As a frequent traveler who is a member of most of the membership programs of lodging companies, I constantly receive invitations to presentations for the purpose of selling a timeshare, which is usually accompanied by a special offer. I attended my first timeshare presentation today, Monday, May 5, 2025.
I Attended My First Timeshare Presentation Today. Here is How It Went…
Prior to the conclusion of a telephone call I had with a customer service representative of the IHG One Rewards membership program, I was offered 500 IHG One Rewards points to listen to an offer for Holiday Inn Club Vacations. I decided to accept the offer for 500 free points, which were promptly added to my membership account.
I was transferred to a person who extolled the virtues of purchasing a timeshare with IHG One Rewards before offering me a vacation package of three nights to select resort properties within the United States at a cost of $249.00, which is already a good deal — and if I accepted the offer and listened to the timeshare presentation, I would receive $249.00 back. I had always been curious about the timeshare presentations and thought that attending a presentation for two hours would be worth what was essentially a free stay; so I accepted the offer, which was valid for one year during which I needed to book a reservation.
Before I decided where I wanted to go and I booked my reservations, I received several offers via e-mail message in the following consecutive order:
- 10,000 IHG One Rewards bonus points; but that offer expired before I was ready to use it
- A bonus of $50.00; but that offer expired before I was ready to use it
- A bonus of $100.00; and I was ready to use this offer when I received this e-mail message — so I booked my reservation
I do not know if I would have received an e-mail message with an even better offer had I waited; but the third offer arrived at the right time for me. I chose the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Holiday Hills Resort Branson property because I could easily include it as part of a road trip to which Omaha, Tulsa, and Vicksburg would be included for various reasons.
With exceptions for residents of certain states, the offer was not refundable once the reservation was booked.
The Resort Property May Not Necessarily Be Where One Stays
I read the confirmation e-mail message once I received it and found that I was booked for three days at a motel property at the center of the busy strip in Branson. The majority of the reviews at this particular property were quite negative; and staying in the “center of the action” in Branson did not appeal to me. I liked the location of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Holiday Hills Resort Branson primarily because it seemed to be quieter; and the property itself seemed to be significantly nicer than the motel property.
At no time was I told or informed that I would be staying in a motel property with bad reviews — although that may have been included in the legal fine print somewhere along the process — for three nights at which I would not willingly stay on my own free of charge. That would have been enough to prompt me to do what I can to cancel my reservation and get out of this offer.
I called the telephone number that was provided to me; and after several minutes of speaking with a customer service representative — including both expressing my desire not to be located in the busy part of Branson and asking why if they are trying to sell ownership interest in a timeshare would I be booked in a motel property miles away instead of on the premises itself — I was assigned to a room on the premises itself without being charged extra money for it. This part of the experience was already soured for me; but I decided to keep an open mind.
The Experience Itself
After driving for greater than ten hours, I arrived at the resort property and checked in. I was charged $15.81 in taxes at the front desk.
The room to which I was assigned was on the first floor of a building with three stories. It was actually a suite with two bedrooms — each with its own bathroom — a full kitchen, a dining area, a small living area, and an outdoor patio. Each room had ceiling fans. The room was actually quite nice; and it was in a quiet location at the end of the expansive property.
The timeshare presentation was originally scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon today; but I received communications from the organizers that earlier time slots were open. As a result, I was able to secure an earlier slot at noon. We arrived at the separate building 15 minutes prior to noon as requested; were sober; and maintained the other suggestions and requirements for participation in this presentation. The front desk in the preview center that shown in the above photograph is not the front desk to the resort property itself, as it is only for checking in for the presentation and tour.
We were asked a few questions at the front desk before we waited for the person who would be our point of contact. The person behind the front desk invited us to partake in snacks and beverages while we wait. Snacks included a variety of packaged muffins, cookies, granola bars, and bags of chips; and beverages included an assortment of tea, coffee, soft drinks, and water.
Mike came over minutes later and introduced himself. He asked a number of questions pertaining to our occupations, likes and wants, what three things were most important to us, and travel patterns. After that, we were escorted into a room with a presentation video that lasted ten minutes with current owners from different walks of life who really enjoyed their ownerships of timeshares. Once that presentation concluded, we were brought into another room which had many facts and data on the wall — including but not limited to the founder of Holiday Inn, the cost of travel increasing over the years, the brands of IHG Hotels & Resorts — which was already outdated because Ruby was not included as the latest brand, and partners of the program.
The last part of the presentation was the cost of different levels of membership. Had I accepted the offer for what was presented to me, I would have received a discount of 20 percent off of the original program cost of $50,000.00 for 200,000 Holiday Inn Club Vacations program points, which is different from the IHG One Rewards membership program. The program of ownership in the timeshare program — which could be used in as many as 110 countries worldwide — actually did have some value to it; but try as I might, what was offered ultimately did not fit into the way I currently travel.
Before leaving, I was led to the gift desk, where I was promptly paid $349.00 as promised. I also received a pamphlet with which if I pay a $50.00 activation fee and book a reservation within 90 days, I could stay in Branson or another location — assuming that I want to attend another timeshare presentation of at least two hours.
Final Boarding Call
Although ownership in the timeshare program of Holiday Inn Club Vacations could be tweaked in a number of ways, I found and concluded that who would best benefit from it are those people who like to spend a week at a resort property in popular tourist destinations such as Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, and Orlando. I rarely stay greater than two days at any lodging option; and the only times I stay longer than that at the same property are when I am redeeming points and can get a free night if I stay four consecutive nights or five consecutive nights. I also do not like to stay at popular tourist destinations. I gave no fewer than six locations worldwide on a map to Mike to which we have either traveled recently or will travel later this year; and either no properties were offered at those destinations, or they were located in locations that were too inconvenient to where we wanted to go.
I also realized that the travel tools I use may be familiar with you and other readers of The Gate With Brian Cohen — but the target market for these timeshare presentations are generally not familiar with those tools, which help to save me money while simultaneously giving me the flexibility I prefer to have.
Joining a membership program at no cost and not finding a property at a destination where I want to stay is frustrating enough; but the prospect of spending $40,000.00 and not having the choices I want or need would be beyond quite irritating to me…
…so, I did not purchase ownership in a timeshare program today despite keeping an open mind. I was glad that Mike and his boss also saw that as well and did not try to pressure me even more to purchase something that quite did not fit me or what I want.
I also appreciated the presentation itself. It was rather relaxed despite the attempt to sell me a big-ticket item; and it was not boring, as the questions that were asked of me resulted in me thinking about how I plan and execute my travels — as well as learn about them a little more. The presentation itself took three hours and 45 minutes instead of two hours; but that was okay, as that did not interfere with my day.
For the reasons I have mentioned, I did not regret the experience at all. If you have an interest in learning more about ownership of timeshares, you should absolutely consider taking advantage of the experience — and keep in mind that you can only attend a maximum of three timeshare presentations in your lifetime with Holiday Inn Club Vacations…
…but I do not recommend attending one of these timeshare presentations solely to try to get a free vacation, as that only wastes the time of the salesperson who could be with someone else who is actually interested in purchasing ownership in a timeshare — and the presentation itself could potentially interfere with your schedule.
I intend to report on my actual experience staying at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Holiday Hills Resort Branson property in a future article here at The Gate With Brian Cohen.
Photograph ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
