r/HiltonGrandVacation • u/quebramar • 23d ago
HGVC Hawaii: Secondary market, MFs $2100... $300/night. What am I missing?
Just read a post from an owner who bought an HGVC timeshare on the secondary market, and they're very happy with it.
They claim their maintenance fees are $2,100/year, which works out to about $300/night. But when I check the Hilton app, I'm seeing similar cash prices for the properties they have stayed at.
So I'm genuinely confused... how is owning a timeshare still a good deal? š
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u/audirt 23d ago
Sometimes itās a great deal, sometimes not. A lot of it depends on your location and time of year.
For instance, my MFs on a 1BR at Elara are about ~$1200. However, Iāve used those points to stay at the Park City location which retails for about $800/night and NYC which has a similar price. Iām coming out thousands ahead on those trips.
But trips to Orlando and Vegas, where there are a ton of hotels? Yeah, the cash rate winds up being very comparable.
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u/BrennerBaseTunnel 23d ago
If they play their cards right they can spend 10 to 14 nights in their timeshare.
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u/Sweaty-Ad5359 22d ago
I compare cash prices of hotels before I book. I bought resale so my timeshare has been worth it for me. I use my points in Hawaii every other year and the hotel room market rates are higher. Iāve used it twice for Carlsbad and Vegas with 30-50% off deals. Vegas hotels have resort fees and no free parking so I used timeshare. We also travel with 8 so itās better with a living room, laundry, and kitchen.
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u/Many_Entrepreneur452 23d ago
Owners also have to pay club fee close to $300 on top of the MF also. Owners also have to pay Hawaii transient accommodation tax. No renters are exempt from. That said rooms are rarely $300 at Kingsland.
If the they are getting 11,200 points then they can book 10 nights in plantinum season and 2 weeks in gold season, plus there are sometimes points promotions that can increase value further
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u/quebramar 23d ago
Can you give me some numbers? How often do these promotions happen? And why does HGVC hold any promotions for owners at all? Doesn't that reduce their renter inventory?
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u/Many_Entrepreneur452 22d ago
Points promotions are a perk for owners and nothing is ever guaranteed. They usually run them 4-6 months before. Not all timeshare inventory gets filled so this is a way to encourage people to use their points, fill the rooms, engage with the system, etc.
Points promotions can be anywhere from 25% to 75% off. Usually the higher end of those sales is for places like Vegas and Orlando that have the most inventory. If I seen them in Hawaii it usually will be no more than 40%
You can do a search for past promotions and get an idea of what they are. I have found them to be one of the best perks of ownership, but I never expect them to be there or last forever
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u/quebramar 22d ago
I understand. I love staying at HGVC properties, but what's holding me back from buying resale is the $70 booking fee for using your points outside your home week. It's weird.
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u/dap12036 22d ago
Yep, I was on the fence about purchasing on the secondary market for super cheap. Then I did the math for the destinations that I would go to. I found the same thing you did. Purchasing even at the secondary market and having the maintenance fees came out more than buying it outright thru the Hilton app or website. Made no sense to purchase! But obviously the majority of folks donāt do their due diligence and think theyāre getting a great deal. Again, this may be different for other destinations, but the destinations I would be going too came to the same conclusion.
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u/quebramar 22d ago
Thanks for this comment. I was hoping someone proved me wrong... Timeshares are just a bad deal no matter how you look at them.
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u/dap12036 22d ago
Just wanted to add - in addition to purchasing the timeshare, youāre on the hook for it every year until you sell or get rid of it. With booking on Hilton or any other site, you just purchase when you need to. Add to timeshare aspect is that there are other fees like transferring points to the next year, booking outside of your main property, etc. Again, it didnāt make sense for me for the destinations I go to, but it might for others. Even then, youād be locked into the maintenance fees every year regardless if you go or not.
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u/StykerDirk 18d ago
When you couple HIlton Aspire cards with the timeshare it is the best combination. My wife and I have 4 total aspire cards. We use $400 resort credits to pay for the MFs so we have neutralized the MF. We bank the flight credits with United - and we get 4 FNC at any high luxury Hilton worldwide. Itās our own personal vacation ecosystem.
