Ultimate Resort recently announced a merger with Private Escapes, creating the second-largest luxury destination club. Over 1,200 destination club members will be affected by this landmark move, so who better to ask about the merger than the members themselves?

Some Ultimate Resort members have seen these gears turning before. Shortly after Tanner & Haley went bankrupt last year, Ultimate Resort acquired the club’s assets for $98 million and signed on 650 of their members.

Luther Nussbaum was one such Tanner & Haley member that experienced the transition. He joined the club in 2004, long before any financial woes crept up on the club. “I was amazed at how well they thought through the Tanner & Haley acquisition,” said Nussbaum. “I think that the management will sort this merger out with the same efficiency.” Over 50 percent of the former Tanner & Haley members – among them Nussbaum – even upgraded to Ultimate Resort’s top pricing tier.

Jim Zaharis, a Tanner & Haley member since early 2002, saw opportunity when Ultimate Resort acquired his former club’s assets. “These mergers create additional opportunities for new [destination] sites and homes,” Zaharis said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing southern California and Tuscany.”

Ultimate Resort member, Al Sica, sees Private Escapes as the “real beneficiary” of the merger. Indeed they are the smaller club of the two, and Private Escapes members will be under the wing of Ultimate Resort’s management. “One of the reasons I joined was because of the leadership,” said Sica. “The care and attention they took with Tanner & Haley members was spectacular. Absorbing a business of that size looked seamless.”

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