Elara - nonpoints worth it?

[Julian926]

I'm not sure if Elara is completely HGVC or not. I had thought all units are now under Hilton, but I could be wrong. Are there units under Westgate?

I was thinking of purchasing a non-point HGVC unit since they're relatively cheap. I already have a starwood but we tend to frequent LV, not yearly but every few years.

So, is it a wise move to buy from the non-points Elara?

I would also like to rent it out when we are not there. Is a non-point Elara rentable and are there restrictions?

Thanks,
Julian

 

[dayooper]

I'm not sure if Elara is completely HGVC or not. I had thought all units are now under Hilton, but I could be wrong. Are there units under Westgate?

I was thinking of purchasing a non-point HGVC unit since they're relatively cheap. I already have a starwood but we tend to frequent LV, not yearly but every few years.

So, is it a wise move to buy from the non-points Elara?

I would also like to rent it out when we are not there. Is a non-point Elara rentable and are there restrictions?

Thanks,
Julian

Those non-HGVC Elara units are former Westgate units. I would not recommend purchasing those. Even though they are managed by HGVC, they have no rights any of the HGVC units do. They are hard to get rid of.

 

[audirt]

Those non-HGVC Elara units are former Westgate units. I would not recommend purchasing those. Even though they are managed by HGVC, they have no rights any of the HGVC units do. They are hard to get rid of.

I've been curious about this -- do those owners have the option to convert?

As for the OP, I think I've read that non-HGVC Elara owners can exchange on a different network (not RCI), but it will probably be much more like a traditional timeshare.

I'm not sure how easy it will be to rent that unit in the years you don't use it. I would think you would be on your own to find possible renters. Not to mention the challenge: finding people to rent a non-HGVC timeshare in a HGVC building. That's likely to be confusing to potential renters and I would think some might stay away for fear of being scammed.

 

[dayooper]

I've been curious about this -- do those owners have the option to convert?

As for the OP, I think I've read that non-HGVC Elara owners can exchange on a different network (not RCI), but it will probably be much more like a traditional timeshare.

I'm not sure how easy it will be to rent that unit in the years you don't use it. I would think you would be on your own to find possible renters. Not to mention the challenge: finding people to rent a non-HGVC timeshare in a HGVC building. That's likely to be confusing to potential renters and I would think some might stay away for fear of being scammed.

I believe the Westgate owners do not have the option to convert. Some think it was written in to the contract when HGVC bought the remaining units.

 

[PigsDad]

I've been curious about this -- do those owners have the option to convert?

As for the OP, I think I've read that non-HGVC Elara owners can exchange on a different network (not RCI), but it will probably be much more like a traditional timeshare.

I'm not sure how easy it will be to rent that unit in the years you don't use it. I would think you would be on your own to find possible renters. Not to mention the challenge: finding people to rent a non-HGVC timeshare in a HGVC building. That's likely to be confusing to potential renters and I would think some might stay away for fear of being scammed.

No, non-HGVC Elara owners cannot convert to HGVC. Being a Westgate (or Wastegate, as some people call it) week, it trades in II instead of RCI. I'm not sure what kind of trading power Elara has in II, but since Vegas has tons of timeshares, I can't imagine it is a high-value trader.

As for renting, it would be difficult to recover your MFs, I would imagine. Most people I know don't want to go to Vegas for a full week, and the competition from other places keeps the prices low. I personally would never consider buying a non-HGVC Elara.

Kurt

 

[Julian926]

I believe the Westgate owners do not have the option to convert. Some think it was written in to the contract when HGVC bought the remaining units.

Totally understand that the Westgate units can't convert. The purpose is for Las Vegas only visits, so I guess I'm ok with that.

What other cons are there at the Westgate Elara? Is it hard to rent out if I elect not to stay? Is it harder to get the weeks that you request since you're a Westgate owner trying to vie with other HGVC owners?

 

[PigsDad]

Totally understand that the Westgate units can't convert. The purpose is for Las Vegas only visits, so I guess I'm ok with that.

What other cons are there at the Westgate Elara? Is it hard to rent out if I elect not to stay? Is it harder to get the weeks that you request since you're a Westgate owner trying to vie with other HGVC owners?

You might want to ask these questions in a Westgate forum, and you would probably reach more experts on that system. In the back of my head I thought Westgate put additional restrictions on resale buyers, including reducing the booking window for your week so that retail buyers had a big advantage to book the best weeks. But I could be wrong.

