Yesterday, I received a tempting offer in my email from IHG. For $249 and 2 hours of my time attending a timeshare presentation, I could get a 3-night stay at Holiday Inn Club Vacations Galveston Seaside Resort plus 20,000 IHG points. I’ve had my eye on this resort for quite some time because it’s within driving distance and right on the beach. It has an infinity pool, movie theatre, mini-golf and more!
Offer Details
The offer is for up to 4 people for 3 nights in a 1-bedroom villa:
- $249 package fee
- Book by 11/16/22
- 12 months to use the nights
- Get 20k IHG points
Alternatively, for just $149, you can stay at centrally located partner hotel (I’m assuming one of the other IHG properties on Galveston).
When I saw this deal, I was initially very excited. My daughter and I have a cruise out of Galveston next year, and perhaps we could stay at the beachfront resort for 3 nights before our cruise. The Galveston Seaside Resort is almost impossible to book on points, and it’s frequently blocked out for cash stays as well. I could suffer through the timeshare presentation and just keep saying no.
However, upon reading the fine print, I realized I could not use this offer based on these requirements:
- Both spouses must attend timeshare presentation
- Must have income of $50k plus
- Gainfully employed with no bankruptcies
- Age 25+
- No timeshare tours within the past 12 months
My husband doesn’t have any more days off work next year, and his travel schedule is already full. So, since he couldn’t come with me, we will have to pass. But, if I had received this offer when my kids were younger and money was tighter, I absolutely would have jumped on it.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations has similar reduced vacation offers for other properties if you are willing to sit through the timeshare presentation. See this page for more details.
The Thing about Timeshare Presentations
It’s been years, so I think I’ve forgotten how much I hate timeshare presentations. I wrote about my experience with timeshare presentations on this blog several years ago. In my experience:
- The math for buying a timeshare never works out in your favor
- The presentation always take longer than they say
- You must say “no” to several layers of managers before they let you go
However, sitting through a timeshare presentation is just another tool to travel hack to a cheaper vacation. And, IHG is not the only game in town. Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and several other timeshare-specific companies also have similar or even better incentives to sit through a timeshare presentation.
So, I can’t make this specific timeshare offer work with my family’s schedule. But, for some families, this is a great deal if you have the strength to say no during the sales pitch.
How does my family travel so much? We use miles and points from credit card bonuses. See my Travel Hacking 101 post as well as current credit card offers here.
