HGVC Elara LV Timeshare presentation - easy if not interested in buying?

[ycat]

Hello all,

I bought a 3 night package in LV at the Elara, and I will be attending a 2h timeshare presentation as part of the package.

I have never done anything like this, and only took the offer as it was a good deal. I am not interested in purchasing anything, no matter how 'good' the deal is.

I was hoping to gather some insight as to how these presentations usually go and any past experiences would be great. I am a nice person and hate to be rude to people, and I like to avoid confrontation. Obviously ive heard plenty of horror stories of timeshares ever since i told people I bought this package. I think the one differentiating factor is that this timeshare isnt publicly offered, and as a Hilton Gold (will be diamond by end of year) member, i doubt they would be overly pushy given I am already a loyal customer to Hilton and I could easily take my business elsewhere.

I usually vacation based on where I am sent for work. So if im in Cali, Florida, etc for work, ill take a week off on the backend of that trip since im there anyways. I love it. I dont think the timeshare proposal works at all for me in that sense. Plus, i am a single male, fairly young (27), and Ive already put most of my cash into my house.

Anyways, sorry for the long-winded post. Just wondering if anyone can help ease my mind and give me some detail about what to expect come September.

Thank you

 

[buzglyd]

Bring a light lunch and maybe a parachute if the sales floor is high up.

 

[gnorth16]

Best advice I have is to sit quietly and listen. The more I talked, the more they came back with rebuttals, excuses, misconceptions and they will find your hot buttons!!!

As long as you know that any Hilton TS transferred to Hhonors is a poor deal and all TS's can be bought for a fraction of retail on eBay or through a broker. It doesn't hurt to say that you don't like Elara and that Hilton TS's have no locations in Phoenix.

Oh, and bring a timer....120 minutes turns into 240 minutes pretty fast.

 

[STEVIE]

Hi,
We were there in August and sat through a presentation. We were honest up front, and told the salesman we were not buying. We were there for about an hour, had to watch a film and tour a unit. Really, no high pressure. Then we were free to go. By the way, we were staying at the Elara, but the presentation we went to was for another Hilton property in Vegas, they were not trying to sell us Elara.
Sue

 

[KenKraftNV]

Don't bring your checkbook

I think it will all depend on your salesperson and their personal style. Go through the presentation and just say that they don't have any locations in your preferred area.

However, if you keep saying no, the VIP package isn't a horrible deal. For $1500 you get a week to any of four different destinations. They'll try and close you before you actually take the trip. But, you'll get better options not tied to that specific market. But get the price list (just to be safe.)

 

[Ron98GT]

Hi,
We were there in August and sat through a presentation. We were honest up front, and told the salesman we were not buying. We were there for about an hour, had to watch a film and tour a unit. Really, no high pressure. Then we were free to go. By the way, we were staying at the Elara, but the presentation we went to was for another Hilton property in Vegas, they were not trying to sell us Elara.
Sue

We did an HGVC owner update at HHV in December. We told the salesman we/I only buy resale and I told him which TS's that I own. After 20 minutes, he asked what I was doing there. When I told him that I was there for my 2 free luau tickets. He stormed out, came back with the 2 tickets, and then escorted us out. Actually, I also wanted to get a Grand Waikikian tour, which I still miss, but that was out of the question. He tried to make us seem cheap and kept telling us how Hilton/HGVC was going to take away all HGVC benefits from HGVC/Hilton resale owners/buyers.

Oh, the luau was great

 

[feed the otter]

He tried to make us seem cheap

So we're all cheap and they're all sleazy. As long as we can stay on the side of not giving away $$$ for nothing, then I'm good with that.

We always let the sales rep know right away that we've got plans to be someplace at the conclusion of their presentation (60, 90 minutes, or however long), watch the clock, and then politely end the presentation when time is up if they don't do so themselves. They make the terms, we just hold them to their own contract. All good.

 

[IndoMOm]

Just go and 'fulfill' your own agreements when you are agreed to take the mini-vac deal. Conducting your self well and treating the presentation just like any company meeting, being respectful of other - those so called 'salesman' is just like you and me, it's their job to present you with an offer and it's your CHOICE to be make otherwise.

We all are 'timesharing' one way or another.....'Owning-Timeshare/Vacation plan' are NOT for just anyone.

Enjoy the mini-vacation.

