KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Arrangement for Exclusive Resorts members to be followed by link with yacht builder
Fractional leasing company Marquis Jet Partners has formed a strategic partnership with US luxury-residence club Exclusive Resorts to make NetJets fractional aircraft available to its members.
The move comes ahead of a partnership with yacht builder Sea Ray to offer a Marquis Private Jet Card to new boat buyers, and enforces the operator's strategy to dominate the luxury business jet transport sector, set in place nine months ago with the partnership forged with hotel chain Ritz Carlton Club.
Exclusive Resorts has purchased a pool of aircraft hours, mainly on Cessna Citation Excels and Ultras, for resale to its members. The programme, says Marquis executive vice-president Ken Austin, restricts buyers to flying to and from pre-booked accommodation at Exclusive Resorts' 15 locations around the world, including: Kohala Coast and Maui in Hawaii; Kiawah Island, South Carolina; Great Exuma, Bahamas; Los Cabos, Mexico; San Francisco; New York; London and Paris. The latter two points will be serviced by Marquis's European arm, based in London. For Sea Ray customers, access to the NetJets fleet is based on the purchase price of the yacht. For example, for a $250,000 boat, a one-off 4h Marquis jet card is provided, increasing to a 24h card for a $1 million yacht.
"All the products we are involved in complement each other," Austin says. "They represent high-quality luxury brands and that is the market in which Marquis is positioned." Austin says talks are under way to offer similar partnerships with the Four Seasons and Seatai Club hotels.
Marquis's push into the luxury lifestyle market is designed to raise awareness of business aircraft travel and lower the cost of access, which Austin says has been an enormous success, aided by NetJets' good reputation. Marquis Jet pioneered the jet card concept two years ago, subleasing NetJets fractional shares in one-year, 25h blocks. "We will have sold 1,000 jet cards this year and our renewal rate is well above 90%. Customers who don't renew often become a NetJets fractional owner," Austin says.
Source: Flight International
