What’s the deal with timeshare presentations?

It’s no secret that we love to travel. And while points and miles certainly help us travel more, there are certain situations where it makes sense for us to pay for our travel costs rather than using points and miles. Over the last few years, we’ve gotten discounted hotel stays from 70 – 80% off. How, you ask? Timeshare presentations.

If you’re enrolled in loyalty programs with the major hotel chains (Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott), you’ve likely received at least one email or piece of mail offering you a timeshare deal.

How do these work? These hotels will offer you a discounted stay in exchange for some of your time to sell you a timeshare. It is their goal that you will sign up for a timeshare so they will have annual revenue for years to come. These deals often come with points for the hotel providers as well.

The locations of these promotions vary. For Hilton, we frequently receive the same or similar offers for Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, and Orlando. Marriott seems more varied – we’ve seen Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands.

*Note – you may hear these timeshares also referred to as vacation ownership.

Timeshare presentations we’ve done

Hilton Grand Vacations – Las Vegas

In February 2023, we went to Las Vegas and stayed at a Hilton for three nights as part of a timeshare promotion. We paid $164.00 for the deal when the hotel would have cost $796.60 for the same three nights. That’s a savings of over $630 and over 79%!

As part of your agreement for the discounted rate, you must attend a 90-minute sales presentation during your stay.

We showed up to the office, checked in, and were introduced to a salesperson. We attended group presentation on the offer, after which our salesperson picked us up and brought us to a separate table for discussion. The salesperson asks a bunch of questions, like where you would like to go, how often you travel, what’s your typical spend on a hotel night, etc. This is all information they’ll use to try to sell you on the vacation ownership offer.

Eventually, the salesperson walks away. They’ll come back and explain that if you sign today, all the perks of the timeshare can be yours with all these great options for travel. Be warned, the amount they share will be very high. For us, it was tens of thousands of dollars.

We were never planning on purchasing the timeshare, but after telling the salesperson budget was important to us and them coming with that number, it was really easy for us to say no.

Be prepared they’ll push. Even if you say no. They’ll likely lower the sign-up rate, explain how it’s much less expensive than the travel you’re already doing, etc. They may even bring in another salesperson with the final great deal that’s only available today.

After we were very clear we weren’t going to sign up, we were brought to the front desk where we signed a paper stating we had held up our end of the bargain and attended the 90-minute presentation. We also eligible for the promotional points from Hilton offered as part of the deal.

90 minutes of our time for an almost 80% discount – not bad!

Marriott Vacation Club – Scottsdale

In May 2023, we went to Scottsdale to stay at the Westin Kierland Villas for four nights as part of a timeshare promotion. We paid $399 for the deal. The same four nights would have cost $2,220 had we paid cash. That’s nearly 85% savings! We received 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for the stay.

When we showed up for our presentation, however, they told us they were over-booked and did not have a salesperson available. We were free to go with no presentation AND still got to keep the rate. They did offer us what they call an encore presentation, which is a deal to return for another timeshare presentation. We took them up on it and purchased the offer.

For our encore presentation, we paid $599. This time, the four nights would have cost $2,870.55. Not quite the 85% discount the first time, but still over 79% savings!

We stayed at the Westin Kierland Villas again in January 2024. This time, we did do the presentation. Again, the requirement was 90 minutes. No group presentation this time, we were one on one with the salesperson from the beginning. He took us around the offices, pointing out the pictures of all their great locations around the world.

We then sat down in his office, where he asked some places on our travel list. He then pulled up the website and showed us how vacation ownership could help us get there. After 45 minutes of conversation, he went to get a colleague to talk us through the finances. The number was lower than we received at the Hilton presentation, but still not something we’d pay. Especially since we have no interest in timeshares.

They explained if we signed today, we could get it even further discounted. But the offer was only for today. Again, we have no plans to purchase a timeshare. We declined, they let us go back to our vacation.

Again, 90 minutes for over $2,000 in savings. This time, we got 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for the stay. That’s a night (or more) towards a stay!

Should you do a timeshare presentation?

It depends! They’re not for everyone. For some people, it’s not worth it to spend 90 minutes being sold to for a discounted rate. For us, it was. We may not continue doing these forever, but they’ve helped us save tremendously on travel costs.

If you have any concern about being able to say no, you probably shouldn’t attend. Timeshares are literally a lifetime contract and not financially viable.

Summary

Timeshare presentations can be a great way to get a discounted stay in desirable locations. We are never going to purchase a timeshare, but we’ve been able to add to our destinations while saving money on our hotel stays this way.

Questions? Let us know!