I’ve spoken before in a previous blog about my Virtuoso Travel connection that enables me to get more bang for your buck when booking various travel options including tours, cruises and hotels and I will touch on this again below relative to hotel bookings. There are many other opportunities with newer connections that I now have with various other exclusive hotel partnerships including the following programs.
Photo above: St. Regis Bora Bora
Marriott International Stars & Luminous Programs
Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world by the sheer number of hotel rooms available worldwide in over 7600 properties. They have 30 different brands that cater to different clients’ life-style requirements and resources.
As of January this year, I proudly became a member of Marriott’s exclusive Stars & Luminous Program that’s only available to select Travel Agencies with privileges that cannot be achieved by clients booking directly with the hotel.
Photo above: Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico
Stars Program
Marriott’s Luxury + brands are part of the Stars program and include such esteemed brands such as: “Bvlgaria”, “Edition”, “The Luxury Collection”, “The Ritz-Carlton”, “Ritz Carlton Reserve” and “St. Regis” properties.
If you book any of these brands through me, these are the extra special amenities that you will be entitled to:
- Complimentary breakfast daily for up to 2 people in a room
- Personalized welcome amenity and note
- Hotel credit worth $100 per stay
- Room upgrade subject to availability upon check-in
- Complimentary basic wi-fi
- In-person welcome
- Full allocation of Bonvoy points
Photo: Mauna Key Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection, Hawaii
Luminous Program
Marriott’s premium hotel program, Luminous, includes such brands as “JW Marriott”, “Westin”, “Sheraton”, “Renaissance”, “Tribute Portfolio”, “W Hotels”, “Le Meridien”, “Autograph Collection”, and “Marriott” itself.
If you book any of these brands through me, these are the extra special amenities that you will be entitled to:
- Complimentary room upgrade subject to availability upon check-in
- Early check-in, late check-out subject to availability
- Local welcome amenity and note
- Hotel credit worth $100 per stay at select hotels
- Complimentary basic wi-fi
- Full allocation of Bonvoy points
Photo: Park Hyatt Sydney, Australia
Hyatt Prive Program
The Hyatt Prive program is an invitation only program for select Travel Advisors who are then able to offer their clients elite perks for a collection of Hyatt’s luxury properties. There are 200 hotels that are part of this elite program including all “Park Hyatt”, “Andaz”, “Thompson” and “Miraval” properties as well as many of the locations of other brands including “Grand Hyatt”, “The Unbound Collection”, “Destination by Hyatt”, “Hyatt Regency”, “Hyatt Centric”, and “Joie de Vivre”.
When you book any of the 200 participating properties through me, these are the exclusive benefits you are entitled to receive:
- A one category upgrade confirmed, based on availability at time of booking, within 24 hours of making the booking (room to room or suite to suite)
- $50-100 property credit per stay
- Early check-in subject to availability (as early as 9 am)
- Welcome gift and letter
- Full allocation of “World of Hyatt” loyalty points
Photo: Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand
ACCOR STEP Program
There are over 170 luxury and premium properties within the Accor brand available in 40 different countries for this exclusive program. Brand names such as Fairmont, Sofitel, Raffles, Orient Express, Banyan Tree, Swissotel, Pullman, and many more will entitle you through this program with a preferred partner connection, such as I have, these following extra perks:
- Room upgrade (to the next category at time of booking or check-in)
- Complimentary breakfast daily for 2
- $50 to $100 credit to be spent during stay
- Early check-in and late check-out
- VIP welcome with greeting and amenity
Photo: Villa Sant'Andrea , A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare, