Hilton Grand Vacations strikes deal to acquire Diamond Resorts

[Tamaradarann]

This merger will not affect me in the slightest, but I can honestly say, Hilton and Diamond both charging extra fees for exchanges is a big turnoff for me. And Diamond is acquiring so many properties now that those fees are an unknown to me. I recently got a match to a Branson resort and saw the disclosure that says, "There may be fees..." on my II exchange form. I am going to trade that one away. I am not going to pay extra fees in Branson or Orlando, the two easiest places to get Marriott. If Marriott decides to follow suit and charge fees, we are all going to be complaining.

 

[youppi]

The main club of DRI is THE Club (old Sunterra Club), but DRI manage many others club from their acquisitions like:
Embarc + ExtraOrdinary Escapes https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/...mbarc_EE_Member_Benefits_Directory_Eng_11.pdf
Amber Vacation Club https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/Amber-Vacation-Club-Directory-2020-2021.pdf
Monarch Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/mcc_latest_guide_0.pdf
Florida Club Connection https://cmstest.diamondresorts.com/...lorida-Club-Connection-Membership-Guide_0.pdf
Premier Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/Premier-Club-Connection-Membership-Guide.pdf
California Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/california_club_connection_directory.pdf

 

[Tamaradarann]

I can understand your being turned off by the extra resort fees for exchangers into Hilton and Diamond Resorts. As an outsider to Diamond Resorts presently I feel the same way. However, I would assume that once they merge Hilton and Diamond owners would be able to exchange using their points without having to pay resort fees.

Since you don't own either company you would still need pay resort fees.

 

[LEMONLEE]

We own a deeded week at Kaanapali Beach Club and bought way back when it was branded as Embassy. We were very disappointed when KBC was sold to Sunterra and not to Hilton, so this is the very best news that I can imagine. As others have mentioned, the MF have increased steadily every year - we just paid $1664 for our 1 bdrm KBC unit. We have not ever stayed in any other Diamond resorts, choosing to exchange through II instead of through Destination Exchange. However, any time we called to deposit our week with II, Diamond would always try to sell us on joining Destination Exchange but we were never interested (just like we were never interested in throwing more money at them to convert to points no matter how hard they pushed). Well, Diamond ended up giving us a free 5-year membership to Destination Exchange last year in what I guess was an effort to try to sell us on it, and I am finding that there is never any availability at any of the resorts I would be interested in going to - now from reading this thread, I understand it's because they are all affiliated resorts and not owned by Diamond. Anyway, we have really been questioning the value of owning with Diamond so I am really hoping that KBC will be one of the resorts that is rebranded as HGVC and we will be able to have access to the Hilton properties. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[tpdgfmt]

As a non member pf HGVC, I cannot sign on in the hope of getting more details but to the extent that. I had access, I was not impressed with their website. I could not even find a list of properties

Karibkeith,

I Googled "hilton grand vacations list of properties" without signing on to HGVC's website and came up with this:

Hilton Grand Vacations - News and Media - News and Media

www.hiltongrandvacations.com

 

[RLS50]

So here’s the quandary. Do you try to bring all DRI resorts up to HGVC standards or, have a different tier of ownership. Have you owned with DRI long enough to know what DRI’s choice was when they bought Sunterra out of bankruptcy? They choose to bring all the resorts up to DRI standards. Any idea what they did to MF’s? They skyrocketed overnight and kept climbing for a couple of years.

I was a Gold Key member when Diamond took over, and the maintenance fees definitely jumped very quickly.

However the biggest increase in the first 2-3 years (almost 10% each year for the first 2 years) wasn't for extra money to upgrade the resorts...it was to fund the jump to Diamond's management fee of 15% and their additional "Indirect Corporate Costs" line item. Since then my biggest concern with Diamond has always been how much money they charged Owners for the combined Management / Indirect Corporate Costs (i.e. additional admin fees) as a percentage of our annual budget vs. other costs that might more benefit their owner experience. Basically in addition to their 15% management fee, they charged close to another 10%-15% for those additional corporate back office admin fees. That was close to 27%-30% of the Diamond annual budget right there. Then added on top of this was the normal and expected Admin and Staffing fees required at each of the individual resorts.

