Doing the Hilton timeshare hustle

Poolside at the Hilton Las Palmeras Vacation Resort, Orlando, Fla.

It can happen to anyone on vacation.  No matter your level of travel experience, you’ve let your guard down, and now you’re cornered by someone I like to call the “pitch person.”

He or she may look like they’re acting in some official capacity for a tourism bureau or visitor’s center or maybe the place you’re staying, but they’re real job is to sell you something … and it’s very pricy.  It may start innocently with a question like: “Are you enjoying your stay here?”  “Have you seen this attraction or that site yet?”  “Would you like to come back?”

Then the pitch person hits you with the offer.  And it seems like it’s worth it at the time.  Maybe you’re offered free tickets to an attraction, or free dinner vouchers, or free points added to your hotel chain’s rewards program.  Perhaps it’s even a combination of freebies.  All you have to do is one thing – sit through a timeshare presentation. 

This happened to me and Punky most recently in Orlando, Fla.  We had just checked out of the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista after a delightful two-night stay over one of our many spring road trips with the Kiddo.  We had chosen this location because of its proximity to Disney Springs (we literally walked there from the hotel). 

The pools were relaxing (we even got to see a groundskeeper on a ladder behead a palm tree with a chainsaw – how’s that for a memorable vacation moment!), the Benihana on site was excellent, and the hot tub grotto was a nice surprise. 

So, we were still high on the experience as we were leaving the lobby. 

And if you had this view during your stay, you might have felt the same way. 

But before we could get through the lobby to leave, someone who we mistakenly believed to be the hotel concierge stopped us on the way out.   And before we left, we had purchased a future three-night stay in Orlando for $199, contract in hand.  A plethora of Hilton Honors points would be deposited into my account after the stay would be completed.  And we had one year to book it.  All we had to do was schedule a 90-minute presentation for a Hilton Grand Vacations ownership while we were there.  At the time, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

Fast forward to the fall.  We had decided to return to Orlando for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I called to book our Hilton Grand Vacations stay.  I was pleased that there was no holiday blackout for the dates we wanted, but I was disappointed to learn the hotel we had previously stayed at was not a Grand Vacations “resort” property and was not eligible for the promotion. 

Instead, they booked us at the Hilton Grand Vacations Clue Las Palmeras resort seven miles away from where we’d stayed previously.  Yes, the resort happened to be on Universal Boulevard, one of Orlando’s main thoroughfares, but it would be a stretch to say any attraction, restaurant or bar on that highway or nearby International Drive was within walking distance.  Further, our previous hotel had a shuttle to take you to Walt Disney World’s theme parks.

We had to drive ourselves to Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving Day. 

Still, a worthwhile resort/timeshare property should have plenty of on-site amenities to provide for its guests, right? 

Well, Las Palmeras did have a nice bar area, but it was out in the open very close to the lobby.  And it you squint hard enough you might be able to see the “grocery” on the left – several coolers with snacks and beverages to purchase.  In other words, no on-site restaurant.

Stepping out back from the lobby, the main pool for guests was nice but nothing memorable.  Again, if you look in the background you can see parts of a much larger waterpark to keep the kids happy and busy. 

Other amenities were a pleasant surprise to find – for instance, the outdoor gaming area with ping pong, pool and cornhole games set up to enjoy.

As for the accommodations, maybe it was due to us being placed in a corner studio, but it seemed smaller than what you would expect from an actual timeshare you purchase. 

The kitchen area next to the entrance was well equipped but nothing more than what you’d expect from a Residence Inn or a Homewood Suites. 

The single bathroom was spacious and provided plenty of counter space. 

The single bedroom probably seemed smaller than expected due to the angled wall.  This left Punky with plenty of space but the window side of the bed felt a little cramped. 

Lacking a second bedroom, the Kiddo was left with the pull-out couch in the living room. The space was more than adequate but it did mean maneuvering around the bed to reach our balcony. 

I can’t complain about the view from our balcony, though.  Especially at night.

So, if the accommodation at Las Palmeras were supposed to give us an indication of what our timeshare would potentially provide, I’d have to say feelings were mixed overall.  And here’s the kicker that didn’t set well with us … the presentation we were expected to attend wasn’t even at our resort.  Instead, it was at yet another Hilton property closer to Walt Disney World and just off Interstate 4.  And we weren’t provided a free shuttle to get there.  Again, we drove ourselves.

As you probably guessed, after the initial pitch, a showroom tour, and a second "what can we do to make this work" pitch, we were not buyers on the day of our presentation.  And, since these things always last longer than they say, we basically lost an afternoon of our vacation.  But Hilton did honor their end of the arrangement, and I got the free points I was offered, which eventually helped secure a few free nights on future travels.   

If nothing else, the experience reinforced to me that I timeshares or “vacation clubs” are not for me.  But they must work for others.  The deal we took was not much different than what you may see all the time offered through the numerous Hilton Grand Vacations emails that overload your inbox.  And several other big names in the hotel industry offer their own version of “vacation clubs” – Marriott, Wyndham and Choice Hotels to name a few. 

Maybe I’ll take a similar deal in the future if the price and location are right.  But in the meantime, I’ll continue to enjoy the freedom of booking vacations whenever and wherever I want, and hopefully support some local businesses along the way.