What have other BlueGreen owners noticed since Hilton bought BlueGreen?

[EWARREN221]

We are gold members with BlueGreen and have owned for 31 years. We have been for the most part, very happy. We started noticing things almost right after Hilton bought. Our " free week" is no longer eligible to be traded with RCI. The free week had to be booked on a blue or white season and could be exchanged for a red week through RCI. That is no longer allowed. It's really hard to find some place we want to go in the of season.

Bonus time is gone. You can no longer book a weekend for a very reasonable price and not have to use points.

Has anyone had an update and been told that if you don't buy into Hilton, your options will become more and more
limited? As it now stands, Hilton owners can book at BlueGreen resorts, but we can't book at Hilton unless we buy in. That means a great deal more competition for the nicer BlueGreen resorts. We have spent alot of money getting this far- we don't have it to buy into Hilton too. What is anyone else noticing?

Thanks

 

[MrockStar]

We are gold members with BlueGreen and have owned for 31 years. We have been for the most part, very happy. We started noticing things almost right after Hilton bought. Our " free week" is no longer eligible to be traded with RCI. The free week had to be booked on a blue or white season and could be exchanged for a red week through RCI. That is no longer allowed. It's really hard to find some place we want to go in the of season.

Bonus time is gone. You can no longer book a weekend for a very reasonable price and not have to use points.

Has anyone had an update and been told that if you don't buy into Hilton, your options will become more and more
limited? As it now stands, Hilton owners can book at BlueGreen resorts, but we can't book at Hilton unless we buy in. That means a great deal more competition for the nicer BlueGreen resorts. We have spent alot of money getting this far- we don't have it to buy into Hilton too. What is anyone else noticing?

Thanks

You can still book bonus time, just modify your reservation at the 45 day window from points to bonus time with a phone call to the Premier line. Also don't worry about Hilton MAX owners (6 month booking window) as you Have waitlist and 11 month booking window + PUP week 12 month priority booking. Relax and enjoy your Gold Premier owner benefits.

 

[GrayFal]

As it now stands, Hilton owners can book at BlueGreen resorts, but we can't book at Hilton unless we buy in. That means a great deal more competition for the nicer BlueGreen resorts. We have spent alot of money getting this far- we don't have it to buy into Hilton too. What is anyone else noticing?

Thanks

Hilton/Diamond/Embarc owners also have to buy into MAX in order to access BG resorts.
No one is getting a free ride.

Agree with @MrockStar - continue to use your BG ownership as you always have.

 

[GT75]

Also agree with @MrockStar and @GrayFal, don’t use Owner’s Updates to try to find out information and certainly don’t fall for FOMO.

 

[kanerf]

Except I did get a free ride. I bought an Parc Soleil resale and suddenly had Max.

 

[EWARREN221]

Thank you all-I am feeling better about this. So we will be told that we will slowly lose our good benefits of we don't buy into Hilton, but that's not true? I am am still aware of lying time share salespeople- even at BlueGreen. We have been lied to and used by one salesperson at BlueGreen
He helped us book a weekend in Vegas for some friends who wanted to have a bachelor party. This was to help pay our maintenance fees which are large. We got$300.00 for booking and later found out the salesman charged his friends$600 and he kept the rest. We complained about what he had done- he still works there. This is at Christmas Mountain. He's a young biracial man- watch out for him at updates.

 

[geist1223]

Unless you buy something new from Hilton you should retain all rights and Privileges you had with BlueGreen. If you enter a new Contract it will likely void everything you had with BlueGreen. Also MAX does not transfer upon resell. So you would be buying something you can not transfer but you have given up what you had.

 

[hcarman]

We are gold members with BlueGreen and have owned for 31 years. We have been for the most part, very happy. We started noticing things almost right after Hilton bought. Our " free week" is no longer eligible to be traded with RCI. The free week had to be booked on a blue or white season and could be exchanged for a red week through RCI. That is no longer allowed. It's really hard to find some place we want to go in the of season.

