Ritz-Carlton Destination Club Gives New Members Seven Free Nights of Travel

By: Destination Club News
Date: November 1, 2010

We are just hours removed from Halloween, but it is never too early to start thinking about the holiday season. Christmas will come early for new members of the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club in the form of seven complimentary nights of travel to a club location of the member's choice for those who join before the end of the year. The new promotion is available for memberships equal to or greater than $169,000 and is for redeemable for seven consecutive nights to any of the club's ten locations, subject to availability and to be completed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club offers two distinct membership options. Home Club Membership is designed for those who travel to the same destination year after year, giving members access to between 21 and 35 days of usage each year, depending on the location selected. Portfolio Membership is more similar to the standard destination club model, where members can travel to any of the residences within the club's portfolio.

Just this week, the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club announced a partnership with the Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club, joining two of the most recognizable names in the destination club industry. The Ritz-Carlton and Abercrombie & Kent alliance gives members of each club reciprocal access to the other's properties, greatly adding to the number of vacations options to both members.

Ordinarily, the union of two of the industry's biggest names would dominate discussions, but nearly all are watching the fallout of the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy. The industry's second largest club with well over 1,000 members, Ultimate Escapes defaulted on their loan agreement with CapitalSource and have since selected Demeure as the winning bidder for the club's assets.

While the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy doesn't directly impact the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, similar bankruptcies of the past led to the club's more secure financial design. Nearly all recently launched clubs, including the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, now use either an equity structure where members own either a portion of the real estate or of the club itself or a no ownership model where the club doesn't own properties directly, as is the case with Demeure and The Discovery Club.

There are a surplus of attractive options and incentives currently available to those considering destination club membership. To learn more, please contact us and we will outline the various promotions available to you.