Ultimate Escapes - higher dues for some, no dues for newcomers

Ultimate Escapes, the luxury destination club formed by the merger of Private Escapes and Ultimate Resort, is raising dues for 2010 for some current members while offering a "no dues for one year" pledge to new enrollees.

The club, the second largest in terms of members, has a full page ad in the Saturday Wall Street Journal of Dec. 5, 2009 promising no dues for the first year to lure rich folks into becoming members.

Meanwhile, current members seem to be on a bumpy flight. On the Destinations Club forum, some members say they've been hit with an 11% increase in dues for 2010, in line with a rise in the consumer price index (CPI). Yet in the same thread, another member says: "We pre-paid our dues last year, would not pay the assessment, were suspended and then reinstated and have no intention of paying the dues this year. Good luck to everyone else."

On a brighter note, the club is adding three new "Elite Club" residences at See Forever Village at the Peaks in Telluride, CO.(Typical cabin pictured above.) Elite is its top level of 3 tiers of membership (Elite, Signature, Premiere) but within each of these there are 5 sublevels.

Destination club Ultimate Escapes to be acquired by public company

In the latest news from the sometimes troubled luxury destination club market, the leading club in terms of properties -- Ultimate Escapes -- is getting a big new public partner.

Secure America Acquisition Corp. has announced it is about to invest a minimum of $20-million in Ultimate Escapes, which itself is in the process of absorbing Private Escapes, another destination club. Ultimate is the second largest club in terms of number of members, with more than 1300 members. (Number One is Exclusive Resorts, with more than 3,000 members.) The club has handsome homes in desirable locations such as Nevis, pictured above.

The deal means that Ultimate Escapes not only gets a cash infusion but becomes a public company. Time will tell if that is good for members. In the short run, it undoubtedly is good for Ultimate Escapes, which lost over $15-million last year,according to the Washington Business Journal. As for Secure America, its previous acquisitions have been in the field of homeland security. Guess you could call this one "vacation homeland security."