Bonus time is gone. You can no longer book a weekend for a very reasonable price and not have to use points.

Has anyone had an update and been told that if you don't buy into Hilton, your options will become more and more
limited? As it now stands, Hilton owners can book at BlueGreen resorts, but we can't book at Hilton unless we buy in. That means a great deal more competition for the nicer BlueGreen resorts. We have spent alot of money getting this far- we don't have it to buy into Hilton too. What is anyone else noticing?

Thanks

Since when is bonus time gone? I thought they just raised prices on the room types.

 

[pedro47]

Unless you buy something new from Hilton you should retain all rights and Privileges you had with BlueGreen. If you enter a new Contract it will likely void everything you had with BlueGreen. Also MAX does not transfer upon resell. So you would be buying something you can not transfer but you have given up what you had.

So the key is not to purchase a new contract.

 

[Candyman574]

I am a gold owner and purchased more points to get max. I was not told I would lose any benefits if I did not buy in however for us we felt adding max would be of use to us long term.

 

[GT75]

however for us we felt adding max would be of use to us long term.

Well, is it?

 

[Candyman574]

Well, is it?

Actually it is too soon to tell. We now have the max tab on our acct. however the benefits will not be available until sometime this fall.

 

[geist1223]

Deleted.

 

[rapmarks]

Here is what I have noticed
1) Christmas Mountain resort looks a lot better
2) many bluegreen owners believe everything the sales staff tells them

 

[EWARREN221]

Thank

Unless you buy something new from Hilton you should retain all rights and Privileges you had with BlueGreen. If you enter a new Contract it will likely void everything you had with BlueGreen. Also MAX does not transfer upon resell. So you would be buying something you can not transfer but you have given up what you had.

Thank you- that is very helpful.

 

[Candyman574]

Here is what I have noticed
1) Christmas Mountain resort looks a lot better
2) many bluegreen owners believe everything the sales staff tells them

I would agree that Christmas Mountain is looking nice. They have put alot of money into that resort. Just my opinion but if you are happy with what you already own then great. We are as well. We are not losing any benefits by upgrading to max. We are simply adding to our options of what we can do with our points. We have alot of years of great vacations ahead and max will just enhance what we already own.

 

[MrockStar]

I would agree that Christmas Mountain is looking nice. They have put alot of money into that resort. Just my opinion but if you are happy with what you already own then great. We are as well. We are not losing any benefits by upgrading to max. We are simply adding to our options of what we can do with our points. We have alot of years of great vacations ahead and max will just enhance what we already own.

I hope your right.

 

[EWARREN221]

I have to ask-I am being told that if we upgrade to Hilton Max, our contract with BlueGreen is dissolved, we loose travlers plus and the Choice Hotel program and get Hilton's version. I'm also told that unless you spend a lot of money- upwards of $40,000, you end up on the ground floor of Hilton
You no longer have the points you had with BlueGreen and as gold owners, we travel about 5 times a year , have a family reunion at Christmas Mountain, reserving 3 cottages for 5 days each..- if you buy into Hilton, at the lowest level- do to you retain the points with BlueGreen to do all that? I'm being told that the deed(s) with BlueGreen are dissolved and you have to spend a lot of money with Hilton to be able to do that. If you are willing, what are the maintenence fees with Hilton?

 

[GT75]

I am being told that if we upgrade to Hilton Max, our contract with BlueGreen is dissolved, we loose travlers plus and the Choice Hotel program and get Hilton's version. I'm also told that unless you spend a lot of money- upwards of $40,000, you end up on the ground floor of Hilton
You no longer have the points you had with BlueGreen and as gold owners, we travel about 5 times a year , have a family reunion at Christmas Mountain, reserving 3 cottages for 5 days each..- if you buy into Hilton, at the lowest level- do to you retain the points with BlueGreen to do all that? I'm being told that the deed(s) with BlueGreen are dissolved and you have to spend a lot of money with Hilton to be able to do that.

