Introducing HGV Max — Our New Membership Program (Official announcement from HGVC)

[Ralph Sir Edward]

If you are referring to owning DC trust points, you are correct. However if one buys a Marriott week, there is absolutely a home resort period. In fact you don't even give your week up to anyone else unless you decide you want to. I own a week, I can make a reservation at my home resort at any time until I decide I want to elect points. Marriott weeks work differently than HGVC and Vistana where weeks become points at a specified date based on the club rules.

Ok, I'll bite. Explain to me the period when only direct owners, without any beneficial owners, have to book. And I mean when no trust on behalf of beneficial owners have the ability to reserve weeks for those beneficial owners, either concurrent or before in time. Otherwise, there is no "exclusive" home week, which currently HGVC has.

 

[escanoe]

Is there even anything out for Max on the DRI side? Can DRI members even join Max without an HGVC purchase?

Yep. An email like the one we received also went out to the DRI side. Go look in their section of TUG. There does appear to be less interest there than over here. I don't know which direction will see the most net flow of bookings, but if it amounts to much at all they are going to need a way to even it out. Having a couple of resorts in the inventory of both systems would be one way to help balance things out.

 

[dioxide45]

Ok, I'll bite. Explain to me the period when only direct owners, without any beneficial owners, have to book. And I mean when no trust on behalf of beneficial owners have the ability to reserve weeks for those beneficial owners, either concurrent or before in time. Otherwise, there is no "exclusive" home week, which currently HGVC has.

I am not sure what you are biting on, but I explained it in my last post. If I own a week in Marriott (we actually own two), I have exclusive rights to book a week in my owned season. Inventory for points and weeks are separate. So for any period of time where I have not given up by right to a week in my season (by converting to points), I can book a week in my season. Point owners can book at about the same time frames as weeks owners, but they are booking from a separate set of inventory. A Marriott week owner never loses their ability to book their week and points owners can't book up all the inventory as the inventory available to points is separate than the inventory available for weeks based reservations.

 

[frank808]

Where have I seen this X with an arrow like that before? It looks very familiar, but I can't figure out why;
View attachment 51569

Looks like logo from celebrity cruise line.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[NiteMaire]

Where have I seen this X with an arrow like that before? It looks very familiar, but I can't figure out why;

If that was a serious question (or not), the answer is FedEx.

 

[elaine]

hmmm....I have a highly desirable SW FL affiliate (not allowed into HGV MAX--not that I'd have done it)---oh, well...if my test runs of 9 months bookings in 2023 don't yield good results (just got back from pre-Easter Sanibel), I see a TUG swap in 2024!

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

I am not sure what you are biting on, but I explained it in my last post. If I own a week in Marriott (we actually own two), I have exclusive rights to book a week in my owned season. Inventory for points and weeks are separate. So for any period of time where I have not given up by right to a week in my season (by converting to points), I can book a week in my season. Point owners can book at about the same time frames as weeks owners, but they are booking from a separate set of inventory. A Marriott week owner never loses their ability to book their week and points owners can't book up all the inventory as the inventory available to points is separate than the inventory available for weeks based reservations.

I did in 2014. It's why I left Marriott. Paid my MF and ended up with nothing. All following all the rules.

 

[NiteMaire]

What Are the Benefits?
HGV Max Members have immediate access to more than 60 resorts within the Hilton Grand Vacations Club exchange network, now with complimentary reservations at these properties. The great features and benefits current Club Members enjoy today will stay in place, such as borrowing Points, depositing Points for immediate or future stays at properties within the RCI Exchange network, and access to ClubPartner Perks and experiences such as cruises, guided journeys and special events under HGV Ultimate Access — our new experiences platform.
Future benefits coming to HGV Max Members later in 2022 and beyond include:

• An Expanded Portfolio of more than 140 properties, featuring access to the Diamond resorts network starting six months or less before check‑out.

So they are keeping the Clubs separate (as expected based on the information so far). Outside of 6 months, Diamond owners have access to DestinationXchange network, not HGVC exchange network (and vice versa). I still wonder what cross inventory Max gets access to within 6 months.

 

[dioxide45]

I did in 2014. It's why I left Marriott. Paid my MF and ended up with nothing. All following all the rules.

Based on the condo CC&R documents, in most cases you lose your rights 75 days in advance. Meaning if you fail to make a reservation inside your season and your owned season ends less than 75 days out, you technically have no rights to a reservation. Marriott scoops up those weeks to rent for cash. The only way you end up with nothing is if you fail to make a reservation 75 days before your season ends, but Marriott has shown to make exceptions and offer a replacement week deposit with II. So you should have ended up with something.

 

[dioxide45]

So they are keeping the Clubs separate (as expected based on the information so far). Diamond owners have access to DestinationXchange network, not HGVC exchange network (and vice versa). I still wonder what cross inventory Max gets access to within 6 months.

Doesn't DRI have THE Club and DEX as two separate programs? DRI Collection and point users can book inside THE Club at 10 months. If I understand everything correctly, they are just giving HGV Max members access to this same "THE Club" with the ability to make Max reservations inside 6 months. Am I mistaken with this assumption?

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Based on the condo CC&R documents, in most cases you lose your rights 75 days in advance. Meaning if you fail to make a reservation inside your season and your owned season ends less than 75 days out, you technically have no rights to a reservation. Marriott scoops up those weeks to rent for cash. The only way you end up with nothing is if you fail to make a reservation 75 days before your season ends, but Marriott has shown to make exceptions and offer a replacement week deposit with II. So you should have ended up with something.

I was outside the 75 day window. As i said, I followed all the rules. As to the II replacement, I would have had to pay the II fee, for a week I didn't want anyways. So I would have paid a MF + an II fee. The period I tried to get, I couldn't get into to reserve for 40 minutes and the opening window. Nothing left but a few tag end weeks in August in Orlando. (But Marriott had said that if I used my points from another week I owned, I could get any week I wanted - after the skim, just borrow next year's points. It wasn't that there wasn't inventory, it was just in the DC trust, and nobody had wanted it. . . ) I decided to book on after a couple of months (while still in the 75 day window). No inventory.

So I went with HGVC, which has (so far!), a fixed, week owner's only, early booking window. I have never has a problem getting peak reservations. President's week in Hawaii, no problem. Multi week block in the winter, ditto. Nor did I have to jump on the ressie line 2 seconds after the window opens.

Now HGV is starting to mimic Marriott. In the 19th century British line - "We are not amused."

 

[matsci]

So does that make the rest of us involuntary?

I am guessing voluntary are those who bought HGVC properties and involuntary are those owning timeshares in Diamond when HGVC bought Diamond who thus "involuntarily" became HGVC members.

 

[NiteMaire]

Doesn't DRI have THE Club and DEX as two separate programs? DRI Collection and point users can book inside THE Club at 10 months. If I understand everything correctly, they are just giving HGV Max members access to this same "THE Club" with the ability to make Max reservations inside 6 months. Am I mistaken with this assumption?

THE Club, DeX (for points owners), and Traditional DeX (for deeded owners) are 3 separate programs. Traditional DeX and DeX have different inventory (don't know if there's any overlap). We can each search 2 years out. The bottom line is there is no competition with HGV Max until the 6 month point. HGV Max can only search 6 months out, so Collection owners and DeX members would have had ample opportunity to book prior to that.
With regard to inventory within HGV Max, I'm not sure anyone outside of corporate knows what inventory will be available in HGV Max. I've asked related questions in other threads. My presumption is that unsold inventory and inventory from owners in HGV Max will be there...but what else? Is it inventory from unreserved units in collections? Is it inventory that would have otherwise been in DeX (both versions)? Will some of it be "common" to the Collection, DeX (both), and HGV Max on a first come basis?

 

[SmithOp]

@GT75 regarding Embarc. There was a time when HGV had an arrangement and we could book there, but I *think* it was Elite benefit only? I could be wrong, it's happened before

So that makes me believe if it comes back it will be Max only...

Sent from my Lenovo 10e using Tapatalk

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Last fall, I thought there was an announcement that Embarc HOA had voted to become part of HGVC. HGV reps told us we would have access and HGVC owners would be very happy.

They are not going to have 3 systems LT so how would those owners trade? It would not be fair to let Embarc owners automatically have access to MAX without a purchase because that would be penalizing HGVC and DRI. So where do non Max Embarc owners go?

@SmithOp Embarc was not elite only.

 

[dayooper]

@SmithOp Embarc not elite only. We booked there in 2015. Great properties.

Last fall, I thought there was an announcement that Embarc HOA had voted to become part of HGVC. HGV reps told us we would have access and HGVC owners would be very happy.

They are not going to have 3 systems LT so how would those owners trade? It would not be fair to let Embarc owners automatically have access to MAX without a purchase because that would be penalizing HGVC and DRI. So where do non Max Embarc owners go?

The letter to Embarc owners was that the resorts were high enough quality to be branded HGVC. Could Embarc just go on like nothing happened? They don’t gain anything or lose anything.

 

[dioxide45]

Last fall, I thought there was an announcement that Embarc HOA had voted to become part of HGVC. HGV reps told us we would have access and HGVC owners would be very happy.

They are not going to have 3 systems LT so how would those owners trade? It would not be fair to let Embarc owners automatically have access to MAX without a purchase because that would be penalizing HGVC and DRI. So where do non Max Embarc owners go?

@SmithOp Embarc was not elite only.

From what I understand, the Embarc announcement was a name change only for the resorts.

 

[Mowogo]

The letter to Embarc owners was that the resorts were high enough quality to be branded HGVC. Could Embarc just go on like nothing happened? They don’t gain anything or lose anything.

I could see Embarc continuing, but actually as the vehicle for the HGVC points trust. And that is why I care as a resale owner what happens with them. If they brand Embarc HGVC and then make them inaccessible to existing HGVC members it means that I am likely to only have restricted access to new resorts if at all. And in evaluating the role of HGVC in my portfolio, it definitely makes me want to start to look at other options. But then I spent less than $1000 acquiring my portfolio so it is much easier to look at walking away.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

@GT75 regarding Embarc. There was a time when HGV had an arrangement and we could book there, but I *think* it was Elite benefit only? I could be wrong, it's happened before

So that makes me believe if it comes back it will be Max only...

Sent from my Lenovo 10e using Tapatalk

We booked and stayed at the Club Intrawest / Embarc Vancouver back when it was available. I actually think that was our first or second HGV club booking. I am not elite, so it was open to everyone.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

FWIW...I do commend HGV for putting something in writing out there so quickly after the merger and making things happen.

MVC/Vistana? Well it has been how many years and "It's still coming!" Plus their website now sucks with the transition. I hope we don't see the same with MAX website.

 

[Mowogo]

FWIW...I do commend HGV for putting something in writing out there so quickly after the merger and making things happen.

MVC/Vistana? Well it has been how many years and "It's still coming!" Plus their website now sucks with the transition. I hope we don't see the same with MAX website.

Painful transition, but free enrollment if qualified vs nice transition but $7,000+ enrollment cost. I’m more likely to believe that we have an upcoming website transition that will be where the HGVC pain is.

 

[Mongoose]

What/Who are voluntary HGVC club members?

I am. The Bay Club. Affiliate Resort.

 

[alwysonvac]

So they are keeping the Clubs separate (as expected based on the information so far). Outside of 6 months, Diamond owners have access to DestinationXchange network, not HGVC exchange network (and vice versa). I still wonder what cross inventory Max gets access to within 6 months.

I have no idea what DRI inventory but historically HGVC has granted full access to all HGVC resorts when they rollout new offerings. These new owners (Hilton Club New York and By Hilton Club) have equal access to all HGVC resorts as soon as the Club booking window begins.

Based on the latest Club Point charts, HGVC owners will no longer have exclusive access to any HGVC resort within 6 months. This will provide more competition at HGVC resorts that have a shorter Club Season Window (6 months or less).

The Club Season window and HGV Max window are exactly the same timeframe for these shorter club season windows (see photo below). Great for HGV Max owners but not so great for HGVC owners hoping to book at those locations.

From the 2022 Club Reference Guide ( link)

NOTE: Currently there’s conflicting information within the new guide. The resort page for Chicago and some of the Oahu resorts differs from the summary on page 60 .

​

​

 

[iiderman]

We booked and stayed at the Club Intrawest / Embarc Vancouver back when it was available. I actually think that was our first or second HGV club booking. I am not elite, so it was open to everyone.

It was open to the general HGVC but you could book 12 months out if you were elite.. we booked the Whistler location some eight or nine years ago this way

 

[escanoe]

The Club Season window and HGV Max window are exactly the same timeframe for these shorter club season windows (see photo below). Great for HGV Max owners but not so great for HGVC owners hoping to book at those locations.

Thanks for posting this @alwysonvac! From my usage perspective, this is at minimum a micro-devaluation of what I own. I will point out, though, .... this is a net loss to all HGVC owners (even those in HGV Max). If you are an HGVC owner in Max, you still have all the new DRI competition for the same booking window you had before.