HGVC Purchase Opportunity - Deal or No Deal?

[rmitch64]

I am new to the board, so I will apologize upfront if I should have posted this somewhere else. Thanks for your understanding. My wife and I travel to Hawaii at least once a year and sometimes a couple of times per year. I have time and time again attended Hilton Hawaiian Village timeshare presentations but have never purchased one. I am seriously considering purchasing on the resale market now because of our desire to stay longer in better accommodations. I'm also looking for more affordable ways to stay in Hawaii. I like to plan, and I don't have any problem planning a year out, etc. Here's the deal that is tempting me. HGVC at Kalia Tower. We have stayed in this tower several times and we like it. I don't see this property listed very often for resale. The purchase price is $3,000 and it comes with 9,920 annual Platinum points. MFs are $1,495 per year. I understand I will also have closing costs. I have also looked at perhaps better deals at Elara in Vegas with lower MFs, but I would be worried that a Hawaii property would be difficult to book at the 9-month mark. I would like more surety or confidence that I could book what I want in Hawaii because that is my home property. I know Hawaii costs more than other properties. Does this make sense or am I totally out of mind considering this option? Thanks in advance!

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Kalia Tower. We have stayed in this tower several times and we like it. I don't see this property listed very often for resale. The purchase price is $3,000 and it comes with 9,920 annual

Join the club. I bought that exact (I think) deed last summer for $2000. So, I like your idea & I'd say you can prob bargain. Almost everyone here will tell you to buy the better MFs/Pt Elara (or other LV), and I bought one of those also. But, if you think you want to stay in Kalia, that makes total sense. Heck, use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees. I did for late Dec 2024.
the std "buy the better MFs/Pt Elara" mantra assumes you want to WORK at beating other people to a reservation ... "walk the res" etc. For what you outlined, buy the bleepin Kalia. See you there

would like more surety or confidence that I could book what I want in Hawaii

and also LESS WORK

 

[rmitch64]

Join the club. I bought that exact (I think) deed last summer for $2000. So, I like your idea & I'd say you can prob bargain. Almost everyone here will tell you to buy the better MFs/Pt Elara (or other LV), and I bought one of those also. But, if you think you want to stay in Kalia, that makes total sense. Heck, use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees. I did for late Dec 2024.
the std "buy the better MFs/Pt Elara" mantra assumes you want to WORK at beating other people to a reservation ... "walk the res" etc. For what you outlined, buy the bleepin Kalia. See you there

and also LESS WORK

I'm so new to this that I don't totally understand the "use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees" statement. This is a floating platinum purchase with no specified week. Am I missing something?

 

[buzglyd]

I'm so new to this that I don't totally understand the "use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees" statement. This is a floating platinum purchase with no specified week. Am I missing something?

Your Kalia week would be your Home week. You get to book at no cost if you use your week in Platinum season. If you use points to book other resorts or partial weeks, there is a reservation fee charged.

 

[DazedandConfused]

You will get a better response if posted in the Hilton subforum,

First of all - BUY it as this is a good deal based on you desire to go to this location yearly.

I assume you are buying resale from a reputable reseller like Judi Kozlowski (Re/Max in Orlando) and this is a Platinum week 1 bedroom plus. This is important as I only trust Judi as the best HGVC broker. In fact, call here right now even if she is not the seller as she may get a similar deal and she is 100% trustworthy.

Also, you the 1 bedroom plus is much better than a studio or basic 1 bedroom

Finally, home week means you book the full week one year in advance with $0 fees vs booking later and paying a $69 or so fee

 

[DazedandConfused]

Your buy in price is only $0.3 per point and that is really really low vs others
Your annual dues is $0.15 per point and that is about average as Hawaii is more expensive than las vegas ($0.10 pp)

This appears to be a fantastic buy

 

[WaikikiFirst]

understand the "use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees"

as you said, Kalia is your "home". It is a week at your home when you decide what week you want to go at least 52 weeks before that date. When that date becomes available, 52 wks in advance, go on the site, and click on reserve "Home Week" or maybe you have to first search "Home Week" for inventory. one or the other. You are guaranteed the reservation and as Dazed said "home week means you book the full week one year in advance with $0 fees vs booking later and paying a $69 or so fee".
potential downsides mostly don't apply given what you outlined, but one may be you have to check-in on a busy day of the week, so your flights may be more expensive. We just booked a few HHonors nights to lengthen the stay. Check-in mid-wk and get less expensive flights. So, make us stay in Waikiki for 10 nights instead of 7 nights. Rough life.

Bonus recommendation: idk if your 2nd wk/yr in Hi is also Waikiki. If it is another isle, then HGVC isnt the answer, imho. If it is Waikiki, you could do what I did. Buy the Kalia & also buy a "more efficient" LV deed. Then use the LV pts to get your 2nd wk "cheaper". As you understand it may not be Kalia. THis is sort of like "barbell investing". Oops, the dreaded "I-word". And, you'd prob always come out on the short end if you want to go non-HI and exchanged Kalia pts for non-HI week. So, when you go somewhere other than HI, the LV pts are there for you

Old saying I just made up for Kalia vs LV deeds:
"Don't let someone else's "perfect" be the enemy of your "Excellent".

 

[rmitch64]

as you said, Kalia is your "home". It is a week at your home when you decide what week you want to go at least 52 weeks before that date. When that date becomes available, 52 wks in advance, go on the site, and click on reserve "Home Week" or maybe you have to first search "Home Week" for inventory. one or the other. You are guaranteed the reservation and as Dazed said "home week means you book the full week one year in advance with $0 fees vs booking later and paying a $69 or so fee".
potential downsides mostly don't apply given what you outlined, but one may be you have to check-in on a busy day of the week, so your flights may be more expensive. We just booked a few HHonors nights to lengthen the stay. Check-in mid-wk and get less expensive flights. So, make us stay in Waikiki for 10 nights instead of 7 nights. Rough life.

Bonus recommendation: idk if your 2nd wk/yr in Hi is also Waikiki. If it is another isle, then HGVC isnt the answer, imho. If it is Waikiki, you could do what I did. Buy the Kalia & also buy a "more efficient" LV deed. Then use the LV pts to get your 2nd wk "cheaper". As you understand it may not be Kalia. THis is sort of like "barbell investing". Oops, the dreaded "I-word". And, you'd prob always come out on the short end if you want to go non-HI and exchanged Kalia pts for non-HI week. So, when you go somewhere other than HI, the LV pts are there for you

Old saying I just made up for Kalia vs LV deeds:
"Don't let someone else's "perfect" be the enemy of your "Excellent".

Thanks! Agreed. I pulled the trigger on the process to hopefully get the Kalia. I was told Hilton hasn’t been exercising ROFR but who knows. I am then going to test the reservation system for a few months to see what I could get 9 months or less out during Club season. That I believe will help me determine if I should secure more points through a Vegas property.

 

[dayooper]

Thanks! Agreed. I pulled the trigger on the process to hopefully get the Kalia. I was told Hilton hasn’t been exercising ROFR but who knows. I am then going to test the reservation system for a few months to see what I could get 9 months or less out during Club season. That I believe will help me determine if I should secure more points through a Vegas property.

Congrats! The home week is a great option for hard to get reservations, but it does come with some restrictions I didn't see above. They are as follows:

• The home week is limited to the room size (1 br, 2 br, studio), designation (standard, plus, premiere) during your home season (gold, silver, platinum) at the property you own.
• You have to check in on the designated check in day (usually Sat, but varies with the resort).
• You will use all of your years points. You can't use saved or borrowed points for your home week reservation. If you are going in 2025, you will use all of your 2025 points and nothing else.
• You can only book a week

The biggest question I have about your purchase is this - Do you want to spend a week at Oahu/Kalia every year? If not, I wouldn't purchase this deed. The point to MF ratio is pretty high. If you plan on using the home week within the home week rules, it's a great deal. You can't get a week in HHV for $1500. If you want a little variety, than a better MF ratio is the way to go. I'm not sure about Oahu, but The Big Island reservations can be had pretty easily at 9 months.

FYI-I've asked this to moved to the HGVC forum. There are more members there that can help you in determining if this is the best route for you to go.

 

[SmithOp]

Make sure you understand what you are buying, all the studios at Kalia have ocean view, and because of the low points required are the most desired. With only 6 floors of timeshare, there are a limited number of units, and high contention for reservations, even more so than Lagoon.

HGVC Detailed Resort & Affiliated Information

Casa Ybel Resort 2255 West Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island, FL 33957 Phone: 239-472-3145 | Fax: 239-472-2109 Casa Ybel Resort - HGVC Club Information (point chart, photos, map) Casa Ybel - Additional HGVC Club Information Casa Ybel Web Site Casa Ybel Video #1 Casa Ybel Video #2 Casa Ybel Video #3

tugbbs.com

 

[WaikikiFirst]

I was told Hilton hasn’t been exercising ROFR but who knows

I bought the same deed last summer for $2000. I didn't get ROFRed, so $3000 should fly through

I am then going to test the reservation system for a few months to see what I could get 9 months or less out during Club season

