Distinctive Holiday Homes, competes with HCC

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

New Members

Hi All,

Sorry for not posting sooner ...

Yes we have had a significant amount of new members join in the last few weeks and some American members as well which is nice some from viewing this forum which is also great, so much so we have started to speed up our focus on Hawaii, St Martin & Miami , now that we are seeing a steady flow of US Members joining.

Nick

 

[LTTravel]

Hi All,

Sorry for not posting sooner ...

Yes we have had a significant amount of new members join in the last few weeks and some American members as well which is nice some from viewing this forum which is also great, so much so we have started to speed up our focus on Hawaii, St Martin & Miami , now that we are seeing a steady flow of US Members joining.

Nick

Your membership agreement does not have the new proposed rules in it. Will you be able to revise the agreement or add an addendum. The ability to bank and borrow a week, transfer membership, upgrade at the old fees within a year and other proposals are important for me to join.

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

Club Rules

I can email you a copy of the new rules which are now complete which cover all of the new rules ...

 

[LTTravel]

Hi All,

Sorry for not posting sooner ...

Yes we have had a significant amount of new members join in the last few weeks and some American members as well which is nice some from viewing this forum which is also great, so much so we have started to speed up our focus on Hawaii, St Martin & Miami , now that we are seeing a steady flow of US Members joining.

Nick

Anyway we can pay for any of the membership/ membership dues with a credit card?

 

[Kagehitokiri]

LTTravel, you got a copy of their materials?

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

Payment etc

You can pay ongoing annual dues by c/c but the first payment of Joining Deposit and Annual Dues needs to be wired to us.

We have just released our New Club Rules which can be emailed.

 

[LTTravel]

I can email you a copy of the new rules which are now complete which cover all of the new rules ...

I have a copy of the new rules. Everything that was discussed in the forum is now present in the new rules, except for one(Unless I am missing it) I thought you had decided that if we join by September 30, we can upgrade to a higher level within one year at the current price levels. I do not see that in the new rules. All the other principles; bank an borrow weeks, add associate members, are included. Great. Though it does say that you cannot transfer a membership, it allows you to have someone take your place in your membership for a transfer fee. These are great. I have looked it over twice but have not seen the 1 yr upgrade window, am I missing it?

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

I have a copy of the new rules. Everything that was discussed in the forum is now present in the new rules, except for one(Unless I am missing it) I thought you had decided that if we join by September 30, we can upgrade to a higher level within one year at the current price levels. I do not see that in the new rules. All the other principles; bank an borrow weeks, add associate members, are included. Great. Though it does say that you cannot transfer a membership, it allows you to have someone take your place in your membership for a transfer fee. These are great. I have looked it over twice but have not seen the 1 yr upgrade window, am I missing it?

No that is being done by way of a side letter ....as this only applies to people who join prior to the end of the month , we did not want it in the rules going forward. However it does apply to all Charter Members , and they will have 12 months from the date they join and pay to upgrade one time to which ever new level they would like.

 

[LTTravel]

No that is being done by way of a side letter ....as this only applies to people who join prior to the end of the month , we did not want it in the rules going forward. However it does apply to all Charter Members , and they will have 12 months from the date they join and pay to upgrade one time to which ever new level they would like.

Great. Now to send in my membership material without my wife's knowledge (Until I surprise her with the first trip- though maybe I'll invite some of these Tuggers to join me for a weekend trip to Beaver Creek, with six bedrooms, I could invite 5 of them)

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

Great. Now to send in my membership material without my wife's knowledge (Until I surprise her with the first trip- though maybe I'll invite some of these Tuggers to join me for a weekend trip to Beaver Creek, with six bedrooms, I could invite 5 of them)

I am sure she wont complain when you surprise her with a holiday ....welcome aboard so to speak

We spent last Christmas in Beaver and it was a blast ...there is still no bookings for that destination yet for the ski season so you could even go for Christmas ....

 

[vineyarder]

Now to send in my membership material without my wife's knowledge (Until I surprise her with the first trip)

That's what I had planned to do when I joined HCC as a second DC, but then the paperwork required spouses signatures if married... ah, well; maybe I'll surprise her if I join a third!

