The Catch to “Free” Vacations

Occasionally, I give away lodging certificates that I get for pennies on the dollar as an incentive for trying my trip-alert service. How can I get them for pennies on the dollar?

Here’s the bottom line:

1. Hotels & resorts are rarely 100% booked and for every room that isn’t occupied, that means hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in lost revenue from tips, food, drinks, souvenirs, and excursions that they’re not selling.  Hotels know months in advance if they are at risk of not being 100% sold out, so they contract with certain companies who sell vacation certificates in bulk to companies like me. I am not allowed to sell them, but I can give them away as an incentive for trying my service out.
2. Revenue from food/drink is just the tip of the iceberg. Although timeshare presentations are NOT ever required with any certificates they sell to me (which I give to you as an incentive for trying my service out), hotels know that if just 5% of their guests end up upgrading to a timeshare at their resort, that will pay for all of the other free rooms combined.

*That is not an endorsement for buying a timeshare, but it is certainly an endorsement for taking advantage of the perks they offer for checking out their resorts.[/text_block]

Timeshare presentations are not required

Although many of these resorts ARE timeshare resorts, and they hope that you will consider attending a timeshare presentation, part of their agreement with the resellers who help them fill those empty rooms is that they agree NOT to require that guests attend a presentation.

There is usually some sort of extra perk to attend one, but it’s totally up to you on whether you want to spend a half-day of your vacation in a presentation in order to get that perk.

Taxes and fees are still your responsibility.

Just like if you win a car, you still have to pay taxes on it – when you book a room at a resort, you still have to pay mandatory taxes and resort fees.  This is to be expected with just about any complimentary lodging you ever get. Even travel agents have to pay these expenses when they are comped rooms. You can rest-assured – they are the same taxes and fees the people who are paying $200 or $300 per night for that room are paying. You just don’t have to pay that.

Why are there age restrictions?

Some (not all) certificates require that you be within a certain age range.  This is usually decided on a resort-by-resort basis, but let’s face it – if you’re getting comped a room at a timeshare resort, it’s their hope that you’ll become a timeshare owner.

Since they’re not allowed to require a timeshare presentation, they play the odds by requiring that recipients of those certificates be in a certain age-range (and that they be a cohabitation couple, and that one of them carries a major credit card.)

I travel solo. Why can’t I use this certificate?

For the same reason some resorts require that you be a certain age, many of them also require that you be a co-habitating couple because couples are far more likely to become timeshare owners.   (By the way – I don’t make the rules. I just buy the certificates, and I don’t advise breaking their rules. The most common form of complaints with these types of trips comes from single people who took a friend, couldn’t prove that they co-habitated, and got billed full retail for the room.)

If you find out after getting a certificate that you are ineligible, let me know. I am glad to see if I can get a replacement one that might work for you.

Can I use this certificate for friends/family too?

Although both you and friends/family can use this certificate, most certificates specifically prohibit group travel.  The second most common source of complaints comes from upset consumers come from people who ignored this rule, used two certificates for two different groups to book a trip at the same time, and then both get billed for violating the “group travel” restriction.

If a certificate is for 5 nights, but I can only stay 4 nights. Do I have to pay for all 5 nights?

All vacation incentive certificates are sold in bulk for specific numbers of nights, so if it’s a 5-night certificate, you’ll have to pay for 5 nights, but remember – you’re usually only paying taxes and fees, so it can still be a great deal.

I’ve heard timeshare presentations can be really pushy.

It depends largely on the destination, but they are selling a high-ticket item, and yes, they can sometimes be very pushy.

Just remember that if a timeshare presentation is optional, it’s up to you on whether the incentive they’re offering is worth it to attend one.  JGOOT does not express an opinion one way or another on timeshare ownership. As with any investment, you should research whether or not it is right for you before you attend a presentation.

Can I take my kids too?

Unless otherwise specified, almost all certificates allow up to two children. Some require an upgrade from a 1 bedroom unit to a 2 bedroom unit if children are older than 12, others allow up to 4 guests regardless of age. The most important thing is to make sure at least two of you are not violating their “cohabitation” requirements. Otherwise, you could end up being charged full retail rate for your room.

Have you been to these destinations?

I’ve been to many incentive vacation destinations: An incentive cruise, the Mayan Palace in Puerto Nuevo, my wife has been to the Mayan Palace in Riviera Maya (Cancun), and most recently, I took my daughter to the Villa De Palmar in Cabo San Lucas.

All have been the same in the fact that they are usually basic rooms that can be upgraded for a nominal fee (or by agreeing to attend a timeshare presentation), but the resorts themselves have all been excellent (and worth FAR more than the taxes and fees we paid.)

My biggest recommendation with any destination you ever stay is to research it in advance on TripAdvisor.com or Oyster.com. You’ll not only get great insights about the quality of the resort, but the quality of their customer service as well.

Seems like a lot of hoops to jump through. Is it worth the trouble?

I pay an average of $150 to $250 per person for the trips I take my family on – including flights to exotic destinations and nice accommodations. Sometimes I pay only taxes and fees for accommodations, sometimes, I get the flight so cheap I can bundle accommodations for so little that I’m better off doing that.

To me, it’s well worth a few extra hoops compared to paying the $750 to $2500 most people pay per-person. If that sounds like too much trouble to you, then maybe “The JGOOT Way” isn’t a fit for you. (That’s what most of these subscribers thought at first too, but they gave it a 30-day risk-free try)

If you’re still unsure that “The JGOOT Way” is a fit for you, keep reading my blog for free. If some of those posts make sense to you, I’d love to show you even more as a premium subscriber. If not, that’s cool too.

Happy travels!

–Joel McDonald[/text_block]