Las Vegas Promotion from Hilton Grand Vacation; $278 for two-nights two-BDR suite

Finance >> Affordable Luxury Travel
I guess three strikes is always charming.  Not interested in casino gambling, I always thought Las Vegas trip is only a one-time trip for me.  We made two vacation trips to Las Vegas between 2011 and mid-2012.  One day in summer 2012, I was about to redeem Hilton hotel stays in Los Angeles to visit our buddy, but saw a Hilton promotion in its website.  Again, curiosity (I like to blame on it) led to an exploratory phone discussion with Hilton Grand Vacation representative.  Make long story short. The Hilton representative mentioned several location choices.  Las Vegas was one of them.  Because my parents want to check out Las Vegas, and my wife wants to see the O Show which is only available at Las Vegas, here we come again.

Regarding the offer from Hilton Grand Vacation Representative,
#1 take-away: 
Keep saying no, until they say they already make the best offers. Wait for 10 seconds silence to confirm.

The $200 SANU and 15K Hilton points was added at the end.  $200 is available credit to be applied for future US Hilton hotel stay.  The total price $278 is for two nights stay in a two-bedroom suite with tax included.  The original package was $166 for two-nights stay in a one-bedroom suite with tax included.  Considering Hilton Los Angeles-San Gabriel is 30K Hilton points per night, we receive 1.5 free Hilton night credits for future use.

• At the beginning, the representative said offer is available for one couple only, not two.  It is true to some extent. I asked to add one more bedroom later, if available.  The additional charge is only $56 more per room per night.
• Time to redeem this offer was limited to one year.  Nine months later, I explained my family was not ready yet; final deadline extended 9 more months to 2014.  (Hotel is a service company. In this sense,  customers usually have more luck.)
• Lesson learned: the offer is non-refundable if cancelled or no-show.
• The trade-off is to attend a 2-hour Hilton Grand Vacation presentation.  I am going to research about both Hilton and Marriott Grand Vacation timeshare before attending the presentation. I am quite interested in time-share this time ...
• The stay quality is expected to be above decent, because the intention of the offer is to attract us to purchase timeshare in Hilton Grand Vacation houses.  I assume they will show off their best products/services.

#2 take-away:

Ask about refund policy and cancellation policy.  The drawback from these kind of offers is that there is no refund.  Do not take these kind of offers if next 12 months is not a good time.

#3 take-away:

If going to Las Vegas with a large family or a group of friends, and looking for non-motel stay, Hilton Grand Vacation seems to offer an attractive option.  A two-bedroom suite with one additional queen-size soft bed provides bed space for 6 adults is available for $207 per night for AAA members (e.g. car-towing service). The suite comes with a complete kitchen.

This takes care of lodging in Las Vegas.  It is not any more expensive than staying in Los Angeles/San Diego.