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Timeshare Presentations: How to Get Cheap & Free Vacations

If you’re planning to visit some of the world’s most popular destinations, you can run into some hurdles if award availability is scarce and cash prices are high.

Sure, points can help offset the cost, but that means it will cost you a lot of points. What if I told you there’s a way to save those points and snag an awesome deal on your accommodation?

Well, there is – welcome to the world of timeshare presentation packages.  

What Is a Timeshare?

In a nutshell, a timeshare is a shared ownership program in which you may use a vacation property for a set time period every year.

Timeshare properties can range from resorts to condominiums to campsites. They can be a good option for travellers who have a favourite destination they like to vacation at every year.

With timeshares, these travellers will  have familiar accommodations to return to each time without the hassle of having to manage a fully-owned property while they are away. 

Most of the big hotel brands that we’re familiar with have their own affiliated timeshare division. A few well-known examples include the Marriott Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, Holiday Inn Vacation Club, Hyatt Residence Club, and even Disney has their own Disney Vacation Club.

Generally speaking, there are two types of timeshares: those that are points-based and those that give you deeded weeks.

• In a points-based program, you have a certain number of points each year that can be redeemed against nights at your timeshare.
• In a deeded-week program, every year, you have a “week” of the year that you can use your timeshare.

You do not necessarily need to stick with your timeshare property either. Usually, there is a system or program for owners to swap their property for another destination or property for any given year, building some flexibility into the program.

Despite the perks of timeshares, many people choose not invest in one, as they can be a money drain if you don’t make good use of them.

There are annual maintenance fees for the upkeep of the property that have to be paid, the process of swapping properties can be quite complicated, and it can be a pain to get rid of them or resell them as they don’t hold much value in the reseller’s market.  

What Is a Timeshare Presentation?

Whether you feel like timeshares may be a good fit for your travel patterns or not, you should consider attending a timeshare preview presentation.

The timeshare market is a competitive one, and most timeshare vacation clubs will offer some form of incentive for an opportunity to introduce you to their program in the hopes of enticing you to purchase one. 

What is offered as part of the package varies by the club and even the property, and it can be anywhere from tickets to a theme park or a show, to accommodations at one of their properties for several days at a huge discount, plus maybe even some bonus points for their respective hotel award programs.

If it’s the accommodation you’re after, keep in mind that usually the package will cover a “standard” room; however, there is a possibility for upgrading, as we’ll discuss later.

What’s the Catch with Timeshare Presentations? 

To take advantage of these fantastic offers, you (and your spouse, if you’re married) need to attend a 1.5- to two-hour sales pitch about the timeshare program while you’re vacationing on your timeshare package.

During that time, they’ll introduce you to their program, how easy it is to use the timeshare, the flexibility it provides, the years of enjoyment you will get out of it, and even give you a tour of a potential timeshare unit. 

Easy enough, right? Most of the time, yes.

Some sales representatives can be pushy and will pull out all the stops to get you to sign on, because that’s how they earn their commission. You may feel pressured to buy, and they may spend a lot of time negotiating a better offer for you.

Most sales reps, however, are quite reasonable. If you’ve put in your time and made it clear you’re not ready to buy, they’ll send you along your merry way. And if you do happen to cave under the pressure and buy the timeshare, it’s not the end of the world (more on this later).

During the pandemic, some timeshares like the Marriott Vacation Club opted to do virtual sales presentations, and in lieu of a vacation deal, you’d earn Bonvoy points instead.

There have been recent offers of up to 20,000–25,000 Bonvoy points; however, you have to be a US resident to take advantage. For the in-person presentation packages, there are no US residency requirements. 

How to Book a Timeshare Presentation

Now that you might be considering taking advantage of a timeshare presentation, let’s go over how you find these offers and sign up for them.

The easiest way is through each respective club’s website. Usually, there is a phone number or online form to complete for additional information. 

Hyatt even allows you to book the package online if you reside in the USA.

Once you purchase the package, there is quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to booking. Although the terms specifically say that the timeshare has to be booked within 12 months of purchase, it is not uncommon for them to extend this deadline. I have done this on a couple of occasions myself, even prior to the pandemic.

Once you book your package, you can still change the dates, although some programs will charge a change fee. During the pandemic, there was even more leniency (I rescheduled a Marriott preview package no less than four times), although this may tighten up a bit as travel opens up.

Unfortunately, once you purchase a preview package, they are generally considered non-refundable. There have been scattered reports of people receiving refunds if they no longer fulfill the eligibility for the package, but as always, your mileage may vary and this should not be the expectation.

My Experiences with Hilton Grand Vacations

Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) has over 50 properties spread across the United States. Their properties differ from the regular Hilton-branded hotels in that they generally offer accommodations with more space, larger and a greater number of bedrooms, and ensuite kitchen and laundry amenities.

Note that not all HGV properties are bookable through timeshare presentations, and some properties are only made available at certain times. 

Thus far, I’ve done a couple of packages with Hilton Grand Vacations in Orlando , and another in Honolulu . Here’s a recap of my experiences so far with HGV. 

Parc Soleil by Hilton Grand Vacations

View on the Hilton Grand Vacations website.

2017 Package Deal: Three nights / four days for US$199 and a US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher; upgraded to a two-bedroom suite for an additional US$50

A few years back, I had to call Hilton reservations to change an existing hotel booking I had. At the end of the call, they thanked me for being a loyal Hilton Honors member and asked if I would be interested in hearing about a “great offer” they currently had. I accepted, and so began my journey down the rabbit hole of timeshare packages. 

I was forwarded to another agent, who offered me the above timeshare package. I was considering a trip to Disney for my son’s fifth birthday anyway, and this would definitely help bring down the trip’s cost, so I bought the package.

When we decided on our dates, I called back, and they confirmed availability and booked our accommodation and the timeshare presentation to be done during our stay – and that was it! 

At the time of booking, my youngest was only a few months old and wasn’t the greatest sleeper, and so extra space to accommodate her sleeping situation was desirable. When I inquired whether our one-bedroom suite could be upgraded to a two-bedroom suite, the agent advised that we could do that for an additional US$50, which seemed more than reasonable to me, bringing our grand total to US$249 plus tax. 

We stayed at the HGV Parc Soleil, which is a 15-minute drive into Disney. Other than being a bit further out from Disney, it was a fantastic accommodation option for families.

It had two beautiful outdoor pools, one that was zero-entry with a water slide and another for adults only. They had a kids activity centre and some organized activities throughout the day. There was also a basketball court, tennis court, and outdoor playground for the kids.

The suite itself was spacious, modern and clean with a full kitchen and an in-suite washer and dryer. There was also a paid shuttle service ($10 round trip per person) to the surrounding amusement parks, but times were rather limited. 

We attended the timeshare presentation on the second day. It was located at the Parc Soleil, which made it convenient.

At check-in, they ask for your ID and credit card, then invite you to enjoy snacks and non-alcoholic drinks while you wait for your sales representative. You can also drop off your kids at a small, supervised children’s room (with toys, colouring, and a TV) while you attend the presentation. 

Since it was our first timeshare presentation experience, we did not know what to expect. We were also genuinely interested in learning more about timeshares, which didn’t work in our favour.

They started off with some general questions about our travel habits and destinations we wanted to visit, and then went onto discuss how HGV could make it all happen at a fraction of the cost. 

Once the sales representative realized we actually had some interest, he turned the pressure on. He would show us how he had booked various destinations at fantastic rates and began negotiating on the amount of initial investment required to purchase, while offering additional Hilton Honors points to sweeten the deal.

Each time we declined, he would go back to his manager and come back with a better deal.

This went on for a bit until he finally came back with what seemed to be a decent offer at the time, and we actually signed the papers and walked out with a timeshare after the two and half hours.

The agent offered to refund our US$199 package cost, probably as a kind gesture given that we had just bought a timeshare with him, and then sent us to the front desk to obtain our US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher.

Suffice to say, purchasing a time share was not our initial game plan. Luckily for us, there is a cooling-off period built into the contracts, whereby you have 10 days to rescind a timeshare purchase agreement.

With some time and space to actually think about our impulsive decision, we decided it really wasn’t for us and the next day, we rescinded.

The staff were very kind about it and it was an easy enough process, but lesson learned: do not show any interest in a timeshare if you are in it only for the cheap accommodations.

Hilton Grand Vacations at Tuscany Village

2019 Package Deal: Four nights / five days in a one bedroom suite for US$299, refunded after presentation, one $200 “Stay A Night On Us” rebate voucher OR 10,000 Hilton Honors points

A year later, my husband had a conference in Chicago at the Hilton. HGV had set up a booth in the lobby, where they offered everyone 1,000 Hilton Honors points just for listening to what they had to offer.

Jon took them up on the offer, and this time he was offered packages to either New York City, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, or Orlando. They were two- to four-night packages ranging from US$199 to US$399.

Now, you might be wondering: how often you can purchase a timeshare presentation package? As per HGV’s terms, as long as you have not attended another presentation in the last 12 months, you are eligible to purchase another. 

We were just over a year since our first package, so we bought another, back to Orlando. This time around, the offer was four nights for US$299 plus tax, so we were a little hesitant as our previous offer was better.

The sales agent, sensing the hesitancy, sweetened the package by offering either a US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher or 10,000 Hilton Honors points, and to refund the US$299 after the presentation. That sealed the deal for us. 

This time, we chose to stay at the Tuscany Village, located about 15 minutes from Disney once again. The décor was a bit more dated, but it still had an outdoor playground and a few pools that would satisfy most young kids.

There were also complimentary DVD rentals and a children’s activity centre, albeit a bit smaller than the one at Parc Soleil.

I enjoyed the fact that it was right beside the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, which meant some retail therapy for me between theme park days. They also had a paid shuttle going to the amusement parks, but once again, the times were limited. 

Our presentation was back at the Parc Soleil. This time, my husband and I had a different game plan: we would tell them that we weren’t ready to buy a timeshare and to let them know early on.

This was working well for us initially, and at the one-hour mark the agent was pretty much finishing up. As we were just about to leave, he advised us that his manager had one last offer for us, which got us our third package… 

The Grand Islander by Hilton Grand Vacations

The manager came out and offered us a trial membership to the HGV program. Now this was different.

There was no set destination for the package; instead, for $1,599 (USD), we would be given enough points to redeem for seven nights in up to a two-bedroom suite at any of the HGV properties in North America, including Hawaii.

We did the math and worked out that it would be less than $230 (USD) a night. If it were any other destination, we would have left it. After looking at the current rates for Hawaii for a Hilton property in Honolulu for March Break, we came to see that it was a great deal.

Keep in mind that these are rates for two adults and two children. If you have more than four in your family, like myself, either you’re paying more, or you’ll find that most hotels won’t even be able to accommodate. The fact that we could book a two-bedroom suite was a big selling point for us.

HGV has quite a few properties in Hawaii, with the Grand Islander by HGV being one of the newer ones. We booked at the Grand Islander for four nights in Honolulu over March Break . 

That leaves us with three nights remaining, which we could have used to extend reservation to seven nights… 

…or book three nights at their New York property, West 57th Street by Hilton Club at the south end of Central Park, another otherwise pricey accommodation option. 

Either way, you can see that our $230 (USD) per night beats the above rates by a long shot. 

An Even Better Offer…

Sticking with Hawaii as our theme destination, HGV currently has an offer on their website for five nights in Honolulu or Waikoloa for $799 (USD) in a standard room, which brings the nightly rate to $160 (USD) – an incredible deal for a night in Hawaii.

Granted, it’s for a standard room, but I’m pretty sure you can request an upgrade offer to a bigger suite at a decent cost when you call in. 

My Experience with Marriott Vacation Club

We originally purchased our Marriott Vacation Club Preview Package back in 2019. This package offered a five nights at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club for $799 (USD).

After numerous delays and postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally enjoyed our stay in March 2022 . 

We rescheduled our timeshare presentation after our arrival, and there were no issues with moving it to a different day. When it came time for the actual presentation, it took place in a cubicle in their outdoor Sales Centre.

We wound up going over the 90-minute allotment, and spent closer to two hours there. I was genuinely interested in the program, so it was more my fault than theirs.

Marriott Vacation Club uses a points-based system. Our sales agent offered us the base-level 1,500 points at $15.84 (USD) per point, totalling $23,760 (USD).

As a signup bonus, they were willing to throw in another 3,000 points for the first year.

To put things into perspective, a one-bedroom villa in Maui at peak season could cost up to 4,500 points per week.

We didn’t show much interest in this, and they tried to sweeten the deal with some more offers, but we kindly declined. As we had an exit interview, another sales agent came in to offer us yet another timeshare presentation package.

The first offer, which was good for the next two years, was five nights at the same property for $1,295 (USD). We weren’t sure when we would be back to Maui again, so, again, we declined.  

They approached us with one last offer: $995 (USD) for four nights at any of their North American properties, including another property in Hawaii for a $300 (USD) add-on fee.

Our family wanted to visit Kauai in the near future, and after a quick check for a four-night stay in the winter revealed prices at around $2,600 (USD) for four nights, we accepted this last offer.

It goes to show that sticking around for more offers can result in some pretty great rates!

If you’re not familiar with timeshare presentation packages, now’s the time to take a look at them as a means to very cheap accommodations in many popular vacation spots.

Timeshare presentations are a great option in areas where points redemptions are either not worth it (e.g., Orlando, where hotels are generally quite cheap to begin with), or in places where redemptions are difficult to make (e.g., Hawaii where the cost of redemptions are high).

It does require a small time commitment and perhaps a bit of finesse in talking down a sales representative, but in my mind, the savings are definitely worth it. 

• Earn 80,000 MR points upon spending $15,000 in the first three months
• Plus, earn  40,000 MR points  upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
• And, earn 1.25x MR points on all purchases
• Also, receive a $200 annual travel credit
• Transfer MR points to Aeroplan and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights
• Unlimited airport lounge access for you and one guest at Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, Centurion, and other lounges
• Credits and rebates for business expenses throughout the year with Amex Offers
• Bonus MR points for referring family and friends
• Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
• Annual fee: $799

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How to Survive a Timeshare Presentation: Tips you Need to Know

• Post author: Scott Fix
• Post published: February 11, 2021
• Post category: Couple Travel / Travel Tips

You are here because you want to know how to survive a timeshare presentation. How do I end the sales pitch? How do I resist timeshare sales tricks and just say “no”? After going through the process ourselves and chatting with a sales insider, we are here to share what we have learned. Read on for all you need to know to escape the formidable high-pressure timeshare pitch.

What’s the Deal with Timeshare Presentations? 

Everybody knows the classic “high-pressure timeshare sales pitch”.  You get offered 3 days and 2 nights at a fabulous resort for free, no obligations – you just have to attend a sales presentation.  They promise the pitch will be pretty short and that there’s no obligation to buy.  Sounds great, right?  But we all know the catch – it’s infamous.  The timeshare presentation is excruciatingly long.  Every time you think you’ve said “no” for the last time, they bring in a new salesperson or take you to a new room to start pitching you all over again.  It’s a high-pressure sales marathon.  To top it all off, if you don’t meet your obligated time at the presentation, you’re on the hook to pay for your accommodations.  So why do people still go to these things?  Well, because a free “3 days and 2 nights” at a resort is just too good of a deal to pass up sometimes! In fact, many travelers are trying to find out “How can I attend a timeshare presentation just for the free vacation?”   Well, we wanted to see what all the hype was about. When we got a call saying we’d “won” a vacation package, we shrugged and signed up.  Worst case scenario, we walk out and have to pay for the hotel stay.  

When we started asking around, so many of our close friends had either fallen for the timeshare pitch themselves, or knew a family member that had. We heard story, after story, of high-pressure pitches, salesmen that were insulting or rude, being led between rooms for hours upon hours, etc.  Hearing stories of people so close to us motivated us to write up everything we learned from our experience. 

The Initial Screening 

Cecilia signed up for a “contest” on Facebook that would enter you into a “drawing” for a free stay of 3 days and 2 nights at a resort and a $150 gift card.  We got a phone call saying we’d “won” while we were driving.  

We were asked some basic “info” questions (i.e., name, phone, address), followed by some “survey” questions.  The survey questions were things like:

When was the last vacation you took?

How much did you spend on accommodations?

How often do you travel?   

They also asked us if we only needed a reservation for 2, or if we’d like to bring anyone else up to 4 total.  Of course, we opted to take the 4-person reservation because the more the merrier, right?  

After all the identity information, survey questions, accommodation arrangements, and a spiel about our vacation/gift-card winnings, then came the hook – we’ll have to attend a timeshare presentation.  We were assured that we were only obligated for 90 minutes to 2 hours of the presentation; and with that, my wife and I looked at each other with a “do we believe that?” stare.  

But sure – in for a penny, in for a pound.  

Two things caught both of us off-guard towards the end of the phone call: 

One, we had to book the dates for our stay immediately.  We had to pull over from driving to frantically look at our calendars and figure out a weekend that worked in both of our schedules. The caller would just suggest a block of days from their availability, and we had to tell him if the range worked out for us.  

