Need HGVC advice

[Bootser]

I am considering the purchase of an HGVC timeshare. I have read much of the advice on TUG. I have been considering a 2 BR with 7000 points so that I can trade into the platnum seasons. At this point I think that Hawaii would be my most likely location for trading into. However in all likelihood I would not be able to use it every year. So I have been thinking that one of the Las Vegas resorts in an every other year might work. These do not appear to for sale as often.
I am now wondering if a 5000 every year might accomplish the same thing. Since there appears to be ways to carry forward points and/or borrow from next years, this would give me the necessary 7000 points. Granted the maintenance fees would be higher per point, but it also seems the purchase price for Gold points is so much lower that it might be an economical trade off.
In my situation I am wondering whether the increase cost up front warrants the lower annual cost?
What am I missing to need to consider?

 

[myip]

Have you consider affliated HGVC resort? Hilton Scotland is cheap for 7000 points.

 

[jlee2070]

Maint Fee's would be a lot less in Vegas or Orlando (as compared to Hawaii). Just remember, you are limited to a 9 Month Reservation Window if you want Hawaii and don't own at that particular home resort. The 12 Month window also has some "restrictions" in that you must reserved the season and size of unit you own...

Being that there is no cost or penalties for borrowing points from the following year, your strategy would work provided you intend to do it every other year. You will probably have points left over that you can use or can be deposited over to the next year (for a $69 fee)...

Maybe the downside would be maint fees would be every year instead of eoy...

 

[CaliDave]

I would buy a 4800 or 5000 in Vegas. It will meet your needs.. just make sure you book at 9 months out for Hawaii and you'll be fine.. unless you are trying to get Xmas or New years.. then you'd have to own in Hawaii

 

[Dalownerx3]

One option you might want to consider is to buy a every year in Hawaii and deposit the unused points in to your Hilton Honors account. According to the salesperson, that can be used to book regular hotel rooms and those points never expire.

Disclaimer - This is what I heard from the salesperson. Not sure how easy it is to do in real life.

 

[linsj]

One option you might want to consider is to buy a every year in Hawaii and deposit the unused points in to your Hilton Honors account. According to the salesperson, that can be used to book regular hotel rooms and those points never expire.

Buying to trade for points is a waste of money; the conversion rate is pathetic.

Buying an EOY with enough points for the size of unit, length of time, and time of year you want to go to Hawaii is a viable plan. I own in Orlando but have gone to Hawaii most of the time and have never had a problem getting what I want when I want it 9 months out--and even less.

 

[Bill4728]

If hawaii is where you want to go, I'd plan on having more than 7000 points to get there. An annual vegas TS worth 5000 points, will give you 10,000 points for a trip to Hawaii EOY.

 

[Bootser]

Buying to trade for points is a waste of money; the conversion rate is pathetic.

Buying an EOY with enough points for the size of unit, length of time, and time of year you want to go to Hawaii is a viable plan. I own in Orlando but have gone to Hawaii most of the time and have never had a problem getting what I want when I want it 9 months out--and even less.

It is good to hear that you have used your Orlando to trade to Hawaii and have been successful.
I am also curious about your statement that the trading for points is a waste of money. I do not have any experience trying to use hotel points (HHonors) to get free hotels, but 7000 points would get 161,000 HHonors points as I understand it. This seem like it would be good enough to pull down a week in a location where there is not a lot of timeshare coverage. i.e. Europe or similar location with little or no timeshare coverage.
I guess it boils down to the cost per point which would be maintenance fees plus conversion cost.

 

[jlee2070]

I know a Hilton Category 5 Hotels cost 35,000 points per night... The 161,000 points would get you 4.6 nights. Balance that against the MF's for 7000 points at the place you have. I think most Cat 6's run about $400 per night (in NYC anyways)...

 

[Bill4728]

I know a Hilton Category 6 Hotels cost 35,000 points per night... The 161,000 points would get you 4.6 nights. Balance that against the MF's for 7000 points at the place you have. I think most Cat 6's run about $400 per night (in NYC anyways)...

Cat 6 is 40K/night (not 35K)

But there are several rewards were you can get 6 nights at a special rate. Like 6 nights at Hilton hotel Waikoloa for 175K points.

 

[chesterbhoy]

If you book 6 nights at a Cat6, it will be 175,000 Hhonors points and for Cat5 it would be 150,000 Hhonors points.

When you look at the nightly rates at Cat6 Hilton hotels in London, Rome Cavalieri, Mauritius, Seychelles or Maldives - then I do not think exchanging HGVC points into Hhonors is a waste of money.

The views with a VERY large brandy from the Executive Lounge of the Hilton Rome Cavalieri, would be worth my 7000 Orlando HGVC points and MF!!!!!

 

[JonathanIT]

Buying to trade for points is a waste of money; the conversion rate is pathetic.

I strongly disagree with this as well. I've been an HGVC owner for less than a year, and I've had 15 stays at HGVC properties and a 6-night HHonors stay. I primarily pay cash for open season rates at HGVC properties and save the points for HHonors conversion (only used points for two HGVC stays).

A 7 night stay at Waikoloa 2BR would cost 7K HGVC points (platinum week). You can rent the same unit for seven nights @ less than $106/night with open season ($740/week). This same unit rents to the general public (when even available) for $600/night! Take advantage of the rates and save the points for HHonors!

6,522 HGVC pts. will instantly convert to over 150K HHonors points, enough for a VIP Reward stay for 6 nights in a catergory 5 hotel. I used just such a certificate for a 6-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in NYC in June. The same stay would have cost me nearly $3K in cash. I paid absolutely $0.00 upon checkout... and I absolutely loved every minute of my stay!!

Now, granted the one hotel room at HGI Times Square was not nearly as spacious as a 2BR... but it's NYC! Plenty fine accommodations for me and my friend (who incidentally paid me $100/night for his share of the room, so I actually made some spending money ). And don't forget in the example I'm using... after the conversion you would still have 478 HGVC points left from 7K, which would be enough for a two night stay in a studio (during a gold week) at another HGVC property!

You have to compare the alternative... paying insane hotel prices per/night vs. using the points. You have no choice if there are no timeshare properties in places you want to visit. The way I look at it: I "traded" paid nights at HGVC with my cheap rates for very expensive accommodations in NYC (two nights during my stay were at a rate of $439/night if booked with cash!).

And BTW, I did stay at Waikoloa for five days in July (platinum) with open season. The reservation was not that hard, it just takes a little dedication at the HGVC website.

Now granted, it only works out as really advantageous if you utilize the HHhonors points to their maximum value. IOW, don't waste them on paying for a couple nights at the Hampton Inn in Duluth. Save them for properties in locales that you could not get without paying through the nose. And use the VIP rewards for 6-night stays, it saves over 10K pts./night over the nightly HHonors rate. European category 6 properties are my next goal! It's not hard to get great values from working the HGVC system, if you just study it a little. I'm surprised at how many long time owners are unaware of how things work.

I would not categorize the HHonors benefit for HGVC owners as "pathetic" at all. In fact I consider it one of the most valuable parts of the whole program.

But that's just MHO based on experience from ten months of ownership (and loving every minute!).

 

[jlee2070]

6,522 HGVC pts. will instantly convert to over 150K HHonors points, enough for a VIP Reward stay for 6 nights in a catergory 5 hotel. I used just such a certificate for a 6-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in NYC in June. The same stay would have cost me nearly $3K in cash. I paid absolutely $0.00 upon checkout... and I absolutely loved every minute of my stay!!

This is strange... I just (today) booked the same Cat 5 Hotel (Hilton Garden Inn in NYC) for May '08 and the points rate was 35K per night. This would mean 210K for 6 nights. Your calculations show it cost only 25K points per night... Wonder why the difference???

 

[myip]

This is strange... I just (today) booked the same Cat 5 Hotel (Hilton Garden Inn in NYC) for May '08 and the points rate was 35K per night. This would mean 210K for 6 nights. Your calculations show it cost only 25K points per night... Wonder why the difference???

You should use the VIP award... for 150K.. Call HHonors and tell them to use VIP award. If you booked on the website, it will use the daily point value.

 

[linsj]

I am also curious about your statement that the trading for points is a waste of money.

I look at it from the perspective of how many nights I can get for the points. Using my 5,000 points for a studio (which is all I really need) = 3+ weeks at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Converting them to HHonors points = 115,000 points, not enough for 3 nights at the same resort.

I accumulate a lot of Hilton hotel points each year, so using my TS points for hotels doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[JonathanIT]

This is strange... I just (today) booked the same Cat 5 Hotel (Hilton Garden Inn in NYC) for May '08 and the points rate was 35K per night. This would mean 210K for 6 nights. Your calculations show it cost only 25K points per night... Wonder why the difference???

In my post here:

And use the VIP rewards for 6-night stays, it saves over 10K pts./night over the nightly HHonors rate.

You have to use the booking/rate code on the website when you book the room (look in the VIP rewards section). They will then e-mail you a certificate good for 6-nights which you present upon check-in. A six night minimum stay is required to get the certificate, but they recently expanded the reward to include the special rate for stays up to 14 nights. There is a different code for each category of hotel/number of nights.

Try this link: HHonors VIP

 

[JonathanIT]

Call HHonors and tell them to use VIP award. If you booked on the website, it will use the daily point value.

These can be booked on the website very easily, but the proper codes need to be used when booking online. It was very easy when I did it, and the certificate was e-mailed instantly.

 

[JonathanIT]

I look at it from the perspective of how many nights I can get for the points. Using my 5,000 points for a studio (which is all I really need) = 3+ weeks at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Converting them to HHonors points = 115,000 points, not enough for 3 nights at the same resort.

I accumulate a lot of Hilton hotel points each year, so using my TS points for hotels doesn't make any sense to me.

Well... almost. I think the calculations are slightly off. First of all, HHV only has some Gold and mostly Platinum season rates, so most of the year its 2+ weeks (2,200 pts/week) instead of 3+. Those 2,200 pts convert to over 50K HHonors pts. If used with the VIP rewards certificate I discussed, that would be worth two nights towards the total for six nights.

