TarheelTraveler

I'm actually hesitating in posting this, because I don't want to start up another round of painful debate with TTT on the wonders of villa rentals (contrary to almost everyone else's personal experiences on this forum). However, here goes:

Villa Rentals Compared to Destination Clubs - SherpaReport

This is a great summary from the SherpaReport. Paraphrasing, villa rentals are available in more locations and don't require the financial committment, but DCs have the upper hand on the other factors. Nicely balanced article and consistent with the reasonable minds of this forum.

TradeToTravel

Following is SherpaReport's conclusion on villa rentals vs. destination clubs:

"If you want the flexibility to go literally anywhere in the world, and you enjoy doing the research and have the time to do the research to find the right places to stay, then villa rentals are a better option."

Regarding their conclusion, "The Players Club by TTT" provides all of the pros of destination club memberships with none of the cons by arranging fully vetted luxury rental properties worldwide (addressing their concern regarding quality/consistency and saving you hours of research) with a full array of concierge services - all for far less money than destination club memberships.

DC4MS

Here is the second part of the SherpaReport conclusion that was left off in the above post:

"If you want to know in advance, before you step on the plane or climb in the car, that your vacation residence will be just as you expect. And if you don't have the time to spend hours doing the research to find the ideal place to stay, or the time to plan your trip activities, then a destination club is a better option."

TradeToTravel

Regarding the second part of the SherpaReport conclusion, since it expressed the same concerns of quality/consistency and hours spent on research, I left it out to avoid redundancy.

The bottom line is that the Players Club provides all of the pros of destination club memberships with none of the cons.

TarheelTraveler

Here we go again. Another advertorial from TTT. For those that think that the moderators are heavy handed, just look at all of TTT's posts. She just can't leave a well-researched and balanced article alone. There are never any cons of TTT (of course per TTT).

willmyclubmakeit

you posted this.....what did you expect?

TradeToTravel

Hi, TarheelTraveler, what would you say are the cons of our Players Club?

TarheelTraveler

Every vacation option has its advantages and disadvantages, whether it is a DC or a luxury rental company like TTT. Furthermore, each person weighs the advantages and disadvantages differently, so no one can say that a DC or TTT is truly better for others.

From my personal perpective, off the top of my head, I would not expect the Players Club to offer me the following which I consider significant cons as compared to my DC membership:

1. No long term real estate appreciation from the Players Club
2. A higher cost per night for $3M villas of the same quality
3. The same level of quality, consistency and vetting for every home in the portfolio
a. a typical property in the DC portfolio has been vetted for over a year, with the developer, development, residence, activities, and access all scrutinized by several full time real estate and travel experts
b. every house has the same quality level of furnishings and the same stocked amenities
c. residences typically include private club access
4. A residence host has at most two or three member families/properties to take care of for truly amazing service

There are disadvantages to DCs as well, but for me, I've rented many "vetted" luxury villas before and my DC experiences blow them away. Maybe you should try one of the DC trial programs before criticizing DCs at every opportunity in order to promote your company.

TradeToTravel

Hi, TarheelTraveler, A&K provides some great experiences and perhaps decent values in the $3M range, but their residence club has an EXTREMELY limited selection of properties and destinations.

Regarding your statement about every home in the portfolio having the same level of quality/consistency/vetting, why would we want to limit the whole world of luxury travel to one level of quality/consistency/vetting? Why would anyone want one tiny slice of the luxury travel pie rather than the whole pie? We act as your personal concierge to provide whatever level of services/properties/vetting you desire each time you leave home for business or pleasure.

Regarding your statement, "residences typically include private club access," we provide access to more private clubs worldwide than any destination club.

Regarding your statement, "a residence host has at most two or three member families/properties to take care of for truly amazing service," TTT offers residence hosts in more destinations than any destination club.

TarheelTraveler

TTT - I thought we were actually going to agree about something. I appreciated your earlier very nice comments about A&K's model and insider access opportunities, but I'm not sure why you chose to edit your last post and take them out. I actually thought it was your most constructive post to date, because you actually acknowledged positives about something other than TTT. Not sure why you changed your mind and changed your tone 180 degrees.

The A&K Residence Club has about 25-30 residence destinations. For me, they are in the best and my favorite destinations, and new destinations are being added at a good clip. They've also got 300+ high end trips to choose from. Not sure why you consider that EXTREMELY limiting. They've got more adventures to choose from than any other company, and I couldn't complete all of those trips during my entire lifetime. Maybe I'll call you in my second lifetime.

As to your comment about quality/consistency/vetting, I'm a perfectionist, and I take great comfort in knowing that before I arrive, someone has spent weeks making sure every house has the same great linens, kitchen supplies and utensils, wi-fi, vonage phones, business center, level of furnishings and A/V, etc. Every home is in a top resort/development. Every home is in a top-shelf destination. Every home has a certain wow factor. Every home is well-managed. My idea of interesting, adventure or the "whole pie" does not involve green carpeting.

Yes, your villa owners may provide access to more private clubs worldwide than any destination club from a sheer numbers standpoint (e.g., if you have 1000 villas you work with and 10% have club access, that's probably a technically correct but misleading statement), but every DC property that I've been to has a private club or resort tie-in, which I'm confident is not the case with TTT.

Yes, TTT may technically offer for an additional price concierge services and hosts in more destinations than any destination club (see comment above), but my comment had to do with ratios. TTT does not employ someone for each two or three guests to take care of all property and guest needs. As you have previously stated, your staff has not personally vetted every property, and you certainly don't own/manage the properties. Is renting throught TTT better than VRBO? I suspect so. Is it better than my DC? I suspect not. Is TTT better for me? Absolutely not.

Not sure why TTT has to be the right answer for every person. I'm sure it is for some, just as DCs are the perfect solution for some.