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NYC availability

Dreday

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Ive stayed a few times at West 57th street, sea world, and a few other HGVC units through owner rentals.

Im looking at purchasing and would like to get HGVC owners opinions on how easy it is to get a booking in NY (west57 & the residences).

  1. if I was to purchase outside of NY and tried to book a studio booked during club season would it be difficult for non events etc or would I struggle for availability?
  2. is NY always booked up by owners? Or is there availability typically?
  3. how successful have non BHC owners been in getting 3/4 days in NY?
  4. would someone be willing to share a view of availability at the moment?
 

tombanjo

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this is a weird year to view availability as travel is so screwed up - I own there, so my point of view is own there to get the better booking, but I have used regular club points to book. It might be more of a watch all the time and book when available. I used October as it is the club season window, HCNY is owners only. and says "TBD" but opens sames date as the Quin
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GT75

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Im looking at purchasing and would like to get HGVC owners opinions on how easy it is to get a booking in NY (west57 & the residences).
I think that it also depends on how often you plan to try to utilize a bHC resort, how flexible you are, and where you are traveling from. I assume that you also know the booking window (found here) if you are trying to book a bHC with HGVC points. I agree with @tombanjo, what s/he has posted is not normal times.
 

Dreday

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Travelling from Chicago and I can be quite flexible.

I like to visit once every year or every other year. I’ve seen the booking window and that makes sense.

I guess I just wanted toknow how difficult other members find booming NYC 60 days out?
 

GT75

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I can be quite flexible.
This is the key to booking some of the more difficult locations. I assume then that you mainly want to use your ownership at regular HGVC resorts.
wanted toknow how difficult other members find booming NYC 60 days out?
Honestly, I have never booked a bHC resort, so I will need to defer to our TUG members which follow the NYC bHC resorts.
 

tombanjo

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Weekends are the most popular days and get booked first, as many people use it as a quick trip to see a show weekend kind thing. Weekends are the highest points too. So if you can book midweek for vacation, there is much greater freedom to get something, and at advantageous points too. Since two new properties are opening, there is going to be more availability than ever before. But, I bet there will be lots of promotion and offering of packages by HGVC to get feet in the door for selling. If you notice, the Quin already has holes in the October availability. Obviously, in selling the Quin or Central, the new owners are paying premium prices and will undoubtedly want to stay in their new properties. In terms of buying Vegas so you can stay in NYC all the time, it is a complete crap shoot as there are so many unknown parts rolling around right now. People like broadway shows and if they remain closed, there will be less demand. That is a factor (hopefully) for only this year. For me, if the strategy is have a few short notice vacations in the city every year, buy there. Yes it is more expensive, but meets my goals and planning ability.
 

Dreday

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This is the key to booking some of the more difficult locations. I assume then that you mainly want to use your ownership at regular HGVC resorts.

Honestly, I have never booked a bHC resort, so I will need to defer to our TUG members which follow the NYC bHC resorts.
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Correct, I primarily would use my ownership for bookings at other HGVC resorts. In your experience which resorts are difficult to book into?
 

Dreday

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Weekends are the most popular days and get booked first, as many people use it as a quick trip to see a show weekend kind thing. Weekends are the highest points too. So if you can book midweek for vacation, there is much greater freedom to get something, and at advantageous points too. Since two new properties are opening, there is going to be more availability than ever before. But, I bet there will be lots of promotion and offering of packages by HGVC to get feet in the door for selling. If you notice, the Quin already has holes in the October availability. Obviously, in selling the Quin or Central, the new owners are paying premium prices and will undoubtedly want to stay in their new properties. In terms of buying Vegas so you can stay in NYC all the time, it is a complete crap shoot as there are so many unknown parts rolling around right now. People like broadway shows and if they remain closed, there will be less demand. That is a factor (hopefully) for only this year. For me, if the strategy is have a few short notice vacation s in the city every year, buy there. Yes it is more expensive, but meets my goals and planning ability.

Not too concerned about staying over the weekend so I guess that should help my chances but I am starting to think it would be best to own in NY instead of Vegas.

What are your thoughts on The Residency VS West 57th?
 

GT75

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Correct, I primarily would use my ownership for bookings at other HGVC resorts. In your experience which resorts are difficult to book into?
I would say that the toughest HGVC resorts to book are ski weeks at Valdoro & Sunrise Lodges, anytime at Ocean Oak and Lagoon Tower. Again, the key is flexibility and book exactly when the club season window opens.

Not too concerned about staying over the weekend so I guess that should help my chances but I am starting to think it would be best to own in NY instead of Vegas.
One thing to note is most TUG members (edited), in general, don't use their bHC points to book HGVC resorts.
 
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tombanjo

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The Residences are part of the giant Hilton Midtown hotel. Hilton Club New York was the first Timeshare in NYC, and based on floors 36,37,38. Residences are on 44,45,46 - the top floors except for sales on 47. W57th is a purposed built timeshare, much like an apartment building. The lobby is just a few check in desks and the elevator. For Midtown, being a giant hotel, there is a lot more stuff, hotel check ins, concierge desk, bars and restaurants,valet parking etc. Some people like the hustle of hotel gigantic, and others prefer the calm of a more residential property. Each club has their own lounge for owners only.
 

GT75

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Just to ensure you caught what @tombanjo stated in an earlier post, Hilton Club New York can only be booked by owners who own there.
 

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One thing to note is most HGV owners, in general, don't use their bHC points to book HGVC resorts.

There's no evidence for this statement.

When I went to a sales meeting at bHC they specifically tried to up the value by telling me I could use it elsewhere.