 

[NAL]

OK, what are others thinking? Any takers on joining? I just started looking at this about a week ago and am really hesitant about joining without seeing a property in person. Unfortunately, that only gives me 5 more days and I am out of town for 4 of those. So unless I can drive to Tahoe tomorrow, I won't make the deadline and I've received no offers to do a try before you join extending the current deadline. Nick, you there ;-)

They have added the rescission period required by the DCA to the agreement which is good for 30 days. However, that becomes null and void once you make a booking so doesn't really help much.

I actually decided against Ultimate Resort after having visited their Tahoe property so I think it is important to take a trial run. I have to admit that the property had just come on line and they were still working out the kinks (example: the non-dedicated concierge showed up late to meet us and couldn't really help arrange babysitting). Also, I didn't like the location on a golf course and I thought the interior finishes were not even on par with what I've seen at some of the High Country properties I've visited. This was early days for UR and I'm sure a lot has changed since then (don't want to offend any UR members).

I know it isn't really in the best interest for DCs to give a trial but rather to rope you into a membership. However, it probably isn't in their best interest to have members who are unhappy, especially with forums like this in existence.

I too have the problem with the spousal approval as my husband isn't too keen on putting down any money on anything but since we are considering having kids soon, DCs seem ideal and I can even see my HCC membership becoming more valuable then. Unfortunately I don't think my husband will fall for the "surprise trip after I've joined without telling him" plan. Darn.

I like that DHH has a property within driving distance to my house and probably no one in the Bay Area right now so last minute opportunities would be good.

I very much like the ability to add affiliates since I may not want to use more than one long term reservation but would like to have 60-90 days space available window vs. only 30 days for the one week plan. Trying to talk a friend into it but hasn't worked so far but great that I have a year to change that. The SA at $300 per day is key benefit, especially while the availability is good.

 

[LTTravel]

I actually decided against Ultimate Resort after having visited their Tahoe property so I think it is important to take a trial run. I have to admit that the property had just come on line and they were still working out the kinks (example: the non-dedicated concierge showed up late to meet us and couldn't really help arrange babysitting). Also, I didn't like the location on a golf course and I thought the interior finishes were not even on par with what I've seen at some of the High Country properties I've visited. This was early days for UR and I'm sure a lot has changed since then (don't want to offend any UR members).

.

I am surprised that you did not like the UR property in Tahoe. I have not seen it but from the description and photos, it looks very nice, except that it is on a golf course rather than a ski slope or lakeside.

Ultimate Resort ELITE

5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, sleeps 12; master bedroom with king bed, 2nd bedroom with king bed, 3rd bedroom with twin bunk-beds and 4th bedroom with two twins (convertible to king)
5,000 sq ft
Located on the 13th fairway of a scenic mountainside golf course, this stunning two-story residence offers breathtaking mountain and golf views from every room
Large game room with foosball and pool table
Large plasma screen and LCD televisions, DVD players, surround-sound audio system, pre-programmed iPod, video gaming systems
Computers with high-speed Internet, Wi-fi throughout the home, fax machine

I only know of one HCC home that sounds like that and that is the leased property in Breckenridge. I know this property was sold for about $2 million aover a year ago and fixed up and furnished. If you didn't like this property, you may be tough to please.

compared to the DHH home description:

Shoshone Court, Squaw Valley, CA
This 3700 sq ft four bedroom and three bathroom home is located in Squaw Valley, a short distance from the resort village and ski lifts. The interior is absolutely stunning, from the floor to ceiling "honey onyx" master bathroom, to the detailed hand finished woodwork throughout the house.

It boasts an enormous gourmet kitchen located within the modern log cabin style of this very comfortable home.

On the second floor you will find three of the bedrooms, two of which can be configured as singles or doubles.

On the ground floor there is a separate dining room and a spacious living area with a welcoming stone fireplace, gourmet kitchen, spacious master bedroom, laundry and access to the double garage.

