Frontier Airlines chief executive Jeff Potter wasn’t job-hunting when executives at Exclusive Resorts tapped him to lead the company, a luxury destination club that specializes in high-end vacation homes for the affluent.
Potter, who announced Monday he will become CEO of the fast-growing company Sept. 10, said he already had “the best job in the airline industry,” overseeing 5,500 employees whose energy and respect for one another could not be matched. Potter’s resignation from Frontier becomes effective Sept. 6.
“I’ve never seen a group of people as passionate as the group here,” said Potter, who in his five years at the helm of Frontier has done every job from working the ticket counter and escorting passengers in wheelchairs onto flights to helping oversee the airline’s recent expansion into Central America.
But on Monday, Potter said he accepted Exclusive Resorts’ offer – his first career departure from the airline industry – after meeting with current CEO Donn Davis and witnessing that same level of passion, energy and commitment to customer service.
“I was surprised to see that (passion) in these folks,” he said.
Davis, who is based at the company’s Washington, D.C., offices and will become executive chairman, said Potter has demonstrated an ability to lead “teams of people to deliver a really great experience.”
“What we wanted to add was a proven operational leader,” said Davis.
Exclusive Resorts is part of a fast-growing sector in the luxury vacation industry, offering clients access to multimillion-dollar homes and five-star service for a one-time fee, plus annual dues.
Membership plans at Exclusive Resorts range from $239,000 to $459,000, depending on vacation lengths. The membership costs are 80 percent refundable once members leave, said Brent Handler, who co-founded Exclusive Resorts in 2002 with his brother and another partner. Other Colorado- based destination clubs include Private Escapes and Quintess. AOL co-founder Steve Case is majority owner of Exclusive Resorts.
Most customers are affluent North Americans couples without children at home, said Rachel Neumann, spokeswoman for Exclusive Resorts.
Humble beginnings
The Denver-based company began operating in 2003 with a handful of properties, including a house in Beaver Creek, she said.
Potter will run all operations of the company, which has 250 employees at its 16th Street Mall headquarters and manages more than $1 billion in luxury real estate around the world.
Potter dismissed rumors that the announcement of his exit, so closely behind an announcement that Frontier chairman Sam Addoms would be retiring Sept. 6, signaled the company is the target of a corporate takeover.
It was purely “coincidental,” said Potter.
He declined to discuss what his salary will be at Exclusive Resorts, which has grown from less than 200 members in 2003 to more than 3,000 today. At Frontier, he earned an annual salary of $311,250, excluding stock options and bonuses, said Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas.
Potter isn’t completely cutting ties to Frontier. He will sit on the company’s board and be involved in the search for his replacement, said Hodas.
Handler said Potter’s experience at Frontier will serve Exclusive Resorts well.
“Our business has a different clientele, but it’s still based on schedules and buying the right homes and making customers happy and extraordinary customer service,” he said.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-954-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
