After I purchased timeshare with Hilton Grand Vacations in 2014, I avoided membership reviews because I didn’t want to upgrade.
However, I’ve learned a lot in nine years of ownership and earned nearly one million Hilton Honors™ Points from sitting in on more than 20 presentations. Instead of avoiding the membership review, I now attend to learn how to make the most of my ownership. Here are three things I’ve learned.
1. Check Open Season Reservations
Two years into my ownership, I attended a review in New York. I had no intention of upgrading to Elite. At the membership review, I received 35,000 Hilton Honors Points for attending the review and an interesting tip. The Sales Executive said that she tells Owners who aren’t interested in upgrading to use Open Season to vacation when they exhaust HGV ClubPoints. I was glad to have an honest conversation about making the most of my ownership without pressuring me into upgrading.
I took her advice when I planned my vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico. I booked four nights: two at Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos and two at La Pacifica Los Cabos, a Hilton Club. Rideshare was available to travel between properties for under $10. I didn’t redeem points for my reservation at Hampton Inn because the room was inexpensive. The rooms were clean, and I loved the view from the rooftop pool — I even spotted some whales.
For La Pacifica Los Cabos, I waited 30 days and searched for an Open Season reservation on the HGV website, where I booked the room for half the price. Although this approach takes planning, it saved me money for my four-night stay in Los Cabos.
2. Learn About The Benefits Of The Hilton Honors American Express Credit Card
During another membership review, the Sales Executive encouraged me to apply for the Hilton Honors American Express credit card. I opened the no-fee card on my initial purchase. It wasn’t until I added my son as an authorized user that I upgraded to Surpass with a $95 annual fee.
The Sales Executive continued to explain the benefits of carrying the Aspire card, with a $450 annual fee. For example, when I upgraded to HGV Max, I used the Surpass card for the down payment and earned 12x points on the deposit. The Aspire card earns 14x points.
However, I have an American Express Platinum card, so upgrading to Aspire wasn’t cost-effective. Even though I didn’t upgrade my ownership, I appreciated the Sales Executive sharing how he uses the credit card.
3. Convert Your ClubPoints To Hilton Honors Points
I celebrated my 59th birthday in Honolulu with my Irish twin and younger sister. I converted 3,000 ClubPoints to Hilton Honors Points and saved 2,560 ClubPoints from last year for another trip to Honolulu with my son, daughter-in-law and grandbaby.
I booked five nights at The Grand Islander, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Waikiki, Honolulu, with 9,408 points for a 2-Bedroom Suite. For the remainder of the vacation, we booked two rooms for two nights using 150,000 Hilton Honors Points plus cash at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Alana - Waikiki Beach. I could have used Hilton Honor Points to stay four nights with a free fifth night, but I would have exhausted my points.
Hilton Grand Vacations has allowed me to maximize my travel by utilizing ClubPoints, Hilton Honors Points and Open Season to vacation my way. My advice to HGV Owners is to embrace membership reviews, learn something new, collect points and continue to enjoy your ownership.
Read “Why My Family And I Love Vacation Ownership With Hilton Grand Vacations” to see how another traveler went from skeptic to ecstatic Owner.