 

[NeilGoBlue]

I've never visited UR's properties, but when I looked hard comparing property to property... I thought the FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), and over all interior design was substantially inferior to other clubs in it's class.

 

[LTTravel]

I've never visited UR's properties, but when I looked hard comparing property to property... I thought the FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), and over all interior design was substantially inferior to other clubs in it's class.

I think that if you look at the original UR properties, for the $2million range, they were very nice. In fact, three of them were bumped up into UR elite after the buyout of Tanner and Haley. Looking at the UR Elite collection, I think that some of the Tanner and Haley Homes are very nice, but they were not well kept up during the bankruptcy proceedings so some were not redone or furnished well. After the buyout, UR set aside several million dollars to bring them up to par (new furniture, computers, etc) One of these are the homes that they have in Nevis. From what I have heard, these homes are excellent and are being upgraded prior to being released. They have homes at the Trump in NY and Abaco, which have the same furnishings as any of the homes there. They have excellent homes in Scottsdale and Park City, and Jackson Hole, etc. The homes in Cabo are in an excellent location, on a cliff, plus several homes in the Esperanza. They probably need a little touch up though, if it has not already been done. The PE Pinnacle homes will be a nice addition. However, I believe the city of Charleston is sueing PE to close down its home to avoid any other DC's from entering. I personally don't understand why they would have chosen Charleston as a location for only a handful of homes and it would probably be better if they could sell it and get a home in a more desireable location. Even so, it is very nicely appointed.

 

[NeilGoBlue]

I think that if you look at the original UR properties, for the $2million range, they were very nice. In fact, three of them were bumped up into UR elite after the buyout of Tanner and Haley. Looking at the UR Elite collection, I think that some of the Tanner and Haley Homes are very nice, but they were not well kept up during the bankruptcy proceedings so some were not redone or furnished well. After the buyout, UR set aside several million dollars to bring them up to par (new furniture, computers, etc) One of these are the homes that they have in Nevis. From what I have heard, these homes are excellent and are being upgraded prior to being released. They have homes at the Trump in NY and Abaco, which have the same furnishings as any of the homes there. They have excellent homes in Scottsdale and Park City, and Jackson Hole, etc. The homes in Cabo are in an excellent location, on a cliff, plus several homes in the Esperanza. They probably need a little touch up though, if it has not already been done. The PE Pinnacle homes will be a nice addition. However, I believe the city of Charleston is sueing PE to close down its home to avoid any other DC's from entering. I personally don't understand why they would have chosen Charleston as a location for only a handful of homes and it would probably be better if they could sell it and get a home in a more desireable location. Even so, it is very nicely appointed.

Most of the homes I was looking at were in the lower level, not the elite level.

 

[NAL]

I didn't really want to get into the specifics and I'm sure a lot has changed as I reiterate that I was one of the first people to use it. The place seemed like an older update when I was there. Kind of like an 80s/90s high end remodel of a 70s golf course home rather than a mountain home. Wireless music wasn't working nor were there video games onsite (again, understandable). But the late arrival of the concierge, groceries in tow, wasn't a good sign.

I was not comparing the house itself but the decorations were not as well thought out or as nice as many at some of the HCC properties (many still had Target or Ross tags on them). The carpet installation was poorly done and a couple of us puctured our feet on hidden tacks while walking barefoot. Again, I'm sure this has changed. I will grant that it is a really large property. My friends remarked that they would rather have something smaller and plusher. Actually, I really like the pictures of the UR non-Elite property which seems more appropriate to the mountain location and less dated. In their website, the first 4 interior pix are the property I stayed in and the log home is a different place. However, I still maintain that the location was not ideal being on a golf course and not that close to skiing. It just wasn't the kind of place that made sense for us. But remember this was pre-merger and a year ago so everything is different now.

I actually really like the HCC properties I have been to (Turks and Caicos, La Costa, Mammoth) and don't compare the two clubs since one specializes in larger multi-million dollar properties and the other in value. I just thought it was interesting that the UR property didn't seem as luxe as it should be given the price point.

