June 10, 2006
A vacation club for rich people
Instead of a hotel, you might want to stay in a vacation rental. But if vacation rentals are not unique enough for you, join a club. For a fee of $195,000 to $395,000, you can have between 15 and 45 days at any of the club's destinations (including the Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Lake Tahoe, the French Alps and Tuscany).
Of course you also pay annual dues ranging from $9,500 to $25,000 based on the number of vacation days. You do get 80% of the membership fee back when you leave the club.
Now I have no problem with this sort of club, and they say it's an alternative to owning a vacation home. What I don't understand is why you put down hundreds of thousands of dollars for a glorified vacation rental.
The owner says that he had a bad vacation rental once and that's why the club is a good idea. I suppose there are some reasons why it's better than a vacation rental:
Exclusive Resorts counters that by trying to offer some consistency at all of its sites. For instance, every home has the same model of plasma-screen TV and the same remote control. The company keeps a list of its members' preferred groceries, and makes sure the refrigerator and pantry are stocked with the right variety of wine for the grown-ups and the right breakfast cereal for the children.Posted by James Trotta at June 10, 2006 12:30 AMConcierge service makes sure that ski-lift tickets are waiting for families on arrival. Tee times are already made. Chefs and masseuses are available.
If you have to ask the price of this service, it's not for you. For the annual service fee one could book similar accommodations and keep that $200,000 fee in the bank. Case scammed Time Warner and now he's scamming other clowns.
Posted by: Bob Utne at June 10, 2006 11:31 AM