Editor’s Note: Occasionally, fractional residence developments invite us to spend a night or two at their properties to get an idea of what a stay might be like for their members. While we’re not under the illusion that our experience ... Read Full Article »

Ultra-luxury Napa resort, Calistoga Ranch, announces its final phase of sales for its fractional offering in Napa Valley. Read Full Article »

The Halogen Guides network of websites is growing fast, and to better serve our readers we’ve put together a short and confidential reader survey. Read Full Article »

Traditionally, sales of real estate fractionals are handled by the developer behind the property. Interested buyers had but one choice: deal with the development’s sales office and pay the asking price. Likewise owners looking to sell off their fractions ... Read Full Article »

With the domestic real estate market in a slowdown, how are fractional properties in tried and true tourist destinations like San Francisco weathering the storm? Read Full Article »

Fractional resort real estate, private residence clubs, and now equity resort ownership. Confused? Read Full Article »

Halogen Guides adds Cabo San Lucas to its lineup of destination guides, featuring details on current and future developments and what you need to know about buying in Mexico. Read Full Article »

A new partnership will turn over real estate management of the Orchard at Carneros Inn to Timbers Resorts, with new projects in Colorado, Squaw Mountain and Mexico to come. Read Full Article »

Halogen Guides visits this luxury resort fractional development on the southern edge of Napa Valley. Read Full Article »

Fractional developments have been mainstays of western mountain towns and beach retreats, but now two shared ownership projects are set to open in two New England summer destinations. Read Full Article »

Luxury developer Capella will offer whole and fractional ownership options at three of its upcoming resorts. Halogen Guides takes a look at what’s for sale and what you’ll pay. Read Full Article »

Hawaii has long been a second home destination for landlocked Midwesterners looking to escape frigid winters, and West Coast residents seeking a part-time escape. But for those looking to buy an island retreat there hasn’t been much choice beyond ... Read Full Article »

Some love the mountains, others crave the sun and sand of the beach. But for folks who choose to cruise, standard second home options like private residence clubs have not historically applied. Those looking for luxury at sea have ... Read Full Article »

Second home sales have taken a direct hit in the current real estate market slowdown, according the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) annual survey of investment and vacation home buyers. The realtors group, always eager to put a sunny spin on ... Read Full Article »

As the second installment of a two-part article on private residence clubs in Costa Rica, this piece will focus on clubs in the Southern regions of the country. Thanks in large part to its booming eco-tourism industry, Costa Rica—which is on ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report is now Halogen Guides. In March 2008, Helium Report changed its name to Halogen Guides to better illustrate what we do for readers: shed light on complex high-end purchase decisions. Read Full Article »

In the wake of First Fractional Funding’s exit from the fractional mortgage business, we spoke to the founders of two of the remaining big players in the market, NextStar Funding and Vacation Finance, for look at what’s ahead for fractional ... Read Full Article »

Last week marked the eighth annual Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference, a yearly gathering of movers and shakers in the private residence club and destination club industries. First, the attendance numbers were impressive: over 700 people registered for the San Francisco conference, ... Read Full Article »

Bal Harbour was founded by Robert C. Graham sixty years ago as a “dream village,” and the community’s small size has never been exploited; developers have long adhered to a philosophy of “quality, not quantity” here, and the result is ... Read Full Article »

At the annual Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference this week, the expected sunny spin on the growth of the private residence club industry was shadowed by a grim reality. First Fractional Funding, a Greenwood Village, Colo.-based mortgage company that ... Read Full Article »

Destination clubs and fractional ownership properties are making the dream of turn-key living amid the rolling hills of Tuscany a reality for many vacation home seekers. From restored stone farmhouses in the Italian countryside to a 15th century palace ... Read Full Article »

With a steady stream of storms dumping foot after foot of snow in the Sierra Nevada this winter, Bay Area skiers have been flocking to the mountain resorts that ring Lake Tahoe. Just in time to capture that steady ... Read Full Article »

With invariably high demand, and often-staggering real estate prices, New York City is an ideal location for fractional ownership. It comes as no surprise then, that Millennium Partners has just launched the second phase of its Lincoln Square private residence ... Read Full Article »

