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High Country Club info

tinkerbell2

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I am in the process of looking up destination clubs and need additional info from actual members ( instead of salespeople ) Does it cater to families with young children ? How easy is it to get a week in the Caribbean ( Turks ) or in Mexico ? I guess my concern is whether someone with a membership of 40 days could block the Turks destination for a whole month during prime time !
Do most own 2 weeks or more ? How about the entry level of 1 week ? Anyone willing to share their experience? Also how does it compare with Private Escapes ( their first tier )
We also notice that many of their properties are in Colorado. We come from the east coast of Canada, we wonder if that club will expand more outwest or not
Thanks for your help !
 

Bourne

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As member, I'll take a shot at answering some/all of your questions/concerns regarding HCC. Others can chime in too...

Does it cater to families with young children ?

The club is geared with children in mind. All properties have pack n play, high chairs etc as a standard for babies and toddlers and XBox and DVD libraries for elder ones. Some properties may have location specific stuff like sleds or snorkeling equipment.

How easy is it to get a week in the Caribbean ( Turks ) or in Mexico ?

HCC has 5 properties in Mexico and one in Turks. Given my experience, you would have a 99% chance of booking a week during high season in Mexico and 75% chance at Turks. The earlier you book the better the chance. Weeks like Christmas and New Years are super prime. Stay up late on the right day and you can grab one of those too.

I guess my concern is whether someone with a membership of 40 days could block the Turks destination for a whole month during prime time !

:) A member is limited to a 7 days reservation at most location and 14 day at Tuscany. A 40 day block is not possible at Turks. That said, a Private member can technically book a 21 day block and use up all long term reservation. Downside is that they cannot repeat it every year due to the 1 in 3 holiday rule.

Do most own 2 weeks or more ? How about the entry level of 1 week ?

As I understand, 70%+ membership is 25 days plus. The cost per night ratio is cheaper with more days.

Anyone willing to share their experience? Also how does it compare with Private Escapes ( their first tier )


We also notice that many of their properties are in Colorado. We come from the east coast of Canada, we wonder if that club will expand more outwest or not
 

pwrshift

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HCC might not be a good DC for someone on the east coast, especially if you want to drive. If flying longer distances doesn't bother you for short stays and really really like skiing in CO where about half their inventory is found, you might find the pickings a little scarce with HCC.

There are only 6 'domestic' locations east of the Mississippi: Stowe Vermont, NYC (600 sq ft!), Hilton Head, FL panhandle, Orlando, and OuterBanks inland (sometime this spring).

HCC's membership shot up to 400 last year, but their number of locations per member looks like it fell, so you could experience big problems getting good locations like LaCosta, CA and HH during the summer. They recently added a house high in the hills of Maui about 40 minutes from water, and a 10,000 sq ft house in the Steamboat hills that seems like a little overkill, but it came from a private investor buying his way into HCC. They do allow 2 week stays in Tuscany but that's the only Europe location to date. Paris is on the books, but like a number of the other 'in development' locations, members know nothing ... making the 'future destinations' seem like pie-in-the-sky promises.

http://www.highcountryclub.com/destinations/In_Development.asp

There are restrictions on how long you can stay at any given resort and I think that's one week only, unless you book a different place for the 2nd week. There are also restrictions on 'holiday' travel - like the whole month of March!

There is no maid service, no chef, no room service, and many of the 'beach' locations are pretty far from water so you might find TS resorts have better 'beach' locations and more availability due to the physical number of units available. Some of the locations are smaller than 2 bdrm timeshares, but seem to have a higher quality of decor even if few are in 'prime' locations - ON the beach or Ski-in/Ski-out.

I do like the 3, 4 and 7 night stay options HCC started as there are probably some last minute locations (like NYC) that would be attractive for shorter stays than one full week ... but with a place like HH, and some others, a 7 night stay is too restrictive IMO compared to my being able to book 4 weeks in a row 13 months ahead at my Marriotts. A problem with Turks would be there is only one location with HCC and once it's booked there isn't another one available while larger DC's have more than one location at the popular sites.

HCC members are a committed group and won't like this post, but it does appear that some members seem a little disenchanted by a lack of communications on how HCC is doing with the expansion of locations to maintain the promised 6-1 ratio especially in view of the member growth they had in 2007. I think HCC has their hands full with rapid expansion of members - on one hand they have done well, but member disatisfaction could become a major stumbling block as a result. JMHO
 

Tedpilot

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Tinkerbell -

Pwrshft makes some good points. As with any of the DCs there are pros and cons as with any vacation "venue" you use and teh value which you hoep to achieve given the amount of money you are willing to spend. Personally, HCC has been great for my family and friends with only very minor complaints and one major, I need more time.

