So what's the Hilton TS presentation like?

[pwoodham]

Inspired by sgtpet's post, I'm curious what my husband and I can expect when we visit Orlando in 2 weeks for a Hilton TS presentation (okay, we're actually going because it was a great price and its 3 nights at WDW!). We're staying at the DTD Hilton, but the presentation is somewhere else, at the actual timeshare complex, I believe. We plan to drive our own car to the presentation rather than taking their shuttle, because we thought it would give us a bit more "freedom." Should we be concerned about hard sell tactics? Since we're still paying on our 2nd DVC contract, and the job outlook is shaky, we will not be buying.
Just curious, do you think its disingenuous to accept a great deal and attend the presentation when you know ahead of time you have NO intention of purchasing? I guess I'm justifying our attendance because it wasn't until after we accepted that it was clear the presentation was mandatory.

 

[Tommy]

Since joining the DVC I have been to a couple of other timeshare presentations - to take advantage of some cheap weekend getaways. I have been to several that have hard sells and the way I handle them is this way.

I ask them the following questions:


Can I go and just stay one or two nights, or do I have to stay a whole week at a time?

Am I stuck to a specific week or can I go anytime of the year without having to pay any extra money?

Do I have to stay in the same unit each time or can I have "say a studio one time, or a one bedroom next time, or maybe a three bedroom"?

Can I go to different places without having to pay out any more cash, or am I stuck going to the same place each time?

I also ask, okay, what if I want to go to a different place at a different time of year, how much cash is it going to cost me?(which they need to tell you how much it costs to belong to II or the other organization that they use for swaps, how much the transfer fee is, etc.)

When they give me their strange looks, like I am the one that is crazy, then I explain that I can do all that with my DVC membership. The normal Timeshare salesperson has no clue about the flexability we have in DVC. Sometimes they try to get to go ahead and keep my DVC but buy a week from them too, at which time I tell them about the add-on plan Disney has and how many nights (okay so maybe it is off season rates) I can get for the same money with DVC.

I usually end up with them just getting up and walking off, and giving me my "trinket" for talking to them.

 

[sgtpet]

Tommy,

Well done. If u don't mind I might use some of those myself in the future.

 

[cher8754]

I think you should absolutely still go. Whether it's a hard sell or not, if Disney is the only resort you own at, you should do your research to learn what others systems have to offer. I own at both Disney and Hilton, and there are many differences, and I'm happy to own at both. I have put together a comparison in detail on the two, and if you would like me to e-mail it to you, just send me your e-mail address.