Originally Posted by
saint
That's great that you derive so much value from your membership. No doubt that's important. I guess I'm more of an independent traveler. I don't need concierges, or feel the need to hang out with other "members". When I rent luxury residences, I just hang out with my family or my close friends.
I can take a trip anytime I want and stay in luxurious residences utilizing companies like Luxury Retreats (or there are many others) that also have concierges and no annual or upfront fees. Definitely we aren't always looking for cheapest cost property rental. Many times we want an upscale property and an upscale experience. My biggest argument is you simply don't need to pay initiation fees or ongoing annual fees to find this these days.
Definitely that's great that existing members feel it's good value. I just don't think it would be my cup of tea. Same kind of argument for time shares. I'm not a time share guy either for various reasons. This isn't 1980. It's not difficult to find tons of luxurious properties that have excellent reputations. It's all out there via the Internet now. Not to take away anything from any Inspirato members at all. If it works for you guys, hey, who cares what others think. But the mere fact they are having to waive the initiation fee speaks volumes.
You're totally right...different people have different wants and needs. Other than people who have been courted to join because of their referral networks, I've just never met a member who was comped the initiation fee. Business is business, and I'm sure there have been exceptions though. But it's just not true that they're having trouble selling memberships. In fact, Inspirato recently switched to an invite-only setup. You can no longer just ask to join like I did 3 years ago. They allow you to try before you buy...6-months of being a "member" without paying the initiation. You pay for the trips the same way a full member would. Then if you join, you pay the initiation fee. If you don't, you're not out any up-front fees...just the money you spent on the actual trip. You get "travel perks" (credits) based on when you join within that 6 month trial. The sooner you join the more credits you get. It's been very well received, because many people are nervous putting down anywhere from 10k to 30k for a membership without experiencing it first hand. Now you get to try out the club risk-free before having to commit to that initiation fee.
You're totally right that you can get great luxury properties w/ concierge service outside Inspirato. Take Wheels Up for instance. You can buy a jet card with NetJets and have access to a massive fleet of aircraft. With Wheels up, it's the King Air and Citation XLS (they do have access to a broader network), yet Wheels up has attracted quite the following, including celebrities who could totally afford to purchase their own plane (Serena Williams, Russell Wilson, Nick Jonas, Rickie Fowler, etc) or go with a more traditional private jet company. Their "Wheels Down" program is similar to the club-like benefits Inspirato members have, and I've also been surprised with the number of celebrity Inspirato members there are...I guess I would have figured they would just buy their own vacation home or purchase a la carte.
With the similarities between the two companies, it's not surprising to see Wheels Up and Inspirato team up together.
Everyone clearly has different wants and needs, and what works for me might not work for you. But regardless of the format, the sharing economy seems to be in full effect!