The net result was that only about 10%-16% of the annual budget was being re-invested in Reserves (upgrades, remodels, refurbs, etc). Compare that to many Marriott resorts, where the Management fee is only 10% and where up to 30% of the annual budget is slated for Reserves.

So as a Diamond owner I always felt that Diamond was extracting a somewhat nebulous extra 10%-15% of the annual budget for themselves that really didn't seem to add any material value for Owners. That may not sound like a big deal, but compounded over time, year after year after year, etc...in my opinion that goes a long way in explaining why Diamond's standards and resort quality always seemed (or clearly was at some resorts) a level below the other majors (Marriott, Westin, Disney, Hilton, Hyatt, etc). And I think this might help explain the main complaint on social media travel sites about Diamond properties was the "inconsistency" guests would experience depending on what unit they were assigned at Check in.

Having said that, I have over the years grown to appreciate the Operations side of Diamond a little more. I do think Diamond has some very good Operations people at the Senior levels, and at the Resort GM levels, who try to manage the HOA's and properties pretty well. Or at least as well as can be expected based on the annual budget percentages being worked with (i.e. Diamond's hefty corporate overhead charges vs what Reserves actually make it to the physical resort for improvements in any given year).

 

[bakera]

Yes, DIamond moved away from Interval International to start their own exchange. I beleive this is just to support their weeks based owners. They also have trust based point owners that trade internally using points.

The new system is for both weeks and points based owners. We can, however, remain with II if we choose to pay their membership fee.

 

[bakera]

Diamond tends to waive fees in tiers based on ownership as part of the sales program. E.g., owners might not get charged an energy usage for the AC. Silver members get a few freebies. Gold members get more freebies, including free internet. Platinum gets more benefits.

That was a few years ago when the tiers were first introduced. They no longer nickel and dime lower tiers. As Gold Elite members in DRI we get to choose our preferred unit when making the reservation and get early checkin/late checkout.

 

[nuwermj]

The main club of DRI is THE Club (old Sunterra Club), but DRI manage many others club from their acquisitions like:
Embarc + ExtraOrdinary Escapes https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/...mbarc_EE_Member_Benefits_Directory_Eng_11.pdf
Amber Vacation Club https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/Amber-Vacation-Club-Directory-2020-2021.pdf
Monarch Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/mcc_latest_guide_0.pdf
Florida Club Connection https://cmstest.diamondresorts.com/...lorida-Club-Connection-Membership-Guide_0.pdf
Premier Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/Premier-Club-Connection-Membership-Guide.pdf
California Club Connection https://cmsprod.diamondresorts.com/sites/default/files/california_club_connection_directory.pdf

Moreover, when DRI claims 400,000 members they included all these groups (only Embarc is sold as a current product) plus every deeded owner at all the DRI managed resorts. Membership in "THE Club" is 170,000.

 

[Panina]

The unknown won’t be known for awhile. This is why I buy where I like going. I do not have to worry when “things change”. Hgvc self own affiliates that I own on Marco Island are a sure thing.

 

[dougp26364]

I was a Gold Key member when Diamond took over, and the maintenance fees definitely jumped very quickly.

However the biggest increase in the first 2-3 years (almost 10% each year for the first 2 years) wasn't for extra money to upgrade the resorts...it was to fund the jump to Diamond's management fee of 15% and their additional "Indirect Corporate Costs" line item. Since then my biggest concern with Diamond has always been how much money they charged Owners for the combined Management / Indirect Corporate Costs (i.e. additional admin fees) as a percentage of our annual budget vs. other costs that might more benefit their owner experience. Basically in addition to their 15% management fee, they charged close to another 10%-15% for those additional corporate back office admin fees. That was close to 27%-30% of the Diamond annual budget right there. Then added on top of this was the normal and expected Admin and Staffing fees required at each of the individual resorts.

The net result was that only about 10%-16% of the annual budget was being re-invested in Reserves (upgrades, remodels, refurbs, etc). Compare that to many Marriott resorts, where the Management fee is only 10% and where up to 30% of the annual budget is slated for Reserves.

So as a Diamond owner I always felt that Diamond was extracting a somewhat nebulous extra 10%-15% of the annual budget for themselves that really didn't seem to add any material value for Owners. That may not sound like a big deal, but compounded over time, year after year after year, etc...in my opinion that goes a long way in explaining why Diamond's standards and resort quality always seemed (or clearly was at some resorts) a level below the other majors (Marriott, Westin, Disney, Hilton, Hyatt, etc). And I think this might help explain the main complaint on social media travel sites about Diamond properties was the "inconsistency" guests would experience depending on what unit they were assigned at Check in.

Having said that, I have over the years grown to appreciate the Operations side of Diamond a little more. I do think Diamond has some very good Operations people at the Senior levels, and at the Resort GM levels, who try to manage the HOA's and properties pretty well. Or at least as well as can be expected based on the annual budget percentages being worked with (i.e. Diamond's hefty corporate overhead charges vs what Reserves actually make it to the physical resort for improvements in any given year).

You touched on the very reason we left DRI and kept HGVC (I was debating between the two). DRI’s management fees were hellish IMHO for the quality we received. If DRI quality matched their cost, we likely would have dropped HGVC.

Everyone has a big question on their minds about this merger. DRI owners are rightfully nervous not knowing the future. My question is, how does HGVC handle the management fees DRI was taking? Do they remain the same and leave the quality essentially as is? Do they lower them and make owners feel great about the new management? My vote would keep the MF’s as is for a few years, making DRI owners feel good about the acquisition, take the “normal” HGVC management fee and put the extra money (the difference between DRI’s higher management fee and HGVC lower management fee) to good use upgrading properties to Hilton standards.

Now having said all of this, I haven’t actually laid eyes on DRI’s management fees for a long time. Maybe there is no difference, or very little difference, today.

There are two things I look forward too.

1. Reading all the rumors we hear from the sales people and TUGGERS over reaction to them(I’ve lived through one or two of these now).

2. Seeing what actually comes out for owners over the next five years.

I don’t look for any real movement between the two this year. In 2021 I expect to see some signage and branding changed along with the beginning of resort soft refurbishments (linens, we might start t see some signs of integration. After all, how long has it been since the Marriott/Westin acquisition and there still isn’t any real movement on true program integration for owners to book across brands.

 

[eleigh]

I find myself wondering if Diamond's online reservation system is any better than the horror that is HGVC's.....

Diamond's reservation system leaves much to be desired. For some properties you cannot even make on-line reservations and you must call to reserve or make changes.

 

[dougp26364]

Diamond's reservation system leaves much to be desired. For some properties you cannot even make on-line reservations and you must call to reserve or make changes.

And yet, maybe you haven’t tried HGVC’s version .

I’ve used both. Neither is great, but I always had an easier time with DRI. BTW, you can’t book every HGVC property online either, unless things have changed in the last year or two.

For reference I recently needed to cancel a reservation with Marriott. I couldn’t do that online, you have to call. I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect online system and I’ve learned to not to compare them. It’s an extra but not the most important benefit.

 

[eleigh]

You should be able to continue to use your week like you always do or deposit it to RCI if that is your desire. I would think that HGVC will give your unit some type of point value in the future. Then you may be able to exchange it within the HGVC/HVC system if and when that is set up without going to RCI. As far as buying it back your week, HGVC will most probably give you some credit for your Lake Tahoe Timeshare toward the purchase an HGVC Timeshare like they do with current HGVC members at owners updates.

Thank you. Our DRI week is not fixed- we can book any week we want that is available (Christmas, 4th of July, etc). We have booked President's week for years, and that is usually a Diamond or Platinum with other companies. Any idea how HGVC would assign value/points in this situation?

 

[dayooper]

And yet, maybe you haven’t tried HGVC’s version .

