Over the last year many of the destination clubs have introduced a wider selection of membership plans. New club Botiga is already following this trend and has introduced a membership level providing 2-3 weeks of vacation time per year.
After launching only a few months ago, Botiga has found that many prospective members wanted a membership plan that gave them a smaller number of nights of vacation time with the club. These members already had other vacation options such as their own second home or friends with houses that they like to visit, but equally wanted the variety of locations that a destination club can offer.
The new Charter 500 Membership sits alongside the original Charter Membership (now called Charter 1000) that already offers 4-6 weeks use each year. The Charter 500 subscription costs are half the full subscription at 275,000. Likewise, annual dues are 17,500, half the full rate.
The club uses a points system for reserving its homes, with higher points charges during peak periods. Charter 500 Members are given 500 points each year, allowing for 2-3 weeks use of the club's properties at both peak and off peak times.
The club also has an Affiliate Memberships for off peak use, which is designed for those not bound by school vacation dates.
Based in Europe, the club is planning to have 15 properties by the end of 2009, with the first three opening this December. The club expects to close it's current Founder Membership round in July after which the prices are expected to increase 14%.
This increasing prices trend has also been a recurring them amongst the leading clubs over the last couple of years. This year High Country Club, Lusso and Exclusive Resorts have all raised prices. Distinctive Holiday Homes which launched last year with very favorable initial pricing has already raised its prices several times.
(Editors Update: Botiga never really took off, having launched during the middle of the "Great Recession". The club had closed by 2009.)
