Arcarnus Retreats

A small club out of the United Kingdom, Arcarnus was incorporated in November of 2004 and changed "directors or secretaries or particulars" five times by April of 2006.

"Some 3,500 years ago the letter A originated in the Eastern Mediterranean as a pictogram derived from an ox, or aleph. It was then adopted from trading Phoenicians by the Greeks as their Alpha. Later the Romas evolved the form of the letter we use today. As the first letter in the alphabet it has now come to mean 'the best.'"

In addition to the destination club component, other services were also available to members. "At Arcarnus, we believe in the quality and allure of the little known. We believe that the very best things in life are often secret or hidden. Our mission is to discover these precious and rare experiences all over the world - and make them available to a very few."

A precursor to many clubs of today, such as Validus and The Discovery Club, Arcarnus partnered with luxury hotels and resorts to provide members discounted travel options but also partnered with restaurants, tour operators, hairdressers, and stylists to name but a few as their "Lifestyle Management" service to make life as seamless as possible for members. "Our attitude is to tell our clients only what they need to know - the handful of places, events, happenings and new destinations around the world that really are good enough for their tastes and aspirations."

Luxury property owners could also make their residence available to members by exchanging time at their property for other properties contributed by members. A debate continues whether this type of structure is or is not a destination club.

So heavily focused on the service component, the young club was never able to effectively sell their benefits as Exclusive Resorts and Private Retreats came to dominate the industry with an established portfolio of properties available to members and quality service.

Arcarnus managed to generate enough business in the United Kingdom to stay afloat until 2006, primarily as a concierge like service, but eventually faded into the destination club annals. As mentioned above, this model has seen a growing interest with clubs like One Key World focusing on obtaining partnerships for members use.

To learn more about Arcarnus Retreats, please visit any of the club's quick links found to the right or please request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide.

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The Discovery Club
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Validus, A Destination Club