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Experience with Timeshare Presentations ( self.TravelHacks )

submitted 2 months ago by boxnsocks

I’m a Hilton rewards member and every now and then they’ll send me an email about a reduced vacation rate, like 3 days 2 nights NYC for $250. The catch, of course, is attending a 2 hour timeshare presentation. I’ve never done one and honestly I don’t want to, but $250 for two nights in a decent hotel isn’t too bad (not including tax, fees, airfare, etc.). The way I see it is it could be a way to knock like $1,000 off of a NYC trip. Think it’s worth it?

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[–] Lamaberto 224 points 225 points 226 points 2 months ago *   (36 children)

Former timeshare seller here!

It all depends on how good you are at saying no. The techniques we learn to sell timeshare are impressive and psychologically effective. I did it because I was young, and my dad said to me that if I learned how to sell, I'd never go hungry. I hated it, but I learned a lot.

If you're not 100% sure you can say no, don't do it. Most people will struggle with this.

If you want to do it, here are some tips:

1.- As soon as it starts, ask how long it is going to take, and at that very moment, set up a timer. They will OFTEN go over the time. I did it for quite a while, and not a single time they told me "ok it's been 90 minutes, I'm not interested. Thank you, and please give me my gifts." Show them your timer and stand your ground, they will push however they can, but you're in your right to refuse and they should comply. Theaten to call the police if not: "Should we call the police to settle this?"

2.- Don't believe a thing they say. Everything is spiced up for you to be impressed. We used to show them this super fancy hotel suite with waterfront view and a hot tub, two stories, everything... we just never told them they'd need to buy the most expensive package to be able to afford that luxury..

3.- Eat something right before you go. Most presentations include a "free breakfast". We humans are more passive and we lower our guard when we're eating. Food makes us think it's safe, therefore you'll open up more.

4.- Lie about your credit card limit and lie as much as you can about your personal/ financial situation. We have this thing called "Q". If someone is a Q (qualified) it means there's a bigger chance they'll buy something. Q criteria (back then, it changes from time and place): -Married with kids -Credit card limit higher than 30k

5.- There's no "Manager"(!!):

It works like this: OPC (Outdoor Personal Contact): like the name says, it's the first contact, since you're already pre-booked, you might not deal with this. (Typically earns a fixed rate if they send Q couples)

Liner: The one who gives the whole sales presentation (Typically earns a percentage of the sale). To avoid them thinking I was desperate, I used to tell them I'd get a fixed rate even if they didn't buy. This was a lie, but it usually lowered their guard.

Closer: The "Manager". He's no manager nor anything like that, they're just someone different who will read all the notes from the Liner and close the sale. He will decide how much can you afford and offer you the "best plan for you".

Sometimes the Liner and the Closer might be the same person. They get a higher commission rate.

During the Closer part is when you'd like to Stand up after the time they told you is over.

6.- Be assertive, and rude if necessary. They will try to shame you, humiliate you, or even insult you. This is why you need to be strong from the beginning.

If you can withstand all of this, go for it! You'll save big money, get some gifts, but consider you'll be paying with about 2 hours of your time and patience.

Last but not least, whatever you decide, DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING THERE!!!!! If you feel you're folding, tell them you want to take the contract and read it carefully. If they don't let you, tell them you need to think about it. And stand your ground. Sellers are used to being rejected MANY times a day.

I never saw a couple return after they've left to think about it. NEVER. This means that once you've cooled down, you'll see how useless it would be to buy anything.

Remember, once your timer is up, stand up and say time's up and you're ready to leave with your gifts. You've done your part of the deal.

Sellers are NOT your friends. They want your money and they don't care how much this affects your future.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Best wishes!

[–] GetOnRedditTheySaid 20 points 21 points 22 points 2 months ago   (5 children)

This! I sold timeshare in Vegas in my 20’s and made great money (alternative was stripping and I was too self conscious for this trade). We were taught to befriend, find the weak link and just wear you down until you signed something. I had some colleagues who learned magic to engage with children who were brought with their parents! Last thing, don’t drink or partake in any other mind altering substances before you go, it’s another reason why selling timeshare in vacation destinations is so lucrative! Just say no!!!

[–] CumulativeHazard 22 points 23 points 24 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Not gonna lie, I think I’d feel less disgusted and ashamed of myself stripping lol.

[–] sftolvtosj 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (3 children)

So funny cos I worked in hotels for Vegas and I could spot the timeshare sellers miles away 🤣

[–] GetOnRedditTheySaid 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Explain please as my experience has been they are all types and I couldn’t really group them into one demographic. Now when they start talking…that’s a definite give away! 😂

[–] sftolvtosj 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

They're definitely in the high-traffic areas-- like if two properties are super close to each other (Flamingo + LINQ) then they'd kinda be in the inside at the corner of the property where you can easily hotel-hop a couple hundred feet away, they're all dressed up and what now, sometimes near their "booth" and also away so they can scout for their "prey" lol they looked kinda off and then I'd glanced and I quickly realize their booth, if they were checking out a "prey" aka swiping their credit card, I immediately knew lol

[–] GetOnRedditTheySaid 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Ok yes lol!

[–] FriendlyIndividual13 13 points 14 points 15 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

This is it. I have gone on about 10 presentations for free vacations. I love it when the 'liners' say they are getting the manager to make sure he did a good job.

I always say 'is this the closer bc we're running out of time' lol

I always tell the liner I want them to give me their best price as their first offer. If they come back with 2nd and 3rd offers that are lower than the original one, I will not consider it.

After I say no, I also always say I don't sign any contracts without having my lawyer review it first. They really hate that lol

[–] [deleted] 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I love this. Going to be using these! Thank you.

[–] no_4 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (5 children)

For 4, can't one just say "oh, that's private"?

[–] Lamaberto 9 points 10 points 11 points 2 months ago   (4 children)

Yes, but I never had anyone say that. I was taught a really good argument for it. This happened during the free breakfast, so their guard was usually down, and they were already being friendly to me. I would say it's just for my manager (the closer) to present you with a product that would suit them better whether they'd like to buy it or not.

"My job is to show you our product, it's up to you if you like it or not, but I want to show you one that fits your budget."

A more aggressive seller would say it's a requirement, but at least in my company, it wasn't.

That's why I say it's easier to just lie about it. Say a high number or whatever, the more you see the sales pitch as a game, the more you're the one in control.

Remember that the "Liner" is usually the friendly one, while the "Closer" will be more aggressive and will use the information that the liner obtained from you.

[–] Royal_Savings_1731 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Could you literally not say a word the entire time you are there? Not engage at all?

[–] Lamaberto 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Haha that would be fun, but I'm guessing they would get annoyed and threaten you to cut the presentation, which technically would not give you the right to get your gifts or deals.

After all, if you're there, it is because you want the gifts and deals, so you'd better play the game. And you have the winning hand if you know how to use it.

[–] no_4 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Thanks! "Oh I'm not interested in any of the products anyway".

Q - if one has a spouse, do the rules (to get the discount, freebie, etc.) stipulate they attend as well?

I'm considering trying this for a hypothetical vacation, which my spouse and kid would be on. But I wouldn't want our kid to attend, and that rules out my spouse as well.

[–] Lamaberto 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Yes, you can say that, but they'll be insisting.

Ask in advance about the wife, in my company it wasn't mandatory, say that you need her to take care of the kids for medical reason's, but you'll be there. Consider that our job is to find who is the weakest in the couple and who makes the decisions and try to convince them.

We used to have a playground for kids too, so be aware of that, they'll try to keep them busy so you don't get distracted.

I would say if they never specify that the couple should attend, just go on your own and say one of your kids is sick and you need your wife to take care of them.

If there's no option, make a pact with her to have absolutely only you talking. Maybe say she doesn't speak English.

[–] Hungry-Evening6318 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Hi! I have a question that I hope you can answer (if you don’t mind). We bought a timeshare (which we enjoy). However, we still keep getting harassed to attend an “owners update” (or whatever presentation) which we have come to learn is a pitch to buy more points. We have no desire to buy more points. So we keep saying “no.” My concern is…can that affect our ownership? Or is it really only a ploy to get us to buy more points?

[–] Lamaberto 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

I would assume it shouldn't affect you in any way. However, read your contract to be sure there's nothing that forces you to keep attending to future presentations.

That is more on the legal side of it. You'd be surprised at how little us the sellers knew about the contract. I personally never ever read one.

I believe it must be a plot to get you to buy more because since you already did, you're more likely to fall again.

I'd just ignore them.

[–] Hungry-Evening6318 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! I don’t know why I didn’t think to check the contract verbiage.

[–] kimberploppy 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (6 children)

Any recs on how to sell one? I’m up shits creek without a paddle lmao

[–] Lamaberto 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (3 children)

Try to find other people in that same company who have one. Sometimes they travel in families or big groups and they might be interested in one for a friend/ family.

Other than that, I've never heard of someone wanting to buy a timeshare :(

[–] kimberploppy 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Awesome thank you I will look into it!! We were whole heartedly scammed and felt totally violated. They also reversed our names on our deed so those are wrong. Anything we can do about that too?

I unfortunately know nothing about the legal side of it. Most sellers don't know a thing about it. I'd be anwering mostly with my common sense, so I'd suggest someone with more legal knowledge.

Hoooowever, I did hear about someone who just simply stopped paying their timeshare because they didn't let them cancel it. Since it was on a different country, they just didn't care and eventually stopped receiving calls about it hehe. But again ask for legal advise about it first.

[–] kimberploppy 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Hahaha I love the audacity 😂😂thank you so much!!

[–] Sea_Menu_9837 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Look at Redweek. They are legit sellers of timeshares. Many of the owners at our club have purchased their additional properties/points through Redweek. It might be a good way to sell yours.

Thank you for this!!! Never heard of it!

[–] sftolvtosj 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Man I worked in hotels and now this is the other side of business lol thank u for sharing

[–] mrmanoftheland42069 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (4 children)

I have a question. Did you ever run into that one guy you didn't try with because they had "there's no way I'm buying anything" written all over their face in some way? I've been to multiple timeshare presentations, and what tends to happen to me is they usually give me my gift and whisk me out of there as quickly as possible with not much pressure.

[–] relativeisrelative 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Very much interested in the answer to this!

[–] Sea_Menu_9837 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

When I tell them that I am a CPA, end of conversation.

[–] mrmanoftheland42069 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago *   (0 children)

I work in financial reporting too. It does make me far more cynical about "good deals", and I do understand how loans work. I wonder if that happens to have anything to do with it

[–] Lamaberto 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

That happens sometimes, yes. That usually happens with couples that are Q, and the OPC just wants their money so they still send them to the Line. In my case, I was doing both the OPC and the LINE, so I typically avoided the ones that had that face because it was better for me to win the commission from the line if they buy (6%), than just the fixed rate (about $100USD) for a Q couple whether they buy or not.

I do remember one couple in particular where the guy was like, "I'm not buying anything from you..." with a straight serious face. But in the end, her wife loved the idea, and they ended up buying. He couldn't look at me after that hehe.

That said, we all start the presentation, knowing that absolutely no one is there to buy in the beginning. That's why I say you gotta be very strong when saying no. Most people say they can do it until they're there.

[–] WishIWasYounger 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

I have gone on trips and just not attended the pitches. They called to remind me and I just hung up. This was a long time ago though. Can I just not go?

In our case, they got their gifts after the presentation. As for the prepaid deals, i believe going is part of the deal. They must have some legal requirement to do it now i guess.