 

[ycat]

Just an update,

Stayed at the Elara last week and it was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would love to go back.

As for the presentation, it was low pressure. Early on I explained my situation to my counselor and was up front and honest. I mentioned that he would get my undivided attention throughout and I would actively participate. Ended up getting let out a bit early.

I have to say, the timeshare concept is very interesting, and the presentation was engaging. If i had the funds I would seriously look into it further. Any idea where I can look at Hilton TS listings for sale?

 

[presley]

I have to say, the timeshare concept is very interesting, and the presentation was engaging. If i had the funds I would seriously look into it further. Any idea where I can look at Hilton TS listings for sale?

sellingtimeshares.net
judikoz.com

Both of those are active TUG members. You can also look at Ebay.
Look at much more than Hilton. Hilton is one of the more expensive timeshares to buy and use.

 

[clotheshorse]

Just an update,

Stayed at the Elara last week and it was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would love to go back.

As for the presentation, it was low pressure. Early on I explained my situation to my counselor and was up front and honest. I mentioned that he would get my undivided attention throughout and I would actively participate. Ended up getting let out a bit early.

I have to say, the timeshare concept is very interesting, and the presentation was engaging. If i had the funds I would seriously look into it further. Any idea where I can look at Hilton TS listings for sale?

I bought the same 3day vacation package earlier this year and almost bought during the presentation, but I declined and came home (already owned a timeshare at another resort) and found TUG. I was hooked. Before TUG, I owned one TS. After TUG, I purchased 2 Hilton, 2 Westin and one Wyndham. Seth sold me one of my Hilton TS, good deal and the other I found through the TUG marketplace. Great way to vacation. Do your research and look around, there are really good resale deals out there.

 

[tompalm]

First of all realize that the going rate for Hilton points is about $1 per point on the resale market. Some people will say that they got better a better deal than that, but just to keep it simple, if they try selling you a 5000 point property, tell them your friend bought it for $5000 and you don't want to pay more than that. I think they will be selling 5000 points for more than $20,000. Once they realize you are not paying more than $5000, or $1 per point, they will let you go.

I recommend that you spend as much time as possible and learn as much as possible about the Hilton timeshare and how it works. Most people on the forum will tell you that they love their Hilton timeshare and would recommend buying one. I own in Vegas, spent $7000 on 5000 points years ago and love it and recommend Hilton to all my friends. The price has come down since I bought, especially after 2008. But if you can buy a two bedroom unit for $5000 and sell it years later for $5000, your vacation cost on a two bedroom would be less than $150 per night, or if you wanted to reserve a studio, the cost is closer to $60-$90 per night. That is a really good deal when the average hotel is going for $150 a night.

 

[tompalm]

I am staying at the Elara in Las Vegas in November. Does anyone have a recommendation for what part of the timeshare I should request. Are there any areas that are noisy, or loud that I should try and avoid?

 

[dougp26364]

Against my better judgement, we did the owners update almost a year ago at the LV Strip location. This time it was relatively low key and we were out the door in about 90 minutes. They had nothing of real value for us as we already own more than we can efficiently use.

The last ditch offer was for one of the California affiliated resorts and it was actually an attractive price for a developer purchase but, as I said, we just don't need another MF payment on a timeshare we'd have difficulty using. I mentioned the price quoted was the lowest developer price I'd seen in over 10 years and was told they float that offer to guage if there's any real interest. When you don't buy at that price, they take you off their list and stop offering owner updates.

We'll be at Elera in another month. I'll get to see if they keep their word this time and don't call to offer us another tour. They keep promising we'll never be called again and they keep breaking their promise. It seems to me it's sort of like a moth to a flame. They just can't help themselves.

 

[dougp26364]

I am staying at the Elara in Las Vegas in November. Does anyone have a recommendation for what part of the timeshare I should request. Are there any areas that are noisy, or loud that I should try and avoid?

For the most part, in Vegas I've found the higher the better to avoid street noise. We haven't been to Elera yet so I can't comment directly about that property.

 

[JSparling]

For the most part your experience will depend on the sales rep. They can be nasty/pushy and mad when they realize you had no intention of buying. Or they can have a good attitude about it all.

Keep an eye out for the VIP package that also locks in the prices for a year or 18 months. The VIP package itself is a great deal (mentioned above). And the price freeze is gold if you end up buying when you travel on your VIP trip. That's how we ended up buying our 2nd resort.