Two, we had to pay a $99 “refundable deposit” using a credit card.  When he asked for our credit card information, a giant alarm started going off in my head, yelling at me “this sounds like a scam!!”  I almost put the phone on hold to have a conversation with my wife about backing out of the whole thing.  I took a deep breath and reminded myself that our credit cards have fraud protection on them; and we’d just have to keep a closer eye on our credit card statements for awhile.  

Although we haven’t completely confirmed this, our strong-suspicions are that the initial phone call is really a screening. They want to see how susceptible you’re going to be to the timeshare sales pitch. It felt like a test to see if we were people that would make a fast decision, without much information, and commit money instantly for a “too good to be true” deal.  

Well, whatever we did “worked,” because as we later learned, they put us in the “prime candidate” group for the presentation.  More on that later.  

Arriving at Our Destination 

Because of the Covid-19 policy, only one person from our party was allowed into the lobby to check in to our room; our timeshare presentation was scheduled for the second day of our stay at 8 am. Only the person who checked-in signed any paperwork at all; and the other 3 members of our party didn’t sign anything or give any names. 

8am, bright and early, we drove over to the location for the timeshare talk and waited in a small line for a teller.  The person in front of us was having an unfriendly banter with the teller.  The only thing I picked up from my eavesdropping was that all the members of his party weren’t there so he wasn’t able to get signed in. We got called next and checking in only took a few seconds.  She asked if all members of our party were there, we said yes, and she said to wait in a corner for our “agent” to come and get us.

After a few minutes, our salesperson came out of a room, introduced himself, and walked us outside.  He said because of covid restrictions, he wouldn’t give us a tour of the entire facilities and grounds. Instead, we would drive separately over to a condo where he would give us a talk.  

We loaded up into our vehicle and were on our way without ever signing any official paperwork.  Also, we had been told over the phone, and on our “terms and conditions”, that we needed IDs and a credit card, but we didn’t need anything. I’m not sure if that is normal, or just because we showed up during covid restrictions.  

The TimeShare Pitch

We followed our salesperson’s car to a condo. On the ground floor, they had free continental breakfast and drinks set out on a table behind a rope, and someone with gloves handed us whatever we asked for.  We took an elevator up a few floors and our salesperson took the stairs to meet us at the top, then he showed us to a room and left so we could eat our breakfasts without our masks. We thought the room was stuffy, because we were all in our winter jackets, so we opened all the windows.  It was ~30 degrees outside.  When he came back, he sat in a chair across from our sofa.  I imagine he thought we were trying to freeze him out, but we were just hot.  

For the first 20 minutes, there was some minor small talk about nothing. It might have been to put us at ease?  Either way, we were pretty guarded with personal info.  He probably expected us to talk more about ourselves, and we were expecting him to ask us more direct, pointed questions.  

When he started to transition, I asked for an outline of what to expect for the meeting. How was our time going to be broken down?  What is our obligation?  How many people will we talk to?  Are we going on a tour? What is our time frame?  

He said we were there for a timeshare presentation – “yes, it’s a sales pitch.”  We had to be there for “an hour and a half, or 2 hours – whatever they told you.” Then when it was over, he’d take us back to the main building where we’d get our $150 gift certificate and a voucher that waived the cost of our stay.  

And then our “presentation” began.

He flew through a lot of “numbers” and acronyms. He talked so fast, to the point where none of us absorbed anything. To this day, I have no idea what he was even saying. Either way, as fast as he spat out numbers, the topic would always change.  I’m not sure if it was him, or us, or both; but we talked about movies, Pokemon, shoes, horses … just about everything except timeshares. 

After 40 minutes of struggling to sell us, he took us to a luxury apartment in the same complex. I think the intention was to give us a tour and really sell us, but other families walked in on us. Because of covid, only one group was allowed in at a time, so we left and let them see the rooms; but then we just kind of wandered off, back towards the door of the building.  I feel kind of bad for the salesperson, because trying to keep track of the four of us was like trying to wrangle cats.  He’d try to show us to a room, or tell us to wait for another family to get done, and we’d just wander back towards the exit.  He’d run to cut us off, and we’d just all meander around him, chatting about something else.  

We weren’t intending to be rude or purposefully being space-cadets or anything. There was just random downtime, so we’d do what any group of friends would do – we’d chat amongst ourselves. We also were never given any real clear instructions on what to do, so we’d just assume we were done and start walking back.  It wasn’t until we looked back on our experience that we realized we were probably sabotaging his sales pitch without meaning to.  

We went back to the “pitch room” and by now it’s about 1 hour and 10 minutes in.  Cecilia leaves the room to go to the restroom. (She was 3 months pregnant at the time, so bathroom breaks happened ALOT.) The salesperson looks at the 3 of us and says, “Okay, just be honest with me here. Why in the world are you guys at a timeshare talk?” There’s a pause while we all just stare at him, wondering what we should say and he fills the void with, “if you’re all so scared of covid that you’re even opening the window when it’s 30 degrees outside to get fresh air, why did you come here in the first place?”  I reply,

“… well, you want honesty?  My wife clicked a link on a Facebook contest that said we could win 3 days and 2 nights at a resort.  They called us while we were driving to say we’d won.  My wife was excited, and I wanted her to be happy, so I said sure, I’d go along with it.  The guy on the phone asked if we had 2 friends that would want to go, too, and we said we weren’t sure; so he said he’d put us down for 4, just in case. We asked our friends, they said they wanted to come, and here we all are.”  

He nodded along; looked at the 3 of us; pulled out his phone; and started playing Pokemon Go.  

Once Cecilia got out of the bathroom, he ran through his pitch at lightning speed.  He showed us a piece of paper with numbers on it that had a large down-payment. He rambled on and said, “but you don’t have that much in the bank, do you?”  After a pause, Scott said “no comment” – because the entire morning, none of us gave away any information about our financial situations.  He instantly flipped the paper over and showed us another price, the “only for today” offer with a lower price with financing; and asked if we wanted to buy at that price.  I said “no.” He said “alright then,” and texted his boss, then went back to playing Pokemon Go.  

Related Content: Traveling Alone or With a Companion: Which is Better?

Leisure Suit Larry 

After a few minutes of the party chatting about nothing again, in walks the boss – we’ll call him Larry.  Larry looks the part.  He’s wearing an olive-green suit that has the kind of texture that looks expensive; and a very high-maintenance hairstyle with a lot of gray speckles.  Larry’s entire presence is summed up by the uncertainty of whether his hair was naturally gray, or if it was purposefully dyed to look older.  

Larry has a calm, methodical delivery any time he speaks, like someone reciting a script that’s been rehearsed to perfection but then delivered so many times until it’s lost its meaning. He speaks without pauses, taking a big breath before each section of his ramble. He would emphasize words by deliberately stretching out the word, not by raising his voice.  Every point he made was framed as if the decision has already been made for you – you will lose money if you don’t make this choice because you are already spending money on vacations. 

Larry is what a used car salesman would be if used cars sold for more money.  

Larry ended his spiel with a piece of paper, which had a unit available for “today only.”  They’re always “only today.” 

He passed the piece of paper over to us, and the age of the paper suggested it wasn’t the first time he’s handed it to someone.  

The number on the paper was drastically less than any of the previous offers – it was less than half of the previous lowest offer.  I looked at the paper, folded it back in half, handed it back, and said no.  Larry was reluctant to take the paper, and asked “why?” 

We knew this moment was coming and prepared for it.  We reminded ourselves that we don’t have to justify any of our answers.  Socially, it’s polite to justify yourself; but you’re never under any obligation to justify yourself.  

We answered, “we don’t make large financial decisions that quickly. We talk through financial decisions together.”  Larry gave another ramble – this one I honestly didn’t listen to.  I just zoned out for a moment.  Then Cecilia answered him, “and we have a kid on the way, which makes it more important to spend time on big financial decisions, so the answer is still no.”  

Larry asked, “so … is there anything I can do or say that’s going to change that decision for you today?”  I said “no,” expecting to have to say that a lot at this point.  But then Larry abruptly said, “Okay, thank you for your time,” stood up, and walked out without a second look at us.  It was just an immediate withdrawal.  

The first salesperson, who had been sitting there quietly during Larry’s entire spiel, slapped his thighs, said “okay, I’ll take you back to the main center to claim your prizes” and visibly ripped up the piece of paper he’d shown us earlier.  He started to make some comments about wasting his time, but we were already walking out the door and didn’t really catch them.  

The Final Boss

We drove back to the main center and through a conference room that, in non-covid times, would have been the first room.  He took us close to a receptionist’s desk and asked us to stay put while he went to talk to someone.  We wandered up closer to them, trying to look out of a window to see a pool, which was just close enough to eavesdrop on the salesperson’s conversation.  He was giving her details about the conversation we’d had with him and Larry – that we “don’t make large financial decisions that quickly.”  He was giving her everything she needed so she would know the right angle to close the deal!  

It turns out, the woman he handed us off to was the Final Boss.  She asked us to go into another room, and Cecilia wandered off to the bathroom.   The three of us walked into the room, realized Cecilia wasn’t there, and wandered back out.  When she got out of the restroom, the four of us went in together to see the Final Boss.  She was sitting behind a small table with two chairs set up in front of it.  She said we could sit down, but we remained standing.  There were four of us and only two chairs.  You could tell that having 4 people there instead of 2 really threw their usual gameplans off.  

She asked us what the final price Larry quoted us was, and I told her; then she said “What if I could offer you that same unit at this price?”  She wrote a number on a piece of paper that was, again, exactly half of what Larry had offered.  

We repeated our line, “We don’t make large financial dec–” She interrupted, “Okay, take this slip into the next room and we’ll settle you up.”  

We hadn’t noticed, but there was a slip of paper already sitting on the desk in front of her.  With the paper in hand, we headed into the next room and handed it to an old man who was polite, friendly, jovial and looked like he was having the time of his life at work.  He slapped a stamp down on the paper, handed us a voucher, and we were out in no time.  We managed to survive the timeshare presentation.

Total time: 1 hour and 39 minutes.  

The Aftermath

After we left, we spent a lot of time talking with one another, trying to understand why we’d been let off so easily.  All of us had heard the nightmare stories about high-pressure timeshares – that people spent an entire day being shuffled from room-to-room, the aggressive salespeople, the insults, the good-cop bad-cop routines, etc.  We got none of that.  We were practically shoved out the door at one point.  

One theory we had was that we were a group of 4 that weren’t related to one another.  We were 2 couples, so they couldn’t pin one of us against the other.  They also couldn’t sell to all 4 of us, because we would never buy something together.  

Another theory was that we were just too chaotic for them.  We constantly changed the conversation – but not really on purpose.  We just filled the silent pauses with jokes or comments that became side-conversations.  

Timeshare Presentation Basics: Insight From an Industry Insider

We had to know why our experience was so different from the ones we’d heard about, so we called up a friend that used to be in the industry as a timeshare salesperson.  

Here’s what we found out:  

The reason some salespeople are pushier than others is because if they don’t sell for awhile, they’re suddenly given “one last chance” to sell, and if they don’t sell on that day, they’re fired.   If someone wants to keep their job, they have to sell; and that can lead to a very high-pressure sale.  

Sometimes they’ll get mad if you’re rude or just blatantly not interested from the start of the talk. They’ll toy with you and keep you longer on purpose out of spite. This can happen when you tell the salesperson from the start: “look, we’re just not interested in buying, we’re only here for the free stay.” 

Often, the salesperson lies about their background to identify with the “prospect”, like saying they have kids too; or they will lie about how long they have been selling; or that they have a dog, are also divorced, etc.  When our insider told us that, we all blinked. Had our salesperson lied about everything he told us the entire time?  At one point, he gave us his kids’ names – and now I’m not sure he even had kids.  

If a salesperson makes a sale on the previous day, then they get “first pick” in the morning; and the 8am timeslot is reserved for people they think are absolutely going to buy.  We were the 8am timeslot.  I have no idea why they put us in that group.  

If enough people are lined up that day for talks and they don’t have enough salespeople, they go on rotation.  As soon as a salesperson finishes their talk, they can go back and get another prospect.  The earlier they can pick a prospect, the higher the chances of getting a sell.  That’s why there’s more incentive for them to end a tour earlier if they know you aren’t going to buy and your tour is in the morning.  Tours in the afternoon aren’t so lucky.  

What if someone owns a timeshare and gets someone else to sign up for the timeshare talk? The timeshare owner gets a kickback – usually waived fees. 

But ultimately, why did our salesperson let go of us so fast?  Because Cecilia was pregnant.  At one point, our salesperson asked why Cecilia was going to the bathroom so much.  We told him she was pregnant, and when she came back in the room, he commented, “I didn’t even notice you were pregnant until you said that.”  That’s when he started flying through his presentation.  That was the change.  Apparently, people who are expecting a child don’t make sudden or “big” financial decisions. They’re too focused on what’s good for the baby.  

Tips on How to Survive a Timeshare Presentation

So here we are, everything we’ve learned boiled down to our top tips for surviving a timeshare talk.  

1. Go in prepared .

There is no reason to be mean or rude.  Just know your stance, be assertive, and remember that you don’t owe anyone anything.  It’s not impolite to say “no” without an excuse.  “No” is a complete answer that doesn’t need to be justified.  

2. Remember that you’re in a sales pitch .

For salespeople, ‘being nice’ is part of the sale. Similarly, ‘being relatable to you’ is more important than them telling you the truth. They butter you up in order to get information out of you, and they rely on the information you’ve volunteered for their pitch.  Things like your job, hobbies, or even your last vacation are used to determine your personal wealth and spending habits.  

3. Silence is your strength.

It’s really, really tempting to argue, or to call the salespeople out when you catch them in a ‘blunder’ or ‘ah-HA’ moment.  But just remember: if you argue, you just feed into their pitch and you’ll end up staying even longer.  They want you to argue so they can sell you harder.  Don’t get into a back-and-forth. 

4. Be on guard for the angle.

The salesperson is always fishing for an angle. If they don’t know what is important to you they cant sell you. They’ll try to get you emotionally invested.  They might try to insult you, or dig at your ego, with things like “you can’t afford this, right? This is too much for you.” Don’t defend yourself. Don’t justify yourself. Just say “no” and leave it at that.  

5. Decide on a secret reason against buying and never disclose it .

If they don’t know why you won’t buy, then they can’t give you a pitch or argue against it.  For us, we knew that a timeshare is just a bad financial decision.  The financing is really expensive, and you don’t “save money” in the end.  That was our secret reason; and when the numbers were explained to us, and we saw the paper showing that it was a bad decision, we didn’t go “ah-HA!”  We just nodded along and kept it inside.  They can’t sweet-talk their way around your roadblock if they don’t know it’s there.  

6. If you really want a timeshare, don’t buy at the pitch.

7. and, of course, if all else fails – be pregnant..

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This post has 15 comments.

I like the idea of timeshares—in fact, my inlaws own several—but I hate the high-pressure sales tactics they employ. It’s such a turn off.

That is such a good point. The concept of a timeshare isn’t all that bad, but the high-pressure talk and the difficulty of selling a timeshare should you ever change your mind are huge turn offs.

I love that the title includes SURVIVE, because that’s totally how it feels! We had to say “no” to like 10 different people before they would let us go!

We have heard so many horror stories like this. So glad we survived our first timeshare experience and came out on the other end with some bits of wisdom. Hoping this article can help out a few others so they do not have to endure a situation like yours!

I always wondered about timeshares. I like the concept but the sales tactic is highly annoying . It makes me wonder if it’s worth it .

You definitely have a point. High-pressure timeshare presentations are exactly that, high-pressure. They aren’t necessarily meant to be enjoyable, but I do think the experience depends on the salesperson. If you are assigned to a pleasant and respectful salesperson, then the experience really isn’t all that bad! It’s just playing roulette to see what kind of salesperson you wind up with.

Loved this. Your title caught me and made me laugh. Your last line made me laugh. My in-laws have had a time share for years and have dumped so much into the “maintenance fees”. It is a nightmare now for them to try to get out of it! Moral of the story: Whatever you might spend on the time share, you could simply put toward a nice hotel for your vacations and probably still come out ahead. Don’t fall for the pitch!

That’s such a good point. We haven’t heard of too many people who have been happy with their choice to purchase a time share. I think personally we will stick to the hotels and Airbnb’s as you mentioned!

Ive stayed at friend’s time shares a few times, and they can be really nice, but those pitches are such a turn off! Now I know, mention that I’m pregnant and if we do want to buy, don’t buy it at the pitch!

It’s a pretty good deal for a free holiday for you. 🙂

Great article with good suggestions. I do these as a travel hack to get free stays and freebies in Vegas. The key is to have an ironclad will and not be afraid to keep saying “no.” No matter what the reps try yo say or do, YOU are in control. They are obligated to give you the gifts and you are under no obligation to be polite or give reasons. The worst thing that can happen is you’ll get berated or insulted. There are worse things to endure and you basically get a free hotel stay. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

I like the Hunger Games reference. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with surviving timeshare presentations. It takes a strong will to make it through without buying anything, but like you said YOU are in control and have the right to say no.

