Owner Update: How we upgraded and got HGV Max

[CalGalTraveler]

MFpp of Vegas 2 BR Gold Blvd/Paradise, Studio Platinum Trump, or 1 BR Grand Elara deeds is $0.12. Whereas 2 BR Platinum is $0.10 (Flamingo) or a little lower than that (Paradise/Boulevard). $0.15 must be some subpar deeds that aren't even worth looking at, given 2 BR Gold Blvd/Paradise can be had for not much, often for free if you look around.

Got it. I was calculating with old point values. New points are lower cost per point. Got to get my head around this 1.6x!

 

[escanoe]

I think we lost the OP @Grammarhero dow we only keep track of our wins (owners saved and having rescinded on time?)or do we also count “our failures”?

And why is this a failure or worse a collective "our failure?" Someone was informed and got what they wanted. I say it was a success and thank you to the OP. Without developer sales, there would be no resale market.

I am pro-resale for my families' needs ..... but there is no reason for the TUG community to see our dogma not spreading to others as a wrong that must be corrected. The motto at TUG is "telling the truth about timeshares." We miss that goal every once in a while by mistake, but this thread hit the mark in my view.

 

[dayooper]

And why is this a failure or worse a collective "our failure?" Somone was informed and got what they wanted. I say it was a success and thank you to the OP. Without developer sales, there would be no resale market.

I am pro-resale for my families' needs ..... but there is no reason for the TUG community to see our dogma not spreading to others as a wrong that must be corrected. The motto at TUG is "telling the truth about timeshares." We miss that goal every once in a while by mistake, this thread hit the mark in my view.

To add on, some people aren't just comfortable with buying resale. If they have been to a few sales presentations or have heard that resales aren't trustworthy, it would be harder to change their perception. I learned of HGVC from a friend who bought from the developer years ago, but suggested I look into resale so I never had the idea that resale is horrible like many have. Some people like the status of buying from the developer or like the idea of being elite. Just because I don't see the value of buying from the developer or earning elite status doesn't mean that everyone else feels the same way I do.

If @JillAndrea feels that buying through the developer is best for them (and they can afford it), why not? @CalGalTraveler mentions about buying used over new cars above, we always buy new. We have an employee discount and like the security of a full warranty and if my car is not working, it will be fixed at no cost (at least for the first few years). They employee discount allows us to not research prices on new cars as my price is fixed. The used cars we have bought had issues and we feel that the extra cost of buying a new car is worth the money to avoid the hassle of researching prices and going over the car we will buy to avoid major issues.

This community is awesome and has allowed my family to take vacations we normally couldn't take. The collective wisdom has been great and I'm sure we all will find the best route for us with the new changes to our system.

 

[Hobokie]

And why is this a failure or worse a collective "our failure?" Someone was informed and got what they wanted. I say it was a success and thank you to the OP. Without developer sales, there would be no resale market.

I am pro-resale for my families' needs ..... but there is no reason for the TUG community to see our dogma not spreading to others as a wrong that must be corrected. The motto at TUG is "telling the truth about timeshares." We miss that goal every once in a while by mistake, but this thread hit the mark in my view.

I was probably careless with my wording! I merely mean we somehow failed to communicate the points that would even make someone second-guess/understand that possible additional research would be needed. I agree with you though @escanoe , nothing "wrong" happened here. Everyone should do what makes them happy!

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I don't fault the OP for her choice. It is hers to make. Tug provides the entire set of options because she only had a one-sided view.

Perhaps we sometimes beat the resale drum too hard (myself included). Some like the comfort and convenience of buying in a sales office. That's why we bought our first retail sale. Buying resales takes time and risk. Some don't want to bother and have other priorities. If my DH bought timeshares he would have bought all retail and said "buy and move on. I don't have time to worry about this."

This also helps others (including myself) internalize MAX and retail upsales. It will help others with their decision too. I am thankful she shared her perspective.

 

[JillAndrea]

I think we lost the OP @Grammarhero dow we only keep track of our wins (owners saved and having rescinded on time?)or do we also count “our failures”?

You didn't lose me! I work a lot, but I have been reading... taking it all in. My husband will probably join the forum, he is interested in all the insights and feedback.

We did discuss all the input provided... and we are not rescinding what we purchased. We'll play it out and see how it goes.

But thank you all for your comments! I appreciate the wealth of knowledge and passion!

Jill

 

[Mongoose]

You didn't lose me! I work a lot, but I have been reading... taking it all in. My husband will probably join the forum, he is interested in all the insights and feedback.

We did discuss all the input provided... and we are not rescinding what we purchased. We'll play it out and see how it goes.

But thank you all for your comments! I appreciate the wealth of knowledge and passion!

