In early September, I got a phone call during work asking if I wanted to take advantage of a 3-day, 2-night Hilton hotel deal in a location of my choosing. I could have said no on the spot. But maybe because I was one-month into my new six-figure salary job, or that regular trips to Canada for said job had given me a travel itch, I stayed on the line. As you can guess from the title, the only catch was that I would have to attend a two-hour presentation for a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare during my trip.
Why I Got The Call
As a part of my new job, I was flying to Toronto on the reg. In the two months I was employed there, I made at least four separate trips. As a Hilton Honors member (well, I sign up for everything), the flurry of activity after years of nothing must have flagged me in whatever algorithm they use to mark prospects.
The Offer
Here was the initial offer on the phone: for the price of one night, I could get two nights in one of three locations. Based on my address (which was an old one), I could choose a stay in Orlando, Las Vegas, or New York City.
My initial urge was Orlando. I could surprise Ian with the paid-for stay, and we could do Disney/Universal. Then I realized that was my dream trip, not his. So instead, in a misguided attempt at frugalness, I figured I could use the hotel room instead to host family over the holiday. After all, NYC apartments are tiny and my parents would be far more comfortable in a hotel room if they ever made a trip.
Shame on me, but I didn’t bother telling Hilton that my address had changed. Since I wavered between taking the promotion, Hilton sweetened the deal considerably. My final promotion package was:
- A 3-night stay in NYC for four (I got an extra night with very little effort)
- A $100 voucher (more on this later)
- A $100 mail-in rebate towards any booked Hilton stay in the 6 months following my trip
- 5,000 Hilton Honors Points
At that time, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be unemployed just a short month later. I took the deal. Total cost paid including taxes and fees: $285.75.
Regrets, I’ve Had A Few
My first inkling of regret set in that evening, when I got home and told Ian all about what I had done. His response was to laugh and call me ridiculous. (I mean, he’s not wrong.)
As the weeks wore on, Hilton began pressuring me to pick a date for my trip. It was far too early to get holiday travel commitments from my family, so I eventually just picked a window as close to Christmas as possible. I knew that if I waited too long, all the good time slots would be gone.
Without getting too into the details, my timing wasn’t optimal. I got a little desperate, and, in a sense, went through the five stages of grief over having made such a ridiculous purchase. I made a half-hearted effort to see if any close friends wanted the room (I would’ve been happy to give it as a gift!) However, no one wanted it, and I was stuck with a 3-night stay in a city that I already live in. NYC staycation, anyone?
Once I fully accepted that I would be staying in the room, things were more manageable. I’ve always found hotels to be fun. In my last job, I got in the habit of always watching HGTV whenever I was away from home. So on night one, I checked in, whipped out a face mask, and got comfortable with the Property Brothers. All I had to do now was get through the sales pitch and I could put this whole thing behind me.
Attending The Pitch
Rolling into the pitch venue, I became immediately aware of just how young I was compared to everyone else walking in. I’m nearly 27, but I felt like a kid who mistakenly walked into a PTA meeting. The entire experience was amusing, so I just tried to enjoy it as much as possible. There were multiple coffee/tea/water stations, and once I got to the upper level (where the pitches happen) there was some sub-par finger food.
On the phone and in communications from Hilton, I was told to allot two hours for the sales presentation. I was in and out of there in 70 minutes. Had I been firm from the get-go, I’m sure it would’ve taken under an hour.
This was my first interaction with timeshares, but I imagine sales pitches all follow a similar framework. To get through it faster, do what the Cheeky Traveler did, and just say you don’t like to travel. I made the mistake of admitting I love traveling, and worse, that Italy would be a dream vacation. The salesman knew he had a good hook.
Photo by Lopez Robin on Unsplash
Luckily, by pointing out that I was currently unemployed (only half true) and couldn’t think about taking on a monthly payment for anything, I got out of there fairly quickly. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience. Everyone was extremely nice, and sitting there for an hour was totally worth getting my $100 voucher and $100 rebate.
Is a Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare A Good Deal?
Part of why I didn’t skedaddle out of the pitch center as fast as possible was because I wanted to see some numbers. I wanted to know in what kind of scenario would a timeshare actually make sense. In the hour I was there, I didn’t get much clarity here, but my general sense was that this could make sense if you met the following criteria:
- Flexible PTO schedule (to take advantage of great point deals)
- Committed to traveling yearly
- Comfortable enough financially to essentially front-load the cost of a lifetime of vacation slots
- Comfortable with committing to Hilton and its sister brands
- Unwilling to “slum it” on vacations or take non-traditional options (AirBnB, couch-surfing, etc.)
- Not a hotel travel hacker (via options like credit cards)
Packages are customizable, but because I’m so young (as the salesman mentioned multiple times), I was quoted something on the “cheap” end. Roughly, for the cost of $140-$160 over 10 years, I could expect to own a timeshare valued at $16,000. There was no mention of HOA fees (no surprise), but that’s yearly and paid on top of the monthly cost to own. For that price, I could expect to claim 7-10 nights in a studio apartment with a Hilton Grand Vacations property. The number of nights would of course depend on the travel season.
Another interesting note – I was told that when owners do sell their timeshare, they typically lose ~20% of their investment. I have no way of proving this and the guy I spoke to later admitted that’s just what he tells everyone upfront, but it’s interesting nonetheless. [Update: I’ve been corrected by someone on Twitter that losing 80%, not 20%, of your investment is more accurate, but I don’t have data to back this up.]
Take The Trip, Not The Pitch
Given the option, I would take a promotional trip for Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares again, albeit to a location I don’t live in. It’s a great discounted rate for a hotel, and with all the time I waste doing nothing on a normal day, an hour attending a presentation is no skin off my back.