[–] CategoryOtherwise273 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (3 children)

How many presentations would you do in a week? Did you make good money? Did you ever feel guilty?

[–] Lamaberto 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

It takes about 2-3 hours to prep and give one, so a good day would have 3 presentations. So several per week.

No. I was there for the learning experience, and I didn't like pushing the sales on people. I only had buyers who felt like it was something they would benefit from, which means that I wouldn't be able to have a career at it. I did, however, get to know the business, and and learn amazing sales strategies/ skills.

No, since, like i said, I can confidently say that only people who saw a benefit out of that would buy from me, making my sales more morally acceptable but less profitable.

[–] CategoryOtherwise273 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Thanks for the response.

Sounds like you have too much of a conscious to do well in that job.

Basically you have to be very selfish, that's why I didn't like doing it and I wouldn't go back. You're selling something you don't know, to someone you don't know and will never hear from ever again. And I hated the fact that I would just randomly be walking at the mall or somewhere normal and couldn't stop noticing which couples looked like potential buyers even tho I would only get them from the hotel I was working in.

[–] sorryifioffendedu2 41 points 42 points 43 points 2 months ago   (3 children)

My wife and I spent a free week at a Hilton property in Arizona several years ago in exchange for a timeshare presentation. We thought the same thing…..we were absolutely not interested in purchasing a time share. But two hours of our time in exchange for five free nights at a beautiful resort (plus a free $200 gift card) seemed like a reasonable deal for us. If it’s anything like our experience, be ready for a tour of the property with your salesperson, followed by a face to face discussion on how much you want to spend. After a series of “no’s” from us, they brought in another salesperson to try and aggressively close the deal. We did not purchase anything and would probably do it again if the offer was the same.

[–] AwfullyAlum1num 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

We did do it again and they found out where we had our first presentation where we also said no, like it was sort of "gotcha" moment to guilt us into it.

Stay strong and just say no.

[–] kyjmic 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

How did you get that offer?

[–] sorryifioffendedu2 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Not really sure but I traveled a lot on business and frequently stayed at Hilton properties. That could be it.

[–] RelativelyRidiculous 37 points 38 points 39 points 2 months ago   (14 children)

My experience with Timeshare presentations is they often lie about how much time it will eat up unless you're experienced and good at derailing the whole thing. I haven't done the Hilton timeshare presentation since 2013 when I did it with my husband in order to receive free tickets to a show in Vegas. At that time it seemed worth it for us since we got some of the most expensive show tickets free using time we didn't really have anything planned for when we were traveling on a very tight budget.

Husband loves to play a little game where he tries to get the presenter off script, He really enjoys doing presentations for freebies whenever possible and reasonable.

One of the ways he's often able to get them off script is price. They pretty much always start by asking how much the current trip you are on has cost you. My husband is very adept with what is often termed "credit card churning" for travel rewards points, so typically he is able to honestly answer we flew there round trip business class for $25 or less and got our hotel stay for free. Frequently he's able to derail the conversation just by revealing that, but if they're already ready for it his fallback is often "You need to show me how you can do it for me cheaper or better" which they can't do.

I don't typically do any of the talking at these things, but I do like it if they offer some sort of half-decent alcoholic beverage. Usually they'll try to get both of us to imbibe which I think getting people drunk ought to make any contractual agreements null and void. Apparently somehow doesn't, but I digress. Husband tells them I am the designated drinker while he is the person they need to make any deals with then steadfastly refuses any alcohol.

Anyways, what usually happens is the presenter attempts their little song and dance, gets derailed by husband's nonsense, and frequently they see the handwriting on the wall pretty quickly. More than half the time my husband ends up giving his own short presentation on how to credit card churn rewards points complete with showing them websites and blogs that help make it easier. Most times they will then call in their "manager" or whatever they're terming their hard deal closer, who often tries stronger tactics. A few times this closer has noticed the potential mark seems to be running the show when husband is making his CC Churning 101 presentation and come over to shut it down which always plays out pretty hilariously. Once husband ended up backtracking to catch the closer up on CC Churning 101 which was pretty funny but also wastes time imho. By the time the closer shows up, husband is basically a bullet sponge completely immune to any tactics. He knows he's won the game at this point, and he's just working toward exit.

The last time we did Hilton's presentation was only the second time we attempted a speed run through a timeshare hard sell. I recall it taking up around 3-3.5 hours. Our current record is making it through a presentation that included enjoying a buffet breakfast with the totally not a timeshare presenter at an all inclusive in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico in an hour and 21 minutes. Our most recent experience was for a different hotel brand's timeshare in Vegas for a very cheap off strip stay which ended up somehow eating up almost 3 hours largely because we had to wait for and endure transport to the off strip location from a casino on the strip.

[+] [deleted] 2 months ago   (3 children)

[–] sambqt 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

This is an awesome answer. The pitch I sat through actually gave up after I said we'd be visiting friends and family around the world and staying on their properties. I waited another 20 minutes for a hard sell and actually had to ask them about their packages. They really had a bit of a rough start when I had an allergic reaction to the ridiculously strong air freshener in the model room they showed us. The other couple we were traveling with got the hard sell, though. They already own a timeshare they hate, so they didn't buy it.

[–] RelativelyRidiculous 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Nice! I tell my husband about those. :)

[–] imnotminkus 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I answered with "national parks, usually in the middle of nowhere, often camping for $30/night right in the middle of the park". Then they showed their shitty "partner hotel program" with "discounts" to overpriced hotels near the Grand Canyon.

[–] Tommy-ctid-mancblue 11 points 12 points 13 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Sounds fun but life is way too short

[–] RelativelyRidiculous 10 points 11 points 12 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Everybody needs a hobby. :)

[–] Royal_Savings_1731 10 points 11 points 12 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

If it’s a choice between my broke self having a staycation in my living room or trading a couple hours time to head to a nice hotel for a long weekend, that seems like an easy decision to me 🤷‍♀️

[–] MayaPapayaLA 9 points 10 points 11 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Given that your husband seems *VERY* good at this, the fact that an attempted speed run (after being experienced in doing this) thru the presentation *still* took you 3-3.5 hours is very telling. Your husband sounds hilarious, I presume this is as good of a hobby as fishing.

[–] RelativelyRidiculous 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

As you say, as good as fishing. The reason it took longer was him holding court with his standard CC Churning 101 presentation. I was getting heavy poors of premium drinks throughout and we got some free cash for that one, so I'm not complaining.

[–] kyjmic 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Where do you sign up to get these time share presentation offers?

We have never signed up anywhere. We've gone to places where they're offered.

They have kiosks around Vegas that offer free or low cost show tickets, or low cost return stays. The catch is to get whatever is offered you must attend a presentation.

Most if not all the All Inclusives in the Cancun/Cozumel/Riviera Maya area have some form of 'this is totally not a timeshare' presentation. They offer everything from cold, hard cash to resort credits for attending the presentations.

Cancun has a swarm of predatory salespeople as you exit the airport (among other scams like taxis that take you to the next terminal for $30). I did an Xcaret one from one of the offsite car rental agencies and it was actually really nice. My mom and I got 2 tickets to one of their parks, free breakfast, and to see what an $800/night all-inclusive resort looks like. It did take longer than the promised time, but I ate a lot, enjoyed the tour, didn't push to end the presentation, and we didn't have anything else planned for that day anyway.

[–] globehoppr 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I would love to see this in action..

[–] Delia54 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

We went to Hiltons timeshare presentation in Orlando about 10 years ago. This happened on our 3rd day there, and on the first two days, we spent time standing in lines at the parks (2)in the heat. It was October and some rides were closed. Two broke after standing in line for an hour (never went on). We arrive for the presentation, and after a few minutes of chit chat, we see what they are offering. I ask about Boston and Cancun. Nada. I then say “Well, I’m never coming back to Orlando as long as I live”. Presentation over. No closer. We left. My husband felt sorry for the him 🤣

Three years ago they got even with me. I answered the phone ( even though it said Hilton Vacations 🙄). I brought up Cancun, she offered St. Thomas. Ok!!! Three nights $900. I agree and pay. Airfare on me is $1200 for two. I think maybe we will add 3 nights, so I go to the Hilton site, lo and behold, $900 for three nights. What is Hilton giving me here???? I call them to cancel. Nope. Non-refundable. I mention a lawyer. The kid on the phone says he can exchange and give me a refund on the difference. So I take Vegas for $275 and get a refund of $575 ($50 change fee). I don’t book it. I never booked it. Even after the deadline, they email me that I can reinstate. Ha! I lost $325. Could’ve been worse. Lesson learned.

[–] Desperate_Truth_7029 57 points 58 points 59 points 2 months ago   (6 children)

You don't get something for nothing. Sitting through a timeshare presentation is like having a root canal and a gynaecological exam at the same time. These salesmen are the masters of the hard sell and will do anything they legally can to get you to sign up. That two hour commitment can feel like an eternity. And if you do sign up (just to escape) those contracts are very hard to get out of if you change your mind. It's not worth it.

[–] FrabjousD 18 points 19 points 20 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Yep. Whatever they give you, it’s not worth it.

Complaints boards are littered with the sad stories of people who thought “what can it hurt, worst case scenario it’s still a vacation” and then discovered that in fact the worst case scenario is that they get suckered into blowing many thousands.

[–] tennisgoddess1 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

And they treat you like shit when they finally accept your no and you take their offer and run.

[–] QuarterbackPurgatory 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

I don’t know. My last one lasted 15 minutes because I told the guy upfront that I could’ve gotten a timeshare for just nothing but maintenance costs from my in-laws as a gift and turned it down. He was like “alright, well you’re my last one before the weekend, so let’s just get us both out of here” lol

Personally I think these are fine to do if you’re willing and able to be blunt and the price is right. It’s still a boring 90 minutes but pressure tactics only work if you’re mentally invested in it.

[–] ooo-ooo-oooyea 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I'm a lots of nights in a hotel room kind of guy, I just sat there and kept correcting the time share guy until he yelled at me and made me sit there in silence.

[–] Kintaro2008 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I would be on my phone all the time

[–] laggy2da 17 points 18 points 19 points 2 months ago   (4 children)

It could be worth it to plenty of people, but not to me. I've done a timeshare presentation before. They try to pair you with a salesman who will pair with your personality. He was nice enough. He pushed hard. At first I almost felt bad having him waste him time on me, they only make money off sales. Then he keeps making the deal look more and more attractive, to the point where he tries to make you feel stupid for saying no. It was annoying and awkward. I should've counted how many time I had to say no.

When he couldn't close the deal they wouldn't let me leave yet they said I had to talk to someone else. They sent in his boss to try to close the deal. She was TBH a total bitch, she pushed hard and doubled down on the whole 'trying to make you feel stupid for not taking the deal' thing. She even guilted me for just leeching free stuff off them. It felt unprofessional. In the end it was 3 hours of my life for the proposed 2 hour presentation. It was annoying and awkward and made me feel very uncomfortable and personally I don't want to do it ever again.

[–] sirachasamurai 10 points 11 points 12 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

Yah same. They try and make you seem like you’re crazy. The proposition is to sign up to pay thousands of dollars RIGHT NOW. Like are you fucked? Even if I was going to buy this timeshare I would still go home and run the numbers and think about it. It’s so predatory. 

[–] stopsallover 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

They throw out so many different numbers that it is hard to keep track of the real costs. Try to make it seem like it's too good to pass up. Except they usually go into too good to be true territory.