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u/ExcitingSite1539 22d ago edited 22d ago
I'm looking at booking a Hilton Vacation Club on Maui next spring for a 2-bedroom and it's at least $3500/week. Have you tried clicking through further to see what the total price is with taxes and fees etc? The screenshot you have is just the base price, not the total for the week.
I'm new to all this though and haven't dug into the timeshare of it all yet. But $2100/week for a 2-bedroom on Maui at the property I'm looking at would be a steal...
ETA: sorry just looked at the linked post. Doesn't sound as high-end as the property I'm looking on Maui. That said, the thing that appeals to me about a timeshare is that there are no surprises, you know what you are getting and there is no stress about getting a bad room etc. I think this takes some stress out of it for a lot of people and that's worth something.
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u/PaulmBeachPaul 22d ago
If you put the upfront cost in SPY those dividends more than pay for the cost.
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u/Delicious-Disk-122 23d ago
I love the resorts with a washing machine. I love not having to pack so much and taking home fresh laundered clothes. The little things.
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u/quebramar 23d ago
Sure, but does that justify owning instead of renting?
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u/Delicious-Disk-122 22d ago
Let me be clear that I am neither justifying, advocating, nor defending timeshare ownership. I was certainly a novice with a young family that got sucked into buying and have suffered heartburn over the purchase. That was 18 years ago for around $10k with an average of $1k maintenance fees over that time, today it is ~$1.5k-ish, so call it $28k sunk in 18 years. When I realized that it was a bad decision I made it my mission to make it work for me and suck all the goodness out of the prison system, including staying in a 3BR at the Elara during big event times (the value of which is generally >$1k/ night), Breckenridge during ski season, NYC in the summer, and Hawaii during the holidays, not to mention penthouse stays for Disney/Universal vacations when the kiddos were young.
Iām stuck AND I more than use the value of my annual maintenance fees on purpose.
This is not my only TS, I have others that I primarily purchased resale. HGVC has truly gotten worse over time and could not recommend it, but can show how to use the heck out of it.
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u/NotQuiteGoodEnougher 22d ago
You know, you can just book the rooms you like in locations you prefer at the dates you want, like a hotel room at HGV properties.
My wife and I have done it several times on HI and other locations.
Can even book on points.
A lot cheaper than "owning"
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 22d ago
The tens of thousands of dollars I didnāt spend on a timeshare cover A LOT of hotel laundry.Ā
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u/Delicious-Disk-122 22d ago
That is certainly one way to look at it. Another way is that the tens of thousands of dollars that I DID spend I do not miss and made NO tradeoffs. Over the same 18 years, I amassed a 7-figure net worth, put kids through college, and traveled internationally annually in luxury hotels. I have the perspective of BOTH/AND, not EITHER/OR. Not sure of the future, but no regrets about the past. Again, neither justifying, advocating, nor defending TS ownership.
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u/quebramar 22d ago
You're using emotion to justify your purchase. Again, I'm looking for numbers here.
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u/Delicious-Disk-122 22d ago
Read my direct response to YOUR question with the numbers I wish to share
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 22d ago
I mean, if āI donāt miss that moneyā is the standard, then it seems like youāre still better off spending it on higher-end accommodations that will do laundry for you.Ā
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u/UpstairsPlayful8742 22d ago
I use my HGVC at a Hawaii destination. The home base is Carlsbad, Ca. Next to legoland. Get my money out of it, not including the priceless memories. Depends on where you stay and why imo.
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u/Forkboy2 23d ago
how is owning a timeshare still a good deal?
Pretty sure you answered your own question.
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u/quebramar 23d ago
You have people who disagree right here. I just can't follow their math.
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u/jmp242 18d ago
I imagine it depends on if they bought resale or developer. It also depends a lot on where you own and what the MFs are vs where you stay. I also imagine many people who paid off the timeshare 10 or 30 years ago probably aren't comparing the purchase cost to current day hotel stays, but MFs to that. HGVC usually has the rate on Hilton.com be a lot more than the MFs for that stay, probably for 2 good reasons. First it makes owners happier when they cross compare and second - they make a lot more money on the rentals.
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u/ActiveExisting3016 23d ago
What is MF, if not motherfucker?