One of our readers summed up the value proposition of destination clubs: “It’s all about the extra two rooms.” The larger homes allow members to host friends and family members in a variety of destinations and with five-star service. “I’ve seen my parents and my brother more the past year than the previous five,” explained the member after joining a club.

Dream Catcher Retreats lists a variety of events that are well suited for destination club homes:

• Birthday parties and celebrations
• Family get-togethers
• Reunions
• Guys’ getaways
• Girls’ retreats
• Anniversary/romance

The chart below maps five luxury travel alternatives on the classic 2×2 matrix favored by management consultants. The number of locations defines one axis and the number of bedrooms the other. We’ve taken equity ownership out of the picture for this example.

In the upper left quadrant, 5-star hotels provide upscale accomodations in many destinations. Private residence clubs, or PRCs, offer a similar product in a single destination. Both are typically 1-3 bedroom options. Second homes and villa rentals, in the bottom right quadrant, provide more bedrooms but share the PRC’s limitation of a single destination.

Destination clubs are the only luxury travel alternative that provide 3-5 bedroom accomodations in many destinations, blending the benefits of 5-star hotels with the size and privacy of second homes.

It’s easy to see the appeal of destination clubs. Finding exactly the right one will take a little work. Click here to register for our Decision Guide to Destination Clubs and request membership information from clubs that interest you.