[2011] Westgate Tower of Terror Las Vegas No More! [merged]

[scottz]

Here is the story as I know it. Resort Finance America was the company who provided financing to Westgate to build the property. Westgate could not make the loan payments and the RFA ended up foreclosing on the property bank in November 2011. RFA is now the real owner of the property and has entered into an agreement with Hilton Grand Vacations Club to rebrand the property and upgrade it to Hilton standards. The name of the property changed to Elara a Hilton Grand Vacations Club on March 1, 2012 and Hilton now manages the property for the bank. There are no timeshare sales at the resort today but Hilton is going to try and sell additional time shares there starting within the next 90 days. If it is true that there are only 12,000 time share owners at the former Westgate property then it is a good move for Hilton as they will now be able to open up a highly desirable resort location to their vacation club members. The million dollar question is will Hilton allow curent Westgate owners to join the HGVC family and convert their deeded week to a points based system? I am sure that HGVC at some point will want to try and lure Westgate owners into their own Hilton name brand family. This is a change process that is now starting and I am sure that full details will be available from Hilton before the end of 2012. It just shows you that time share sales are very low right now and it would be in the best interests of HGVC to find a way to work with and embrace the Westgate owners to have them join the Hilton family.

 

[dougp26364]

There is no doubt in my mind that HGVC will offer the Westgate owners some way into the HGVC family, either by upgrading their ownership or through a simple fee affiliate program.

FWIW, we were in Vegas staying at Polo Towers last week. The Westgate name has already been removed from the property.

 

[TomR]

We have an exchange into the Elara in May. The units look good, but I have a question. Does the timeshare have its own pool separate from the Planet Hollywood Hotel pool? If so, how is it?

 

[dougp26364]

We have an exchange into the Elara in May. The units look good, but I have a question. Does the timeshare have its own pool separate from the Planet Hollywood Hotel pool? If so, how is it?

It does. I've never been in it so I can't comment on how it is.

 

[TomR]

Thanks Doug. Looking forward to our visit there.

 

[Apollo30]

I am an owner of a 2 bed PHT unit bought pre-construction from Westgate.
The contract stated that I could exchange for 2 for 1 with Westgate properties.
Indeed as I write this I am staying for 2 weeks in Orlando at Westgate Lakes in a 2 bed unit.
I just endured the 2 hour sales pitch and when I queried the continuation of this 2 for 1 benefit of purchasing PHT and the letter stating Westgate owners would continue to receive former benefits, I was told by a Westgate manager that this was no longer the case.
Therefore I believe I have been mis-sold a product and if this turns out to be true then are there lawyers operating on a "no win no fee" basis that I could contact to demand a full refund for what I paid Westgate ?

 

[Apollo30]

Very disappointing pool

We have an exchange into the Elara in May. The units look good, but I have a question. Does the timeshare have its own pool separate from the Planet Hollywood Hotel pool? If so, how is it?

The pool is a paddling pool only and tends to be filled by young people standing in waist deep water swigging grossly overpriced beer. Sometimes there is blaring loud music blasting out. In my week staying here I never succeeded in getting a lounger round the pool and the cabanas were ridiculously priced per stay. Okay, if I wanted to step into the water at 10am the pool was quiet but when I as an owner wanted to use the pool it was packed as described and an awful experience. Ignore the description as a tropical oasis.

 

[markymark]

I am an owner of a 2 bed PHT unit bought pre-construction from Westgate.
The contract stated that I could exchange for 2 for 1 with Westgate properties.
Indeed as I write this I am staying for 2 weeks in Orlando at Westgate Lakes in a 2 bed unit.
I just endured the 2 hour sales pitch and when I queried the continuation of this 2 for 1 benefit of purchasing PHT and the letter stating Westgate owners would continue to receive former benefits, I was told by a Westgate manager that this was no longer the case.
Therefore I believe I have been mis-sold a product and if this turns out to be true then are there lawyers operating on a "no win no fee" basis that I could contact to demand a full refund for what I paid Westgate ?