I’ve used both. Neither is great, but I always had an easier time with DRI. BTW, you can’t book every HGVC property online either, unless things have changed in the last year or two.

For reference I recently needed to cancel a reservation with Marriott. I couldn’t do that online, you have to call. I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect online system and I’ve learned to not to compare them. It’s an extra but not the most important benefit.

@dougp26364 I have so appreciated your perspective on this merger. Your understanding of both systems and the differences between them has been great! I agree that the online reservation system is lacking. There are so many hidden quirks between the different resorts and there's always seems to be a bug in the system. I almost lost 2 days at Ocean Oak shuffling points because of the "quirks." I will say that a quick call to customer service fixed it right then and there. HGVC call-in center is usually very helpful.

I do believe that most, if not all of the resorts are available online. The SW Florida resorts are now bookable through the website (at least they were last September). Now, whether they are open to being booked is a different story.

 

[dougp26364]

@dougp26364 I have so appreciated your perspective on this merger. Your understanding of both systems and the differences between them has been great! I agree that the online reservation system is lacking. There are so many hidden quirks between the different resorts and there's always seems to be a bug in the system. I almost lost 2 days at Ocean Oak shuffling points because of the "quirks." I will say that a quick call to customer service fixed it right then and there. HGVC call-in center is usually very helpful.

I do believe that most, if not all of the resorts are available online. The SW Florida resorts are now bookable through the website (at least they were last September). Now, whether they are open to being booked is a different story.

To be honest, I really haven’t used HGVC’s system all that much for the last few years, so it doesn’t surprise me that they finally have the affiliated resorts available online. It was a long time coming.

I also haven’t used DRI’s system since 2015, I’m sure they had made changes in my absence.

 

[nuwermj]

I also haven’t used DRI’s system since 2015, I’m sure they had made changes in my absence.

Yes, an entirely new user-interface, but not much change in usability.

 

[Talent312]

And yet, maybe you haven’t tried HGVC’s version... Neither is great...

HGVC'ers like to whine about the glitches in website.
But they're often quite comical, and fixed fairly quickly...
Like when they listed member bookings in reverse chronological order.

If you call and say, "The website wouldn't let me..." They sigh and do it for you.
Perhaps the IT-peep mess with it intentionally, so they'll have work to do.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Compared to the two old confusing systems (they had to have two: Classic and ???), I have encountered very few problems with the new HGVC website.

I did have a problem recently when shuffling (some of my bHC points didn't go back into my account). When I called, the rep found the points and performed the entire shuffle for me to get all the points in the right place. Most of the reps are very good and are empowered to fix the problem.

 

[jyt]

Compared to the two old confusing systems (they had to have two: Classic and ???), I have encountered very few problems with the new HGVC website.

I did have a problem recently when shuffling (some of my bHC points didn't go back into my account). When I called, the rep found the points and performed the entire shuffle for me to get all the points in the right place. Most of the reps are very good and are empowered to fix the problem.

The two old systems were Classic and Revolution (flash based!)

Current website and app is much better.
When there are any issues, a short call to HGVC usually fixes it for no additional fee


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dougp26364]

For me it’s a matter of comparing the HGVC site to others I use or have used. It’s functional, not bad, but not the not necessarily the best/easiest for my usage needs. Still, it’s far better than what Breckenridge Grand Vacations and Spinnaker Resorts offer their owners, which is essentially nothing as far as booking usage.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Thank you. Our DRI week is not fixed- we can book any week we want that is available (Christmas, 4th of July, etc). We have booked President's week for years, and that is usually a Diamond or Platinum with other companies. Any idea how HGVC would assign value/points in this situation?

In HGVC there are some event weeks which are more expensive to buy and are fixed weeks reserved for those owners with exchange privileges to points if the owner doesn't want to use the high priority week they bought. In Hawaii they are Christmas and New Year's Week. I believe in New York City it is Thankgiving Week due to the well known parade. I have never heard of President's Week being an event week.

As far as HGVC assigning value/points to your week I don't know how they would evaluate it. Originally HGVC made all resorts the same value 4800 points was a 1BR Platinum, 7000 points was a 2BR Platinum, 3400 points was a 1 BR Gold, 5000 points was a 2BR Gold. Then they went to a much higher level point level for some newer resorts. RCI has some system that they evaluate the value of resorts and seasons which may be the best indicator available until we learm more from HGVC about how DRI resorts will be valued versus HGVC resorts.

 

[dougp26364]

This is interesting and I wonder what properties will be in the HGV system going forward?

I’ve stayed in a few Diamond properties. Some are really nice and some are meh.

Cabo Azul and Embarc Palm Desert are fantastic. I’d use my points for either one of those.

There are a couple we’re interested in, especially since we were once DRI owners and have some spent some time in them.
1. Sedona Summit is a very nice resort with a decent location. I’d love to have access back into this resort.
2. The Point at Poipu and Kaui Beach Club will fir in nicely
3. The Lake Tahoe Resort has a nice location and use to be one of the Embassy Resorts
4. The Historic Crags Lodge in Estes Park would be great, but it really isn’t up to Hilton standards. It’s an OLD mountain lodge with a funky 1950’s lodge feel to it. It was like stepping back in time IMO.

Other resorts that will probably make the cut are the Polo Towers resorts (definitely a step below HGVC) and the other Vegas resorts they control, The Suites at Fall Creek in Branson and some of the Orlando resorts. I’m not certain. If any of the Gatlinburg resorts are fully managed by DRI. I know Gatlinburg Town Square is an affiliated resort with only some units available to DRI owners, but it always had decent availability when I was an owner and did searches. Those unit would need some serious upgrade to meet Hilton standards and, since DRI isn’t in control, I don’t see that happening. I think at least the Bent Creek Golf Resort was managed by DRI, but I’m not certain of the quality of the units.

For the most part, I really want easier access than what I have now into Sedona. It’s the one thing I miss about being a DRI owner. We have great access at all the other locations, Maui, Kauai, Lake Tahoe and Branson. We’d really need to be in a position of needing to “burn” points before we gave serious consideration to those spots. The Historic Crags Lodge was always difficult to book with DRI as Silver Elite owners, and I don’t expect it to be any easier now, plus I’m not even certain it’s not an affiliate.

 

[Fried_shrimp]

We will have to wait and see, but historically Hilton has been good to pre-existing owners of the resorts brought into the Club. I am familiar with the SW Florida resorts which were part of Mariner. Owners, whether pre-existing or new owners of weeks at those resorts have never been required to join the HGV Club. The Mariner resorts typically were dual-affiliated with RCI and II, and as far as I know, they still maintain their dual affiliations. Thus, an owner at any of those resorts can choose to join HGV Club, join RCI and/or II, join all three, or join none. If an owner joins none, he or she pays only the maintenance fees set by the board at his or her resort and taxes imposed by the county in which it is located.

I am not familiar with other Hilton takeovers. However, this morning I decided to learn what happened when Hilton took over operation of Elara. Elara was previously known as PH (Planet Hollywood) Towers and was owned and marketed by Westgate Resorts before it ran into financial trouble during the Great Recession. Westgate sold PH Towers to Resort Finance America LLC, which was a unit of Centerbridge Capital Partners, and RFA appointed HGV to market and manage the project. The companies put out a news release which said, "The 12,000-plus existing timeshare owners of PH Towers Westgate will continue with full ownership rights and benefits associated with their original purchase from Westgate Resorts," according to the Las Vegas Sun newspaper's online Vegas Inc.

Perhaps there are some other TUG members who can provide information about other Hilton takeovers. I think the opportunity for Hilton and Diamond in this combination is to retain revenues from sales of new projects, resales at resorts where they are appointed to be the resale agent, and management fees from resorts that the combined Hilton/Diamond manages, while cutting duplicative costs and expenses so that the overall enterprise is more profitable than the two separate enterprises were. As far as raising maintenance fees at individual resorts, Hilton cannot do that without convincing the boards of directors at those individual resorts to do so, and if it does, the money from those maintenance fees (except for Hilton's own management fee paid by the resort) have to stay with the resort and be used for the benefit of the resort. The boards of those resorts likely have contracts for resort management with Diamond which Hilton will now be performing in Diamond's place. If the boards of those resorts had any brains when they entered into those contracts, the contracts probably eventually expire or could be terminated if Diamond's (and now Hilton's) management services are unsatisfactory. Hilton isn't going to want that.

One thing I haven't mentioned so far is the trust that Diamond uses for its club. I have never seen it. I would speculate that it says something like, "you place your week into the trust so that we (Diamond) are the owner of that week, but we promise to give you weeks, points, or some other measure of time in the resorts which are part of this trust." What could Diamond, and now Hilton, do with this trust? Dissolve it? Why would they want to do that? It sounds like the fees Diamond is charging its members who are members of this trust include fees that go to Diamond (and soon, Hilton). Hilton isn't going to cut off its nose to spite its face. I could see that Hilton might try to find a way for Diamond trust members to get access to HGVC resorts, and if that happens, HGVC members will probably get corresponding access to the resorts in Diamond's trust. If that does happen, I would not anticipate HGVC members overwhelming the trust with reservations for Diamond resorts. First, there are a lot more Diamond members than there are Hilton members. More importantly, my own experience has been that Hilton gives up points in its club (which translate into some type of usage in one of its resorts, depending on size, time of year, etc) if an affiliate owner chooses to exchange his or her week for points. The affiliate owner gets HGVC points, and the affiliate owner's week then shows up in HGVC's system as available to a Hilton owner for a certain amount of points. There has never been any mass taking of anything away from owners in resorts "taken over" by Hilton. But this is my own complete speculation, having never read any of Diamond's documents.

Hilton's email to its members states in relevant part, "I want to assure you that your ownership rights and access to your Home Resort will not be changed or diluted. . . . Integrating the two companies is anticipated to be a multi-year, phased initiative, which means you may not hear about expanded offerings or benefits immediately." Later, in the same email, Hilton states, "Together, we will provide the broadest range of offerings with a wider array of price points – a new HGV sub-brand to complement our existing Hilton Grand Vacations and By Hilton Club brands." (Emphasis added) Once again, I believe Hilton's statements. What is available to you and what is available to me is not changing any time soon, and when it does change, Hilton is looking to expand offerings, not take them away. They are not looking to upset the apple cart.

I bought into HGVC 20 years ago this year. At that time, the "news" in the industry was that Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, Disney, and several others were changing the timeshare game drastically by being fairer to customers. Here's a typical statement from a newspaper article in 2008: "Virtually all investments look bad these days, but some pretty big names want you to reconsider one of the most maligned of all: the timeshare. High pressure tactics and deceptive costs have given timeshares a mixed reputation. But companies including Disney, Marriott, Hyatt, Starwood and Hilton dominate the industry, offering new perks and better value." I believe that Hilton has done this over the years. I haven't seen anything about its combination with Diamond that indicates it is changing this philosophy.

The last thing I can think of is fees. Hilton has not been considered to have outrageous fees. Its fees are generally less than Marriott's or Disney's. Diamond has been alleged to have high fees, although the comments from many of you Diamond owners is that Diamond's fees aren't that bad. With a new HGV sub-brand, it seems likely that the fee structure that Diamond uses now isn't going to change right away. Perhaps it will never change. If and when it does change, Hilton's charges now are (1) resort maintenance fees and taxes, (2) an annual club fee, and (3) reservation fees (except for various levels of Elite owners, who avoid these fees by owning enough weeks/points) to qualify. It sounds like Diamond builds some of these fees into one fee, so there aren't separate fees. If Hilton changes the way that fees are charged, I doubt the overall amount of fees will increase, although some people's fees might be more and some people's fees less, depending on how they vacation.

The more I look at this, the more I can see good possibilities coming from it. Hilton is telling us this, also. Our inclination as customers is never to believe what a timeshare company says, and for good reason, but I think Hilton's actions over the years show that it does do, and wants to do, a good job for its resort owners.

