Parallel
Notes From The Club

Created by Chad Morse and Tim Wolff over dinner, Parallel was to be the fusion of aligning the financial and experiential interests of members with the interests of the club.

The club would quickly establish themselves near the top of the ultra-luxury segment of the destination club industry, trailing only the invitation only Solstice Collection. Through a mutual friend, Wolff would be introduced to Graham Kos, the Founder of Solstice. Both would discuss the always fluid destination club industry and begin to realize the benefits of a combined Parallel and Solstice entity.

By November of 2006, Parallel and Solstice merged, creating the undisputed leader atop the ultra-luxury sector, with upstarts such as Ciel and Yellowstone Club World unable to generate any positive steps compared to the club.

"What began as casual conversations between two respected industry peers quickly elevated to recognition of complimentary assets that, when combined, would create the undeniable elite destination club in the world," wrote the club. "We believe that the premier destination club should deliver architecturally significant and uniquely appointed homes, backed by a high level of personalized service, financial transparency and member deposit protection. The new Solstice marries Solstice’s growing collection of remarkable homes with Parallel’s best-in-class services, resulting in a member experience unmatched by any club model, or for that matter, outright ownership. Further, Solstice continues its commitment to provide the highest standards of financial transparency to its members, and now introduces, for the first time in the industry, a choice between two deposit reimbursement models based upon each participant’s financial goals."

The combination would prove success and throughout 2007, the combined clubs, working under the Solstice Collection brand name, increased membership sales 70%. In May of 2008, Graham Kos and a group of outside investors would purchase a controlling interest in the club from the Parallel founding investors. Kos would retake his position as CEO while executives Chad Morse, Tim Wolff, and Timothy Weller would leave the club's executive team.

"The vision of Solstice has not changed," said Kos. "With our core membership service and home acquisition teams still in place following the restructuring, Solstice members will continue to see positive changes in the high level of service and great access to a growing portfolio of the finest homes around the world."

The restructured Solstice would continue to move forward, right into the eye of the financial downturn of 2008 and 2009. With new membership sales all but impossible and rivals such as High Country Club, LUSSO Collection, and Yellowstone Club World all forced into bankruptcy, Solstice would follow suit, voluntarily filing for Chapter 11 early in 2009.

Due to their bankruptcy filing, no notes from the club are currently available. If you would like to learn more about Parallel, please visit the club's quick links to the right. To learn more about Solstice, please visit our Solstice Collection Overview.

If you are a former member of Parallel and/or Solstice and would like to contribute any of your thoughts or experiences about the clubs, feel free to contact us at contribute@destinationclubnews.com.