I think I see what you're saying. Once you're a member see what is out there and then decide. Good plan; however, dayooper correctly points out a little twist about a Home Wk reservation tying up (using) pts differently than std Club bookings do. So, once you make a home week res, the inventory they show you as "bookable" may diminish? Or they still show you everything, assuming you'll borrow? I don't remember. Maybe a more expert vet knows otoh. But keep that in mind and if possible delay the Home Wk res til you've searched enough to decide.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

then going to test the reservation system for a few months to see what I could get 9 months or less out during Club season

just FYI, HGVC has a Black Friday sale, so in Nov you can use LV pts to get great deals (thru mid or end of March prob) on some HI locations. Not all. Not Kalia last Black Friday. But some in both Oahu & Big Isle. That is how I used my 2024 LV pts and prob how I use them again next yr.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

dayooper correctly points out a little twist about a Home Wk

rmitch, it just occurred to me what had happened to me for a short time. I think it was mostly due to being my 1st yr of ownership. It was definitely due to booking a Club res BEFORE teh Home Wk res. The Club res used slightly more than the pts on my LV deed. I figured "No problem. I'll just borrow". Well, then I saw some notice that I could NOT book a Home Wk with my Kalia deed. (because Home Wk res cannot borrow) I had not tried to book Home Wk but I figured I would so I had to figure it out. I thought about it. Figured I could just cancel the Club res, then make the Home Wk res, then rebook the Club one.
I'm sure that would have worked, but just then, Black Fri came, so I rebooked the Club res with BF 30% discount and then it was more than covered by my LV deed. So, my Home Wk "restriction" was lifted.
So, rmitch, this is an issue when we book Home Wks, BUT, I think it is most likely to occur your 1st yr and it occurs when you make Club bookings BEFORE you make the Home booking. Since the Home lead time is longer than the Club lead time is, it is not likely to occur past YR 1 with only 2 deeds. If you get up to many deeds and juggle many bookings, I guess it could occur. But, just cancelling a Club res, then making Home res, then rebooking Club shoudl solve it.
Writing this helped me get it clear in my head ... I hope!

 

[rmitch64]

rmitch, it just occurred to me what had happened to me for a short time. I think it was mostly due to being my 1st yr of ownership. It was definitely due to booking a Club res BEFORE teh Home Wk res. The Club res used slightly more than the pts on my LV deed. I figured "No problem. I'll just borrow". Well, then I saw some notice that I could NOT book a Home Wk with my Kalia deed. (because Home Wk res cannot borrow) I had not tried to book Home Wk but I figured I would so I had to figure it out. I thought about it. Figured I could just cancel the Club res, then make the Home Wk res, then rebook the Club one.
I'm sure that would have worked, but just then, Black Fri came, so I rebooked the Club res with BF 30% discount and then it was more than covered by my LV deed. So, my Home Wk "restriction" was lifted.
So, rmitch, this is an issue when we book Home Wks, BUT, I think it is most likely to occur your 1st yr and it occurs when you make Club bookings BEFORE you make the Home booking. Since the Home lead time is longer than the Club lead time is, it is not likely to occur past YR 1 with only 2 deeds. If you get up to many deeds and juggle many bookings, I guess it could occur. But, just cancelling a Club res, then making Home res, then rebooking Club shoudl solve it.
Writing this helped me get it clear in my head ... I hope!

I will have to revisit all of this once the deal clears and I am a member. What has your experience been with making home wk reservations at Kalia? Due to the limited nature of that property compared to many others, will I have significant issues 12 months out?

 

[HuskerATL]

I'm so new to this that I don't totally understand the "use Home Week and don't pay exchange fees" statement. This is a floating platinum purchase with no specified week. Am I missing something?

The problem with homeweek is that you have to book exactly what you own, check in the day that is on your deed, do 7 nights, and in your season. If you think you would always do that, then it may make sense. Otherwise, buy low MF/pt....0.10 or less and then book what you want during the club reservation window.

 

[rmitch64]

Make sure you understand what you are buying, all the studios at Kalia have ocean view, and because of the low points required are the most desired. With only 6 floors of timeshare, there are a limited number of units, and high contention for reservations, even more so than Lagoon.

HGVC Detailed Resort & Affiliated Information

Casa Ybel Resort 2255 West Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island, FL 33957 Phone: 239-472-3145 | Fax: 239-472-2109 Casa Ybel Resort - HGVC Club Information (point chart, photos, map) Casa Ybel - Additional HGVC Club Information Casa Ybel Web Site Casa Ybel Video #1 Casa Ybel Video #2 Casa Ybel Video #3

tugbbs.com

So, are you saying that it's going to be very difficult to get a reservation to Kalia 12 months out? If yes, then I may need to potentially lose my deposit and back out.

 

[rmitch64]

Double posted so deleted

The problem with homeweek is that you have to book exactly what you own, check in the day that is on your deed, do 7 nights, and in your season. If you think you would always do that, then it may make sense. Otherwise, buy low MF/pt....0.10 or less and then book what you want during club reservation window.