Here is the latest newsletter with what I would consider a very solid gameplan for 2008: http://www.highcountryclub.com/pdf/newsletter/0108_newsletter.pdf

As history may be, HCC started as niche Colorado club in the fall of 2005 with five properties. As membership has grown steadily they have increasingly expanded beyond Colorado. If not for the recent investor with the ranch in Steamboat I think it may have been a year or two before they added another Colorado property (Vail?). In any case, I think their dedication to the east coast is exemplified in their large home being finished in the Outer Banks. About half of the members are from Colorado with the balance being from other states and Canada.

HCC takes inputs from members very well and is very concerned in our happiness and the financial viability of the company. Most of the properties and updates to how they do business are a reflection of member desires. I've been a member from the very first batch of memberships they sold and have been very impressed with their ability to satisfy members yet maintain a sensible vector toward a healthy and viable company leading yet to more properties. To that end, some purchases may not seem to be smart in our minds, but rest assured the properties are used and loved by many none the less.

Ted
 

vivalour

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IMHO you have to line up exactly what you want, where, when --and what you are willing to pay -- with what each DC offers.

For instance, if I truly had $$$ to burn and unlimited family travel/vacation time, I might join Crescendo or Lusso. Or, I might just rent luxury villas at prime locations whenever needed. Since this isn't the case, HCC looked like the best value for us at this time. We have found the HCC people to be very straightforward and unlike the stereotypical "salesmen" (which we did actually encounter at other DCs that we checked out). So you might want to get the "feel" of HCC --and the other DCs that appeal to you -- by calling their office.

Powerdawg above is incorrect in some of his assertions: last I heard, HCC had in the range of 300 members; at many HCC properties you can have daily maid services for a fee; private chefs are available in at least some of the locations, also for a fee. It's true that some high-end DCs offer daily breakfast service, daily maids and a lux car at your disposal -- all inclusive. But you will pay for these goodies in six figure membership fees and hefty annual dues.

About the HCC locations, I would check this point out with HCC. I believe they are looking for well located, appealing properties that are good value for the dollar. If you have to fall out of bed onto the beach, most HCC properties won't fit your bill. But again, you get what you pay for. For overall price and value in a DC, I don't think that you can beat HCC.
 
S

Steamboat Bill

I think HCC is great for families with kids, but I would NOT recommend the 1 week plan.

The sweet spot is really 25 nights, but the 15 night is a good deal if you are not interested in Holiday bookings.

As with anything else, if you book early, you have a good shot to get an area you want. Summer in the Caribbean is not prime season.
 
S

Steamboat Bill

For overall price and value in a DC, I don't think that you can beat HCC.

That sums it up best...HCC is an entry-level destination club that offers many (but not) all the features of a club costing 5-10x as much.

Either way, after drinking the DC cool-aide, I can't return to timeshares (unless it is Disney).
 

capjak

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I think HCC is great for families with kids, but I would NOT recommend the 1 week plan.

The sweet spot is really 25 nights, but the 15 night is a good deal if you are not interested in Holiday bookings.

As with anything else, if you book early, you have a good shot to get an area you want. Summer in the Caribbean is not prime season.

I believe HCC is flexible and may be able to write in an upgrade after 1 year (i.e. start with one week and put in contract that after 1 year have the option to upgrade to more nights at the original $$)

After one year if you do not like it you can decide to not continue and get your original deposit back.
 

Bourne

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By the way, room service is avaialble at location where the unit is located within a resort. Examples...

Nuevo Vallarta, MX
Cabo San Lucas, MX
La Costa, CA
Orlando, FL

HCC's logic is that it can provide you with all the services that other DCs provide(Daily Maid service, Private Chef, Airport Transfer, etc) for a fee. If you want it, you pay for it.

I prefer this option as it keeps dues low and there are no 75-100 daily fees that other clubs have.

At this point there are ample(25%+) July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year availability. IMHO, I have noticed that HCC has more holiday week availability than Hilton and Four Seasons that I have owned before for a given timeframe.
 
