One of the most respected analysts, Rick Munarriz, at one of our daily reads, The Motley Fool, just added his 2 cents on the state of the destination club industry.

Nothing too much new for readers of Helium Report, but he did ask a good question:

When will the big guns get in the business?

It’s clear that in the timeshare industry, companies such Marriott, Disney and others brought their track records in managing hospitality businesses, their access to capital and their reluctance to tarnish their own hard-earned consumer brands – and the category grew in size and stature.

The destination club industry is currently being defined and built by entrepreneurs, with the team at Exclusive Resorts the first to get to the status of “big gun”. Others from the current roster of clubs will also probably get there.

But what will it take for a large player from an adjacent business, such as Starwood or Intrawest, to jump in? Probably several factors, including a willingness to handle the balance sheet implications of heavy investments in real estate, a clearer picture of the regulatory environment affecting clubs, and confidence that they can compete with the entrepreneurs that have blazed the trail. Unless of course they decide to partner with or acquire one of them.

P.S. The Motley Fool has always set a high bar in terms of disclosure. Here’s a summary of ours:

The principals and employees at Helium Report do not have any financial interest or ownership in any of the companies that we profile (although one is a member of one of the destination clubs). We do have advertising relationships with many of the companies that are also featured in our editorial coverage. We encourage consumers to do their own research before making these ‘six figure’ decisions. We hope that Helium Report will help in that process.