Is Club Open Season Rental very useful?

[iftravel]

I'm a bit late to the game....but we have elite status and have used the Open Reservation several times. I wouldn't say we use it every year, but it comes in handy for short/last minute stays. We have also found it handy at the newer resorts with outrageous (my opinion) points requirements. Three times this has come in handy on the Big Island when we couldn't get the "cheaper" points rooms at the older phase of Kings' Land. We booked one of the other resorts and then cancelled just over a month out in favor of "Open Season" in one of the newer more expensive points rooms at Kings' Land (considering the open season rates are based on room size/category alone, without regard to what the underlying points cost would have been). With our 30% discount AND considering how much the mf "value" of the points that would have been required for those higher point rooms, it worked out to a pretty good value.

How is 30-day cancellation window defined? by check-in date? I don't see the overlapping window between this and Open season so you would still have to cancel the points reservation before the open season window opens, and take your chance that open season availabilty will still exist. Am I right?

 

[ocdb8r]

How is 30-day cancellation window defined? by check-in date? I don't see the overlapping window between this and Open season so you would still have to cancel the points reservation before the open season window opens, and take your chance that open season availabilty will still exist. Am I right?

It is based on check-in date, so yes, you are correct that you have to take a chance that you cancel your reservation and then Open season ends up not being available for your same exact stay.

 

[HuskerATL]

What's the general rule of modifying a reservation? Does it work exactly like cancel and rebook (in term of points status) but without canceling. It feels like a workaround for booking fees and could be taken away anytime by HGVC.

The rules guide explains reservation changes pretty well so look at that section of the guide but you can change about everything if you are within the change window. For HGVC, that is more than 61 days out

 

[GT75]

For HGVC, that is more than 31 days out

>61 days for change, >31 days for cancel.

 

[trippka]

As a Centum owner I get a $1000 credit for os. Yes I use it. Yes it is better than using points but best used in conjunction with our stays at W57th where we own.

 

[trippka]

Is it? Odawara? Isn't bHC for urban locations? Odawara isn't urban. It is basically half-way between "here" & "there". We've been to Hakone & Atami. Very nice, but basically half-way. It would be like that Avila Bch TS in CA, halfway between S Jose & LA

La Pacifica isn't urban in my book. Half way between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose de Cabo.

 

[HuskerATL]

>61 days for change, >31 days for cancel.

Oops, typo. I updated my comment. Thanks

 

[WaikikiFirst]

La Pacifica isn't urban in my book. Half way between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose de Cabo.

I'm not sure if you have or think you have a point. The point was that "bHC" are mostly urban locations. I can't say I know if La Pacifica is in bHC. IT would surprise me if it is, but I have never and do not plan to stay there, plus I don't own any bHC pts.
what does your book say? is La Pacifica in bHC?

 

[iftravel]

It is based on check-in date, so yes, you are correct that you have to take a chance that you cancel your reservation and then Open season ends up not being available for your same exact stay.

Guess the only way to guarantee it is to pay the points protection fee and hope to double book when OS is open and later cancel the points reservation. How much would that cost? Likely worth buying that as an insurance if the savings would be high.

 

[HuskerATL]

Guess the only way to guarantee it is to pay the points protection fee and hope to double book when OS is open and later cancel the points reservation. How much would that cost? Likely worth buying that as an insurance if the savings would be high.

Depends on when you buy it. If you buy it when you book, it is cheaper than added last. The fees are all in the rules guide with the info about changing reservations. There is the sticky with the rules guide and can answer most of these type of questions.

 

[dayooper]

I'm not sure if you have or think you have a point. The point was that "bHC" are mostly urban locations. I can't say I know if La Pacifica is in bHC. IT would surprise me if it is, but I have never and do not plan to stay there, plus I don't own any bHC pts.
what does your book say? is La Pacifica in bHC?

La Pacifica is a bHC property. When they introduced bHC, there was much confusion on what the designation meant. At the time, they were all urban areas (NYC and DC). When Chicago was introduced, we all thought that was going to be a bHC property, but was not. Vice Versa with La Pacifica. Apparently, bHC resorts are those that have Hilton Hotels can rent for a bunch of money and the reason why Chicago isn't bHC is Hilton Hotels can't rent out the rooms for a high enough price during Silver Season to cover the cost of HHonors points. My guess is that most newly built HGV resorts will be bHC. Interestingly enough, the new property in Kyoto Japan will be HGVC, not bHC.



Here's a list of bHC properties:

NYC - The Residences, West 57th, Central on 5th, The Quin
Note - The Hilton Club property is a stand alone system where only owners of The Hilton Club may book there.

DC - The District

Nevada - Elara
Note - Elara has both regular HGVC and bHC on the top few floors.

Honolulu - Ka Haku and The Penthouses at Ka Haku (both currently in development)

South Carolina - Liberty Square in Charleston

Mexico - La Pacifica

Japan - The Bay Forest Odawara in Kanagawa and The Beach Resort Sesoko in Okinawa

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Apparently, bHC resorts are those that have Hilton Hotels can rent for a bunch of money

well, there you go. Thanks

 

[SmithOp]

You can cancel inside 30 days, but points will be lost, not recommended.

 

[mountainboy]

cancelled just over a month out in favor of "Open Season"

With our 30% discount

EP, Presumably for 30% OS discount.
One cannot get OS for same dates at same property, if one may have had prior reservation (difft property ok, as in Waikoloa in your example).
Hope not too many folks do this, as it takes away precious rooms from HGVC owners who are booking 9 months out (& may not just go at spur of the moment, as in HI) + HGVC may start clamping down on this for all of us, if too many people exploit this...

 

[ocdb8r]

EP, Presumably for 30% OS discount.
One cannot get OS for same dates at same property, if one may have had prior reservation (difft property ok, as in Waikoloa in your example).
Hope not too many folks do this, as it takes away precious rooms from HGVC owners who are booking 9 months out (& may not just go at spur of the moment, as in HI) + HGVC may start clamping down on this for all of us, if too many people exploit this...

"Exploit" what. What I am doing is purely within the rules and I am not "occupying" any more nor less that what I originally booked. I am simply shifting which resort I booked at from one to another. As noted, it only works where there are multiple resorts in a single destination AND there are rooms outstanding less than 30 days out.

 

[letsgobobby]

seems kosher to me