COURTESYEXCLUSIVERESORTS
BUSINESS
ahotel: “You’dneveraskthemtocometo
yourhotelroom,butaskingthemtocome
toyoursix-bedroomvilla200 feetaway
makessense.Thehomesthemselvesen-
courage interaction. Itreally justexpands
thedefinitionofvacation.”
Inspiratohasevengoneastep further.
Afternoticing, likemanyof theclubs, that
moreandmorememberswereusingthe
clubhomestohostcompanymeetings
andretreats,aswellascross-industry
events— ithasahuge followingamong
YoungPresidents’Organizations, forex-
ample—Inspirato launchedanExecutive
Membershipthatallowsseveral top-level
colleagues inacompanytoshare itsprivi-
leges,usingtheclub’s facilitiesnotonly
for friendsand familyandfirmo-sites
butalsotosendpartners, clientsandtop
employeesontripstoo.
ExclusiveResorts’seniorvicepresident
ofmarketing,KristenNolte,alsohasseen
an increasingnumberofmembersusingthe
company’shomesforcorporatemeetings
andretreats,which,shesays,makes justas
muchsenseasthemore impromptunet-
workingopportunitiesthathappenthere.
“Forpeoplewhoarereallyon it,reallydriven,
reallyambitious, they’reoftenbeston
vacation.Yourbrainhastodetachfrom
theoperationalpartofyourbusiness,and
vacation letsyoubemorecreativeand
idea-driven.”She’sworkingtodevelopa
newappto letmembersnetworkandstay in
communicationaseasilyonlineastheydo
o,hopingExclusiveResortscanbecome
evenmoreofacatalyst,andshe’s launched
partnershipsgivingmembersaccesstocon-
ferencesandeventsorganizedbyWomenof
Influence, theAspenInstituteandtheKei-
retsuForum,anetworkofangel investors.
Thispotentmixofbusinessandplea-
sureprovesparticularlyattractive forthe
sortsofpeopletheseclubsdraw in. “For
ourmembers,work is fun; it’screativeand
exciting,and itoersnewwaystoengage,”
Noltenotes. “It’sapassionpoint,and it
helpsourmembersgettoknoweachother
—seewhoeachotherare—combiningthe
personalandprofessionalatthesametime.
It’sthe funpartofyour jobyougettotake
onvacation.”
collectionof internationalvacationvillas;
toTheEdenClub,a luxuriousprivateclub
andgatedcommunityatSt.Andrews in
Scotlandthatalso facilitatesaccesstotop
golfcoursesaroundtheworld—allreport
similarfindings.
“Iknowseveralmemberswhohavebuilt
lastingbusinessrelationships,”saysDavid
Kallery, Inspirato’spresident,whogoes
ontosaytheseserendipitousmember-
networkingencountershappenevery-
wheretheclubhashomes,butespecially in
placeswheretherearemorepublicspaces,
liketheirresortdestinations inVail,
Colorado;Maui,Hawaii;orPuntadeMita,
Mexico. “Youseetwomemberssittingby
thepool”—wearing,Kallerynotes, the
Inspiratohatstheyreceiveduponarrival
—“andthenextthingyouknowthey’re
exchangingnumbers,”hesays. In loca-
tions likethese, thecompany frequently
hostsweeklywelcomereceptions, too,and
theyfindthatmemberswilloftenask for
helporganizingahousepartyattheirown
homes forothermembers.
Kallerydrawsan importantdistinction
betweentheclubexperienceandthatof
openaboutsharingtheirnetworkswith
othermembers.”
ExclusiveResorts’ journeysandevents
—specialized insider itinerariesandtrips
organizedaroundparticularhigh-profile
events, liketheKentuckyDerby—have
provedparticularly fruitfulnetworking
grounds. “DuringarecenttriptoAfrica
withExclusiveResorts,”oneclubtraveler
says, “Imeta [fellow]memberwhoshared
myanity fortravelstartups;asaresult,
webecame investmentpartners intwo
newventures launchingthisyear.”Aclub
triptoAustin,Texas,meanwhile, forthe
inauguralFormula1racethere, sparked
twodealsbetweenmemberswhoprevi-
ouslyhadn’tknownoneanother.And
severalotherclubtravelersrecently
invested ina forthcomingeatery froma
Washington,D.C., restaurateurand fellow
membertheymetwhiletravelingwiththe
club.Talkaboutmemberbenefits.
It’snot justExclusiveResortsthat
hasexperiencedthisphenomenoneither.
Similarcompanies— fromInspirato,a
privatevacationclubaliatedwithAmeri-
canExpress; toQuintess,whichoersa
ANDREWSESSA
is a former editor of
Town &Country
and
Departures
. He continues to contribute to those
magazines, aswell as to
Afar
,
ArchitecturalDigest
,
Condé
Nast Traveler
,
Saveur
and
Travel +Leisure
, writing about
travel, design, art, architectureand food.
SETTINGTHESTANDARD:
ExclusiveResorts’membershaveaccess to thedecadent suites at
Trump International Hotel &Tower, Chicago, aswell as access toanumber of thehotel’sprivateamenities.
WINTER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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