For those of us who remember Everlands (and it was only a year ago!), it was a destination club with an intriguing website, a strong ecological vision, and an initial membership deposit of $1M. Its residences were exotic and appealing: small salmon fishing lodges in Alaska - the multi-suite Rockefeller residence at The Point at Saranac Lake in Upstate New York, the boutique Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, England where the Duke and Dutchess of Cornwall vacationed, Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana - and these were just a few! These Everlands residences all had an air of wildness that intrigued and attracted a certain type of outdoors person, whose sense of wonder was enhanced through travel, who never tired of exploring what was beyond the next mountain, beyond the next cloud.

Unfortunately, back on earth, one of Everlands’ largest real estate underwriters was Lehman Brothers, and when Lehman filed for bankruptcy in 2008, there was not much that Everlands could do, or sell, or buy after that. And, until this past week, not much was heard about them… until October 15th.

It was then that Ultimate Escapes announced an exclusive agreement with Everlands, where Everlands members will be offered a chance to join Ultimate Escapes under preferred membership terms. Also, as part of the strategic agreement, Everlands will also share with Ultimate Escapes a database of more than 500 qualified prospects that had expressed interest in Everlands club membership.

"Though the Everlands properties were unique,” said Jim Tousignant, “they were really not what Ultimate members generally were seeking, even if they had been available. They were small bed and breakfasts and some hunting lodges, small hotels – in that vein. What we were interested in, when the opportunity arose, was in helping their members, who had put substantial money down to join a club, then the club, due to economic circumstances, was finally not there for them at all. We had known that Everlands was looking for an appropriate partner for its members. There are about 50 members, and no assets."

“So we decided to work with the members to provide them what we provide all our members: great vacation experiences in exceptional places, many in the great outdoors. What we are hoping for is allowing the Everlands vacation experience to meld with the Ultimate Escapes experience, each benefiting from the other. In addition, the Everlands ideal of environmental stewardship underscores our “Smart Home,” “Green Home” technologies, allowing us to become even better known for our eco-friendly and socially responsible vacation experiences.”

Over and above the strategic agreement, just one of the many Jim Tousignant has forged in recent months, is a sense of collective and healthful strength that Tousignant sees as a consequence of the Everlands agreement. “Granted this is not a LARGE deal, but it is a helpful one for our industry. And it is one that helps a certain segment of the shared residence population. We want to reach out, as we have with other clubs, to members who had a club once and now do not, through no fault of their own. We feel it is good for our club, but more importantly, it is good for the industry.”