What is a Timeshare Presentation?

A timeshare presentation is generally a heavily discounted vacation, and in exchange for this discount you agree that you (and anyone else who is with you) will attend a sales pitch that may last from 90-120 minutes, where they will attempt to convince you to purchase a timeshare. Almost all of the major hotel chains, as well as several private companies, sell timeshares and offer these promotions. In addition to the discounted rate you receive for the actual stay, you may also be given additional gifts. For timeshare promotions by hotel chains, this generally comes in the form of points or a voucher. The gifts offered can potentially be very valuable and is the main focus of this article.

What Gifts Does Hilton Grand Vacations Offer?

The best offer I’ve seen so far is for 150,000 Hilton Honors points, which have a value of $600-$1,500+, depending on your preferred redemption style, which isn’t a bad deal for giving up 2 hours of a 4 day, 3-night vacation that cost $300 or less.

I frequently see offers for 15,000-50,000 points, which isn’t great, but it’s still better than the last option: a “Spend a Night on Us” voucher.

What is the Spend a Night on Us Voucher?

This voucher, based on the name, sounds like it should be fairly similar to a Hilton free night certificate, which is an uncapped free night that is valid at most hotels around the world. Unfortunately that’s not the case, as this voucher has several drawbacks, as detailed below:

• It has a maximum cash value of $200
• The voucher is only good for 1 night’s rate. Meaning if you have a 2 night stay and the room is $180 per night, the remaining $20 is lost.
• You choose which brand you will use it at before you receive it, and you are locked into that choice.
  • The eligible brands are Hilton, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, and Homewood Suites
• The voucher expires 6 months after issue
• It is only good for US locations
• It is a mail-in rebate that is paid in the form of a Visa gift card

Here is the link to view the full sample certificate with all of the terms and conditions.

What Happens Next?

I do plan to call and ask if they would be willing to swap it for points, and I’m hoping to use the fact that it was more restrictive than I was originally lead to believe to help my case. I doubt it’ll work, but you don’t know unless you ask.

Barring them actually exchanging the voucher for points, since I received the voucher on April 17th, I have until October to use it. I also have an FNC expiring at the beginning of October, as well as my Hilton resort credit for the 2nd half of the year from my Hilton Aspire card. There is an Embassy (which is my chosen brand for the voucher) in Myrtle Beach, SC that is classified as a resort, so I will likely find a stay that has 1 expensive night to use my FNC, along with 1-2 nights in the $200-$300 range and use all 3 benefits at the same time.

Final Thoughts

When you call into Hilton, such as when using a free night certificate, they will likely ask if they can transfer you to the timeshare department in exchange for 1,000 points or so. This is where they try to sell you the discounted timeshare promotion trip, and there’s no harm in doing that since you get the points whether or not you sign up for the presentation.

If they don’t offer anything or only offer the voucher, then I would recommend declining and searching online for a 100,000- 150,000 point offer. It’s possible that if you let them know that that’s what you’re looking for, they could match that offer, but that didn’t happen in my case.

While my experience was with Hilton, it is a good idea to research any company before signing up for a promotion, both to see what offers they typically have, as well as to see how pushy the sales presentation is, since that can vary anywhere from a friendly meeting all the way to being kept for 8 hours and given alcohol to get you to buy a timeshare.