I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on the phone booking a room reservation for a trip to Berlin, Germany. During that call, I was transferred to a Hilton Grand Vacations representative to hear about a travel package. I figured, why not listen to what they have to offer – not thinking anything of it. 

Honestly, I was just excited to earn some more Hilton Honors™ points potentially.

   

Little did I know a few minutes later, I’d be committing to a New York City vacation package and to attend a Hilton Grand Vacations sales presentation. I'll confess here that I may have done this without consulting my, now, husband — whoops. 

Thankfully, we love the city so much, we looked at it as an opportunity to visit our home away from home over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. However, we had no intention of purchasing timeshare.

The Sales Presentation

When it was finally time for our sales presentation, it just happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Our mindset that day was to get in and out – then enjoy the city. 

Our presentation was at West 57th Street by Hilton Club, and we secured a fairly early timeslot, so we decided to grab a quick cup of coffee before checking in. Still to this day, I laugh because my husband and I looked at each other at the moment before walking in as if saying to one another, “we definitely aren’t buying into this.” 

We were like most people — completely skeptical about timeshare. You hear about timeshare as a structured (read: zero flexibility) way to travel.

But quite frankly, we had no idea what to expect. I honestly thought that we’d be in a big room listening to a presentation that would drag on for hours. 

I was totally wrong.

After we checked in, we met our sales executive who took us to a private space to discuss vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations. What surprised us the most was how our sales executive wanted to know us and our travel style before even talking about the program. 

Hilton Grand Vacations' goal is for prospective Owners to get the most out of the presentation, even if it ended with us parting ways as non-Owners. 

The Turning Point

About half-way through the presentation, after we’d just gone through a ton of information, such as reviewing properties and what vacation ownership could look like for us, we had a moment to think it through.

And trust me, the wheels in my brain were turning.

It was then that we looked at one another and instantly knew that vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations was worth it. 

You see, when we started to describe our travel style, we realized very quickly that we were already spending a lot of money traveling. And after considering our upfront costs (and discovering the travel destinations available), it started to become a no-brainer decision. 

We could pay ahead for future travel. 

The Decision to Become Owners

After our moment of discussion and weighing the options, we made the decision. We were going to become Hilton Grand Vacations Owners. We couldn’t believe it. And, I cannot speak

   

more highly of our sales executive as he presented the best possible option for us and our travel habits. 

Since we purchased timeshare in our late 20s, we knew that as we grew, so would our travel needs – so we started with an allotment of 3,400 ClubPoints every other year. 

This point allotment fits perfectly into our regular travel cadence, typically taking a larger trip one year (using Hilton Grand Vacations ClubPoints), then shifting gears to smaller weekend trips the next year (using Hilton Honors points). 

While this is more of a base-level start, it could not be a better fit for our lives right now. For us, one of the biggest benefits of timeshare is that as we grow as a family — our ClubPoints allotment can grow with us, too.

"So how do I feel about it two and a half years later? I can say 100 percent that this was the right decision"

We’ve experienced incredible places and celebrated life milestones with Hilton Grand Vacations. From celebrating our engagement at West 57th Street, mere months after becoming Owners, to more recently with our honeymoon at Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacation Club and Ocean Tower by Hilton Grand Vacations. 

   

What’s funny is when I talked about your typical timeshare and having no flexibility earlier, we've actually never stayed at our home resort, Hilton Grand Vacations at Tuscany Village, right in our backyard here in Orlando, Florida. 

That goes to show that you can customize vacation ownership to fit your travel-style. 

But trust me, our home resort is definitely on our Hilton Grand Vacations travel list. A list that is ever-growing, between traveling to Italy to some of the other adventures that are available. We can’t wait to explore the world with Hilton Grand Vacations. 

Read Our Journey Into Hilton Grand Vacations Upgrades to hear another Owner’s story.