If they get aggressive, it's ok to stop responding. You don't have to answer every question. Just say "No" where appropriate. Why not? Because we're not going to buy.

They really should be eager to move on to the next presentation and not waste energy on one person. Any kind of sales relies on a certain number of attempts.

[–] CategoryOtherwise273 -1 points 0 points 1 point 2 months ago   (0 children)

About 15 years ago I went to a presentation and it was very similar to what you describe here. Very aggressive and uncomfortable.

A few months ago I went to a Disney Vacation Club presentation for a $200 gift card. It was a completely different experience. The guy was very nice and not pushy at all. After his presentation and our tour I said, "I just don't think this is a good fit for us", and he replied, "no problem, it's not for everyone. Thanks for your time".

[–] DifferentProfessor55 18 points 19 points 20 points 2 months ago   (3 children)

If you do it, set a timer at the start of the presentation and let them see it.  When you get to the two hours tell them their time is up, you’re not interested, and you’d like your gifts.

[–] Hungry-Evening6318 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

We did this but the guy kept at it. We even physically stood up and he was still aggressive. Then the Closer came as we tried to walk away. Witnessing all of this gave another couple the confidence to stand up and walk as well. She even threatened to call the police. LOL

[–] Lamaberto 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

[–] soursourkarma 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

[–] SleepySuper 6 points 7 points 8 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I sat through one of those in Orlando. The sales person was annoyed that I brought the kids along. Turned out that they had free hot dogs for the kids, so kids were happy while we sat through the presentation.

The main sales pitch was about how vacation was an investment. Don’t you want to invest in time and memories for your family? After being firm that we were not interested, they brought in another person to ‘sell hard’. Made it clear we were here as part of the deal for the cheap hotel rate and that was it. We got to leave after the 2 hours and kids were fed lunch.

I would do it again for the right price. The sales tactics don’t bother me and I fine the whole thing rather amusing.

[–] LostInTheSpamosphere 5 points 6 points 7 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

My husband and I did this and we got out quickly when we told them I was pregnant with twins, which was true. I was pretty large at the time, which I think helped. Also, my husband is excellent at deflecting hard-cell pitches. We received a two-night stay in an ok-quality place in a touristy mountain area near us. My husband said he won't do it again, though.

[–] ScotchBonnetPeeps 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

My husband and I did that once. We were planning a trip to vegas, and a few months prior, we got this offer. So, we built our plan around using the days. The first thing is the better status you have with hilton, the better the deal will be for the stay. So they will waive or lower the rates if you are a diamond member vs a gold member. So how out and haggle for as long as you can before you commit to taking the days.

Once you are there, you will have to sit through a presentation and even a tour of the suites and a few other things and then they will want to take about how much cheaper it is ( or at least not extra costs) of you are taking vacations and how the suites are available at properties all over the world. You need to learn to say NO. My husband was all, "well it sounds good, and that makes sense. We have to think about it" and trying to be nice to let the guy down easy. I jumped in and said, "we just came because we need you to sign the paper so we get the discounted room. So what else do we have to do so you can verify that we did our part and get the discounted room?" The guy looked annoyed, but hey, they are salesmen and should be accustomed to people telling them no. He did whatever verification he needed to do, and we had to drop it off at the front desk, and that was that.

Make sure you are firm with your NO. They will try every trick to keep you there. The longer you are there increases the chance that you will sign something.

[–] arrived_on_fire 4 points 5 points 6 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Story time!

I’ve done this with my mum. We had a free stay in a basic condo in a lovely mountain town for the weekend, and all we had to do was attend a two hour timeshare presentation. I was only about 20 at the time, but since I was raised by dogs and horses, I was indifferent to human social niceties. I was also stubborn as a mule. Still am but was then too. (Thanks Mitch!)

We had a lovely weekend of tramping thru the forests and walking along lakeside, then went for the presentation. A big group one, then paired with an agent for the sell. We politely listened but even inexperienced as I was, the math was terrible for what you got. Trading a timeshare in Hawaii for the basic condo we stayed in? I really doubt anyone would go for that. It’s a sleepy little town with no decent skiing close at all.

What worked for me: listening politely to the sell, and asking a few questions. Then stating we were not buying anything. Repeatedly. I was amazed to see my mum was caving! I couldn’t tell if the sales guy was just learning and so it wasn’t effective on me, cuz I am not particularly smart, pretty average. And I am not cunning at all. We had discussed our strategy beforehand, and agreed there was no way we were buying a timeshare. Neither of us could afford it. But as it progressed my mum was asking me well surely it would be fun for a year, think of how much we enjoyed this weekend! As I wasn’t particularly restrained by courtesy I just looked at her and reminded her we couldn’t afford it and didnt want it. The closer came in shortly after that and tried to establish some sort of rapport with me but once again it went right over my head.

We didn’t have to stay long after that, as I’m pretty sure they could see there must be more well off marks left to chat with. We stood to leave and they didn’t try and stop us. I held out my hand to thank the seller for his time but he refused to shake my hand! I think I actually laughed out loud at that point.

In summary: go in like a polite but oblivious mule and enjoy their performance.

[–] spacetimer81 6 points 7 points 8 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

It's a 2 hour presentation, then another 1-2 hours of you sitting in an office space getting a HIGH pressure sales pitch. They start high, $500k to own. Easy no. Then they progressively get lower until it's like $2k for 2 weeks a year. Pretty attractive, but still say no. Its very aggressive and they make you wait between offers to try and make you say yes just to leave. They will try and shame you into explaining why you cant afford such a great deal. Remember that NO is your only answer and you don't have to explain your life to them.

We did these when we were younger as it was the only way we could afford to travel. If that's true for you, be prepared and go for it. Just don't buy a time share. It's never worth it.

[–] imnotminkus 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

They will try and shame you into explaining why you cant afford such a great deal.

I went to one with my mom and at one point they used the line "doesn't your mom deserve nice things". I said "no", and at that point the salesperson realized we were done there.

[–] DavidHikinginAlaska 8 points 9 points 10 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

You, who've never done this are convinced you can ignore the hard sell and will actually extract some value from the interaction.

They, who do this all the time, believe that, on average, you'll spend many thousands on a stupid time-share that you won't be able to re-sell and that their hard-sell tactics and blatant lies will carry the day.

On average, they're right and you're wrong.

If you're more resistant than most, sure, you get a shitty hotel room for two nights in NYC for not much (that $250 is just their cost on that block of rooms), but what is >2 hours (they always go over) of your time worth? Ever bought a car from a dealer. You know that hour in the back room while they claim your paperwork is being drawn up but really, they're trying to sell you financing and extended warranties? 2+ hours of that!

[–] InterestingCabinet41 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I've done so a few times and had no issues. Whether it's "worth it" really depends on how much you value your time. My timeshare presentations were all in the middle of the day and so it kind of kills a lot of your plans.

[–] No-Maintenance4976 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I can't speak on US timeshare sales, but I've sat in on a few All Inclusive "Membership" sales presentations. Talk about a HARD sell! I would honestly say, if you have limited time to travel during the year, don't do the presentation. I value my vacation time too much to spend half a day dealing with this stuff.

P.S. I do see some posts about people trolling the salespeople during the pitch, or people who are stern enough to get up and walk away. If that's your thing and you don't mind it, go for it, but I think it's a limited group who are looking for that experience.

[–] mommytofive5 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Did this several times different cities. Usually in the continental US our hotel has been free. Sales people are irritated with us once they realize we don't travel unless it's free. Two hours is worth it to us. Mexico/Hawaii enough free stuff for the kids to justify. Swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, zip lining, helicopter rides. Again once we appear with one special needs child not happy with us and usually make it quictand out the door.

[–] juniperesque 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

This isn’t a hack per se for anyone who isn’t Deaf, but it’s a good story. I have some friends (a couple) who are Deaf - one has a cochlear implant and one does not, and they communicate with one another via ASL. Both experienced travelers.

They travel a ton and attend lots of these timeshare presentations. They don’t mention it upfront, but arrive for the presentation as usual. Upon arrival, they will ask if any of the sales reps knows ASL. No one ever does. The friend who speaks better says, ok, we’ll do our best to read lips. Then he turns off his implant and lets the presenter babble.

Occasionally he and his wife will have an entire conversation in ASL in front of the presenter like the presentation isn’t even happening. They’ve never had to sit through an entire presentation. Only once have they had to make a stink about getting their rewards. They know at some point they’ll get blocked from booking these trips with the companies, but until then, they’re gonna milk the system for all its’ worth.

[–] relativeisrelative 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I LOVE this for them. Good on um'!

[–] HangoverPoboy 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

It will be more like 2 days and 2 nights because the time share presentation will eat up an entire day.

[–] BenPanthera12 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (1 child)

What I never understood is that the moment you feel pressured, just get up and leave. No, I'll stay seated and financially ruin my life instead.

[–] Look_b4_jumping 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Have to get the free gift before you leave though, which might be difficult.

[–] iduser4 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago *   (1 child)

I did a hilton presentation in vegas two months ago and they got so mad when i told them i was only there for the discounted trip. I straight up told the guy i was broke to leave early and he and the manager kept trying to shame me which was funny. still got the gift card and a fun trip. worth the trouble in my opinion. It was only a hour and a half.

[–] iduser4 3 points 4 points 5 points 2 months ago *   (0 children)

they wanted 27k down on the spot and i laughed and said nope. I felt bad for a couple that reluctantly signed despite trying to say no.

[–] SnooHesitations1340 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

If you can withstand the pressure - and believe me there will be LOTS of it - just hang in and pick up your certificate when its all wrapped up.

[–] Greenmantle22 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Just tell them you’re a registered sex offender AND an extrovert.

[–] PizzaCatTacoUno 2 points 3 points 4 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Talk a lot about how you don’t have free cash flow, you are paying off debts, etc… talk about how your typical vacation is camping because you can’t afford other trips. Talk about how you only like local trips because you can’t afford airfare, talk about how your relatives have timeshares and they don’t like them… they will be trying to kick you out at the end of the presentation

[–] Toriat5144 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Absolutely not! I don’t care what they give not doing it.

[–] Material-Resident-14 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I’ve sat through 4 and ended up buying into two. My wife and I love to travel so it has worked out good for us. We have had 2 really aggressive salespeople and two laid back people that accepted no quickly. They do take too much time and drag on for hours. I will never sit through one again.

[–] citdawg2012 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Its only worth it for Hawaiian trips and if you can firmly say No 100x straight times.

[–] Better-Pineapple-780 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Be strong !!! I finally had to pull the widow card and told them nobody would come with me because I have no friends and I was a widow. I wouldn't be going to any vacations with that timeshare bc I was such a loser.

I did enjoy the Hilton in midtown NY with the reduced rate, and I did enjoy going to a concert at MSG by myself, but I had to be really really strong to sit through the presentation. They were really persuasive. Even I was starting to believe the timeshare math. But I pulled out that widow card and then they felt sorry for me and let me go. Gave me my 100 dollar restaurant gift card and I got a nice hotel room for the weekend.

[–] G3oh 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

If you are gullible and impressionable, don't go. Else do it and get the great deal. One hint would be to call because you might negotiate a better package (free stay, extra points, hotel credit, etc.)

[–] Guapplebock 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Done several. Keep a pleasant constant no and they'll get you out in around the time frame. They're not that stupid. It's definitely been worth it for me and I'll do more.

