Sanctuary Court (サンクチュアリコート), Baycourt Club (ベイコート倶楽部) and XIV (エクシブ) are all membership resort hotels developed and operated by Resorttrust (リゾートトラスト), and the differences between them lie mainly in location and concept. Sanctuary Court is a fully members-only destination hotel brand set in natural and sightseeing areas such as Takayama, Lake Biwa and Nikko; Baycourt Club is an urban, fully members-only hotel brand on the waterfronts of Tokyo, Yokohama, Ashiya and Laguna (Gamagori); and XIV is the long-standing flagship brand that began in Toba in 1987 and has spread to resort areas across Japan.

This article lines up the three brands according to what their official websites say, so that anyone considering membership—or anyone invited by a member to stay—can quickly grasp “I’ve heard the names, but what’s the difference?” It does not discuss the business structure or financing, and it does not rank the brands or declare one better than another.

The Three Brands at a Glance — Location, Open Properties and How Membership Works

First, the big picture on one table. Property names and opening dates come from the corporate history on Resorttrust’s official website and each brand’s pages; nights of use per year and check-in times come from the company’s member-facing FAQ (all accessed Oct 10, 2026).

Source: Resorttrust official website (membership business pages, Company Profile / History, member FAQ), Sanctuary Court official website, Baycourt Club official website. Accessed Oct 10, 2026. Property counts are from the official property lists, counted on the same day.

Sanctuary Court — Fully Members-Only, in Natural and Sightseeing Areas, With a Different Theme at Each Property

Sanctuary Court is the newest of the three brands. As its name—meaning “a sanctuary palace”—suggests, the official website describes it as a destination hotel brand where the stay itself becomes the purpose of the trip, in a private space away from the bustle of the city. Its defining feature is that each property carries a completely different theme.

• Sanctuary Court Takayama Art Gallery Resort (Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, opened Mar 2024) — combines a hotel with an art museum, in a setting overlooking the Northern Alps.
• Sanctuary Court Biwako Venetian Modern Resort (Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, opened Oct 2024) — a “Palace of Water” modeled on a palace floating on the water.
• Sanctuary Court Nikko Japanese Modern Resort (Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, opened Feb 2026) — Japanese beauty amid the nature of the Nikko mountains.

In addition, the official website lists four planned properties—Yatsugatake (the first “Residence Style,” scheduled to open 2027), Sotobo Suzumejima (ocean villas with 14 rooms at the southern end of Kujukuri, scheduled to open 2027), Awajishima (a castle resort evoking a medieval Italian walled town, scheduled to open 2029) and Kanazawa (traditional beauty expressed in modern spaces, scheduled to open 2029)—bringing the total to seven properties including plans.

How membership works is also published on the official website. It is fully members-only: only members and guests a member has approved can stay. The contract runs until the land lease ends 50 years after opening, and nights of use per year come in 20-night or 10-night types at Takayama, Lake Biwa, Nikko and Yatsugatake, with 16-night and 8-night types also available. Members can also use “exchange use,” trading unused allotted days to stay at XIV or Baycourt Club, and “floating reservations,” which let them book vacant rooms first-come, first-served from one month before the desired date.

The Takayama-style experience of a “hotel that is one with an art museum” is available without a membership, too. Among properties bookable by the night, Nights at Inns Attached to Art Museums — 5 Stays Where Art and Architecture Are Continuous (wabistay, in Japanese) lists stays where you can remain close to the artworks after the museum closes—such as Benesse House on Naoshima and SIMOSE ART GARDEN VILLA in Otake, Hiroshima—together with the names of their architects.

Baycourt Club — An “Urban Resort” in the City Center and on the Waterfront

Baycourt Club is an urban, fully members-only hotel brand that the official website describes as “the ultimate resort you can enjoy without leaving the city, and a hideaway where you return to your true self.” It uses a gate system that admits only members and their guests, and its hallmark is a highly private space shut off from the outside. All four properties face the sea or a marina.

• Tokyo Baycourt Club Hotel & Spa Resort (Rinkai Fukutoshin waterfront district, Koto Ward, Tokyo, opened Mar 2008) — designed in New York Art Deco style.
• Ashiya Baycourt Club Hotel & Spa Resort (Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, opened Feb 2018) — set on a marina in the upscale residential town of Ashiya, with cruiser life on offer.
• Laguna Baycourt Club Hotel & Spa Resort (Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, opened Mar 2019) — futuristic modern luxury.
• Yokohama Baycourt Club Hotel & Spa Resort (Minatomirai, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, opened Sep 2020) — located in an area that symbolizes the port city’s tradition and future.

Nights of use per year come in 24-night or 12-night types, with allotted days assigned on a timeshare basis. Members can deposit unused allotted days and exchange them for other members’ days, including exchanges with XIV and other Baycourt Club properties. Check-in is from 14:00 for members and 15:00 for guests, and check-out is 12:00—one hour later than at XIV.

XIV — The Nationwide Flagship Brand, Running Since Toba in 1987

According to Resorttrust’s corporate history, XIV began when XIV Toba opened in Toba, Mie Prefecture in April 1987, and it has since expanded into well-known sightseeing areas with good access from major cities. The official website describes it as “a membership hotel available only to members and those they refer” offering “a wide range of resort life with the ease of a hotel, as if you owned a villa.”