Kurt

 

[GT75]

What other cons are there at the Westgate Elara?

If you would like, I could move this thread over to the Westgate forum. Your choice.

 

[tschwa2]

except there isn't a westgate forum. There is an all other timeshare systems forum.

 

[PigsDad]

except there isn't a westgate forum. There is an all other timeshare systems forum.

Right, and that's where most of the Westgate discussions would be.

Kurt

 

[tschwa2]

Right, and that's where most of the Westgate discussions would be.

Kurt

but I don't know if it is going to catch anyone's eye that wouldn't be caught here. I know most Westgate Elara owners know to look in both places for info about Elara and then filter out the HGVC info that doesn't pertain to them.

 

[audirt]

Totally understand that the Westgate units can't convert. The purpose is for Las Vegas only visits, so I guess I'm ok with that.

What other cons are there at the Westgate Elara? Is it hard to rent out if I elect not to stay? Is it harder to get the weeks that you request since you're a Westgate owner trying to vie with other HGVC owners?

I understand you're interested in finding the cheapest initial purchase price, but how much are you really talking about saving? I've seen HGVC Platinum Elara units reselling 1BR Grand Platinum for $7k. I don't know what the Westgate units are selling for, but $7k is pretty cheap IMO.

The reason I ask is because once your sale has gone through, your annual fees are going to be pretty comparable whether you own Westgate or HGVC. I could be wrong, but I believe the maintenance fees and taxes are going to be identical. By owning Westgate you wouldn't have to pay the annual HGVC membership fee ($170) but, IMO, that $170 is money well spent for all the flexibility you gain.

Not that you asked, but here's how things look to me. Let's say that you can find a Westgate Elara unit for $3k vs. $7k for the same unit for HGVC. So you've saved $4k. Nothing to sneeze at, yes. But your annual fees are going to be very, very similar and you will have far, far fewer options for what to do with your ownership. For what it's worth, I think it will be easier to rent HGVC points than it would be to rent a Westgate week, but YMMV.

 

[SmithOp]

Totally understand that the Westgate units can't convert. The purpose is for Las Vegas only visits, so I guess I'm ok with that.

What other cons are there at the Westgate Elara? Is it hard to rent out if I elect not to stay? Is it harder to get the weeks that you request since you're a Westgate owner trying to vie with other HGVC owners?

The way I understand it Westgate imposes severe restrictions on resale owners, like limiting your booking window to 60 days and ability to trade internally to other Westgate locations.

I don’t know anyone that would rent a full week in Vegas. I have rented for people several times, it was 3 nights and 4 nights. If you can book split week with this ownership it might be rentable.

I’ve used my hgvc points to book Vegas when it was friends and family and we needed 2 bedrooms. If it was just me and the wife I’d stay in a hotel. I have three days booked at Ceasars in December, $29 a night. So many places to eat, for three days its not worth buying groceries to cook in the unit so a timeshare is wasted in Vegas IMO. I have a casino card with enough comps that will pay for my meals.


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[dayooper]

One other piece of the puzzle is how easy it is to be rid of your interval. We never think of having to get rid of your timeshare, but at some time, you may want or even have to. That former Wastegate . . . er, Westgate unit will be much harder to get rid of than an HGVC Elara would be.

Just something to think about.

 

[GT75]

except there isn't a westgate forum. There is an all other timeshare systems forum.

Wow, my mistake, because I didn't even look. I now see that there really isn't a specific one to Westgate. Well, if the OP would like, I could move the thread to "other TS then".

 

[GT75]

That former Wastegate . . . er, Westgate unit will be much harder to get rid of than an HGVC Elara would be.

This would be my caution to the OP as well. There is a reason that it is selling so cheaply.

 

[seagila]

By owning Westgate you wouldn't have to pay the annual HGVC membership fee ($170)

Westgate owners at Elara do in fact pay the HGVC Club dues based on an estoppel I have, but don’t receive any of the privileges regular members do. That would be on top of the MFs of the Westgate unit.

 

[Talent312]

Westgate owners at Elara do in fact pay the HGVC Club dues based on an estoppel I have, but don’t receive any of the privileges regular members do.

I fail to see how they can be assessed "club dues" when they're not in the club.
OTOH, they may benefit from HGVC management quality-standards by osmosis.
Still, Westgate owners are treated like orphans, met with derision, scorn & pity.
If you're okay with that, I say, go for it.








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