Ultra luxury destination club CIEL announced to Helium Report today that it is shifting its focus from that of a pure destination club in favor of acquiring larger tracks of land to be put into conservation trusts. “2008 will not be a year of selling, it will be a year of ... Read Full Article »

The relatively new and ultra-luxurious destination club, Ciel, created an “Executive Membership” option for their clients last month. Ciel’s Director of Memberships, Tom Harrington, said that the club’s move was based on needs articulated by its members: “The Executive Membership is designed for the needs of busy professionals and families with obligations ... Read Full Article »

BelleHavens has become the fourth destination club with funding from a billionaire, joining Exclusive Resorts, Yellowstone Club World, and Ciel as destination clubs backed by a member of the Forbes 400 list. Helium Report spoke with Bellehavens CEO and founder Darin Gilson (photo, right) to learn about his destination club’s latest ... Read Full Article »

Jim Tousignant at Ultimate Resort sweetened his bid by $2 million to buy the assets of the bankrupt Tanner and Haley for $100 million and received the approval of the federal bankruptcy court late on Wednesday night. More here from the Journal, if you have a subscription. That means of course, ... Read Full Article »

Jonathan Harding, President and COO of Ciel, spoke with Helium Report recently and provided some insights into the high-end, invitation-only club. He works closely with founder J. Joe Ricketts, whom Harding credited as the “visionary” of Ciel. In October, we covered the launch of the ultra-luxury destination club and posted some ... Read Full Article »

Last Wednesday, Helium Report spoke with Jim Tousignant (photo, right), CEO and founder of Ultimate Resort, to learn more about his expected acquisition of Tanner & Haley’s real estate assets for $98 million. Today, J. Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of Ciel, made a 10% higher counter-offer which could de-rail Ultimate ... Read Full Article »

In an unexpected move, J. Joe Ricketts (photo, right), founder of ultra-luxury club Ciel, has trumped Ultimate Resort’s $98 million offer for Tanner & Haley’s real estate assets with a $108 million cash bid. Michael Corkery of The Wall Street Journal reports (sub req’d) Preeminent Global Experience LP, a firm led ... Read Full Article »

One of Helium Report’s readers sent us the Ciel membership package. It looks good and weighs in at 69 ounces. We are still trying to get more details from the club on its membership programs, but from the brochure here is what we know: Founded by J. Joe Ricketts, the founder of ... Read Full Article »

Two Helium Report readers notified us yesterday about a new destination club called Ciel. Both were sent membership information packets, which one described as “velvet-y” and the other as the “best marketing material I have received.” Ciel has been in stealth mode, according to Debra Nordgren, VP of Sales, and just ... Read Full Article »