Quintess To Increase Annual Dues For New Members

By: Destination Club News
Date: February 24, 2011

The world's largest ultra-luxury destination club, Quintess, is about to get a little bit more expensive to join as beginning March 1, 2011, the club will increase annual dues 5.5% per base plan night for all new memberships.

Even prior to this annual dues increase, Quintess and companion clubs DUO by Quintess and The TOUR Club, were already sustainable solely on membership annual dues. "We design and operate all of our clubs, so that the members' dues cover all the operating costs of the club," said Ben Addoms, Co-Founder of Quintess, during a recent webinar. "A number of destination clubs were built from the beginning with the idea of very low annual dues and that companies would make money by investing in real estate and retaining the gains, implied or actual, when the homes were sold. To be sustainable, a club has to have dues that cover operational expenses. Today, Quintess member dues cover all the operating costs of the company, DUO member dues will cover all the operating costs of the company, and TOUR Club member dues will cover all the operating costs of the company."

It has been a noteworthy 12 months for Quintess as the Colorado based destination club has rapidly expanded with the creation of The TOUR Club and DUO by Quintess. The TOUR Club is the golf and experiential travel club of the three. Earlier this month, The TOUR Club announced their 2011 calendar, a collection of trips that include a visit to Augusta National for The Masters, The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, and other events such as the Daytona 500, Emmys, and World Series. DUO by Quintess was designed for those who don't need the large, $4 million residences attached to the Quintess portfolio. As the name indicates, properties are valued at approximately $2 million.

Just last week, Quintess announced the addition of a new travel option: Quintess Beyond. At launch, members have two different African adventures available. After nearly 40% of members voted for a South African game lodge during a recent survey, Quintess made it a point to add a 10 day tour of the country. Members can also visit Kenya as part of Quintess Beyond, where they can indulge in horseback safaris, take guided bush walks, or visit prehistoric sites.

Annual dues are just one component that should be considered when purchasing a destination club membership. Not only should you evaluate if you are willing to spend that amount of money each year to access club residences, but you should also confirm that the club can exist solely on existing membership dues. If they aren't, they likely will be using a portion of your refundable membership deposit to fund operations, which puts your funds in jeopardy if new membership sales don't continue. If you would like to learn more about questions you should ask when considering destination club membership, request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide.