Easy methods to guide Bluegreen Holidays resorts by means of Alternative Lodges

Bluegreen Vacations, an American private vacation ownership brand owned by Hilton Grand Vacations, is best known for its timeshare properties. But you don’t have to purchase a timeshare to stay at a Bluegreen Vacations resort — you can book 15 Bluegreen Vacations properties through Choice Hotels. You can even redeem Choice Privileges points for your Bluegreen Vacations stay.

These 15 Bluegreen Vacations properties are great for families and groups of friends, as they offer apartment-style multibedroom units with full kitchens and resort-style pools. So here’s what you need to know about booking Bluegreen Vacations properties through Choice.

You can buy timeshare properties or interests through Bluegreen Vacations. Bluegreen Vacations holds timeshare presentations at many properties, which travelers can attend in exchange for discounted nights and other benefits.

Most Bluegreen Vacations resorts offer studio suites to three-bedroom condos. Each unit usually has a full kitchen, living room, dining area, balcony or porch and washer and dryer.

Bluegreen Vacations also has resorts all around the U.S. You can buy a timeshare interest in these resorts, but you can also book stays at them through Choice Hotels, even if you have no interest in buying a timeshare or attending a presentation.

Related: Why I bought a timeshare — and am really happy about it

• Banner Elk, N.C.: Blue Ridge Village, an Ascend Resort
• Big Bear Lake, Calif.: The Club at Big Bear Village
• Chicago, Ill.: Hotel Blake, Ascend Hotel Collection
• Dennis Port, Mass.: The Breakers Resort and The Soundings Seaside Resort
• Gordonsville, Va.: Shenandoah Crossing, Ascend Resort Collection
• Las Vegas, Nev.: Club 36, Ascend Resort Collection
• Lincoln, N.H: South Mountain, Ascend Resort Collection
• Myrtle Beach, S.C.: Harbour Lights, Ascend Resort Collection
• Orlando, Fla.: The Fountains, Ascend Resort Collection
• Peoria, Ariz.: Cibola Vista Resort and Spa
• San Antonio, Texas: Eilan Hotel and Spa, Ascend Resort Collection
• Williamsburg, Va.: Parkside Williamsburg and Patrick Henry Square, Ascend Resort Collection
• Wisconsin Dells, Wis: Christmas Mountain Village

The Banner Elk in North Carolina location is great for visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Big Bear Lake resort is perfect for skiing and the Orlando location is ideal for a theme park trip with the family. In addition to the above properties, Bluegreen Vacations has other accommodations that aren’t bookable through Choice Hotels.

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Related: 10 ways to use points to book vacation home rentals

I expect most travelers who want to book a Bluegreen Vacations property through Choice will have a specific property in mind. I recommend starting on that property’s landing page (you can click through to each property from the list of Bluegreen Vacations properties on the Choice Hotels webpage if you’d like).

Ideally, you’d be able to click through the calendar for a specific property to see which dates are available for booking with cash or points. But I’ve found these calendars often show no availability even when availability exists. Instead, check all the dates you might be interested in booking.

Unfortunately, you can only redeem Choice points for stays within the next 100 days and book paid rates for stays within the next 50 weeks. As such, availability may be difficult to find at some properties on some dates.

Many Bluegreen Vacations properties also have unpublished minimum stay requirements when you book through Choice Hotels, so try searching for stays of different lengths if your travel plans are flexible. Based on my searches, many properties require you to stay for at least two nights.

Once you find a Bluegreen Vacations property you want to book that has availability through Choice Hotels, check the room types you can book with points. You may find multibedroom units that can sleep a large family (or a group of friends) for the same points cost as a studio suite or one-bedroom unit.

It’s also worth checking paid rates, which are reasonable for some properties on some dates. Consider the following two-night stay at the Bluegreen Vacations Fountains, Ascend Resort Collection.

You could redeem 30,000 points per night for either room type. But you could pay $357 total for a two-bedroom unit with two single beds and one queen bed or $374 for a two-bedroom unit with a king bed and two double beds, giving you a redemption rate of 0.59 to 0.62 cents per point. TPG’s July 2024 valuations peg the value of Choice points at 0.6 cents per point, so you might want to book a paid stay if you don’t have many Choice points and can typically redeem Choice points at a higher rate.

As of publishing, award rates are the same for each Bluegreen Vacations property you can book through Choice Hotels. Specifically, Sunday through Thursday nights cost 25,000 points, and Friday and Saturday nights cost 30,000 points through Sept. 15. Then, from Sept. 16 to Nov. 30, all nights cost 20,000 points per room. Choice hasn’t announced award rates for stays from Dec. 1 onward yet.

You can earn Choice points through credit cards such as the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® ($0 annual fee; see rates and fees) or Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® ($95 annual fee, see rates and fees). You can also buy Choice points or transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou points and Wells Fargo Rewards.

But — especially if you don’t need a multibedroom unit and aren’t traveling on peak dates — you might come out ahead by booking a paid rate and earning Choice points on your Bluegreen Vacations stay. Be sure to enroll in any current Choice Privileges promotions before your stay to maximize your earnings.