Does an HGVC purchased resale allow usage throughout the system?

[dayooper]

Thanks @mjm1 I am always curious on some of the other systems and Marriott and a mandatory Vistana have always intrigued me. With all of the resorts in HHI, Marriott seems like a good choice for me. I am turned off by the up front cost of enrolling in the system, but buying at HHI might be an option down the road.

I would love a Key West Hyatt, but don’t see us going every year and the other Hyatt locations I’m not that excited about.

 

[dayooper]

Only thing not permitted via resale is Elite status.

Unless you purchase resale from the Scotland resorts or some of the SW Florida affiliates. You have to purchase from the resorts, though.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Unless you purchase resale from the Scotland resorts or some of the SW Florida affiliates. You have to purchase from the resorts, though.

true, there are a few exceptions

 

[escanoe]

I would love a Key West Hyatt, but don’t see us going every year and the other Hyatt locations I’m not that excited about.

That is me. I almost bought one at a bargain price last year to go to Key West once every other year or so, and to rent or trade in II the other years. I decided to get a value II trader instead and see if I could use it to stay in a Hyatt Key West unit every once in a while.

 

[brp]

Not true. We’re resale owners as of 1/21 and got invited in April. The rep was a little baffled why we were there and after I told him what we paid he didn‘t have much to offer.

We get invited in NYC routinely. And because they give us $200 for 15-30 minutes of our time we usually go.

Cheers.

 

[Gunfighter]

Unless you purchase resale from the Scotland resorts or some of the SW Florida affiliates. You have to purchase from the resorts, though.

true, there are a few exceptions

I'm currently in the market for a resale and haven't given much consideration to Elite status. Oddly one of the resales under consideration was at Craigendarroch. Can anybody fill in more of the details on the exceptions?

Who are the SW Florida affiliates that can convey elite status on purchases?
Do all of the Scotland properties count towards elite status?
Is there a post/thread somewhere that I overlooked that already covers this?

 

[dayooper]

I'm currently in the market for a resale and haven't given much consideration to Elite status. Oddly one of the resales under consideration was at Craigendarroch. Can anybody fill in more of the details on the exceptions?

Who are the SW Florida affiliates that can convey elite status on purchases?
Do all of the Scotland properties count towards elite status?
Is there a post/thread somewhere that I overlooked that already covers this?

You have to purchase directly through the resorts. These resorts are affiliates and are sold out of “new” deeds and are week based. To get your points, you turn your week in to the resort. I’m not sure which Florida resorts currently offer elite status, but they each have their own marketing department. A simple call and they would tell you. As of this past March, Craigendarroch was awarding elite status for weeks sold by them. Contact John Pringle at the Craigendarroch office and he will assist you.

 

[Gunfighter]

Thanks Dayooper. We’re narrowing down the search and this helps.

It looks like our initial purchase of HGVC will be driven by the best MF ratio as long as we keep the purchase price under $1 / point. LV and HI seem like good options. The MF charts in another thread have been very helpful in the search. We’re biased toward HI because we’ve exchanged into a few HGVC over the years and decided it would be better to just own HGVC rather than scouring RCI for the elusive trades.

 

[TravelJoy]

Dave, another nice feature of HGVC is “open season.” During that time you can reserve a unit for cash rather than points. I believe it is only within 30 days of check in and is subject to availability. The open season rates have increased in recent years, but are still a good deal. For instance, we own at Flamingo, but have never stayed there. Since we live in Vegas we have used open season twice and stayed at Trump International and Elara. You have ro reserve at least two nights, which worked great for a staycation. Given you now live in Mesquite you could easily take advantage of that feature without using your points.

Best regards.

Mike

This is the same as the last minute/cash/getaway offers on ii and rci correct, at one of the presentations they said that access is not available to resale purchases, it also gives free rci access right through hgvc portal is that correct also.

 

[Talent312]

... at one of the presentations they said that access is not available to resale purchases...

They were lying.
How do you a TS salesman is lying... His lips are moving.

The "Rules" say that it may be restricted in the future, but it won't.
They'd shoot themselves in the foot by making their TS less valuable.
---------------------------
Any member (retail, resale or reptile) can access RCI via the portal.
Booking RCI with points is a feature of club membership.
Some RCI resorts will not show up in online searches thru the portal.
They may still be booked with a call, if you have know what to ask for.

 

[TravelJoy]

They were lying.
How do you a TS salesman is lying... His lips are moving.

The "Rules" say that it may be restricted in the future, but it won't.
They'd shoot themselves in the foot by making their TS less valuable.
---------------------------
Any member (retail, resale or reptile) can access RCI via the portal.
Booking RCI with points is a feature of club membership.
Some RCI resorts will not show up in online searches thru the portal.
They may still be booked with a call, if you have know what to ask for.

I figured as much, the last minute deals intrigue me very much because that fits my schedule. its why all the eBay listings have the $699 Activation of hgvc account and $199 club dues on all the hgvc points ads. Now the $199 is due yearly is that correct? and also is rci available through hgvc without a separate fee. What is the lowest cost entry into the program?

