The name Hilton carries quite a bit of respect in the travel industry. In fact, there is a good chance that you have stayed at a Hilton property in the past – and perhaps you have done so many times. Plenty of the properties within the Hilton Hotels brand are enjoyable, reliable facilities in excellent locations.
Does the trust that the Hilton name has built up over the years extend to Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares? That’s the question we’ll aim to answer in this article. We’ll take a big-picture look at this timeshare company in order to help you decide if it is a good fit for you and your family. Also, we’ll explore some of the complaints that have been lodged by past customers, so you can factor those opinions into your thinking.
Before we get started, it should be noted that help is available if you are already in a timeshare and would like to find a way out. We’ve collected a list of the five best timeshare exit companies, so feel free to check that out if you are a current owner and have been unsatisfied with your experience. Let’s get started!
Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Pros and Cons
To lay the groundwork for this article, we’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons that you might find with Hilton Grand Vacations. Of course, what constitutes a “pro” or “con” for one customer might not be such a positive or negative for another, so there is always some room for interpretation within these points.
Pros
The most notable advantage of Hilton Grand Vacations is the collection of impressive destinations that are included within the network. There are locations in some attractive vacation destinations like Las Vegas, New York, Hawaii, and many more. So, timeshare owners in this system may have the flexibility to visit alternative destinations rather than the one location that they purchased initially.
Cons
While the size of the network of properties that fall under the Hilton Grand Vacations umbrella is quite impressive, there are unfortunately plenty of downsides to note when talking about this timeshare. Among the drawbacks include the points listed below.
Availability Issues
Although there are plenty of great destinations included in the program, owners may have difficulty booking time at those destinations. This is a common problem across most timeshares and it seems to be an issue with Hilton Grand Vacations, as well. The collection of attractive destinations that owners theoretically have access to is not valuable if availability is hard to come by.
Misleading Sales Process
If you agree to sit for a sales presentation from Hilton Grand Vacations, you can expect it to be a lengthy affair, and you can expect to be made a bunch of promises that may or may not come true later on. Whether it’s a promise to buy back the timeshare later if you want to sell it, or a grand vision of luxurious amenities that you’ll never actually be able to enjoy, the sales promises frequently fall flat in reality.
Rising Costs
The upfront purchase price of a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare is not the end of your financial commitment. By agreeing to become an owner, you’ll also be responsible for ongoing maintenance fees – and those fees aren’t fixed. They are going to increase as time passes, making your experience as a timeshare owner more and more expensive as the years move on.
How you view the pros and cons of Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares will depend on what you want to get out of the experience, but it’s safe to say that there are plenty of drawbacks to note for anyone who is considering buying into this program.
Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Complaints
You don’t have to spend much time looking around the web to find complaints about Hilton Grand Vacations timeshares. This is the case for most timeshare companies and the story is the same with this brand. If you have been thinking about buying a timeshare from HGV, or even going to a sales presentation, it would be wise to take a bit of time to review some of these complaints so you have a clear picture of the situation.
The Better Business Bureau page for Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc. is a good place to start your search. When you land on this page, you’ll find that nearly 2,000 complaints have been lodged with the BBB in just the last three years. While the specifics of the complaints will vary from one to the next, they often revolve around the theme of being made promises that never did come true. The screenshots below capture just a couple of many examples –
It would be easy to spend hours – or days – scrolling through the hundreds of hundreds of complaints that have been filed with the BBB. And, of course, these are just customers and owners that have taken the time to file a complaint on this platform. There are certainly others who have had issues with their experience but did not choose to contact the BBB.
Is Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare a Good Investment?
As a general rule of thumb, timeshares should not be considered a good investment, including Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshares. A timeshare is a poor investment for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the price you pay for the timeshare at the time of purchase is almost certainly more than it is worth on the open market. In fact, it’s likely that what you buy has no value at all.
For proof of this concept, you can simply look at the many timeshares that are available for sale from current owners in the Hilton Grand Vacations system. If you were to buy an existing timeshare from a current owner, you might not have to pay anything at all – just by agreeing to take over the ownership of the timeshare, and the responsibilities that come with ownership, the previous owner would be willing to sign it away.
So, with the open market demonstrating that many timeshares have no real value, it’s almost certain that the money you spend on a new timeshare with Hilton Grand Vacations will not be returned to you when it’s time to sell. You’ll be fortunate if you are even able to sell at all when you wish to get rid of it, as many owners are stuck for years with something they’d rather be done with.
Is Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare Worth It?
Given the many potential drawbacks and the long list of complaints, it’s pretty easy to determine that purchasing a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare is not going to be worth it in the long run.
There are a couple of ways to look at this question, and both of those perspectives come back to the decision of steering clear of a timeshare purchase. First, there is the lack of investment value that we’ve already discussed. Without any real hope of this purchase turning into a positive investment in the long run, you will need to get your money’s worth out of ownership just in terms of the time you spend at these properties with family and friends.
Toward that end, the math just isn’t going to work out. When you consider how much you have to pay to buy in, plus the ongoing fees that come out of your pocket, the trips you take will prove to be extremely expensive. Rather than using a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare to visit popular destinations, you could simply find lodging in those areas when you want to take a trip. Places like Hawaii, Florida, Las Vegas, and others are some of the most popular spots in the world, so lodging options abound. This way, you’ll just pay a one-off price for each trip, you won’t be on the hook for anything, and you can pick the exact type of property that fits the needs of each unique vacation.
Hilton Grand Vacations Lawsuits
If you are looking for information on lawsuits faced by Hilton Grand Vacations, you’ll find that various cases are typically ongoing at any given time. The reason for these suits can be varied, including deceptive sales practices, failing to provide required disclosures, and more. Some of these legal actions will be pursued by an individual plaintiff, while other cases will wind up being combined into a class-action suit. Those who feel they have been treated unfairly under the law by Hilton Grand Vacations may wish to speak with an attorney to consider the possibility of legal action.
Let Us Help
Is it time to finally get out of your timeshare? If you have been feeling like that’s a goal you simply can’t accomplish, give us a call at 833-416-8796 to learn more about your options. You are also welcome to fill out our form or use the live feature here on our site. No matter how you reach out, we are ready to help you move forward with exiting your timeshare ownership as soon as possible.