Wyndham Vacation Ownership

Living in the beautiful city of Los Angeles, the high cost of living here makes it difficult (at times) to get out and spend money. Getting away for me and my husband was definitely a must each year but each time we went out I admit, I always had an underlying sense of guilt that maybe we should be putting the money towards something else, something more productive. Bills bills and more bills! Normally we’d go to the beach (free) or Vegas. Recently I we took a nice little mini trip to Vegas (cheap rooms, but you totally get what you pay for) I went in for a tour with Wyndham and well… I was totally surprised with what I experienced.
First of all, as I was sitting in the lobby, I noticed a pretty diverse group of couples sitting around from all walks of life. I was a little nervous after reading some of the reviews online, especially after reading about «having a strategy» in order to «survive» a timeshare tour. I’m not one to take advice from strangers and usually like to make decisions firsthand for myself, but I thought it would be a good idea to check out some reviews before walking into something I didn’t originally anticipate. Anyway, as we waited I overheard the couple next to us whispering something about income. I had just turned my consent form in and as I quickly discovered, I overheard the wife giggle, whispering about different numbers. Lying about their information I assume, which I guess Wyndham prequalifies you before you’re allowed to take any kind of tour in order to receive the free gifts. As a skincare consultant, I work in sales so I totally felt bad for whichever salesman had to pick them up. A little f*cked up. They shouldn’t have been allowed to tour in the first place and I almost wanted to say something to the salesman. Aside than that, completely unfair to the other people such as myself who actually qualified to tour. A reminder that there are always good and shitty people wherever you go. But… not my call.
The whole reason I ended up there though, although I was stopped by one of their marketing agents in our hotel lobby, staying at the LINQ, was because I was actually open to tour and wanted to know more just out of sheer curiosity (I have a few girlfriends back in LA who have timeshare and they always seemed to be getting away more often than me and my husband were able to). Personally, I would never ever ever waste time doing anything (especially on my vacation) doing anything just for a few lame gifts… big whoop. Me and my husband have better ways to waste precious time together. (Eiffel tower, anyone?)
Anyways, after the scum adjacent to us shuffled in with their salesman, our representative picked us up, who happened to be very courteous and respectful young man during the entire presentation. You see the thing is, you have to be honest with yourself. You reeally do. And if you’re there just for the free gifts, shame on you, I think, because 1) you’re wasting your family’s time on vacation because the gifts really AREN’T that great unless you’re really hard up and 2) you’re wasting the time of the salesman, who does this for a living… AND 3) you’re taking an opportunity away from someone who may actually benefit from it — such as the case with me and my husband.
I guess my only complaint would be the breakfast. wasn’t that great. But the experience overall was very interesting, informative, and ultimately… life changing. I honestly don’t know who wouldn’t want to vacation every year and end up saving a shit ton of money in the long run… because that’s exactly what the concept is. But like I mentioned, there are shitty people out there, so I guess that category would extend to some of the deadbeat husbands I saw sitting around.
As the process goes, the sales rep took us down to the actual resort, the Grand Desert or something like that I’m pretty sure, and gave us a tour of the property. It was lovely and I jokingly asked if I could move my luggage over from the Linq. We looked at a few units (thought the 1 bedroom was adorable) and came back ready to listen more. After calculating our annual expenses with him, it frankly just made a lot of sense to us. I mean… if the commitment is there, me and my husband have been together for over 10 years, what’s the point in continuing to stay in dump hotels for more money in the long term? It pretty much sells itself, and is at it’s core, I think is plain common sense.
Since we recently started, we’ve been to a handful of places already, and I’ve enjoyed every minute so far. Southern California has this little place literally right on the beach. Each place we’ve been to has been clean and maintained very well. Not to mention the rooms are so cute and comfy. Try to haggle with the salesman and to see if they can make you a VIP owner. We’ve already booked a trip to New York City for next year and I couldn’t be more excited seeing as the last time I went my hotel room unexpectedly had rat traps under the bed LOL