The goal is to book exactly that way, and our schedule is very flexible to go during platinum season. What I don't know is the type of availability exists at 9 months out. If it's hard to get a reservation at 12 months, then I'm guessing it's impossible at 9 months.

 

[HuskerATL]

The goal is to book exactly that way, and our schedule is very flexible to go during platinum season. What I don't know is the type of availability exists at 9 months out. If it's hard to get a reservation at 12 months, then I'm guessing it's impossible at 9 months.

I can tell you that we have owned for over 20 years and we stay all over, not the same place. I have never had a problem booking at 9 months... Even the hardest places in some of the busiest times.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

I will have to revisit all of this once the deal clears and I am a member. What has your experience been with making home wk reservations at Kalia? Due to the limited nature of that property compared to many others, will I have significant issues 12 months out?

It was literally the EASIEST RESERVATION I HAVE EVER MADE. Literally. Zero problem. and as I understand it, you really cannot have an issue, because there are "N" rooms, "N" deeds, and exactly "N" owners who CAN book a Home Wk. In fact, it is guaranteed. What is not guaranteed is whether you get the "best" room in the place or a lesser one. If you do it at exactly 12 mos, when the window opens, you should / could get the best.
How easy? You login to the site, go to the page with your deeds. Each one has a button (assuming you have not yet used any of that deeds current year points) that says "Home Wk". Click on it. Fill in the date. Done.
compare that to VRBO, Redweek, or "walking a res". Yikes. Vacations are meant to enjoy, not strategize over.

 

[HuskerATL]

It was literally the EASIEST RESERVATION I HAVE EVER MADE. Literally. Zero problem. and as I understand it, you really cannot have an issue, because there are "N" rooms, "N" deeds, and exactly "N" owners who CAN book a Home Wk. In fact, it is guaranteed. What is not guaranteed is whether you get the "best" room in the place or a lesser one. If you do it at exactly 12 mos, when the window opens, you should / could get the best.
How easy? You login to the site, go to the page with your deeds. Each one has a button (assuming you have not yet used any of that deeds current year points) that says "Home Wk". Click on it. Fill in the date. Done.
compare that to VRBO, Redweek, or "walking a res". Yikes. Vacations are meant to enjoy, not strategize over.

Just to be clear, you are not guaranteed the room when you want it. You are guaranteed the room that you own, exactly what you own, in your season. That same season can be different times of the year. So, the OP needs to look at the points guide in the rules sticky at the seasons for the property and the corresponding weeks.

The only guaranteed week is a fixed week.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

The goal is to book exactly that way, and our schedule is very flexible to go during platinum season. What I don't know is the type of availability exists at 9 months out. If it's hard to get a reservation at 12 months, then I'm guessing it's impossible at 9 months.

rmitch, if you hang around, you will see there are a dozen people here who evangelize & evangelize buying the most cost-effective deed and strategizing / working at getting every nook & cranny of value out of it by, well, lots of flexibility and lots of work. Your OP made it clear that wasn't what you had in mind, which is why I commented on that up-front.
Heck, I'm sure there are people who use the same stategy to make 20% or better ROI on the capital they invested in deeds (or points) by renting the weeks out. They are less vocal.
As I already said, I know what they are doing and I bought both types of deeds. 1 of each. Barbell strategy. But I will NEVER put so much work into vacation strategy.

 

[brp]

Just to be clear, you are not guaranteed the room when you want it. You are guaranteed the room that you own, exactly what you own, in your season. That same season can be different times of the year. So, the OP needs to look at the points guide in the rules sticky at the seasons for the property and the corresponding weeks.

The only guaranteed week is a fixed week.

Yup. Even with Home Week, the specific week you want it not guaranteed. If there are N rooms of a given type and M weeks within a given season, there can be NxM owners, > M. If more than N pick a given week, it would not be available to the remaining owners.

With that said, we had no problem booking 2 weeks at Lagoon at 9 months, and Kalia availability was similar. This was the first two weeks of February, so not a peak time. Still availability persisted for several months after the 9 month window.

Cheers.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Just to be clear, you are not guaranteed the room when you want it. You are guaranteed the room that you own, exactly what you own, in your season

I think you think you are making a key distinction, but read what the 2 people you're talking to already wrote. For what I want, what is the distinction?

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Yup. Even with Home Week, the specific week you want it not guaranteed.

Cheers.

great. I'll learn something. If I or rmitch go on the site right when the window opens for the specific date that I want, how is it that we won't get a room of the type we own for that check-in date?

 

[brp]

great. I'll learn something. If I or rmitch go on the site right when the window opens for the specific date that I want, how is it that we won't get a room of the type we own for that check-in date?

See the detail I added after posting this. Of course, the likelihood of not getting it is low. Still not guaranteed.

Cheers.