Jill

I call that a Win. I hope you stay and enjoy the forum. Lots to learn on how to fully benefit from your timeshare.

 

[Nomad420]

I hope you knew that by owning a BHC property and paying the higher Club fees, that you already had reservation fees waived. You did not need to upgrade to max to get this.

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

My thoughts exactly being a BHC owner.

 

[JillAndrea]

My thoughts exactly being a BHC owner.

Not sure if I mentioned that our BHC purchase was classified as a "trial" - I was always under the impression that it was because it was a 4-day deed (Tuesday-Saturday) in a property that had not yet been built. At the time we just wanted to expand from an EOY deed to an EY deed and the points stayed the same, so we were not focusing much on the BHC aspect of property. In retrospect I wonder if we were not eligible for the "no reservation fee" option because of the "trial" status? Who knows.

 

[letsgobobby]

I don't fault the OP for her choice. It is hers to make. Tug provides the entire set of options because she only had a one-sided view.

Perhaps we sometimes beat the resale drum too hard (myself included). Some like the comfort and convenience of buying in a sales office. That's why we bought our first retail sale. Buying resales takes time and risk. Some don't want to bother and have other priorities. If my DH bought timeshares he would have bought all retail and said "buy and move on. I don't have time to worry about this."

This also helps others (including myself) internalize MAX and retail upsales. It will help others with their decision too. I am thankful she shared her perspective.

My first HGVC was resale; but I researched for NINE years before taking the plunge! Not everybody - maybe nobody else - is willing to wait that long!

 

[escanoe]

Not sure if I mentioned that our BHC purchase was classified as a "trial" - I was always under the impression that it was because it was a 4-day deed (Tuesday-Saturday) in a property that had not yet been built. At the time we just wanted to expand from an EOY deed to an EY deed and the points stayed the same, so we were not focusing much on the BHC aspect of property. In retrospect I wonder if we were not eligible for the "no reservation fee" option because of the "trial" status? Who knows.

There is a lot of nitpicking in this thread. You were eligible for the more expensive "no reservation fee" type of membership as a bHC owner. However, considering you had 5,000 points (going back to the original post) I seriously doubt you were making enough reservations in a year to have benefited from the increased membership fee.

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

My first HGVC was resale; but I researched for NINE years before taking the plunge! Not everybody - maybe nobody else - is willing to wait that long!

Only took me five to get the math to work

 

[Pathways]

Not sure if I mentioned that our BHC purchase was classified as a "trial" - I was always under the impression that it was because it was a 4-day deed (Tuesday-Saturday) in a property that had not yet been built. At the time we just wanted to expand from an EOY deed to an EY deed and the points stayed the same, so we were not focusing much on the BHC aspect of property. In retrospect I wonder if we were not eligible for the "no reservation fee" option because of the "trial" status? Who knows.

I have seen 1 or 2 others reference their short week purchase as a "trial'. Reality is, it was a purchase exactly like everyone else, just a unique 'mini' deed sold in NY.

Sales just uses that term when they feel it will overcome some possible barriers to making a sale with their prospect. It also sets the stage to upsell the prospect the next time they attend a sales presentation. 'You just bought a 'trial', let's get you into a 'real' week - only another 15k!!

 

[DRIless]

I don't know all the details, but our contract states that all HGVC properties remain a 9 month booking window, and all DRI properties will have a 6 month booking window. If Embarc and CI were owned and operated by Diamond Resorts then it is a 6 month booking window for HGV Owners. The way I see it, the DRI owners seem to be getting the brunt of this acquisition, so they have to give them lead time on what they own.

For us that is not so critical. Our travel style is very ad hoc... find a place that is available and either hop in the car or book a flight and go. My husband and I both have flexible work situations and can work from anywhere as long as there is decent internet access). This is another reason why the offer was so appealing to us.... lots more northeast locations we can drive to. I am looking forward to Quebec, Toronto, and Kennebunk resorts though they won't be among the first available.

 

[Msb1102]

Somebody has got to buy the deeds at retail so we can bail them out of their mistakes (at a 99% discount) 5 years later.

These new resorts and $200 gift cards for owner updates gotta get paid for some how.

You can only give so much advice. What they do with is up to them. If they come here and save, great. If they come and then decide to keep retail, also great (for us).

 

[alwysonvac]

….For our current purchase we have upgraded to an EY 10080pt HGVC deed at Ocean Tower in HI for 17k +17K bonus pts and HGV Max. We are all in for ~47K, no financing and our maintenance fees have not changed. We are not likely ever going to Hawaii, but were primarily after more points and more location flexibility- which is exactly what we got.

Rescind and research is always the preferred option since timeshare owners only have only one chance to rescind compared to endless opportunities to buy from the developer (if you still want to go down that path after your research ).