This review is for the condominiums my family and I stayed at on Spencer Street. The aunt of one of our extended family members owned a timeshare and permitted us to use it for my younger brother’s 21^st birthday celebration in Vegas. Such a win.
Although the condos were not located directly on the Strip, they were still relatively near — probably no more than 5 miles away. The condos were roomy and well-​kept. We had 6 people altogether in one condo, and the two queen beds plus the couch easily accommodated all of us.
The kitchen is average-​sized but it comes with typical kitchen appliances. It even includes a disposable dish sponge and dish soap we could use for the duration of our stay. The electric fireplace was a nice touch; we certainly used it since Vegas in January gets quite cold at night.
The one complaint I have is in regards to the layout of the bathroom. It was super awkward to have to go through two doors just to get to the toilet. A total waste of wood and space. The laundry room is also inside the bathroom, which is weird because then you can’t have someone taking a shower and another person doing laundry simultaneously.
Oh, right. The other complaint I have is the shuttle service. It only runs on the hour, every hour, until 11pm. AND the shuttle drops you off at Harrah’s, which is a long walk from everything else on the Strip. Even though the shuttle service was free, we only took advantage of it once because we either got back late and the shuttle service wasn’t operating, we didn’t want to wait until the next hour, and/​or we were too tired to walk all the way down the Strip.

My girlfriend and I did this on 12-​19-​2015 in order to receive gifts. This is a guide for how to survive the presentation and sales pressure and negotiate the best deal.
WHAT WE GOT: 2 tickets absinthe (value $ 99 each), 2 tickets high roller at LINQ (value $ 25 each). Total value about $ 250.
HOW WE WERE OFFERED: Stayed at LINQ. We were approached by a lady who offered us free tickets to events. We told them we wanted to see Absinthe and that we also wanted to go on High Roller. They told us we could get two tickets for both events if we went and saw a presentation and let a sales person talk to us.
WHAT WE DID TO GET OUT OF THERE FAST:
Some of these ideas I got from research I did on Google, so it is not all original. But it worked for me.
1. Your agreement specifies how much time you signed up for. Our agreement said 120 minutes, so if they give you an agreement that says you are signing for more than 120 minutes, don’t accept it (unless your rewards package is bigger than ours).
Be exceedingly clear with the salesperson that you are not willing to stay beyond the 120 minutes allotted. If you wish to be generous, which we did, you can offer to stay 150 minutes, starting at the time the presentation begins; but the lower the time you agree to, the more bargaining power you have.
Their goal is to keep you there for 3−4+ hours. Don’t give them too much wiggle room.
2. Clarify with the salesperson and the staff what gifts you will receive, and that gifts are not conditional on making any purchase.
3. Give the salesperson periodic updates on how much time is left from the budget (in our case 150 minutes). Give them 30 minute warnings. 15 minute warnings. When your time is up, stand up and tell them that you would like to conclude the meeting.
4. Tell the salesperson from the beginning that you will be courteous to them and expect the same treatment. Assure them that they will have your full and undivided attention for the time allotted.
5. About saying NO. Don’t be afraid to say no. They are asking you to put down 15K+ based on a 2 – 3 hour conversation. Tell them that you need to do more research, and ask for a card. But be 100% firm that you will not make the sale today.
6. Don’t be rude to the salesperson (unless they are rude to you). Their job is probably hell. Treat them like a human being but be firm with them.
The most important tip is: SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS with regards to time.
Hopefully this is helpful. And thank you to the original TripAdvisor post that helped me navigate the interview.
I am giving it 3-​stars because I got a good deal with regards to time invested, and our representative Cindy was a kind person. Yes, there was high pressure but this is expected. Cindy was always professional and courteous.
Finally — I am going to leave it up to you guys to decide if the product is for you. Just do your research beforehand :). Now you know how to make it out of the interview and get your gifts!
Daniel

