Hilton Suckered Me Into a Trip to Vegas

After I had made a call to Hilton to book a reservation, I was asked if I wanted to be transferred for an opportunity and they would give me 500 points for listening. So I said yes and was taken to someone who was offering deeply discounted trips to places where they have Hilton Grand Vacation Resorts in the US in exchange for a “presentation”.

Basically they take you on a tour of their property and try to sell you a timeshare. The whole process takes in excess of 2 hrs. I’ve done these presentations before for either hotel credit or a visa gift card so I know what they are going to say and how the whole process works. These sales people can be very insisting and tell you that this is a once in a lifetime deal/opportunity but I am telling you that timeshares are a BAD IDEA. One because of their monthly/annual maintenance fees that you pay for the rest of your life and two because we all know how to get free hotel stays using points!  If you are up for it though, it can be a somewhat easy way to get some money/discounted vacations. I’ve never done  one with Hilton before so I figured I’d let them sucker me in for a tour at their Las Vegas property.

confirmThis is what they offered me for $223 total: 3 night stay at a Hilton Grand Vacation property near the strip, 2 show tickets, Dinner for 2, 15k HHonors points, and a $200 voucher to use on my next Double Tree Hilton stay. In my opinion, this seems like a good value for my time and $223. I will post about my experience afterwards to share if it was worth it or not.

Have you done a presentation for money/vacation deals. How was your experience?

9 Comments on "Hilton Suckered Me Into a Trip to Vegas"

  1. haha, I was thinking of going. Have you ever played in a slot tournament before? they are fun! Good luck!

  2. No I never have but those do sound fun :p Thanks!

  3. this is what Hilton almost suckered me into, lol http://www.troplv.com/Promo_HHonorsMayPoints.aspx

  4. I love doing timeshare presentations. I always tell them I will say no at the end so they are aware and they never believe me. It’s amazing how their attitude changes after they see that no means no. We have had some nice free weekends and tours through these.

  5. @michelle ooo I want a million HHonors points lol

    @ James Ya I’m actually excited about the trip! I’m pretty steadfast about saying no also so this shouldn’t be a problem 🙂 yaay for cheap trips!

  6. Hi FTU friend! They ambush you in Cancun, they’re actual right before the exit door to the airport – they act like they’re part of a tourist bureau at first, I was expecting them but thought they’d be outside. They asked for a $20 deposit and refunded it after the sales pitch. They had an extensive discount sheet on local tours/hotels/etc so we gave it a try. Went the next morning, we got a kindly, older uncle type who took us to a VERY nice paid brunch at El Mortero (worth a visit) – didn’t discuss sales, just chatted pleasantly about life with us. Next we got a tour of their adjacent property, then they went through 3 rounds of salespeople: the persuasive one, the ‘single mom’ who played the sympathy card, and finally a Tony Robbins-like a**hole with a big watch who tried to browbeat us into it. We said “we’re poor, we’re not buying it” until they gave up. We got a discount on a day trip to Isla de Mujeres that was very nice, it was mostly worth it with the brunch but debatable. Sounds like you got a good deal for 2-3 hours out of your life! : )

  7. HI Dave! I will prob get suckered into something like that in Cancun too lol. I will see how it goes but I don’t think it will be too bad. I’m going to the Chicago Do. Are you going to be at that one?

  8. I did this same tour / same location over NYE this year. The 15k points post quickly, but you need to call and check on the voucher or they’ll magically lose it.

    This hotel is in a crappy location, very far from the main strip. It’s closest to Circus Circus and the Stratosphere. Quick taxi ride, or 20 min walk. The nearby Peppercorn restaurant is awesome, and very popular.

    Tour takes 2 hours. Just sit through it, say no, let them bring their closer in, say no again, and you’re out. Great trade-off for that room rate.

    I love Vegas, and HGV are getting some nice properties by City Center.

    • Thanks for the info Adam. I was thinking of going for NYE too. Too bad its not near the.strip but I don’t mind a hike or taking a cab. Thanks for the restaurant suggestion too!

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