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WhiteSand

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If I had the money I'd join Lusso-- beautiful homes, car in the driveway, on site concierge, daily cleaning services, boutique mentality of the club (not mass produced or developed), caps on number of school age families so school holidays not overbooked, regional membership caps to account for differences in the way different regions vacation, overall cap so club stays intimate and can continue to cherry pick homes wherever they go. But you pay for all that-400K to get in and 28K per year.

HCC is a great affordable club--and I think for the price difference I can rent a car for 200 per week, make my own bed, walk 100 yards to the ski-lift and forgo the hand-holding. We haven't had any trouble yet getting the reservations we want, although we don't travel at Christmas and New Years ever, so I can't speak to that. We don't need more than 3 or 4 bedrooms max and usually we only need 2 so HCC fits the size of our family travels really well. HCC has been very helpful with reservations, babysitters, grocery shopping, etc... No big complaints yet-
 

steve b

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HCC has exceeded all of our expectations. It is simply the best destination club out there for the price point.
steve b
 

ArthurN

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I think HCC is great for families with kids, but I would NOT recommend the 1 week plan.

Bill-
Why do you believe that the 1 week plan is not a good deal? What about compared to Mariott & SPG Hawaii or Four Seasons? Seems to me that HCC is a better deal.
 

Bourne

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Having owned FS Aviara and 14K HGVC points in the past, HCC is easily a notch above the Hilton, SPG and Marriotts of the world. Most of the HCC properties are equal or better than Four Seasons in terms of space/furnishings. For obvious reasons, there is no comparison when it comes to onsite service.
 

vineyarder

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Bill-
Why do you believe that the 1 week plan is not a good deal? What about compared to Mariott & SPG Hawaii or Four Seasons? Seems to me that HCC is a better deal.

Without putting words in SB's mouth, I think that his rationale is that 'once you taste the HCC Cool-Aid, severe withdrawal symptoms may arise if you are forced to wait an entire year to sip the cool-aid again...' (OK, so I did put words in his mouth...)
 
S

Steamboat Bill

Bill-
Why do you believe that the 1 week plan is not a good deal? What about compared to Mariott & SPG Hawaii or Four Seasons? Seems to me that HCC is a better deal.

It does not have anything to do with whether it is a good deal or not (HCC is a better deal than almost any TS...IMHO), it has to do with the restrictions on booking vacations. The sweet spot is the 25 night plan and the 15 night plan is pretty good. I just think the 7 night plan is NOT enough to enjoy all the features of a DC.

Having owned FS Aviara and 14K HGVC points in the past, HCC is easily a notch above the Hilton, SPG and Marriotts of the world. Most of the HCC properties are equal or better than Four Seasons in terms of space/furnishings. For obvious reasons, there is no comparison when it comes to onsite service.

I agree with that.
 

vivalour

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Bill-
Why do you believe that the 1 week plan is not a good deal? What about compared to Mariott & SPG Hawaii or Four Seasons? Seems to me that HCC is a better deal.

Everyone has their own view of the "best deal", so you have to consider how many days/nights you will actually use HCC properties. In our family's case, we like to take trips to destinations other than those offered by HCC (to visit in-laws, combine work /vacation, etc.) and have somewhat limited travel/vacation time. So right now, 15 days is our max for HCC, even though the "best deal," if you average out the cost per night, might be a membership with 25 or more nights. HCC may also still offer a "customized membership," depending on your specific needs (e.g to include holidays at the lower membership levels).
 

pwrshift

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Many experienced timeshare owners have had several weeks in different resort locations and with different 'brands' ... and in some cases picked them up on Ebay, etc. for very little money. From the day I joined TUG many years ago I found Tuggers to be a vast resource for very 'objective' sharing of opinions about different resorts based on actual experience with multiple brands. They freely shared the good and the bad points of their timeshare experiences and still do today.

Investigating the DC market was a different experience for me. Perhaps because it is a somewhat new vacation industry, I found some members of individual DC clubs very protective and defensive about their decisions to join ... and if you dare to raise a possible 'negative' be prepared to be flamed, bullied and insulted. I've not seen that on TUG before - objectivity seems to be out the window when asking for DC information. You must do your own due dilligence in researching what DC club is best for you, if any, and know your family vacations needs for today and tomorrow. It is not an easy decision because it can be a huge investment in a private company.

Having said that, there are some spectacular DC properties. Feast your eyes on this one from Lusso, for example: http://www.lussocollection.com/page/naples-villa-serena.jsp and you'll see what you get to use for your half million dollar membership, but they only have 15 or so locations ... and lots of 'promises' for expansion.

