Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) offers a variety of options for those looking to purchase a flexible points-based timeshare. Whether you’re an existing member or a prospective buyer, understanding the differences between retail and resale purchases is crucial.
This article delves into how resale timeshares compare to what Hilton is selling at their timeshare presentations. We’ll cover what HGV Max is, the cost of buying retail, and the small differences in benefits on the resale market to help you determine which option is best for you.
What is HGV Max?
HGV Max is a relatively new membership within the Hilton Grand Vacations Club that allows members to utilize points for planning vacations at Hilton Grand Vacations resorts, Diamond Resorts, and Hilton Vacation Club locations. Diamond and Hilton Vacation Club resorts can be booked starting 6 months prior to check out.
For more information on Hilton Grand Vacations booking windows, check out our article here: Hilton Grand Vacations Booking Windows: How Far In Advance Can I Book?
Joining HGV Max
There are currently two pathways to join HGV Max, and both involve paying a considerable price.
New purchases made at a Hilton-branded sales office are automatically enrolled in the program. Retail prices can range widely based on the number of ClubPoints and
Existing HGV owners who bought directly from Hilton can join by paying an initiation fee of $7,000, a $450 ownership change fee, and a $199 activation fee. However, those who acquired their Hilton ownership through resale on the secondary market are not eligible to participate in the HGV Max Program at this time. We’ll explore the value proposition of HGV Max later in this article, and try to give you reading on whether the program is worth the price of entry.
Resale Benefits
Regardless of what salespeople say at a timeshare presentation, there’s truly not much difference between buying a Hilton timeshare on the resale market, or directly from Hilton in a retail presentation setting. Let’s cover exactly what the differences are.
Usage and Booking Flexibility
Resale timeshares are not restricted to usage only at the deeded resort. Instead, they provide the freedom to book at any HGV or Hilton Club location starting 9 months in advance. Additionally, these resale points are compatible with RCI (Resort Condominiums International), further expanding your vacation options. This integration with RCI maintains the same functionality as your existing timeshare deeds and points, providing you with a broad array of travel experiences.
Integrating Resale Timeshares with Current Ownership
For existing Hilton Grand Vacations or Hilton Club members, purchasing a resale timeshare is a seamless addition to your portfolio. Resale deeds can combine with your current points, allowing you to use them for booking across all HGV and Hilton Club resorts.
Hilton Honors
All Hilton Grand Vacations owners enjoy the flexibility of converting their Club Points into Hilton Honors Points.
This conversion allows owners to tap into an expansive network of hotels within the Hilton portfolio, offering a wider range of options for their stays. This feature underscores the versatility and added value of being a part of the Hilton family, and is available to owners who purchase on the resale market.
If you’d like to learn what Hilton Honors points are, what benefits each membership level has and what fees are applicable when converting ClubPoints to Hilton Honors points, read our in-depth article here: How Converting HGV ClubPoints Into Hilton Honors Points Works.
Open Season
Open Season offers HGVC owners the flexibility to book vacations using cash, 30 days before the check-in date for any HGV resort. This benefit provides last-minute travelers the chance to secure reservations at significantly reduced rates, preserving their current year’s Club Points.
This is a great benefit for discounted short-notice trips, and is available on ownerships purchased on the resale market.
If you’d like to learn more about this benefit, check out this article: How To Use The HGV Open Season Program.
Retail Benefits
Increased Membership Status Levels
Despite their advantages in price and availability, Hilton resale timeshares do come with a few limitations. Let’s cover each benefit that is not available when buying on the resale market:
- Resale purchases do not qualify for increased HGV Max membership status levels*
- Only retail purchases qualify for increased Elite membership status levels
Existing Diamond Resorts Owners
For owners of Hilton Vacation Club Trust or Diamond Resorts International products, it’s important to note that Hilton Grand Vacations points do not combine with these existing ownerships.
As a result, you will have two separate ownership dashboards within your HGV online portal. This dual ownership structure requires careful management but also provides the ability to book both Hilton and Diamond resorts through multiple ownership channels.
Is HGV Max Worth It?
Any timeshare purchase is a very personal decision. You will have to weigh the benefits against the cost to determine for yourself, but strictly speaking in terms of value, it could be hard to justify the high cost and restrictive booking windows that come with HGV Max. Let’s explore some of the factors you might need to consider before purchasing this program:
High Cost
Purchasing a resale Hilton timeshare on the secondary market is still a much better value than paying the extremely high costs of buying directly from Hilton, even when factoring in the extra benefits HGV Max offers.
It is stated on Hilton’s website that, “The average purchase price for a new buyer is around $22,000. If you elect financing, additional costs apply”. You can save over 65% off retail prices on the resale market. Over the lifetime of ownership, it can be hard to justify the retail prices when there is so little difference between Hilton resale vs retail.
As for existing owners that are eligible to pay the $7,649 in fees to opt-in, if the main reason for buying into HGV Max is that you gain access to Diamond Resorts, it may not be worth it. As an HGV owner, you are always able to exchange your ClubPoints with RCI to visit Diamond resorts, with an approximate $199 fee. You would have to perform over 38 exchanges before the exchange fees would match the buy-in price of HGV Max.
Also, keep in mind the HGV Max Club Dues are $299 annually, whereas domestic HGV Club Dues are $209 as of 2024.
Short Booking Windows = Leftover Inventory
With the short booking windows for Diamond resorts, starting 6 months prior to check-out, most of the highly-desirable weeks will already be booked by the many existing Diamond owners, who will have many months of priority over HGV Max members.
Diamond Resorts May Be Underwhelming To HGV Owners
Hilton themselves has admitted Diamond Resorts will be a lower-tier sub-brand under Hilton’s umbrella of timeshare offerings. The quality of many of the Diamond Resorts would not easily blend if mixed directly with Hilton’s HGV resort portfolio. Currently, Diamond Resorts timeshare ownerships are worth very little on the resale market, with many owners wanting to sell to find the ownership has virtually no value.
Still Have Questions?
If you have any remaining questions or concerns regarding how Hilton Grand Vacations ownership works, please feel free to contact us. We have a team of licensed Real Estate agents that have years of experience with HGV ownerships, who would be happy to offer a free consultation.