Counted by the official lineup, the properties are at 17 locations: Nasu Shirakawa, Yamanakako, Karuizawa, Tateshina, Yugawara Rikyu, Hakone Rikyu, Hatsushima Club, Izu, Hamanako, Toba, Biwako, Kyoto Yase Rikyu, Shirahama, Rokko Sanctuary Villa, Arima Rikyu, Awajishima and Naruto. Counting the Toba annex and Bettei, the Shirahama annex, the Nasu Shirakawa Doggy Villa, the Sanctuary Villas at Yamanakako, Karuizawa and Naruto, Karuizawa’s Paseo and Museo, and Naruto’s Due as separate properties gives 27 (confirmed on the official property list on Oct 10, 2026; because the figure changes with how you count, the official website does not state a single “XIV has N properties” number).

Membership works as a timesharing system that guarantees 26 or 13 full days of use per year: one room is shared by 14 owners (28 for the 13-night type), and allotted days are distributed fairly using a calendar that splits peak and off-peak periods into four colors. Rooms are divided into four grades by size and other factors, and members can use rooms of the same grade as, or lower than, the grade they own. Check-in is 15:00 and check-out is 11:00.

Which Brand Suits Which Kind of Stay

There is no hierarchy among the three brands; which one suits you depends on where and how you want to spend your time. Organized by their official locations and concepts, they line up as follows.

Behind the membership model sits a distinctive funding order: Sanctuary Court contracts run on a 50-year membership model, and membership resorts typically put memberships on sale after construction begins, so project funds are built up before the property opens.

Can Non-Members Stay? — What the Official Websites Say

According to the official websites, all three brands limit overnight stays to members (members/owners) and their family, referrals and approved guests. Sanctuary Court and Baycourt Club are explicitly described as “fully members-only” and do not sell room reservations to the general public, so they are not listed on hotel booking sites either. That is why this article does not show going room rates; if you are staying as a guest, the surest way to confirm the room charge is through the member who invites you.

On the other hand, the official websites state that “some hotel restaurants and other facilities can be used by the general public under certain conditions” (for both Sanctuary Court and Baycourt Club). Even if you cannot stay overnight, dining offers a way to experience the atmosphere. Check each property’s page for eligible outlets and conditions.

Contracts and memberships in a corporate name are also possible; the official FAQ explains that, like individual owners, a single contract gives access to hotels nationwide, and that some companies contract for them as employee welfare facilities. If you may have access through your company’s benefits program, check with your general affairs department about which brands are covered and the conditions of use (Resorttrust itself, the operator, has made employee benefits a pillar of its HR strategy and has been certified as a “Welfare Promotion Corporation” (福利厚生推進法人) for three consecutive years).

Explore Further

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the difference between XIV and Sanctuary Court?
A. Both are Resorttrust membership resort hotels, and the difference lies in location and concept. XIV is the long-standing flagship brand: starting in Toba in 1987, it has spread to 17 locations nationwide, including Nasu, Karuizawa, Hakone, Kyoto and Naruto, and members choose destinations “as if they owned a villa.” Sanctuary Court is a fully members-only destination hotel brand in natural and sightseeing areas such as Takayama, Lake Biwa and Nikko, with a different theme at each property, from an art-museum hotel to Venetian Modern. Nights of use per year come in 26-night and 13-night types at XIV, and 20-night and 10-night types (some 16-night and 8-night) at Sanctuary Court.

Q. What is the difference between Sanctuary Court and Baycourt Club?
A. Both are fully members-only, and both limit stays to members and approved guests. The difference is location: Sanctuary Court is in natural and sightseeing areas such as Takayama, Lake Biwa and Nikko (seven properties including plans), while all four Baycourt Club properties—Tokyo, Yokohama, Ashiya and Laguna (Gamagori)—are on metropolitan waterfronts. Nights of use per year come in 20-night and 10-night types at Sanctuary Court and 24-night and 12-night types at Baycourt Club, and both share check-in at 15:00 (members 14:00) and check-out at 12:00.

Q. Can non-members stay?
A. According to the official websites, all three brands limit overnight stays to members and their family, referrals and approved guests, and rooms are not sold to the general public on booking sites. However, some restaurants and other facilities are described as open to non-members under certain conditions. If you are invited to stay by a member, room charges at Baycourt Club and Sanctuary Court differ for members and guests, so it is best to confirm through the member who invites you.

Methodology and Sources

• Brand concepts, property lists and planned openings: Resorttrust, Inc. official website, “Membership Business” and the membership sales information page (for XIV, “What is XIV”), Sanctuary Court official website, Baycourt Club official website (accessed Oct 10, 2026).
• Opening dates of each property and the first XIV property: Resorttrust, Inc. official website, “Company Profile / History” (accessed Oct 10, 2026).
• Nights of use per year, check-in and check-out times, exchange-use conditions, member/guest distinctions and corporate contracts: Resorttrust, Inc. official website, membership sales information, “Membership System — FAQ” (accessed Oct 10, 2026).
• Property counts are from the official property lists, counted on the same day. For XIV, the count is 17 or 27 depending on whether the annexes, Bettei, Doggy Villa, Sanctuary Villas, Paseo, Museo and Due are counted as separate properties, so the body text gives both. Because the official websites do not state a single property count, this article does not rank the brands by size either.
• All three brands are membership-based and do not sell room reservations to the general public, so going room rates are not shown. The cost of becoming a member and annual fees are also outside the subject of this article (the differences between the brands) and are not covered.
• Written by: HotelBank Editorial Team.