“Luxury Residence Fund” Equity Estates allows members to enjoy beautiful homes around the world, while also sharing ownership in the company’s portfolio of properties. Locations include Canada, the US, and South America, as well as further afield in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Tyler K. has been an Equity Estates investor for seven years, and in that time he has enjoyed vacations that the fund estimates are worth about $840,000.

Tyler and his family originally had a 15-night membership with Equity Estates (in their Fund I) as well as a membership with another luxury travel company. After traveling once with each, he says, “We decided that we would be better off having more days with Equity Estates. The overall travel experience, as well as the equity position in EE, was the much more attractive option.” The family took more trips, “each better than the last” and finally decided there was only one option. “We determined that the travel experience provided was the best we had experienced.” Tyler upgraded to a 60-night membership in 2012.

Since 2010, he has taken more than 50 trips, in other words, he and his family have averaged seven vacations a year. We asked him to name some of his most memorable trips with Equity Estates. Although he admitted that to pick just three was a difficult decision, he chose:

• Florence, Italy. “This was a fabulous family vacation in the Tuscan Region. EE set up a private tour guide that allowed us priority access to all the wonderful museum sites and galleries. We spent days walking through Florence and ate at fabulous local restaurants.”
• Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos. “This penthouse has the most fabulous views on one of the greatest beaches in the world. Kiteboarding lessons, fishing, scuba diving, sunset cruises, paddleboarding, and excellent dining are just a few of the fantastic activities we have taken advantage of. The staff at the Regent Grand make sure that every need is taken care of.”
• Playa Langosta, Costa Rica. “The house is fabulous and the town of Tamarindo is absolutely adorable. Everything you need is just a short walk away. A chef fixed outstanding meals for us at the house. EE arranged for masseuses to come to the home to pamper everyone. Afternoon sailing cruises and snorkeling were outstanding. Local dining options are excellent and very reasonable. Surfing lessons and equipment are available everywhere and the kids really enjoyed it.”

Tyler also gifts an average of 10 nights per year to friends and family members, “all of whom have totally enjoyed themselves” he told us.

One thing that Tyler and his family appreciate is the consistent level of excellence he knows he can rely on from Equity Estates. He says, “All the residences have a consistent set of amenities and the local concierge makes sure that we have everything we need. If there are any special needs we request, we can always count on everything being taken care of and in order when we arrive.” He considers the value of membership to be "outstanding" and says that he could not have taken as many vacations of similar quality elsewhere for the same price.

In 2021, Equity Estates will begin to divest of the properties in their first fund. Members will then potentially see a financial return on their investment. Tyler calls this an added bonus. He says, “When the portfolio is liquidated, we will receive a handsome profit on our investment. The only negative is determining what to do to replicate the experience once the portfolio is liquidated. I certainly hope that EE has another portfolio available when that time comes. Equity Estates has become an integral part of our lifestyle.”

Editors Note: the $840,000 value for all of the trips was supplied by Equity Estates. To calculate this value they pulled up his travel history from their reservation system and re-created every trip he has taken over the last seven years. Next, they looked for the closest comparable accommodation they could find, often in the same neighborhood or even the same building. They also accounted for peak/holiday travel times. The $840,00 total is the actual number they came up with, after adding up the value of all the trips over the last seven years.