Interesting to note that I was also one of the first people to stay at the HCC Turks property and there were some bugs but the place was really nicely furnished and comfortable (and no Target tags ) and they even sent me an email to let me know what wouldn't be there by the time I arrived. When I recently stayed there a second time, it was even better. And the little details were great like having a first aid kit and snorkel sets. Oh, and a Vonage phone so you could call for free back to the US!

Looking at the pix, to me the DHH property seems very nice and more appropriate to a mountain home but I'd like to see it in person as pictures can be deceiving. But the location is great (for me) being very close to Squaw and Alpine, and the finishes appear to be more high-end IMHO.

As I'm sure several of you have been, I have been investigating the DC industry for quite some time now. I even considered joining My Global Playground as a charter member if any of you remember that one. Ended up with HCC mainly because I am interested in capital preservation for real estate investing. That is why DHH is appealing to me.

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

OK, what are others thinking? Any takers on joining? I just started looking at this about a week ago and am really hesitant about joining without seeing a property in person. Unfortunately, that only gives me 5 more days and I am out of town for 4 of those. So unless I can drive to Tahoe tomorrow, I won't make the deadline and I've received no offers to do a try before you join extending the current deadline. Nick, you there ;-)

They have added the rescission period required by the DCA to the agreement which is good for 30 days. However, that becomes null and void once you make a booking so doesn't really help much.

I actually decided against Ultimate Resort after having visited their Tahoe property so I think it is important to take a trial run. I have to admit that the property had just come on line and they were still working out the kinks (example: the non-dedicated concierge showed up late to meet us and couldn't really help arrange babysitting). Also, I didn't like the location on a golf course and I thought the interior finishes were not even on par with what I've seen at some of the High Country properties I've visited. This was early days for UR and I'm sure a lot has changed since then (don't want to offend any UR members).

I know it isn't really in the best interest for DCs to give a trial but rather to rope you into a membership. However, it probably isn't in their best interest to have members who are unhappy, especially with forums like this in existence.

I too have the problem with the spousal approval as my husband isn't too keen on putting down any money on anything but since we are considering having kids soon, DCs seem ideal and I can even see my HCC membership becoming more valuable then. Unfortunately I don't think my husband will fall for the "surprise trip after I've joined without telling him" plan. Darn.

I like that DHH has a property within driving distance to my house and probably no one in the Bay Area right now so last minute opportunities would be good.

I very much like the ability to add affiliates since I may not want to use more than one long term reservation but would like to have 60-90 days space available window vs. only 30 days for the one week plan. Trying to talk a friend into it but hasn't worked so far but great that I have a year to change that. The SA at $300 per day is key benefit, especially while the availability is good.

I have spoken to Robert in LA about this today , and we have decide that it is important for you to be sure. So we will offer the following option:

- If you want to join now during the Charter Phase we will allow you a 100 % refund of your Membership Joining Deposit and a refund of any unused Membership days with no waiting in a queue, if you vacation at one of our properties within 90 days of joining and are not satisfied. After 90 days we will assume you are happy to continue either way if you have not asked to cancel.

We will also extend this offer to any of the Tugbbs members.

We don't want any unhappy Members, ever.

Cheers

Nick

 

[nick@ihug.co.nz]

Tahoe Home

Also if you really want to see the Tahoe home before joining, we are happy to make our Concierge "Kelly" available to show you the property sometime between now and the end of this Month as well ...

 

[valhala]

Also if you really want to see the Tahoe home before joining, we are happy to make our Concierge "Kelly" available to show you the property sometime between now and the end of this Month as well ...

I too have been following this thread for a week now. I am considering HCC versus DHH. Very informative thread.
I was in Tahoe on the weekend and was compelled to visit the DHH Tahoe property in Squaw Valley. It was a short distance to the ski lifts. It was located in the midst of expensive houses in the interior of a semi private development. There was al ot of construction vehicles iin surrounding homes as construction was still visible in neighboring homes. Looks good from the outside. To water lovers, it is about 20 - 25 minutes drive to North Shore Lake Tahoe.

 

[Steamboat Bill]

I am creating a new thread to focus on DHH only

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55624