Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well. This summer, Laura and I were supposed to go to Boston and New York City for a week. Then the Coronavirus Pandemic hit. We recently cancelled our entire trip, including our JetBlue award flight from SFO-BOS, our Hilton free night stay in Boston, our Amtrak trip from Boston to NYC, our hotel stays in NYC, and our American Airlines award flight from LGA-DFW-SNA. Part of our stay in NYC was at a Hilton Grand Vacations resort with the purchase of a timeshare package (and mandatory timeshare presentation). Fun read: Profiting from 2 Timeshare Presentations in Hawaii (Secret: Attend, but do not Buy!)
Long story short, I originally bought the timeshare package in November 2018 and have extended / renewed it a few times over the years. After cancelling my NYC timeshare package, I learned about the extended expiration date and the ability to change to another Hilton resort in the US for free. More details at the bottom of the post. My original timeshare package was $286 and gave us 2 nights in NYC (choice of 4-5 properties), $100 Spend a Night on Us voucher (hopefully no headaches like last time), $100 Elevated Rewards Dollars (Hilton resort credit during our stay), and 5,000 Hilton Honors Points (worth ~$25). The original timeshare package expiration date was November 15, 2019.
We originally planned to visit NYC in October 2019 and had our resort stay and timeshare presentation set for October 28, 2019.
Due to schedule issues, we couldn’t visit NYC in October 2019, so I contacted Hilton Grand Vacations to get an extension. I was able to get a complimentary extension through February 28, 2020. In November 2019, I received the below email with the ability to pay for another 6 month or 12 month extension.
I contacted the Hilton Grand Vacations rep and paid for a 6 month extension (I forget the cost, I think it was around $50 or so), since I knew I would be able to use it in June / July 2020. The rep was able to add a few more months to the extension and the timeshare package had a new expiration date of October 31, 2020.
In January 2020, I finally booked the timeshare package in NYC with an arrival date of June 30, 2020.
A few days ago, in May 2020, I received a confirmation email with the same details as above. At that point, I decided to call Hilton Grand Vacations and cancel this stay due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The call was very quick and easy. The rep said that the timeshare package had a new expiration date of November 1, 2021 and I could switch to any other US location for free.
I looked at the Hilton Grand Vacations website and they have timeshare properties in many cities and states around the country.
The rep suggested that I switch to any of these California resorts and recommended the resorts in Carlsbad (north of San Diego).
Last but not least, the rep said it was possible to upgrade my 2 night stay into a 5 night stay at these Hawaii resorts (but there would be a $500 upgrade fee). To help with geography, Waikoloa is on the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui is on Maui, and Waikiki is near Honolulu on Oahu. Laura and I love Hawaii, so I am seriously considering upgrading to the 5 night Hawaii timeshare package. Thankfully, we have until November 1, 2021 to make travel plans. I’m leaning toward staying in Waikoloa and had a great time at the Hilton Waikoloa Village using Hilton AXON or GLON awards back in the day.
If you have an existing timeshare package, reach out to Hilton Grand Vacations and see if they will let you extend your timeshare package or switch to another property in the US. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!
Hey Grant,
As I recall, you have taken advantage of these timeshare package vacations in the past. I’ve been tempted, but wondered if they are really worth the money. How did you handle the hard sell presentations?
I’ve done a few timeshare presentations over the last couple years, some by myself in some with my wife. It’s been pretty easy, they don’t give you the hard sell, but I’ve heard horror stories about people attending timeshare presentations internationally where it is much more stressful. At the end of the day, the big hotel chains just want you to be a loyal customer so they won’t pressure you too much. Saying no a few times is all that is required.
Great and detailed post Grant. You’re always so descriptive which helps. This is a GREAT deal and I’d definitely go to Hawaii for the upgraded fee. I know some people worry about these time share presentations but the two that we went to weren’t bad. We went to the Westin Nanea Villas presentation and it was a great deal. I think the first time I went it was $1,499 for a one bedroom suite or $2095 for a two bedroom suite for 5 nights.
We opted for the 2 bedroom suite which is really huge and has a big bed in the living room as well that is comfortable. So you can go with up to 6 people. We have 3 kids so we have 5 people and it’s perfect. The rates for the days we go in February are about $1100+ per night for a 2 bedroom suite. Plus they gave us 100,000 Bonvoy points. So it’s a great deal.
The presentation is low pressure and they are nice. We told them we didn’t want it but at the end of the presentation they give you the chance to come again the next year for the same fee. It’s a no brainer if you want to stay here anyway. It was about 90 minutes but was easy. It’s called the Explorer Package. We did the same thing this year. They gave us 5 nights to use in the next 2 years. They charge you $99 up front and then $199.50 a month for 10 months. Same deal. You get 100,000 Bonvoy points. I can use those points at hotels that charge about $400 for 80,000 point award so you’re getting back a good portion of what you pay in Bonvoy points.
I haven’t tried doing other time share presentation deals but there are some good deals out there.
PS. If you decide to come to Carlsbad, email me and lunch is on me. We met at the FTU in Seattle.
Hi Mike, thanks for the great comment. I’m really jealous that you have stayed at the Westin Nanea Villas. I stayed at the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas next door during one of my vacation packages and could see the Nanea being built and it looked beautiful. I would definitely love to stay there next time I visit Maui.
Like you said, the timeshare presentations are no big deal and are a “small price to pay” in order to get a great deal on a vacation stay. I actually enjoying talking about travel to the salespeople and try to understand the pros and cons of the timeshare program, but the initial offer price are always way out of my price range.
I might be down in San Diego sometime this summer and I’ll reach out to you before I go down.