The week at the HHV if booked open season could be had for $460.00 (even less if Elite). Two nights at a premium location Hilton brand hotel (like NYC in the example I gave) can cost over $400/night. So theoretically you're getting over $800 for your 2,200 HGVC pts instead of $460. I still think an argument could be made that it's good deal.

Like I said, it's all how/when you use the HGVC points vs. how/when/where you use the HHonors points. Both can be used to either advantage, or improperly wasted away in both places.

In the example quoted, of course I would never recommend using HHonors points at an HGVC property (HHV) where you can use HGVC points directly for a massive savings! And of course you can get maximum mileage out of points by staying in a studio for three weeks at one property during gold season... but the whole point is that they can be utilized for fantastic locales all over the globe using the Hilton's thousands of worldwide properties; no need to limit yourself to just HGVC.

 

[chesterbhoy]

An example of value for money if Hhonors Points used - Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa - King Hillside Villas - $1180 per night (Check-in: Sat 01 Sep 2007 & Check-out: Fri 07 Sep 2007).

If a VIP Reward code was used, this would be 175,000points.

 

[StuckinChicago]

Here is some futher clarification on converting to HHonors points for those that are interested:

--As an HGVC owner you would be eligible for VIP Rewards. For a 6 night stay they are 150K points for Category 5 hotel and 175K points for a Category 6. This is the best use of the points.

--If you have the Hilton AmEx, it opens up another reward code for you called AXON. This will get you 4 nights in a Cat 6 for 125K points.

--You can call either HHONORS or HGVClub to reserve the nights using the VIP reward. I normally reserve the reward stay via the HHONORS desk since they have more experience in booking these types of reward request. If all of your points are in your HHONORS account then request the award certificate from the HHONORS desk at no charge. However if you are using HGVClub points or a combination of both, then you must call the HGVClub desk to obtain the award certificate and pay their service charge fee.

--Conversion to HHonors points:
It is currently 20:1 for current year reservations of fewer than 6 nights. If you are booking 6 nights using one of the going global VIP Rewards, you can do this any time during the year and you'll get 23 for 1.

--If you have Gold or Diamond HHonors status there are no blackout dates for using your Honors points or for the VIP rewards.

--I highly, highly recommend the Hilton AmEx, since it is SO easy to earn points. We charge just about everything and if you charge more than $20K in any 12 month period, you are automatically upgraded to Gold HHonors. We charge enough to get us a 6 night VIP reward about every 13-15 months. Our next one will be used at the Hilton Waikoloa Village!! This more than rounds out our growing TS portfolio, and like what has already been stated, it is a great option for going places where there are no timeshares.

 

[Bootser]

Here is some futher clarification on converting to HHonors points for those that are interested:


--Conversion to HHonors points:
It is currently 20:1 for current year reservations of fewer than 6 nights. If you are booking 6 nights using one of the going global VIP Rewards, you can do this any time during the year and you'll get 23 for 1.

Thanks for the explanation. That is a lost of detail.
Somewhere, I think in the sticky for HGVC, it says that the conversion is 23:1. Is this incorrect, is it now 20:1

 

[Cathyb]

great topic and strategies that are helping us decide our moves, thank you all.

 

[nonutrix]

About four weeks ago I converted bonus points to HHonor points at a rate of 23 to one. Is there a difference in the conversion rates for club points?

nonutrix

 

[JonathanIT]

Thanks for the explanation. That is a lost of detail.
Somewhere, I think in the sticky for HGVC, it says that the conversion is 23:1. Is this incorrect, is it now 20:1

Yeah, I think this might be confusing... the conversion is a straight 23:1 for HGVC to HHonors. I think he was talking about a differing rate if you book HGVC points for Hilton Hotel stays through HGVC directly. It is the same difference if you use HHonors points; it will cost you more points if you stay less than six nights.

Once again to clarify: if you are converting HGVC to HHonors, you get a straight across the board 23:1 conversion rate deposited into you HHonors account. It will show up instantly as well, which is nice. This allows you to book with HHonors immediately, as they require that you have the available points at the time of booking (even if your stay is 11 months from now). Also, HHonors reward stays are fully changeable and allow for cancellation. Points will be redeposited into you account if canceled.

I am in concurrence that it is best to just make the conversion first and book directly with HHonors, either by calling or through the website. It saves having to deal with the confusing table that HGVC uses to pay for hotel stays with HGVC points.

 

[JonathanIT]

We charge enough to get us a 6 night VIP reward about every 13-15 months. Our next one will be used at the Hilton Waikoloa Village!! This more than rounds out our growing TS portfolio, and like what has already been stated, it is a great option for going places where there are no timeshares.

Isn't this similar to the situation given as an example by linsj above where you are using HHonors points for a reward stay at an HGVC property (Hilton Waikoloa)? I full agree with him; why use your HHonors points there when you can use either HGVC points or pay open season cash rates. Save your HHonors points for somewhere that has no HGVC property!