On a final note, that $100 voucher? Initially, I thought that it would be useable at the hotel only, for room service and whatnot. To my surprise, I can use these vouchers at so many spots throughout NYC! You read that correctly, vouchers. Instead of one $100 voucher, Hilton gave me four $25 vouchers, which means I don’t have to spend it all in one place. I can choose from a selection of bars, restaurants, museums, spas, and other places throughout Manhattan. They don’t expire until March, and they’re redeemable towards alcohol, so to me, this might as well be cash. This really brings my trip cost from $285.75 to $185.75, or $62/night. Not bad at all for NYC.
August 2022 Post update: I originally wrote up my experience in 2018, and it has since become my most popular post; I’m glad people find it helpful! While I still don’t regret the experience itself (not that painful) and the vouchers definitely made it worthwhile, over the last couple of years, I get called at least once or twice a month on whether I would like another trip. During the pandemic, some of the salespeople over the phone have been quite aggressive. Want to avoid the annoying calls? At the end of the presentation, when you get asked whether you’d be willing to be contacted again, make sure to say no! That was my mistake.
Comments
I used to get these offers all the time when I was a Diamond member with Hilton Honors, and I’ve been Gold for 2 years and haven only been solicited once. My offers are always for Orlando (I live in Florida, so it could be a staycation) or Myrtle Beach or Vegas. I’ve never been to Vegas, but it’s definitely the most difficult to access from my home airport. Maybe I’ll hop on one of these deals before my Gold status expires in March.
As long as the travel to and from is reasonably priced, that could be a fun trip, indeed! Try to see if you can keep the presentation experience under 40 min – then I’ll really be impressed! š
Okay this is fascinating! I know I have a hard time being firm (I feel so bad, which is stupid) but it would be worth being uncomfortable for the deal!
Thank you for your advice! I just accepted an offer for a Vegas trip and was hoping to find out a bit more from someone who has experienced it.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Vegas, and that youāre able to keep time spent in the presentation as short as possible!
I bought 4 days and 3 nights in Mrytle Beach SC. Covid has put a damper on things but looking forward to it.
Iām Diamond so I pay for our vacation in Clearwater FL every year with points. No chance of me buying a timeshare.
Good! It’s been a while since I wrote this post, but lately, I’ve been getting CONSTANT calls from people trying to sell me more timeshare trips, it’s incredibly annoying! I wish now that I never had taken the offer, if only to reduce the spam calls I get today.
Thanks for this write-up! I got the same offer and am currently at a Hilton Grand Vacations property in Orlando (just had a full day at Magic Kingdom with my family) and in approximately 6 hours I will be attending the sales pitch!
I stayed at a Hilton three years ago — or was it four? …. I took the Myrtle Beach spot. Meh, it was okay. For the past two years, I have received a call on the daily trying to “give away incredible deals.” I have repeatedly requested they take me off the list and they always say they will but, alas, the next day rolls around and so does another call. I have blocked calls; I have ignored calls; I have been nice; I have been rude — all to no avail. I am beyond frustrated. To make matters worse, yesterday’s call included an insult before hanging up on me. I am trying to locate the right person to contact at Hilton to request they delete me from their system. Please, purge my file and any evidence I ever existed! Oy.
Jennifer, I’m now suffering from this as well! I have a spam-filtering app on my phone which has helped to silence the calls, but I hear you. The pesky persistence of these calls has absolutely taken away any possible advantage gained from the trip itself.
I simply agreed to listen to the offer on the phone. They send you there after you make a regular reservation. The salesman was pesky in trying to get me to sign up for a for the Hilton Grand Vacay. I can only imagine how the salesperson is in person. I said “no” got my 500 HH points & ended the call. Perhaps those of you who are harassed by Hilton Grand Vacations should change your phone #. That will end the unwanted calls. I am Hilton Gold. Why does Hilton affiliate with this timeshare? It is shady.
We head to Manhattan for this deal in two weeks. Thanks for sharing this background info, especially about the voucher. I’ve had no pressure from Hilton at all to book, and the rep who made our actual reservation was both kind and helpful. I don’t know if it matters that we are Honors members, but the experience so far has been pretty easy. (Knock on wood) The rep said the presentation is two hours, but as long as coffee is available, we can handle that. I also added a night for about $110 more vs. the $450 a night I would have to pay if I did it after I arrived (and I’ve already booked tickets at the MET and the Natural Museum of History.)
The call came at the right time — I’m desperate to get away, and we are newly empty nesters.
In your comments, I liked this sentence the best: “Given the option, I would take a promotional trip for Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares again …. Itās a great discounted rate for a hotel, and with all the time I waste doing nothing on a normal day, an hour attending a presentation is no skin off my back.” That’s my attitude going into this.
Haha. Iām actually at one now and my seminar is today. Glad I googled too see what I can expect lol.
What time was the presentation? Is it in the middle of the day or in the morning? I am trying to plan my day when I go! If it is in the middle of the day, that will break up my plans but in all just curious of the timing of the presentation.
Thanks!
Your experience makes me feel so much better. I just signed up for 3 night 4 days in Vegas and I’ve been so scared of the sales pitch! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Anyone who went recently, how was it? Just signed up for Vegas trip and fiancĆ© thinks Iām nuts. He said prepare to be there for the whole day but contractually we only have to do the 2 hrs right?
Randi, do you mind saying how the Vegas one went? Iām thinking of signing up for it. Worth it? Awful and run screaming? Thanks!
Wish I had done some research on HGV before attending one of these presentations. I was so sure I wouldnāt fall prey to their trap, that I didnāt worry too much about it. Sadly, after saying no multiple times and being offered ābetterā deals, I did buy one. I only wish I had come to my senses within the 7 day period in which you are allowed to get out of these deals.