I appreciate your input. As a Platinum owner with Diamond, from my perspective, I see no added benefit and only the possibility of loss. The best Diamond owners can hope for is to not lose the benefits we currently have that are, IMO, better than HGVC. We can book a minimum 2 night stay (so doing a weekend stay is possible), we pay no exchange fees for internal exchanges no matter what level the member is, we can roll our points to the next year free of charge, we can get 50% off the point cost of a stay at 59 or 30 days proir to check in depending on resort and length of stay, and other benefits. Hilton's maint fees may be less in and of themselves but with the ability to nickel and dime it's owners it seems to me, based upon the level a member is, you may be paying more than a Diamond owner. There are very few places that Hilton has a resort where we do not also have a resort (DC is the only location I can think of in my skimming of the Hilton location list). IMO, if we did have access to those Hilton locations it would probably cost an arm and a leg. Also, would I retain my Platinum status that I paid dearly for? Probably not but again, who knows? I guess my biggest gripe with this whole thing is the lack of information. Who makes a purchase without a plan of what's going to happen with the purchase and if they have a plan, why hasn't it been communicated? The less I hear, the more that is speculated and not in a good way. For you, you know what you bought into and you know your system isn't changing. Diamond owners know what we bought into and are afraid it will change.

 

[dayooper]

There are a couple we’re interested in, especially since we were once DRI owners and have some spent some time in them.
1. Sedona Summit is a very nice resort with a decent location. I’d love to have access back into this resort.
2. The Point at Poipu and Kaui Beach Club will fir in nicely
3. The Lake Tahoe Resort has a nice location and use to be one of the Embassy Resorts
4. The Historic Crags Lodge in Estes Park would be great, but it really isn’t up to Hilton standards. It’s an OLD mountain lodge with a funky 1950’s lodge feel to it. It was like stepping back in time IMO.

Other resorts that will probably make the cut are the Polo Towers resorts (definitely a step below HGVC) and the other Vegas resorts they control, The Suites at Fall Creek in Branson and some of the Orlando resorts. I’m not certain. If any of the Gatlinburg resorts are fully managed by DRI. I know Gatlinburg Town Square is an affiliated resort with only some units available to DRI owners, but it always had decent availability when I was an owner and did searches. Those unit would need some serious upgrade to meet Hilton standards and, since DRI isn’t in control, I don’t see that happening. I think at least the Bent Creek Golf Resort was managed by DRI, but I’m not certain of the quality of the units.

For the most part, I really want easier access than what I have now into Sedona. It’s the one thing I miss about being a DRI owner. We have great access at all the other locations, Maui, Kauai, Lake Tahoe and Branson. We’d really need to be in a position of needing to “burn” points before we gave serious consideration to those spots. The Historic Crags Lodge was always difficult to book with DRI as Silver Elite owners, and I don’t expect it to be any easier now, plus I’m not even certain it’s not an affiliate.

Bent Creek Golf and Sunrise Ridge Resort are the only non-affiliated resorts in Tennessee. Not sure of the quality of those, but they are pure Diamond. I have heard talk of a resort in Virginia Beach as maybe being close to HGVC standards. There are a lot of pure DRI resorts in Virginia. Having more drivable locations (I live in Michigan) would be a plus

I took a peek at the Cabos resort and it looks like an HGVC resort already (at least the pictures do). I would love to have access to that resort. 2 locations in Los Cabos would be great! Ka'anapoli and Point at Poipu look like great locations and should be able to be brought up to HGVC standards as well. The Modern looks like a Diamond version of a bHC property. Lake Tahoe would be fun as well.
.
My big hope is that HGVC treats the existing DRI members well and keeps their basic system in place. There will be changes, but if how they treat HGVC members is any indication, they will most definitely not throw existing DRI owners to the wayside. HGVC treats its members very well and I expect they will do the same for the DRI owners as well. An internal exchange system between the two might be a way to keep things on the level.