Well, they got me again. I recently called Hilton to make a change to a reservation for our honeymoon, and I was transferred to the Hilton Grand Vacations line. Last time, I got a 3-night stay at Parc Soleil in Orlando and a $200 Spend A Night on Us rebate offer for about $20 out-of-pocket. I agreed last time because my fiancé and I happened to be talking about how we wanted to go to Universal Studios, so the timing was perfect. I guess this timing was perfect this time around too because we were saying how we wanted to go to Vegas together and that’s what they happened to be offering!
Why I Said Yes (Again)
I initially wasn’t interested and even mentioned I’d recently been on a HGV trip and didn’t think I was eligible. Apparently, you can only go to Orlando every year, but you can go to the other locations every six months. The fact that they can subsidize this many vacations shows just how lucrative each sale is for HGV. As with our last trip, we are not in the position to be buying a timeshare nor are we interested in owning a timeshare. I’ll admit this offer was a bit weaker than our first HGV experience, but Las Vegas was calling my name. I haven’t been since I was 23 and still a bit of a club rat. Now I’m more interested in eating at Giada’s restaurant and seeing Celine Dion. Here’s what they offered this time around.
The Offer
For $225.53, we will be staying in a studio at one of HGV’s Las Vegas properties. We have the opportunity to change to Myrtle Beach or Orlando if we so choose. Instead of being reimbursed for the stay, we will be getting a $200 Spend A Night on Us voucher. This is definitely a worse deal since we got the voucher and reimbursement last time. After a little complaining, they were able to offer an additional 5,000 Hilton points. Not the best deal but it’s basically paying $225.53 for four nights at a Hilton – 3 from the HGV offer and an additional night when we redeem our $200 voucher. As with any HGV call, we also got 500 points just for listening. We are able to book this vacation any time within the next two years. With the last offer, I had to book within 45 days and travel within a year. It’s nice to have a bit more flexibility with this deal. We are planning on going in October 2019 for our first wedding anniversary – how romantic!
While in Vegas, we will have to sit through another 2-hour timeshare presentation, which I honestly didn’t think was that bad last time. They even had free breakfast! I’m still at the point in my life where free food is exciting…
The Other Offer
One offer that I did turn down was a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. I don’t have the exact details, but I think it was $450 for both the cruise and Las Vegas trip. If I didn’t want the cruise at a later time, I could remove it and get reimbursed for the difference. Also if we kept the cruise offer, but wanted to cruise elsewhere, we could get a $400 voucher to redeem on any Royal Caribbean cruise.
This sounded like a good deal but I was overwhelmed by all these plans I’d have to make, especially when we have so many other places we’d rather go on vacation. Also, cruise rates are usually not terribly expensive, it’s all the “extras” when onboard that add up like drinks, tips, and excursions. Our cruise to Alaska last year started at about $2,500 per three people, but it was much more than that with all the add-ons.
Final Thoughts
I have mixed feelings about saying yes this time around. I’m happy to go to Vegas on a discount, but I hate knowing that I got a better deal the first time around. As long as we are able to use the $200 Spend a Night on Us voucher, then no harm no foul. The other thing is I can’t book the trip until October since they can only book a year out. Unfortunately, I am going to receive an automated call from HGV EVERY DAY until I book it. Luckily my Apple Watch makes it easy to decline these calls. Despite these negatives, at least I’ll get to see what Vegas looks like when you aren’t drunk the whole time!
Update: Check out my review of the Las Vegas Hilton timeshare presentation offer here.
Quick question! I got a call about the same offer.. $499 USD out of pocket plus a $200 voucher to stay in either Orlando, Vegas or Myrtle beach for 4 days/3 nights and then a 4 day Royal Caribbean cruise. I thought it was too good to be a true so I turned it down.
Was it everything that was promised?
Thanks for the comment! The deals offered by Hilton Grand Vacations are all legit, you just have to make sure to follow the requirements. For example, I signed up for the trip with my husband and if I showed up to the timeshare presentation but he didn’t, then Hilton wouldn’t have to honor the deal. Hope that helps!