Ultimate Resort

This is a continuation of Susan Kime's article 'Vacation Visions: Exceptional Exterior and Interior Designs of Residence and Destination Clubs'. The first part is available here or you can skip directly to a specific company by clicking on their name below:

Quintess
Calistoga Ranch
The Weybridge Collection
The Villas at The Grand del Mar
The Solstice Collection

In the world of the luxury destination club industry, Ultimate resort has a solid, steady, bankable, seasoned reputation. Founded in 2005 by Jim Tousignant, a former corporate investment banker at Morgan Stanley, Ultimate Resort was never the biggest or the most expensive, it was a club that was balanced, had multiple membership levels and exceptional locations and residences.

But now, as of this writing, Ultimate Resort is #2 in industry size, with nearly 800 members, with over 100 homes in 26 destinations. Much of this exponential growth came suddenly last year, under the direction of Mr. Tousignant, who directed the purchase of the multiple high end real estate assets of another luxury destination club that went bankrupt last year. The $100M deal closed in May 2007, with Ultimate acquiring – not only many new homes, but also over 600 grateful new members from the bankrupt Club. The extraordinary leadership and empathy of Mr. Tousignant is now well recognized in the industry.

“The feeling of home is so important” says David Latko, Ultimate Resort member, “ It helps define the essence of why we buy into a club like Ultimate. We want to be home while we are on vacation! Not only do we all love to travel, but our needs of familiarity, privacy, and a place to spread out is so important. That’s what high end hotels don’t provide. Ultimate has provided us with multiple large, comfortable homes – the one in Scottsdale is one we love, in particular. The finishes, the colors of the home, are all comforting... and the pool! It is a true swimming pool, not a lap pool. It is deep, you can actually jump in. Then, there is a five hole putting green on the property also. At a hotel, children scatter, but here at one of the UR homes, we know where they are, and now the children bring their friends with them --and there’s room for them, too. At Ultimate, the beds are comfortable, the refrigerator is stocked, everything we need and want is there. EveryBODY we need and want is there too. It’s a great experience.”