[–] PuzzlesUnlimited 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Have done 2 of these within the past 3 years. One with Hilton. One with Holiday Inn.

Told them both the truth that it did not fit our travel lifestyle at all and gave them both the same logic. Hilton guy was an experienced pro and we were out of there in 30 minutes. He knew it was a waste of his time.

Holiday Inn guy was young and green. Knew we had the means so would not give up and didn’t really understand enough about world travel to grasp why it made zero sense for us. Was there close to 4 hours and went through the nice guy ; bad guy manager, followed by try to sell you a return package closer. Lastly after being given the prizes was hit up for a donation which I politely declined.

I would do another but don’t think I would do Holiday Inn again.

[–] CuteCatMug 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

There's 3 segments of the timeshare presentation 

You arrive at the presentation.  They give you some free soda and snacks. Everyone is warm and welcoming. They show you a short video with all the benefits of owning a time share. Total should last 30-40 mins

They take you on a tour of the model units. Of course they'll show you the top of the line units, which will be the most expensive to own. Tour is usually quick- 15-20 mins

Finally they take you back to the office to close the deal. The person you've been dealing with until now (the warm, friendly person) will be there, but only observing.  There will usually be a new salesperson using the pushiest hardest tactics available. He'll throw out dozens of numbers, tell you it's a no brainer deal, and will belittle you if you disagree or push back. 

Honestly I felt like I was about to start a fight with the salesman in step #3. It was such a miserable way to end the sales presentation. I wouldn't go back to another presentation in the future. It's not worth it - my sanity and well being is worth make than the discounted room

[–] CommsBoss-87 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

All of this but especially the first rule. Whatever you have to commit in time set a timer, stand up when it goes off and say thank you for your time I’m not interested and I’ve fulfilled my requirement.

[–] Advanced-Hunt7580 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Finally someone asks about an actual travel hack! Absolutely.

Interestingly, the two times I've done one of those timeshare presentation deals, I was given an absolutely terrible room. So I already had a very reasonable story about why I was saying no from the outset.

Another thing: the travel budget math game they play conveniently leaves out maintenance fees. But really, the way points based timeshares seem to work, the timeshare itself has no value and then maintenance fees add up to what I would pay to book a normal hotel. If they know you're on to their fuzzy math, they let you go. Especially if you politely call out facts in a voice that other participants might accidentally hear.

[–] r0ckH0pper 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

If they pick you up to visit the presentation, at another resort for instance... Then be prepared to find your own way back! No ride will be provided. You will exit to a mean street without taxi cabs.

[–] no_4 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (2 children)

Do both spouses have to attend?

I'm unsure my spouse, but I feel like I'd be a good canidate for this. We have a child, if "sorry my spouse has to watch our child and thus can't be here" factors in.

[–] pantema 1 point 2 points 3 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Yes they usually require both spouses to attend. Otherwise you could just say “I can’t sign anything without my spouse” as an easy out

Most of them including Hilton require your Spouse to be present if you are married.

You can usually bring your kids but don’t have to

[–] 5pens 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I've done several with a variety of companies. It's worth it for me to get a discount vacation. The sales tactics are really high pressure, though. Just make sure you say no.

[–] LuvCilantro 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

If they keep it to 2 hours it could be worth it. We took one in Vegas once, and the 2 hour presentation/sales pitch happened to be off site, using their shuttle, and ended taking about 5 hours because we had to wait for every one else to be done. Another time (elsewhere), it was a 2 hour presentation that lasted 2 hours as promised.

[–] RudePack482 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I've been to a couple of these many years ago. Very hard sell. But what stopped the last one was when I asked them what percentage of the price of the timeshare was spent on marketing i.e. the "freebies" or deals they were giving us. They said 40%. ( I'm actually surprised they gave me a number, but maybe they're required to? ) They saw my face at that answer and knew they'd lost the sale at that point. They didn't try to keep us from leaving after that. So maybe you want to ask this question at the 90 minute or 2 hour mark, whatever time you're supposed to be committed to? Anyway, it's easy to say no when you know how much the price is inflated.

[–] jmama9643 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

[–] busylilmissy 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Years ago, my husband got an offer like this from IHG. We went to Vegas for a weekend and got a nice guesthouse suite on one of their properties. We were young and naive and thought we were attending a presentation that just tells us more about the IHG group of hotels. We were not expecting 2 hours of ultra high pressure timeshare sales tactics shoved down our throats. We were awkward and uncomfortable the whole time for sure. I’ll admit, they even made us think twice and actually consider it at one point! But at the end of the day, we had no money, we didn’t even own our own home yet, never mind a timeshare! So it really wasn’t too hard at the end to say no, we simply couldn’t afford it even if we wanted it.

It was probably one of the most awkward things I’ve ever had to sit through but if I got an offer like that again, I’d probably do it. Now that I know what to expect and being older and knowing how to say no firmly, I’m not worried about it. The appeal of an almost free vacation is worth it to me.

[–] triit 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Have never had a 90 minute presentation end at 90 minutes, so budget your time accordingly. 2 hours will likely be much more with breakfast, tour, closer harassment. The most effective trick to saying no for me is doing a search beforehand for what resales are going for on eBay or RedWeek or how much you can buy a regular night for on a travel site. We were staying at a Diamond resort we paid $90/night all in and they were trying to get us to buy at like $125/night in annual maintenance fees regardless off the buy in. They will have their canned comebacks (pride of ownership, regular vacation time, designated peak weeks, designated units especially for families, owner perks, vacation club, transfers to better resorts, flexible points, etc.) but at least you know what the actual value of what they're selling is to you. At the very least you can say "why would I spend $25k with you when I can get 20k points here for $899".

If there's even a remote chance you think you'll buy, don't do it. The game and the pressure is actually impressive and they are experts at making you part with your money. Don't let the chance to save $1000 cost you $20,000+.

[–] HedonisticMonk42069 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I won a free trip but had to attend a seminar, it was in some place in NJ where I had to walk on the side of a highway to get there basically. Ended up being a waste of time and money. All the places that involved my trip were lame as fuck and like 30-50 dollar uber rides away from any attractions. They were like nicer motels basically. It was free and still not worth it.

I dated a girl who wasn't very adventurous and we went to stay at a resort. If we attended a sales pitch we got a free upgrade to a bigger suite in the resort so we went. The upgrade was worth the sales pitch, it was a nice room. To be fair though the deal the salesmen was selling us was actually a good one. Especially since we would have been splitting the cost is what made it an even better deal. I am not much of a resort guy to begin with, no matter how nice or luxury they are so most cases these things aren't relevant to me, especially with how affordable airbnbs are outside the USA, time shares have even less value to me.

IMO I think most people that buy them are consumed by the allure of savings and the convenience of travel packages that they aren't being realistic with how often they think they are going to use them. Next thing you know over a year has passed and you still didn't go the place and do the thing.

[–] Sea_Menu_9837 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Is it awful that I like to string them along?

[–] HotRodDunham 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I’m real good at saying no.

[–] bennigan_getthecar 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Be upfront with them. Let them know before they even get started they have no chance of selling you and that you’re just there for the discounted trip. You’ll still have to sit through the presentation, but you should get less pressure at the end of it. Maybe a “did we change your mind,” you say no and reiterate you were just here for the trip. They’re in sales, and they aren’t gonna waste their time trying to sell you if you walked in knowingly never going to buy. They want to go after people who might actually still be interested or can easily be sold.

[–] handledwithcare 0 points 1 point 2 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

I mean there are thousands of horror story posts about timeshare presentations. Thousands. But OP probably found a loophole amirite?

[+] consciouscreentime comment score below threshold -13 points -12 points -11 points 2 months ago   (0 children)

Two hours of my life for a grand off a trip? No way. Time is money, my friend. Invest that time in learning about the market and you could make way more than $1000.

[–] YGMind -1 points 0 points 1 point 2 months ago   (0 children)

As long as you can stay long enough and then walk out. Why not. They MUST give you what was offered.

[–] Impressive_Clothes11 -1 points 0 points 1 point 2 months ago   (0 children)

My strategies

I already have a timeshare and it's better. I'm not willing to consider an inferior one

The presentation was terrible, I'm out.

I have scheduled plans based upon when this was scheduled to be over. C-ya

...in all instances, they can keep any "gifts." Those are just designed to keep you there and really you are just interested in the discounted room.

[–] leenda730 0 points 1 point 2 points 15 days ago   (0 children)

I just turned down $250 or other offers. These meetings are a living hell. I regret ever sitting through the very first meeting when they roped us in. Run away as fast as you can.

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What is the best way to handle the Hilton timeshare presentation?

• Thread starter Michaelhenry144
• Start date Mar 8, 2018

Michaelhenry144

• Mar 8, 2018

I am going to Washington DC next month on a package for three nights where I signed up to view their time share in Washington D.C part of the Hilton Vacation Club. I really don't want to purchase another timeshare as I own one at Disney World already that we use every year with my grand kids. I am going primarily to see the cherry blossoms. Usually these pitches are high pressure, and they seem to always say "Do you have an open mind to this presentation". This must be part of their manual. Even at my own resort at Vistana, they always try to get me to upgrade which I never do. I would like to be polite, and listen to their sales pitch but would appreciate if anyone had some strategies to use to make this presentation in April as painless as possible. Thanks Michael  

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

I always think the best stategy is to not go in the first place. But since that option isn’t available then to practice saying no beforehand.  

Just go and say your timeshare purchases in the other systems were all in the resale market and you don't see it as likely that you will spend the money to buy something via the developer that can be purchased at a fraction of the price on the resale market. Regardless of if it is true or not I assume most sales people would keep the speel short and sweet at this point.  

Be polite, don't ask a lot of questions, don't offer a lot of information, always say "no", be aware of the time, and have an obligation scheduled shortly after the allotted time. (However, I do always enjoy finding out about the new properties and changes to the programs)  

DaSoul said: Just go and say your timeshare purchases in the other systems were all in the resale market and you don't see it as likely that you will spend the money to buy something via the developer that can be purchased at a fraction of the price on the resale market. Regardless of if it is true or not I assume most sales people would keep the speel short and sweet at this point. Click to expand...

Michaelhenry144 said: Thanks for the input. What part of No don't you understand might work too. Click to expand...

GT75 said: I always think the best stategy is to not go in the first place. But since that option isn’t available then to practice saying no beforehand. Click to expand...

Bring a list of resales from Redweek, TUG, ebay closed auctions, and brokers. When they tell you that resales don't get the same benes, don't argue w-'em. Just say: "That's interesting. I'll have to look into that." - also use elsewhere. When they say, "This deal won't be available later," say, "No, it'll prolly be better." Pick out a watering hole so you can decompress with a stiff drink afterwards. .  

I just took part in one. I had no intention of buying but i listened attentively and was on my smartphone looking for info live - it’s good that you are here before the presentation. I found the salesperson and the manager very very nice and not hostile. I told them there was no way i was committing to anything today. When they downgraded the offer for only 2200 points, I asked why a 7000 pt unit was selling on redweek for $10,000. Their demeanor changed - not that they became hostile, but they wrapped it up and said it’s not for everyone, etc... It did go a little longer than 2 hours but we did have a lot of questions and we bought into the $1695 offer before quickly rescinding the next day! Good luck. But i suspect if you bring up resale for 20% of what they are offering, they will quickly wrap up not to waste any more time. Good luck  

CalGalTraveler

Use the words "TUG", "Resale", "Redweek" because they are code for "We are not going to throw away our hard-earned retirement money on what we can buy resale for a fraction of the price." Oh...and be polite and respectful. Stand up when your agreed upon time is up to signal that you are done.  