Well they get you drunk in Mexico I bought a timeshare in Cabo and they kept serving me and my friend drinks to loosen me up. I fell in love with my salesman and finally gave in he was so nice and now I am one of the happiest timeshare owners on the planet. Going to Cancun booked a 1700 square foot 2 bedroom 2 bath bringing 3 friends with me. Hotels are soo soo expensive and with a timeshare I am saving a ton of money and it is making me travel more which I love. Life is short live it to the fullest and don’t look back. I was all ways jealous of friends that owned Timshares but now I get to enjoy all the benefits and I am saving a ton of money.

I LOVED your article and learned a great deal! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge. We definitely will do the things you have suggested. I might even buy a pregnancy belly to wear. Lol

Hahaha good luck, let us know how it goes!

Love your angle and how you shared your experience along with your post realization analysis. We’ve done a few many many years ago and found the perks of going to a high-stress 2 hour meeting somewhat worth it, but then again agonizing.

We are about to go to another in the next month and this was helpful to get us mentally prepared.

Thank you for taking the time to share.

Comments are closed.

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When Is a Timeshare Presentation Offer a Good Deal?

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Would you sit through a two-hour timeshare sales presentation to get three nights at a hotel in Orlando, plus 15,000 Hilton Honors points — all for $199? How about for dinner or a spa voucher at a Marriott hotel in Dubai? Would three nights in Tahoe plus 10,000 IHG points for $249 be worth enduring a long sales pitch?

Companies dangle generous perks to try to sell you a timeshare, with offers ranging from free parking to free hotel nights to deeply discounted hotel stays — provided you sit through a timeshare sales presentation of 90 minutes or more.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a timeshare sales presentation offer.

How timeshares work

What is a timeshare.

A timeshare is a fractional ownership of a vacation property or vacation property lease — usually at a popular travel destination or resort. It’s a lifetime commitment, although it’s possible to resell it. You’re basically investing in the opportunity to spend a week or more at select properties every year.

Many hotel chains have timeshares, including Hilton , Marriott and IHG .

The question "Is a timeshare a good deal?" is different from the question "Is this timeshare presentation offer a good deal?" Timeshares are often pitched as ways to save money on future vacations. Depending on your travel habits, it’s possible the timeshare pros and cons could tilt in your favor. But in most cases, collecting points and miles redeemable for travel is a better way to save.

But even if you know the timeshare route isn’t for you, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should skip out on the timeshare presentation offer. The perks could be well worth your time.

» Learn more: Are timeshares worth it? Possibly, if you buy smart

Timeshare presentation offers

A timeshare presentation offer is any benefit or discount — like free or reduced hotel stays, bonus points or free spa treatments — that you can receive by agreeing to sit through a timeshare sales presentation. These offers can include things like free parking at a resort where you’re staying, free hotel nights or deeply discounted hotel stays and resort experiences.

To determine whether it’s worth sitting through a presentation, consider the value of the perk being offered. In the case of free parking, you would probably be better off spending $50 to self-park and skip the sales pitch.

Can attending timeshare presentations offer a good deal?

Even still, there are times when sitting through a timeshare presentation can be worth your while. You can find good timeshare deals on offers for discounted stays, free nights and more online — or get offers through phone calls or targeted emails. In some cases, you might decide the savings are worth it.

Tip: Watch out for blackout dates, hidden charges and more

Depending on the hotel chain, your offer could be subject to blackout dates, high-season charges and package expiration dates. Read the terms and conditions carefully.

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Worthwhile timeshare offers, by chain

Here are a few offers from major hotel chains that, depending on how you feel about sitting through a sales pitch, might be worth grabbing.

Hilton has a timeshare presentation offer that gets you a three-night stay in Orlando or Las Vegas, plus 15,000 Hilton points for $199. That’s a pretty decent deal considering that rooms normally cost $175 to $500 per night.

This offer is good at several hotels, including the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista — an official Walt Disney World hotel. This means it gives its guests additional benefits, such as extra magic hours and access to FastPass. (Note that both services are currently on hold).

Other Hilton offers include a five-night stay at a resort in Hawaii for $649 plus taxes. The online offer includes 15,000 points. But a recent phone call to Hilton proved that sales representatives have some leeway to negotiate, in this case switching the offer to 5,000 Hilton points and a $200 Hilton gift certificate.

There are two different Hilton packages available for Hawaii — you can pick either Honolulu or the Big Island. Considering room rates here often hover around $500 per night, you can save a bundle by sitting through a timeshare presentation. For example, five nights in September 2021 at the Ocean Tower at the Hilton Waikoloa Village cost about $1,891.

That’s a big discount, not counting that $200 gift certificate and the value of those points, at a sprawling oceanfront resort featuring a saltwater lagoon.

Marriott Vacation Club has a number of specials for travelers willing to attend a timeshare presentation. In Dubai, for example, you can score two free nights at a number of hotels throughout the Middle East.

You can also participate in timeshare presentation in exchange for a dinner or spa voucher at select Marriott hotels in Dubai.

IHG’s vacation club is extending offers for properties in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; New Orleans; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Lake Tahoe, Nevada; among others.

At the Lake Tahoe resort, you can pay $249 plus tax and get three nights in a one-bedroom villa at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations: Tahoe Ridge Resort, as well as 10,000 IHG points .

Considering three nights at that resort can cost upward of $1,000, the timeshare presentation offer may be well worth it.

Some IHG hotels cost as little as 8,000 points per night, which means you can turn those 10,000 points into another free night.

Who qualifies for timeshare presentation offers?

Not everyone will qualify for these offers. Requirements vary by chain, so check the details of your offer before committing to one of these packages.

In the case of Hilton, you must not have attended a timeshare presentation within the past year at the property where you’ll be staying or within the last six months at any other properties. You’ll also need to meet certain other criteria, though they don’t publish details about what these are.

For Marriott’s Vacation Club offer in Dubai, you must be a married couple 30 to 65 years old with a joint income of over $130,000 who has traveled to Europe at least once in the past three years.

IHG’s Holiday Inn Club, meanwhile, requires that you be older than 25 with a minimum income of $50,000.

If you’re tempted by a timeshare presentation offer

Are all timeshare presentation offers a good deal? No, especially if you’re staying somewhere cheap or they’re just handing out free parking. But if you do some research, you can score serious discounts in truly exciting locations.

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8 timeshare sales tactics—and how to resist them during a pitch

If you’ve ever attended a high-pressure timeshare pitch, you’ll definitely agree with me: They are intense. They are persuasive. And they might even put big pressure on your marriage. But a timeshare presentation doesn’t have to threaten to send you to couples counseling; you can absolutely resist the most common timeshare sales tactics—if you know what to look for.

My husband and I have gone to two timeshare pitches: One in Hawaii on our belated honeymoon and one in Vancouver, Washington. I learned so much both times, and I’m happy to say my marriage is stronger than ever. That’s not by accident: We found ways to stay strong together in timeshare presentations and resist the wedges the salespeople are trained to drive between couples during their pitch. Now I’m sharing those timeshare sales tactics with you—so you can earn that free vacation, resist being manipulated into buying something you don’t actually want, and still have your partner to travel with!

Whether you’re a timeshare pitch veteran or are considering attending one for the first time (and for the promise of a free vacation, amirite?!), you need these tested hacks Hubs and I learned firsthand to survive a timeshare pitch.

Survive a timeshare pitch as a couple

Chances are, you or your partner has been approached by a timeshare company to attend a presentation selling points or owning a timeshare. Stats back this up: The timeshare industry has grown consistently over the last 8 years, and sales of timeshares has increased by more than a quarter since 2013, according to industry research .

That’s a lot of people buying timeshare properties and points.

In fact, industry insiders suggest that about 15% of people buy a timeshare after listening to a pitch—yet many feel pressured or intimidated into making the purchase.

All that confusion and hardball sales tactics can be hard on your relationship (and you’ll probably have to attend as a couple, as many timeshare companies require you to decide to buy together). Hard feelings are common especially if one person in your couple is more of a green light than the other.

But you don’t have to end a timeshare pitch with resentment, hurt feelings or a sense of #fomo. You and your partner can resist heavy-handed timeshare sales tricks and keep your bond as strong as ever. Here’s how.

8 timeshare sales tactics—and hacks to resist them

1. know your goals and resources.

The sales pitch: Playing to emotions. Salespeople use the timeshare sales trick of relying on your emotions to make a gut decision to purchase a timeshare. After all, you probably didn’t go into the timeshare presentation planning to buy (and they definitely know that); even still, timeshares are wildly successful—because they manage to sell them even to couples that didn’t intend to buy.

Beat the sales tactic: Take a hard look. Before you step into the sales presentation, know your resources: How much discretionary spending do you have in your budget? How much vacation time do you have? Knowing these facts ahead of time will help you resist the dream of staying in a timeshare property 6 weeks a year if you only get 2 weeks of PTO.

How it worked for us: We had recently bought a minivan (aka #swaggerwagon!) before we attended a timeshare presentation. So to survive a timeshare pitch, we just had to remind each other that any wiggle room in our budget was now caught up in the four wheels that would have to drive us to our more modest, budget-friendly vacations for at least a while longer.

2. Play as a team

The sales pitch: Playing couples off each other. When you have a tangled necklace, you start to tease the chain apart by starting with the looser end. The same goes for timeshare sales techniques: They approach the sale by targeting the more enthusiastic or susceptible half of the couple. Once they have one person convinced, he or she often persuades the hesitant person.

Beat the sales technique : Go in with an agreement. If you’re attending the timeshare presentation just for the free gift or vacation (no judgment!), be up front about that with each other—from the beginning.

How it worked for us: The promise of two free plane tickets and two nights’ stay in a hotel persuaded me to sign up for the timeshare presentation in the first place, and that’s how I convinced Hubs to come (though I also told him I’d cancel it in a heartbeat if he gave a hard no).

3. Have a kill switch

The sales pitch: Now or never. At some point, timeshare salespeople have to close—to make a hard sell. If a potential customer isn’t going to buy, they’ll have to cut their losses and move on, but they’ll use all their timeshare sales tactics to get you to say “yes.”

Beat the sales tactic: Establish veto power. To survive a timeshare pitch, agree that either person in your couple can say a hard no—and that will be the end of the story.

How it worked for us: I signed up for the most recent timeshare presentation while I was at a home show, and the way I got Eric to go to the pitch in the first place was to establish this rule. He knew he could say no and I would agree, regardless of how I felt about it. It cemented a sense of trust between us that neither of us would be pressured, and that we always had a way out if buying a timeshare wasn’t worth it.

4. Know your roles

The sales pitch: Appealing to the more enthusiastic partner. Timeshare salespeople know that one person in the couple is more likely to be open to buying a timeshare, so it makes sense that they appeal to the more gung-ho person. They’ll encourage that person’s enthusiasm or curiosity by encouraging them to imagine a family vacation in one of the wonderful spots they’ll show you.

Beat the sales tactic: It’s easy to get caught up in the possibilities of owning a timeshare property. Being aware that you may fall into this dream—in spite of your logic or any promises you made to absolutely not buy a timeshare —helps prevent some of the in-the-moment excitement.

How it worked for us: Based on our first timeshare pitch experience, we knew I’m more susceptible to the timeshare sales tactics; in Hawaii, I was ready to buy into the timeshare—even though we barely had enough money to pay our cell phone bill! So we knew that to survive a timeshare pitch this time, Hubs would have to stay strong and be the voice of reason during the “discussion time” salespeople leave you to have.

5. Don’t rush

The sales pitch: Claim the deal won’t last forever. Timeshare salespeople create a sense of urgency around buying a timeshare because they’re about a zillion times more likely to sell a timeshare while you’re there in the presentation room. They know they need to close the deal in that moment, and applying subtle pressure to buy immediately makes people more likely to buy a timeshare.

Beat the sales technique: Timeshares have been around for decades, and they’re not going anywhere. Salespeople will show you deals they have just for that day (which are way cheaper than the ones available on other days), but honestly, you’ll always be able to get a good deal if you want.

How it worked for us: Hubs, who was the more level-headed half of our couple and who definitely helped us survive the timeshare pitch, reminded me that we can always sign up for another timeshare presentation down the line if we do decide it’s a good fit for our family. There is no shortage of timeshare opportunities.

6. Evaluate your vacations

The sales pitch: Inspire huge vacation dreams. Timeshare salespeople will show you examples of the most beautiful, luxurious timeshare properties in the most desirable locations to make you imagine the best vacation ever. Bali! The Maldives! Tahiti! They’ll have you dreaming up vacations in places you’d never wanted to visit—until this timeshare pitch.

Beat the sales technique: Before even stepping into the timeshare pitch, you and your partner should talk through the kinds of vacations you take today and the kinds of vacations you want to take in the future. Those kinds of vacations might not match with buying a timeshare.

How it worked for us: During the timeshare presentation, Hubs and I used our family’s lifestyle as a touchstone to resist the sales technique. We do a lot of camping, we bring our dog on most vacations, and many of our trips center around visiting family in locations where the timeshare company didn’t have any properties. In this way, we were able to logically see that the timeshare didn’t actually make sense for our family.

7. Read body language

The sales pitch: Taking cues from body language. Salespeople of all stripes are expert at reading subtle cues from potential customers. Are they leaning forward? Are their hands on the table? Are they constantly looking at the clock? They use this body language to fine-tune their delivery.

Beat the sales tactic: Keep tabs on your partner’s body language, from how they are sitting to what they’re doing with their arms. This will clue you in to see if they’re digging the experience or getting defensive. That way you can mirror their attitude and present a united front to the salesperson.

How it worked for us: At one point in the most recent timeshare pitch we attended, Eric crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. This body language told me that he’d been triggered by something the salesperson said. Knowing him, I was able to figure out that the salesperson’s tactic—to suggest we were depriving our kids of family vacations if we didn’t buy—touched a nerve. Because I was paying attention, I could see that he was ready to be done.

8. Remember the free gift

The sales pitch: All or nothing. Timeshare salespeople design their presentations to make you feel as if you  must buy in the moment—or lose out big. They focus on what you can have with the not-so-subtle suggestion that you’ll have wicked #fomo if you say no.

Beat the sales technique: When you’re caught up in the sales pitch, it can feel as if you lost when you say “no”—even if that was your goal to begin with. You also might leave feeling manipulated or put down. So when you leave, remind yourself of whatever free gift you earn when you survive a timeshare pitch. Having a free vacation to look forward to will help put a positive spin on even a negative experience.

How it worked for us: Before we attended the timeshare presentation, we talked about where we wanted to go. We decided on Phoenix because I’ve never been there, we wanted a destination that was relatively close to our home in Oregon, and we wanted a warm and sunny vacation to take in the winter. So when we left the timeshare pitch, we already had a fun plan to look forward to.

Finally, I hinted that I would buy some new lingerie for our free vacation—and that didn’t hurt either! #hubbahubbah

Are timeshares worth it? That all depends.

This post isn’t meant to be a guide on saying no to timeshare pitches—unless that’s what you want to do. If timeshares genuinely fit with your lifestyle, budget and travel goals, hooray! Buy a timeshare! (or two, ha!)

That said, I don’t love a lot of the timeshare sales tactics, and many of them put uncomfortable pressure on couples. The presentations are crafted to manipulate you into buying, regardless of if buying a timeshare is a right fit for your family.

Either way—if timeshares are worth it for you or not—I know these tips to survive a timeshare pitch as a couple will help you emerge with your relationship intact.

I’m curious: Do you have any timeshare pitch horror stories, or any that went surprisingly well? Do you have tips to survive a timeshare pitch? Share in the comments below!

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Bet the timeshare people hate you! Awesome article and you’re absolutrly right. I’m also the one more likely to get excited…

Ha! Well they have to know 99% of people go into those meetings not intending to buy.

This is a very important article! Some salespeople are super aggressive, and I am not a fan of the ways in which they pressure people. Glad you shared this!

I hear you. It feels icky to be pressured, but if you know the tactics they’ll likely use, you can guard against them.

I’ve never been approached by someone pitching this kind of sale, but these are great tips to keep in mind. Pinning this so others can read!

Thank you for sharing, Lecy! It really does pay to know how you’ll be targeted. That way you don’t fall into a trap you didn’t see coming.

We have been on so many vacations where we are bugged to show up to an information time share session. I have never been to one but nice tips in case I find myself in one some day!

I swear the vacation industry relies so heavily on these kinds of pitches. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten roped into one!

What a great post to write Catherine! I always wondered what went on in those timeshare meetings. You give a great game plan!

That’s the thing: People don’t know what they’re getting into when they agree to a time share pitch! Glad this shed some light, Erin.

Love all these tips! Thanks for sharing!

Anytime, Amanda. Thanks for reading 🙂

Lol. My husband and I have sat through two of these pitches- the last one 10 years ago in Disney world for some upgrade perks. We still joke about it now- ten years later.

I’m so glad you can joke about it together! My husband still gets FURIOUS whenever the time share pitch in Hawaii comes up in conversation.

I’ve not been abroad since I was a kid but I remember my mum and dad getting approached about time shares ALL the time whenever we went!

Time share pitches can be a great way to save money on travel and activities – but only if you manage to not be persuaded into buying if you don’t actually want to buy.

So informative and practical Catherine. Any advice for those of us who already own a timeshare and want to get out?

Hm, I haven’t had to do this personally. I do know there are some companies that will help but I haven’t heard about how reputable they are. I think some facilitate selling your timeshare to other buyers. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

Thank you for this posting! I know a few people who have timeshares and they enjoy them. But my parents had 2 (they are in their 80’s now), and they ended up spending $5k to sell them. I’m sure they may not have known the best route for selling, but in this time in their life they just wanted out. Selling timeshares isn’t always easy. I didn’t want to “inherit” the timeshares, because I saw that my parents STILL had to pay timeshare fees and expenses, even though the timeshares were paid off. If you can’t go every year, then it’s a waste of money. And yes, you can trade or pay extra to go to resorts that are not in that specific location, but that limits where you can go each year. Like you said, I’m not against timeshares, but it is a bigger commitment than the salespeople tell you. All of that said, I’m considering visiting a timeshare promotion in Orlando with my kids this summer. Ready for the sales pitch at the end …. 😉

Absolutely, Susie — timeshares are not bad! My in-laws are members of two different ones, and they take full advantage of them. It’s just important to know what you’re in for during a timeshare pitch so you’re not persuaded into something that won’t work for you.

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How to get a deal by attending a timeshare presentation

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Booking hotels with points earned from the best hotel credit cards is a great way to save your hard-earned cash.  But did you know there’s another way you could score a great deal?

Many of the major hotel chains offer timeshare properties under a different brand, and they often have huge incentives to get you in the door to listen to their sales pitch!  These incentives could include certificates for free hotel stays, gift cards, bonus points, and more!

Getting your hands on these incentives just for sitting through a timeshare presentation might sound too good to be true.  In many cases though, there’s not much more to it than just that.  Hotels build the “giveaway” of these incentives into the cost of doing business.  They know that these sales pitches are a numbers game, so they wouldn’t be doing it if wasn’t profitable for them in the long run!

In many ways, it’s a win-win for everyone. They spread the word on their timeshares, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn about whether it might be a good fit for you. Check out team member Meghan’s experience with a Hyatt timeshare sales pitch in Arizona , and another timeshare presentation in Belize .

If you’re curious about whether timeshare ownership might be worth it, we’ll go through how you can get invited to one of these presentations, what to expect, and which major hotel brands offer timeshares. Worst-case scenario, you’ll find that timeshare ownership is not for you, and you’ll still walk away with a gift card, bonus points, or some other incentive.

How to save money by attending a timeshare presentation

Hotels often give folks lucrative incentives to get you in the door to their timeshare presentations.  You’ll know what the incentive is before you attend, of course, and they’ll usually offer things like certificates for free hotel stays, bonus points, and gift cards.

Sometimes, you might even be able to negotiate a better deal! I was able to find reports online that stated different people were given different incentives for attending the same timeshare presentation.  So the lesson here is that if you’re speaking with one of their representatives and the incentive isn’t enticing enough, ask if they can offer something better!

You usually won’t have to pay anything to attend one of these timeshare presentations, so your only “cost” will be the several hours it takes to sit through their presentation. And even if there is a fee for attending, the value of the incentive oftentimes outweighs the initial fee. 

For instance, I found a report from Stephen at Frequent Miler who stated he paid $150 to attend a timeshare presentation, and in return was awarded 45,000 Wyndham points (enough for 3 nights at any Wyndham hotel) and a 7-night stay at a timeshare resort. I’d say those incentives were well worth the $150 fee!

How to get invited to a timeshare presentation

Many of the major hotel chains, like Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG, offer some sort of timeshare brand.  If you’ve ever stayed at these hotels, you could be targeted either by phone or mail.  Being a member of the hotel’s loyalty program could also get you targeted at some point.

If you end up staying at one of their timeshare brands on a trip, you may also see some promotional materials around the hotel, so keep your eyes open!  For instance, team member Meghan took advantage of this on a trip to Arizona .  When she was checking in at the Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Pinon Pointe, she saw a sign in the lobby that mentioned something about a $100 gift card in exchange for attending a timeshare presentation!

The most direct way of getting an invitation though is to simply call the general number of the hotel chain you’re interested in, and asking about timeshare ownership.  They’ll transfer you to the right department at which point you can ask if they have any presentations available in your area, or if there are any promotions you might be eligible for.

What to expect out of a timeshare presentation

Before you attend a timeshare presentation, be aware that they can be VERY aggressive in their tactics!  I’ve been on the receiving end of a very high-pressure sales pitch and realize how difficult it can be to say no, even when I know it’s not something I want to sign-up for!  The best thing to remember though is that you can always say no, very firmly, but politely.

Also, be aware that attending these timeshare presentations can take several hours out of your day, so you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it, especially if you’re on vacation!

Tips for getting out of timeshare presentations quickly

You’ve got an appointment.

This is probably the oldest trick in the book. But if you’re looking to get out of a timeshare pitch, set a deadline for yourself by telling the salesperson that you’re meeting someone for plans (drinks, dinner, etc.) at a certain time. 

Don’t show any interest — at any price

This trick is only good for those who aren’t easily swayed. But if you can, try not to engage in the pitch. Be firm in your decision and let the salesperson know that the deal doesn’t make sense for you and your family.

Just be aware that they’ll try to push you on the price. There are reports from some readers that salespeople can sometimes lower the price by as much as 75% less than the initial offer. Again, they’re trying to make the sale. And these are tactics used to make it appear as though you’re getting a good deal.

Mention that you prefer using travel rewards

This is another trick that’ll be pretty hard for the salesperson to argue with. Simply tell them that buying a timeshare doesn’t make sense for you because you prefer to use miles & points for your travel . Why would you pay for lodging when you could stay at a hotel for free? There’s really no counterargument to that point!

Bring your children along

We all know how well kids behave when it comes to sitting still for long periods of time (HA!). And there’s arguably no better excuse to getting out of something than when you have a cranky child to attend to. So bring your kid(s) along to the presentation and make your escape when their patience has run out.

Hotel Chains With Timeshares

Hilton .

Hilton’s timeshare operates under the name Hilton Grand Vacations.  To give you an idea of the size of their timeshare operations, if you decide to join as a Club Member, you’ll be joining over 300,000 other members worldwide, and have access to vacation exchange options across over 4,300 resorts globally.

Most of their timeshares are located in the US, although they do have 3 international locations as well:

• South Carolina

Hyatt’s timeshare goes by the name Hyatt Residence Club.  Although they don’t offer nearly as many locations as Hilton, they do advertise and market luxurious stays at 16 locations in the US.

One of the neat things Hyatt offers right on their website is a section for “ Featured Vacation Offers. ”  Some people online have reported getting even better deals by calling in and referencing these offers, stating that they’re interested in timeshare ownership but want to get more information.

• Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Pinon Pointe

California:

• Hyatt Residence Club Carmel, Highlands Inn
• Hyatt Residence Club Lake Tahoe, Northstar Lodge
• Hyatt Residence Club Grand Aspen
• Hyatt Residence Club Beaver Creek, Mountain Lodge
• Hyatt Residence Club at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
• Hyatt Residence Club Breckenridge, Main Street Station
• Hyatt Residence Club Bonita Springs, Coconut Plantation
• Hyatt Residence Club Key West, Beach House
• Hyatt Residence Club Key West, Sunset Harbor
• Hyatt Residence Club Key West, Windward Pointe
• Hyatt Residence Club Sarasota, Siesta Key Beach
• Hyatt Residence Club Maui, Ka’anapali Beach
• Hyatt Residence Club Lake Tahoe, High Sierra Lodge

Puerto Rico:

• Hyatt Residence Club Dorado, Hacienda Del Mar
• Hyatt Residence Club San Antonio, Wild Oak Ranch

IHG calls their timeshare brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations.   Similar to Hyatt, they also have a section on their website for “ Special Timeshare Offers, ” so if you call in asking about timeshare ownership or their special offers, you might be able to land an even sweeter deal and possibly an invite to a timeshare presentation with more incentives!

IHG has timeshare locations within the US in several different states.  They also have a number of locations designated as part of their “ Signature Collection ” for an even more luxurious stay.

You can find a full listing of their timeshare locations here , and you’ll see they’re located in quite a few different states:

• Massachusetts

Marriott’s timeshare brand goes by Marriott Vacation Club.   According to their website, they offer over 50 resorts, 4,000+ Marriott hotels, and 3,000+ affiliated resorts.

You receive an annual allotment of Vacation Club Points when you join this program, which you can then use to book a stay at one of their locations worldwide .

Choice Hotels

Back in 2013, Choice Hotels ventured into the timeshare ownership segment by partnering with Bluegreen Vacations as their preferred vacation ownership provider.

You’ll be able to book a stay at any of their 60+ resorts in over 40 unique destinations .  The vast majority of them are located in the US, although they do have 2 international locations as well.

• North Carolina
• New Hampshire

Wyndham’s timeshare brand operates under the name Club Wyndham.   You’ll have the flexibility of vacationing in different areas each year through their Club Wyndham Plus program, where your ownership is translated into points deposited annually into your account.  Depending on where you want to stay, accommodations are assigned different point values and you can redeem them throughout the year.

Wyndham has a number of timeshare resorts available both within the US and internationally :

• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island

International Locations:

• New Zealand

You have other (better) options for saving big on hotel stays!

If you’re nervous about sitting through a high-pressure sales pitch, keep in mind it’s not the only way you can save big on traveling!  There are still many amazing hotel credit cards that can get you free nights at your favorite hotels.

Here are a few of our favorites:

• Most valuable welcome bonus for hotel stays: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Best hotel credit card for value and comfort:  World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Best hotel credit card for big spenders: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
• Best hotel credit card for elite status:  Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
• Best hotel credit card for road warriors: IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card

The information for the Hilton Aspire card , and the Hilton Surpass has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For instance, with the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you could earn enough points for as many as 10 nights in category 1 Hyatt hotels!  The card is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 60,000 bonus points – earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points with 2 bonus points per $1 spent on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point up to $15,000 in the first 6 months of account opening.

Or if you apply for a card that earns flexible points, like Chase Ultimate Rewards points , you can also transfer the points to a hotel partner for free nights as well.

Bottom line

Attending timeshare presentations can be a lucrative way to save a lot of money on your trips.  That’s because many hotels offer incentives like certificates for free hotel stays, bonus points, and gift cards, to motivate you to attend one of their timeshare presentations.

Many of the major hotel chains have some sort of timeshare brand.  If you haven’t been cold-called or targeted for a specific timeshare offer, you can always call the general number for the hotel and ask about timeshare ownership.

If you do attend a timeshare ownership presentation, be prepared for a very high-pressure sales pitch, and don’t be afraid to say no.

If you’re not sure if you can make it through their tactics, remember that you can always focus on earning miles and points from the best hotel credit cards to redeem for free hotel stays instead.

What are your thoughts on timeshare ownership, and have you sat through a timeshare presentation before?

Contributor

Andrew Wan is a contributor for Million Mile Secrets where he covers points, miles, credit cards, airlines and hotels. His work has also appeared in The Simple Dollar.

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Is Attending a Timeshare Presentation Worth It for Families?

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

We've probably all received an invitation to a timeshare presentation where we'd spend a few hours but get a free or inexpensive vacation out of the deal. Most of the time we say "no" because of the horror stories we've heard from people who have attended a similar event with aggressive sales tactics or with people that didn't respect their time. Today's parents have limited time to spend with their children while balancing work and household duties. Is attending a two-hour timeshare presentation to save a few bucks worth sacrificing time with the family -- especially when you're on vacation?

But some of these timeshare properties, many of which can also be booked with points, are pretty appealing. We'll talk about the timeshare pitch and perks in a minute but let's first look at some timeshare properties families may want to visit.

Top Timeshare Properties for Families

Here are a few examples of popular family-friendly timeshares, many of which are bookable on traditional hotel points. Elite members might receive an upgrade to a larger room when making a hotel reservation. And, another bonus of booking a timeshare-stye property usually ensures that you'll get a one-, two- or even three-bedroom unit that will easily fit your family (and with washing machines!).

• Kidani Village, a Disney Vacation Club property at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (Orlando, Florida): There are four savannas with more than 200 hoofed animals and birds roaming the resort. Although not part of a hotel loyalty program, points from Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard (not currently available to new applicants) can pay for your room. I found nightly rates in the $300s before tax. You can even "rent" Disney timeshare points from owners. Personally, I want to book a room here for my family just for the unique experiences with the animals.

• The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas* (Lahaina, Hawaii): Beautiful weather year-round and tropical landscapes make Hawaii a favorite for family travel. Cash prices start in the $500s, but rooms are only 50,000 Marriott points per night.

• Marriott's Grande Vista* (Orlando, Florida): My family stayed here before and loved the pools and game rooms. My son really liked the towers and water cannons at the Plaza del Sol pool. Cash rates start at $183 per night or 35,000 Marriott points.

• Hilton Grand Vacations on the Las Vegas Strip* (Las Vegas, Nevada): While gambling is for adults, the shows and attractions are for visitors of all ages. Las Vegas is a popular family destination for food, fun, and shopping. Room rates are as low as 54,000 Hilton Honors points or $124 plus tax. The Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card is a great way to earn points with a 125,000 welcome bonus after spending $2,000 in three months, and 6x points at US Restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations.
• Hyatt Residence Club Maui, Ka'anapali Beach: This property is right next to the Hyatt Regency Maui. The stretch of beach here is fantastic and the pool complexes are exactly what your family dreams about when thinking "Hawaiian vacation." Use 30,000 World of Hyatt points. Cash prices for the one-, two- and three-bedroom units varies depending on the season but are clocking in just shy of $1,000 per night for a two bedroom and $1,089 for a three bedroom this summer. The World of Hyatt Credit Card can help boost your Hyatt points balance.

• Westin Princeville Ocean Villas: The North Shore of Kauai is light on points hotels, but the Westin Princeville is an option on hotel points or for timeshare owners. Standard rooms are 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night and paid rates start at about $300+ per night. Larger suites are bookable for higher prices. Guests here get to enjoy the nearby beach at the Princeville Resort that is the perfect place to watch Hawaiian sunsets.

*For both Marriott and Hilton, loyalty members can redeem points and receive the fifth night free to increase their savings.

The Timeshare Offer

Spending points, however, isn't the only way you can stay at these villa-style properties. Most of them canvas travelers to find some that will exchange their time to attend a presentation for a free or heavily discounted stay, cash or a combination of the two. In most cases, you'll need to set aside at least two hours for the presentation.

The offer will vary based on which company's presentation you attend. If you are actually interested in buying into a timeshare, do your research beforehand to understand the pros and cons of ownership and get a firm handle on pricing. The timeshare resell market can be a great way to save money if you do decide that ownership is right for you.

No matter what the offer is to attend a presentation may be, always negotiate when speaking with the representative. Remember that you'll be giving up valuable vacation time with your family to sit through the timeshare presentation. He or she may have something extra to offer to close the deal.

Here is a timeshare offer we've seen recently:

Holiday Inn Vacations Club

While checking on my IHG Rewards Club account, the telephone agent discussed a Holiday Inn Vacations Club timeshare offer. For $199, my family and I would receive a four-day, three-night vacation in our choice of one of 14 destinations. The options included Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, the Great Smoky Mountains and other destinations.

Once we attended the presentation, we would receive the $199 back in cash plus a $100 discount certificate for a future Holiday Inn stay. I love a great deal, so I signed up to attend.

Some offers are a bit pricier, such as the $798 offer some receive to spend 5-nights at the Westin Princeville in Kauai, though that offer does include an Avis car rental. Or, at the Disney Aulani in Hawaii attending the sales presentation scores you two luau tickets (normally $139 each).

Our Stay in Gatlinburg

We booked our stay for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains. We came to find out that the city is a great family destination filled with fun tourist attractions, delicious food and amazing nature hikes. (And don't miss Dollywood , which is nearby.)

Cash Versus Points

If you'd like to stay at the timeshare resort, you can book rooms for less than $200 a night or 35,000 IHG Rewards Club points. The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card is a great way to earn IHG Rewards points to pay for your stay.

The Holiday Inn Express Gatlinburg Downtown is located immediately next door and shares many of the benefits of the timeshare, including the indoor waterpark and pool. On many of the dates I checked, the rooms were very inexpensive when paying cash. You could book a room for 30,000 IHG points, but when the cash price is so low, I would opt for the cash rate or book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal .

Attending the Timeshare Presentation

When you attend a timeshare presentation, remember that you're sitting with trained sales professionals. Their job is to weave a story to create an emotional connection and get you to believe that timeshare ownership is better than staying in a hotel where you want, when you want and paying how you want (cash or points).

Most timeshare presentations say that you need to attend for 90 to 120 minutes. If you let them, they'll keep you there as long as they can. If they've done their job correctly, they'll try to find the emotional trigger that will get you to buy one of their packages before you leave.

Do Both Spouses Need to Attend the Presentation?

Timeshare purchases are a big commitment, so the salesperson wants to ensure that both spouses are there to sign off on the contract. If one spouse is not there, it is an easy excuse to say that "I need to speak with my spouse about this" to get out of the potentially high-pressure sales pitch.

Before I got married, many timeshare companies I spoke with would not book an appointment with me. Their sales presentation is designed around families and the memories you create while traveling.

Can Children Attend With You?

Timeshare companies know the children can be a distraction or an excuse to leave early during the sales presentation. Because of this, your children may not always be allowed to attend the timeshare presentation with you, though there are exceptions to this. For example, the Disney Vacation Club does a great job providing colors and such for kids to stay busy during the presentation. We have heard of children attending with other brands, too, such as Hyatt.

When we travel with our children, they usually go to the kids club while we speak with the sales representative. In most kids clubs there will be toys and video games for them to play with, drinks and snacks to enjoy, and television to watch.

With many vacations jam-packed with activities, the kids club can be a welcome breather for kids to relax and enjoy some free-style play.

The Presentation

After signing in at the front desk, you'll watch a video with the other guests while your sales rep waits in another room. The video is designed to make you think about how you can travel with your family using the timeshare and what fond memories you will create. Timeshare members will talk about the places they travel with their ownership and how they love that the timeshare can be passed down to their children.

Once the video is finished, you'll go to the sales rep's table where he will ask questions about how you like to travel, where you want to go and how much you spend on vacation.

It always amazes them when we talk about how much we travel and how little we spend. Most of the sales reps that we've talked to do not understand the value of miles and points.

The Sales Pitch

The answers you provide help the sales rep craft the presentation and approach to get you to buy. The simple math works like this: You say that you travel a certain number of days each year and spend so much each night. They multiply this number by 40 years and compare your expected spend against the purchase of a timeshare.

The sales rep will tell you that it is better to buy a timeshare than rent hotel rooms. But what they often neglect to mention is that the timeshare locations aren't always in the places you like to travel, popular resorts book up quickly, maintenance dues go up each year and you'll pay the dues even when you don't travel. Additionally, if you go through a phase where you need to tighten up on discretionary spending (such as travel), you can't do that as easily if you owe set dues each year.

After you've listened patiently and politely declined their offer, a manager will come to the table. The manager will ask if the sale rep treated you well and take some notes.

At that point, he or she will probably offer you a trial package or maybe a discounted offer to return. A trial will let you try out the timeshare membership for one to two years by paying $1,000 to $3,000 to have a select group of properties to stay at. This package may lock in today's prices in case you decide to buy in the future.

For many people, the trial or sampler package can be a good deal compared to cash prices for the same properties -- points are sometimes even thrown into the deal.

At our Holiday Inn Vacations Club presentation, they offered us a future eight-day, seven-night stay for $1,499. We would be in a two-bedroom, two-bath unit similar to the one we toured earlier in the day. Although the rooms were attractive and the offer was tempting, we couldn't see our family wanting to visit any of their locations for eight days.

Should You Say Yes?

Although my family owns a couple of timeshares that I bought in my 20s, I generally recommend against buying one today. With so many vacation options using hotel points, discount travel sites like Groupon and timeshare rental websites, it usually doesn't make sense to lock yourself into a timeshare.

Related: Why Timeshares Aren't Always a Scam

If you do decide that buying a timeshare is right for your family, understand that you can buy them significantly cheaper on the secondary market. Websites like eBay, Redweek and Tug2.net offer thousands of listings of people trying to sell timeshare memberships that they no longer use or cannot afford.

Alternatives to Buying a Timeshare

Of course, we're all familiar with using hotel points when we travel. But did you know that you can rent timeshare units as well?

Many timeshare properties are available using hotel points. Others are available for rent on eBay and Endless Vacation Rentals .

Mommy Points recently rented Disney Vacation Club points from David's Vacation Club Rentals for an awesome Walt Disney World getaway. Going this route allows you to enjoy all of the benefits of a timeshare vacation for a given trip without the upfront cost or responsibility of annual maintenance dues.

Booking a Cheap Spring Break Vacation

For example, if you wanted to travel to Orlando for 2020 Spring Break and stay at a timeshare property, you have many options. A one-bedroom villa at the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake Buena Vista/Orlando is available from Endless Vacation Rentals for $161 per night (total of $1,125 for the week).

The same room is available directly from Marriott for $170 per night (total $1,190).

Marriott Bonvoy members can book a week in this room for 300,000 points. The nightly rate is 50,000 points per night, but the fifth night is free as a member benefit.

In my experience, the closer you get to the travel dates, the lower the prices will be on Endless Vacation Rentals because they need to sell the package before the dates pass. Of course, specific dates can sell out.

Is It Worth Your Time?

For our family, giving up two hours of our vacation to earn a big discount on travel expenses is a good trade-off. My wife and I have the strength to decline their best offers to buy, no matter how appealing they may sound in the moment. In our experience, when you attend a timeshare presentation with a well-known name, once you say "no," they will (eventually) respect your decision.

Our family enjoyed a great four-day, three-night vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains for a net cost of $0 after attending the timeshare presentation. Plus, we now have a $100 certificate toward a future Holiday Inn hotel stay. Yes, we spent two hours of our time listening to a timeshare presentation, but it was worth it to have a free family vacation.

Have you attended a timeshare presentation to save money on a vacation? Was it worth it for the perks or will you never do it again?

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Koala Travel Blog

Timeshare presentations: what to expect, and what to do, attending a timeshare presentation from tours to pitches, here’s what you need to know..

The world of timeshare ownership can seem mysterious and the idea of attending a timeshare presentation may seem downright…daunting. Historically, the dialogue surrounding timeshare presentations has often been fraught with skepticism, which may leave you wary of engaging.

If you’ve signed on for a free vacation, it’s understandable to feel that a presentation is just a stumbling block to getting back on to the beach. If you’re truly interested in pursuing vacation ownership (or simply curious, for that matter) attending a timeshare presentation can serve as a prime introductory first step.

A timeshare, also called vacation ownership , is an arrangement where owners secure the rights to a yearly resort stay, usually for one week. Various arrangements are available, offering opportunities to travel during different seasons and to destinations around the world.

We’ll walk you through what to expect from your presentation and how to prep in advance to gather helpful information and make the most out of your meeting.

What Is a Timeshare Presentation?

Also known as a discovery tour, a timeshare presentation is an opportunity to explore vacation ownership, and speak one-on-one with an industry representative. There’s definite benefits to attending a timeshare presentation, but it does require some planning. As any avid traveler knows, even setting aside a couple of hours can be a lot to juggle when you’re on vacation with family. 

Most likely your resort will want you and your spouse to attend the timeshare presentation together, while providing activities and snacks outside the presentation area for your little ones. And if your agent has spoken to you about vacation packages or promotions included in your presentation, you’ll need to stay for its entirety in order to secure those offers.

Why Would You Attend a Timeshare Presentation?

There are two major reasons why thousands of people attend timeshare presentations every year. There are certainly many owners, existing or interested, who either schedule a presentation or agree to attend one in order to learn more about the benefits of ownership – whether they’re looking to upgrade or own for the first time. The majority of potential owners, however, attend because the brand offers them incentives, ranging from a free dinner to a free weekend stay at the resort. 

No matter which of these scenarios describes you, your first timeshare presentation may make you feel apprehensive – stirring up expectations of shady sales pitches or presenters out to get your money. Online forums are replete with owners highlighting tactics that are aggressive or misleading. On the other hand, there are plenty of authentic agents out there who genuinely want to help you travel. Frankly, it’s hard to know ahead of time whether you’re in for a high-pressure pitch or an honest and informative conversation.

With that in mind, it’s best to attend your presentation with an open but cautious outlook. Arrive hoping to gain valuable insight from an industry expert. If there’s a tour, carefully evaluate the property. During the presentation, ask questions and express concerns. If you have a certain week in mind, ask clear and specific questions about your obligations for owning that week. If you’re discussing points, offer a few examples of vacations that you’d like to take and get specific numbers for the costs of taking such vacations. And remember, you don’t have to make a purchase if you don’t want to!

Prepare in Advance

Your session will likely open with a video or presentation highlighting the brand’s destinations and features, as well as testimonials from happy timeshare owners. A tour of the property may follow, where you’ll learn more about the villas and amenities.

As you sit down with your agent, it’s likely they’ll ask you a series of questions about your travel preferences and interests, in order to curate an offer that will most appeal to you. As you consider vacation ownership, realistically think about the following: 

• Your long term travel goals; how will plans change over the years?
• Your obligations; what are your expected maintenance fees? Would you save significantly over booking your preferred unit each year? What about when you factor in purchase price?
• What are the specific benefits to purchasing directly from the developer or brand? Would purchasing on the resale market save you money? If so, are there any downsides?

If there’s a tour, carefully evaluate the property. During the presentation, ask questions and express concerns

We’ve put together some helpful resources to help you break down the terminology of timeshares and get a grasp on if one of the various timeshare arrangements will work for you . Vacation ownership can be a great way to amplify your travel dreams, but it’s a financially significant purchase. It’s also one you don’t have to commit to in the moment! Carefully consider the above; it will go a long way to making sure you’re happy with your decision.

Stay on Schedule 

Typically, your timeshare presentation should last from 90-120 minutes. However, as the process rolls along, it’s not unheard of for these presentations to stretch out to several hours. Be aware of those details going in and also hold firm to your availability.

You’re on vacation. You have activities on the schedule. You may have kids waiting on you. As the end of the allotted time frame draws near, feel free to politely remind your sales representative that it’s time to start closing the meeting. A professional and empathetic agent should honor that request. 

Make an Informed Decision

As the session comes to a close, the final step, of course, is the pitch. And whether you’re considering timeshare ownership for the first time or upgrading, if you feel you need more time for this decision, that’s totally fine . You might be told this is a same-day-only offer. This is more than likely not the case. And your agent should understand why you deserve more time to consider a purchase like this one carefully. That said, if you’re really interested in making a purchase, there may be ways to leave a good faith deposit to hold the deal in place – don’t be afraid to ask!

A 2018 study found that 78% of recent timeshare purchasers attended at least one presentation at the resort where they now own, with 21% attending two or more.  So take the time to further explore the resort and do any necessary followup research. If vacation ownership is a lifestyle purchase you’re ready for, making a thoughtful and informed decision is key to starting your vacation ownership journey with confidence and peace of mind.

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Realities of the Timeshare Presentation Process

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard a story or two about a disastrous timeshare presentation experience someone’s had. You yourself might have had one and are now stuck in a timeshare that you do not want. 

When we think about it logically, why would we agree to a multi-thousand-dollar purchase after a few hours of talking to a salesperson we barely know?  It seems like the worst possible investment to make on a vacation, yet millions of people have fallen victim to it. What about timeshare presentations gets people to sign away their lives?

The timeshare presentation process is a science. It’s meant to fool you and prevent you from logical trains of thought. Developers like Hilton Grand Vacations , Wyndham , and Marriott Vacation Club do an excellent job at training their salespeople to wine and dine you. They don’t just give you a sales pitch ; they give you a fantasy. Their job is to paint a picture of how luxurious, convenient, and affordable owning a timeshare can be and how it’s simply not an option to say no to this deal. 

But as you already know, these presentations are manipulative. They tell you everything you want to hear and disregard any information that might make you hesitant about purchasing a timeshare. They wear you down with exhaustingly long presentations that you can’t escape, making you more likely to comply just to put an end to the presentation. They won’t tell you about the hassles of owning a timeshare — they’ll leave it up to you to discover these things once it’s too late to cancel. Let’s break down the timeshare presentation process and all the tactics that developers use to get you to hand over your credit card and sign their contract. 

Sales Tactics of a Timeshare Presentation

Whether you are purchasing a timeshare in Mexico , New York , or Hawaii , most timeshare companies use the same formula for getting people to come to their sales pitch . They’ll offer attractive perks like fancy breakfasts, free hotel stays , or Visa gift cards in exchange for attending their sales presentation . Developers know that many people attending are not necessarily interested in purchasing a timeshare yet, so they’ll place emphasis on these freebies rather than the timeshare presentation itself. Once they get you into the sales presentation, here are some of the tactics they’ll use to get you to sign on the dotted line.

Getting to Know the Customer

The initial tone of a timeshare sales pitch is always low pressure and casual. After all, timeshare companies want you to feel relaxed and trust that they have your best interest in mind. They’ll send over a friendly, engaging salesperson to get to know you and ask you about your trip. By learning what you look for in a vacation, they’re forming a plan on how to pitch the idea of timeshare ownership to you. 

Selling You on a Dream

Once you’ve built up a rapport with your salesperson , you’ll probably be sent to a group presentation with other prospective buyers. A charismatic sales lead will then guide you through a timeshare presentation slideshow or speech. They usually start off by sharing an anecdote on how expensive hotel costs, limited vacation time , and the perception of travel as an inaccessible luxury often stops people from vacationing as much as they’d like to. 

Then, the salesperson will engage with prospective buyers by asking them about their ideal vacation getaway . They’ll follow this up by asking the audience whether they think this dream could be a reality or not. Once they’ve got the audience thinking about all the limitations that prevent them from traveling, they’ll present them with a solution: timeshares. 

At this point, the tone of the timeshare presentation will switch to making your vacation dreams a reality. The salesperson will try to make you believe that vacation ownership will make it possible for you to travel wherever you want for extremely low costs. They’ll highlight all the benefits of the timeshare plan they are promoting. 

If this particular timeshare company works on a points exchange program , they’ll emphasize how flexible this system is for people who want to change when and where they vacation every year. If the timeshare company works on a fixed- or floating-week system, the salesperson will probably emphasize how convenient it is to have a reliable location to come back to every year. Once they have their audience hopeful, they’ll start showing them the type of luxury units they could potentially own. 

Touring the Facilities

Once the timeshare company has convinced you that ownership is possible, it’s time for a tour. If they’re trying to sell you on the timeshare resort where the tour is taking place, they’ll most certainly show you the nicest rooms on the property. They want prospective buyers to visualize the life they could be living if they were to invest in a timeshare . For example, they’ll paint the picture that you could stop renting cramped hotel rooms and have a spacious, upscale unit to enjoy an entire week of vacationing in. 

The catch with tours is that if you are looking to buy a timeshare at a different location, there’s no guarantee that the units will look anything like the ones they are showing you. And if the resort you’re touring is where they want you to purchase, the units they are showing you may not even be in your budget or up for sale at all. They want to show you the best that the resort can offer, even if it’s not what the actual unit will look like once it’s sold to you.

Crunching the Numbers

Now you’ve come to the part of the pitch where the salesperson starts tackling the financials of owning a timeshare. At this point, they hope spending hours of your time showing you all the amazing perks of owning a timeshare will lessen the blow of how much they really cost. 

This part can be tricky to navigate without scaring away customers, so they tread carefully. They’ll name the upfront cost of the timeshare, which for brand-name developers can average around $25,000 to $60,000 . If you start resisting their offer, the timeshare salesperson will put pressure on you and even bring in a closer to try to convince you that this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal that you cannot pass up. 

Bringing in a closer is one of the most manipulative tactics timeshare companies use to convince people to buy. These closers are gifted salespeople who make you question your judgement by asking you to justify why you aren’t interested in purchasing a timeshare. They are trained to make you seem irrational for refusing such an amazing deal. 

If they still can’t pressure you to sign the contract, the closer will start presenting you with one-time incentives like lower-than-usual rates on timeshare properties and free vacation packages . To put added pressure on you, the closer will reiterate that these deals are only available today and will go away should you choose to exit the presentation without signing a contract.

Outsmarting a Timeshare Presentation

Timeshare salespeople know how to develop a friendly rapport with you, sell you on making your vacation dreams a reality, give you a captivating tour of their timeshare resort , and talk you into making a huge financial decision on the spot. But no matter what salespeople tell you, great deals within the timeshare and vacation industry are not going away. There will always be more affordable lodging options than a timeshare with a hefty upfront cost and pricey annual fees .

Unfortunately some people learn this lesson too late. They attend a timeshare presentation , get a free breakfast, see some luxurious timeshare units, and are convinced to sign their contract right away. Not until their rescission period ends do they realize what a huge financial mistake they’ve made. 

If you’ve found yourself a victim of a scam timeshare presentation , reach out to Centerstone Group . Our team of experienced timeshare experts may be able to find you a solution for escaping your timeshare contract. Contact Centerstone Group for your free consultation.

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Why you should attend a timeshare presentation (hint: free stuff).

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Those who know me well already know I’m obsessed with earning points and miles. My wife and I have traveled far and wide — and gotten some pretty sweet rewards from the best travel rewards credit cards .

In addition to making the most of our  credit card points and miles, my wife and I like to seek out and attend timeshare presentations as a way to maximize our travel experiences (and get free stuff). The presentations are not as bad as they may seem to sit through — we’ve come away with some pretty sweet things.

In fact, a lot of major hotel chains have timeshare properties, and it’s pretty normal for these chains to offer incentives to people like you and me to attend presentations and listen to sales pitches.

Intrigued? Let’s take a look at what timeshares are and how they work, what you can earn by attending a timeshare presentation, how to get invited to a timeshare presentation, and how to make the experience worth it.

What is a timeshare, and how do they work?

What happens at a timeshare presentation, gifts you can earn from attending a timeshare presentation, how to get invited to a timeshare presentation, hotels that offer timeshares, how to decide if a timeshare is right for you, why a timeshare may not be right for you, bottom line.

A timeshare is shared ownership of vacation real estate. For example, multiple people might own 1-week increments of a vacation condo near Disney World in Orlando. Some timeshare programs allow you to lease the property for a period (usually several years) without actually owning it.

A timeshare can be located in a resort, condo, apartment building, or campground, just to name a few. Owning a timeshare guarantees you that amount of time each year in the property you own.

Many timeshare programs work on a point system, which allows you more flexibility to choose when and where you go, rather than being locked into one property for a specific week of the year. For example, instead of going to that condo in Orlando for a week, you could use the points for a week in an apartment in Las Vegas.

At a timeshare presentation, it will typically start with a check-in to confirm you attended. There will likely be refreshments, and the sales pitch will start with a video. 

After that, you'll sit down with a sales rep who will do a timeshare sales pitch that includes information about the property, location, and amenities. If you’re buying into a company that allows you to use your allotment for multiple properties, you’ll learn more about the types of properties the company owns.

And, of course, they'll sell you on the idea that timeshare ownership will save you money over booking hotels. Keep in mind that these are timeshare sales professionals who know sales tactics in and out. You might find the sales presentation more compelling than you expected. If you walked in not wanting to buy, it's likely best to walk away. 

The company will likely offer an incentive or discount if you sign up for the timeshare on the spot. That doesn’t mean you should. You could negotiate for a better offer or simply walk away, especially if they're doing a high-pressure sales pitch. If the main reason you’re attending is to get the incentive for attending, then you’ve fulfilled your obligations by attending.

If you find yourself interested, keep in mind that you don’t need to decide right then and there. If you don’t already have a spending plan in mind, walk away and take more time to crunch the numbers and make sure the timeshare fits into your budget and your vacation plans for years to come.

Even if you don’t sign up for a timeshare (I never have), the incentives offered can totally be worth your while. These can include cash, points for hotel loyalty programs, free passes (like Disney), and free or heavily discounted rates on hotel stays, which can essentially amount to a free vacation. What’s more, you may be able to combine incentives — think points plus a discount for a hotel stay to attend one presentation.

Here are a few examples of the perks you get:

• Stay in a villa studio in Hawaii, receive points for the hotel’s rewards program, and even get to do free activities on site. This could include dining credits, sightseeing tours (yes, it could be on a sailboat), a car rental voucher, and luau tickets.
• Head to Orlando and not only will you get discounts on resorts or special accommodation packages, you could get Disney FastPass+ and even free tickets to Disney World itself.
• Some timeshare presentations in Las Vegas offer discounted hotel stays, vacation certificates, resort credits, and even free concert or show tickets.

I don’t know about you, but all of these incentives sound pretty good to me — that is, if you’re willing to sit through a hard sales pitch. If you are, let’s move onto how you can get invited to one.

You may have already been invited to a timeshare presentation — maybe you received a phone call or a promotional offer in the mail. In some cases, you’ll get an offer in your email inbox just because you’re a member of a hotel’s loyalty program.

But if you’re impatient like me and hate waiting, here are a few ways to get yourself invited to a timeshare presentation.

Approach timeshare reps when you reach your destination

Also known as taking advantage of an on-site offer, approaching timeshare reps is a great way to get an invite. What salesperson wouldn’t want a potential customer walking up to them without any effort on their part?

Don’t worry. Once you arrive at your timeshare destination, there should be no shortage of reps, especially if it’s a touristy destination. All you need to do is approach a rep and express an interest in attending a timeshare offer.

This is important, though: Confirm what the incentive to attend will be before you agree to go to the presentation — some of the best points offers or other desirable perks are earned by going this route.

Reach out to the timeshare department ahead of time

If you want to make sure you’re guaranteed a timeshare presentation with incentives, you can call ahead — ask to be put through to the timeshare department. Again, this just makes getting you in as a potential customer easier for reps, so they’re going to take you up on it.

Of course, just because you commit to attending a presentation doesn’t mean you have to buy anything. It’s OK to earn your incentive and walk away.

Get referred by a timeshare owner

Do you happen to know anyone who owns a timeshare? If so, ask that person to refer you. It doesn’t have to be the timeshare they bought into — it could be somewhere else within the company’s timeshare portfolio. For example, if your friend is a timeshare owner at Club Wyndham’s Shawnee Village, they could refer you to a presentation at any Wyndham timeshare property.

Making timeshare presentations worth it

We polled members of the  FBZ Elite Travel and Points Facebook group on whether they would sit through a four-hour presentation to get 45,000 Wyndham points. Most people said no, that their time was more valuable.

One commenter, Elana S., said it best:

I need to work for 1.7 weeks in order to earn my PTO (paid time off) for 4 hrs that turn into 5-6. On the other hand, I need to work 0.2-0.4 week to cover the cost of the future nights this presentation gives me. Mathematically, it doesn't make much sense. My PTOs are hard earned and I have to jump through hoops to secure my vacation due to the nature of my job. My time is more valuable than money.

That’s totally fair. And, yes, time is more valuable than money. However, there are ways to make these presentations worth it — or else I wouldn’t have attended a few of these in the first place.

If you do attend one, do your research. Typically the big players — most major hotel chains — offer the best incentives and are the least likely to be scams. When getting an offer, don’t be afraid to negotiate your incentive or gift. Seriously.

Think about it: As Elana said, you’re trading your precious time to attend a sales pitch (that you may want to nap through). So don’t feel nervous about asking for a bigger incentive that will make it work for you, like asking for a Visa gift card instead of rewards points.

Whatever you’re negotiating for, make sure you’re getting the most value out of your commitment.

• Choice’s timeshare partner is Bluegreen Vacations , and it has 71 resorts in many destinations, including Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 
• Hilton Grand Vacations is Hilton’s timeshare brand, and there are resorts in a variety destinations, including Hawaii, the Smoky Mountains, and on the Las Vegas Strip.
• Hyatt’s timeshare brand is called Hyatt Residence Club , and it has resorts in many different destinations, including Puerto Rico, Lake Tahoe, and Key West, Florida. 
• IHG’s timeshare brand is Holiday Inn Club Vacations , with resorts at domestic and international destinations, including Orlando; Cancun, Mexico; and Sheridan, Illinois. 
• Marriott Vacation Club is Marriott’s timeshare brand, and it offers more than 1,000 resort locations, including Maui, Hawaii; Bali, Indonesia; and Aruba. 
• Club Wyndham is Wyndham’s timeshare partner and has over 45 destinations in myriad resort locations, including Taos, New Mexico; Branson, Missouri; and San Antonio, Texas. 
• Disney Vacation Club offers stays at Disney-branded resorts around the world, including those near Disney theme parks. 

If you’re tempted by a timeshare company's presentation, here’s how to decide if it’s right for you:

• Consider your travel habits . If you tend to visit the same place every year, or if the timeshare offers flexibility that makes sense for you, a timeshare purchase might be a good investment.
• Look at the costs . Make sure you understand all of the fees associated with owning a timeshare, including annual maintenance fees and property taxes.
• Think about your long-term plans . If you’re not sure where you’ll be in 5 or 10 years, it might not make sense to invest in a timeshare.
• Research the company and the property . Make sure you’re comfortable with the company’s reputation and the location of the property.
• Talk to other owners . Ask other timeshare owners about their experiences to get an idea of what owning a timeshare is really like.
• Consider the resale market . If you're really interested, you might find a better price on the resale market rather than buying directly from the timeshare salesperson. 

A timeshare definitely isn’t a good fit for everyone, so it may be best to walk away from the presentation. Here are a few reasons why.

• High upfront costs . Timeshares can be expensive to purchase, and many require a large down payment.
• Ongoing fees . In addition to the initial purchase price, timeshare owners are typically responsible for ongoing maintenance fees and property taxes.
• Limited flexibility . Timeshares are often located in specific destinations and may only be available during certain weeks of the year.
• Difficulty reselling . It can be difficult to sell a timeshare if you decide you no longer want it.

Attending timeshare presentations isn’t for everyone. But if you’re interested in discounted (or even free) trips and incentives like free points and cash, showing up could be worth it.

Make sure you have a game plan before you attend — will you be open-minded to the sales pitch, or are you dead set on saying no? Whatever you do, don’t feel pressured to make a purchase you’re not ready for — it’s OK to take their incentives and walk away. If you decide the timeshare approach isn't for you, you can still get free perks and rewards by using one of the best travel credit cards to book your trips. 

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• Sales Process

Sales Lessons from Surviving a Timeshare Presentation

David Jacoby, managing director at SRG, reflects about sales best practices after surviving a timeshare presentation during a family vacation.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I work at a sales training company, but I have a soft spot for salespeople. Whether it is a pushy door-to-door salesperson trying to sell copying machines to our office, or a telemarketer droning on and on about his or her product, I always try to give salespeople my full attention and let them sell.

As a result of this permissive attitude, I have sat through hundreds of sales calls over the past few years. I’m always astonished at the number of salespeople I hear who still use pushy, aggressive sales tactics. This type of selling is almost always counter-productive. The more a pushy salesperson talks, the less I want to listen. The more that salesperson tries to close, the less I trust him or her. And so on.

So why don’t these pushy selling techniques work?  I thought about this question after experiencing an extreme form of aggressive selling on my recent family vacation to Mexico, the timeshare sales presentation.

Timeshare Sales Presentation

For those of you who have no experience with timeshare sales presentations, the process is straightforward: a friendly person (in this case working right in the lobby of our hotel) offered us a few hundred dollars worth of free dinners and other discounts if we attended a 90 minute sales presentation. So with the promise of a few freebies, I dragged my wife to the sales presentation.

Timeshares are ultimately an impulse purchase, after all, who goes on vacation with a goal of buying a timeshare?  After the prospect walks out the door and collects their gifts, in all likelihood they’re not coming back. So it came as no surprise when our salesperson was overly focused on closing.

The first hint of this came after the rapport building free breakfast. Our salesperson started out by stating that we were under no obligation to buy anything. He then added that he only wanted us to buy if we “absolutely loved what you’re about to see.”  Sounded fair and reasonable. But then he asked us a series of highly manipulative questions, including “Do you like taking vacations?”  “Why do you like taking vacations?” “Are taking family vacations important to you?”, “If I could show you how to save money on your vacations, would you be interested?”

Of course these questions weren’t being asked to help us understand our own needs better, or enable the salesperson develop valuable insights into our problems. These questions were obviously designed to trap buyers into agreeing that they should take more vacations, taking vacations is something that’s good for their family, and that being a timeshare owner could save them money.

After briefly showing us the timeshare property, the conversation shifted to closing. For the next hour, we were trapped in a conference room while our salesperson tried his best to close us. First, he used a few trial closes, such as “Have I presented you with enough information to make a decision?”  Despite my negative responses, our salesperson nevertheless kept pushing forward, trying to close us on the expensive timeshare option. When that didn’t work, he offered us progressively cheaper options. I stood my ground, firmly rejecting each option. At this point, the salesperson berated me for not taking advantage of such a great opportunity to lock up a lifetime of quality family vacations and tried to close again.

Our salesperson next called over his supervisor purportedly to officially end the sales presentation so that we could receive our gifts. However, in a classic bait and switch the supervisor promptly tried to overcome our objections and close us. After a few more attempts by both the supervisor and the salesperson to close (now engaging in team selling), we were finally escorted out of the conference room to collect our gifts. But in yet another bait and switch, our escort was in fact a salesperson who sat us down in a different room and tried to close us on an even lower priced timeshare option.

When the timeshare sales presentation ended, my wife and I grabbed our discount coupons and breathed a big sigh of relief that are ordeal was finally over. We were both mentally exhausted and swore we would never try surviving a timeshare presentation again.

Effective Selling: It’s All About the Buyer, Not You

What should be abundantly clear from my timeshare experience is that our salesperson was solely focused on his problem of needing to close the sale. He had no genuine interest in our problems and needs. No matter what we said, he was going to keep trying to close us on buying a timeshare.

Unlike timeshare prospects who may endure these aggressive tactics to get gifts, today’s business-to-business buyers are sophisticated, armed with information, and have many choices. They hate being sold to because they recognize that pushy salespeople are more concerned with closing (i.e., solving their own problem) than in helping solve the buyer’s problem.

Great salespeople understand that there are two sides to every sale: the buyer’s purchase process and the salesperson’s sales process. They understand that their role is to help the buyer make a good decision based on their own purchase process, not to manipulate or push the buyer. By focusing on the buyer’s needs, not your own, you are better positioned to ask great questions, develop insights, and help the buyer solve problems that may not be obvious. This is the essence of effective selling.

Written by David Jacoby

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Timeshare Sales Tactics: Recognizing and Avoiding the Pressure

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Timeshares have long been a popular option for vacationers looking for a home away from home. They promise the allure of a guaranteed vacation spot, often in a sought-after destination, without the responsibilities of full property ownership. For many, the idea of owning a slice of paradise, even if just for a week or two each year, is hard to resist.

The timeshare industry is also notorious for its aggressive sales tactics. Potential buyers often find themselves in high-pressure sales presentations, bombarded with information and urged to make immediate decisions. This article delves into the world of timeshare sales tactics, helping readers recognize, understand, and navigate these often overwhelming sales pitches. Armed with knowledge, you can make informed decisions and avoid potential pitfalls.

Overview of Sales Tactics

Timeshares have long been associated with aggressive sales tactics. These methods, often designed to create a sense of urgency, can make potential buyers feel trapped or rushed into making a decision. It's essential to recognize that these tactics are carefully crafted to play on emotions and perceived scarcity.

Many timeshare presentations are structured to be immersive experiences. They often start with a tour of luxurious properties, followed by testimonials of happy owners, and then a hard sell from the salesperson. The goal is to paint a picture of an idyllic vacation lifestyle that seems within reach.

Gifts, free meals, or vacation vouchers are commonly offered as incentives to attend these presentations. While these perks might seem attractive, they come with a catch: sitting through a high-pressure sales pitch. The longer the presentation, the more likely attendees are to feel obligated to make a purchase.

Another tactic is the "today-only" deal, where salespeople offer significant discounts if you sign up on the spot. This strategy is meant to prevent potential buyers from taking the time to think things over or research the offer further.

It's also not uncommon for sales teams to use a tag-team approach. If one salesperson feels they're losing the sale, they might bring in a "manager" or another team member to offer an even better deal or use a different tactic to close the sale.

Understanding these tactics is the first step in navigating a timeshare presentation without feeling overwhelmed or pressured into making a hasty decision.

Origins of High-Pressure Sales

The high-pressure sales tactics used in the timeshare industry didn't just appear overnight. They have roots in traditional sales methods, where creating a sense of urgency and scarcity can lead to quicker sales. Over time, these tactics have been refined and adapted specifically for the timeshare market.

Historically, salespeople have always been under pressure to meet quotas and targets. This pressure often translates to the buyer, especially when commissions are at stake. In the timeshare industry, the potential for high commissions can drive salespeople to use aggressive tactics to secure a sale.

Another factor is the competitive nature of the timeshare market. With so many resorts and properties vying for the attention of potential buyers, sales teams often feel the need to go above and beyond to stand out. This can lead to more aggressive and persuasive sales pitches.

Training also plays a significant role. Many timeshare companies provide their sales teams with rigorous training programs designed to teach them how to handle objections, build rapport quickly, and close deals. These training programs often emphasize the importance of making a sale during the initial presentation, leading to high-pressure tactics.

Lastly, the allure of vacationing and the emotional appeal it carries can make buyers more susceptible to high-pressure tactics. Salespeople are trained to tap into this emotion, painting a picture of endless vacations and luxury experiences, making it harder for potential buyers to say no.

Understanding the origins of these tactics can help potential buyers be more prepared and less susceptible to the pressure when attending a timeshare presentation.

Sales Tactics in Action

When attending a timeshare presentation, it's essential to recognize the various tactics salespeople might employ. One common method is the "now or never" approach, where the salesperson insists that a particular deal is only available for a limited time, urging the potential buyer to make an immediate decision.

Another tactic is the use of testimonials and success stories. Salespeople might share tales of other buyers who are now enjoying their timeshares, emphasizing the happiness and satisfaction they've experienced. While these stories might be true, they're often used to paint an overly rosy picture of timeshare ownership.

Gifts and incentives are also commonly used to lure potential buyers into presentations. While these might seem like generous offers, they often come with strings attached, such as attending a lengthy sales pitch or providing personal information.

Some salespeople might also employ a tactic known as "price anchoring." They might start with a very high price, only to lower it significantly, making the reduced price seem like a fantastic deal, even if it's still not in the buyer's best interest.

Another tactic is the use of emotional appeals. Salespeople might ask about your family, your vacation dreams, or your past travel experiences, using this information to craft a pitch that tugs at your heartstrings and evokes strong emotions.

Lastly, the "divide and conquer" approach is sometimes used, where salespeople might try to separate couples, addressing each person's objections individually. This can make it harder for couples to confer and make a joint decision.

Being aware of these tactics in action can arm potential buyers with the knowledge they need to navigate a timeshare presentation without feeling overwhelmed or pressured into making a hasty decision.

Recognizing the Traps

Timeshare presentations can be a whirlwind of information, offers, and high-energy sales pitches. It's crucial for potential buyers to recognize the traps that might be set to lure them into a purchase.

One of the first signs of a trap is the feeling of being rushed. If a salesperson is pushing for a quick decision or saying that an offer is only available for a short time, it's a red flag. Good deals don't expire in a matter of hours.

Another trap is the promise of too-good-to-be-true gifts or incentives. While it's common for timeshare companies to offer perks for attending a presentation, be wary of extravagant gifts that come with many conditions or high-pressure sales tactics.

Be cautious if a salesperson avoids answering direct questions or changes the subject. Transparency is key, and if they're not being straightforward, it's a sign that something might be amiss.

Also, watch out for salespeople who use fear tactics, like suggesting that the cost of vacations will skyrocket in the future, implying that a timeshare is the only affordable option. This is a tactic to create urgency and fear of missing out.

Lastly, be wary of sales pitches that focus too much on the investment aspect of timeshares. While timeshares can provide lovely vacation experiences, they're not typically a financial investment that appreciates over time.

By recognizing these traps, potential buyers can navigate timeshare presentations with confidence, ensuring they make decisions that are in their best interest.

Defensive Strategies Against Pressure

Defending oneself against high-pressure sales tactics requires a mix of awareness, preparation, and assertiveness. Here are some strategies to keep in mind.

Firstly, always do your homework. Before attending any timeshare presentation, research the company, read reviews, and understand common sales tactics. Knowledge is your best defense.

Set clear boundaries from the start. If you're only attending a presentation for a promotional gift or discounted stay, be upfront about it. This sets the tone and lets the salesperson know where you stand.

Practice saying "no." It might sound simple, but firmly and politely declining offers or requests can be powerful. Remember, you're under no obligation to make a purchase or decision on the spot.

Bring a friend or family member. Having someone with you can provide moral support and an additional perspective. They might catch something you missed or offer a differing opinion.

Ask questions and take notes. This shows the salesperson that you're engaged and serious about understanding the offer. It also helps you remember key points and promises made during the presentation.

Lastly, trust your gut. If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is. It's okay to walk away and take time to think things over.

By employing these defensive strategies, you can navigate timeshare presentations with confidence and avoid falling victim to high-pressure sales tactics.

Timeshare Myths Debunked

Timeshares, like many industries, are surrounded by myths and misconceptions. Let's debunk some of the most common ones.

Myth 1: Timeshares are an investment. Many people are led to believe that buying a timeshare is a financial investment that will appreciate over time. In reality, timeshares often depreciate and can be challenging to sell.

Myth 2: You can easily exchange your timeshare for any location. While exchange programs exist, there's no guarantee you'll get your desired location or date. It often requires planning well in advance.

Myth 3: Timeshares offer a cost-effective vacation solution. While the idea of a prepaid vacation might sound appealing, many owners find that maintenance fees and other hidden costs make timeshares more expensive in the long run.

Myth 4: You can easily rent out your timeshare. Renting out a timeshare can be complex, with many resorts having rules against or restrictions on such practices.

Myth 5: Cancellation is straightforward. Many timeshare contracts have tight cancellation windows, making it hard for owners to exit without facing penalties.

Myth 6: All timeshares are the same. Timeshares vary widely in terms of contract structure, ownership type, and amenities. It's essential to understand what you're buying.

By understanding and debunking these myths, potential buyers can make more informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls associated with timeshare ownership.

Understanding Consumer Rights

When it comes to timeshares, knowing your rights as a consumer is crucial. These rights are in place to protect you from unfair practices and ensure transparency.

1. Right to a Rescission Period: After signing a timeshare contract, there's typically a "cooling-off" period where you can change your mind and cancel the contract without any penalties. This period varies by state but is usually between 3 to 10 days.

2. Right to Clear Information: Timeshare companies must provide clear and accurate information about the property, costs involved, and terms of the contract. Any misleading information can be grounds for contract termination.

3. Right to be Free from High-Pressure Sales Tactics: You should never feel pressured into making a decision on the spot. High-pressure sales tactics are not only unethical but can also be illegal.

4. Right to Legal Representation: If you feel that you've been misled or treated unfairly, you have the right to seek legal representation. An attorney can guide you through the process of exiting a timeshare contract.

5. Right to Know about Maintenance Fees: Timeshare companies must be upfront about any maintenance fees or other recurring costs. These fees can increase over time, so it's essential to be aware of them from the outset.

6. Right to Exchange or Trade: If your timeshare is part of an exchange network, you have the right to trade your week or location for another. However, it's essential to understand the terms and any fees involved.

Being informed about your rights can empower you to make better decisions and protect yourself from potential pitfalls in the timeshare industry.

Seeking External Help

There are times when, despite your best efforts, you might find yourself in a tricky timeshare situation. It's essential to know that you're not alone and that help is available.

1. Timeshare Exit Companies: These are firms that specialize in helping timeshare owners get out of their contracts. However, it's crucial to research and choose a reputable company, as there are many scams in this space.

2. Legal Counsel: Hiring a lawyer, especially one specializing in timeshares, can be beneficial. They can provide guidance, represent you in disputes, and help navigate the complex legal landscape of timeshares.

3. Consumer Protection Agencies: In many cases, state or federal consumer protection agencies can offer assistance or direct you to the right resources. They can also take action if a timeshare company is found to be violating laws.

4. Timeshare User Groups: Joining a user group or online forum can provide a wealth of information. Members often share their experiences, tips, and resources, which can be invaluable.

5. Reselling or Renting: If you're looking to exit your timeshare, consider selling or renting it out. While the resale market can be challenging, it's an option worth exploring.

6. Mediation: Some disputes can be resolved through mediation, where a neutral third party helps both sides come to an agreement. It's less formal than a court proceeding and can be a quicker way to resolve issues.

7. Document Everything: If you believe you've been misled or treated unfairly, document every interaction, keep all paperwork, and gather evidence. This documentation can be crucial if you decide to seek legal action or file a complaint.

Remember, the key is to act quickly and seek help as soon as you realize there's a problem. The more informed and proactive you are, the better your chances of finding a solution.

Real-life Experiences with Sales Tactics

Real-life stories from timeshare owners can provide invaluable insights into the world of timeshare sales tactics. These experiences shed light on the various strategies employed by salespeople and the impact they can have on potential buyers.

1. Jane's Story: Jane attended a timeshare presentation with the promise of a free vacation. However, she ended up spending hours listening to aggressive sales pitches. Despite her initial refusal, the salespeople used various tactics to wear her down, and she eventually signed a contract. Later, she regretted her decision and sought legal help to exit the timeshare.

2. Mike's Experience: Mike was told that buying a timeshare would be a great investment and that he could easily rent it out for profit. However, he soon realized that the rental market was saturated, and he was stuck with mounting maintenance fees.

3. Sarah's Tale: Sarah was pressured into upgrading her timeshare during an owners' meeting. The salesperson painted a rosy picture of the benefits but failed to mention the increased costs. Feeling trapped, Sarah had to seek external help to understand her rights.

4. David's Journey: David was promised exclusive amenities if he bought a timeshare. However, after purchasing, he found out that these amenities were available to all guests, not just timeshare owners. He felt deceived and misled.

5. Lisa's Encounter: Lisa was told that her timeshare would appreciate in value over time. However, when she tried to sell it a few years later, she found out it was worth much less than what she had paid.

These stories highlight the importance of being cautious and doing thorough research before making any timeshare-related decisions. It's essential to be aware of the tactics used and to stand firm in your decisions.

It's also worth noting that for every negative experience, there are timeshare owners who are happy with their purchase. The key is to make informed decisions and know your rights.

Moving Forward: Making Informed Decisions

Timeshares can offer wonderful vacation experiences, but it's crucial to make informed decisions. Being aware of high-pressure sales tactics and understanding your rights can help you navigate the complex world of timeshares with confidence.

1. **Research Before Attending**: Before attending any timeshare presentation, do your homework. Read reviews, understand the company's reputation, and know what you're getting into.

2. **Know Your Budget**: Determine what you can afford. Remember, the cost of a timeshare isn't just the initial purchase price. There are ongoing maintenance fees, potential special assessments, and other costs to consider.

3. **Ask Questions**: Don't hesitate to ask questions during the presentation. If something isn't clear, seek clarification. A legitimate salesperson will have no problem answering your queries.

4. **Avoid Impulse Decisions**: Timeshare decisions should never be made on the spot. Take your time, review the contract, and consider seeking legal advice before signing anything.

5. **Know Your Cancellation Rights**: Most places have a rescission period, a window during which you can cancel the contract without penalties. Familiarize yourself with these rights.

6. **Seek External Advice**: If you're unsure about a timeshare purchase or feel you've been a victim of misleading sales tactics, seek external advice. Professionals, like those at ACA Group, can provide guidance and support.

7. **Stay Updated**: The timeshare industry is ever-evolving. Stay updated with the latest news, laws, and trends to make informed decisions.

8. **Trust Your Instincts**: If something feels off or too good to be true, trust your gut. It's better to walk away than to make a decision you might regret later.

While timeshares can offer great vacation opportunities, it's essential to approach them with caution and knowledge. By staying informed and vigilant, you can enjoy the benefits of timeshares without falling prey to high-pressure sales tactics.

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What to Expect During Your Hilton Grand Vacations Sales Presentation

Kiss the nervous jitters goodbye

A great deal on a trip to a beautiful vacation spot in exchange for attending a timeshare sales presentation is tempting, but before you go, learn more about what you can do to prepare for the timeshare sales presentation.

What should I expect?

For first-time guests, it’s common to be a little apprehensive about your sales presentation. To help you walk in with confidence, here’s everything you can expect during your Hilton Grand Vacations sales presentation:

• Start with a warm welcome.  We want you to feel relaxed and welcome from the moment you walk in. Your tour will take place at one of our state-of-the-art sales galleries, conveniently located in a Hilton Grand Vacations resort.
• Start on schedule.  Long waits can be frustrating. Luckily, our sessions waste no time getting started. Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled presentation and tour. We’ll check you in promptly and get your session underway.
• Bring the whole family.  Whether you’re traveling with a partner or young children, our informative sessions are designed for the whole family. We want to meet your loved ones and learn what travel means to them. Some sales galleries even offer supervised kids’ activities, snacks and drinks to keep our littlest guests happy and entertained. Call your resort before you arrive to see what’s available.
• Enjoy a personalized presentation.   Your presentation is all about you helping you meet your travel goals. Once we get to know you, we’ll give you a customized overview of vacation ownership and talk about how you might benefit from our flexible, global program.
• Take a tour.  After your presentation, we’ll show you where our Owners find their home away from home. Preview one of our multi-bedroom guest suites to get a sneak peek of the accommodations, home comforts and resort-style amenities they enjoy.
• Take the next step.  At the end of the tour, you’ll decide if you’re ready to become a Hilton Grand Vacations Owner. There’s no pressure. This is truly a time to see which vacation ownership option works best for you. Ask your counselor questions and learn which perks best fit your lifestyle. Remember, we’re here to give you all the information you need to meet your vacation goals.

Prepare for your journey

While you pack your bags, take the time to think about your travel goals. Do you want to see the world? Invest in a lifetime of memories for your family? Hilton Grand Vacations gives you the tools to own your vacation and go places you never thought possible.

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The Vacationeer is a collective of Hilton Grand Vacations storytellers  whose goal is to inspire travelers to go further. We're always on the lookout for new destinations to explore, useful travel tips, and unique ideas to help you plan the most memorable vacations possible.

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How to survive a Timeshare Sales presentation without making an Expensive Mistake!

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How to Survive a Timeshare Sales Presentation!

If you are vacationing in a Timeshare, you will eventually be scheduled to attend a Timeshare Sales Presentation! These meetings are scheduled (or at least the scheduling is attempted) for nearly all guests who are staying at the Timeshare itself, be it an existing owner, exchanger or simply someone renting a unit. This article is intended to help you be prepared for what to expect when attending one of these meetings so you are better prepared to sit through it! Note that these sales presentations can be disguised as many different things (Owner Update for example) in an attempt to hide the fact that you are going to have to sit through an attempt to sell you a Timeshare

Ok so it appears I have to go - what now?

It is at this point where your experience can vary from extremely short and pleasant, to extremely long and miserable! We have had reports from all extremes of the spectrum, and everywhere in between! It truly depends on the resort and the salesman on how your presentation will go! I cannot possibly describe each and every possible scenario, however it never ceases to amaze me how many folks go into a presentation convinced they wont buy a thing, and exit the presentation new owners of a Timeshare! The next few sections will discuss the main contents of nearly all Timeshare presentations.

When it comes down to it, you are there to be sold something. While this is usually a new timeshare, pitches to existing owners can include "upgrades" to increase point totals you already own. "Trade ins" that give you some value for your existing timeshare if you agree to purchase a newer (read more expensive) timeshare package. As well as "preview/trial" packages for potential new owners who may be on the fence about buying! No matter what the pitch to you is, there is one very important thing you MUST understand, and that will get you through any presentation. You do not need to buy right then and there! Nor SHOULD you buy anything on the spot without doing research. It is the job of the salesperson to get you to sign that new contract (for whatever package you are being pitched at the time) right then and there during the sales presentation. Doing this eliminates many options and protections for you as a consumer!

Common tactics you might encounter!

• "X number of extra vacation weeks" that you can have if you buy this package.
• "Buying this timeshare will let you trade/exchange for any other timeshare at any time"
• "If you don't use your Timeshare, we will rent it out for you"
• "Timeshare is an investment that will increase in value!"
• This deal is "just for you" as I cleared it with my manager but is only available if you buy today!

But the salesman said this was a one time offer?

This is one of the most common "tactics" used by Timeshare salespersons to get you to commit during the presentation. Fact is, that offer will be valid whenever you decide you want to take it. You could call up the next month after returning home and doing your research and the salesman would literally jump through the phone to sign you up for that same deal offered during your presentation. Absolutely No offer made during a presentation becomes "unavailable" to you the moment the presentation ends. There is a reason that the sales presentations are done at the beginning of your vacation! Your Right of Rescission period begins the day you sign your contract and varies in length from 3 to 10 days depending on the state. It is quite possible that by the time you get home from your vacation and get a chance to sit down and research exactly what you just bought, you might have already passed the period in which you had to legally cancel. This is not done by accident folks!

Why would I cancel, surely its cheaper to buy at the presentation?

One of the hardest truths TUGGERS discover (usually shortly after buying during a presentation) is the Timeshare Resale market. So many folks are desperate to rid themselves of their timeshares, resale prices for most resorts have never ever been lower. Yes you can find that exact same interval for pennies on the dollar vs what you can buy it for right there at the presentation. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to RESEARCH before making that decision! If you find later that the price given to you during the presentation was the best you can do (it wont be), then by all means call the salesman back up and express your interest in buying and they will sign you right up! TUG has saved owners MILLIONS of dollars in the past few years for those that have bought during a sales presentation, then later found TUG in time to cancel that purchase and buy on the resale market for pennies on the dollar. We are not making this stuff up! This thread serves as a reference for owners who have confirmed they were able to cancel in time and buy resale! Check out the current list of people TUG has saved here: I found TUG in time to rescind my new Timeshare purchase!

The salesman said I lose benefits when buying resale?

This is most certainly true of more and more resorts these days! It is a vain attempt at destroying the resale market so that resorts can continue to sell NEW timeshares at a grossly inflated price! If this tactic is used on you during your sales presentation, you should make the salesman write out right in front of you exactly which items and services do not apply if you were to buy this exact same timeshare on the resale market! This will help you two fold! First It gives you the exact items you can go and research to see if there is indeed a way to get those by purchasing resale. In many cases you will find that some of these "perks" do indeed apply to any and all owners irregardless of how the timeshare was purchased. Second It lets you decide if those perks are worth paying tens of thousands of dollars MORE than buying the same property on the resale market! One example of this is a large resort chain offering free limo rides during your vacation to and from the airport etc for those who purchase a new timeshare package at a certain price level. This sounds great, and is indeed a fantastic perk for new owners! However one must keep in perspective that you could probably get some pretty nice limo service yourself each trip with an extra $10,000 in your pocket that you saved by buying resale!

The Final Word!

• If you are uncomfortable or have ANY questions or concerns about the deal, you should not sign.
• if you are unable to confirm in writing IN THE CONTRACT everything the salesman has said, you should not sign.
• if you are unable to do research on the resale market, you should not sign.

Feel free to stop by our Timeshare Online Community Forums if you want to ask specific questions, with tens of thousands of Timeshare owners and experts, no question goes unanswered!

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Are Timeshares Scams?

How Many Americans are Timeshare Owners?

What to know before buying a timeshare, timeshares are never paid off, timeshares are poor investments , how to handle timeshare presentations, why it's difficult to cancel your timeshare, timeshare resale scams, ignore unsolicited contact, never pay upfront fees, find a reputable timeshare cancellation company instead, how to report a timeshare scam, are timeshares worth it.

One in 10 people who have owned a timeshare has been scammed. Timeshare scams are becoming increasingly common, with an estimated $1.5 billion lost yearly to timeshare fraud. Despite fraudulent activity becoming more well-known, timeshare companies remain a hot commodity within the travel industry. So, why do buyers consistently fall for a number of timeshare scams despite knowing it's a bad idea?