Is this coming from a salesperson?

 

[Candyman574]

I have to ask-I am being told that if we upgrade to Hilton Max, our contract with BlueGreen is dissolved, we loose travlers plus and the Choice Hotel program and get Hilton's version. I'm also told that unless you spend a lot of money- upwards of $40,000, you end up on the ground floor of Hilton
You no longer have the points you had with BlueGreen and as gold owners, we travel about 5 times a year , have a family reunion at Christmas Mountain, reserving 3 cottages for 5 days each..- if you buy into Hilton, at the lowest level- do to you retain the points with BlueGreen to do all that? I'm being told that the deed(s) with BlueGreen are dissolved and you have to spend a lot of money with Hilton to be able to do that. If you are willing, what are the maintenence fees with Hilton?

This is mostly not true... eventually the choice hotel options will go away. It does not matter if you upgrade or not. Travlers plus does not go away and hot weeks stay. It just gets moved to the max tab in your acct. Your points with bluegreen are still just fine and you can still get your cottages at Christmas Mountain. If you choose to upgrade you only need to do a 6,000 point purchase. There is no need to spend that kind of cash just to get the extra perks of max. We are gold as well and so far nothing has changed for us. Actually for the first time we were just able to get our presidential upgrade at cibola vista.

 

[cd5]

Actually it is too soon to tell. We now have the max tab on our acct. however the benefits will not be available until sometime this fall.

Many Embarc members bought new points before Max was officially launched "in the fall" - on the understanding that they would get it -and ended up NOT getting MAX when the launch occurred - several months later. The salespersons LIED. Hopefully, having the Max tab on your account means that you will get it but I'd be reading the paperwork you got very carefully to make sure it's written in black & white that you are truly a MAX member.

 

[cd5]

I have to ask-I am being told that if we upgrade to Hilton Max, our contract with BlueGreen is dissolved, we loose travlers plus and the Choice Hotel program and get Hilton's version. I'm also told that unless you spend a lot of money- upwards of $40,000, you end up on the ground floor of Hilton
You no longer have the points you had with BlueGreen and as gold owners, we travel about 5 times a year , have a family reunion at Christmas Mountain, reserving 3 cottages for 5 days each..- if you buy into Hilton, at the lowest level- do to you retain the points with BlueGreen to do all that? I'm being told that the deed(s) with BlueGreen are dissolved and you have to spend a lot of money with Hilton to be able to do that. If you are willing, what are the maintenence fees with Hilton?

MAX is an exchange program that is added to your Blue-Green membership. Your points remain with Blue-Green and reserve the same accommodations as previously. Your Blue-Green guidelines don't change. Embarc members were told exactly the same kinds of lies both before and after the launch and I guarantee that most of what you have written is not true. If you have a deed, you still have that deed - just as Hilton owners with deeds still have theirs even when buying into Max. It should be illegal to tell the outrageous number of lies these unscrupulous salespersons tell.
You don't have to spend a penny. Your timeshare will remain as it was prior to the Hilton acquisition except that Hilton is now the manager and owner - trying to sell more points/deeds to owners who may believe the stories told.

 

[Candyman574]

Many Embarc members bought new points before Max was officially launched "in the fall" - on the understanding that they would get it -and ended up NOT getting MAX when the launch occurred - several months later. The salespersons LIED. Hopefully, having the Max tab on your account means that you will get it but I'd be reading the paperwork you got very carefully to make sure it's written in black & white that you are truly a MAX member.

Yes, I actually read through it before I signed anything. It says I am now part of HGV MAX.

 

[GT75]

It says I am now part of HGV MAX.

But what does that exactly mean?

 

[Candyman574]

Basically I will be able to exchange bluegreen points for hilton properties 6 months out. They are adding more benefits for owners that buy in I just do not have details yet. I know someone that works for bluegreen and he is saying that more stuff is being added. For me that is a benefit in itself. There have been several times I wanted to stay at a hilton property but chose not to because of the exchange fee with rci.