Yahoo - I own a timeshare

[mega3000]

Well all the paperwork has closed and we were able to log on to our HGVC account today.:whoopie:

Thanks to the the posters in the HGVC forum. The fact that so many people seemed to be pleased with Hilton and my confusion factor on the posts was pretty low gave me the confidence to jump in and get my feet wet.(i'm still not sure if all the confusion I had reading the SVN posts was mandatory or voluntary)

I also have to recommend Seth Nock to anyone interested in purchasing a timeshare. He had a lot of good advice and is very straightforward to deal with. All the inputs that he gave me withstood my quadruple cross-checking and calculations. We purchased our unit thru him.

I test drove the reservation system online and it appears to be pretty straightforward.

And as it stands today - my timeshares resale value is a heck of a lot better than the ESPP shares I cashed in back in Sept to fund it.:annoyed:


Tony

 

[Sir Newf]

congrats! You'll love HGVC, it's easy to use and very flexible. The website to reserve is great (Starwoods does not have one, you have to call and call)...Owning both, I believe you made a great decision and bought from a terrific reseller! The AmEx Going Global awards when traveling overseas and converting to hotel points is a great deal.

 

[Zac495]

Congratulations! You'll love Hilton. Reasonable fees that aren't rising like Marriott! Seth Nock is terrific.

 

[linsj]

Welcome to our HGVC family. You're going to enjoy being part of it. (I'm heading to Hawaii in February for the umpteenth time on my Orlando/Vegas points.)

 

[pianodinosaur]

mega3000:

Welcome to HGVC. We will be going on a Spain - Canary Island cruise in late February 2009 using HGVC points. We went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and Whistler, British Columbia in 2008 using HGVC points. Remember to use your HGVC credit card so you can get HHonors points. Hilton has some very nice hotel resorts as well.

 

[Sandy VDH]

learn as much as you can.

Hilton is great, but it also has pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how it use it well is the best thing you can do. I own Hilton and Wyndham as my primary TS portfolio. I use each for what they are good at.

So how many points did you purchase? Is this your first TS purchase?

 

[mega3000]

This is my first timeshare purchase. Before finding Tug we purchased an "exploratory package" from Westgate earlier in the year. Our first stay with the exploratory package was a getaway to the Tahiti in Vegas over Thanksgiving. With 4 kids - what an improvement over hotel rooms!(we normally stay at Embassy Suites on HHonors points.) We drove down with a weeks worth of groceries and saved a bunch of money eating out.

I purchased 5000pts at the Las Vegas Hilton. We just came back from Vegas last week and decided to add 7000pts resale at the Flamingo to our portfolio. That should close early next year.

We typically go to Orlando once every 2-3 years at Christmas time and want to spend some time in Vegas every year. It is good to hear that getting into the affiliates is a reality - Cancun in 2010 sounds good. I don't think we'll have a problem using up the points.

Tony

 

[mianmike]

Hilton is great, but it also has pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how it use it well is the best thing you can do. I own Hilton and Wyndham as my primary TS portfolio. I use each for what they are good at.

Sandy, I'm looking to to buy my first timeshare. I'm torn between Wyndham and Hilton. Hilton seems to have the nicer timeshares, but fewer and are more expensive. Wyndham timeshares aren't as nice, but have more choices and are less expensive. Does that about sum it up or are there nuances that make one stand out over the other? Thanks....

 

[Gerry]

I love HGVC I've been to Hawaii 4years nowall on my Orlando TS which I never use and part of my Flamingo, I'm extremely happy with Jilton

 

[Sandy VDH]

Sandy, I'm looking to to buy my first timeshare. I'm torn between Wyndham and Hilton. Hilton seems to have the nicer timeshares, but fewer and are more expensive. Wyndham timeshares aren't as nice, but have more choices and are less expensive. Does that about sum it up or are there nuances that make one stand out over the other? Thanks....

Hilton Pros
Nice Properties
Some great locations with good availability HI, FL, NV
Top RCI Trader
Resort Management is great
No Guest Certificate Fees

Hilton Cons
Limited locations
Limited availability at affiliates
Higher purchase price
Higher MFs
RCI Group account, not personal account
No Free upgrades in RCI, you get what you pay for
Management sometimes changes rules without much notice (eg All Inclusive Opt)

Wyndham Pros
Lots and Lots of locations
Nice units for most resorts
Presidential units are very nice
Rock Bottom purchase price
Get certain amount of free transactions
Reasonable MFs
Management is Decent
Had been at a good pace of adding new locations (economy slow this down)
Discounts on some resorts/shoulder seasons (seasonal specials 25% off etc)
50% off points at 60 days (VIP Only)
Free upgrade to large unit at 60 days (if available) (VIP Only)
Unlimited Transactions (VIP Only)

(I am VIP Platinumso these apply to me but I wouldn't buy from the developer to get VIP)


Wyndham Cons
Admin is horrible
Inconsistent resorts, some are not as nice
Management often changes rules without much notice (Change transaction and guest certificate fees)

 

[mianmike]

Hilton Pros
Nice Properties
Some great locations with good availability HI, FL, NV
Top RCI Trader
Resort Management is great
No Guest Certificate Fees

Hilton Cons
Limited locations
Limited availability at affiliates
Higher purchase price
Higher MFs
RCI Group account, not personal account
No Free upgrades in RCI, you get what you pay for
Management sometimes changes rules without much notice (eg All Inclusive Opt)

Wyndham Pros
Lots and Lots of locations
Nice units for most resorts
Presidential units are very nice
Rock Bottom purchase price
Get certain amount of free transactions
Reasonable MFs
Management is Decent
Had been at a good pace of adding new locations (economy slow this down)
Discounts on some resorts/shoulder seasons (seasonal specials 25% off etc)
50% off points at 60 days (VIP Only)
Free upgrade to large unit at 60 days (if available) (VIP Only)
Unlimited Transactions (VIP Only)

(I am VIP Platinumso these apply to me but I wouldn't buy from the developer to get VIP)


Wyndham Cons
Admin is horrible
Inconsistent resorts, some are not as nice
Management often changes rules without much notice (Change transaction and guest certificate fees)

Sandy, thanks for taking the time to put together a well-thought out reply. I really appreciate your willingness to help a stranger. This helps me a lot. Now to find a good deal on a TS.

 

[UWSurfer]

Sandy left out one item which I'm finding increasingly valuable as a HGVC Pro: The ability to convert HGVC points to HHonors points, the frequent stay program of Hilton which lets you book into any of their brands. I've been accumlating Hhonors points with a HHonors credit card and stays and have now made four stays using these over the past 2 years.

It's a nice perk and something which has both been useful and pain free.