Ultra luxury destination club CIEL announced to Helium Report today that it is shifting its focus from that of a pure destination club in favor of acquiring larger tracks of land to be put into conservation trusts.

“2008 will not be a year of selling, it will be a year of building,” said CIEL’s CEO and President Jonathan Harding.

When CIEL launched two years ago Harding said the club envisioned providing not only luxury homes for members but high-end services like personal butlers and chefs. But the exponential growth that the club was anticipating hadn’t materialized so CIEL began to take a look at its business model earlier this year. Rather than a pure destination club play, CIEL plans to morph into a club where members serve as trustees for a conservation trust, getting both access to large tracks of land and homes, as well as garnering the tax benefits of owning a home with a conservation easement.

Central to the plan said Harding is acquiring large tracts of land and developing homes for member use as well as setting aside much of the open space to protect against future building. “Our members will be conservation trustees. They will still have access to homes but also have a private and pristine playground,” said Harding.

As a result of the change in focus the club is no longer actively seeking new members. Current members, not interested in sticking with the club going forward, may resign with a full deposit refund. The club will also be speaking to members individually about future bookings in the club’s six properties, and how they may be impacted by the change.

With the new approach members will be able to take advantage of the tax benefits that go along with land conservations. “It’s a more financially complex from a tax point of view,” said Harding. And while the final purchase vehicle still needs to be determined, one option could be fractional interests in a conservation easement. Harding said he thinks the move also reflects a greater interest among the wealthy in green issues and philanthropy.

The club already has an eye towards owning large tracks of land. It currently owns an 1,800 acre ranch in Jackson, Wyom. Areas ripe for acquisition include properties in the Appalachian foothills, the Pacific Northwest, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and British Columbia.