You’re on your third purchase from the developer. Going from $30k in sunken cost to close to $50k with this most recent upgrade. The sales team will always come up with some new excuse on why you need to spend additional $$ (more points, higher status, lower maintenance fees, newest resort, new program, etc.). They‘re not looking out for your best interest, like any salesman they’re looking to make their commission.

If you decide a week, month or year from now that you want out, you will be lucky to get back $6,300 ($1/point) for your one bedroom Gold week (originally 6300 points).

Here’s the asking price for a one bedroom platinum resale from Redweek.com (link)

More resorts might seems like a major enhancement but is it really at locations that are on your bucket list?
Look at the map below. Would you really visit these new DRI locations more than once? Is it worth the extra cost?

From HGVC March 2021 Presentation (link)​

For some resort/locations/travel periods, demand will always be greater than the supply (peak ski season, summer beach weeks, major holidays/events, etc). As a result, popular resorts/locations/unit types are immediately grabbed as soon as the booking window opens. These occurs in all timeshare systems. Opening up inventory several months later via HGVC MAX will only mean little to no availability especially during peak travel weeks and/or at high demand resorts/locations.

Some examples within HGVC

Any updates on Ocean Oak

I know several people have noted the total lack of availability at Ocean Oak (Hilton Head) through the end of 2020. Did anyone ever get an answer from HGV why this is the case? (I've tried to read through the threads... I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.)

tugbbs.com

HGVC Barbados at the Crane Availability

Has anyone booked a stay here at the 9 month window recently? Wondering what availability is like? I was thinking of booking for Presidents Day week in 2022. Should I start walking a reservation now? It’s particularly annoying to do that since this resort can not be booked on the app, and would...

tugbbs.com

Tips on booking Hilton Vilamoura during high season

We have checked for the past few years (minus this one) to try to get this property but, of course, we want to go in summer. Any non-owners ever have luck getting a unit in July? Just wondering if it is really possible!! Thanks in advance.

tugbbs.com

Question about walking reservations

Just a quick question on walking a reservation. Is it better to already have an existing reservation and change it or start a brand new reservation? Does the time you take entering your credit card for the transaction make it more difficult to book those popular resorts? When I walked a...

tugbbs.com

​

Beware of affiliated resorts within any timeshare system. It may mean limited availability depending on the arrangement.

Some examples within HGVC

HGCV Florida Gulf Coast

There are 17 resorts on Florida West Coast broken down into 9 on Captiva Island 3 on Sanibel Island 5 on Marco Island Has anyone done a better analysis such as the most desirable locations or tips on how to book them? They all appear to have limited availability and are hard to book. I see a...

tugbbs.com

Why Reservations are Limited at Legacy Affiliates

We just returned from a stay at Plantation Beach Club - Indian River Plantation. While there I had an interesting conversation with the on-site HGVC sales-rep... Amanda has been there 19 years and she's more a transfer + enrollment agent. There's no active sales operation, but she'll mention...

tugbbs.com

Good Luck and Welcome to TUG

 

[SmithOp]

thanks @alwysonvac I had forgotten that investor PowerPoint from the acquisition last year, interesting to compare now that Max is rolling out.

Sent from my Lenovo 10e using Tapatalk

 

[brp]

My guess is if someone wants to go to Kauai, Maui, Sedona, Tahoe or Virginia Beach on a regular basis, you might just want to purchase a resale deed there. The cost would be much less and you will have a better chance to get the exact date you want.

This is precisely what I have in mind for the future.

Cheers.

 

[letsgobobby]

Assuming you mean buying through DRI, the downside is higher MF and having to learn a whole new system. Obviously earlier availability is a huge plus. The one advantage of Max is no added MF; but if it doesn't actually get you access to bookable reservations at six months then it would be overpriced even at $1.

 

[dayooper]

Assuming you mean buying through DRI, the downside is higher MF and having to learn a whole new system. Obviously earlier availability is a huge plus. The one advantage of Max is no added MF; but if it doesn't actually get you access to bookable reservations at six months then it would be overpriced even at $1.

When you buy a resale deed, I believe it’s slightly cheaper as you don’t pay dues for The Club. I could be wrong here, but that’s how I remember it.

 

[Bob from Upstate]

Wow. This is quite a thread. Let's just go forward from here and see how it goes. Looking forward to traveling soon.

 

[Mongoose]

When you buy a resale deed, I believe it’s slightly cheaper as you don’t pay dues for The Club. I could be wrong here, but that’s how I remember it.

I purchased Bay Club which is an affiliate. I don't have to Join the club, but if I do, the fees are $399 plus annual club fees of $193. To make a reservation I have to work directly with the resort. I believe if you have a HGVC resort you do have to join the club for around $695 plus annual club fee.