dragon king

I have only heard great things about HCC!

Tedpilot

I don't think any DC is perfect. Given the rave reviews of HCC and other DCs I'd say that, IMHO it is largely due to a few factors:

1) A lot of DC purchasers are not use to the quality or service associated with travel they are now experiencing.
2) People have pride in their clubs and thus tend to not point out deficiencies, big or small.
3) What is negative for one is not for another...and positive for that matter. That being said, given one's previous travel experiences will have a dramatic impact on how they are served or their impression of service by their DC.

Now, all that being said, I've not had any significant issues w/ HCC. The only problems I have ever had are minor maintenance problems that were rectified in a timely manner. I would surmise to say that is indicative of most of the other DCs too. The most significant complaint I have heard is from one of my friends who bought a membership and thought the Snowmass unit was a bit tight for 4 adults/2 couples. He said it was very nice, updated, etc...just a little small for his liking. He's probably right. However, for the price point HCC may not always have big sqft for geographical location of the unit.

Most of the negativity from my travels prior to joining a DC are gone. My simple, but biggest complaint has always been that the product imagined/promissed was not always the product delivered...be it service, location, quality, etc... I am forever happy that those days are gone for me... Now, if I could only afford a fractional card for private air travel life would be perfect...

puffpuff

I have been to 7 HCC properties and each offer great value. No bad experience to report.

Bourne

Negative experiences, no.

There are times when you want improvements in the club. I was looking for more flexibility around reservations. That got resolved during Nov of last year.

jam

Its that hourly rate that chokes me.

Steamboat Bill

I have been an HCC member for about 1.5 years and have visited about 5 of their properties.

I have no major problems or negatives to report.

In fact, my wife and kids really love it as the accommodation's are fantastic. I really like it as the price point is incredible reasonable for what you get.

HCC is NOT ER, Quintess, LUSSO, etc. as they are targeted at different demographics.

If you travel with 4-6 guests (with the only exception being NYC) then the size of the homes will be perfect for you and the "price per night" or "price per room per night" will be almost impossible to beat.

My only complaint, is not really a complaint, is the fact that some of the homes are hard to book (Breckenridge, Beaver Creek) as they get booked at the 1 year mark.

I have been very impressed with their growth and choice of properties.

Brian222golf

I have not had any real experiences either. The houses are great. The locations have all been close to the action. The customer service at HCC is always quick and to the point. When I have had some very minor issues they are taken care of promplty. For the money - It is a tremendous deal.

Love it!!

pwrshift

There were some complaints a while back about HCC not 'communicating' with their members to the extent they wanted - especially on expansion. I don't know if that has improved.

Expansion on the east coast of USA has been far too slow IMO and there are a lot 'in development' that have been there ever since I started looking at HCC for membership. I think some timeshare resort owners will be a little put off that HCC has very few 'on the beach' locations .. most seem to be quite a ways inland.

texdoc

We have had very few negative issues with HCC, and they have all been minor at best.

As "pwrshift" stated, communication from the management is not always timely. It seems to come more frequently when the "lack of communication" is brought up here on this forum. I wish we had monthly updates...even if they were brief...telling us about prospective properties, membership numbers, etc.

I also have had a few small issues when visiting foreign locations. While the U.S. properties are always stocked with everything imaginable that you could need during your stay, several of the Mexican properties have been missing minor items such as dishwashing (towels, detergent) or laundry supplies, extra linens and towels, etc. This is most likely because these properties are cleaned and managed by the villa's management companies. Not a huge problem but you want to know what you will have available to you when you arrive.

The properties have all been top-notch and in excellent condition. HCC management and staff are extremely attentive if questions and/or problems are brought to their attention.

We've had 5 HCC vacations now and couldn't be happier with our decision to join.

Bourne

Here is what I would like to see regarding communication.

Create a monthly newsletter that is sent out consistently. Throw in the following sections...

1. Club News - Any update would be beneficial. If there are not any, or cannot be disclosed due to other reasons, throw in some comments with insights from the management regarding the club, their vision etc.
2. Member memories - Pick a destination. Put a face to the words. Get members to send in inputs regarding properties, experiences etc. Does not have to be editorially correct. More impromptu kinda stuff.
3. Detailed insight into a property/location that member memories were published for. HCC has more details that it passes on to members that travel to a particualr location. Also include a set of 4+ photos that are not included online for a different perspective.
4. Other fluff.

I don't care if there is fluff as long as a newsletter goes ot consistently. Perception is everything.

Steamboat Bill

I think something like an e-mail blast on the First of every month to all the members would be greatly appreciated.

It is easy to do and very cheap. I will send Heath an e-mail to this forum (even though I know he reads all these messages, but doesn't post)

DosMasCervesos

Ditto here. More frequent updates, even if it were just an email, would be nice.

Matt

Gabby

I've been a member for almost 2 years and have been to 9 HCC properties.

We have had nothing but good experiences, with only minor problems that Chis and the HCC staff have responded to quickly. True, Aspen / Snowmass is small, but check out the real estate prices in the area at or below $1M and you'll understand why. Ditto NYC. And beachfront is pretty much a dream anywhere at the sub $1M price point.

Our only timeshare experience is owner at Four Seasons Aviara which is one of the best, and I must say that most HCC properties equal or exceed that standard minus the huge resort staff at 4Seas there to cater to every need.

The only downside, I think HCC needs more properties on the West Coast where the weather is nice all year. They offer plenty of ski destinations where peak demand period is very limited and the East Coast (IMHO) is either too cold or too humid during much of the year resulting in lower occupancy.

tripTX

I know some of the beach properties aren't oceanfront, but I want to point out to newcomers that several are. I've already seen four of these in my first year (Cabo, Nuevo Vallarta, and two in Playa del Carmen). They have all been fantastic properties located directly on the beach. About to try a fifth oceanfront location at HCC's Turks and Caicos property. All the posts have raved about that one, so I'm excited to see it too.

want2travelmore

I only have 8 months under my belt as a HCC rookie and have only visited three properties. I was very pleased with all three. Two of the properties had very minor issues (an air conditioning issue at one, a need to restock some glassware and kitchen utensils that had either been broken or walked off at a Mexican property) and they were either addressed by outsourced property management while there or HCC promised to remedy shortly after our visit.

My recent visit to the OBX property had a few more not-quite-ready-for prime time issues as we were the first or second guests. HCC was very, very agreeable and supportive of getting our detailed feedback and they credited us with some days back for the inconvenience of having some workmen visiting the property during our stay. Certain standard amenities (like the amenities and appliance guidance book not being there, soaps, toiletries and beach towels weren't there - the game room TV didn't work and a few other issues) they just couldn't quite get straight before our arrival. I'm sure these were corrected shortly after our checkout.

Everyone at HCC has been very responsive and positive to deal with every time I've dealt with them. They'll answer any question if you call them.

However, I do agree they leave members a little starved for regular club news. Having the discipline to push out a monthly newsletter is something they should focus on. I know they are hesitant talking about potential properties they are scouting until it is fairly certain they intend to close on them, but even if no near-term certain properties closings are on the horizon, there are always member memories, member interviews, comments on the industry and goals for the upcoming 12 months. Even a bullet point email outline with updates on membership #s, occupancy stats, and any other facts and cautious and caveated indications on the new destination pipeline would be very welcome by members. How does PE compare on the communication front, PE Forum members?

I have nothing negative to say about PE. I will note at the OBX property in the same community, the HCC property is larger and better located than the PE Premiere property.

Our family has been pleased with our decision, but as I said, it has only been eight months.

The only "broken" promise I've seen is HCC showed off a prototype of a new property welcome brochure in the Fall- the smaller Maui property was the test case. It looked very sharp and professional. They said they were pulling together similar welcome kits for each property, but about six months latter when we went to Cabo (March 08), we got email pdfs and similar mailed information - all valuable, but it didn't look anything like the mock-up prototype they sent members a pdf of in September. I am not too hung on format as long as HCC gets me the pre-visit information in a timely fashion and it is complete and clearly written. But they should not get in the habit of announcing deliverables to members they can't fulfill on a timely basis.

Otherwise, I found HCC staff and management forthright, energetic, upbeat and very accessible and true to their word.

vineyarder

This seems to be a common complaint in many clubs... PE initially had a quarterly newsletter that came out somewhat randomly, then went to a really great monthly electronic newsletter that came out on the first of every month, like clockwork, but that was suspended during the merger process, and eventually replaced with a very high-end looking magazine, but that has only had one issue, and was much to general for my taste (i.e. more of ageneral travel/golf magazine, rather than club news, real estate up & membership updates, etc)...

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