Availability and how to get the most out of your points?

[Vacaysteph]

hi everyone! My husband and I recently purchased a membership plan through HGV Max. We purchased at the Williamsburg site, but we had been doing some private research for the past year before we finally decided on it. I am really wanting to believe that we did not get duped, but it seems that many of the things we were told are not actually true. I’m trying to make the best of the situation though and I’m wondering how do you all make the most of your points? And how do you deal with lack of availability? I don’t know if I just need time getting used to the site or what. It seems, whenever I am searching for something, the availability is really not great. My husband and I are open to last-minute bookings, and being flexible about where we go. We prefer places in our general location of the northeast so we can drive and save on flights. I am just curious if anyone has learned how to play this game and has any advice for a person with buyers remorse. Thanks

 

[GT75]

We purchased at the Williamsburg site,

What did you purchase? HGVC or HVC? It sounds like you purchase HVC trust points.

HgvMax is only an exchange program between the clubs. It isn't the club which you own.

 

[HuskerATL]

Do you own in the Trust or a deed? Williamsburg is a Diamond/ HVC property not HGVC so they sell The Club with HGV Max but maybe they also sell HGVClub with HGV Max. What did you buy?

 

[Vacaysteph]

Do you own in the Trust or a deed? Williamsburg is a Diamond/ HVC property not HGVC so they sell The Club with HGV Max but maybe they also sell HGVClub with HGV Max. What did you buy?

I own in the Trust, so The Club with HGV Max. I purchased a 10,000 point bi-annual plan which they assured me would be enough to vacation 1-2 weeks per year. They were quoting weeks at 2500-3000 points, even in peak season. I am now seeing this was a huge lie. They also said I could use points to book AirBnB!! Which I found out after the fact is not true either.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

We prefer places in our general location of the northeast so we can drive and save on flights ... open to last-minute bookings

one of the most valuable aspects for you may be the RCI affiliation. I assume you have an RCI button on the right side of the "dashboard" or whatever your member screen is called. Have you looked thru teh RCI inventory?
For teh TS Pts themselves, "last minute" is not likely to get you what you want. Someone else can talk about how many Diamond props exist in the northeast

 

[Vacaysteph]

What did you purchase? HGVC or HVC? It sounds like you purchase HVC trust points.

HgvMax is only an exchange program between the clubs. It isn't the club which you own.

We purchased trust points

 

[HuskerATL]

I own in the Trust, so The Club with HGV Max. I purchased a 10,000 point bi-annual plan which they assured me would be enough to vacation 1-2 weeks per year. They were quoting weeks at 2500-3000 points, even in peak season. I am now seeing this was a huge lie. They also said I could use points to book AirBnB!! Which I found out after the fact is not true either.

@GT75 can move this to the Diamond forum since you would be in that group and they can provide guidance on use better than the HGVC folks can. They are two different programs with different websites.

 

[Vacaysteph]

@GT75 can move this to the Diamond forum since you would be in that group and they can provide guidance on use better than the HGVC folks can. They are two different programs with different websites.

Thank you! This whole thing is very confusing i appreciate it

 

[HuskerATL]

Thank you! This whole thing is very confusing i appreciate it

It is very confusing. On the HGVC side, you need to plan ahead, often 9 months out, or go to properties with less demand. The other option is to get lucky when someone cancels.

The Club is a different program though and @GT75 will move this post to that group so that you can get input from them.

 

[GT75]

he Club is a different program though and @GT75 will move this post to that group so that you can get input from them.

I have move your thread to HVC forum. They can better help you.

 

[geist1223]

If you purchased HGV (formerly Diamond Resorts International) in Williamsburg I assume you are in the USA Collection. This means you can Book into the USA Collection at 12 or 13 months. The USA Collection is the largest Collection. You can Book into the other Collections at 9 to 10 Months. Unlike Hilton the Booking Window is from the first day of the Reservation not the last.

Are you in the MAX? This gives you access to HGVC Resorts. If yes the Booking Window is 6 months from the last day of the Reservation.

Remember if a Sales Person's lips are moving the are lying or only telling 1/4 truths.

If you can make Vacation Plans with a short fuze there are frequent Sales. Stays at 50% to 75% off.