I found that the best way to out was the explanation that we were not ready to spend $14k without sleeping on it. That ended the sales pitch but brought in the "corporate" who offered the $1695 VIP deal; we took it and rescinded within the 10 calendar days.  

The VIP deals are not a bad deal if you use them for high value properties in peak season. We've taken several for HI, DC, and NYC. We are able to try out DC and Grand Islander this summer by booking 12 months in advance vs. the 45 days/6 months we get as a lowly owner. Would never get in there or pay the high points to stay otherwise. VIP works for NYC too to get an early reservation and they put us in a nice unit to sell us on the property. Only downside is that you have to sit thru a presentation again, but we usually request to tour the new units such as Grand Islander and get new property updates so not a total waste of time.  

CalGalTraveler said: The VIP deals are not a bad deal if you use them for high value properties in peak season. We've taken several for HI, DC, and NYC. We are able to try out DC and Grand Islander this summer by booking 12 months in advance vs. the 45 days/6 months we get as a lowly owner. Would never get in there or pay the high points to stay otherwise. VIP works for NYC too to get an early reservation and they put us in a nice unit to sell us on the property. Only downside is that you have to sit thru a presentation again, but we usually request to tour the new units such as Grand Islander and get new property updates so not a total waste of time. Click to expand...

Michaelhenry144 said: I don't quite understand what this VIP package for 1695 is. Are you getting a certain amount of points for this? Is this valued at less than 1 dollar a point that I keep reading about? Could you explain how this VIP deal could be used. What size accommodation are you getting? Any information would be helpful. Click to expand...

TUG Review Crew

We start the clock running when we arrive. We then tell sales person how much time we have, which they usually ignore. I set my phone to ring usually within 45 minutes from arrival. We are polite. Hilton knows who has bought from them and who has purchased resales. For us this gets us out usually before the phone rings. We are vague and evade most question. We counter with questions showing we know timeshareing and focus only on questions mostly asked here by Tuggers. Unfortunately, if you want to see new units (Waikoloa Hilton units) they go out of their way not to provide a tour. Maybe understandable but we were genuinely interested. We were told some interesting lies. Harry  

• Mar 9, 2018

Harry said: We start the clock running when we arrive. We then tell sales person how much time we have, which they usually ignore. I set my phone to ring usually within 45 minutes from arrival. We are polite. Hilton knows who has bought from them and who has purchased resales. For us this gets us out usually before the phone rings. We are vague and evade most question. We counter with questions showing we know timeshareing and focus only on questions mostly asked here by Tuggers. Unfortunately, if you want to see new units (Waikoloa Hilton units) they go out of their way not to provide a tour. Maybe understandable but we were genuinely interested. We were told some interesting lies. Harry Click to expand...

Its been reported here that when resale is brought up sales has lied that you can’t use RCI with resale points. Its also been reported they lie and say resale can only stay at the home resort and not trade to other locations. If you search back messages here you will find lots of reports of sales lies. They will play up the importance of Elite benefits and denigrate resale. Just ask them why you would want to buy something that is useless and has no resale value the minute the ink dries on the contract. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro  

SmithOp said: Its been reported here that when resale is brought up sales has lied that you can’t use RCI with resale points. Its also been reported they lie and say resale can only stay at the home resort and not trade to other locations. If you search back messages here you will find lots of reports of sales lies. They will play up the importance of Elite benefits and denigrate resale. Just ask them why you would want to buy something that is useless and has no resale value the minute the ink dries on the contract. Click to expand...

mj2vacation

Best way to handle them? Don’t go!  

Has anyone suggested you wear a TUG t-shirt to your presentation yet?  

From my personal experience, just like SmithOp mentioned, they claim that resales do not get RCI. Another thing they say is that resale prices are low because they are behind in maintenance payments.  

Michaelhenry144 said: If these time shares have no resale value as you state, why does anybody buy them even on the resale market? They must have some resale value. Click to expand...

• Mar 10, 2018

Talent312 said: He didn't say they have no resale value. He simply was using shorthand to say this: When a lying TS sales-weasel tells you that you can't do this, that or the other with a resale, beat him up on that BS (and it is BS) by saying: " If resales are so useless (as you say), then anyone who bought one from you would have a heck of a time unloading it (that white elephant), becuz no one would want it, right? ... Not much of a selling-point. If you ask me, I'd want to buy a TS that I knew a resale buyer might want." While he stammers to respond, continue with: "In fact, you and I both know that, if I bought a TS from you, it actually retains a lot of its original benefits, which is why they can be resold, and why someone (some fool) might buy one from you in the first place... But just not us." . Click to expand...

Michaelhenry144 said: I am going to Washington DC next month on a package for three nights where I signed up to view their time share in Washington D.C part of the Hilton Vacation Club. I really don't want to purchase another timeshare as I own one at Disney World already that we use every year with my grand kids. I am going primarily to see the cherry blossoms. Usually these pitches are high pressure, and they seem to always say "Do you have an open mind to this presentation". This must be part of their manual. Even at my own resort at Vistana, they always try to get me to upgrade which I never do. I would like to be polite, and listen to their sales pitch but would appreciate if anyone had some strategies to use to make this presentation in April as painless as possible. Thanks Michael Click to expand...

We just went to HGVC Marbrisa sales presentation. We were told that Marbrisa had lowest maintenance fees in Hilton system. I told them NO Vegas did and had just paid them so I knew. Marbrisa almost double for same points. We were also told that if we bought Marbrisa on resale that we could only use it during the deeded week without being able to convert to points. Is this true? Our final VIP package was $1695 for 7000 points good for one year with first stay at Marbrisa only.  

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Travel on Point(s)

• In & Out In 15 Minutes! My Unique Hilton Timeshare Presentation Experience

• October 11, 2023
• Mark Ostermann

Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like CreditCards.com and Bankrate.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any partner entities.

Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Creditcards.com and Bankrate.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any partner entities.

Hilton Timeshare Presentation Experience

Last week I finally had my 150,000 point Hilton timeshare presentation offer meeting in New York City. This is the second time we have done one of these offers with Hilton, but this one was very unique. I doubt many will be able to recreate my Hilton timeshare presentation experience fully, but I think there are things that can be learned from it. Because of that I figured it was worth sharing with all of you.

Table of Contents

Booking The Hilton Timeshare Offer

This amazing offer was available earlier this year. Believe it or not it was actually one of my first articles at ToP. We wanted to take the kids somewhere for their birthday so I let them pick from the destination list. They decided on New York City and I booked it for October (right around both of their birthdays).

The deal was we would need to go to a 2 hour, or less, sales presentation put on by Hilton Grand Vacations . For doing that we would receive a great reduced rate on a three night stay and 150,000 Hilton Honors points upon completion.

We did a similar offer in Orlando back or 2019 and it took about the full two hours to complete. This time around was completely different though.

Sharing My Hilton Timeshare Presentation Experience

There were several things that were a bit different with this Hilton timeshare presentation experience compared to last time around. I'll go through each of them with you.

The Presentation Center Was In The Hotel

The first thing that was different was that the Hilton Grand Vacations offices were in the Hilton Midtown hotel . They had several timeshare presentation offices within the same building. I believe there were three in all where you could be sent. Our meeting area was the one located on the top floor. It was wasn't the easiest to find, it required riding an elevator to the top floor of the hotel and then walking down a hallway to another small elevator up the last level. This was one of those small one floor elevator types.

From what I could tell there was a Hilton Grand Vacations property on the top few floors of the Hilton Midtown hotel. I have to imagine those rooms were better than what we had below, since the hotel was not great.

There Was No Big Rah Rah Room

This could be a change since covid, or it could just be the limited space of New York City, but there was no rah rah room. In Orlando we were grouped together with like 30 other attendees and the head salesperson went through some things with us and got us in the habit of saying yes. Then we broke off with our individual reps for the one on one sales pitches portion at the same time.

This time around our rep promptly met us upon arrival and took us straight back to her desk. I prefer this set up so that there isn't a needless 30 minute pep rally. I think this set up works to our favor as well, but more on that in a bit.

We Were Done In Under 15 Minutes

This is where things got interesting. We sat down with our representative for some small talk, and the normal chit chat. She seemed super nice and from what I could tell we got one of the more straightforward, honest people in the business. I think she really believed in the program for the right person and that showed.

While chatting, how we found out about the presentation offer came up. I informed our rep that I wrote about it for work and then decided to take advantage of it. That is when we got into miles and points and the fact that I would write about my experience during the meeting as well. I also told her were mainly there for the points bonus.

You could tell this threw her for a curve. She immediately understood that I was not a person that this program would mesh with. I told her I pay next to nothing for my trips, thanks to miles and points, and that is when she said hold on for a few minutes. I assume she left to speak to a supervisor and came back to the table about 5 minutes later. That is when she told me we could leave if we wanted to or we could ask any questions we had. She said there was no point in going through the presentation with us etc. I appreciated this bluntness and we were free to leave after around 15 minutes of entering the sales room.

She was very open about the fact that selling these were her job, and time spent pitching me was wasted and wouldn't benefit her much. I totally agreed with this.

Asking Some Timeshare Questions That Had Been Bothering Me

I didn't leave right away because I actually enjoyed her company and I had a few questions I was interested in hearing the response to for timeshare offers / companies. We also talked about miles and points for 5 – 10 minutes. During that time I encouraged her to get into it a bit more for the airfare side of her travel even if she owned some timeshares. I can not stress enough how open she was and willing to discuss anything, which I found super refreshing. Here are some of the things we discussed:

They Offer A No Fee Credit Card – The Hilton Amex

While we were talking about my work, and using credit cards for discounted travel, she brought up that they have one they offer people. She wasn't sure if it was unique to them, but it was mainly for people that want to buy a timeshare but weren't prepared to do so. She said everyone comes in here expecting to say no, and that all they ask is they have an open mind. The reason for the card offer is the 0% APR it has. The card ended up being the no fee Amex Hilton card. I forgot to ask if they get any bonus etc. for card sign ups, but I assume they do.

What Is Her Response To Someone Buying Timeshares On The Secondary Market

I was really intrigued by this question, since I know it is something people say to bring up in your sales pitch meeting. Grizzled timeshare presentation vets say this is a way to give a firm no! Hilton Grand Vacations, and maybe others, figured out a work around for this. They have the right of first refusal if you ever try to sell your timeshare. If the price is too low they will buy it back themselves to keep it off the secondary market. This ensures the public prices stay where they want them to be. If the price is high enough they will pass on buying it back. Pretty smart.

What Happens When You Die And Your Kids Don't Want It?

I was also curious about the stories of people's heirs getting stuck with the maintenance fees after their parents pass away. From what I had heard they need to inform the company they want to forfeit their right to the timeshare, or they get stuck with the monthly dues. She was not 100% sure on this but she said she didn't think they did anything when someone passed away, assuming the no one in the succession line wanted it.

Points Transfer Rates Depend On Where You Buy

One thing I liked about the Hilton Vacations Timeshare program in particular, and maybe others offer it too, is that you can turn your timeshare points into Hilton Honors points if you are unable to use them that year. The rate at which you can transfer (I believe the two options are 16 to 1 or 32 to 1) depends on where you buy. It has something to do with the deeds etc. for those areas. She informed me that where you have your meeting doesn't matter though. She can sell you to any of these. So if you are in Myrtle Beach, but the NYC package works better for you (one of the 32 to 1 options), then they can make that happen. It should be noted that the higher transfer rate is a more expensive package.

