Whether you have already purchased your Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare, and you are planning to book your next getaway, or are researching an upcoming purchase, knowing how to utilize your HGV ownership is an important step in becoming an owner.
As a Hilton timeshare owner, you will need to understand what your booking options are, how far in advance you can begin booking, and what restrictions are in place for each booking period. It’s also important to know the procedure of using your online dashboard to not only save money, but have the best opportunity to secure the most sought-after reservations at the most popular HGV resorts.
In this guide, we’ll be walking you through all of this and more, so read on to get up to speed on everything you need to know about booking a Hilton Grand Vacations reservation.
Hilton Grand Vacations Reservation Booking Windows
The first concept that any Hilton timeshare owner should understand would be the learning about the different booking windows that are available, when they begin, and what rules are restrictions apply to each one.
Booking Windows Differ From Resort To Resort
Each Hilton Grand Vacations resort carries their own booking windows. Some resorts offer all of the 5 possible booking windows, but many resorts offer the 3 main booking windows, which are Home Week Priority, Club Season, and Open Season.
Hilton Elara Booking Windows
Below, we’ve added a chart that shows the most popular set of booking windows, using Hilton Elara’s set of booking windows as our first example. A majority of Hilton’s timeshare resorts use this set of booking windows, but we will explore other sets as well.
| 365 DAYS | 276 DAYS | 30 DAYS |
|---|---|---|
| HOME WEEK PRIORITY Reservation Window begins 365–276 days prior to check-in | CLUB SEASON Reservation Window begins 276 days prior to check-out | OPEN SEASON Rental Reservation Window begins 30 days prior to check-out |
| 7 days in unit type and season purchased | Any owner/unit type/season, based on availability | Available for cash reservations |
| Months | Days | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 15 | |
| Home Week | 12 months (365 days) to 9 months (276 days) from check-in | (276 days) from check-in Home Week Reservations 12 months (365 days) to 1 day to check-in | ||||||||||||
| Club Season | Club Season (3-night minimum) 9 months (276 days) to 1 day from check-out | |||||||||||||
| Open Season | 30 days to 1 day | |||||||||||||
Hilton Club The District Booking Windows
Although the previous chart will work for many HGV resorts, there are some situations where other resorts will use a different set of booking windows. Below we’ve added the booking windows for Hilton Club’s The District to show you that there are actually a total of 5 separate booking windows that are possible to encounter when booking a reservation using you HGV ClubPoints.
| 365 DAYS | 276 DAYS | 104 DAYS | 89 DAYS | 30 DAYS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME WEEK PRIORITY Reservation Window begins 365–276 days prior to check-in | HOME RESORT PRIORITY Reservation Window begins 276 days prior to check-out | BY HILTON CLUB PRIORITY Reservation Window begins 104–90 days prior to check-out | CLUB SEASON Reservation Window begins 89 days prior to check-out | OPEN SEASON Rental Reservation Window begins 30 days prior to check-out |
| 7 days in unit type and season purchased | Owners at the property only, any unit/season if available | Hilton Club Priority Exchange | Any owner/unit type/season, based on availability | Available for cash reservations |
| Months | Days | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 15 | ||
| Home Week | 12 months (365 days) to 9 months (276 days) from check-in | (276 days) from check-in Home Week Reservations 12 months (365 days) to 1 day to check-in | |||||||||||||
| Home Resort | 9 months (276 days) to 60 days from check-out | ||||||||||||||
| Club Priority | ←104 to 90 days | ||||||||||||||
| Club Season | 89 days to 1 day from check-out (1-night minimum) | ||||||||||||||
| Open Season | 30 days to 1 day | ||||||||||||||
If you’d like to learn about every HGV resort, and which booking windows are offered for a particular destination, you can review our article on the matter at the following link: Hilton Grand Vacations Booking Windows: How Far In Advance Can I Book?
Depending on how far in advance you are booking your vacations, you will fall into 1 of 5 distinct booking windows. Let’s take a look at each one, and explore their differences and the benefits each booking window offers.
Home Week Reservation Window
- Begins 12 months prior to check-in and ends 9 months prior to check-in
- Requires a reservation in the exact unit size and unit type (studio, 1 bedroom plus, etc) in the season (Platinum, Gold, etc) that the member purchased for the full week based on the fixed check-in date for your home resort.
- The entire annual allotment of ClubPoints assigned to the home resort week is used.
- The flexible point based system doesn’t apply during the home week booking period. HGVC works like a floating week system during the Home Week window.
- Only ClubPoints earned in the use year can be used in the home week window. Borrowed, Rescued or Deposited ClubPoints can not be used in the home week window. (For a discussion about these types of ClubPoints please see Section 5)
Home Resort Reservation Window
- Generally begins 276 days (9 months) before checkout and ends 1 day prior to check-in
- Allows only members that own at that specific resort
- Any unit size and/or type for any number of nights (minimum of 3 nights) can be booked by owners of that particular home resort
Hilton Club Priority Reservation Window
- Generally begins 104 days before checkout and usually ends 90 day prior to check-in
- Allows owners at Hilton Club resorts to book at select Hilton Club resorts which are not their home resort
- This reservation window serves as a special benefit that is exclusive to owners whose home resort is a Hilton Club resort
- You can learn more about the differences between owning at a Hilton Club resort and other HGV resorts here: Hilton Club vs Hilton Grand Vacations: What’s The Difference?
Club Reservation Window
- Generally begins 276 days (9 months) before checkout and ends 1 day prior to check-in, but some resorts Club Season, like West 57th Street, begin just 59 days prior to check-in
- Allows all members to use their ClubPoints to book any season, any resort (including their home resort), any unit size and/or type for any number of nights (minimum of 3 nights)
- All members have an equal chance at booking any HGVC resort during the Club Reservation window.
Open Season Reservation Window
- Begins 30 days before check-out through 1 day prior to check-in
- Allows all members to use cash only to book any season, any resort (including their home resort), any unit size and/or type for any number of days (minimum of 2 nights)
- Option is only available to members for their personal use only (members must check-in).
Booking Options
How to Book Online
HGVC owners have the ability to book their reservations online. To book online, you can start by visiting the Hilton Grand Vacation Club website and use your member login to access the site. Once there, you are able to see and use your points to book your home resort or use ClubPoints to book any other HGVC reservation. Once you have chosen when and where you would like to go, the system will confirm your reservation and send a follow up email to your registered email account.
How to Book Over the Phone
Hilton Grand Vacation Club reservation phone number will ask you to follow the voice prompts to be connected to an agent. Once you are on the line with a customer service representative, you will simply need to provide your membership information to access your account. Once you have verified your information, you can ask questions about your account or make a reservation. To book a reservation, you will need to tell your representative which resort you wish to visit, the dates you want to go and the size of the unit that you want to stay. If you are using your ClubPoints, there is a three night minimum but if you are booking an Open Season reservation, the minimum drops down to two nights.
Transaction Fees
Depending on the pattern of how you choose to book your Hilton timeshare, it is possible to incur certain transaction fees. Many fees can be reduced by simply performing these actions using the member’s online dashboard.
Resort Reservations |
|
|---|---|
| Home Week | Complimentary |
| Home Resort Priority, Hilton Club Priority or Club Season (Changeable) – Phone / Online |
$119 / $59 |
| Club or Home Resort using Bonus Points – Phone / Online | $119 / $79 |
| Club Partner Perks – Phone / Online | $149 |
Point Stretching |
|
| Hilton Honors Conversion – Phone / Online | $169 / $154 |
| Saved Points Deposit (Jan – Aug) – Phone / Online | $129 / $109 |
| Saved Points Deposit (Sep – Nov) – Phone / Online | $149 / $129 |
| Saved Points Deposit (Dec) – Phone / Online | $219 / $199 |
| Cancellation Protection – Phone / Online | $89 |
| RCI Deposit – Phone / Online | $169 / $154 |
| Extending RCI Deposited Points | $159 |
| Borrow | Complimentary |
Guest Certificates |
|
| Home Week | Complimentary |
| Home Resort Priority, Hilton Club Priority or Club Reservations – Phone / Online |
$89 / $64 |
| Open Season Cash | Not Available |
We have a series of step-by-step guides that can walk you through how to perform many of these actions online and save some money at the same time. Here are links to our guides for a few of the popular transactions that many HGV owners perform:
- How To Modify / Cancel A Hilton Grand Vacations Reservation Online
- How To Bank / Save Hilton Grand Vacation ClubPoints
- How To Deposit Hilton Grand Vacation ClubPoints With RCI
- How To Convert HGV ClubPoints Into Hilton Honors Points Online
Hilton HHonors Program
In addition to booking benefits, membership with HGVClub also allows membership into Hilton Hotel Corporation’s loyalty program, Hilton HHonors. This membership in HHonors is a Silver VIP level. To date, HGVClub charges $154 for a conversion transaction when done online, and charges $169 over the phone. When converting these points, the values are fixed depending on the size of the unit and season owned. The fixed rate for converting the current use year’s points is 13 Honors points to one Club Point for immediate use. If you’re planning ahead and want to use Honors points during the following use year the conversion rate is 16 Honors points to one Club Point. Conversions for Hilton Club owners can be as high as 32 Honors points to 1 Club Point, for use in the following use year.
