Vacation Ownership Shifts to Experience Access: HGV Runs 3,800 Events a Year
In a Skift Global Forum decision brief, ARDA President & CEO Jason Gamel and Hilton Grand Vacations Senior Executive VP & COO Gordon Gurnik discussed how vacation ownership is shifting from lodging toward experience access. Gurnik said HGV runs about 3,800 experience events a year for roughly 725,000 owners, spanning its F1 Las Vegas Clubhouse, private concerts and the LPGA Tournament of Champions. Gamel said more than 75% of vacation-ownership purchasers are millennials and Gen Z, a younger base driving experience demand. They also noted owners can convert ownership into Hilton Honors points, and pointed to similar experience platforms from Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Westgate Resorts an…
Impact and considerations
Vacation ownership and hotel loyalty systems are using exclusive experience access as a retention tool rather than discounts alone. For business-travel and lodging suppliers, this means the customer relationship may extend from a single stay to year-round events and points ecosystems, affecting member operations and c…
Key points
- HGV runs about 3,800 experience events a year for roughly 725,000 owners, including its F1 Las Vegas Clubhouse, private concerts and the LPGA Tournament of Champions.
- Gamel said more than 75% of vacation-ownership purchasers are millennials and Gen Z, a younger base driving experience demand.
- Gurnik stressed experience programming must be owner-led, refreshed through surveys, and include spotting rising talent for private concerts.
- Gamel noted HGV owners can convert ownership into Hilton Honors points, connecting to a broader hotel loyalty ecosystem.
- Gamel said some younger buyers forgo buying a home to spend on vacations, and pointed to similar experience platforms from Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Westgate Resorts and Travel + Leisure.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Skift
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 25 Sept 2026, 21:26
- Page published
- 25 Sept 2026, 22:18
- Last updated
- 25 Sept 2026, 21:26
- Original links
- Skift Feed：From Vacation Ownership to Experience Access (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 25 Sept 2026, 21:26