Whether or not one DC club can satisfy long term timeshare owners with all the vacation variety of trading for thousands of different timeshare resorts around the world is yet to be proved ... but DC luxury comes in various levels of investment and in most cases very limited location choices. Some even come with private jet transportation, luxury cars, daily maid service and chefs - but there is no free lunch for these extras.

Brian
 

Bourne

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...I found some members of individual DC clubs very protective and defensive about their decisions to join ... and if you dare to raise a possible 'negative' be prepared to be flamed, bullied and insulted. I've not seen that on TUG before - objectivity seems to be out the window when asking for DC information. You must do your own due dilligence in researching what DC club is best for you...

Protective and defensive....bullied and insulted... :)

The following comments are not directed personally at you.

Here is my concern with the tone of the negative posts on this forum...

1. If someone posts that I am dumb enough to spend 50K-350K on a DC membership is insulting me.. I am a better judge of my net worth and the ability to take risks. Any DC member here would agree that their membership carries a certain level of risk and is not inexpensive. However, they are comfortable with the level of risk involved with a nascent industry.

2. A certain amount of bulliness stems from the actions/posts of other posters. 'pwrshift' is the only person I know of that picked up the phone and contacted a DC to dig further. Looked at availability etc.

3. NONE of the members that posted against a DC have signed a NDA to review the financial details of a DC. It is not a membership contract. Pick up the phone, sign a NDA and review the details. If you still have issues, please feel free to post them.

I am fine with the posts that state that a DC is not right for me because of X, Y, and Z reason. There have been multiple posters here who did their due diligence on a specific DC and decided it was not right for them or the risk was too high. Read the tone of pro-DC members on those threads...:)

What I cannot take is when posters did whatever level of due diligence on a DC and decide it is not the right product for anyone. They effectively start questioning the decision of existing members. Like I said before, I am the best judge of my risk taking ability.
 

pwrshift

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Thanks for your posts, Bourne. You have been one of the most objective posters on DC matters and very helpful to me and other 'newbies' interested in this new vacation adventure. It is exactly as you say ... you alone are in control of your own financial destiny and for anyone to suggest otherwise is insulting.

In my profession I cannot (and would not) sign a non disclosure agreement and was surprised how many DC's did not require that of me ... but it was of even greater interest to find out which ones did refuse. :)
 
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I don't think DC members intend to be bulliers, insulting or defensive. They are protective, because practically without exception they are extremely happy. Every membership survey is in excess of 90% for those who are very satisfied with their membership, which is unheard of in the travel industry. In contrast, you get a lot of negative opinions of timeshares on TUG, because there are many who are not satisfied.

From my perspective, the most valuable feedback you get on this board are from those who own timeshares, fractional interests and DCs. It always seems they are most pleased with their DC membership and often want out of their timeshare memberships. That is telling to me.
 

m61376

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Admittedly, I'm relatively new to all of this, but I did, in fact, dig further with inquiries into HCC and was bothered by a few things. One of them was projected cost of properties and expansion into city locations (internationally as well as nationally). Although they tout properties in the 800K to 1M range, I was told that in high cost locales (NY, London, Paris, etc.) they will likely only get 1BR units because that's what they can buy for 700K. There were a few other inconsistensies that bothered me, tbut that was one thing in particular that made me hesitant.

Also, while I understand the pros and cons about the family/friend useage, at this point in my life (where I have adult children) if I buy something then, yes, I would like to have the option of allowing family to use it without having to pay a tremendous surcharge. It should be mine to use however I see fit.

They have since curtailed some of the so-called holiday weeks, but the large amount of those also bothered me.

Just my 2 cents....
 

tinkerbell2

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As I read more about HCC and after talking with Heath, it is not very clear to me what is the clientele they target as they have 1 BR to 4BR villas...Where will the company put its priority : prime locations (ie smaller units possibly) or getting homes for average family ?...It seems to me there should be a consistency in the development plans as it is hard to figure it the product is right for a family of 5 or not!
 

Bourne

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tinkerbell2,

IMHO, HCC's focus has been to add 2-3 bedroom properties costing around 800K. That said, they have been shifting focus for the better since inception. If you read the marketing material from '05/early '06, they initially started with 600K worth properties.

As time progresses, more members have joined and HCC has increased the cost of membership too. This helps them to focus on 1M+ properties at this point. Some of the new properties added are worth 1.5M+.Unlike PE who was their original competitor, they chose a laddered approach.

BTW, any connection with another tinkerbelle on FT.
 
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