There are some interesting posts/replies in this thread.  Do people even bother to read the advice document or the stickies?




It's interesting that as your SECOND post you choose to pass judgement on what people have bothered to read before posting a question.  I hope questions YOU will have down the road will be answered will a little more understanding.


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## optimist (Apr 18, 2010)

Thank you for your explanations, I appreciate everyone's responses.  While I am not new to timesharing, we have owned a Hyatt for a year and a half, and I DID read all the stickies before buying and sat through the tutorial on the HGVC website, I still found this concept confusing.  I think generally when you buy a TS, even if it is a floating week and not a fixed one, you are still assigned a particular week within the season that you own. I know that is how Hyatt works and I think that is how Marriott works too based on my readings on this board. In fact, I was under the impression that the deed HAD TO refer to a particular week and a particular unit because you own a real estate interest and therefore your deed had to evidence real estate ownership.   My HGVC doesn't. 

Obviously I have not explained my question well enough but I think I will leave it at that and hopefully learn the system by actually using it.
Thanks.


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## brp (Apr 18, 2010)

Talent312 said:


> You are correct, sir.
> "Only Owners of _The Hilton Club -- New York_ are eligible to stay at this property." -- Members Guide, page 109.



Yup, it's there. Then I'm confused as to the need for "Home Club" and "Club" periods. I thought "Club" period was to allow other people in HGVC to book a property. What does it mean in this context?

Cheers.


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## Talent312 (Apr 18, 2010)

brp said:


> Yup, it's there. Then I'm confused as to the need for "Home Club" and "Club" periods. I thought "Club" period was to allow other people in HGVC to book a property. What does it mean in this context?



HC/NY is not considered a HGVC resort, but rather a unique property.
Its owners have HGVC-rights on a totally different scale than regular-folk (like me).
They *(you)* are the lords of their manor, but can mingle with us peasants.

Hilton muddied the waters by including HC/NY in the Members Guide this year.
HC/NY owners used to have their own Guide. What a come-down!

There four standard reservation periods *for regular (non HC) members*.
1. Home Week - a week at your home resort in your season and size unit.
2. Home Resort - only for owners of West 57th Street (NY)
3. Club - for stays at any HGVC or affiliate - 'cept HC/NY.
4. Open Season - for last minute getaways with $$, not points.

*HC/NY members have there own rules beginnign on page 144 of the Guide.*


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## dvc_john (Apr 18, 2010)

OP: I'm just the reverse of you. I also own Hyatt and HGVC, but thought Hyatt was the more confusing system. I owned Hyatt for several years before I realized that the CUP period applied to the period you could actually make a reservation, and NOT the period the reservation was for.


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## brp (Apr 18, 2010)

Talent312 said:


> HC/NY is not considered a HGVC resort, but rather a unique property.
> Its owners have HGVC-rights on a totally different scale than regular-folk like us.
> They are the lords of their manor, but can mingle with us peasants, if they wish.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the clarification, I think 

Given #3 above- not applicable to HC/NY,why do they even have a 6 month "Club" season listed for the property if no one can get in anyway (except those that own there, and this season is irrelevant)?

Our purchase is at HC/NY, and that's where we want to stay, so the question is really more academic (for me) but this just seems odd.

Cheers.


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## dvc_john (Apr 18, 2010)

brp said:


> why do they even have a 6 month "Club" season listed for the property if no one can get in anyway (except those that own there, and this season is irrelevant)?




The only difference I see is that 'Home Club' season requires a minimum 2 night stay, and 'Club'  season has no minimum stay requirement.


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## brp (Apr 18, 2010)

dvc_john said:


> The only difference I see is that 'Home Club' season requires a minimum 2 night stay, and 'Club'  season has no minimum stay requirement.



Yeah, as we sometimes stay in New York for 1 night, I had noticed this. It just seemed that there should be some other significance to "Club" period. Perhaps not 

Cheers.


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## Talent312 (Apr 18, 2010)

> Our purchase is at HC/NY, and that's where we want to stay, so the question is really more academic (for me)...



Well, then... Please disregard almost everything I just said about reservations.
You are not among the unwashed masses (such as I), and have special rules.
Too bad you have to read the gibberish that applies to the rest of us.


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