In a survey released today, Slingerlands, N.Y-based market researcher Reach Advisors finds that many owners of private residence clubs (PRCs) are dissatisfied with the availability of reservations and would not recommend the purchase to friends. The survey, which focused ... Read Full Article »

Cabo San Lucas has long been a haven for college students embarking on the rite of passage known as spring break, but that 20-something party atmosphere is starting to change as more developers eye the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. ... Read Full Article »

Private residence clubs offer a fractional ownership model that’s become increasingly popular for those who enjoy flexible use in a specific destination. Folio Collection, which opened its Isle de France property on St. Bart’s in 2004, is in the process ... Read Full Article »

Ah, Florence. The museums, the shopping, the food. Most of the time, visiting this urban center of Tuscany means booking a luxury hotel—months in advance, if you’re looking to go during the high tourist season. With the upcoming opening of ... Read Full Article »

As the first of a two-part article on private residence clubs in Costa Rica, this piece will focus on clubs in the Northern and Central regions of the country. Thanks in large part to its booming eco-tourism industry, Costa Rica—which is ... Read Full Article »

San Francisco, the universally beloved City by the Bay, is starting to see some much deserved attention from big-name luxury developers in the fractional market. With Ritz-Carlton Club and Fairmont Heritage Place both opening San Francisco properties in early ... Read Full Article »

It’s hard not to fall in love with the chic tourist lifestyle and warm breezes of the Caribbean, but whole ownership of a second home in this tropical paradise comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Opulent vacation homes, ... Read Full Article »

Set amid Wyoming’s dramatic Teton Mountains, bordering Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, it’s no wonder outdoor enthusiasts flock to Jackson Hole in year-round pursuit of fun in the snow and sun. Four-hundred inches of powder each year and 2500 ... Read Full Article »

Las Vegas is a city of extremes. One minute you’re riding high with a couple of Empire State building-sized stacks of chips in front of you, the next minute you’ve crapped out with barely enough money left for the all ... Read Full Article »

Concierge service? Check. Spacious home? Check. Place to dock the boat? Not so fast. In the past, sailors seeking refuge at a private residence club were challenged to find a welcoming home for both their families and their favorite toy. ... Read Full Article »

Spruce Peak at Stowe is a planned-for-pleasure community in the heart of Vermont. Front Four Residences at Stowe Mountain Lodge is a fractional ownership development nestled at the foot of Spruce Peak and Mt. Mansfield. Each season offers a new ... Read Full Article »

Whether you’re a long-term suburbanite with big city dreams or simply an urban dweller with the desire to adopt more of a globetrotting lifestyle, a pied-à-terre has an undeniable appeal. But as an alternative to buying a city crash pad, ... Read Full Article »

Ski resorts are virtual hubs for private residence clubs. In fact, five of the top ten destinations for fractional developments are in areas that are well known for their powder-packed slopes. Numerous new shared ownership projects have popped ... Read Full Article »

Wine and mud may seem like odd bedfellows, but in Calistoga, Calif., on the northern edge of Napa Valley, the two go hand in hand. Tourists flock to this corner of wine country to dip themselves in the mineral ... Read Full Article »

The international market for fractional ownership is growing by leaps and bounds. Apart from Mexico and the Caribbean, which have already established themselves as perennial fractional ownership markets, Central America and now Europe are beginning to embrace the model. A ... Read Full Article »

Susan Kime is a writer and editor for luxury publications. She has extensive experience covering shared ownership real estate. As a guest contributor to Helium Report, Susan will write a biweekly column, Luxury Real Estate Insider, tracking trends in ... Read Full Article »

Two things that legendary ski destination Telluride has no shortage of are 14,000-foot peaks and luxury vacation home options. With a first-of-its-kind gondola system connecting the historic town of Telluride to the nearby modern resort enclave of Mountain Village, ... Read Full Article »

In our 2008 destination club outlook, we noted that the industry was ripe for the entrance of a major hotel company. Certainly a hotelier like Ritz-Carlton or Starwood make a splash in an industry that has been framed by ... Read Full Article »

