Kelly P. and Amber M. have known each other since they met in the 10th grade in 1985, and for 20 years, they had an annual visit to Las Vegas. 

“What started the tradition was when both our mothers passed away very closely,” explained Kelly. 

After being out of touch for years before losing their respective mothers, the two high school friends got together and felt a renewed bond. 

   

The Decision to Prioritize Friendship Through Travel

“We were like, we can never let this happen again. So we vowed to get together once a year for a three- or four-day trip. And that was the start of the tradition,” Kelly recalled warmly. 

For these two friends, one of the benefits of Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare is the opportunity to connect and make time together happen. 

“We travel really well together because I put my detective hat on and do all the planning, and then we get there, and Amber goes, ‘Alright, we’re doing this for lunch, this for dinner and breakfast,’ and [she] plans the days around meals. And I’ll go along for the ride. So it works,” Kelly shared. 

A couple of years into their annual trip tradition, they received a promotional invitation to stay at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club. The pair jumped at the opportunity for an inexpensive weekend away. 

“That was how it began,” Kelly said with a chuckle. 

The Personal Preview and Sales Presentation

   

Once in Vegas, the two friends went into their Personal Preview and sales presentation with no intentions of becoming Owners. Kelly was newly divorced, and Amber was in the midst of a career change — making it a less than ideal time for a large purchase. 

“We’ve been in sales our whole life, and we were very upfront with our sales executive,” Kelly said. 

“Our sales executive was so cute, and she said, ‘It’s all good, just go watch this movie, and I’ll walk you out when you’re done.’ So we were all cavalier sitting through the presentation until suddenly we looked at each other, and we said, ‘Wait a minute, this is sort of cool,’ ’’ Amber explained. 

The Moment It Clicked

So what about that video resonated enough for them to reconsider vacation ownership? It was the types of vacations they could take and the destinations available. 

“I’m sure it was the Eiffel Tower,” Kelly interjected matter-of-factly — a statement that got a laugh from both women as Amber agreed. 

   

“In senior year, we were supposed to go to Paris with our French class. Our class had traveled all through high school together; we had an awesome group and a great teacher,” Kelly shared. “And then the whole trip got canceled. 

“So, we were always supposed to go to Paris together. After all those years, Amber had been [to Paris] with family, but I still hadn’t been. So I would bet money the Eiffel Tower was in the video.”

In the end, the two decided that the benefits of Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare were worth it. 

“I used to travel for work, so I have a long-standing history with Hilton. And I love Hilton, and I felt really good about that,” explained Amber.

“We wanted to travel, and we wanted to travel together, so why wouldn’t we do it? It made perfect sense,” Kelly said with a smile. 

The Points Strategy

   

When we first bought, we bought a small number of Points every other year, but if we knew then what we know now, we could’ve leveraged our money differently and been more intelligent buyers,” Kelly explained, as Amber nodded in agreement. 

Now, the two friends are Elite co-Owners, at La Pacifica Los Cabos, a Hilton Club, in Mexico, and Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club, in Las Vegas, having since upgraded their membership three times.

And with more Points than they’re likely to use in a year, they often convert their La Pacifica ClubPoints to Hilton Honors™ Points because of the higher conversion rate. Then they use their Elara ClubPoints to travel with Hilton Grand Vacations. 

Both women agreed that they rarely use their Home Weeks, instead choosing to explore new destinations. 

   

“We used Hilton Honors Points to get a nicer room on a cruise and in Paris. So we did get to Paris — that was fun for our 50th [birthday] year,” Amber shared. “We got an Airbnb that was just horrible, so we used Hilton Honors Points to stay at the Hilton Paris Opera, which was super fun, and I’m glad we did that.” 

When People Ask About Timeshare

“At the end of the day, I’m like, ‘Yep, I own a timeshare,’ and it motivates us to take trips together.

And we’re at a Point level now that we can take trips together and do some of our own things, and I love that,” Kelly explained. 

"I love the Hilton brand — as far as the quality you know you can expect and the service you know you can expect."

Where Are They Off to Next?

Two of Hilton Grand Vacations’ stunning new properties, La Pacifica Los Cabos in Mexico, and Maui Bay Villas, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club, on Maui, are at the top of their travel bucket list. But until those trips come to fruition, the two agreed that any trip together is time well-spent. 

Kelly began, “Every trip we’ve taken, we’ve had a spectacular time —

“Totally, yep,” Amber interjected, without skipping a beat.

   

“We’re eager to do the next one and make it work. We recently pulled a Myrtle Beach trip out of nowhere. We wanted to go somewhere. But where do we go?” Kelly explained. “We aimed to go down to the Florida Keys because we were not quite ready for international travel yet.

“But the Keys were booked, so I just started seeing what was out there. So we booked Myrtle Beach during the offseason, and it was really nice.” 

“It was lovely — just what we needed,” Amber agreed. 

Reminiscing on Past Adventures and Unforgettable Memories

It was clear that this duo’s commitment to traveling together had afforded them incredible memories.

One such vacation story elicited the excitement and knowing laughter that only two people with an unforgettable shared experience can exchange. 

   

“I still want margaritas by the pool again, though — I’ve not yet had that experience again,” Amber began the story nostalgically.          

“That was our Acapulco trip. The Grand Mayan Acapulco had a pool on each side, and we had access to both,” Kelly began explaining. “We worked the happy hours. So at a certain time, we’d just get up and leave to go to the next happy hour,” she said, as both women laughed together.          

“We would plan our day to get to the pool when happy hour started, and it got to the point where we’d walk up, and the bartender would wave hello and be ready to give us margaritas," Amber recalled with a smile. 

Kelly continued to elaborate through laughter, “Before we had our blankets settled on our chairs, we had our margaritas.”

“It was the best,” Amber agreed. 

“I loved that, and it was our very first trip, so it was like, this is it. And we had a great time,” Kelly said. 

"Whenever we’re on a trip, we’re like, this is why."

As the friends continued reminiscing about some of their favorite vacations, the conversation returned to their recent Myrtle Beach trip, where they attended the inaugural HGV Live! event featuring Rodney Atkins. 

“That was the perfect trip. We had the Suite for nine days, and the first two nights, my boyfriend stayed, and then Amber arrived the second day,” Kelly explained. “Then Joe left, and my niece came for a little bit. But then Amber and I had the last five days just her and I. And we were like, this is why.” 

Read "Young, Single and Loving Vacation Ownership: A Hilton Grand Vacations Owner Review" for another Owner's story.