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tombanjo

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You can use all points (almost) everywhere, but at double the MF there is no value doing so. So the statement by sales is silly. You can also let your points sit till they expire, but that is not a good value proposition either, even though I am sure it occurs. People pay premium prices and fees for NY and most likely use them to their advantage. Only HGVC can access that usage data, but efficient markets dictate most likely use is in NY.
 

escanoe

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And we all know there is consistent, strong, empirical evidence backing what the sales representatives say.

Just because you can does not mean you should. It is not something experienced HGVC users would do often.

There's no evidence for this statement.

When I went to a sales meeting at bHC they specifically tried to up the value by telling me I could use it elsewhere.
 

rjp123

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It is not something experienced HGVC users would do often.

And where's your empirical evidence to substantiate your statement?

HGV sells itself as a network of properties you can book into if you own at one. This is a primary selling point regardless of the location you go to for your sales presentation.

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GT75

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There's no evidence for this statement.
Sorry, I meant to say TUG members, so I did edit my post. Here is a reference. You can search for TUG for more references.

edited post: refer also to @tombanjo post above for the reasoning behind this statement.

When I went to a sales meeting at bHC they specifically tried to up the value by telling me I could use it elsewhere.
Sure, you can use your bHC points for HGVC and also cruises, Hilton hotels along with many other things. But that will not be the best use of your points.
 
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brp

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There's no evidence for this statement.

When I went to a sales meeting at bHC they specifically tried to up the value by telling me I could use it elsewhere.

True. We know that people make poor decisions with their timeshares regularly, so I'm sure that this does happen. People on TUG, at least, are smarter than that.

Cheers.
'
 

Cyberc

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There's no evidence for this statement.

When I went to a sales meeting at bHC they specifically tried to up the value by telling me I could use it elsewhere.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

I can’t point to some specific evidence saying that it is so.

However I you bought into a pool of cars and paid extra to be able to book premium cars like an Audi, BMW or Porsche before most else, why would you then downgrade to a Toyota or Opel unless you really really really really have to?
 

Cyberc

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Btw another reason to own in NYC is the AI member option which at an additional fee gives you unlimited bookings each year at no extra cost at any HGVC or bHC property.

cant say if this applies to all bHC ownerships or only for NYC.
 

CalGalTraveler

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The other factor is the type of NYC experience you desire. If you want lounge access - breakfast, snacks, appetizers - and additional space outside your room, you need to own in NYC. I you want access to the better rooms or a penthouse you need to own. If you dont care, cheapest cost, room roulette, and happy with just a room then trade.
 

Bxian

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Since we are only a 90-minute train ride to midtown Manhattan, we have stayed at West 57th 3 times. It has always been in a shoulder season time period. I've gotten a studio, studio plus and a one-bedroom. One annoying factor is the imposition of a housekeeping fee ($85 at the time of our stays) for visits of less than a week. As a non-owner, they allowed us access to the lounge as a one-time courtesy because my sister (who was with us) was undergoing cancer surgery at Sloan Kettering. The lounge is nice (think along the lines of a nicer Executive Lounge experience that you get at some hotels as a Hilton Diamond). However, I'm not sure that I would buy just to have access to the lounge. In terms of other hard to access properties, add SW Florida (Marco Island and Fort Myers) to the list. We own at one of them (Charter Club of Marco).
 

brp

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The lounge is nice (think along the lines of a nicer Executive Lounge experience that you get at some hotels as a Hilton Diamond). However, I'm not sure that I would buy just to have access to the lounge.

As an owner at W. 57th, I can agree with this. It is nice, but I can easily see feeling that it is not worth the cost premium if one can otherwise get desired dates using regular club points.

Cheers.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Since we are only a 90-minute train ride to midtown Manhattan, we have stayed at West 57th 3 times. It has always been in a shoulder season time period. I've gotten a studio, studio plus and a one-bedroom. One annoying factor is the imposition of a housekeeping fee ($85 at the time of our stays) for visits of less than a week. As a non-owner, they allowed us access to the lounge as a one-time courtesy because my sister (who was with us) was undergoing cancer surgery at Sloan Kettering. The lounge is nice (think along the lines of a nicer Executive Lounge experience that you get at some hotels as a Hilton Diamond). However, I'm not sure that I would buy just to have access to the lounge. In terms of other hard to access properties, add SW Florida (Marco Island and Fort Myers) to the list. We own at one of them (Charter Club of Marco).

We fly in from California for at least 4 days and enjoy having more than a hotel room and sitting on the outdoor patio. We also enjoy meeting other owners in the lounge and sharing tips on shows and places to see.

If you are only looking for a place to rest your head, club is much more cost effective. Similarly, when I go to Hawaii, I want oceanfront or oceanview. Others don't mind resort view to save a few bucks. It's the BMW vs. Chevy experience that @Cyberc mentioned earlier. Worth it to me. To each his own.
 

brp

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If you are only looking for a place to rest your head, club is much more cost effective. Similarly, when I go to Hawaii, I want oceanfront or oceanview. Others don't mind resort view to save a few bucks. It's the BMW vs. Chevy experience that @Cyberc mentioned earlier. Worth it to me. To each his own.

I'm not sure I agree with this comparison (and I really like the lounge). if one really could get the dates one wanted on club points, one could use he substantial savings to spend time in places much nicer than the lounge. Hardly Chevy, more Cadillac vs. BMW. Some want the Caddy, some the BMW. But one can certainly easily have an experience superior to the W. 57th lounge.

However, also coming from CA, I want to be able to get my dates at 276 days, and the lounge is a very nice additional benefit.

Cheers.
 
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