It usually happens after that first glimpse of the Sacre Coeur while strolling through Montmartre, or with a single bite of a warm pain au chocolat. You don’t have to be a Francophile to fall in love with Paris, but ... Read Full Article »

It’s no secret that some of the biggest names in five-star hotels also offer luxury real estate options. Brands like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Fairmont have whole and fractional ownership units in their high-end digs, often with lofty price ... Read Full Article »

On Mexico’s west coast, Puerto Vallarta is nestled on a bay that is home to long stretches of white sand and an increasing number of luxury developments. While Cabo San Lucas, the so-called Mayan Riviera on the country’s Yucatan ... Read Full Article »

When winter’s frigid grasp arrives, snowbirds head south to second home enclaves in Florida, southern California and Arizona to thaw out. Scottsdale, a resort community just north of sprawling Phoenix, has boomed, no doubt due in part to its affinity ... Read Full Article »

The growth of private residence clubs has mirrored the explosion of second home real estate communities. As affluent buyers turned towards vacation home real estate, developers responded with luxury communities and newer shared ownership options that put a high-end ... Read Full Article »

San Miguel de Allende boasts no mega resorts, no wet t-shirt contests and no spring break blow outs. It is, in other words, not your stereotypical Mexican vacation destination. Instead, the town’s cobblestone streets, well-preserved colonial architecture, delicious food, laid-back ... Read Full Article »

Founded as Misión San José Añuiti de las Palmas in 1730, San José del Cabo, located 20 minutes from Cabo San Lucas, has held on to its old-world charm even as modern resort communities have begun to spring up in ... Read Full Article »

At Helium Report, we track the latest in luxury living trends, from billionaires purchasing jumbo jets for personal use to destination clubs rolling out grand beach homes. Our readers come to us for industry news on private jets and ... Read Full Article »

The arrival of winter means one thing to golf enthusiasts: Time to pack up the clubs and head south. Luxury golf residence clubs with fractional ownership homes allow golfers to own a piece of golfing paradise and enjoy full-service, resort-style ... Read Full Article »

In a region filled with condo rentals and lavish second home communities, a new development, the Club at Solaris, in the heart of Vail, Colo. is putting a different spin on the shared ownership model. The property, from the developer Epiphany ... Read Full Article »

It’s called Ski Town USA for a reason. Steamboat Springs has long been a popular alternative to resorts in Vail and Aspen and the outdoor terrain in this northern Colorado mountain town is good enough to have attracted numerous ... Read Full Article »

As one of the more easily accessible Caribbean islands from the U.S., Grand Cayman certainly has its appeal as a vacation home setting. And for second home shoppers looking for their own slice of pristine beach there is new luxury ... Read Full Article »

Home to Deer Valley Resort—named the number one ski resort in North America by Ski Magazine in September 2007—Park City, Utah has long been the alpine destination of choice for savvy outdoor enthusiasts. Now that December has arrived, snow bunnies ... Read Full Article »

The Dominican Republic, once a distant second fiddle to such Caribbean destinations as St. Thomas and Anguilla, has confidently stepped into the spotlight thanks to an impressive crop of luxury resort developments, 21 golf courses (including designer courses by Dye, ... Read Full Article »

With successful real estate developments in fractional-heavy locales like Aspen and Hawaii, Ritz-Carlton is now headed south to Miami. Scheduled for completion in 2009, the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, South Beach, will consist of several oceanfront towers, one of which ... Read Full Article »

Admittedly it’s tough to imagine growing tired of week long stays at a luxury home on Barbados, but a growing network of fractional ownership exchange networks are betting that buyers of such shared ownership properties will crave vacation diversity. Fractional ... Read Full Article »

Mammoth Mountain, tucked into the eastern Sierra Nevadas, has largely been a ski resort destination for Los Angelenos willing to make a five hour drive for premium snow. Since the resort lacks regular commercial air service, it has been relegated ... Read Full Article »

