Inside the Members Club That Takes You Around the World
Exclusive Resorts is taking wanderlusting members beyond the brick-and-mortar clubhouse to travel the globe.
As originally written by Jackie Caradonio for Town & Country Magazine.
The members' club has been a stronghold of comradery for centuries, originating in 18th-century London and reaching its first zenith in the U.S. during New York's Gilded Age, when the city's growing wealthy class sought a more exclusive social pastime. Today, the idea has evolved and flourished to embrace all walks of life — there are university clubs, culture clubs, wellness clubs, literary clubs, wine clubs, to name just a few — but always, they are formed with a single mission in mind: to bring together a like-minded community. Recently, a new kind of social club has taken that concept beyond the classic brick-and-mortar clubhouse to the farthest reaches of the world. It's known as the luxury travel club, and its society of aficionados are citizens of the world, convening in one sought-after destination after another.
Exclusive Resorts became the first club of this kind when it launched in 2002. Now it spans the globe with a $1 billion-dollar private portfolio of more than 400 luxury residences in 75-plus global destinations. Its Members — about 4,500 total families — include some of the most successful and recognizable names in the world, from top entrepreneurs and CEOs (like The Club's majority owner and chairman Steve Case) to professional athletes and award-winning chefs. What do they all have in common? A thirst for new experiences, new connections, and new perspectives. And with Exclusive Resorts, it's all at their fingertips.
Go Farther
Exclusive Resorts is, as the name implies, exclusive: Just 200 new candidates are accepted each year, with preference given to referrals. Members pay a one-time initiation fee (starting at $195,000 for a 10-year plan), plus fixed-rate annual dues* — which vary based on the number of travel days (between 15 and 30 per year) — that grant them access to The Club's full portfolio of residences and experiences.
What they get in return is what many call priceless: stays at hundreds of private luxury properties in some of the world's most coveted destinations. These include beach villas at the Four Seasons Resort Anguilla and the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; luxury suites at the Peninsula Paris and the Rosewood Vienna; and multimillion-dollar homes throughout the U.S., from Laguna Beach to Nantucket. More than 50 percent of all residences have four bedrooms, and many feature private pools and expansive outdoor terraces.
And this club is always expanding. Among its newest acquisitions are villas in St. Barts and across Europe in Crete, Almalfi, Lisbon, and Florence, and luxury units in one of downtown Charleston's most exclusive new condominium buildings.
Of course, membership means more than just a posh place to stay; it also comes with five-star service and local connections. Members have a 24/7 direct line to dedicated travel ambassadors who craft seamless, personalized itineraries — even at the last minute. On the ground, they are looked after by a team of Exclusive Resorts concierges who arrange everything: grocery deliveries, reservations, transportation, in-room spa and chef services, and guided excursions.
A Passport to the World
Any club worth its dues hosts a robust calendar of social events, but with Exclusive Resorts, these experiences take place all over the world — at sea, in the sky, in hard-to-access and behind-the-scenes places, and often with A-list hosts — bringing Members together with others who share their passions and interests.
Each year, The Club organizes a unique catalog of offerings. Gourmands and oenophiles, for instance, can join renowned chefs in their world-famous kitchens for private culinary demos and extravagant dinners. Athletes and enthusiasts can play top-rated courses and see a legendary — and masterful — golf tournament up close from a VIP tent. Luxury seekers can watch Monaco’s premier race from a private yacht and attend the vernissage at art weeks.
And then there's The Club's new series of Once-in-a-Lifetime Journeys, which aim to bring Members even closer together by taking them ever farther afield. Just a few examples: an 11-day culinary tour of Spain and France for Bordeaux wine, Basque flavors, and the brilliant sands of San Sebastián; an expedition to Patagonia to hike to the ends of the earth among electric-blue glaciers; and a circumnavigation of the globe with dozens of fellow members on a 23-day private-jet trip hosted by experts that touches down in awe-inspiring destinations from the sands of the Gobi Desert and the banks of the Mekong Delta to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo and the ancient city of Udaipur.
That all this is arranged for only a small cadre of Members (plus their very lucky guests) is hardly comprehensible — and light-years more exciting than any private clubhouse you could find in New York or London. After all, this membership doesn't just get you behind the red velvet. It comes with endless opportunities to dream bigger, go farther, and live larger.