I also own a 2 bedroom unit at PHT and am really angry to hear that the two for one week benefit has gone.

 

[tschwa2]

I am an owner of a 2 bed PHT unit bought pre-construction from Westgate.
The contract stated that I could exchange for 2 for 1 with Westgate properties.
Indeed as I write this I am staying for 2 weeks in Orlando at Westgate Lakes in a 2 bed unit.
I just endured the 2 hour sales pitch and when I queried the continuation of this 2 for 1 benefit of purchasing PHT and the letter stating Westgate owners would continue to receive former benefits, I was told by a Westgate manager that this was no longer the case.
Therefore I believe I have been mis-sold a product and if this turns out to be true then are there lawyers operating on a "no win no fee" basis that I could contact to demand a full refund for what I paid Westgate ?

Don't believe what a salesperson told you. It doesn't matter if they had the title manager. You need to check with the owner services and reservation department. Let us know what you find out and try to get the answer in writing.

 

[TomR]

We just returned from an exchange into Elara. Our 1 bedroom unit was beautiful, and we had not s single complaint about the unit itself. We might have had one had we intended to cook in since there was but one small beat up paring knife in the kitchen drawer along with the regular assortment of butter knives and forks. But we never used the kitchen except to get ice water from the fridge.

Apollo 30, a previous poster, was right on about the pool being overrun by young people. Could have mistaken it for the Hard Rock pool, but since we were staying for only four nights, we didn't intend to use the pool anyway. In fact, the entire place was loaded with young people in their very early 20's since the units are rented out as hotel rooms. We were expecting a lot of noise at night, but heard none at all.

We enjoyed the unit, loved its location, and hope to return there in a year or two. Since we made the exchange through II, I don't believe the 1 in 4 year restriction applies.

 

[tonyvill]

hgvc and elara

I'm a novice on timesharing but why wouldn't hgvc allow elara owners to convert? Assuming they charge a fee to do so they would walk away with some money. What's their downside? Is it dilution or more to it than that?

 

[Ernie]

Has anyone else who owns at Elara AKA PH Towers get and invitation from II to join 3yrs for only $99 since you own vacation time at Elara? My account just expired and II sent me info to join 3yrs for $99 or 5yrs for $219

 

[Apollo30]

Update on Planet Hollywood Towers / Elara ?

As an owner I am keen to know if there are any FACTS about Westgate owners and their rights etc. since Siegel weasled his way out of the construction contract and left us high and dry.

Does anyone really know for sure the position of Westgate owners in relation to their deeded weeks in the Elara ?

Please do not comment if you are guessing or just bad mouthing Westgate.
This is a real situation involving thousands of owners who have paid tens of thousands of USD and are totally kept in the dark.

Where are the comments from the owners on this forum ?

 

[timeos2]

No comment just facts.

Westgate remains the HOA for those owners. They hired Hilton to manage it for them. Your fees, reservations and use rules all remain with Westgate but administered on site by Hilton. You have no relationship with Hilton except for that management of the property.

 

[tschwa2]

What rights are you referring to? You can still reserve your floating week. You can still use your fixed week. Is there any specific rights in your contract or included in your deed that you are worried about?

Other than what is in your contract and in your deed you have no additional rights everything else is falls into the category of "special privileges and/or benefits" and are at the mercy of Westgate for those.

 

[billinlv]

I've attentded two meetings at Elara with HGVC (manages the property) and RFA (Resort Finance of America who owns the building). The first one just before HGVC took over management in January 2012 and the last one March 2013.

Many things were discussed but here is something that I emailed another owner that I know.

At the meeting there were a few Westgate owners that were unhappy. They were saying stuff like they had been promised a non smoking casino. One young guy says he's paying 900 per month, I guess that includes a loan, and he couldn't check in on the day he wanted because of the Fri to Fri checkins so he had to pay for a few days extra as a rental.

I mentioned that Hilton Elara owners get 12 month priority and that we have 11 months and at some point our access would be secondary to them. They said they would look into this and would make both owners the same. They said it doesn't matter who sold us the timeshares, we are all considered equal owners.

I also told them that we had to pay the next years fees early when we book for the next year. They acted like this was news to them. They will look into it.

They are putting in the best Starbucks ever at the Elara entrance from the Miracle Mile Mall. The area to the right. The entrance there to Elara will be more secure with automatic electric opening doors.

The HGVC manager for all of the LV properties says that they plan to make Elara the 'Flagship Location for the Brand'.

Our fees only pay for operation of the timeshare. 10's of millions for the property upgrade to Hilton standards is being paid by Hilton and RFA (the owner of the building). All timeshare units will be upgraded the same, no difference between Hilton and Westgate.

We met a Hilton owner of Elara that bought their timeshare from Hilton in Orlando.

 

[Apollo30]

Thanks but I was informed last week staying in Westgate Lakes that I am no longer a Westgate owner. I am definitely not a Hilton owner either so now in the ether. Currently PHT trades double value into other Westgate properties but worried that this will come to an end. That would be a breach of contract but who will test this if this owner benefit comes to an end ?

 

[timeos2]

Our fees only pay for operation of the timeshare. 10's of millions for the property upgrade to Hilton standards is being paid by Hilton and RFA (the owner of the building). All timeshare units will be upgraded the same, no difference between Hilton and Westgate.
.

While eventually this may be true for the foreseeable future it isn't the case.

The new Hilton units to be sold to Hilton buyers will be the newly completed rooms (units created in unused space that Wesgate didn't complete. That makes up the vast majority of the building as Westgate sold only about 10% of it in their starcrossed time).

Eventually they will get to that last 10% but until they do the old Westgate owners will get that inventory only - not the newer and much nicer Hilton quality units. And even then it will be Westgates call as to how much gets done as they, not Hilton, have to pay for it. Again Hilton just manages those units - it doesn't own/control them. And as soon as the Hilton level units are available Hilton owners will not be assigned to the garish looking Westgate designed units.

There are two classes of owners in the building. Those that have a future with Hilton and those stuck as sort-of owners of the old Westgate leftovers. That is not an ownership anyone would want now. But a bunch of people were roped into a very bad purchase. Even worse than a "regular" undesirable Westgate one.

 

[billinlv]

While eventually this may be true for the foreseeable future it isn't the case.
.

John I really wish you would stop giving information on Elara. You don't know what's going on. You're supposed to be a moderator. Why don't you just moderate and not comment on Elara. You're a disgruntled prior Westgate owner and never owned this property.

Please contact Michael D. Anderson, HGVC General Manager Resort Operations / Las Vegas Area Resorts. His email is micanderson@hgvc.com. He'll confirm all units are being upgraded and there aren't separate Westgate and Hilton units.

I'm hoping you will come back one more time to apologize for giving out incorrect information.

 

[jmzf1958]

After contacting the management company at Hilton and and also the front desk staff at Elara a few months ago and inquiring as to Westgate owners and Elara owners units, I was told they are EXACTLY the same, they will all be updated according to Hilton standards, and there is no separate units or floors for Westgate owners as has been stated previously on this forum. Quoting from Hilton Grand Vacations letter sent to me, "The resort operations, reservation services and association support for the Elara property is now provided by Hilton Grand Vacations." I made a reservation through Hilton last year. We were assigned a fabulous four bedroom suite overlooking the Eiffel tower.

If Westgate owners would like to exchange into another Westgate or an Interval International exchange, we must begin with a reservation at Elara. The only difference between Westgate owners and Hilton owners at Elara is the Westgate owners cannot do internal exchanges with Hilton Grand Vacations Club properties. Westgate owners can only do internal exchanges with Westgate properties.

I, too, am tired of hearing John give out wrong information and badmouth Westgate every chance he gets. He loves to make owners who bought at Westgate/Planet Hollywood/Elara feel bad about their purchase. I've been reading his posts since I bought my property since 2007. I think we can all agree that David Seigel from Westgate is not the most upstanding man, and apparently, John has had some issues with Westgate, but it's really time to give it a rest as far as the negative comments go. It's unprofessional as a moderator, and this forum should not be used as a platform for his hatred of Westgate. I would love to know where John gets his "facts" from, as he is not a Westgate/Elara owner. Do you have some inside connection to someone who is telling you this stuff, and if so, who is it? I'd really like to know.