A condo in Cabo never looked so boring. Perched on the end of a man made, palm-shaped island in the Middle East, a new private residence club is rising. Touting itself as the first fractional development in Dubai, ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is Helium Report’s monthly column looking at new and existing fractional real estate developments and private residence clubs. Each week, we’ll take a look at a shared ownership development, detail what’s available and give readers our perspective on ... Read Full Article »

Financing a fractional ownership property isn’t nearly as straightforward as typical mortgage financing. In fact mortgage industry expert, Bob Waun said that most big banks don’t offer loans for buying a fractional residence. “Very few lenders will finance fractional interests,” ... Read Full Article »

A certain Muppet once lamented that it’s not easy being green, but these days it’s getting easier and easier to make travel choices that positively impact the environment. Even when we’re talking luxury travel. As the popularity of ecotourism continues ... Read Full Article »

The Financial Times turned their sights on the fractional ownership trend in the luxury home market this month. Lucia van der Post’s article in the supplemental magazine, How to Spend It, highlights some well-established luxury fractionals, and makes the case ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report consulted financial legal experts Mel Weinberger and Danica Kubick to break down two popular luxury home ownership alternatives: fractionals and destination clubs. Both have benefits and pitfalls, read on to see what they found. Luxury fractionals and destination clubs ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a new column written by Susan Kime, an experienced luxury lifestyle journalist. As a guest contributer to Helium Report, Susan will periodically share her insights into various resorts and fractional real estate options. An avid world traveler, Ms. ... Read Full Article »

Luxury travelers never had it so good. The Financial Times’ monthly magazine, How to Spend It, recently focused on the increasing popularity of purchasing islands. While motivations to own a private island once revolved around status recognition, it is turning ... Read Full Article »

The complications of home ownership in Paris has thwarted more than a few attempts at American pied-à-terre seekers, but as Andrea Vaucher of The New York Times explains, luxury fractionals look like a viable alternative. Luxury Fractionals Within Reach The high cost ... Read Full Article »

After completing the purchasing process, the next move at a luxury fractional is to make reservations. Peak vacation times could bear on your reservations, so know the ropes. Helium Report breaks down some of the essentials for you below: The Reservation The ... Read Full Article »

Thomas Keller, with seven combined Michelin stars in his five restaurants, is one of the most acclaimed American chefs of our time. Although he doesn’t provide personal chef services, a few luxury fractionals in the San Francisco area can bring ... Read Full Article »

An age-old English getaway – the cottage – has gone fractional, introducing another real-estate asset that’s up for shared ownership. Penhaven Estate is a private residence club located about four hours from London, and a few miles from the sea. Europe’s ... Read Full Article »

Financial advisors and managers are starting to see the value in fractional real estate ownership. When compared to whole ownership, it’s not surprising. For a start, it ties up less capital, leaving more for investment purposes; a point that we’ve ... Read Full Article »

When considering fractional ownership, it’s not enough to just find the perfect private residence club, prospective buyers need to know the process of purchasing the residence. A word to the wise – the best pricing is offered in the earliest ... Read Full Article »

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Carolyn Said turned her sights on Napa’s luxury private residence club, the Orchard at Carneros Inn in Sunday’s front page of the real estate section. Helium Report’s lead analyst, Jamie Cheng, gave sound advice to second ... Read Full Article »

Real Estate: State of the Lake Tahoe Market When considering where to buy homes in the Lake Tahoe area, Helium Report asserts that market research is essential. Tom Bruno, a Coldwell Banker broker with 30+ years of experience in the Lake ... Read Full Article »

Second home alternatives like destination clubs and fractionals have the lion’s share of the luxury real estate market in the U.S., and the European market is warming up too. Helium Report has the numbers on some of the key players. European ... Read Full Article »

Anyone who thinks that it’s just wealthy housewives deciding what to do with their husbands’ money should consider this fact: more and more, it’s younger and single women who are leading the trend of second home ownership, according to an ... Read Full Article »

Fractionals Lure in the Top Brands Shared ownership is a crowd-pleaser lately in the luxury vacation market, according to Ragatz & Associates, among others. Private residence clubs – the developments that offer these fractional ownership opportunities – are thriving in diverse ... Read Full Article »