 

[GT75]

What is the lowest cost entry into the program?

Someone pays you to take the deed off their hands but I think that you are asking the wrong question.

 

[raddoc]

Someone pays you to take the deed off their hands but I think that you are asking the wrong question.

Absolutely correct.

Transfer fees ($460), activation fees ($655) and club dues ($199/year) are uniform across all deeds you purchase. Everything is negotiable but as a general rule the more the seller pays (the cheaper it is for the buyer), the less desirable the deed likely is. So you could get into the HGVC system for free but it might not be a deed that you want to have.

I would suggest taking some time and learning the system. I ended up purchasing deeds that cost me money but they made more sense for me. Everyone's situation and goals of ownership are different so there is no one-size-fits-all answer, take some time to learn the system and figure out what makes the most sense for you.

 

[TravelJoy]

Absolutely correct.

Transfer fees ($460), activation fees ($655) and club dues ($199/year) are uniform across all deeds you purchase. Everything is negotiable but as a general rule the more the seller pays (the cheaper it is for the buyer), the less desirable the deed likely is. So you could get into the HGVC system for free but it might not be a deed that you want to have.

I would suggest taking some time and learning the system. I ended up purchasing deeds that cost me money but they made more sense for me. Everyone's situation and goals of ownership are different so there is no one-size-fits-all answer, take some time to learn the system and figure out what makes the most sense for you.

My goal is not the actual TS itself so I want a barebones entry into the last minute/cash deals and perhaps if some opening lends itself into HGVC Max which is a road block right now but I will keep my eyes peeled. Appreciate the wisdom here.

 

[Talent312]

My goal is not the actual TS itself so I want a barebones entry into the last minute/cash deals and perhaps if some opening lends itself into HGVC Max which is a road block right now but I will keep my eyes peeled. Appreciate the wisdom here.

There's no fee for RCI access, but exchange booking fees are high.
You can only get Max by buying retail from HGVC, which is highway robbery.
You'd be better off buying both HGVC + HVC/DRI, resale.

 

[4TimeAway]

My goal is not the actual TS itself so I want a barebones entry into the last minute/cash deals and perhaps if some opening lends itself into HGVC Max which is a road block right now but I will keep my eyes peeled. Appreciate the wisdom here.

Timeshares are complicated and TS Salespeople show so many ideas you can explore, but you should ask for more advice on this and be sure you understand. There's no judgement if you want to do as you say, but maybe ask yourself a few more questions.

I think my encouragement is to think of buying something you can easily exit later. In some cases, if you buy it right you might get all your initial upfront cost out (no guarantee). If you do as you say you might get it "free" plus the $1,000 in fees, but if you ever want to exit be out $2,000 and your annual MFs per point will be higher.

Maintenace Fees (MF) are due annually in addition to the costs you are quoting, generally they are based on room size and not desirability of season. So, buying resale with an upfront on the deed, my estimate is a 2 Bedroom with high points 11,000+ for a negotiated price of $3-6k with MF of $1,200-$2,000 vs an estimated $800 MF plus the annual membership fee for the low-end Studio Offerings offseason of 3,000 points. This transfers into more pre-paid time every year.

For me the plan became buy two, 2-bedroom weeks one local to CA and one in Hawaii that I wanted better access to. This also give me the ability to "downgrade the room" and get a month or more in smaller units if I wanted. I can still use RCI as needed. Maybe in a year or two, we will buy more to be able to share vacations with family members and not have them feel they need to pay. It takes the pressure off so we can look forward to travelling. Also, I got burned on the STR market twice and am frustrated.

I'd also encourage you to study the point value of anything you plan to buy before you buy it. You might find that the pre-paid vacation portion with priority access to a particular location is also worth the small investment for your situation.

 

[GT75]

My goal is not the actual TS itself so I want a barebones entry into the last minute/cash deals

I wouldn't recommend buying into HGVC if this is your main reason.

 

[TravelJoy]

I wouldn't recommend buying into HGVC if this is your main reason.

This is what I am leaning towards as the hgvc program is prohibitively expensive as opposed to purchasing something like a dual rci/ii resort on triennial or such or even individually. I’m in no rush, just exploring the scene and gathering thoughts.

 

[brp]

This is what I am leaning towards as the hgvc program is prohibitively expensive as opposed to purchasing something like a dual rci/ii resort on triennial or such or even individually. I’m in no rush, just exploring the scene and gathering thoughts.

What is your definition of "prohibitively expensive?" I've not found it to be so, but our definitions may well be different.

Cheers.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Thanks for all the help, folks. So much to think about.

@mjm1: Mike, yes, being in Mesquite is one of the real reasons I'm thinking about HGVC. Nice properties in Las Vegas, and weekends away would be great, so Open Season sounds perfect. The ability to book short stays in other areas, or longer, would be a great option.

As for where we'd want to go, there aren't any specific places, other than Hawaii, New York City, and Washington DC. Owning just WorldMark, I'm kind of locked into the western USA locations. WM has only a few resorts on the East Coast, there are none in New York or DC, and Hawaii can be very difficult to book. Using HGVC to get back to NYC or DC would be great. We don't visit Florida often, but it'd be nice to have the option. Same with West Coast beach properties. I have family in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, so we'd be pushed to stay with them. Not sure how much the HGVC locations would be used, which is actually good - we'd have options.

