HGVC vs. Vidanta

[JSparling]

Hola - we're here in Nuevo Vallarta and took the sales tour at the Grand Luxxe Vidanta property. It's lovely.

I'm wondering if my hunch of working with Hilton would be TOTALLY and COMPLETELY different than working with Vidanta and if anyone has experience with both. Absent the occasional glitch or angry consumer who felt they were mislead at the timeshare presentation, I see Hilton as a first class company and we love our ownership with HGVC. We got the sense the Vidanta would be sketchy to work with but we are indeed interested in their product here in Mexico. The properties are pretty amazing. Can anyone speak to the differences of working with Vidanta compared to HGVC?

I also realize we can trade into the two main properties here (Grand Luxxe and Grand Mayan) with Hilton and our Elite status. But they've got the ocean view united pretty well locked up here if you're not a Vidanta owner so we're considering their product to add to our portfolio.

 

[newportbeach]

I own at both. I certainly consider purchasing from a Mexico specific timeshare to less stable economically due to the secondary market being weaker. I have also found that HGVC is more reliable in its business practices and procedures, for example less of
a delay in getting more emails responded to and guest certificates sent out. So the question is do you wish to own at more that one resort, then buy two. If you wish to stay at other than a Mexican bases resort buy Hilton and when not using Hilton simply
exchange. Sometimes it also comes down to how much that Grand Luxxe unit is going to cost on the secondary market and what its maintenance fee is. As far as commenting on getting ocean view units, my experience is hit and miss.

 

[hurnik]

To be honest, I'd probably ask this over in the Mexico timeshare sub-forums. There's many Vidanta owners over there. IMO, the expense just isn't worth it (probably better off renting a condo or something). Even owners are not guaranteed ocean views. Further, IMO, there aren't any ocean views in Playa (max is 3 stories), and Nuevo units (except possibly the lofts) don't really face the ocean (look at the resort map, only the corner/edge really faces the ocean). The longer sides of the Grand Luxxe rectangle buildings in Nuevo face either the resort or the river. (except for Grand Luxxe Tower 1 and the Punta units).

http://www.vidanta.com/en/destinations/nuevo-vallarta

I seriously thought about owning there, to be honest, but after the sales pitch and the very confusing contracts (each one is different), I'm glad I passed.

The 10-year renewal and the MF were "killer". I can use an SFX bonus week for less than what Vidanta charges for the same unit MF. And I won't have to spend $100k for it either. I think they've also added language or changed things such that resale units aren't the same as direct or something (Phyllis I think knows all the ins an outs of that).

Now, the resorts themselves are very nice to stay at. I love staying at their resorts because there's no AI so I can save some money.

BTW, SFX no longer has the 1/3 rule that Vidanta put on them. I don't think II does either (for now). Seems to change all the time. Used to 1/4 rule, then 1/3, now it's nothing, etc.

 

[alwysonvac]

I agree, it's best to ask on the Mexico Timesharing forum.

Just noticed this recent post on the Buying, Selling, Renting forum
From tschwa2 - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/selling-my-grand-luxxe.257470/#post-2014024

Grand Luxxe and pretty much all of the Vidant properties structure the current contracts so they have virtually no resale value. They strip about 50% of the benefits- just about everything other than paying full MF to stay either one week or two weeks (depending on the contract) in the listed grand luxxe unit. So no discounts or freebies in terms of golf, restaurants, spa, etc, no zero pay if you don't go, no using at other properties, no bonus weeks, etc. On top of that the transfer fee payable to Vidant is at least 10% of what you originally paid or 10 times your annual MF which ever is higher. So a buyer would pay around $10,000-$20,000 for a very watered down version of what you bought before you would even get anything. If someone wants grand Luxxe they are going to buy full freight- usually trading up for a full contract with all of the bells and whistles.​

 

[BellaWyn]

I agree, it's best to ask on the Mexico Timesharing forum.

Just noticed this recent post on the Buying, Selling, Renting forum

From tschwa2 - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/selling-my-grand-luxxe.257470/#post-2014024

Grand Luxxe and pretty much all of the Vidant properties structure the current contracts so they have virtually no resale value. They strip about 50% of the benefits- just about everything other than paying full MF to stay either one week or two weeks (depending on the contract) in the listed grand luxxe unit. So no discounts or freebies in terms of golf, restaurants, spa, etc, no zero pay if you don't go, no using at other properties, no bonus weeks, etc. On top of that the transfer fee payable to Vidant is at least 10% of what you originally paid or 10 times your annual MF which ever is higher. So a buyer would pay around $10,000-$20,000 for a very watered down version of what you bought before you would even get anything. If someone wants grand Luxxe they are going to buy full freight- usually trading up for a full contract with all of the bells and whistles.​

This is very accurate. Usually, just the transfer fee alone kills the deal on the resale market. Also, keep in mind they are RTU contracts.

Phyllis (Pittle), in the Mexico forum, is a GURU of all things Vidanta. She's a peach!

 

[GT75]

If the OP would like, I can move this thread to the Mexico forum. Or you could also start a new thread there.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I don't understand the developers that seem to go out of their way to cripple the resale market for their units. I can understand holding some benefits back to encourage people to buy direct, but there needs to be some practical way for people to sell or otherwise end their ownership.

 

[BellaWyn]

I don't understand the developers that seem to go out of their way to cripple the resale market for their units. I can understand holding some benefits back to encourage people to buy direct, but there needs to be some practical way for people to sell or otherwise end their ownership.

I think, with Vidanta, because they are RTU contracts, they cripple the owner for resale so it will keep them in the game with the MF's until the dates run out.

A lot of Vidanta owners get frustrated with the contracts and just give up because the ownership is difficult to navigate. They keep paying the MF's but don't actually USE the ownership or they dump it into RCI for exchange. Visiting the resorts, not unlike most large-system TS ownership, is always an extreme high-pressure push to always upgrade.

Vidanta contracts vary. You can buy two different contracts on the same day for the same product and the language could be different, depending on where and what you are buying. Continuity is seriously lacking.