Top-of-the-Line Homes Don’t Demand a Blockbuster Budget Ultra-luxurious vacation homes dominate the white beaches of Cabo, a consistently top-ranked vacation destination. No big surprise then, that A-list celebs like George Clooney and Gwynneth Paltrow live the good life at Esperanza Resort, ... Read Full Article »

Eilene Zimmerman of the New York Times put the spotlight on fractional ownership and destination clubs on Sunday (July 1st) in her Travel section article. Luxury vacationers typically buy into the fractional ownership or destination club concept for the economic ... Read Full Article »

Private residence clubs are well-positioned to initiate fractional ownership projects in the most exclusive locations, which now includes a stretch of coastal Alabama. The Residence Club at Bon Secour Village has recently announced its opening after receiving approval from the ... Read Full Article »

Luxury goods marketers spend a good deal of time honing their pitch; positioning their goods and services in a restrained and dignified manner that resonates with their clientele. But the pressure of “making the numbers” and the gut instincts of ... Read Full Article »

Ben Stein’s column It Ain’t Easy Being Rich in Conde Nast’s Portofolio magazine attempts to enlighten the have-lesses of the drudgery of wealth. The sometimes-actor and always-economist spends the bulk of his time bemoaning the tedium and overhead associated with ... Read Full Article »

The concept of a timeshare is well-known among second-home owners, but the concept of a fractional – or a private residence club – is demonstrably not. A study this year by the American Affluence Center reported only 33% of their ... Read Full Article »

The Pinehurst area of South Carolina is a popular destination for Appalachian vacationers. Luxury travelers there have used destination club homes from Portofino, Quintess, and The Markers, and fractional ownership homes are slated for construction, too. Near Pinehurst is Lake ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a new column written by Susan Kime, an experienced luxury lifestyle journalist. As a guest contributer to Helium Report, Susan will periodically share her insights into various resorts and fractional real estate options. An avid world traveler, Ms. ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report is testing a new service for our readers. We frequently receive emails asking for advice on fractional ownership options, including destination clubs, residence clubs, condo hotels, and private jets. Try the instant message feature below to chat real-time with ... Read Full Article »

A notable 1.1 million wealthy (top 10%) Americans will be in the market for a second home this year, the American Affluence Research Center reported. Yet “about 6 in 10 of the affluent… indicate no familiarity with either the private ... Read Full Article »

Discovery is a weekly look at projects, planned or under construction, featuring luxury vacation properties around the world. Discovery content is independent and not paid for by the featured company. Discovery’s aim is to provide objective information and to help ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a new column written by Susan Kime, an experienced luxury lifestyle journalist. As a guest contributer to Helium Report, Susan will periodically share her insights into various resorts and fractional real estate options. An avid world traveler, Ms. ... Read Full Article »

The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, South Beach is now accepting reservations for its fractional ownership units. Scheduled for occupancy in late 2009, all 45 fractional Club residences will be located in the former oceanfront Seville Beach Hotel building, located at ... Read Full Article »

Purchasing a fractional property and joining a private residence club only makes sense for certain types of consumers. Helium Report delineates some pros and cons of the fractional model. Private residence clubs typically offer members 20-60 days of usage, depending on ... Read Full Article »

Just days after we updated our luxury guide to Cabo San Lucas, private residence club Capella Pedregal added another yacht to its fleet for club members. In a press release, they confirmed their newest yacht to be a 57-foot Viking ... Read Full Article »

An article in the Denver Post on May 9th about Portofino’s new “appreciation package” caught our attention. According to Post writer Julie Dunn, the package “allows members to share in the financial upside of joining a luxury destination club.” Destination clubs ... Read Full Article »

Resort Equities, a managing company offering fractional ownership in Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, and Italy, has announced its first property in San Francisco, the Odeon Penthouse. The Odeon is a three bedroom, two bathroom, 2500 square-foot residence, located one block from the ... Read Full Article »

By Todd Smith, MBA, Haas School of Business One of the investment advantages of owning real estate is that an investor can defer paying taxes on the profitable sale of a property. Savvy investors use a deferred exchange, or 1031 ... Read Full Article »

General Info About Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas, the neighboring town of San Jose Del Cabo, and “The Corridor” in between are collectively called Los Cabos. Los Cabos is located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, about 1,000 miles ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a weekly look at projects, planned or under construction, featuring luxury vacation properties around the world. Spotlight content is independent and not paid for by the featured company. Spotlight’s aim is to provide objective information and to help ... Read Full Article »

Meriwether Ranch, the self-defined Nation’s First Private Residence Club for the Outdoorsman, announced this week that reservations for 20 fractional shares of Meriwether Ranch residences have been placed. Worth approximately $5 million, those reservations represent about 10 percent of Meriwether ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a weekly look at projects, planned or under construction, featuring luxury vacation properties around the world. Spotlight content is independent and not paid for by the featured company. Spotlight’s aim is to provide objective information and to help ... Read Full Article »

It’s hard for destination clubs to accommodate the ski season demand, especially since most of the demand is so concentrated between the months of December and March. Clubs do their best with acquisitions and leases, but as we have said ... Read Full Article »

Can foreigners own property in Mexico? Helium Report researched the details of property ownership in Mexico to understand the challenges associated with buying a fractional quote in a development or a vacation villa. Foreigners can own property in Mexico, but not ... Read Full Article »

Esperanza, Castello di Casole, One Steamboat Place, and The Rocks are some of the most popular and well-known resort properties. These boutique, private residence clubs were all developed from the ground up by the lesser known Timbers Resorts of Carbondale, ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report is serving as the lead media sponsor for the inaugural Destination Club & Private Residence Club Industry Symposium this week in Orlando, FL. Produced by Information Management Network (IMN), the symposium will give center stage to these ... Read Full Article »

We’re extending our editorial coverage this week to include another luxury real estate option: condo hotels. In a four-part series, Helium Report analyst Calvin Chin explains the concept, analyzes the numbers, reviews major players, and provides a list of key ... Read Full Article »

We detailed the Deferred Payment Plan of Exclusive Resorts earlier this month. According to Michael Beindorff, the destination club’s COO, the plan was developed to make the membership more accessible, since it allows the prospect to write a much smaller ... Read Full Article »

Telluride, Colordo is becoming one of the hottest destinations in the West. It has the number two ski resort in North America by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. It’s also home to Hollywood stars like Darryl Hannah and Tom ... Read Full Article »

Several luxury travel and real estate companies are starting to show their green wares and promote eco-friendly travel. You can spend over a $1,000 per night and sleep comfortably in the knowledge that you’re not trashing the environment. We’ve already ... Read Full Article »

We are asked a lot about whether any softening of the second home market will impact fractional real estate alternatives, such as destination clubs and private residence clubs. It depends. As you might expect, there are two ways to think about ... Read Full Article »

We have written about luxury fractional networks before, such as the Registry Collection and a new start-up, MembersTrade. Now, industry heavyweight Interval has announced a partnership with The Preferred Hotel Group, to launch a new network called Preferred Residences, a branded ... Read Full Article »

The Residential Cruise Line Ltd. announced an agreement (called a Memorandum of Understanding) with Aker Yards to start building the Magellan. This is the first step in building their residential cruise ship, and an important one since Acker Yards is ... Read Full Article »

While researching for our upcoming Guide to Luxury Fractional Networks, we came across another option – MembersTrade. Founded by Delinah Al-Qattan, formerly from the membership services group at the Ritz-Carlton Club, MembersTrade has built a forum for owners to trade their ... Read Full Article »

With the announcement of the Residential Cruise Line’s Magellan Vacation Club, the interest in residential cruise ships continues to grow. (See our Quick Guide to Residential Cruise Ships for an overview.) However, since only The World of Residensea is sailing, Helium ... Read Full Article »

Last month, we wrote about The Registry Collection, an exchange program for private residence clubs offered by RCI Global Vacation Network. We invited readers to share their experiences with exchange networks. Jim Brinkerhoff, a retired Human Resources Director for a large ... Read Full Article »