Timeshare scams can be difficult to spot, as they often involve legitimate businesses and well-trained salespeople. Timeshare companies often target seniors, who may be more vulnerable to fraud. When you step back and look at the data, you'll notice similar stories telling how someone came to own their timeshare. For example, almost everyone experiences some sort of gift offering before attending a sales presentation. Once there, they encounter highly-trained salespeople who use high-pressure sales tactics until they feel they have to agree to buy whatever is for sale.

If these vacation properties are as valuable as they allege, they should not take a deceptive approach when selling them. Let's look into what makes up a timeshare, and perhaps we will find out what you can do to avoid timeshare scams.

What Are Timeshares?

Timeshares are vacation properties sold as shared ownership. Essentially, timeshares have several different owners per unit who split up the property costs and the time spent there. On paper, it sounds like a great vacation option. That feeling will quickly fade when all the extra charges start piling up, and you find yourself with a mountain of debt and very few options to escape timeshare ownership.

Even if you are up to date on all your property payments, it can still be difficult to book your weekly vacation each year. Imagine paying thousands of dollars on a vacation property and being unable to stay there. Many timeshare owners experience common symptoms of timeshare scams: a lack of flexibility, their best interests ignored, limited access to their shared destination, and countless questions. Do you want to join them?    

Recent studies show that 9.6 million U.S. households own one or more timeshare weeks. And that number appears to be rising. Alas, the cost of these vacation properties continues to increase as well. ARDA reports the average sales price for a timeshare to be $22,942. Considering how many Americans buy timeshares at that price, these resorts now make up a ten-billion-dollar industry.

It's also worth considering the number of owners who regret their timeshare purchase. A study from the University of Central Florida concluded that an astounding 85% of owners regretted buying a timeshare. Keep in mind that as the timeshare industry grows, so does the timeshare exit industry. And it appears for good reason, too, as more and more buyers are left feeling disappointed or even scammed.

More often than not, timeshare properties are sold to potential buyers who know very little, if anything, about what they are purchasing. The truth is if more people knew that timeshares were not the highly touted investment salespeople paraded them to be, then the timeshare industry might disappear.

So, before you make a potential lifetime commitment to any timeshare management company, here are a few things you need to consider:

• Timeshares often are sold using questionable tactics
• The actual cost of your timeshare is more than you think
• The resort may not keep its promise of a lifetime of vacation dates
• It's incredibly complicated to get out of a deeded timeshare title agreement

Why Timeshares Are Bad

Not only do timeshares start losing their value immediately, but they also come with a number of hidden fees, including maintenance fees and closing costs. These additional costs are rarely discussed during the sales process and many prospective owners do not account for these fees when making their decision.

The absolute best-case scenario as an owner is that you are reserving your vacation for future years. Again, this could be ideal if you only plan to visit the same place and at the same time every year, but even then, most owners are left unaware of the specifics of their agreement. That includes added costs to be paid every year, whether or not you've paid off the timeshare's mortgage and increasing maintenance fees. The fact that timeshares are sold as investments when, in actuality, they are money pits from which you cannot escape is one of the most significant issues that owners face.

According to the American Resort Development Association, the average cost for a timeshare unit from a resort developer in 2018 was just below $21,000. So, one would think that paying off one's timeshare mortgage after many years would be a cause for celebration. Well, hold the confetti because you may be unaware of maintenance fees.

Maintenance fees often get left out of the sales presentations; if not, their impact gets drastically undersold to potential clients as minimal payments. These fees may seem reasonable initially, so many owners will just let it slide, but here's the catch:   The cost of an annual maintenance fee increases every year, and the yearly average price in 2018 was close to $900 and rising. It’s difficult to put a numerical value on the average amount of money lost to timeshares. Timeshares aren't like traditional real estate, so don't expect to be free of payment if you purchase one.

What Happens If I Stop Paying Timeshare Maintenance Fees?

With all the hidden fees that come with a timeshare, affording them can become unmanageable for many people. If that's the case for you, your first instinct may be to stop paying the maintenance fees. Well, you might not want to do that. Failing to pay your maintenance fees can result in property foreclosure, costing you your unit and a sizable drop in your credit score.

High purchase prices, insurmountable maintenance costs, and limited flexibility define timeshare ownership. Timeshare properties should hold a high value as an investment should. But, just as timeshares mask themselves as real estate, they also attempt to disguise themselves as an actual investment. If you are constantly paying for something and not receiving anything in return, or what you receive is insignificant compared to the price, it's a poor investment. That is if a timeshare can be considered an investment at all .

It is standard for owners to feel regret and shame after realizing what a timeshare truly is. They often attempt to get rid of their timeshare once they recognize their mistake in purchasing it. Unfortunately, selling a timeshare on the secondary market or using it as a vacation rental, will be nearly impossible. If you buy one of these units, expect to pay a hefty amount, but do not ever expect to get anything back from it.

Are Timeshare Presentations A Scam?

To no fault but their own, timeshare presentations have developed a reputation for being deceptive. 

Resort companies sometimes entice people to attend presentations by offering free stays at their luxurious resort or giving out lavish gifts during your vacation trip. Often, it’s the only way to get people to listen to their sales pitch. During these presentations, sales staff use controversial approaches to pressure buyers into unfavorable lifetime commitments.

Seeing through the fog of a sales pitch can be tricky. Below, we’ve outlined how you can handle these highly-pressured presentations.

The common process used by the timeshare industry to scam people is mail. Folks often receive flyers or see advertisements online inviting them to attend live presentations to learn more about timeshares. Some promoters go as far as to offer free vacations and other rewards in exchange for listening to their sales pitch. The environment at these presentations often gives the false sense that you’re already on vacation. The sales staff show off photos of luxurious resorts and even provide tours of comparable units up for sale.

Sometimes, these salespeople utilize tactics to pressure individuals into purchases. For instance, they can drag out presentations to unbearable lengths by having you meet with many people, including long waiting periods. To get you to act now, they might inform you that a unit is only available on that particular day and that you will miss out on a great deal by waiting. By the time the presentation is over, they want you to be so fatigued that you'll sign anything to leave. 

Below are a few suggestions on handling deceptive timeshare presentations and how to prevent an unwanted purchase:

• Research the company before attending a presentation: Explore their online presence for grievances from former guests. Find out what other people say about this resort developer before buying.
• Look Out For The Warning Signs : Were you offered a free prize to attend this meeting? Do the salespeople come off as abrasive? Are you stuck waiting through a presentation longer than you want? Is this offer only valid today? If you answer yes to any of these, you are likely in danger of a scam.
• Do not make decisions when under pressure from the sales staff: A timeshare purchase is a potential lifetime agreement that costs thousands of dollars. Take your time with this decision and never act on impulse in these presentations. 
• Beware of potential sales tactics used against you: If the salespeople attempt to rush you into a decision, ask why the deal is only available today. These companies set their rates, so there’s no reason for the value to change within a day. Timeshare brokers pressuring consumers should be a sign of caution. 
• Inquire about the “right of rescission:” Also known as the cooling-off period – the brief time following a significant purchase that allows you to cancel, even after signing. State laws dictate this cancellation period, but with timeshares, it’s never more than a couple of weeks. When rescinding, send a cancellation letter to the original seller by certified mail and ask for a receipt. 
• Examine the paperwork independently on your time: After the presentation, take the sales documents home and study them yourself or with a trusted associate before agreeing to purchase. All promises made by the sales staff must be made in writing to be held up. Rushing into a decision without reviewing the purchase agreement could result in getting misled into something unwanted.

How to Get Out of a Timeshare

Whether it takes one year or twenty years of vacation ownership, most timeshare owners eventually realize they have a bad deal. From the annual maintenance fees to the fact that it's a lifetime agreement, there are several reasons to ask, "How do I get out of a timeshare?" 

Well, the answer to that can be tricky. Depending on how much time has passed since your purchase date, getting out of the deal can be difficult. But it's not as bad as paying the mortgage and maintenance costs for a lifetime. First, remember there’s a rescission period directly after buying the timeshare, during which you can freely cancel the purchase. All you may have to do is write a timeshare cancellation letter to your resort developers.

Now, are you ready for the catch? Unfortunately, you usually only have five to fifteen days after the initial purchase to write and submit this letter. So, let's say you attended one of the mandatory sales presentations at the resort on one of the first few days of your vacation and purchased a timeshare. When your vacation is over, and you return home, you will most likely be out of the rescission period and stuck with the timeshare.

Once this cooling-off period passes, you can expect a more troublesome experience if you want to cancel your agreement. Most timeshare sales are lifetime commitments, and the companies don’t want to lose you as a client.

Canceling a timeshare is difficult due to miscommunication and finances. Many timeshare buyers are blatantly lied to about how easy it is to sell or rent their share of the property. Often, it’s almost impossible to do so. Timeshare companies make it very challenging to get out of their agreements and leave you with limited alternatives.

There are several financial repercussions to purchasing a timeshare. You may have paid a large down payment with your credit card or taken out a mortgage. Both affect your credit score. There's also the short term of the rescission period. Your salesperson may not have mentioned that you only had less than a week to cancel your timeshare for free. 

You were probably rushed through the signing process when purchasing, and it all seemed relatively easy. Don't expect the same treatment when trying to get out. Attempting to cancel can be a cruel course for you and your family, costing you money and time. The timeshare companies know that many of their clients will regret their purchase and attempt to exit. So, they make sure to fulfill their agreements with conditions and provisions that will make leaving very difficult.

Timeshare resorts go far out of their way to ensure the company remains financially protected if an owner ever attempts to leave. The resort company ensures it will never be obligated to the burden. Many owners feel helpless and hopeless because they can no longer afford their property costs but receive little to no help from the company to solve these issues. Perhaps the biggest downside to getting out of a timeshare is how exposed you become to potential scams.

As the number of unhappy owners has increased, the risk of timeshare resale scams has as well. Because of this and having limited regulations, the timeshare cancellation industry has seen an influx of scammers. Many claim to work in timeshare resales but are con artists. They manipulate those who desperately need help to make some quick cash. Their behavior is fraudulent and immoral. 

Timeshare resale scams call timeshare owners while assuming the identity of a reseller or real estate agent. They promise to sell the timeshare for a fair price or assert that they already have a buyer. They will then attempt to convince you to sell your property unit right then, and all you have to do is pay the upfront costs to close the deal. If you follow through, you could lose thousands of dollars and remain obligated to make future timeshare payments.

The only thing worse than a scam is getting scammed again when trying to get out of the first one! If you were scammed before, you should be aware that the chances of it happening again are high, and you need to be extra careful. Due to the extreme difficulty in canceling a timeshare and owners looking for other ways out, such as selling them, there has been an increase in instances where scammers take advantage of these people by pretending to be a timeshare resale company. 

Most owners believe that selling their timeshare is the only way out of their agreement. However, reselling is challenging and often impossible. Timeshare cancellation companies offer an alternative option to those in need. 

How to Spot Timeshare Scam s

Spotting a timeshare resale scam may be difficult. Be wary of anyone who claims to be able to sell your timeshare quickly or for a profit. Avoid high-pressure sales by hanging up the phone. Don't fall for flashy websites or well-known company names or addresses. A reseller who appears to be a local company might be a fraudster in another country.

If you attempt to sell your property and post it online, you will most likely encounter scammers. Be skeptical of anyone who calls you out of the blue, saying they can immediately sell your unit. Also, it is crucial to never pay any upfront fees when speaking with an alleged timeshare resale company.

These timeshare resale scam companies prey on those already scammed before. Knowing these people are desperate and weak, as they attempt to get out of their first scam, they will go to extreme lengths to convince you they are a legitimate company. It would be best to take your own time to research properly before working further with them.

Navigating your way out of a timeshare agreement is hard. It’s vital to avoid scammers in the secondary market. Here are a few tips on how to prevent getting ripped off:

If it is an unsolicited phone call, email, or piece of mail regarding your property's resale, it is best to ignore it. If there are warning signs, then this is one. Credible and honest living timeshare exit companies will not be cold-calling people by saying they can sell your unit. These scammers will use similar tactics to timeshare salespeople and may attempt to incentivize you to speak with them or mislead you into believing they offer a legitimate service. Whenever you advertise your timeshare for sale online, you will encounter these scams left and right, but unfortunately, a genuine buyer will not be as easy to find.

These scammers will push you to act fast and tell you that you must pay an upfront fee to complete the sale. Never pay upfront. There are many ways to say this, but it needs to be understood. That is an immediate red flag. When they ask you to pay anything upfront, hang up because they are not trustworthy timeshare resellers; they are only there for your money. You already lost thousands of dollars on a timeshare you want out of, so don't fall for another rip-off.

When looking for a way out of your timeshare, it's essential to do thorough research. Trustworthy timeshare exit companies don’t lie about their services or charge outrageous fees.

Timeshare scams are the number one complaint the Federal Trade Commission received, with more than 7,000 complaints in 2019.

If you have any information regarding a timeshare resale scam, here are the two sources to report it to:

• Always report potential fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at  www. ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• Reach out and report it to the  State Attorney General  in the state of the timeshare's location

You can help stop future fraudulent timeshare activity by reporting your experience today. 

Timeshare salespeople regularly brag that their type of timeshare membership is a ‘great investment.’ Well, financially speaking, that’s not true. Buy one today, and it will begin to depreciate by tomorrow. Match that with the fact that the expenses continuously rise, and it’s evident that timeshares are not worth it.

The timeshare industry is full of scams and dishonest companies looking to undermine innocent people into making poor decisions. Do your research before purchasing a timeshare, and if you have already fallen into that trap, then be sure to do the proper research to find a legitimate way out.

These resort chains need many owners to fill all their units and stay afloat financially, so they will take extreme measures to secure ownership, even if it is done in a disingenuous way. Once you have fallen for the first scam, you will be susceptible to more. If you are in such a predicament, the best thing to do is find credible help within the timeshare exit industry.

If you're hiring a cancellation company, look no further than   Wesley Financial Group, LLC    (WFG).* Since 2011, WFG has canceled over 30,000 timeshares and eliminated $450,000,000 of timeshare mortgage debt.   Schedule a free consultation  with WFG representatives today to plan your be

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About the Author

Chuck mcdowell.

Chuck McDowell is the founder and CEO of Wesley Financial Group, LLC, an Inc. 500 company, which specializes in complete timeshare termination and timeshare debt elimination for individuals and families that have experienced fraud, misrepresentation, and/or lies during their timeshare sales presentations.

Although Chuck is one of the pioneers of the timeshare cancellation industry, Chuck McDowell was a timeshare salesman before realizing the timeshare industry is not what he thought it was. After discovering the many deceitful tactics the timeshare industry uses on unsuspecting people, Chuck left the industry to work on the other side, fighting for consumer rights. He served as the CEO for a timeshare advocacy group before deciding to take timeshare cancellation into his own hands. Wanting to help good people get out of bad situations, Chuck founded Wesley Financial Group, LLC in 2011. Wesley Financial Group, LLC is dedicated to providing legitimate aid to those who feel helpless and Chuck’s unique background acts as a special motivator to be honest and fair to those that so often feel cheated.

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Grand California Models

• Thread starter tomandrobin
• Start date Apr 10, 2008

tomandrobin

• Apr 10, 2008

The model rooms for the Grand Californian Villas at the Disneyland sales center will open just in time for Memorial Day weekend. On May 23rd - 26th, DVC will host special preview sessions exclusively for existing members. Invitations are being prepared now and will soon be sent to members living in the Southern California area. The proposed “Founding Member” sales program will allow existing members who initially purchased through the California sales center an exclusive two week period to purchase up to 160 points at the Grand Californian. After this exclusive period sales will then be opened-up to other members as well as the general public. It is not yet clear if existing members will have priority over the general public, or sales will be open to all interested parties once the founding member priority period has ended. Some have speculated that the policy was created to bolster traffic at the Disneyland sales center. It has been suggested that the announcement of a new DVC property in California would cause a lag as west coast buyers wait for the Grand Californian Villas to go on sale. With the news that only 50 two bedroom “equivalent” units will be built at the Grand Californian, many members fear that all available points for this property will sell out within weeks. Disney sources remain confident that there will still be points available to existing members once sales are open to them. Approximately 600,000 points at the Grand Californian will be available for sale beginning in the spring of 2009. That's 3750 new 160 point contracts!  

BWV Dreamin

Any news when these models will be up in Orlando?  

Steamboat Bill

I plan on adding-on.  

Tug Review Crew: Veteran

• Apr 11, 2008

SDKath said: One correction to this great news -- we have 2 months to purchase, not 2 weeks. Then it will be open to the rest of the DVC membership. That 2 month period is in our contract. Katherine Click to expand...

SDKath said: One correction to this great news -- we have 2 months to purchase, not 2 weeks. Then it will be open to the rest of the DVC membership. That 2 month period is in our contract. Click to expand...

Denise L said: Katherine, are they still estimating Spring 2009 for sales to you guys, or earlier? Click to expand...

Steamboat Bill said: Can you get your "online friends" in on the action? Click to expand...

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