She said if you want to just go to the same destination every year then the lower package makes more sense etc. They will tailor your individual package to whatever your travel desires are.

Who Are Timeshares For?

The last thing we discussed is who she thought timeshares were for. She admitted that they are not for everyone. The ideal person is a middle class couple or family that struggles to use their vacation time. Owning a timeshare forces them to make time for a trip. If you paid for it already then you are more likely to use it.

Being able to pass it down to kids is something many people like as well. Once the upfront cost is paid they look at the monthly dues as a reduced cost vacation. That may be more space than they would have gotten for the same price or a discounted rate in an expensive destination like Hawaii.

She admitted that miles and points people did not fit into this box. Really wealthy people didn't either, because they can pay for wherever they want to go. In her view, this program makes more places accessible to the middle class. I can see where she is coming from.

Hilton Timeshare Presentation Experience Main Takeaways

While my experience was unique I still think there are lessons to be learned.

Individual Pitches Are Our Friend

I think getting straight to the sit down with a sales rep portion is helpful to us. That makes me think they keep pulling from the constant flow of people and they don't want to waste time with a lemon such as us. With the old set up they likely didn't have a new pool to pull from until the next pep rally happened. They were stuck with who they got for the duration. I am not so sure that is the case with this set up.

Be Upfront About Your Travels

I think explaining that you travel A LOT, and most of it is for pennies on the dollar, helps you to a quick exit. I tried to do this in Orlando as well, but in a more roundabout way. They didn't really pick up on that though and when I asked questions for work purposes they mistook that for interest. This time I was as upfront and blunt as I could be. If you do the same maybe they will see you are a lost cause and quickly discard you. Tell them you did it for the discounted room and bonus points.

The Points Posted Really Quickly

They said it could take a few days, but the points were in my account within a few hours. This was a huge improvement compared to my last Hilton timeshare presentation experience years ago. Previously, it ended up taking a few weeks and some follow up to get.

It wasn't special blogger treatment either, since multiple people in the ToP Facebook Group said theirs posted within minutes of their meeting. I was really happy to hear that.

ToP Thoughts

Overall, our Hilton timeshare presentation experience was surprisingly pleasant and refreshing. They were okay dropping a losing hand and our rep was very open and up front about everything. I enjoyed speaking with her and it was interesting to get some more color on the program. It was cool to hear about her experience as a salesperson too.

I don't know if this is unique to her, the New York office or if it is a testament to the entire Hilton Vacation Club company, but I was pleasantly surprised. It almost made me feel bad about not buying something, almost.

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Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation Review [What To Expect]

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Table of Contents

About hilton grand vacations, booking the hgv presentation, what we got from our hgv meeting, attending the hgv sales presentation, being excused from the meeting, checking out, how many people actually sign up for hgv, should you attend an hgv timeshare meeting, final thoughts.

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I attended a Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) “ownership” presentation in Las Vegas in May 2023. As a travel and finance nerd, it was honestly pretty fun, and I found it more fascinating than the awkward, high-pressure sales meeting I was expecting.

Spoiler alert: I did not walk away from the HGV experience as a “vacation owner,” but did leave with some pretty nice perks.

You might not consider a timeshare meeting fun entertainment, but I ate it up and will do it again as soon as Hilton extends another invitation. That is, if they allow me back after I irritated their sales manager.

Let’s review my HGV presentation experience and what I learned from the meeting.

HGV is a “vacation ownership program” that uses a points system. “Owners” purchase a set number of available points to use each year. You can book stays at qualifying HGV properties worldwide for varying point values . If you don’t use all of your points in a particular year, you can float them to the following year for a fee.

HGV probably won’t correct you if you call it a “timeshare,” but it’s technically “vacation ownership” because, unlike a traditional timeshare, you’re not stuck with a pre-determined week at the same property year after year. I was impressed by HGV’s flexibility, and I felt we could quickly learn how to manage the HGV points system as we’ve done with other points programs.

But I had major issues with financial transparency at the meeting. Bottom line: I value my flexibility as a consumer too much to commit my family’s travel dollars to Hilton forever.

I got on the phone with Hilton in April 2022 to book a stay at Casa Marina Key West using a Hilton free night reward and points I earned with my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card . Before the agent let me go, they asked if I’d stay on the line to earn 5,000 Hilton Honors points after I listened to a 10-minute sales pitch for Hilton Grand Vacations. 

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

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Know if you're approved with  no credit score impact.

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

• 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
• 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
• 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases
• Annual fee of $150 ( rates & fees )
• Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental ® Emerald Club Executive ® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club ® program is required. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees:  None

Hilton Honors

I figured another 10 minutes after I was already on the phone was worth the points, so I listened to the pitch. I agreed to book a $169 package for a 4-day, 3-night stay at an HGV resort in Las Vegas with a $200 Spend A Night On Us certificate after we attended the meeting. Some of the other options I had were Orlando and New York City, but my on-the-spot choice was Las Vegas since it was on my husband’s wish list, and I thought it might be a nice getaway for us without the kids.

I could book the stay immediately, but we didn’t have the opportunity to make the trip until well into this year. I booked dates outside the allowed year from my package purchase, but they said it was okay since I made the booking before it expired.

HGV initially placed us at the Tropicana Las Vegas , which I wasn’t pleased about. I think we would have enjoyed the Tropicana, but value-wise, I was insulted and about ready to call the whole thing off. A weekday stay like ours costs $49 to $69 per night plus taxes and fees. For 3 nights at roughly $60 per night, I’d only save about $10 before taxes and fees — and still give up about 2 hours of my vacation to listen to a sales pitch.

According to the Details of Participation , our accommodations should have been valued at $175 to $500 per night, and the Tropicana was nowhere near that .

When I called about my options, I was offered the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club and Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the Las Vegas Strip . Still, I had my sights on the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Elara , which has nightly weekday rates closer to $200 per night and seemed like a much better fit than other options. 

It took a few calls before I got a room at Elara — only after I paid a $19.99 booking change fee and a $75 per night upgrade . Not ideal for what was supposed to be a super-cheap stay, but Elara was fantastic and absolutely worth the upgrade.

HGV booked us for a meeting at 12:30 p.m. the day after we arrived at the HGVC on the Strip. It was far enough from Elara that we needed to catch an Uber to get to the meeting, though it would have been even further from the Tropicana.

There are some stipulations to booking and attending an HGV presentation :

• You have to attend the presentation, or you’ll have to pay the full nightly rate plus taxes and fees.
• You must meet (unspecified) income requirements.
• You can’t have more than 1 sales presentation package open at a time, meaning you can’t book 2 vacations.
• You can’t attend if you’ve participated in an HGV sales presentation within the last 12 months.
• If you’re married, your spouse must attend the presentation.
• You have to pay a change fee of $19.95 for any reservation changes up to 15 days before arrival, and fees go up if you make any changes closer than that.

You can read the full Details of Participation to see more about what’s required of you if you book an HGV presentation meeting.

Although it’s not on the website’s fine print, I was told over the phone not to arrive at the meeting intoxicated, or we’d be turned away and have to pay the full rate for our hotel stay — I’m guessing this reminder is particular to Las Vegas presentations.

HGV calls the timeshare packages a “vacation package,” but you’ll need to cover transportation, food, and other costs.

The perks of attending an HGV meeting are pretty nice. In return for our time and attention, we got: 

• 5,000 Hilton Honors points
• 3-night stay at an HGV property
• $200 Spend A Night On Us certificate good for 6 months
• Snacks and drinks

Although I locked in my package when I paid, these packages change constantly, so you might do better or worse than I did. The offer you can book for Las Vegas today is $249 for 3 nights plus 15,000 Hilton Honors points, so you’d get far less for your effort than I did — I recommend waiting until the deals are better or negotiating for more over the phone if you’re interested.

The hotel stay is the most valuable perk of attending an HGV meeting. All in, I paid about $400 for 3 nights at Elara , which would have cost me easily in the neighborhood of $800 to $1,000, including taxes and fees. I’ll take advantage of the $200 Spend A Night On Us certificate soon, so that exact value remains to be seen.

The rough math on our perks value is about $600 for 2 hours of our time , which was worth it for me.

You don’t have to pay a resort fee while on a timeshare presentation stay. We had a $0 bill at checkout!

Before we walked into the presentation, I reminded myself that no one could force me to sign up for anything I didn’t want. I didn’t want to make the mistake of assuming I was immune to expert sales tactics. It was my first timeshare meeting, but the salespeople do this all day, every day. There’s a reason you get a lot of perks for attending the presentation — the sales tactics work often enough to make it worth it.

Checking In

We arrived via Uber, and the valet station directed us to the sales door once he confirmed we were there for a sales presentation. We walked into a busy room with a reception desk.

The reception desk gave me a key card on a lanyard and directed us to a kiosk to check-in. The kiosk took my photo and asked us about our travel, including our dream destinations and future plans.

After we finished up at the kiosk, we were told to head into the cafe and wait for an attendant to call our names. 

The cafe was full of other attendees, and we had our pick of free snacks and drinks. The food was mostly packaged snacks, including cookies and chips, and the drinks were coffee, tea, juice, and water. I’d promised my husband snacks at the meeting, so he loaded up!

Group Presentation

It wasn’t long before we were directed to a group presentation room with about a dozen other couples and families. 

In the group presentation, we had a group survey of dream travel destinations, then watched a video presentation mainly featuring Hilton properties, including Hilton Waikoloa Village and locations in the Maldives. The salesperson showed us personal vacation photos from his family’s numerous stays worldwide with HGV. 

It was mainly hype to get us excited about the possibilities of travel with HGV, and there was some light math about how much we could get for our points if we bought in — but I don’t think we saw any prices then. They also joked that many of us came into the meeting vowing never to sign up but asked us to keep an open mind as we were invited as loyal Hilton customers.

The group presentation lasted about 20 minutes. At the end, our personal salesperson came to collect us and brought us back to her desk.

Children can come to HGV sales presentations. Some locations have supervised kids’ activities so they can play separately, but other locations encourage guests to bring their kids to the meeting.

Sales Presentation

At the desk, the sales presentation started with no pressure as our salesperson built a rapport, and we genuinely enjoyed talking to her. She explained more about the travel possibilities we’d have as HGV “owners,” reviewed the concept of HGV points, and talked with us about our travel habits and goals.

This was all inoffensive, though I got the impression we didn’t fit well into the sales box because we travel impulsively and often use points to book hotel stays. HGV wants to predict how much cash (not points) you spend on travel each year so the salesperson can present an appropriate HGV points package. 

Because we rarely spend real dollars on hotel stays, it was tough to do the math. And our travel habits have changed a lot lately, so we honestly couldn’t tell her what we expect over the next several years regarding cash spent on average nights in a hotel room.

Points travelers, don’t think you’ll get out of the meeting once you tell them you don’t often spend cash on hotels . The closer who came to support our salesperson suggested how we could earn Hilton Honors points and still benefit from them as HGV “owners.” Spoiler: my response to this ill-advised solution helped get us ushered quickly out of the meeting. More on that later.

We saw more photos and videos of HGV and Hilton properties, and our salesperson went over our options for floating points to the next year (for a fee). We also got an introduction to booking with RCI — another timeshare program — using HGV points and paying a transfer fee.