The Magellan Residential Cruise Line is now offering a new vacation club program, the Magellan Club. For 20 years, club owners get a personalized two-week vacation to any of the ship’s destinations – 300 ports-of-call in 150 countries. Magellan Club membership ... Read Full Article »

Private Quarters Club recently opened its first Florida property, Amelia National, at the Amelia National Golf Club in Fernandina Beach. It joins their Porto Cima community located at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, and the Geneva National Private Quarters Club ... Read Full Article »

Located in the heart of Chicago, just off the Miracle Mile, the Raffaello Condominium Hotel gives you the chance to own a residence with all the services, luxuries and amenities of a first class boutique hotel. You may choose to ... Read Full Article »

The Front Four Residences at Stowe Mountain Lodge is a private residence club offering 34 shared ownership residences. Opening this fall, the residences will be the centerpiece of Spruce Peak at Stowe, a resort and residential community located at the ... Read Full Article »

What do Magellan’s Residential Cruise Line and the landlocked Phoenician Resort have in common? Besides being two luxurious places to beat the winter-time blues, they’re joining forces to bring you a Celebrity Event – a celebrity golf tournament, a gala ... Read Full Article »

The Registry Collection is the world’s largest luxury external exchange program for private residence clubs. The program is offered by the RCI Global Vacation Network, a global leader in leisure accommodations with exclusive access for specified periods to approximately 55,000 ... Read Full Article »

The model of fractional ownership is evolving. As previously mentioned in our post Destination Clubs vs. Multi-location PRCs, Ritz-Carlton is one of the private residence clubs that is attempting to combine the benefits of fractional ownership with the flexibility of ... Read Full Article »

Vail is a world-renowned vacation destination nestled in the Colorado Rockies. Whether you’re seeking a romantic getaway, a ski weekend, great shopping and dining, or Colorado outdoor family fun, Vail has it all. Named after state highway engineer Charlie Vail, the ... Read Full Article »

Until recently, the ‘Residential Cruise Ship’ concept was represented by one ship, the five-year old The World. Now there are at least four additional ships that are in various stages of development. Here’s a quick rundown to get you started. ... Read Full Article »

Having raised their prices substantially since they’ve been available, The Residences at The Little Nell’s four-bedroom residences are now priced at $3 million with an annual assessment of $20,000, making it the most expensive private residence club that we’ve ever ... Read Full Article »

Marriott announced last week their private residence clubs were selected the “Best Destination Club/Fractional Home Ownership Timeshare” by readers of Executive Travel magazine. The publication has a reported circulation of 250,000 American Express cardholders. Although the Marriott hotel chain does not ... Read Full Article »

Last week we interviewed David Disick, a former Wall St. attorney and the founder of Elysian Societe des Chateaux. Disick also developed the Franz Klammer Lodge in Telluride, CO in 1996 and was a pioneer in the Private Residence Club ... Read Full Article »

We have discussed before the emerging trend of multi-location private residence clubs, such as the Ritz-Carlton Club, and how they hope to offer the ownership benefit of real estate with the flexibility of a destination club. One such club is Boutique ... Read Full Article »

One of the obvious appeals of destination clubs is the ability to book homes across many destinations – so far about 4500 families have decided that this club membership model works for them – knowing that they do not own ... Read Full Article »

Destination clubs are the fastest growing segment of the luxury travel market. From jet setters to baby boomers, affluent households are increasingly joining destination clubs as their primary vacation option. Members share a portfolio of fully-furnished, multi-bedroom homes in locations around ... Read Full Article »

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 ... Read Full Article »

In the coming weeks, we will start to analyze more closely the differences between the private residence club model and the non-equity destination club alternative. We started the process last week in an article titled, “Size Matters….“ For some people, the ... Read Full Article »

Private residence clubs (commonly referred to in the industry as “PRCs”) are typically smaller residences ranging from 750 sq ft city apartments to 3000 sq ft resort villas. High-end hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Four Seasons, and ... Read Full Article »