 

[ABCTravels]

You have a good attitude on trying to make the best of the situation. We also bought with Max (HGVC though) and have had to learn a lot since then. The #1 thing is that you do not give up on what you bought and be kind to yourself! You CAN use what you bought, it will take a huge learning curve and a lot of time to learn it. Commit the time and you can be successful. Every week, go to the booking page and play around with properties and settings. You will get a sense of what goes quickest, what seems to have lots of availability, and when there is a sale. We did stay at Powhattan (is that where you bought?) for 4000 points for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom during Thanksgiving week last year. It was a very enjoyable stay. It is the only HVC property we have visited, so I cannot speak to others. There is a possibility that Bluegreen may eventually be added to the mix (Hilton bought it, but if it goes into the Max pool is yet to be seen) and if so that would open more properties for you. You do not pay any booking fees with Max, so this can also allow you to have more frequent, but shorter getaways (long weekends perhaps) without accumulating booking fees. Booking 2-3 night stays may help you find booking holes that open up some options. There are also cash prices for last minute on both Hilton and RCI, which can help you extend what you bought.
You will have to have a mental reset on how you book travel. First comes accommodations, then if you get the reservation you want you go from there. You need to book early (6-12 months depending on what you are looking to do) or wait until the last minute and be accepting of a studio accommodation for a few days and just go explore the area and see what you see.
I hope this helps you feel encouraged. It will be okay and you will take nice vacations, just be very eagle eyed on when points expire and be sure to save any from this year you don't think you will use before the year expires. Also, use your bonus points from the purchase to splurge on a HGVC vacation at a really nice resort next year. You have two years to use the bonus points and those will allow you to stay at some very nice locations. Maybe you could get a few visits to NYC or go down to Orlando/Florida or the SC properties at the beach. Just stick to it and you can be successful!

 

[dazzlingheart]

Hello, we recently bought into The Club with HGV Max. As far as being flexible, I find that searching states, countries, and regions is best for us when trying to find somewhere we'd like to stay. That way you can see what is available in a certain area and choose from there. You can also enter the max number of points you want to spend, and the search will only show you resorts within that range. It is just my husband and me. We booked a studio at Elara Las Vegas for 5 nights in early December for 1280 points. We also booked The Cove Ormond Beach (Daytona) for 7 nights at 1800 points for next August. For Elara, I searched Nevada. For The Cove, I searched the United States for no more than 2000 points. We only got 8000 odd year points, so I am very frugal, lol.

Stay positive!

I hear they may be making some Bluegreen properties available during the last quarter of this year. That's exciting.

 

[GT75]

I will give you a couple items that I learned very early when getting into this:

• Plan well in advance (like whenever your booking window(s) open). This isn't like booking a hotel. If you try to book last minute, you are going to be very disappointed. The best availability is when the booking window opens
• Whenever you stay at a resort, expect to be asked to attend an "owners update". This is optional and nothing more than another TS presentation to upsell you. They will ALWAYS tell you that you need to buy more, just be aware. If you can't say NO, then don't attend. Also, don't go if this is going to ruin your vacation. To some of us, vacation time is important.
• After you have stayed at a few place and think that you need to increase your number of points, then purchase on the resale market. IMO, I would suggest purchasing resale on HGVC side because HGVC treat their resale owners much better than HVC side. But you have plenty of time to research.

Also, use your bonus points from the purchase to splurge on a HGVC vacation at a really nice resort next year. You have two years to use the bonus points and those will allow you to stay at some very nice locations.

I certainly agree with @ABCTravels. I don't know where you live. If you live on west coast (if USA), then HI is certainly a possibility. Another great possibility is Cabo Azul in San Jose, Los Cabo, Mx. I haven't stayed there as of yet (but I do have a reservation upcoming in 2026) but I have heard that this is a fabulous resort. This is the best resort in all of HVC system and probably also HGVC resorts. Now I have been going to Cabo for almost 10 years and I believe the best time to go is during the February/March timeframe.

 

[rpennisi]

I will give you a couple items that I learned very early when getting into this:

• Plan well in advance (like whenever your booking window(s) open). This isn't like booking a hotel. If you try to book last minute, you are going to be very disappointed. The best availability is when the booking window opens
• Whenever you stay at a resort, expect to be asked to attend an "owners update". This is optional and nothing more than another TS presentation to upsell you. They will ALWAYS tell you that you need to buy more, just be aware. If you can't say NO, then don't attend. Also, don't go if this is going to ruin your vacation. To some of us, vacation time is important.
• After you have stayed at a few place and think that you need to increase your number of points, then purchase on the resale market. IMO, I would suggest purchasing resale on HGVC side because HGVC treat their resale owners much better than HVC side. But you have plenty of time to research.

