Private Escapes
Usage

Long one of the most popular destination club options, Private Escapes' Richard Keith described the club as "the industry's only multi-option portfolio where both existing and new members can choose exactly the right club level."

Private Escapes Destination Club actually consisted of three unique clubs: Premiere, Platinum, and Pinnacle. Each with their own property portfolio, members could select the club and residences best for their unique travel needs.

Private Escapes Premiere, the first club introduced and originally known simply as Private Escapes, offered members access to a collection of properties valued at approximately $800,000 each.

Private Escapes Platinum would expand the real estate portfolio by giving members unlimited access to a portfolio of $1,500,000 residences around the world. Properties featured three to five bedrooms and additional living space from those at the Premiere level.

In August of 2006, Private Escapes Pinnacle would launch as Platinum and Premiere approached the 300 member mark. The club's collection of $3,000,000 properties would be in the finest resort areas around the club, typically with easy access to local amenities. "With the addition of Private Escapes Pinnacle, we offer the industry’s only multi-option portfolio where both existing and new members can choose exactly the right club level for them," said Private Escapes' CEO Richard Keith at the club's launch. "This has been our plan since the company launched, and we’re thrilled to bring this option to the market."

Each of the three clubs would offer the same membership plans: Individual and Corporate/Extended Family. Individual members would have unlimited annual access to their club's portfolio and Corporate/Extended Family members could travel approximately 40 nights per year. Both options also allowed members the ability to make "reciprocal" reservations where members could travel to either or both of the other two clubs in the Private Escapes family for up to seven total nights per year.

While Individual members could travel on an unlimited basis, it is a bit of a misnomer. Members in fact would have 28 nights of rolling access to the club's portfolio. Members were able to hold up to, but not exceed, these 28 nights of reservations. As a member traveled, these reservations would be again be made available, allowing a member to continually refresh their reservation schedule and theoretically allow for unlimited annual usage.

Corporate Memberships functioned in very much the same way, but with an annual cap of between 40 or 42 annual nights, depending on when the member joined. Up to 28 nights of reservations were allowed to be held at one time, but unlike the Individual Membership that required the primary member or significant other to be in residence while in use, Corporate and Extended Family Memberships allowed the member to give access rights to clients, friends, family members, and other users.

The reciprocity program allowed all members the ability to enjoy properties within the other two clubs on a limited basis. "Reciprocity between Premiere, Platinum, and Pinnacle exist to enrich all of the Private Escapes offerings," wrote the club. "Each club affords their affiliate club's members an opportunity to utilize the homes and residences of the other clubs to experience the full range of Private Escapes Club membership."

The club would budget 10% of the total available nights to reciprocity usage, but historically, less than 5% of the total nights across all three clubs were reciprocal reservations.

In September of 2007, Private Escapes and Ultimate Resort would announce their union to form the club now known as Ultimate Escapes. At the time of the announcement, Ultimate Resort was the second largest club in the sector with Private Escapes holding the third largest position.

The finalized acquisition of Private Escapes was completed in September of 2009 and Ultimate Escapes remains the clear cut second largest club in the destination club industry.