| Conversion Type | Conversion Ratios |
|---|---|
| Conversion Ratio for Immediate Hilton Honors Reservations | 1 ClubPoint : 13 Honors Points |
| Hilton Honors Conversion Ratio for Following-Year Use | 1 ClubPoint : 16 Honors Points |
| Hilton Honors Conversion Ratio for Following-Year Use (Hilton Club Only) | 1 ClubPoint : 32 Honors Points |
Members are able to use Honors points for multiple different services and features, including stays at Hilton owned and affiliated hotels across the globe and frequent flyer miles at partner airlines. Members are also able to use points interchangeably. They are able to use Honors points for Club reservations, as well as use Club Points to make reservations at participating Honors hotels without needing to convert. The Club Points to Honors conversion benefit will still transfer to owners who purchase from resale brokers instead of paying the high prices to buy directly from Hilton.
If you’d like more in-depth information about how converting ClubPoints to Hilton Honors points works, what Hilton Honors points are, what membership levels are available with Hilton Honors, and what benefits each of the membership levels carry, you can read our article on the subject here: How Converting HGV ClubPoints Into Hilton Honors Points Works.
RCI Exchange
An owner is also able to use their points to trade into RCI, in order to exchange into over 3,500 worldwide resorts. For this feature, standard RCI exchange fees apply, which are shown below.
| RCI Weekly Reservations (on a per reservation basis) | $279 |
|---|---|
| RCI Guest Certificate | $89 |
RCI Nightly Reservations |
|
| 1 Night | $59 |
| 2 Nights | $79 |
| 3 Nights | $109 |
| 4 Nights | $159 |
| 5 Nights | $199 |
| 6 Nights | $219 |
| 7 Nights | $279 |
If you’d like more in-depth information about what RCI is, how many points it will take to confirm an RCI Exchange, RCI exchange fees, cancelation policies, and RCI exchange tips you can read our article on the subject here: How Trading Hilton Grand Vacations ClubPoints With RCI Works.
What Are The Benefits of Booking Online?
What Are The Benefits of Booking Online?Booking either online or over the phone have their own distinct differences and benefits. Online reservations are charged a smaller reservation fee than booking over the phone. This saves you a bit of money for each reservation.
This may be to incentivize owners to book reservations while minimizing phone line congestion for customer service agents. Booking online is also a benefit for those who may find themselves pre-occupied during the booking process, as they are likely to not miss important information that a customer service representative may disclose to them. This is also a good way to book for those who prefer to have important information in writing. When you book the reservation you receive immediate email confirmation and you can physically view all of your travel information before finalizing your timeshare reservation booking.
Booking online is also a great benefit for those who are still possibly considering other properties for their vacation. While you are in the process of booking your reservation, you have access to the full resort directory. While in the process of booking or on a lazy Sunday afternoon, HGVC owners always have access to all the information of their ownership with just a few clicks.
What Are The Benefits of Booking Over the Phone?
What Are The Benefits of Booking Over the Phone?You may have additional questions or concerns that need to be answered before booking a reservation. Speaking with a customer service representative allows for a personally tailored experience to each customer, ensuring that your vacation booking goes as smoothly as possible and any concerns or details are fully clarified prior to finalizing your vacation.
Booking via phone may be a preferred booking method for those who have more dynamic travel needs or many inquiries regarding properties; a one-on-one conversation with trained service representatives allows you to obtain the details required for booking your upcoming vacation. Additionally, booking over the phone can be a more relevant benefit to those who find themselves on the go and are not at home to book online.
What’s The Verdict?
Better understanding your booking options and the process it takes to book your property can help you get the most from your Hilton Grand Vacations ownership. If you have any additional questions regarding booking your Hilton Grand Vacations reservations, or how to save thousands of dollars by purchasing your ownership on the resale market, feel free to contact us to speak with one of our licensed timeshare resale agents.
