Why Didn't DUO Introduce A Dues Only Membership For Ultimate Escapes Members?

By: Destination Club News
Date: March 9, 2011

The legal and emotional aftermath of the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy filing continues to play out. Just yesterday, we covered the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy process, as court documents have revealed more about the merger discussions with Quintess and the final days for the former world's second largest destination club. Quintess and Ultimate Escapes had been in talks about a possible acquisition for months and it seemed a likely landing spot for many Ultimate Escapes members, but those talks broke down. Instead, Quintess created DUO, a new destination club with an initial focus on Ultimate Escapes base of members and referrals from Quintess members. We have heard good reports from several Ultimate Escapes members that took advantage of the DUO offering, but many initially inquired as to why didn't DUO by Quintess craft a dues only membership option?

We posed that question to Todd Miller, the Vice President of Marketing at Quintess. He boiled it down to essentially one important point: sustainability.

"First and foremost, we wanted to develop something that was sustainable," he said. "We didn't feel that with all the factors that it would make sense for us to offer a dues only membership option. We are also cognizant that anything we introduced would need to be an attractive option. If we did a dues only membership, it would need to be sustainable and would require a much, much higher annual dues rate, which we believed wouldn't be attractive to Ultimate Escapes members."

"We also wanted to have people have a long-term interest in the club. Those that join via a dues only basis, rather if it is called a trial or not, that is what it boils down to. I can change my mind at any time. What we want is to secure attractive real estate that can be put to use for years. If members join via a dues only membership and leave a year from now, the model is counter intuitive. We want to build a club that people love and allow it to thrive."

Ultimate Escapes proved to be unstable, largely from the poor financial decisions made years ago. Following their bankruptcy, another new age for the destination club model has emerged with a strong focus on fiscal responsibility. Quintess and companion clubs DUO by Quintess and The TOUR Club are all sustainable solely on membership annual dues, meaning that no new membership sales are needed for the club to cover their annual costs. If you are interested in destination club membership, make sure to inquire about a club's financial position in addition to the financial benefits available to you as a member. If you would like to receive a list of suggested due diligence questions that should be asked when speaking with a club, request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide. If you are a former Ultimate Escapes member or would like to simply learn more about DUO, please complete this short contact form and we will put you in touch with a club representative.