I certainly agree with @ABCTravels. I don't know where you live. If you live on west coast (if USA), then that is certainly a possibility. Another great possibility is Cabo Azul in San Jose, Los Cabo, Mx. I haven't stayed there as of yet (but I do have a reservation upcoming in 2026) but I have heard that this is a fabulous resort. This is the best resort in all of HVC system and probably also HGVC resorts. Now I have been going to Cabo for almost 10 years and I believe the best time to go is during the February/March timeframe.

I totally agree with your suggestion of using their bonus for Cabo Azul, great resort. It is between the Vidanta and Royal Solaris resorts. We have now stayed at all three, and Cabo Azul is the best.

 

[Vacaysteph]

I will give you a couple items that I learned very early when getting into this:

• Plan well in advance (like whenever your booking window(s) open). This isn't like booking a hotel. If you try to book last minute, you are going to be very disappointed. The best availability is when the booking window opens
• Whenever you stay at a resort, expect to be asked to attend an "owners update". This is optional and nothing more than another TS presentation to upsell you. They will ALWAYS tell you that you need to buy more, just be aware. If you can't say NO, then don't attend. Also, don't go if this is going to ruin your vacation. To some of us, vacation time is important.
• After you have stayed at a few place and think that you need to increase your number of points, then purchase on the resale market. IMO, I would suggest purchasing resale on HGVC side because HGVC treat their resale owners much better than HVC side. But you have plenty of time to research.

I certainly agree with @ABCTravels. I don't know where you live. If you live on west coast (if USA), then that is certainly a possibility. Another great possibility is Cabo Azul in San Jose, Los Cabo, Mx. I haven't stayed there as of yet (but I do have a reservation upcoming in 2026) but I have heard that this is a fabulous resort. This is the best resort in all of HVC system and probably also HGVC resorts. Now I have been going to Cabo for almost 10 years and I believe the best time to go is during the February/March timeframe.

Thank you so much for this advice. It is very helpful. Unfortunately, we are never able to book our summer vacation until February because that is when my husband knows his schedule. That’s about 5-6 months prior, is that still not enough time?

 

[Vacaysteph]

Hello, we recently bought into The Club with HGV Max. As far as being flexible, I find that searching states, countries, and regions is best for us when trying to find somewhere we'd like to stay. That way you can see what is available in a certain area and choose from there. You can also enter the max number of points you want to spend, and the search will only show you resorts within that range. It is just my husband and me. We booked a studio at Elara Las Vegas for 5 nights in early December for 1280 points. We also booked The Cove Ormond Beach (Daytona) for 7 nights at 1800 points for next August. For Elara, I searched Nevada. For The Cove, I searched the United States for no more than 2000 points. We only got 8000 odd year points, so I am very frugal, lol.

Stay positive!

I hear they may be making some Bluegreen properties available during the last quarter of this year. That's exciting.

Thanks for your input it’s very appreciated. I too am frugal with my points as we are getting 10,000 every odd year, so similar to yours. The deals you are explaining are great and the type we were hoping for. Though we were hoping to be able to find some closer to home so we could save on flights. I search by region but it just seems like everything is already unavailable or very out of our point range. I will keep trying though.

 

[Vacaysteph]

You have a good attitude on trying to make the best of the situation. We also bought with Max (HGVC though) and have had to learn a lot since then. The #1 thing is that you do not give up on what you bought and be kind to yourself! You CAN use what you bought, it will take a huge learning curve and a lot of time to learn it. Commit the time and you can be successful. Every week, go to the booking page and play around with properties and settings. You will get a sense of what goes quickest, what seems to have lots of availability, and when there is a sale. We did stay at Powhattan (is that where you bought?) for 4000 points for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom during Thanksgiving week last year. It was a very enjoyable stay. It is the only HVC property we have visited, so I cannot speak to others. There is a possibility that Bluegreen may eventually be added to the mix (Hilton bought it, but if it goes into the Max pool is yet to be seen) and if so that would open more properties for you. You do not pay any booking fees with Max, so this can also allow you to have more frequent, but shorter getaways (long weekends perhaps) without accumulating booking fees. Booking 2-3 night stays may help you find booking holes that open up some options. There are also cash prices for last minute on both Hilton and RCI, which can help you extend what you bought.
You will have to have a mental reset on how you book travel. First comes accommodations, then if you get the reservation you want you go from there. You need to book early (6-12 months depending on what you are looking to do) or wait until the last minute and be accepting of a studio accommodation for a few days and just go explore the area and see what you see.
I hope this helps you feel encouraged. It will be okay and you will take nice vacations, just be very eagle eyed on when points expire and be sure to save any from this year you don't think you will use before the year expires. Also, use your bonus points from the purchase to splurge on a HGVC vacation at a really nice resort next year. You have two years to use the bonus points and those will allow you to stay at some very nice locations. Maybe you could get a few visits to NYC or go down to Orlando/Florida or the SC properties at the beach. Just stick to it and you can be successful!

