DCTraveler

I am trying to understand the true value of the new benefits being presented to PE Legacy members to make them want to convert (or the actual benefit to all members). Here is what I see.

1. Luggage Express. They may have a slightly discounted rate, but anybody anywhere can use this or a multitude of luggage delivery services. Sports Express Luggage Delivery - Luxury Luggage Shipping Service or Receivership Of Universal Express, Inc. or many others

2. Travel Desk. Bruce World Travel is an American Express related travel agency in Canada that anyone can utilize for the same $50 per airline ticket for adults (free for children) that Ultimate is offering us. We pay either way. This also means that any skills they get by servicing more DC locations (e.g., being familiar with Provo flight schedules) can be gained by anybody, regardless of conversion. Bruce World of Travel -A Travel Experience Like No Other

3. Ultimate Collection. This is the World Hotels group of small luxury hotels. Anybody can book rooms from them at Worldhotels: book online quality & luxury 4 & 5 star business & leisure hotels at best rates available. We also haven't heard if they are standard rooms, suites, rooms that can fit a small family or what. Since I can get a hotel room from World Hotels for a couple of hundred dollars a night, why would I use up a DC night that has about a $750 cost per night even before you take into account the cost of capital.

4. To Escapes To. Nice to know about these nice trips and adventures, but no where is it suggested that UE members get any sort of discount. They supposedly have travel specialists dedicated to UE members, but everyone using their services does. You can go to their web-site and become a member (for free!) and get all kinds of special treatment. Holiday Villas, Guest Houses & Safaris in South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Kenya, Zanzibar

5. Other Discounts. Other discounts like Bombardier/Flexjet/Sky Jet, Sachs international Yachts, etc., are just not things that I am going to use and I have never thought the discounts to be significant.

Overall, I don't think that UE pays for any of these things -- they just negotiated a small group discount. Maybe we can negotiate a DC4MS member discount, too! They must have paid World Hotels, but that's just a way of cheaping out on having enough properties and getting people to use more expensive club nights for hotel nights.

I welcome anyone else's analysis of this.

willmyclubmakeit

I think the World Hotels deal is attractive as it provides additonal options re: locations and some are many are more highly priced than a couple of hundred dollars--particularly since they can be used at Peak Holiday Periods. Having said that I have not used any and only think of it as an alternative way to use nights that I would not use for houses such as tacking on a few days in Paris or Monaco on a European Trip or maybe before or after another stay using a home. I in effect in my mind view these as less valuable than nights at the homes but I also expect some "breakage" that I won't use all of my nights some years and signed up at the Platinum level so I have better advance booking and holiday access which was more important to us to work around kids school holiday schedules. Hence I think it is a nice benefit although not a deal breaker.

LTTravel

I was in Monaco last month. A Suite at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel was $2000 per night and it was full>