Glossary

Our glossary was designed to help define the luxury travel related terms that may be unfamiliar to our visitors. Our glossary is divided into alphabetical sections which list all relevant luxury vacation terms.

We hope that this glossary will help you understand the difference between Residence Clubs and Destination Clubs and between vacation rentals and fractional ownership.

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B

Boutique Hotel: A boutique hotel is a small property, typically offering an enhanced level of service and marketed to the affluent.

C

Camp: A camp is a private resort property usually within a national park or reserve that allows vacationers to retreat into the wilderness while also maintaining a level of luxurious comfort.

Catamaran: A catamaran is a boat with two parallel hulls (main body of boat) of approximately the same size, connected by a central section often used as a living and dining area.

Condo Hotel: Condo Hotels sell a part of their room selections to private investors. The ownership includes the condo deed to a specific hotel room or suite and pays the traditonal fees (taxes, insurance, maintenance) as if it was a typical condominium property. Owners may rent out the unit to the hotel or simply use it for their own vacation.

Crewed Yacht: A fully-crewed yacht typically offers a captain and cook on board and often deckhands as well.

D

Destination Club: Destination clubs offer their members a diverse selection of luxury vacation homes around the world for usually a one-time membership fee. Homes are owned, leased and managed by the club and used exclusively for the destination club's members.

E

Eco-luxury: Eco-luxury refers to a 'greener' style of luxury travel that promotes high quality while continuing to strengthen the local economy and preserving the natural environment.

F

Fractional Jet Ownership: Fractional jet ownership refers to an airplane that is fractionally owned by private companies or individuals who divide use of the jet among a certain number of hours or days per year.

Fractional Residences: Typically offered by a resort or hotel, fractional residences are a type of co-ownership of vacation property that allow a group of individuals to share in the costs as well as the privileges of an asset (villa, condominium, resort...). Fractional owners usually purchase only what they plan to use, reflecting their actual use of a vacation home.

Full-Staffed Villa: These vacation rental villas provide all the comforts of home with the luxury of a villa, plus a full staff for housekeeping, gardening and cooking.

J

Jet Card: A Jet Card is similar to a debit card for a chartered airplane. For a particular price, the purchaser receives a specific number of flight hours for a designated aircraft.

Jet Charter: Jet charters are airplanes often flying to tourist destinations whose tickets are sold by the vacation company that is operating that flight.

L

Luggage Forwarding: Instead of carrying your luggage with you or checking it at the airport, luggage forwarding allows the client to ship their luggage directly to their destination.

Luxury Getaway: A luxury getaway is typically a relaxing vacation that allows the travelers to completely unwind and leave the troubles and stress of the daily grind behind. Often considered mountain villas, villa resorts in the countryside or charming beachside resorts, these getaways offer luxurious comfort with a hint of blissful solitude.

Luxury Hideaway: Similar to luxury getaways, luxury hideaways take it a step further by often eliminating Internet connections and telephones in the luxurious villas and resort rooms.

P

Private Chef & Personal Chef: A Private Chef works exclusively for one client, as opposed to Personal Chefs who provide a range of culinary services for numerous clients. Private Chefs are the perfect solution for families or individuals who need to assign the culinary aspect of their vacations to a professional.

Personal Concierge: A personal concierge is a personal assistant; an extra hand to arrange reservations, run your errands, book tickets and plan your events and activities according to your tastes.

Private Island: Varying in price from renting to buying, private islands around the world provide the ultimate luxury getaway.

Private Jet: Private jets are airplanes that are owned by individuals or private companies to be used at the owner's discretion and expense.

Private Residence Club: A private residence club is a vacation property often located in popular luxury resorts that is owned by a set number of members for their own enjoyment. Each member owns a fraction of a residence offered by the club as well as rights to club facilities and common areas. Clubs are almost always based in one location and offer members 20-60 days of usage.

R

Resort: Resorts are vacation properties that usually are large-scale establishments operated by a single company.

S

Safari Lodge: Safari lodge properties usually boast luxury resort accommodations situated within an animal reservation or national park. They offer tours into the wilderness as well as luxurious suites with all amenities.

Self-Catering Villa: Self-catering villas let the guests run the show. Vacationers can feel right at home in their own full-furnished villa estate, deciding what and when to eat, what activities to do and when, etc.

Skippered Yacht: Skippers are usually professionals hired by the chartering company that offer assistance and guidance in maneuvering the boat and discovering the best areas for different activities like waterskiing or other points of interest.

Super Yacht: Otherwise known as a luxury yacht, a super yacht can be a large, fully-equipped sailing or motor yacht that is privately owned and professionally crewed.

V

Vacation Rental: A vacation rental is a vacation property (condominium, villa, resort...) that is contracted for temporary possession or use, with typically more privacy and larger property than a hotel room.

Villa: A villa is a vacation property located within a hotel or resort. Villas units offer kitchen, living room and bedroom. Kitchens usually offer stove, refrigerator, oven and/or microwave and cooking utensils for the maximum guest number in the unit. Housekeeping supplies and recreational activities are usually available within the hotel facilities.

VillaHotel: A VillaHotel is a vacation property that feels like a private vacation home but operates like a hotel. Guests have access to their own luxury vacation residence with all the services and amenities offered by a hotel: personal concierge, chef, housekeeping, bell person, bartender, server, child care and a residence manager.

Y

Yacht Charters: Yacht Charters allow travelers to enjoy the comfort and fun of a luxury boating holiday within a determined time-frame, often ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks.