Yellowstone Club World
Holiday Access

Unlike other destination clubs who traditionally provide members with access to single family homes, capable of only housing one member at a time, Yellowstone Club World took a different approach to their property acquisitions.

Some of the properties available to Yellowstone Club World members included a French castle, a private island, and a Mexican resort community, all capable of housing multiple members at one time.

The genesis of Yellowstone Club World begins with the Yellowstone Club, a fiercely private Montana ski and golf community protected by former Secret Service agents created by Tim and Edra Blixseth. With a membership list that included Bill Gates, Dan Quayle, and other notable figures, the Yellowstone Club would be described as the "neighborhood of millionaires" where public figures could relax outside of the public eye.

Bringing this same philosophy to Yellowstone Club World, multiple members would be able to access club residences simultaneously, alleviating one of the problems with more traditional destination club models.

Unfortunately, to acquire these lavish residences, Tim Blixseth would obtain a loan from Credit Suisse for $375 million, using the Yellowstone Club as collateral.

Countless obstacles faced the young club, including the divorce of Tim and Edra, a fight regarding ownership of both Yellowstone Club World and the Yellowstone Club, legal issues, slow sales, and declining real estate values, all leading to the final nail in the coffin when the Credit Suisse loan was defaulted on.

In early 2009, Yellowstone Club World filed for involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy as four creditors sought $4.65 million from the club.

"We're concerned the assets they do have are no longer in control of the Yellowstone Club World," John Amsden said, lawyer for the four creditors. "The involuntary bankruptcy was necessary because it appears that there is no one minding the club's business. We hope that the matter can be resolved with a minimum of expense."

Three of the four creditors were seeking $1.5 million each for membership deposits paid to join the club.

Other destination clubs have tried similar concepts where multiple members could access club residences at once, most notably Everlands who took a conservation approach to their destination club.