I hope this helps the owners who purchased Elara through Westgate. Don't worry. Everything is being run very well. Enjoy your beautiful timeshare.

 

[Rent_Share]

you so want to self justify your purchase you posted it twice ?

 

[jmzf1958]

Obviously, I didn't mean to post twice, but now that you mention it, I think I will justify my purchase. I've been very happy with it. It rents at $850 a night and I've gotten some terrific exchanges. No worries here!

 

[billinlv]

you so want to self justify your purchase you posted it twice ?

Hopefully your other 3,184 posts are more informative.

Actually I like your tag line, Wyndham (Developer) Employees serving on the Worldmark (any HOA) Board of Directors is a Conflict of Interest and Unethical.

This is exactly why I sold my 2 Jockey Club weeks last year. The GEO Holiday people now have two executives on the timeshare board. GEO is the one causing much anger with their tour of the property.

 

[timeos2]

After contacting the management company at Hilton and and also the front desk staff at Elara a few months ago and inquiring as to Westgate owners and Elara owners units, I was told they are EXACTLY the same, they will all be updated according to Hilton standards, and there is no separate units or floors for Westgate owners as has been stated previously on this forum. Quoting from Hilton Grand Vacations letter sent to me, "The resort operations, reservation services and association support for the Elara property is now provided by Hilton Grand Vacations." I made a reservation through Hilton last year. We were assigned a fabulous four bedroom suite overlooking the Eiffel tower.

If Westgate owners would like to exchange into another Westgate or an Interval International exchange, we must begin with a reservation at Elara. The only difference between Westgate owners and Hilton owners at Elara is the Westgate owners cannot do internal exchanges with Hilton Grand Vacations Club properties. Westgate owners can only do internal exchanges with Westgate properties.

I still have my long standing insiders at Wastegate and attend every annual meeting. Taking your "facts" from front desk or sales personnel is hardly the way to get reliable information.

Yes, there are no dedicated floors of Waste vs Hilton - two doors next to each other may be two different styles as Hilton look units are brought on line. But be clear, Hilton is NOT selling Wastegate units to new Hilton buyers or owners. And while they may redo the old look penthouses or fancy 4 bedrooms there are no current plans to touch the existing Wastegate units & turn them into Hilton style.

You are under the false impression that Hilton controls the old Wastegate units. They do not. There is a separate HOA for them that hired Hilton to manage them - but they answer to the thumb & control of the King. They make a big point of that each year when the Wastegate HOA for the former Tower of Terror convenes.

When you hear of any plans to actually go in and retrofit to Hilton standards any WG units be sure to post it & where that word comes from. All the reliable information says that Hilton will only sell newly finished units while managing the old stuff. Remember there are deeds to those units so they cannot go back & sell it to Hilton buyers and the old WG owners are NOT part of the Hilton operation.

Even trying to resell what is now called Elara but with an old Wastegate deed is hard as there is no market whatsoever for it. Typical Wastegate operation but even worse than most.

Sorry if that bothers those that got stuck in this. You should be angry. But at the King and his crooked court not the messengers. Have you run into their resale weasels yet? If it's possible they may be even worse than the original sales group as they claim since the deeds they offer are resales there is no rescind period or rights whatsoever. We've already had a number of posts from those caught in THAT new trap on this property. Best advice? Stay away from anything Wastegate. If you must deal with Elara be sure you are dealing only with the actual Hilton group and their units or you will regret it.

 

[Rent_Share]

Obviously, I didn't mean to post twice, but now that you mention it, I think I will justify my purchase. I've been very happy with it. It rents at $850 a night and I've gotten some terrific exchanges. No worries here!

:rofl::hysterical::rofl:

Where did you here that ? A Timeshare salesman ?

If it could rent for 850/night why would they sell the room as a timeshare ?

Don't tell me that's the rack rate on the back of the door