Over the years of owning Hilton Grand Vacation timeshare, we've accumulated an annual allotment of about 41,000 ClubPoints. That may seem like a lot of Points if you currently have 7,000 Points annually but having a larger number of Points available affords more flexibility and pre-planning opportunities. If you're like me, this is a big benefit of timeshare.
I really enjoy the vacation planning process, and each year I sit down and plan our vacation schedule. I look forward to seeing what the year ahead holds for us.
So, if you're curious whether increasing your Points allotment is worth it, here are a few ways we use our Points, including an inside look at the flexibility that comes with having more Points.
More Hilton Grand Vacations ClubPoints Means More Planning Flexibility
Whether we have a deed at the resort we're planning to visit dictates when I start the booking process, and we rarely stay exclusively at our deeded properties.
So, I usually start planning nine months ahead.
For example, we've stayed at McAlpin Ocean Plaza, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club, every year for the last 11 years to attend the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. And I know exactly the number of days we need and when to start booking dates (nine months ahead).
"It's like coming home. The team knows us and welcomes us like family."
But our annual Las Vegas trip can vary year to year. So nine months ahead of our trip, I reserve a three or four-day reservation at the resort we want and the Suite size we need. Then as we get closer, I'll add days, or "walk," the reservation out to the check-out date preferred.
Whether we're planning our annual "friends vacations" like South Beach and Vegas or prioritizing family time as we do for summer vacations, it's nice to know that the flexibility is there.
Additionally, not worrying about a Saturday-to-Saturday check-in and check-out relieves a lot of pressure when we travel. So, if we're not sure of the trip's exact start and end dates, like a typical summer vacation, I'll usually book several extra days on both sides of the beginning and end date. Then we can finalize the reservation once we book our flights and get closer to the 61-day final change window.
Where We Travel With 41,000 ClubPoints
You might be wondering what kind of trips you can take with a large allotment of Points. In an average year, we use around 30,000 Points. This number of Points get us to South Beach in February and Las Vegas at various times, plus a spring and summer vacation with destinations that change annually.
The years we visit Hawaii, we definitely plan an extended stay and go over our 41,000 points, so our strategy is to borrow from next year's points. Then, some years we have extra Points at the year's end. In that case, I have two choices: 1. I can convert the Points to Hilton Honors™ Points (25 to 1), or 2. I can roll the Points over to the following year. The best part? As Elite Premier Owners, we can do either at no added cost.
Read “Affordable Family Vacations Start With Timeshare” for more benefits of timeshare.