Ultimate Resort
Press Releases

Introduced on Valentine's Day in 2005, Ultimate Resort quickly sold out of their Charter Memberships as "the most affordable luxury destination club on Earth."

"Ultimate Resort appeals to the growing base of 6 million mass affluent luxury travelers, many of whom are looking for the flexibility and benefits of a luxury destination club, but at a fraction of the high cost of other leading destination clubs. Membership fees in Ultimate Resort are very affordable - 50% less expensive than other leading clubs such as Exclusive Resorts and Abercrombie & Kent Destination Clubs, offering our club members a great value," said Jim Tousignant, Ultimate Resort's Founder and President.

As the young club continued to grow, Tanner & Haley, the destination club formerly known as Abercrombie & Kent Destination Clubs, was falling on hard times. The club had lost the valueable A&K license and years of insufficient annual dues and large leasing costs began to erode the club internally. In July of 2006, the industry pioneer would announce that they would file for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

With nearly 900 members, the assets of the club would be a hot commodity and Ultimate Resort would battle Ciel, a new luxury destination club created by billionaire J. Joseph Ricketts. Ultimate Resort's $98 million bid was approved only to have Ciel submit an eleventh hour bid of $108 million. Both clubs would increase their bids further, but Judge Alan H.W. Swiff's decision remained with Ultimate Resort.

The club would add roughly 650 Tanner & Haley members and transition from an up and coming young club to the industry's solidified number two player in just months. The deal would officially close in May of 2007, just months prior to another industry shaking acquisition involving Ultimate Resort.

In September of 2007, Ultimate Resort and Private Escapes announced their merger that would eventually create Ultimate Escapes Destination Club. According to the club, the combination would "account for more than 25 percent of the total market share and boast a global resort real estate portfolio with a fair market value of $200 million." The acquisition of Private Escapes would be finalized in September of 2009.

Now operating as Ultimate Escapes, the club remains one of the industry's leaders with well over 1,200 members. Below, please find the press releases from the club prior to their transition to the Ultimate Escapes brand name. If you would like to learn more about the new club, please visit our Ultimate Escapes Press Release Archive.

Latest Press Releases

Ultimate Resort and Private Escapes Officially Launch New Brand - Ultimate Escapes
Date: May 27, 2008
Ultimate Resort and Private Escapes have announced their new brand, Ultimate Escapes. Announced in September of 2007, members will now have access to the combined real estate portfolio of the two clubs, totaling over 140 luxury residences in 50 global destinations.