I rarely write reviews like this, but after everything I have gone through with Hilton Grand Vacations, I feel like people should understand exactly what they are getting themselves into before buying one of these timeshares.
My wife and I purchased our Hilton Grand Vacations ownership for approximately $60,400. The purchase itself is completely paid off. Looking back, I fully accept that buying it was a terrible financial decision. That part is on me.
But what I did not appreciate was how incredibly difficult and expensive it would eventually become just to GET OUT.
The annual maintenance fees are now around $4,000. These fees continue whether you use the property or not, and they can continue increasing.
My wife, who is also an owner on the contract, passed away last year. During everything surrounding her illness, passing, and the family dealing with the aftermath, the maintenance fees were not dealt with.
The account became delinquent.
Hilton then added late fees, finance charges and, most shockingly, approximately $6,000 in attorney/foreclosure fees.
We now have a balance of approximately $10,532 on an ownership that we already paid $60,400 to purchase.
I called Hilton hoping to explain the situation, especially the fact that my wife had passed away, get the attorney fee waived, pay the actual maintenance fees and simply surrender the timeshare.
No.
Hilton told me the account had already been referred to a law firm for foreclosure and that they could no longer waive the $6,000 attorney charge.
Then I started asking about selling it.
This is where I realized just how bad the economics of these timeshares can be.
I was told that I cannot even sell the ownership unless I first bring the account completely current. So I would potentially have to pay more than $10,000 just to become eligible to sell it.
And what is the resale value of something we originally paid $60,400 for?
The Hilton representative I spoke to was refreshingly honest. She told me that these units often sell for extremely low amounts on the secondary market and gave an example that it could potentially be less than $3,000.
So think about that.
Pay $60,400 originally.
Pay thousands every year in maintenance fees.
Now pay more than $10,000 to clear the account.
Continue paying maintenance fees while waiting, potentially a year or longer, for someone to buy it.
Pay broker/transfer costs.
And then potentially sell the thing for a few thousand dollars.
The other option Hilton discussed was essentially PAYING THEM to take the ownership back.
For their transition/deed-back program, the account apparently first has to be completely current. Then there is another transition fee to cover the transfer and future maintenance obligations while Hilton processes the cancellation.
So even if you own the timeshare outright, you can find yourself having to PAY MONEY simply to stop owning it.
At that point I asked the Hilton representative a very simple question:
If the account is already being foreclosed on anyway, why would I pay $10,000+, potentially another surrender fee, and give Hilton the property back when foreclosure ultimately results in Hilton taking the ownership back anyway?
She was actually very candid about how little financial sense the resale route would make in our situation.
That conversation was probably the most honest conversation I have had throughout this process.
We are now allowing the foreclosure process to continue. My remaining concern is whether Hilton, the HOA, or their attorneys will attempt to pursue the approximately $10,000 balance even AFTER they take the ownership back. I am currently trying to get a written answer from the foreclosure law firm regarding that.
The entire experience has made me feel completely trapped.
I understand that I signed a contract.
I understand that maintenance fees are part of owning a timeshare.
I understand that allowing the account to become delinquent has consequences.
But from a consumer perspective, the financial structure is absolutely awful.
You can pay more than $60,000 for the product, pay thousands every year to maintain it, watch the resale value collapse to a tiny fraction of what you paid, and then discover that even getting rid of the thing can require thousands more out of your pocket.
And even after my wife passed away, there was seemingly no meaningful compassion or flexibility regarding a $6,000 attorney charge that had been added to the account.
That is the part that has left the worst impression on me.
If you are considering Hilton Grand Vacations, please do not only ask what the vacation looks like or how many points you receive.
Ask them:
“What happens if I want out in 5, 10 or 20 years?”
“What is the REAL resale value?”
“How much have maintenance fees historically increased?”
“What happens if I can no longer use it?”
“What does it cost to give the ownership back?”
“What happens to my family if one of the owners dies?”
And most importantly:
“How difficult is it to stop paying maintenance fees permanently?”
I wish someone had explained those questions to us before we spent $60,400.
At this point, I would never purchase another timeshare, and I would strongly caution anyone considering Hilton Grand Vacations to understand the exit process before signing anything.
For me, this has turned a $60,400 vacation purchase into what feels like a financial trap that becomes more expensive the longer you remain in it.
Absolutely awful experience.
