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Destination clubs, residence funds and luxury travel clubs provide their members with access to multiple luxury vacation homes, located all over the world. The homes are typically multi-million dollar residences, and are sited in major cities, at beaches, in mountains and leisure locations.

Membership of the clubs is an alternative to buying a second home. The clubs are sometimes also compared to, or even mixed up with, private residence clubs, but there are several key differences between the two.

If you're just starting out learning about the clubs and funds read the overview and the glossary. Then you can start to compare them in the comparison table. One way to financially compare them is using a cost per night calculation and we've provided downloadable spreadsheets for these calculations. Here are the top reasons to join a club, but they are not for everybody and here are the reasons not to join.

And for a real in-depth look at the clubs, their homes and services, comparisons to alternatives and questions to consider before joining, download our Guide for Prospective Members.

The latest news and research on the clubs is included below.

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The Equity Residences management team has always believed that delivering value to investors starts with acquiring the right vacation homes, in the right locations, at the right time, at the right prices. Sometimes they buy these homes, like the Mauna Lani Resort Villas in Hawaii or the North Star Resort home in the California’s Lake Tahoe area, directly from developers at pre-construction prices. These homes require no upgrades and are ready for investors as soon as they are purchased.

Other times, the Equity Residences team finds diamonds in the rough that require extensive upgrades and remodels before investors can enjoy their first vacation experience. Equity Residences’ first fund, the Equity Villa Fund, took advantage of short sales and foreclosures after the 2008 financial crisis, acquiring well-located but neglected homes for cents on the dollar. These residences were then transformed into luxury accommodations for investors, creating millions of dollars of equity prior to occupancy.

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Luxury travel club Inspirato has recently introduced a member loyalty program simply called Inspirato Rewards. SherpaReport spoke to David Kallery, Inspirato President, about the new program and other recent changes at the club.

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Luxury vacation club Exclusive Resorts is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and has been adding new vacation destinations and once-in-a-lifetime experiences to its portfolio. With continuing growth and demand, the club is planning to increase prices at the end of the year.

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For many people, owning a luxury vacation home in an exclusive location has long been an aspiration. However, the costs, maintenance, and the reality of limited usage have driven many individuals to explore alternative models. And these models have proliferated, to the extent that there are multiple options, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. There’s no one size fits all and it’s a very personal decision to find the ones that best fit you and your family.

This article runs through the different options and explains the rather confusing terminology. Many of the organizations use the same terms to describe different offerings. Continue reading to bring some light to this confusion.

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We’re in a new golden era for members clubs - and the modern travel club is the membership that surpasses all.

While the concept of a private society dates back for centuries - originally as a place for the aristocracy to gather unburdened by the public eye - today’s modern clubs are flourishing with a more worldly point of view. A nexus for like-minded individuals, the most valuable memberships reach far beyond the walls of any clubhouse, offering a horizon-broadening environment where creativity and curiosity can flourish. And with the joys of travel at an all-time peak, there’s a new club emerging as the most coveted membership of all: the luxury travel club.

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The newest, and arguably most elegant European co-ownership platform, founded in 2020, is August. The development of their first collection was completed at the end of summer, 2022, and all five homes purchased are already being enjoyed by the August co-owners.

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The luxury vacation home fund manager, Equity Residences, has added a new home in New York City for use by it’s investors. It has also completed the addition to the Belize home it acquired last year.

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SherpaReport looked at why families had opted for the personalized and ultra-private experiences of Exclusive Resorts. These families talked about all aspects of club membership, from the predictability of the Club’s fixed pricing model to leaving a lasting legacy of travel.

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HomeSlice has launched the HomeSlice Destination Home Collection, a co-ownership opportunity across a diverse portfolio of ten vacation residences in top tier, stateside destinations. Members enjoy 28 nights of travel experiences annually, while benefiting from potential home value appreciation over the 10-year life of the fund.

Editorial Update: May 2023 - HomeSlice has put fundraising on hold and is not looking for new homes or new investors.

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The people at luxury travel club Inspirato understand how difficult it can be to leave one of their luxury vacation properties after just a week of rest and relaxation. They know that their members are likely to fall in love with a destination and want to stay for perhaps a month… or six. That’s why they have launched the new JauntLiving Program, designed to let members enjoy extended stays with all-inclusive fees.

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The Calgary headquartered equity destination Club, Destination-M, is excited to announce that it has recently closed on an offering to new shareholders, and as a result has added a new property at Central Park West in New York.

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Equity Estates recently launched its sixth luxury vacation residence fund.

Philip Mekelburg is the founder and CEO, a graduate of Cornell University and before Equity Estates he held various roles in management consulting, finance and business development. His vision helped create Equity Estates, back in 2006, when it was among the first to develop the equity destination club/ equity funds idea, marrying high-end private investors with a diversified portfolio of luxury vacation real estate, they can own and enjoy. SherpaReport caught up with Philip to discuss this growth and expansion and the launch of the latest residence fund.

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Equity Residences has announced the acquisition of the first two homes for its new Equity Platinum Fund 2. The homes are in Punta de Mita, Mexico and Reserva Conchal, Costa Rica.

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James Henderson, the CEO of Exclusive Resorts talked to SherpaReport about the club, its portfolio of vacation residences and travel experiences and how it has grown and evolved over the years.

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Adam Capes is one of the few people who have had years of experience creating and launching fractionals, destination clubs, and luxury residence funds. He knows the challenges and solutions inherent in working in this industry. Last year, Adam launched a new company called My 5 Homes. We recently interviewed him to discuss lessons learned along the way and how these are applied to his new endeavor:

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The new Inspirato Select is designed for both the leisure and business traveler. Subscribers can choose 3 trips per year from a list of more than 500,000 trip options in 150+ destinations, for an annual fee of $24,000 inclusive of all nightly rates, taxes, and fees.

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With an experienced management team behind it, this luxury vacation home shared ownership fund is launching “Homesets” in which a group of 5 homes is owned and enjoyed by 21 people or families.

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Inspirato, the luxury travel subscription company founded by Brent Handler and team, has expanded into multiple dimensions, with more travel experiences and options than ever before.

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Equity Residences, the manager of luxury vacation residence funds, announced its third investment fund, Equity Platinum Fund 2. The new fund follows the success of earlier Equity Residences funds that have acquired, or are in the process of acquiring, nearly $70 million in strategically located luxury vacation homes, while providing rent-free investor vacations that represent many millions of dollars in rental savings.

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Inspirato, the subscription-based travel and destination club, reported 2021 revenue of $235 million. The number of active subscribing members increased to a record 13,802, an increase of 2,075 or 18% year-over-year. Those members traveled for a record 95,994 nights in 2021, an increase of 71% from 2020.

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The Calgary based equity destination club has recently issued a new share offering and also added a new home in Greece for use by its members.

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In March of 2019, Jeff Potter, former CEO of Denver-based companies Frontier Airlines and Exclusive Resorts as well as Los Angeles-based Surf Air, launched a new travel company - Manifest, a chapter-based lifestyle and travel club that provides custom-crafted ‘close to home’ experiences paired with private air transportation.

“I’ve been fortunate in my aviation, hospitality and travel careers in that each opportunity presented me with some successes, and equally as important, some lessons learned, all of which came to bear when I envisioned the concept of Manifest,” said Mr. Potter, CEO and President of Manifest Escapes.

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