People who booked a room at the MarBrisa Carlsbad hotel through its own website between June 3, 2021 and June 17, 2025 have until Jan. 21, 2027 to elect payment from a $750,000 settlement with Hilton Grand Vacations. The suit says guests were charged fees, including parking fees, that were not part of the advertised room price. The case, Maldonado v. Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., No. 25CU029217C, is in San Diego County Superior Court, and payment elections are made on the settlement website.
The class covers anyone who purchased a MarBrisa room through marbrisacarlsbad.com in that window and was charged fees not shown in the price at purchase. Employees, officers and agents of the defendants, along with judicial officers, their staff and immediate families, are excluded. The defendants named in the case are Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., Hilton Resorts Corporation and Grand Pacific Marbrisa Owners Associations, Inc., according to the administrator’s list of answers to common questions.
The step that matters for a guest is the payment election, not a traditional claim form. Class members make it online with the Notice ID and PIN printed on the notice, and a guest who does nothing stays in the class, gives up the released claims and receives no payment. Anyone who booked a room on the hotel’s site and remembers a parking or other add-on fee at checkout is the person the settlement is aimed at.
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How much will an election pay?
The settlement does not state a per-person amount. Each class member who elects payment receives a pro rata share, so the check depends on how many people elect and on the deductions the court approves from the $750,000 gross fund. If the court refuses final approval or the judgment is reversed on appeal, the settlement is void and no money is paid.
Four deductions come off the top. Class counsel Jack Day and Calvin Bryne of Day Bryne & McIntosh and Paul Haines of Haines Law Group plan to request attorneys’ fees of up to $262,500, which is 35% of the fund, plus up to $40,000 in litigation expenses. The class representative may request a service award of up to $7,500, and the administrator’s estimated fee is $25,750. If every request were approved at its maximum, those four items would total $335,750 and leave about $414,250 to share among those who elect payment, though the court sets the final amounts.
What if the hotel charged a different fee?
The class turns on fees that were not in the advertised price when the room was bought. The settlement website does not name a resort fee, and the administrator tells people who are unsure whether they belong to contact it directly. The toll-free number, mailing address and email for the administrator, Apex Class Action LLC, were still marked “to be confirmed” on the answers page, so the website’s contact form is the working route for questions.
The website’s payment election page offers PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, an ACH bank transfer or a physical check. A guest who chooses a check should tell the administrator promptly if their address changes. Checks carry a void date, and a lost check can be replaced only if the request comes before that date.
Where does the money go if a check is never cashed?
Not back to the guest. Uncashed checks are cancelled and the money goes to a court-authorized nonprofit or foundation, according to the settlement’s answers page. After the void date, the payment cannot be recovered. That makes the payment method worth choosing with care, since a direct deposit by ACH or an app payment leaves no paper check to lose.
No payment date has been set. Payments follow the final approval hearing and the resolution of any objections or appeals, so the timing depends on how the court rules.
Which dates come before January?
Two earlier dates matter for anyone weighing their options. A class member who wants to sue the defendants separately must send a signed opt-out letter postmarked by Dec. 22, 2026, with a full name, address, phone number and email, and doing so means no payment. Class members who stay in give up claims against the defendants and related parties, including Grand Pacific Resort Services, LP and Grand Pacific Resorts, Inc., that arise from the same facts, and cannot sue on them later. An objection to the deal must reach the administrator in writing, also postmarked by Dec. 22.
The final approval hearing is Feb. 19, 2027 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific in Department 72 of the Hall of Justice, 330 W. Broadway, San Diego, with virtual attendance available. The court may move the hearing without further notice. The defendants maintain they did nothing wrong, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. The payment election deadline of Jan. 21, 2027 comes about a month before the hearing, as ClaimDepot’s settlement summary also lists.
Did the MarBrisa booking come with a fee the room price left out?
An election that is not made by Jan. 21 means no payment, and a check that is not cashed by its void date goes to a nonprofit instead of the guest. With payment not due until after a February hearing, the Notice ID and PIN are easy to lose in the meantime.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a step-by-step filing walkthrough and a claim log and payment tracker, so the election date, the hearing and the day a check arrives are recorded in one place. The guide also explains how to get an expired or uncashed settlement check reissued.
Get the filing walkthrough and claim tracker for the MarBrisa fee settlement →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