The Grand Desert is beautiful, one of my favorite resorts! It is not new but it is so well maintained you would think it is.
It’s just 3 blocks from The Strip and offers a free shuttle to Harrahs. It’s also only a short walk to Hofbrau Haus and Hard Rock.
We are in a 3 bedroom deluxe unit this time but have stayed in every size of unit they offer (suite, 1 – 3 bedroom). Most of the Deluxe units have large Jacuzzi tubs.
Every size of room is excellent. The kitchens are spacious and full as are the bathrooms regardless of the unit size .
We love the little store for our last minute needs like wine or mimosa makings, chips, the necessary stuff !
The bar, Hot Spot Oasis, is small but well stocked. It offers Happy Hour 4 – 7 daily as well as Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s every morn for only $ 6.
Hungry at night, you can order a 14″ pizza with 3 beers for only $ 25 delivered to your door! That’s a super deal.
There is also a restaurant on site and the pools and hot tubs are amazing. There is even a large, adults only pool as well as several family pools and a large workout room.
The parking is free and plentiful. It includes both outside and an enclosed parking garage.
Last but not least is the staff. They are amazing and strive to meet your every need. We are Platinum so we get special treatment but we have noticed that everyone is treated very well. As Platinum we also have the service of a limo which is a neat perk. DeeDee is our VIP rep and has certainly been very helpful.

These people that come in for free breakfast and gifts are just… you get the point. This product is amazing and has changed our lives. FYI– if you come in for the free gifts, you will need to pay with your time. Nothing is free. I heard more then one couple lie in the lobby about their income so they can qualify for the presentation. I have a feeling these are the people leaving the bad reviews.

Is there a star that’s negative? This company deserves a negative ten stars. Unhelpful, money hungry, demons on wheels. They are super nice to you until they find out you’re not rich, then they treat you like dirt. The salesman, Dan mergarme Who had a cast was extremely rude and disrespectful and got ANGRY when we were not interested in purchasing anything. Even worse when he found out we were not super wealthy he lost all interest and could care less. Not that his fake nice ness in the beginning meant anything anyway. Fink were the manager id FIRE This guy.
If you see this company trying to get you to «preview new property,» in exchange for a «free reward» run, do not walk, the other way unless oh want to be eaten my money hungry demons.

I wish I saw these reviews before we entered this hell hole place! Those people at the Excalibur hotel in Las Vegas lied to us– the Wyndham timeshare presentation should’ve only been less than an hour, including breakfast and touring the property. Nope! It lasted 3 grueling hours with this fake bitch Nicolee that wouldn’t take no for an answer and tried to belittle us because we wouldn’t buy the timeshare. $ 200 a month and you won’t tell me how much the annual maintenance fee is and you expect me to make a decision right then and there? You have got to be out of your mind. The last «exit interview» was supposed to be just a survey but they still tried to sell the damn timeshare. Hello no means NO you rude people! We got 2 tickets to KA by Cirque du Soleil for $ 20 instead of $ 80 each so we ended up coming on top. But never again!

WHO talks about alcoholics, domestic abuse and rape all within 15 min the presenator at Wyndham Mr. Audrey thats who.
Ladies and Gentleman, i own a timeshare and i was eager to learn about what Wyndham had to offer. On July 12^th at approximately 12:30pm, I went to the Harrah Casino on the trip to listen in on the presentation. The sales representative was very nice. I wish I would have captured his name. However, when the presentator (Audrey) came on he was obnoxious, insensitive, high strung, jerk. I have never been so disgusted in all my life. I just so happened to be staying at another hotel (Venetian), however he made very alarming remarks to those who stayed else where. Here are the top things he’s said and you be the judge:
1. You «people» are here for free food and free drinks shut up and listen to my presentation.
2. Your wife will cheat on you because you stay at the Flamingo.
3. You husband will drink himself into a stopper and then beat you if you stay at a low end hotel.
4. Your husband will rape you readily if you stay in a motel 6.
5. Last but not least he further stated that women deserve to get abused for not given their men sex if they do not stay at the Wyndam.
He went on and on how he was Italian descent and constantly put down those who A. didn’t drive a BMW or B. stayed at the Harrah/​Flamingo Casino.
He went on and on about how he left his law firm to work for Wyndham and how he left his wife for a newer/​younger model.
He went on and on how we were poor and we were on there for free gifts and food.
He went on and on how your wife will cheat on you if you don’t stay at a luxurious hotel.
He went on and on how there will be domestic disputes because you have no time to vacation.
Who does this flying fawk think he is?
I left out of there furious, not only will i NEVER purchase a timeshare at the Wyndham, I won’t stay there or with any of its affiliates.
I’ve reached out to the CEO of Wyndham and other associations to protest this jerk from ever speaking again. Wyndham get it together.
Research who you bring into the company. sit in out the presentations every once and a while I guarantee you will feel the same way. Needless to say the sales person tried to recover, i walked out without receiving; he offered but I respectfully declined.
August 2015 Update:
After speaking with corporate, they acknowledged that Mr. Audrey’s speech was unacceptable and was awarded a few nights stay at one of their resorts. The VP of Sales and Marketing were extremely concerned about my experience and thoroughly handled my compliant with care, after staying at one of their resorts i will follow up again on my experience. My stars still reflect the «pitch» from the harrah’s casino Wyndham and not those of the entire corporation.

