Guests who bought a hotel room at MarBrisa in Carlsbad, California through marbrisacarlsbad.com between June 3, 2021 and June 17, 2025, and were charged fees such as parking that were allegedly left out of the advertised price, may qualify for an equal share of the $750,000 Hilton Grand Vacations MarBrisa hotel fee class action settlement. A Payment Election is due January 21, 2027, and the final approval hearing is set for February 19, 2027.
Current Status
Payment Elections are open. Class members must submit one by January 21, 2027 to be paid; there is no separate claim form. The San Diego County Superior Court granted preliminary approval in September 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for February 19, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. No final approval order or payment date had been announced as of November 6, 2026. Submitting online requires the Notice ID and PIN from the emailed or mailed notice.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Judge Marcella O. McLaughlin of San Diego County Superior Court preliminarily approved the settlement of Maldonado v. Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., et al., Case No. 25CU029217C, after a September 18, 2026 hearing, and appointed Apex Class Action LLC as settlement administrator. Notices have gone out by email and postcard to guests identified in the defendants’ booking records. The parties reached the deal after a January 28, 2026 mediation.The lawsuit, filed June 2, 2025, alleges that Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., Hilton Resorts Corporation and Grand Pacific MarBrisa Owners Association did not include all fees in the room prices shown on marbrisacarlsbad.com, the booking site for the MarBrisa resort in Carlsbad, and that some fees, including parking, were displayed as taxes during checkout. It brought claims under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. The defendants deny any wrongdoing or liability, and the settlement is not an admission of fault.
Who Qualifies?
The class includes everyone who bought a hotel room at MarBrisa through marbrisacarlsbad.com from June 3, 2021 through June 17, 2025 and was charged any fee allegedly not shown in the advertised price at the time of purchase, including parking fees. Employees, officers and agents of the defendants, and the judicial officers assigned to the case with their staff and immediate families, are excluded.The class definition in the settlement agreement and the preliminary approval order does not limit the class to California residents, although the notice is headed “If you were a resident of California.” The defendants estimate about 5,621 class members, identified from their own booking records. Rooms booked through third-party travel sites are not covered by the definition, which names marbrisacarlsbad.com only.
How Much Can You Get?
Every class member who submits a Payment Election receives the same amount, a pro rata share of the net settlement fund. The court decides the deductions at the final approval hearing; Class Counsel will request up to $262,500 in attorneys’ fees (35% of the fund) and up to $40,000 in litigation costs, plus an incentive award of up to $7,500 for the class representative. Administration is estimated at $25,750.If the court approves all of those amounts, about $414,250 is left for guests. Divided across all of the estimated 5,621 class members, that is roughly $74 each. That figure is OCA’s estimate from the agreement’s numbers, not an official one, and it is a floor: shares grow as fewer class members elect payment.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The online Payment Election requires the Notice ID and PIN printed on the email or postcard notice. No receipts or booking confirmations are needed. The settlement website directs anyone who did not receive a Notice ID and PIN to contact the settlement administrator, which can confirm whether they are on the class list. Submitting an election does not by itself establish eligibility.What Is the Deadline?
Payment Elections are due January 21, 2027. The notice does not specify a time zone. Opt-out requests and written objections must be mailed to the settlement administrator and postmarked by December 22, 2026; class members may also ask to object in person at the February 19, 2027 hearing.How Do You Take Action?
Payment Elections are submitted on the official settlement website using the Notice ID and PIN. Each class member chooses one payment method: PayPal, Venmo or Zelle (by the email and phone number tied to that account), an ACH transfer to a bank account, or a mailed check. The method does not change the amount.Checks are valid for 180 days. A lost check can be replaced only if a replacement is requested before its void date. Class members who do nothing receive no payment and are still bound by the release; an opt-out letter is the only way to keep a separate claim over the same fees.
What Happens Next?
Judge McLaughlin will decide at the February 19, 2027 hearing in Department C-72 of the Hall of Justice in San Diego, which can also be attended virtually, whether to grant final approval and how much to award in fees, costs and the incentive award. Class Counsel’s final approval and fee motions are due by January 26, 2027. If the settlement is approved and the judgment becomes final, the agreement calls for payments within 30 days after the effective date. The court can move the hearing without further notice. No payment date had been announced as of November 6, 2026.Sources and Verification
- Official settlement website — MarBrisa Settlement
- Court-authorized notice (PDF)
- Settlement Agreement and Release, Maldonado v. Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., et al., No. 25CU029217C (Super. Ct. San Diego Cnty.)
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement, No. 25CU029217C (Super. Ct. San Diego Cnty., 2026)
Questions
Does a guest have to live in California to be in the MarBrisa settlement?
The notice is addressed to California residents, and the original complaint sought to represent Californians. But the settlement class definition in the agreement and the preliminary approval order contains no residency requirement: it covers everyone who bought a MarBrisa room through marbrisacarlsbad.com from June 3, 2021 to June 17, 2025 and was charged a fee allegedly left out of the advertised price. The class list comes from the defendants’ booking records, and the settlement website directs anyone unsure of their status to the settlement administrator.
Why is the payment amount not known yet?
Every class member who elects payment receives the same share of what is left of the $750,000 after court-approved fees, costs, the incentive award and administration. The defendants estimate about 5,621 class members. If the court approves every requested deduction, about $414,250 remains, which works out to roughly $74 each if every class member elected payment. Fewer elections mean larger shares, so the final amount depends on how many guests sign up by January 21, 2027.
What happens to money nobody claims?
None of the $750,000 returns to the defendants once the settlement is final. About 210 days after payments go out, any money left over, including uncashed checks, goes to Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County as the cy pres recipient, or another organization the parties agree on and the court approves.
What happens to class members who do not submit a Payment Election?
They receive no payment but remain in the class and are bound by the release, which covers claims that the defendants failed to disclose fees on MarBrisa hotel room sales. Only a mailed opt-out request postmarked by December 22, 2026 removes someone from the settlement.