It was at the RCI transfer point of the presentation that my skepticism kicked into high gear. We were shown the possibility of booking the Maldives for “only $295.” That sounds fantastic — until you realize that $295 is not the cost of your HGV points, but the transaction fee you will pay on top of the HGV points to book that particular property with RCI.

I was baffled that I was presented a booking fee as a benefit and the salesperson failed to mention that you’ll pay thousands to get the HGV points to book it before you have the privilege to pay that fee.

According to the fine print on the HGV website , points package prices range from $7,800 to $758,990. There’s a minimum points buy-in of 4,000 points , and those points range in value from $3.80 to $6.50 per point. HGV says the average new member pays about $22,000 .

The lowest points package we were presented was about that average number, though we were told the minimum points buy-in is slightly higher and the per-point value is much higher. I don’t know why what we saw was different, but it could be that we misunderstood, were misled, or the package details just depended on what the salesperson wanted to offer at the meeting.

In addition to the points cost, HGV members pay closing costs and annual maintenance fees . There are also transaction fees if you want to exchange your points — like that Maldives booking. And if you choose to finance your HGV points package, you’ll pay interest fees, too.

How does Hilton Grand Vacation ownership compare to Disney Vacation Club? Check out our article: Is My Disney Vacation Club Membership Worth It? [1 Year In] .

About 30 to 45 minutes into the individual presentation, we left the desk to visit a suite at the property. It was lovely and even more spacious than our room at Elara. It felt like an apartment tour, and my family would love staying in a suite like that anywhere — although they’re easy to please as long as there’s unlimited yogurt at the breakfast buffet.

I wish I’d asked how many HGV points it takes to book a room like this, but a quick look at the Hilton website tells me this room runs about $500 on weeknights and $600 on weekends.

Note that up to this point, there were no pointed questions about signing up and no opportunities to say no. It was all information and getting a feel for what might work for us. It was no pressure at all. And then the closer came in.

Check out a firsthand review of a 2-bedroom HGV suite at the Lagoon Tower, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu.

Meeting the Closer

Before the sales manager came in to close the deal, our salesperson gathered enough information to suggest a package that might work for us. The manager came in ready to talk numbers and answer any questions we might have that the salesperson hadn’t already covered. 

I had some questions. 

For one, nothing we were shown told us how much each point is worth . I got the impression most people don’t ask about that, because when I asked, the manager had to send our salesperson to another room to find the right brochure and look up the information. 

Another big question I had was about the interest rate, which was completely obscured. I could probably reverse-engineer the math, but I never got an answer from HGV on how much we’d pay in interest to finance a points package. Just that it “depends on your credit.” 

It’s fair to say that your interest rate depends on your credit, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t even get a range of possible interest rates. Our purchase proposal had a monthly payment range. Those monthly payments were calculated with the interest rate, so there is a known interest rate range — the salespeople are just not going to tell you until you’re much farther into the sales process. I was unwilling to go down that rabbit hole and have them run my credit to find out.

The first package we were shown was mortgage-sized, and I cannot fathom going even a step further without knowing how much I’d be paying in interest for 5, 7, or 10 years.

Taking Notes

At this point, the manager asked me why I was taking photos of the paperwork, which I’d done the entire meeting. I suspected we wouldn’t be allowed to take the paperwork with us — we weren’t — and I explained I wanted photos for my notes. 

I was allowed to continue photographing with the understanding that the paperwork is Hilton property and not to be shared. I can’t find anything to confirm that, but to be respectful, I haven’t shared paperwork photos or any particular details of our offers in this review. 

Even for a person not intending to review a timeshare meeting, it’s wise to take notes to make an informed decision . It bothered me that I got heat for studying the details of this financial commitment. HGV wants you to sign up on the spot, not check notes at home, but that’s not how I make decisions.

Dodging Manipulation

The entire meeting was set up to manipulate our emotions and encourage us to accept the math that was presented , but it was very subtle. This is Hilton, so it was professional but still very opaque. Think about a finance deal at a nice car dealership or touring a luxury apartment, and it’s about the same vibe.

HGV wants you to be excited about staying in an overwater villa in the Maldives “for just $295” (in fees on top of the cost of “ownership”) so you don’t look too hard at closing costs and interest rates or the overall massive cost of becoming an HGV “owner.”

It doesn’t look that expensive when you’re presented with the monthly payment, so the salesperson wants you to focus on that — not the annual maintenance fee that will increase over time. Not once were we presented with the option to buy a package outright without financing — they obviously want you to look more at the monthly cost than the actual bottom line. And they’d be happy to explain how the deal could save you money on travel.

The sales team has an answer for every objection or excuse you might have, so you don’t need to explain yourself. Just be comfortable saying no if you’re not interested.

If you tell the sales team you can’t afford it, they will find a way for you to stretch out payments and afford it. If you tell them you don’t have time to travel right now, they’ll explain how you can bank points for another year — with a “small” fee. Not ready to sign yet? They’ll tell you why today’s deal is better than what you can get later.

My husband told me I was very well-behaved the entire meeting until the manager advised us to buy HGV “owner” points so we could save our Hilton Honors points for retirement . This is clearly the HGV answer for people who turn down the offer because they travel on points.

Something about ridiculous points advice flipped a switch, and apparently, I stopped being nice when I told the manager how much I disagreed with that idea.

Next time, I will probably need a pep talk to watch my mouth when the manager comes in for the close. 

Save Money, Spend Points

The manager argued that HGV could be a vehicle to retiring with millions of Hilton Honors points. I bet it sounds great to many people who attend these presentations, and my husband thought it was a good point.

The idea is we could keep earning Hilton Honors points just like we do now but wouldn’t need to spend them since our HGV “owner” points would pay for hotel stays. We could use our stockpiled Hilton Honors points in retirement for food and beverages or spa treatments at Hilton properties or convert them to flights and activities with Hilton partners.

That’s not the move I’d make — and I told the manager so. If I stop actively redeeming Hilton Honors points , I will also stop earning them and instead move on to earning rewards I can use in the short term, like flexible travel points, airline miles, or cash-back that I could put in a real retirement account. Anything is better than points I won’t touch until I’m older.

Points are for spending, not saving, and can devalue at any time . The same Hilton rooms we were booking just a few years ago for 50,000 points are now more often 70,000 points. I’d hate to save for decades only to have the value erode when I could have earned more useful rewards.

This is just one of the logic tricks you might tackle to finish the meeting. Salespeople are ready with an answer whether you say you don’t have the money, always travel on points, or don’t have time to travel.

Consumer Freedom

I could tell the manager had enough of me between the retirement points disagreement and the photos I kept taking. She asked a direct question intending to close the sale, so I figured it was time to leave and went in for the kill.

I explained that although we are loyal to Hilton, and it’s often our first choice for hotels because I get a lot of value from my Hilton Honors Surpass card and Diamond status, there’s an exceptional value in the flexibility of changing that relationship at any time .

If we ever decide we don’t like Hilton anymore or another brand offers us better value for our needs as they change, it’s effortless to do that when we aren’t HGV “owners.” All we have to do is use up our Hilton points, downgrade or close my Hilton Honors Surpass card, and move on to earning rewards with a different brand. 

As HGV “owners,” we’d lose that flexibility with a contract and financial interest in staying with Hilton, whether we like it or not. Yes, we could always sell our HGV “ownership” — at a considerable loss. We’d basically be marrying our travel to Hilton for life, and I won’t put a ring on it now, if ever.

Once I explained that, the manager cut her losses, and we were promptly on our way out the door. 

We were shown an additional package, which would allow us to buy a stay that would count toward future HGV points if we signed up as “owners” afterward. I only had to say no to that once before the manager asked us to wait for “corporate.” The corporate agent was extremely brief — again, with another offer that was easy and quick to turn down — and we were on our way to collect our perks at the checkout desk. 

HGV “ownership” didn’t add up for us — even though the rooms we saw were fantastic.

We were back out the front door just a hair under the promised limit of 2 hours.

On our way out the door, we stopped by the checkout desk to collect our remaining perks. What you get as a parting gift depends on your package. For my package, I got a $200 Stay A Night On Us certificate good at my choice of several Hilton brands, including Hampton Inn, Hilton, Embassy Suites, and Homewood Suites.

I selected Hampton Inn — probably not the highest potential value, but I’d researched ahead. Since we will need to pay cash upfront and get refunded, I wanted to avoid brands where we’d have to pay a resort fee, like Hilton Hotels, since that wouldn’t be waived on a cash stay like when we pay with points. We could probably use Homewood or Embassy Suites anywhere, but I have a couple of beachfront Hampton Inn properties in mind that generally run around $200 per night. We will get our money’s worth from the certificate if I redeem it on time — we just have 6 months to use it.

On the way out the door, I noticed how fast HGV moves people through the process and asked an agent how many people come through each day. They said it’s in the hundreds daily just at that location. And when I asked, they told me how many people out of that sign up — roughly 7% based on the numbers I got. That’s just an informal poll from an unsuspecting employee, but it gives you an idea of how often the salespeople hear “no.”

What happens if you sign up for HGV and want to back out? You have a right to rescind the contract , but how long you have depends on where you signed the contract. Most state laws provide between 3 to 15 days — you might still be on vacation when that time runs out. Usually, cancellation information is in your contract, so read up before you get home.

Our HGV timeshare meeting was entertaining, and we walked away with perks. I had a good experience, but it’s not for everyone. Is it right for you? 

• Yes, if you plan to sign up for HGV
• Yes, if you want free stuff
• No, if you are easily manipulated
• No, if you have a packed vacation schedule

The benefits of attending an HGV presentation can be worth it , as you can get a cheap hotel stay in popular vacation cities, some snacks, and most likely some points or a free night at a Hilton property. I considered it free entertainment. I don’t have any regrets about spending 2 hours on the meeting, and it was fun to see some of the amazing Hilton properties they highlighted in the presentation.

But before you walk into that meeting, know that people stronger than you have said yes on the spot. It is compelling, and you can end up signing up for a timeshare even if you walk in intending never to do it.

And I would argue that HGV is particularly dangerous because Hilton is a trusted brand and the presentation was very professional and respectful. It would be much easier to say no to unprofessional or sleazy salespeople — you aren’t likely to find one of those at HGV.

Would I do another Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare presentation? Absolutely yes, as soon as they will have me back. Although we left our Hilton timeshare presentation with a resounding no and an annoyed manager, the benefits were worth the 2 hours we spent.

For rates and fees for The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card, click here .

Related Posts

Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation Review

by Brett Holzhauer | Sep 17, 2018 | hilton , hotel reviews | 33 comments

As a Hilton Honors Member, you will at one point hear on the phone something resembling “Would you like to earn 500 Hilton Honors points for hearing our promotional offer today?” Of course, it is hard to say no to easy points like that. I was suckered in and decided to hear what they had to say. The “catch” was I had to sit in a 2-hour Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation. Being a young college grad, I couldn’t even afford a timeshare even if I wanted it. So I figured it was going to be an easy “no”.

The offer was actually pretty great! Spend 4 days & 3 nights in a Hilton Grand Vacations property in either Las Vegas or Orlando for $199 + tax. To add, they added a $200 mail-in rebate to select Hilton brands. I was able to use my mail-in rebate at the Hilton Woodland Hills on a King Suite the night before my wedding. Keep in mind that $200 is only for the base rate of the room. That does not cover taxes or room charges.