Got suckered into attending a timesharing meeting of 120 minutes in exchanged for dining vouchers, slot vouchers and tickets to show. The meeting also included a hot lunch.
When we arrived, we were offered coffee and served a hot lunch. It was not bad but not great either. Either way, free meal and coffee so no complaints so far. Then the BS starts. The meeting ended up lasting about 3 hrs and we were pressured to purchase a time share. I had mentioned to the sales person that I will not sign or agree on the spot and that I’m not going to commit to buying anything without having a chance to sleep on it and review it over in private. They did not take no for an answer without a fight and had a counter argument for anything I said although I found that their response scripted and weak. They ended up bringing the manager over to hard sell me again and was basically putting words into my mouth like «how will you be paying today». I told him I have credit card but you ain’t getting it. It is irrevalant what method of payment I have as I won’t be using it today. After about 30 min of arguing, we made our point and said no matter what you say, I will not buy. The more they pressured, the more i knew it was a scam. We were finally set free with our gifts. The dining vouchers were legit but the slot plays were not.
In retrospect I highly recommend that you do not go to this time sharing meeting. The sales person do not have your best interest in mind and are they to make a quick commission sale. If you attend, do not fall for their high pressure tricks and maintain a strong assertive behaviour. Don’t let them bully you to sign up for timeshare as you will end up being committed to forever paying maintenance fees for their hotels. Don’t be cheap and be tricked into attending this meeting. It is really a waste of your time and you risk being suckered to sign into something much more costly than a couple free vouchers. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.

If you know how to use the program, it’s really cool to have. It’s perfect for family vacation and people that go on vacation. It’s nice and beautiful comfortable room. Clean and specious… I used it for many times and I love it… Maintenance fee is the only downside. But we all have to maintain what we own at least with this you share it with a lot of owners and not like you own your house that all the expenses and repairs are all your own. :) I think u just have to use it as often as u could to get the maintenance fees worth. I love it. My family have it… I think all people that travel has to have it. :)

We seriously went for the free stuff. No interest at all in a timeshare. The presenter was overly obnoxious and too high strung for that kind of presentation. I don’t know how many times he said he «was» a lawyer. I don’t care if you sold bibles. Get over yourself. Don’t tell me I need something that I’d rather do without. The high pressure shut me down. Assholes don’t attract butterflies they repel everything due to the disgusting smell. Your free lunch was a joke and doesn’t even constitute a mention really? Take your money elsewhere or just send to me.

Wyndham Grand Desert facility is run-​of-​the-​mill boring and the sales team was uncreatively manipulative. I went to the presentation with my parents knowing it’d be a hard-​sell, but it still ruined a day in Vegas. I echo previous reviews re: repeated offers to sweeten the deal and multiple hours of saying no. I was frank about the monthly maintenance fee with our rep, but he deflected my point. They know every counter to reasons for not buying and were emotionally manipulative (I have older parents, not cool). The lies start at the beginning «my team is not allowed to pressure anyone into buying today.» Be ready for a team that pressures you to spend thousands of dollars and will turn nasty if you say no.

