There is a second door into HGV resorts that has nothing to do with points. HGV calls it Open Season: last-minute availability at select resorts, paid in cash, bookable starting 30 days before check-out. A Honolulu timeshare broker put it in front of us this week with a rate example from Ka Haku, the new Hilton Club tower on Kaiulani Avenue. We have booked our long Waikiki stays with points for years, so a cash rate for two nights is not how we travel, but it is worth understanding before someone tries to sell it to you as a perk.
What happened
On Oct. 29, 2026, Kujira Club, a Honolulu company that buys and sells Hawaii timeshares, published a Japanese-language staff blog post about Open Season at Ka Haku, a Hilton Club. According to that post, Hilton timeshare members can book vacant rooms at a member rate shortly before arrival, paying by credit card instead of using points, with a two-night minimum. It says Ka Haku can be booked through Open Season depending on availability.
HGV’s own description is narrower. An undated Open Season FAQ for HGV Max members defines the program as an “Open Season Booking Window that provides last-minute availability at select resorts within Hilton Grand Vacations’ portfolio for cash-rate stays starting 30 days before check-out.” Rates, it says, appear during the booking process. The FAQ does not list which resorts take part, so the claim that Ka Haku is one of them comes from Kujira Club, not from HGV. The FAQ also does not mention a two-night minimum; that detail is Kujira Club’s too.
The Ka Haku rates, as Kujira Club reported them
These are Kujira Club’s examples, both for peak season. The post says rates change by day of the week, season and availability, and that the numbers are examples, not a guarantee of price or availability. The per-night column is simple division.
| Room | 2 nights, per Kujira Club | Per night | With tax “from $33” a night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $350 | $175 | from $416 ($350 + $66) |
| One-bedroom | $478 | $239 | from $544 ($478 + $66) |
That tax line is the one people forget. Kujira Club lists lodging tax separately, starting at $33 a night, and does not say whether other fees apply. Look at the total on the booking screen, not the headline rate.
The $128 gap between the two rooms buys a different kind of stay. On HGV’s Ka Haku page, studios run 383 to 460 square feet, sleep two to four, and have a king bed, a sleeper sofa and a partial kitchen with a wet bar, microwave, refrigerator with ice maker and coffee maker. The page also lists one-, two- and three-bedroom suites.
What it changes for a Waikiki stay
The thing that changes is timing. The window counts back from check-out, not check-in. For a two-night stay, 30 days before check-out is 28 days before you arrive. That is roughly four weeks of notice, at best, and less if you want a longer stay.
If you fly in from the mainland and like to lock in airfare months ahead, that is awkward. You either buy the flights first and hope a room opens up, or wait and pay whatever the fare is a month out. Kujira Club’s own view is that the program suits people with flexible schedules and Hawaii residents who want a weekend staycation, and the math backs them up.
There is also an HGV Max wrinkle worth knowing if that is your membership. The FAQ says HGV Max members get an annual Open Season Credit that depends on tier, from $250 a year at Preferred to $1,000 a year at Centum+. It is granted Jan. 1, does not roll over, can be split across reservations, and cannot be used on a Guest Certificate stay. Former HGVClub Elite members who had an Open Season rate discount lose it: the FAQ says the credit “replaces” the discount.
What we’d do — and what we wouldn’t
We would not trade our usual booking for this. Our trips are long stays in a one-bedroom, and we have always built them with points. We have said it before: points buy days, not chandeliers. A two-night cash stay is a different product for a different kind of trip, and we are happy to leave it to the people it fits.
If we ever used it, it would be small: two extra nights tacked onto one end of a regular stay, mostly to see how the new tower’s suites live. That is a “maybe someday”, not a plan.
For owners who want Ka Haku and find the point chart steep, Open Season looks like the easier way to try the building. We did the point comparison in Ka Haku or Hokulani?, and the newest tower is not where points stretch furthest. Cash for two nights at a member rate, if a room is open, is a lighter commitment than reshuffling a year’s points.
If you live on Oahu or your dates move easily, this is the group the window was built for. Book once the window opens and check the total with tax before you click.
One more caution. The Japanese headline says “Hilton members,” but the program it describes is for Hilton timeshare members. Nothing we read says a Hilton Honors hotel account alone gets you Open Season. If you are not an HGV owner and someone uses Open Season rates as a reason to buy, give it a week of thinking first; our resale-vs-direct question list is a good place to start.
Before you plan around this
Checked Oct. 30, 2026. The program definition, the 30-days-before-check-out window and the HGV Max credit amounts come from HGV’s FAQ for HGV Max members, which is undated and does not say whether owners outside HGV Max get the same booking window. The Ka Haku participation, the two-night minimum, the example rates and the $33-a-night tax figure come from Kujira Club’s Oct. 29 post alone. Ka Haku opened in early October and is still ramping up (more in our opening post), so what is open, and what Open Season shows for it, can change from week to week. Confirm your eligibility and the live rate in your HGV member portal or with owner services before you build a trip around it.
This is our owner experience as of October 2026, not financial or legal advice; verify current terms with Hilton Grand Vacations.
