Quick question: What’s the difference between a timeshare vacation and staycation?
We know – this is kinda easy…
Or is it?
For one, on a timeshare vacation you’re supposed to go someplace special instead of staying at home.
Second, a timeshare vacation should require some planning, reservations, etc., while you can stay at home, well, just about any time.
Finally, you know you’ll have some expenses associated with the timeshare vacation while your staycation should be,well, pretty cost-free.
Yup… telling the timeshare/staycation difference should be easy, unless your timeshare is with Hilton Grand Vacations.
Then again… as this Hilton owner discovered, the only difference between a Hilton Grand Vacations experience and a staycation? With Hilton you have to spend a lot of money just to stay home!
We found their story among the hundreds of complaints against Hilton on file with the Better Business Bureau – and it’s quite the tale.
“In regard to our Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare ownership: We have reached out several times due to several unmet expectations and misconceptions that were presented to us during the sales process, but they seem unwilling to help us.”
Imagine that.
“We were told there would be no blackout dates, which influenced our decision to invest in the timeshare membership. However, we have not been able to find any availability when looking, and in fact, we have never even used the membership.”
So much for actually leaving town on vacation.
“We were assured of the flexibility of using the timeshare, specifically, that usage would be easy and accommodating to our schedules. This has not been our experience at all.”
And for making plans…
“We were told our maintenance fees would total approximately $1100. To our astonishment, upon receiving the statement, we discovered they now amount to $3,000.”
A nearly 300% increase!
Now that’s the kind of timeshare vacation difference you DON’T want to experience.
“This unexpected increase, nearly tripling the anticipated cost, is unjustifiable to us, especially considering we have never utilized the timeshare.”
In other words, they’re paying thousands of dollars in vacation expenses a year – and going nowhere! Now that is an expensive staycation…
And it hardly seems fair.
You’d think Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, would be concerned that Hilton owners end up paying so much just to stay home. But maybe he isn’t. Maybe that’s just part of the plan. Let’s email him at mark.wang@hgv.com and find out.
And Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton Worldwide, should be a little worried that there is basically no difference between the Hilton experience and, well, staying at home – except that it costs Hilton owners a lot of money. Is that good for Hilton’s brand? Let’s ask him christopher.nassetta@hilton.com.
We should also reach out to Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association that represents the timeshare industry in Washington, DC. Let’s see if he thinks charging Hilton timeshare owners thousands of dollars while not letting them actually go on vacation is good for the industry’s reputation. His email is jgamel@arda.org.
Tired of having your timeshare company charge you thousands of dollars a year but not let you leave home? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to tell your company’s leaders it’s time to stop.
How much are your involuntary timeshare staycations costing you? Let us know at info@timesharefacts.com
PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram
