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Duo by Quintess

Destination Club Holiday Gifts, Part 1: A Membership in Quintess, or DUO by Quintess

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments, By Design



Well, Happy Holidays! It could be me or you or a deserving friend, walking along that beach, looking toward one of the Quintess Villas at La Samanna, built on that cliff. The family would be either outside, sailing or swimming, or inside, relaxing, or fixing dinner, or lunch or breakfast. This is just one part of a Quintess vacation that turns memory to legacy.

I have written about Quintess, Leading Residences Of The World (LRW) before on Luxist: once about the mission and vision behind this high end Destination Club, others about it's inclusion of The Tour Club and DUO by Quintess, two other clubs that have been created under Quintess aegis, this year.

Quintess,LRW is one of two ultra high end. non-equity destination clubs in existence, and, according to Ben Addoms, Founding Member and CMO, it has been a good year. October was the best sales month in over two years, and Christmas is coming! "There are over 600 members now in Quintess, LRW, The Tour Club and the newest, DUO by Quintess. Not surprisingly, in the last quarter of the year, we receive requests for memberships to be used as holiday gifts, for family members, and business associates.. The Quintess LRW, and DUO by Quintess memberships are holiday gifts that keeps on giving, certainly."

Those gifts that keep on giving are usually not cheap, and a membership in Quintess certainly isn't. From 10 to 60 days of vacation, pricing levels range from $140,000 to $525,000 membership deposit, (but 75% is returned at resignation.) But, as with those gifts also, the members receives a type of travel that becomes needed, and unforgettable.
  • The choice of any home and destination in the complete portfolio of over 80 luxury homes,on average priced at 4M in 40+ destinations around the world.
  • Travel with comprehensive travel planning with on-site Destination Hosts and a personal member relations manager who gets to know you and your family's travel needs.
  • Extended family use that allows the member to send the entire family, plus their friends, on their own club vacations, because of the ability to reserve and use 2 residences in the same destination.





Tags: Aman Resorts, Amangani Resort, Baie Lounge St. Martin, Destination Club Quintess, DUO by Quintess, Elysees Spa, Jackson Hole, La Samanna, La Samanna Quintess, Non-Equity based residence club Quintess, Quintess, Quintess Aspen Colorado, Quintess Memberships Christmas Gifts, Quintess Napa Valley, Quintess Villa Tuscany, St. Martin Quintess, Terra Toscana Quintess, The Tour Club, Wyoming

Continue reading “Destination Club Holiday Gifts, Part 1: A Membership in Quintess, or DUO by Quintess”

Good News For The Vacation Homeless: Luxury Membership Options Emerge Following The Ultimate Escapes Bankruptcy

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels


Demeure's Borgo De Vagli residence, Tuscany

For those of us who have followed the fallout from the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy, it has been a bumpy ride. I have written about this bankruptcy before on Luxist, but here is a small refresher précis.

Ultimate Escapes was a high end, luxury, non-equity based destination club, and the second largest in the industry. Members paid between $150,000 and $800,000 membership deposit, and many thousands more in annual dues. For those fees, they took vacations to exotic places and stay in exceptional residences, villas and condos. There were over 1400 members when the club bankrupted in mid-September, 2010. It was then the fifth major bankruptcy in five years for the non-equity destination club space. Prior to Ultimate escapes was Tanner & Haley, Lusso, High Country Club, Solstice, and now this. For members, industry watchers and many others, this bankruptcy began a serious re-thinking process. What is the matter?

As with many complex problems, this one appeared easy to solve. Many believed it was the non-equity model on which literally all of the bankrupted clubs were based, and in part, but only in part, it was. The first generation non-equity model was broadly based on a kind of Wild West 2004-2008 YAHOO-type optimism: clubs will certainly grow if -- real estate values would appreciate, and if members continued to join. If this growth hormone were in place, and why shouldn't it be?.. then the members will receive what was promised to them: 80% of their deposits back upon resignation from the club, and the 3 in 1 out option borrowed from the timeshare industry: If three new members joined, you could resign. Simple. Seemed so reasonable in those pre-Madoff times.

And because it seemed so reasonable, and times were so optimistic, many clubs bought properties and others were leased when prices were at an all-time high. Then, suddenly, in October of 2008, the perfect storm appeared: real estate values declined, Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros. deflated. But no matter what, lenders wanted mortgage payments and lessors wanted their rent. With these occurrences, the first generation club model looked like a house of cards, easily toppled by the dark winds of a collapsing economy and potential members' deciding against joining any club, even, as one member said to me, "a church group." Thus, with this last bankruptcy, following much the same process as the others, many felt this was the last gasp for the non-equity based club.

BUT! The model is not dead: it is evolving....


Tags: Abercrombie Kent Residence Club, Boundless Journeys, Demeure Club, Destination Club, DUO by Quintess, Exclusive Resorts, Post Ultimate escapes Bankruptcy, Quintess, Second Home Destinations, Ultimate escapes bankruptcy

Continue reading “Good News For The Vacation Homeless: Luxury Membership Options Emerge Following The Ultimate Escapes Bankruptcy”

A New Exclusive Resorts Holiday Offer: $10,000 Gift Card To Join Before December 15th

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels


Real del Mar Residence, Exclusive Resorts

Members of Exclusive Resorts, the world's largest destination club, have long enjoyed a substantial list of white glove services over the years as part of their membership. With the holidays coming closer, Exclusive Resorts is rewarding new members who join before December 15, 2010 with even more services -- by giving them a $10,000 gift card to be used for private chefs, spa treatments, customized excursions, tee times, and more.

This offer is one that might tempt Ultimate Escapes members, as their club bankrupted in September. I have written about this bankruptcy on Luxist before. The members of this club, around 1400, have since received many offers from Demeure, Duo byQuintess and others. Though the $10,000 Exclusive Resorts offer is not specific to Ultimate Escapes members, it may provide more incentive for those who are not yet committed to any club or Villa rental service, and who still are searching for a destination club to join. Since their inception, Exclusive Resorts has maintained a membership satisfaction score in excess of 90% every year, demonstrating the care taken with each member.

Also, despite the poor state of the economy, Exclusive Resorts exceeded many of their goals for 2010, in terms of new membership sales. When the year began, Chairman Steve Case appeared on CNBC and said that a "decent" year was expected for the club. Since then, Exclusive Resorts has sold well over 150 new memberships YTD, with over 100 upgrades from current members. They have also executed their 100,000th vacation this year.

From the business side of the equation, Exclusive Resorts has also spent much of 2010 on reducing costs, an initiative that has them at or under budget for all major cost categories. Last December, Exclusive Resorts finished 2009 with their best sales month of the year. With this intriguing $10,000 incentive, 2010 may be just as lucrative.

Luxist is grateful to Destination Club News for referring this story to us.


Tags: Demeure, Destination Club News, destination club offers, Duo by Quintess, Exclusive Resorts, Steve Case, Ultimate Escapes Bankruptcy

Continue reading “A New Exclusive Resorts Holiday Offer: $10,000 Gift Card To Join Before December 15th”

DUO by Quintess: The New Destination Club, A New Option for Ultimate Escapes Members And Others

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels


A DUO by Quintess residence, Cabo San Lucas

Two weeks ago, I reported on the Ultimate Escapes Destination Club bankruptcy, which is the largest bankruptcy in the brief history of the luxury destination club industry. This industry has had more than its share of well-publicized bankruptcies, with the members of these clubs usually left out in the cold, money and great travel expectations lost. In this most recent case, 1400 or so Ultimate Escapes members are in this kind of labyrinthine Limbo.

But for many of these UE members, being in such convoluted place is not their first time. To understand the importance of the options created by Quintess and others, it is crucial to understand the unusual context in which the Ultimate Escapes members find themselves.

Approximately seven years ago, in 2003, the first destination club, Private Retreats, launched in Telluride, Colorado. Two years later, Private Retreats changed its name to Abercrombie & Kent Destination Club. The A&K name was leased by Private Retreats. Eventually, A&K ended their licensing agreement with Private Retreats, and the destination club was renamed Tanner & Haley.

Tanner & Haley went bankrupt in 2006-- the first destination club to do so. Then, Ultimate Resort, a small destination club founded in 2005, gathered up the Tanner & Haley members, offered them a way to continue their travel club membership by purchasing the T&H homes. About a year later, Ultimate then instigated a complicated merger with another club operator called Private Escapes. More members were picked up there. And, Ultimate Resort's name change to Ultimate Escapes. So if you're following the bouncing ball, some of the present members of Ultimate Escapes, were actually refugees from Tanner & Haley, and also Private Escapes. So, it is easy to surmise that these members have -- also! -- been bounced around from club to club.

But wait! There's more.


Tags: Ben Addoms, Destination Club history, destination clubs, DUO by Quintess, luxury destination clubs, problems with Destination Clubs, Quintess, Quintess LRW, The Tour Club, Ultimate Escapes, Ultimate escapes Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Continue reading “DUO by Quintess: The New Destination Club, A New Option for Ultimate Escapes Members And Others”

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