Thank you this was very encouraging. I just have to figure out the system it is quite confusing. What is the deal with RCI? Are those more resorts we have access to? If so, how do we go about viewing those properties?

 

[GT75]

Thank you so much for this advice. It is very helpful. Unfortunately, we are never able to book our summer vacation until February because that is when my husband knows his schedule. That’s about 5-6 months prior, is that still not enough time?

Will you always need to be traveling during the school schedule? If you need to travel during the school schedule then this is when most other people also need to travel. This will need booked when your booking window opens for best availability.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Thank you so much for this advice. It is very helpful. Unfortunately, we are never able to book our summer vacation until February because that is when my husband knows his schedule. That’s about 5-6 months prior, is that still not enough time?

If you are making a club point reservation, go ahead and make a speculative booking at 9 months. Then change the reservation if you need to at 5-6 months to adjust and if availability. Use "change" try not to cancel/rebook to avoid additional reservation fee. You can cancel up to 30 days prior and change up to 60 days prior to arrival.

If this is your home week there should be no charge to book/change AFAIK

I do not know how bonus points work. So check the rules.

 

[geist1223]

There is a major problem with buying HGV (DRI) Resell. You are restricted to only Booking in your Home Collection. Also Developer bought Points and and Resell Points can not be combined to make a single long Reservation. When we had resell Hawaiian Collection Points and Developer bought Hawaiian Points we made a Reservation using all our Resell Points. Then made a separate but consecutive Reservation with our Developer Points in the same sized Unit to make it a full 2 weeks. Because they were consecutive and same sized Unit they did not make us move. We eventually switched all our Points into a single Developer Account at Cabo Azul. Maintenance Fees dropped substantially.

They have frequent sells at Cabo Azul. Beware of the partial Ocean Units. Yes if you go out on the Patio and lean out you can catch a view of the Ocean. We prefer pool views.

 

[pedro47]

I own in the Trust, so The Club with HGV Max. I purchased a 10,000 point bi-annual plan which they assured me would be enough to vacation 1-2 weeks per year. They were quoting weeks at 2500-3000 points, even in peak season. I am now seeing this was a huge lie. They also said I could use points to book AirBnB!! Which I found out after the fact is not true either.

Welcome to the Tug Website. “Where Knowledge is Power.” By Bacon.

Did you received The Club Member Directory for 2024 - 2025 ?
please look and see how points are need for a peak week in Williamsburg , Virginia at Hilton Powhatan or Greensprings Resorts ?

There are Hilton Resorts in Virginia Beach, Virginia, North and South Carolina. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[ABCTravels]

Thank you this was very encouraging. I just have to figure out the system it is quite confusing. What is the deal with RCI? Are those more resorts we ha

ve access to? If so, how do we go about viewing those properties?

From my log in screen, when I choose "CLUB" this drop down menu appears. Choose RCI and it will have you log into your RCI account.

 

[ABCTravels]

If you are making a club point reservation, go ahead and make a speculative booking at 9 months. Then change the reservation if you need to at 5-6 months to adjust and if availability. Use "change" try not to cancel/rebook to avoid additional reservation fee. You can cancel up to 30 days prior and change up to 60 days prior to arrival.

If this is your home week there should be no charge to book/change AFAIK

I do not know how bonus points work. So check the rules.

I agree with this information. To the best of your ability, make a booking for summer as early as possible and modify it later. We have found that taking a trip at the end of May is a huge improvement on availability for accommodations, flights, tickets, etc then at any other point in the summer until kids are back in school. September has been another sweet spot for us with travel as the weather is good and still warm enough for the beach, but the kids are back in school so more availability again. If you are locked into a school schedule, then you might want to look at non-summer travel windows such as fall/Thanksgiving break or spring breaks and 3/4 day weekends.

Bonus points were given to sweeten your purchase and are in a separate "bucket" on your account dashboard and they are good for 2 years from your purchase date. They cannot be combined with club points, so any trips you take with those points you have to have the points to cover it. However, you can have two separate reservations back to back at the same resort, one with club points and one with bonus points if you want to have one long trip.

Another option would be save your points for this year into 2025 and combine them with your points for next year and borrow points from the year after to have a larger amount of points. If you can't use your 2024 points before the end of the year then you need to go ahead and pay to save them and start working on a 2025 point usage plan.

I hope this helps you!