Quintess's Ben Addoms Discusses Destination Club Partnership With The Oyster Circle

Last week, two leading destination clubs, Quintess and The Oyster Circle, announced a partnership that would allow members of both clubs access to the other's portfolio of luxury real estate. The Veras Group met with Ben Addoms to discuss the partnership and how it will benefit members of both clubs.

The Veras Group: Last week, Quintess started a lottery for initial bookings to The Oyster Circle portfolio. What are the member's reaction and participation in the lottery so far?

Ben Addoms: We've had great feedback on the experience. We've had about 80 people or so line up to get in on the lottery. We usually have a lottery for every new property, so this is like having nine lotteries at once.

Members are excited, and even if they don't win the lottery, there will still be a number of nights available for them to select.

We have already seen interest from several Oyster Circle members looking to visit our Tuscany homes and even Jackson Hole later this year.

The Veras Group: Do Oyster Circle homes need to be retrofitted to provide the same Quintess experience that your members have come to expect?

Addoms: We had the opportunity to have our European representatives visit each of The Oyster Circle properties, and all are very comparable, and sometimes even superior, to our Quintess homes. The great thing is that we are both very similar and our club members will enjoy a seamless experience with both club's properties.

The Veras Group: Have you personally been to any Oyster Circle properties?

Addoms: I have not been to an Oyster Circle home but am planning on visiting Cannes and St. Tropez in September. It is my favorite time to go and I only have so many Quintess nights to use each year.

With The Oyster Circle partnership, do you plan on adding any European properties into your portfolio any time in the future or do you envision The Oyster Circle portfolio of properties existing as the European component of a Quintess membership?

Addoms: Members generally tell us what they want and our surveys drive the process. If members feel strongly about the homes and destinations in The Oyster Circle collection, we might add Quintess homes in similar areas. At some point we may add another strategic partnership and make our partnership with The Oyster Circle permanent.

The Veras Group: Are there any limits to the reciprocal access between the clubs?

Addoms: We generally limit our plans to 10 nights per year, much like our Q Leading Experiences. We planned for about 250 nights to exchange per year.

The Veras Group: Could you speak about what it is like working with The Oyster Circle and the benefits it brings to members?

Addoms: I think it is fantastic to work with people who have similar qualities and our members are going to be excited to have doubled their number of European destinations. The Oyster Circle predominately bought non-city homes in Europe. The Oyster Circle's 50 to 60 members will now have access to more European city destinations, the Caribbean, and other US properties.

Nearly every major destination club in the industry now has multiple ancillary travel partnerships for their destination club members. By partnering two like minded clubs together, members not only have more destinations and homes available to them, but also a consistent travel experience no matter what club property they are visiting. Quintess and The Oyster Circle have already begun intermingling reservation and operational systems to help members of both clubs take full advantage of the partnership.

Check back tomorrow for part two of our interview with Quintess Founder and Executive Vice President, Ben Addoms, where he discusses the recent changes made at Quintess and his projection for the future of the destination club industry.

Original Article
Quintess's Ben Addoms Discusses Destination Club Partnership With The Oyster Circle