My standard hotel/timeshare reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.
- Experience (+Timeshare!)
- Lobby & Check-in
- Room
- Hotel Space / Ambiance
- Food & Drink
- Fitness
- Miscellaneous
EXPERIENCE Elara by Hilton Grand Vacations, Las Vegas
I got this stay through a random call from Hilton Grand Vacations, for a 3N stay at one of the HGV properties on the Las Vegas Strip for $199 + tax, including $199 cash back, 5,000 Hilton Hhonors Points, and a $200 Spend a Night on Us Certificate. Not a bad deal, only OOP ~$20 for tax! Additionally we got a bonus $150 Grand Experience Dollars – which were able to exchange for a $150 gift card to the Miracle Mile Shops, for a fantastic shopping spree! I was very pleased with this deal and can’t wait to do this again – after another six months!
There were no additional taxes or fees on this stay – so avoiding resort fees was critical. Self-parking is complimentary, but Valet is $15/day so I either self-parked or valet’d at Planet Hollywood. When making my stay I was able to score a free upgrade to a 1BD suite, initially to be very far away from the Strip, all the way next to Circus Circus, but another call some while later I was able to move it to Elara – my original target! Very cool.
TIMESHARE – Hilton Grand Vacations
First of all, for those who are not familiar, a timeshare is a deeded ownership to a property, usually consisting of one week at the property or a bundle of points to be spent on a combination of nights. Also, they typically are sold in a presentation format, where they show you the benefits of ownership, including a tour of the resort, finally culminating in the sales pitch and options by associates and managers.
OUR TIMESHARE EXPERIENCE
We walked onto a dedicated Timeshare Sales Floor, like something out of Silicon Valley or an Apple Store with lots of white and screens for guests to do their check-in process, with RFID cards. Very interesting. We were met quickly by an agent who asked how we travel and I gave the standard points/churning/work travel spiel, which didn’t go over well. We certainly felt disrespected, accused of wasting their time and literally taking money or food out of their mouths. I could see their point, but usually I would expect salespeople to not only understand not everyone is there to buy, and to get us through it as quickly as possible to move on to the next hopefully more profitable customer.
Not only did we endure plenty of snide comments, they also made us sit at an office and wait for minutes at a time, multiple times. While the overall experience is unpleasant, getting the gifts is the goal, and I just wanted to be out of there.
TIMESHARE DETAILS
We were quoted a significantly pricier package than other timeshare places, perhaps due to the Hilton brand name. But, the closer asked us if we’d be interested in a smaller one and we declined, so he sped us through. That was appreciated.
LOBBY & CHECK-IN
Elara is located on the Eastern, mainly Total Rewards side of the strip on Harmon Blvd, behind Planet Hollywood & Miracle Mile Shops, and across from Marriott’s Grand Chateau (another timeshare property). Parking is easy, with free self-parking, and you can enter directly from parking lot, or you can walk (stupidly, like we did) through the massive Miracle Mile Mall to the Elara entrance. Check-in was annoying, as our keys were not working initially, and they took a long time to be replaced. Not ideal. Additionally, they also offered to send up a bottle of wine for my lady’s birthday, but it did not arrive during the promised time or anytime that first day. They do have a text program where they inquire to your stay so they remedied it the next day.
ROOM
However, when we finally made it to the room, it was super nice – 1 bedroom, hot tub, large bathroom with dual sink, and wide open living area and even a projector for watching TV & movies. We have an HDMI cable so was able to stream cool movies from Netflix.
There were some small issues with the room – random water spots in the living room and bedroom, which the staff wrote off as the housekeeping washing the carpets and them not being completely dry before we had the room.
HOTEL SPACE / AMBIANCE
This property, being next to the mall and full of suites, caters to both couples and families, which makes sense. It was lively at all hours – people coming and going to and from the mall and bustling in the hotel.
FOOD & DRINK
We had a full kitchen that we did not use in our room, and I decided to spend the $150 experience dollars on shopping rather than eating, since most meals were covered.
FITNESS
The pool is large and can fit many people. We didn’t check out the fitness center but based on the site photos it does look nice.
MISCELLANEOUS
Internet is complimentary, and the projector was a nice welcome surprise. After tallying up the gifts, this was probably our most profitable timeshare presentation. Net $20 out of pocket for 3N in a nice one bedroom – yes I know it was an upgrade, but still – as well as $150 in Grand Experience Dollars, $200 free night certificate, 5,000 Hilton HHonors points (which aren’t worth much, but still), made this a fantastic deal.
I know I put it in my calendar and checked with Hilton Grand Vacations that I can come back and do it after another 6 months. So January or February 2020, perhaps I’ll be back! I know I titled this Most Valuable Timeshare Presentation, and that’s because it is – for me! If you have some great timeshare presentations and gifts, please don’t hesitate to let me know via email or comment below!
Plus, this trip we did a ton of eating both on and off the Strip, and had some decent small wins!
Featured Image is the pool @ Elara. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. Also, I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels.
What do you think of my writing? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments, or reach me directly at TheHotelion@gmail.com! Like my posts? See more here, on TravelUpdate! Follow me on Facebook (The Hotelion) or on Twitter and Instagram: @TheHotelion