I don’t own Wyndham directly but I am a Shell Vacations Club owner, and Wyndham purchased Shell. I purchased my first set of points, 2500, in San Francisco in 2007. I have since added another 2500 points and now have 5000 points per year. I have been going on vacations ever since, twice a year, for the past seven years to the most exquisite gorgeous locations on this planet. That I probably never would have gone without this club. It’s flexible, affordable, and easy to maneuver through. The staffing he call center are always extremely helpful. My next trip coming up in March 2015 to Venezuela is right around the corner!

Although we would NEVER (EVER, EVER) purchase a timeshare (I’m against paying the yearly maintenance fee when I can book accommodations for less than this fee alone, plus I don’t believe «owning is better than renting» when it comes to my vacations – they will hammer that point to death), we signed up for a Wyndym Vactions presentation because it was only supposed to last 90 minutes.
False advertisement!
We were compensated for our time — FOUR HOURS LATER — with $ 150 (choice of restaurants/​shows.) We made it clear to our tour guide that under no circumstances was he going to talk us into a sale, we were just there for the $ 150 credit, but he thoroughly went through the motions (presentation, asking personal questions, trying unsuccessfully to get us to authorize a credit check, tour of property, then trying unsuccessfully to overcome our objections.)
I don’t mind them doing their job, but it was really shitty that they took up FOUR HOURS instead of the 90 minutes they initially promised.
Tip: DO NOT give them your real phone number to avoid annoying sales calls.

Just to be clear — the «90 minute presentation» will end up taking 3 – 4 hours of your vacation time. For us it took 4 hours as we had to take a shuttle bus to their presentation center and then another shuttle to the grand desert resort. The resort is very nice and we actually did end up staying there using a Priceline vacation package. For that we only paid $ 250. We would never buy the $ 20,000−50,000 timeshare Cost, plus the annual maintenance fees, so they had no chance at a sale with us. There are ways to stay at their resort for far less money then buying into their timeshare

I never been more bothered, disrespected by a sales person in my life. The tickets they offer is not worth your time and the headache, we wasted a half of day for nothing. Do not go to them if you do avoid a young sales person name Jim he seems cool at first but turns into a spoiled jerk when he hears the word no. The worse place ever.

I have a lot to say. None is good. My life is just fine. My vacations are great. Wyndham will not make my life better. The time spent there was time wasted. More later. Oh and they dealt with the nice one… my husband. They don’t want to hear a word from me. I can take it to a level they didn’t know existed.
200 Halley puppies growl menacingly when you mention Wyndham. None approve.

I question the sales practices of resorts, such as Wyndham. My review is based solely on what I have read of other reviews and people approaching me while I was on vacation in Las Vegas recently.
These people are everywhere, trying to make conversation and «help you get tickets for shows» if you come to their sales presentation. This presentation will lead you into exactly what everyone else’s review says. I did not go to this presentation, because I had already gone to one with Grandview, which is exactly like theirs.
Do not be swindled! They will take up more time than they promise and they will insult you and ruin your day, if not your entire vacation! Avoid these idiots.