I used my Hilton Ascend American Express to get 12x per dollar on the $199, which got me back about $15 in points value. And with the mail-in rebate for my next Hilton stay, the whole deal was basically free!

The Terms of the offer

While this seems like a “slam dunk” offer, there are of course stipulations and rules to follow…

• You may purchase the offer on the phone. From that time, you have (I believe) 45 days to actually book your trip. From that point, you must complete your travel in 1 calendar year.
• You may not complete your timeshare presentation on the day you check in or the day you leave. I was in Vegas Thursday-Sunday so I chose Saturday.
• If you are married, your spouse must attend the presentation. (My wife and I were not married at the time. However, I would have just said I was single regardless.)
• If you do not complete the timeshare presentation, you will be charged full retail value of the room.

The Hotel & Room

I had a few options in Las Vegas to stay at. We could have stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at The Flamingo , HGVC at Trump Towers ,  HGVC on Paradise , HGVC on the Boulevard , or The Elara .

My wife and I decided to stay at The Elara ironically because there was no casino in the hotel, it is part of the Million Mile Shops, it is very close to the strip, and the rooms were very luxurious.

Image courtesy of hilton.com

We checked in just as a normal hotel and confirmed my time for the presentation. I picked first thing in the morning so I could simply get it over with. Hilton Honors members are given 2 free water bottles upon check-in. This is definitely appreciated when it is 100 degrees outside!

We were assigned to a high floor One Bedroom King Suite. It had an incredible view of the Las Vegas airport, so I got to watch airplanes land and take off for hours!

While I don’t have any pictures, this video is very close to what we had. A little bit of different decor, but all the same amenities. I loved this hotel room because of the “condo” style feel to it. Most hotel rooms don’t have full kitchens or separate living room areas. Even though there was only 2 of us, we had plenty of room!

For a similar time period (Thurs-Sun), this room after taxes and resort fees is $1,395 !

So if you value your time at an hourly rate, saving $600/hour for two hours of your time is absolutely worth it! However, what does this timeshare presentation actually look like?

The Timeshare Presentation

The Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation really wasn’t all that bad. Here is the breakdown of mine.

The presentation was at The Elara, so I left about 5 minutes early from my room. Check in at your time you have reserved. For me, it was 9:00am.

9am-9:15am – Meet with your sales rep. My sales rep was actually pretty friendly.

9:15am-10:00am – Cheesy presentations showing you all of their properties. This is a great way to find new travel destinations that you want to see.

10am-10:15am – You sit down with your sales rep to explain the “points” system. Most timeshare companies sell you points which you can redeem for rooms. These points are different than regular Hilton Honors points.

10:15am-11am – Crunch the costs and how you can finance your new timeshare. This is where your “no” skills have to come into play. They will try every single way to convince you that timeshares are a great deal, when in fact they aren’t . I gave them the no around 10:30ish and they took their sweet time to get me out the door.

Small reminder – Keep your eye on your watch, aka your phone. If they are pushing towards the two-hour mark, say you need to leave as they are intruding on your vacation. They should respect your time.

Check out – At check out, they gave me my $200 Hilton mail in rebate and I was on my way to the pool!

Is it worth it?

100% yes! If you don’t mind sparing two hours of your vacation, it is absolutely worth it. But go into it with a strong will that you will not buy. They may be a little rude to you, but just remember that you are getting essentially a free vacation. Walk out of there with a smirk on your face, and enjoy!

And the best part, is that you are eligible for this every 6 months! I just received another Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation promotional email for Las Vegas or New York City.

Have you ever sat in a Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Presentation? Or any other brand? What was your experience like?

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More from points with a crew, 33 comments.

We did this last year in Orlando. My wife had a business conference there and we did the presentation time for the period she would be there. We got the $200 voucher and used it at a Hilton later on. I enjoyed my time there and we said NO alot since we never stay anywhere for 7 days unless it is a cruise and travel the rest of the time for free. They understood and quickly got us out of there. They were very nice about this and thanked us for being loyal Hilton members. Very different than those we went through when really young.

That’s awesome Byron! Being polite can go a long way.

Hey Dan did they provide you with a list of blackout dates before you booked?

I can answer any questions regarding this. Are you referring to blackout dates for the timeshare stay? They actually don’t have blackouts, however, they do have raised prices during high traffic. I remember them raising the price to $299 during New Years in Vegas, which is still a deal!

Similar experience for my wife and I, but we bought! We have had our timeshare about 10 years now and absolutely love it. We did upgrade about seven years ago so that we could vacation more. Hilton may not be for everyone but it does work for us. My wife and I will retire early in about a year and will use our Hilton timeshare as much as possible. It is possible we may upgrade one more time.

That’s awesome that HGVC is working for you!

Never buy through HGVC…I’ve bought mine through resales and have saved tens of thousands of dollars! The prices these shark salesp quote during your timeshare presentation is criminal!!! NEVER EVER BUY THROUGH HGVC!!! I currently own 24,000 HGVC points annually. I bought my points through a timeshare broker by the name of John Raymond based in Carlsbad, CA. He is honest, legit and a really nice guy. Google his name…you’ll be glad you did.

What if you want to extend your stay? How is that billed? Thanks.

I received a similar deal a year ago that I took advantage in Orlando. I would never do a HGV timeshare presentation again. The guy we had was terrible. He assumed we were going to buy when we said no. My husband actually began to consider it at the end, and that made it more difficult. He ended up signing up for a second chance offer for a vacation. I promptly cancelled the whole thing when we got home. Never again.

Why did you cancel your husband’s dream?? Allow him to travel and support his decision for you and your family!!

Oh wow, I’m sorry you had that experience.

Owner here. We bought in Orlando back in 2009 when points were $4 each. We’ve loved it because it forced us to take family vacations almost every year and my kids have been to Disney a bunch, San Diego, Hawaii twice, Mexico twice and Hilton Head next year. And in 2 bedroom condos all but a couple times. I’m a penny pincher and there is no way we would have had these great experiences without the timeshare. That said they are not worth it now. The pricess are crazy. Buy on the resale market for a fraction. As for these 4 night 3 day presentations they are great. Whenever we want to go to Vegas we book one of these, upgrade to 2 bedroom at the Elara if you can can get it and go to the presentation as soon as possible. I tell them right away if they can find me something at $4 a point and lower maintenance fee I’m in, if not no deal. Usually a pretty short meeting. Important note, Hilton has no timeshare properties in Mexico or the Caribbean so if that is a priority for you you have to transfer your points to RCI which has mostly been ok but the properties are not as great.

it sounds like we may have made a pretty good deal if you would buy again at $4 a point. just picked up a deal in Waikoloa, Hi for 3.23 a point. hotel rooms in the ocean tower were going for 5k more than what we got. we started with a 1 bedroom plus. Ive been reviewing some BBB reviews and looking up some things and im getting closer to the 7 day window to cancel my deal. but I think this will work for us. we’ve travelled without it already but hopefully this helps us do better.

We are going to a Westin presentation in Cabo San Lucas in January. January 2016, we did the Westin one in Cancun. $299 for 4 nights in both cases.

I purchased the Wyndham package for Alexandria, hoping to book for April 2019. I have to wait until October for the calendar to open.

The Hilton deals have not been as good as Westin. I just got a mailer to get 500,000 points with a time share purchase.

Hubby and I are in our 60’s. We’ve gone to these pitches for years. Over the last 20 years, the perks have gotten much better. It used to be a free dinner voucher.

That’s awesome to know that the incentives have only gotten better! Thanks for reading!

We have HGVC and love it. The first year we received 20,000 extra points as a signing bonus so we used it a lot. We love all of the rooms we have stayed in and often stay in Park City, UT in a 3BR unit that is like having a full house for the holidays. I also travel often for work and use a combination of Hilton points and HGVC points for areas like Phoenix that don’t have a resort. It has worked out well for us.

Ah, thats awesome! Park City is a beautiful area, I live about 30 minutes away in Salt Lake City.

I’m glad these programs are working in your favor!

We did our first HGVC presentation in 2002 and purchased. We have enjoyed it for 16 years with our family, ourselves, and Friends!

These stays are always in a class by themselves and in magnificent resorts! I’ve never regretted our purchase. It has opened at the world to us, made us vacation, and allowed us to spend quality family time with our children and grandchildren!

The promotion packages are well worth the time spent. We have done numerous presentations with a variety of companies over the years. No one has ever been as polite and consistently professional as Hilton Representatives!

if anyone is interested in a recommendation, I would love the privilege to recommend you!!

Thank you so much Mara for reading! I am thrilled that you have gotten real value from HGVC. From the comments, I’m concluding that timeshares do work for some people, and not for others.

I just heard the phone sales pitch, and have committed to an Orlando presentation, but haven’t picked dates yet. I’m looking forward to seeing how the sales pitch goes compared to the Disney Vacation Club, which I’ve been a member of for almost 5 years now. I can’t imagine anyone can beat Disney’s program, but I’m willing to give it a chance. Plus it will give us an opportunity to visit Universal, and possibly Legoland, instead of Disney for a change 🙂

That is so awesome, I’d love to hear how similar my experience is to yours.

Did this article inspire you to try this out?

I found this article right after I booked it, by googling for reviews. I’m happy to see that it was a positive experience for most people!

Are you in the market for timeshares? Or are you simply going to give them the “hard no” like I did?

I was already on the phone, booking an upcoming stay, when they got me to listen to the pitch. I doubt I will buy into it since I have Disney Vacation Club already. I will most likely add points to my DVC membership, when the new resort becomes available, sometime in 2019 🙂

Has anyone used it in NYC? Wondering where the hotels they’d put us in are.

I got suckered into listening to the promotion and purchasing a 3 day/2 night for NY for $285 total. Nothing was mentioned about the having to attend a timeshare presentation until i logged onto the HGVC! Now, to avoid the additional $50 charge if I book 14days after the day I paid, I had to book my NY hotel stay but because I want to travel in early June 2019, the hotel is not guaranteed until sometime after January 2019! I’m not looking to purchase any timeshare but I guess now I’m stuck having to sit through the presentation in order to complete the package deal.

Ah that is a bit unfortunate. But I’m sure your stay in NY will be awesome!

Did they tell you what hotel? Location?

Purchased a Vegas HGVC weekend package and I’m so excited! My sister just recently became an owner & I’m hoping it works at for me as well! I’m planning to travel in May, anyone have insight as to when to give them a call & book the room or does it matter?

That’s awesome!

I always suggest sooner rather than later. Especially if you are planning on traveling around Memorial Day.

What promotional offer did you get?!

Brett, we get it you work for this scam

I’m not sure what you mean by this.

I just attended an HGVC presentation this weekend. I’m staying at the property on the Boulevard, though in hindsight, I should’ve booked The Elara as I’m here for my 30th! Oh well. They put me in a king studio room on the 24th floor in tower 1. It’s a nice room, but I learned the hard way I had to pay $20 per day if I wanted my room clean because I wasn’t staying for five nights. They gladly replenished my towels when requested, so that was fine. The presentation was what I expected. My salesperson was nice, but there were three people total who tried their damndest to sell me the ownership. I held my ground and declined. The last guy was a bit rude when I said no, but whatever. It didn’t work for me because I couldn’t justify it as a single guy. Just because I traveled a lot this year and want to travel a lot next year doesn’t mean I’m going to. Besides, I don’t even own a house yet! I may consider it down the road when it makes more sense financially and logistically, but I’d like to talk to actual HGVC owners first before doing anything. Great post!

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