The new "Associate Membership Plan" from Exclusive Resorts provides 10 nights of usage.
This plan has "Introductory pricing" until 31 December 2007 and also suggests significant discounts may be available through 1 December 2007. The current pricing together with a comparison to Exclusives 15 day Affiliate plan is shown in the table below.
The plan has an initial membership fee of $129,000, which is 80% refundable and annual dues of $12,900. The effective cost per night is in the range $1,900 to $2,500 depending on how you prefer to make the calculation (see our earlier cost per night article for discussions).
| | Associate | Affiliate |
| Membership Fee | $129,000 | $239,000 |
| Included Days | 10 | 15 |
| Advanced Reservations Window | 1 Year | 2 Years |
| Advanced Reservations | 1 | 2 |
| Priority Holiday Res. | 0 | 0 |
| Space Avail. Res. | Inside 30 days | Inside 45 days |
| Annual Dues | $12,900 | $13,900 |
Several of the clubs offer 14 or 15 night membership plans, which we compared earlier this year. This new plan from Exclusive mirrors the structure of some of these other plans, in that the membership plans with smaller numbers of days typically offer a shorter booking window for both Advanced Reservations and Space Available Reservations. This new "Associate" plan from Exclusive also has no access during holiday times, so for instance you couldn't book a vacation over New Years, even in a space available (short term) window.
The cost per night for these plans are also higher than for plans with more nights. Having said all that, they can make a lot of sense for folks who don't travel a lot, or who want to try out a club. If you join on one of these plans ask about the options for future upgrades to a plan with a larger number of nights - your travel plans may vary down the road and it's good to know what your options are up front.
