Destination Club Association

Created after the fall of industry giant Tanner & Haley, leaving nearly 900 members without a club and with little sense of the security of their membership deposits, the Destination Club Association was established in June of 2006. The organization was tasked to "promote the responsible growth of the industry through education to create awareness of the industry and its unique vacation offerings, through the establishment of best practices and other consumer protections, and through cooperation with the broader hospitality industry worldwide."

The trade organization helped draft a suggested list of best practices that club members would adhere to and devised a new metric to track each club's ability to repay obligations owed to members called the Net Asset Test.

When established, the association counted six of the largest and most established destination clubs in the sector, including:

>> Exclusive Resorts
>> High Country Club
>> Parallel
>> Private Escapes
>> Quintess
>> Ultimate Resort

LUSSO Collection would also join the organization and Parallel would be replaced by the Solstice Collection after the two clubs merged. Private Escapes and Ultimate Resort would also merge to form Ultimate Escapes, who would serve on the association as well as the new Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club.

Once the financial and real estate markets began their downfalls in 2008, many of the destination clubs throughout the industry were critically hit. Despite their attempts to provide additional disclosure and assurances to members, many members of the DCA were similarly hurt.

LUSSO Collection, High Country Club, and Solstice Collection all filed for bankruptcy. Not convinced that the organization "had any teeth," the organization's newest member Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club resigned from the organization.

How the association will progress has yet to be determined.

To learn more about the Destination Club Association, please feel free to request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide.