Hilton Grand Vacations Club also referred to as HGVC, is a points-based vacation ownership and exchange system marketed and operated by Hilton Grand Vacations Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Worldwide.
HGVC operates resorts worldwide and provides property management services to affiliated resorts of which the majority of Hilton Grand Vacation Club properties are affiliated resorts. There are only a few timeshare resorts that have actually been built and developed by the Hilton brand. Affiliate resorts are those properties that were developed by other companies and then entered into an affiliation agreement to participate in the Hilton Grand Vacations Club.
Ownership in the Hilton Grand Vacations Club gives you flexibility in custom designing your timeshare vacation each year along with additional benefits that only Hilton can offer, such as:
- Flexibility of “open season” allowing for shorter stays that can be booked within 24 hours
- Home resort priority reservations
- Club affiliated resorts and hotels in spectacular destinations worldwide
- Hilton’s worldwide reputation for high quality accommodations and outstanding service levels
An additional benefit is “Bonus Points” which may be awarded along with the purchase of a timeshare interest or through other Club affiliated programs. These points are valid for a maximum of two years and may be used for RCI exchanges, may be applied toward annual maintenance fees owed, may be converted to Hilton HHonors points or combined with Club Points for ClubPartner Perks.
Following is a partial list of some of the most popular HGVC timeshare resort destinations:
Florida: HGV Club at SeaWorld International Center and HGV Club on International Drive
Hawaii: Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village-Lagoon Tower, Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort, Hilton Bay Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort and King’s Land by Hilton Grand Vacations
Nevada: HGVC at the Flamingo, HGVC on the Las Vegas Strip and Hilton Grand Vacations Club Las Vegas
How it works: The Club is a point based reservation system. Club members receive a point allotment based on the villa type and season they own at their home resort. It is very important to understand the different types of ownership that are available, the benefits of each type of ownership and the basic rules of the HGVC system.
Ownership Types: The distinction between HGVC developed resorts and HGVC affiliated resorts is important when learning about the HGVC system. Ownership and usage rules may be quite different depending on your home resort.
For example, some affiliated resorts located in southwest Florida were originally sold as fixed week timeshares. For fixed and event week ownerships, the home week is automatically reserved each year unless the owner cancels the reservation.
Most of the HGVC developed and built resorts are sold as floating week timeshares, while the deed itself may vary from resort to resort. Some deeds show a specific week and unit, even if they are only used for inventory purposes. Other ownership deeds don’t have an assigned week and unit, but instead show a usage type in a specific villa size. The international affiliates of Fiesta Americana resorts in Mexico are sold as non-deeded right to use leaseholds with a specific expiration date when your usage will end.
Resale information: Hilton’s Elite Status designation cannot be obtained via a resale purchase on the secondary market. Not all affiliate resorts allow the Club membership rights to transfer to a secondary owner.
Season Information: The four main season names that are used by Hilton Grand Vacations Club are: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The specific weeks that fall within these seasons may vary depending on the resort. Some resorts will have all four seasons, while others may be divided into two or three seasons. In addition, there can be other variations with a few of the affiliates.
Some affiliate resorts were originally sold with different season designations than those used by Hilton. A few of these resorts may have a float season that encompasses weeks which fall into different HGVC season designations. It’s possible that some owners may have the ability to reserve a week in part of the platinum season and also the gold season.
The Club Point values for the weeks, seasons, and unit sizes for each Club resort can be found in the published Member’s Guide.
Exchange Information: There are several different ways to exchange your HGVC ownership week for another resort. The easiest way is to simply use the Club points to reserve at another Club affiliate. To exchange outside the Club, a third party exchange system must be used such as RCI, Interval International or other smaller exchange companies. Your home resort will determine which exchange systems you have access to as an owner.
Maintenance Fees: Maintenance fees are determined each year based on the overall operating budget of the home resort. These fees vary widely from one resort to another and may increase over the years.
Generally, the unit type and size determines the base maintenance fee amount, not the point allotment. A one bedroom villa in the platinum season will be assessed the same base maintenance fee as a one bedroom in the silver season.
Club dues are also paid each year. For most resorts, members living in the US and Canada are currently charged $99. Members who own a US resort and also an international resort may be required to pay Club dues for each account as the two systems may not be able to be combined into a single billing account.
Reservations: HGVC offers several reservation options.
Home resort priority allows you to make your reservation from 276 to 365 days in advance, in the size of the unit and in the season you own.
Club season requires a three night minimum stay using Club Points at the resort of choice, during any season, in any size unit and can be made 276 days in advance.
Open season – reservations for 2 night minimum stays can be booked anywhere from 24 hours prior to the check-in date through 30 days prior to the check-out date using cash at Club affiliated resorts and RCI resorts. Note: RCI reservations require a 3 night minimum stay and some additional check-in requirements may apply.
Changing reservations – All Home resort and Club season reservations using Club Points may be modified in location and length of stay, the size and type of accommodations and dates (for travel within the same year) without incurring any additional transaction fees. Note: Home resort and Club reservations using Bonus Points are not changeable. Some changes may be subject to a cancellation policy.
Maximizing the use of your ClubPoints in three ways:
Deposit – Deposit ClubPoints before December 31 of each year for travel through December 31 of the following year for Home resort or Club resort reservations and/or ClubPartner Perks. The deposit of ClubPoints with RCI will become valid for nightly and weekly exchange reservations from the date of deposit through an additional two calendar years. When requesting reservations using the ClubPoints deposited to RCI, the applicable RCI exchange fee will be charged at the time of the reservation confirmation or at the beginning of the search request.
Convert – Before December 31 of each year you may convert all your ClubPoints to Hilton HHonors Points which will be applied to your Hilton HHonors account the first week of January of the following year. The conversion rate of ClubPoints to Hilton HHonors Points is 1 to 25 (example: 5,000 ClubPoints = 125,000 Hilton HHonors Points). Conversion rates may vary according to Home Resort.
Borrow – At any time throughout the year, you can borrow any number of the next year’s ClubPoints (or deposited ClubPoints) for use in the current year. Borrowed ClubPoints may be used for Home Resort reservations, Club Reservations, ClubPartner Perks or exchange reservations.
Point Chart Information:
Please review the Member’s Guide for the latest point charts and season calendars.
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