Exclusive Resorts and Quintess are two of the best-known and most well-established destination clubs in today's luxury travel market. Both offer a range of high quality homes and high levels of service in locations around the world. We review them both so that you can see the similarities and differences, and see if one is right for you.
What Are They?
Exclusive Resorts describes itself as "a carefully vetted collection of privately managed luxury residences in iconic destinations." The company offers access to some of the most "sought-after resorts" and "coveted neighborhoods" as well as customized vacations, with the goal of fulfilling members' dreams.
Quintess promises to open doors to "the finest multimillion-dollar vacation properties in the hottest destinations worldwide." Their below-market rates and dedicated staff guarantee an effortless vacation of the highest quality and value.
Homes And Locations
At the heart of each club is their portfolio of properties and destinations. Exclusive Resorts refers to its Residence Collection as "paradise perfected" in more than 70 global locations. The Quintess Collection prides itself on a constantly growing and changing portfolio, with current opportunities ranging from small luxury ships in Alaska to villas in Tuscany.
The table below lists the current destinations available for each club:
| Exclusive Resorts | Quintess | |
| Beach | Abaco, Bahamas; Anguilla; Corfu, Greece; Grand Cayman; Island of Brac, Croatia; Ibiza, Spain; Kapalua Bay, Maui, HI; Kiawah Island, SC; Kohala Coast, HI; Laguna Beach, CA; Lang Co, Vietnam; Little Dix Bay, BVI; Los Cabos, Mexico; Miami Beach, FL; Newport Beach, CA; Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica; Phuket, Thailand; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Real del Mar, Mexico; Riviera Maya, Mexico; Sea Island, GA; St. Johns and St. Thomas, USVI; Turks & Caicos; Ungasan, Bali; Virgin Gorda, BVI; Wailea, HI | Amelia Island, FL; Anguilla; Canouan, The Grenadines; Costa Rica, Hawaii, HI; Los Cabos, Mexico; Naples, FL; South Pacific; St. Barts; St. Croix; St. Thomas; Turks & Caicos |
| Mountain | Aspen, CO; Beaver Creek, CO; Deer Valley, UT; Jackson Hole, WY; Lake Tahoe, CA; Snowmass, CO; Sun Valley, ID; Steamboat Springs, CO; Telluride, CO; Vail, CO; Whistler, British Columbia | Aspen, CO; Deer Valley, UT; Jackson Hole, WY; Lake Tahoe, CA; Telluride, CO; Vail, CO |
| City | Bangkok, Thailand; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, Germany; Chicago, IL; Istanbul, Turkey; Kyoto, Japan; Las Vegas, NV; London, England; New York, NY; Paris, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Rome, Italy; San Francisco, CA | Barcelona, Spain; Las Vegas, NV; London, England; New York, NY; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; San Francisco, CA |
| Leisure | Algarve, Portugal; Amalfi Coast, Italy; Bintan, Indonesia; Cote d'Azur, France; Dalmatian Coast, Croatia; French Riviera, France; Grasse, France; La Quinta, CA; Marrakech, Morocco; Newport, RI; Provence, France; Puglia, Italy; Scottsdale, AZ; Sonoma, CA; St. Andrews, Scotland; Tucson, AZ; Tuscany, Italy | Alaska; Bend, OR; Bhutan; Bordeaux, France; China; Croatia; Eastern Africa; Ecuador; Florence, Italy; Granby, CO; Graniteville, SC; India; Israel; La Quinta, CA; Lake Como, Italy; Myanmar; Newport Coast, CA; Provence, France; Santorini, Greece, Southeast Asia; Southern Africa; Sri Lanka; Tanzania; Tuscany, Italy; Wine Country, CA |
Other Travel Opportunities
Both companies also offer an array of curated "once-in-a-lifetime" trips to some of the world's most beautiful locations. These require an extra fee, which varies according to the specific trip.
Exclusive Resorts offers their Experience Collection, promising "a world without boundaries". The Experience Collection includes such adventures as rafting the Grand Canyon, touring the highlights of China by private jet, sailing aboard The World, cycling California Wine Country, or exploring the Galapagos Islands.
Quintess Beyond and Quintess Adventures provide Quintess Collection members with the opportunity to enjoy additional properties and global adventures. From a villa in Santorini to the mountains of Bhutan, chic accommodations in the heart of Barcelona to a customized safari in Tanzania, the staff provide a variety of hand-picked destinations and experiences which change yearly.
Services and Partnerships
Both Exclusive Resorts and Quintess pride themselves on providing a series of exemplary services to their members, and a number of additional partnership benefits.
Exclusive Resorts members are paired with their own vacation expert who will take care of every last detail to ensure a perfect vacation, both before and after arrival. Individualized travel itineraries, pre-arrival grocery shopping, daily housekeeping, special event planning, and on-site concierge service are all provided at no extra charge. Partnerships with such companies as Leica, Delta Airlines, Wynn Las Vegas, Barneys of New York, the Eden Club, AirMed, Abercrombie & Kent, and Neiman Marcus mean that members receive discounts on a host of extra services.
Quintess Collection members benefit from the Member Relations Team who will assist them in every aspect of their pre-trip planning, from specific trips to restaurant reservations. Their Collective iQ scheme uses the most up-to-date insider information at each destination, ensuring that travelers can make the most of the local know-how, and never miss out on that hot new spot to dine. If any additional help is needed after arrival, Destination Hosts are ready to deal with whatever request comes their way. Members also receive the benefit of partnerships with Time & Place, Blue Star Jets, ASI Aviation, LifeStream MD, and MLife. These offer further discounts on travel, accommodations, emergency healthcare, and special events.
Full Service
Both companies provide exemplary service for every aspect of your vacation with "Personal Vacation Advisers" at Inspirato and "Exclusive Ambassadors" at Exclusive Resorts that help membes plan, organize and make the most of every holiday.
At each location, the Inspirato "Onsite Destination Concierges" deliver personalized services with as much or as little attention that members desire.
The Exclusive Concierges work with the Exclusive Ambassadors to create an individualized itinerary and make all a members arrangements including stocking the pantry with family favorites as well as scheduling activities or even running late-night errands and making exclusive hard-to-get reservations. And, for instance, both clubs provide full daily housekeeping at their residences.
Reservations
The reservation process at each club is quite straightforward. Simply sign in to your membership account online and see instantly whether the dates and location you prefer are available. Alternatively, call your personal vacation advisor and they will take care of the arrangements.
Membership and Rates
Exclusive Resorts offers two main membership programs. A five-year membership has an upfront fee of $70,000. There is then an annual fee for 20 days use per year, which translates to approximately $1,200 per day. There is also a thirty-year transferable membership, with an upfront fee of $170,000 and the same annual fees. Members wishing to utilize more than 20 days can arrange for upgrades by speaking to a membership specialist.
Quintess has two options: membership or a club card. The Club Card is valid for up to three years and is an excellent way for people to test the waters of a destination club membership. There is no initiation fee. The Club Card costs $50,000 and provides 25 nights within the three-year period. Holders of the card may use these nights at any of the available destinations, including access to Quintess Adventures and Time & Place properties.
Quintess membership requires a non-refundable initial fee of $41,550. Members may then choose from 14 or 21 nights per year, with nightly dues of $1,675 per night. Also included in membership is access to priority advanced booking and extra nights.
Both clubs allow for memberships to be shared with guests, most often friends and family.
Advice
Both Exclusive Resorts and Quintess offer a range of high-quality properties and additional benefits to their members, allowing for memorable vacations for years to come.
When making your decision about which club to join, spend some time browsing their sites, exploring the destinations on offer and the membership options, so that you select the best club for you. You can compare Quintess and Exclusive Resorts to the other clubs starting from our compare destination clubs page here.
NOTE: This is an article from 2015. More recent articles are available below and linked at the Exclusive Resorts overview page and Quintess overview page.