A one star is a thousand-​fold more than this group deserves.
We were guests of current owners, and had been enjoying the property and some of the facilities. All was going just fine until we attended the salespitch… i only wish i had Unilocaled it before going. This is why i share my experience. And yes, this is what happened from my perspective.
I genuinely had some questions about timeshares and thought this was a perfect opportunity to find out more (mistake). After all, they only wanted «90 minutes of our time).
The experiences of others on this posting agree EXACTLY to what we went through… scripted down to the last chance, «deal you can’t refuse» scripting that was employed.
Salesperson #1 = good cop
Since we were staying on property (as guests of friends that had gifted the stay to us), we told our salesperson (#1) that we didn’t need the tour. He told us that he has to take us to see the 4 bedroom unit before we can leave, or he may get in trouble… i was cool with this, and went to see the 4 bedroom. Sure, it was nice, but I’ll never have a need for something of that size — it would only be a waste of space (and points).
After leaving the 4 bedroom unit, we went to the «debriefing» area… what i see now as the «shark tank» pressure cooker of a room where they’ll do ANYTHING to have you sign on the line to spend GOBS of money.
Until we got down there, we were never told DOLLAR FIGURES to become timeshare owners. Very shortly after i started indicating that I needed to see some numbers, and not «points».
Salesperson #2 (empathetic experienced help) enters the scene.
Af first, #2 is very engaging, and I now feel like such a fool to have believed that she was concerned with helping us. she was deceptively friendly and I wasn’t able to detect the façade that was being put up for my benefit in the hopes that I’d be signing on the line THAT DAY.
At this point, we’re already at about 2 — 2.5 hours into the «90 minute presentation». Also worthy of note here is that during the group presentation, they state on more than one occassion that they (Wyndham) would take a «no» just as graciously as a «yes»…BULL$H*T. If you get caught up in their rhetoric, call them on that gracious NO, and see where that goes.
#2 started running all kinds of numbers. NONE of these numbers are anything that I’ll EVER make a spontaneous decision on. EVER. I shared this with them — which seemed to have thrown down some sort of a gauntlet that made them MORE motivated to separate me from my money.
It doesn’t matter if I’m ABLE to afford it, rather, if I (YES, ME) decide that I WANT to spend my hard earned and limited resources on such a thing. #2 starts telling me that I don’t care about my family, my own health, because I’m not willing to invest. PFFT. Again, I restate that this is NEVER going to happen — this is not just a purchase, its a serious long-​term investment. I WILL NEVER make such a decision impulsively. I restated this again, and again, and again. They weren’t going to have any of that. It was only after i mentioned that «gracious NO» a 2^nd or 3^rd time that #2 gives up… she immediately turned into a very cold personality as she gave up, and again left with the parting shot of how i was jeapordizing my health by not investing.
In comes #3 salesperson (RUDEST PERSON ALIVE)…#3 tries — very much a fake compassion that he wants to help. #2 tells him that its just not a fit for us… he again asks what they can do… I tell him nothing… he then ANNOUNCED TO THE ROOM that «THESE PEOPLE ARE BROKE, THEY’RE COSTING US MONEY SITTING HERE, GET THEM OUT OF HERE!»
Finally, #1 gets the exit papers together, and in comes #4. What is superficially an exit interview is a thinly disguised «final offer» attempt. RUDENESS is now the theme of the hour. #4 asks what was valuable to us in the presentation and before he finishes his sentence, he takes a look at his watch. I barely finish my sentence, he fiips the «exit interview» paper over and starts spellilng out a final offer. HOLY COW — enough is friggin’ enough. Again, i have to reiterate that I’m not going to buy ANYTHING today, AND I ask him what happened to that gracious NO?! At that point, we’re finally released.
BTW…don’t give them that deposit — that’s just a way to make sure you come back. If they really want you to sign up, they do it with or without your deposit. And that breakfast? Don’t go there hungry.

Oh Lordy… where to even begin? Like anyone else, we came here for the free breakfast and free show. Peter and I had been talking about timeshares, but we weren’t informed. So we figured we’d reap the benefits of the breakfast and show as well as inform ourselves on what timeshares are all about.
The presentation was GREAT! It made so much sense! Why pay more to rent when we can save money by owning? I apply that type of logic to my daily life (I bought a house instead of renting one). Our rep, Jacob was really nice. He took us over to the resort… which was nice, but it felt more like a retirement home than anything else.
We were both up front with Jacob. We told him that we wouldn’t be able to make a decision today. We likes the logic behind their sales pitch, but bottom line is we need more time to think about our finances. Jacob didn’t like it. We just kept going around in circles. It turned from the mindset of «let’s get information» into «let’s get out of here!»
We finally were released from Wyndham’s claws, and got our $ 40 deposit back. We got our free vouchers for Jubilee and a $ 50 American Express giftcard! Ultimately, we came up… but you pay for these incentives with your time and sanity.
The talk is NOT 120 minutes. We were there from 9:55am until around…2pm! CRAZY!!!