Travel for Less: Deal or No Deal?

Last week we talked about my hygienist, Susan vacationing in Hawaii. The following day, a co-worker, Cyndi, called to ask if a timeshare presentation in Maui was a good deal. The cost is $749. The days of being paid to attend a timeshare presentation have changed at higher end accommodations. I will give you the specifics and you decide if it is a good deal. The stay is at the Westin Kaanapali in Maui (see picture below). It is for 6 days/5 nights. A rental car, valued at $185, is included for the entire stay as well as a $75 hotel credit or 5,000 Starwood points. Cyndi also wondered if she takes the deal which would be the better, the points or hotel credit.

I am going to be staying at this same timeshare next year. For an example, I used 5 nights during the time frame I will be staying there. The cost for Cyndi would be $2045 to stay in the garden view room. Add a $185 dollar car rental and $75 hotel credit, Cyndi is paying $749 for a $2305 trip. Cyndi had recently been to a timeshare presentation and was able to walk away without purchasing, so if you decided this was a good deal, you are correct.

Now should she take the points or cash? A one night stay at this hotel using points would cost 16,000 points. The average cost for the room was $409 per night, thus each point is valued at approximately .0255. That means 5,000 points would be worth approximately $127, compared to the $75 credit Cyndi was offered. So which would you choose? I would choose the 5,000 points but told Cyndi to take the $75 credit. Unless she plans to frequent Starwood hotels (Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien, etc.) the points will expire within one year. It would also take her awhile to earn enough points for a free night.

When considering doing a timeshare presentation remember to factor in travel expenses. Hawaii is not cheap to get to unless you have certain types of credit cards (but lets talk about those later this week) which can help offset the cost.

How can you get offered to attend a timeshare presentation? Ask for information, you will be sure to get a telephone call. Below are some links for some of the biggest names in the timeshare industry. If there is a particular brand you like just Google "(hotel brand name) timeshare presentation."

Marriott
Starwood
Hilton

Once you have decided you want to save money and attend a timeshare presentation read the below information taken from another article on the web:

How to Survive the Timeshare Presentation

If you do decide to go to a timeshare presentation because you want to collect some gifts, then here are some tips to keep in mind.

Leave your checkbook at home - I would tell you to leave all your credit cards at home too, but usually you are required to bring a major credit card to the presentation with you and show it before being allowed to enter the presentation. If you really don't trust yourself, then bring a card on which you are carrying a balance very close to your limit :)
Be wary of the prizes and gifts. This tip comes into play before you agree to go to the presentation. It is usually not even worth the hassle of attending unless the gift is FREE. This means you should not be paying shipping & handling for anything, because I can guarantee that the value of your gift will be no more than the actual s&h on it.
Negotiate the gifts before you go. You will be spending between 2-4 hours at a high pressure sales event so make sure you are getting something that has actual value in return. And if you hold out, they usually will make a better offer just to get you in the door. Don't even bother if they are offering things like cameras or luggage. You want cash, free (or heavily discounted) vacations and/or tickets to theme parks. Most of the time you will need to pay a $20 deposit to reserve your presentation, but that's designed to deal with "no shows" and you'll get it back after it is over.
Don't engage. The more you talk, the longer your presentation is going to be. Just sit and listen. It is normally best not to ask any questions.
Don't fall for the leading questions, such as "wouldn't you rather vacation at a condo than a hotel?" Actually, you love hotels because you love room service, turndown service and daily housekeeping. Timeshares offer none of those (I actually like this one).
Don't even bother to bring up resales unless you are willing to bring proof with you. Here's a hot tip though -- if you do print out completed auctions of their resorts and show them off early in the presentation, you will frequently find yourself on the way out the door with gifts in hand in under a half hour, especially if their $35,000 resort only sells for $1,500 on Ebay (This has worked well for me).