Occasionally our own travel plans will coincide with last-minute availability at a destination club home. Last week, we were in New York for four nights, and got the chance to stay at one of Private Escapes’ condo units. We could only get two nights there, as they had a member checking-in later in the week – so we trudged off to a hotel for the second part of our stay.

The two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath unit is at 1600 Broadway, and one of the first homes in the Private Escapes Pinnacle Plan – which competes with Quintess, Exclusive Resorts and Ultimate Resort.

It can be hard to tell how typical our experience was, in terms of service, when compared to a regular member. The club obviously wants to impress us – at least that’s what we assume.

The Real Estate

Let’s start with the real estate. Private Escapes owns one of the penthouse units in this building, and at 1,576 square feet it’s likely larger than many destination club units in New York. Several clubs own units at this same building, and at least one other also have a penthouse unit. By comparison, the Exclusive Resorts two-bedroom New York units are about 1,200 square feet.

Appliances are all top-of-the-line, with names like Sub-Zero, Bosch and Miele. The entertainment system was Bang and Olufson, and the rest of the furnishings felt like a luxury hotel. The unit was clearly spacious enough for two couples, or a family of five or six.

The Service

We made a last minute reservation, so the customer service team at Private Escapes had to scramble – and we decided to test other aspects, too. We deliberately did not tell the customer service rep when our flight was arriving nor how we were getting from the airport to the unit, when we spoke to him on the Friday. His follow-up was appropriately persistent, however, including an email and a call over the weekend to make sure we were set.

He also warned us that their concierge would be unable to meet us at the unit when we arrived, as she had just broken her foot. But inside was a had-written note from her, a bottle of wine, and lots of information about New York if we needed it – the “Escape Plan.”

Some other observations of what we appreciated: the wireless internet worked flawlessly, there were clear instruction cards in each room for the entertainment systems, a selection of complimentary drinks were in the fridge (not all clubs do this), a daily newspaper (not all clubs do this), and umbrellas by the front door. Our only complaint was that the dining room table was set for a formal dinner – and for us, it looked a little too prepared.

Experience Overview

We can see how families and visitors to New York love the location – right by Times Square and surrounded by enough billboards to make midnight seem like the middle of the day. But for business travel, while midtown is convenient, the proximity to Times Square created a touristy feel.

It’s easy now to spend anywhere from $500 to over $1,000 per night for a luxury hotel in New York. By comparison, according to our cost-per-night calculator, a membership in the Pinnacle Club will cost about $1,049 per night. And with Pinnacle (and its competitors), you get a lot more space and functionality – essentially a home.

Of course, you can always get a five-star hotel room in New York at the last minute – but that may not be the case with Pinnacle, or any other destination club. In fact, we do not think that prospective members should consider a destination club membership a viable alternative for business travel accommodations – especially in cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco. You may get lucky on a few days notice, but more than likely, you will need a few weeks notice to find availability – which is typically enough for a couple’s weekend getaway.

We had one last test for the Private Escapes concierge in New York. We left some dry cleaning at their location, after we had checked out, and then called for it to be delivered to our hotel that same day, assuming they would find a way to get a cab driver to bring it down. But in fact, the concierge herself got in the cab and personally delivered our dry cleaning. It is what you would expect from a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton, who have a long history of building a service culture. We appreciated that Private Escapes is aiming that high.

Know What We Know

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Editor: Helium Report content is independently determined by our editorial staff. Neither Private Escapes nor any other destination club influences Helium Report content, and we are not compensated for editorial coverage. While Private Escapes is an advertiser, Helium Report does not receive any compensation if you join a club.