Hawaii is another matter. I don't know that I'd ever need to stay at a Hilton property on Oahu. Being retired Navy, one of the benefits I have is the ability to book at the Hale Koa military hotel in Waikiki. It's the place with the awesome beach bar on the boardwalk just adjacent to the HHV property. I can book an ocean view unit there for a very reasonable price. So I'd probably save the HGVC credits for another location. Currently that would seem to only be the north end of the Big Island. But once Diamond joins the mix, things should open up, right? At least, that's my expectation. Having stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Club on Maui, I'd be happy to try and stay there again. Unless I'm missing something, I'd expect that resort to become bookable through HGVC. Is that right?

Dave

This made me curious as to where Mesquite is located. I see it's right on the border with AZ... For some reason during your moving thread I got the impression Mesquite was a close 'burb of Vegas. It's more like Madison and Milwaukee WI.

 

[TravelJoy]

What is your definition of "prohibitively expensive?" I've not found it to be so, but our definitions may well be different.

Cheers.

It is just all the small items where they nickel and dime you such as point stretching tiers to parking at some locations, what then are the cash grab yearly club dues for if not to offer relief of these. Approaching it from andother angle that is neither here nor there, the overall HGVC/Max point of view where they seem to push clients towards the new HGVC Max iteration. Old products tend to degrade whilst the transition and benefits will likely reduce from the HGVC/DRI > Max. Compared to simply depositing a week into ii and trading up to a Hilton et al., as long as the math works out, it just does not make financial sense to be in HGVC.

 

[brp]

It is just all the small items where they nickel and dime you such as point stretching tiers to parking at some locations, what then are the cash grab yearly club dues for if not to offer relief of these. Approaching it from andother angle that is neither here nor there, the overall HGVC/Max point of view where they seem to push clients towards the new HGVC Max iteration. Old products tend to degrade whilst the transition and benefits will likely reduce from the HGVC/DRI > Max. Compared to simply depositing a week into ii and trading up to a Hilton et al., as long as the math works out, it just does not make financial sense to be in HGVC.

Got it. from your viewpoint, I can see where you're coming from. The nickel and dime fees are annoying, although I think "prohibitive" may be somewhat hyperbolic. What is "prohibitive," IMO, is the retail purchase necessary for MAX. But the real point is that the existing products do not degrade when MAX comes into play (at least not so far, with no clear path to this), despite what the salesweasels say. My HGVC has exactly the same power now as it did when I bought years ago. No degradation at all.

That part, at least, does not appear to be accurate. Fully get some of your other points, though.

Cheers.

 

[TravelJoy]

Got it. from your viewpoint, I can see where you're coming from. The nickel and dime fees are annoying, although I think "prohibitive" may be somewhat hyperbolic. What is "prohibitive," IMO, is the retail purchase necessary for MAX. But the real point is that the existing products do not degrade when MAX comes into play (at least not so far, with no clear path to this), despite what the salesweasels say. My HGVC has exactly the same power now as it did when I bought years ago. No degradation at all.

That part, at least, does not appear to be accurate. Fully get some of your other points, though.

Cheers.

Oh yes absolutely retail sales from the boutique window tag doesn't even factor, every single one of those does not compute regardless of if it belongs to hgvc or any other.

 

[frank808]

If you want a RCI unit to primarily book getaways and last calls, better to buy outside of HGVC.

I had something like a trieenial Vacation village that got 48000 RCI points every 3 years. MF was about $297 every three years. Expensive per point but you get that RCI membership you are after. I got it to book HGVC bulk deposits with RCI(which you cannot book via HGVC membership because bulk deposits are almost 18 months out). Once you have an RCI membership, there is nothing to stop you from getting rid of ownership. Just make sure you keep current your RCI membership. Obviously this would not work with a membership tied to your corporate account like HGVC.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[DaveNV]

This made me curious as to where Mesquite is located. I see it's right on the border with AZ... For some reason during your moving thread I got the impression Mesquite was a close 'burb of Vegas. It's more like Madison and Milwaukee WI.

Nope. Close, but not too close. Mesquite is an independent small city of ~25K residents surrounded by lots of open country, in the extreme northeastern corner of Clark County, Nevada, which also happens to be home to the 2.2M people living in the Las Vegas Valley. We are about 80 miles up the freeway from Las Vegas - close enough to go there for an evening's entertainment, and then come home to sleep in our own bed. Kind of a perfect location, actually. Many of the benefits with few of the problems.

The Arizona State Line is Mesquite's eastern city limit, as is the timezone change from Pacific to Mountain time. St. George, Utah, (and Costco!), is about 40 miles up the freeway from here, but we have to drive across the corner of Arizona to get there. Kind of odd to drive in three states and two timezones to get that $1.50 hotdog...

Mesquite is a great little town, still growing and finding its own way. Ssshh! Don't tell anyone!

Dave