Hilton Timeshare Experience
We often cover timeshare presentations on the blog as a way to not only earn discounted vacation stays, but potentially lots of points as well. These articles and posts in the Facebook Group garner a lot of attention and are very popular. Presentations typically involve either the nice and easy ones like a virtual presentation, or doing it in person while taking advantage of a vacation deal. Today, I share my recent Hilton timeshare experience.
While I am not breaking down the economics or financials in detail of what they are selling, it is important to do your own research and make your own responsible financial decisions. This is just like credit cards and any other form of financial decision. Do not do these if you cannot say “no,” assuming you decide it does not make financial sense.
Timeshare Offers
Typically, you will find Hilton timeshare offers in a variety of ways. The most common is here in Travel on Point(s) and our articles regularly have a link directly to a public offer. Second, you might receive emails offering you these amazing low-cost vacations. You can also sign up for information on their website to receive information, which should result in offers coming your way. These offers vary in what is included and always have terms and conditions that you should read carefully. These offers can range from a three-day vacation to a seven-day vacation and some may even include other perks, such as a rental car or credits towards a rental car.
Booking a Timeshare Offer
The booking process is pretty straight forward. You must click through to purchase the offer, and then asked several questions to verify your eligibility. This is typically a Hilton purchase, so if you have a card with a Hilton credit, that is the card to use. If you're lucky, the property you choose is a Hilton Resort and you can use your Aspire credit while there as well.
Once you purchase the package, you must call and determine eligible dates, properties available, and choose a presentation date. Properties may vary depending on locations you choose. This is where the most annoying part comes in as they will still call you several times to “confirm.” I confirmed via replying to emails and clicking “confirm” in those emails, yet they kept calling.
Presentation
The presentation for Las Vegas is held at the Hilton Grand Vacations at The Boulevard (2650 Las Vegas Boulevard South). This is an eligible property for your stay, but that varies. You can check in at the front desk 10 minutes prior to your designated time. You are then given a lanyard with badge and asked to fill out a survey (even though I already filled this out online). There is an optional section asking you to “guesstimate” your credit score. I declined to fill this out.
We were directed to a kiosk, where we filled out another survey and had a picture taken. After that, you go into their welcome cafe area. It has refreshments and snacks and has the look of a hotel VIP check-in lounge, but on a larger scale.
My Hilton Timeshare Experience
This is how my Hilton timeshare experience played out. We were asked to silence and not have our phones out during the first part, but I tried to keep an eye on the various timings.
Intro Pitch
1:35 PM: Check in
1:45 PM: Greeted and they ask some questions about our travel and explained how the time will go. He made it clear there was no pressure whatsoever. I was very upfront and honest with my sales person. I laid it out about earning millions of points per year and how I travel mostly on points & miles. He did not have an issue with this and seemed more curious than anything. He told me several times that we should go through the process anyway.
2:00 PM: group presentation. It involved a presenter going over the amazing value in travel and sharing her own experiences. She went over a bunch of slides and had some group involvement answering questions about travel desires. It also makes it clear and honest that you are here for a sales pitch. She showed a screen with the points level options, and they settled on a 22,500 point plan as the “most popular.” She then showed examples of uses of those points for various vacations. The “you're never paying for a vacation again” speech gets going, with the explanation that it is purchased upfront and with monthly payments. And of course, yes, only “some maintenance” fees every year. Overall, well done, professional, and she was a good presenter.
Sales Time
2:30 PM: We exited the room and were greeted again by our sales person. We were led to an area that has a bunch of cubicles with a tabletop computer screen. He asked about our travel, both style and frequency. When I said many hotel nights I do per year, he decided to use 21 nights for his calculations. He then broke down real-world cost estimates.
2:45 PM: We went upstairs in the hotel to look at a model unit. These were all on the 37th floor and looked much like any model home tour might look. A very spacious condo-style space, which was staged for these tours. You can book it all with the full set-up, but then as they led us into into two other sections, it showed a regular room studio space. We ended up in a fun, in-depth conversation about where he is from originally, which is a country where I've traveled. I even got a couple recommendations from him for my next trip there!
Closing Time
3:00 PM: We head back downstairs and he laid out the numbers for me. It had the feel of a car buying experience, with lots of quick calculations, lots of shuffling papers, etc. The total cost is in the six figures, with four-figure monthly payments. But that's not what I must pay today! He summoned his manager and she gave me “better” options.
3:15 PM: The manager came over and collected my thoughts, after a small introduction and discussion. She lays out other, more inexpensive, options. At one point, because she now realizes I am a Hilton Diamond, she announced a very special Diamond member offer. Unfortunately, all less expensive offers presented included far less points . In general, the first offer was a six-figure number with a five-figure monthly payment. The lowest offer came down mid-three figures per month, but with a 1/4 of the points originally mentioned in the presentation.
Another interesting thing in my Hilton timeshare experience was that I set myself up for extra discussions. Early on, I asked about how you can convert the HGVC points to book actual Hilton hotels. I think you might know what property I was wanting to know about (cough, the Waldorf in Cabo, cough). They never gave me any details, but the funny part was the manager pulled up her Hilton app to show me she was a Diamond too, with over 2 million Hilton points. No idea why she shared this, but it was entertaining. I made it clear my answer was “no” to any timeshare. The manager quickly shook my hand and left. My salesperson and I had a nice chat to end the presenation and he explained a check-out person will finish it for me.
3:30 PM: I received a piece of paper and told to go to a desk in the hallway, near where we entered through the hotel lobby. Within a minute, they confirmed my Hilton Honors number and I got two deposits of 50,000 points even before I walked away.
Overall, it was exactly two hours of my time, not a ton of pressure, and I got a vacation and 100,000 Hilton Honors points for not much out of pocket.
Hilton Timeshare Experience: ToP Thoughts
Hilton timeshare presentations can be a fun way to enjoy a discounted vacation. However, they can be very expensive if you cannot say “no” or do not enjoy the potential high-pressure sales atmosphere. I felt this one was very low pressure and I have few complaints. I think for us that use points and miles for our travels it makes it easier to say “no.” We're able to do incredible things without paying much out of our pockets. given what we can do. Have you been to presentation? Was yours low pressure? Come over and share your thoughts in our Facebook group.
