While vacationing in the US, we had to change our initial plans of going to Miami and Key West due to the hurricane season, so we diverted to Las Vegas. We were looking for a place to relax on the beach or at a swimming pool, and since we were already on the west coast, Vegas seemed to be a decent shot.
Booking last minute, we didn’t have much choice in terms of price, so we ended up choosing the Hilton Grand Vacations on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel itself was quite okay, the room was clean and spacious, and we liked the swimming pool area. Although a bit outside of all the main attractions, the hotel is still on the strip and has quick access to public transport (Bus, Monorail), and an Uber ride is about 7-10 dollars to most of the casinos.
What really puzzled us, though, was what happened as “extra” during our stay.
Apparently, as a Hilton Honors Elite member, I was ”picked” to receive a special offer.
I know it is common practice, but what left us puzzled was how it ended. But let me explain.
It all started with a phone call a little bit after we checked in, telling us that we could pass by the reception to get our “welcome package”. We initially didn’t pay much attention, but after we were reminded by another phone call a couple of hours later, we decided to pass by while going out. The “welcome package” consisted of a little booklet with little information, and a long list of shows. The goal for them was for us to choose a show from the pack, and to tell us that we needed to attend a “90 minute meeting” to get the tickets for free.
Yes, this is pretty common, and I know.
We were not interested in any show, but we were told we would also be offered lunch, and failing to have anything to do around lunch time the next day, we agreed to a meeting.
Between our acceptance and the meeting itself – all in all I think 16 hours – we received 3 phone calls reminding us of our appointment. I was starting to get sick of it.
We decided to go anyway, and got our (little) lunch. Then came the presentation.
I don’t remember the name of the person we talked to. It was a 1-on-1 with him, not to an audience. He was a great presenter, and showed us all the greatest features of the Hilton Vacation Club. Although I didn’t know exactly about this, I know Marriott and other chains have a similar product, and on top of that, my mother also owns a similar time-sharing property.
All in all it was interesting, and we learned about the different tiers we could buy in. I started to think it could be a nice opportunity, and was getting more interested, but I needed time to think about it. We were basically asked to take a decision to spend thousands of dollars right on the spot. We couldn’t. We simply couldn’t.
What baffles me, and this is the reason I decided to write about it, is that we were simply told we couldn’t have any of the material we were shown about the programme, the costs, or anything else. We simply left without anything (apart from a wrap I hadn’t finished yet when the presentation started…), and spent the rest of the day discussing it between ourselves.
I don’t know if this is typical in the US, but in Europe I would have had a chance to take some material with me, to help me decide. We weren’t even given a business card from the person we talked to, so I have no idea how I could get in contact with him again if I ever decide to buy this. But I simply won’t.
I’m curious to know if this is normal, or if this was just a strange episode.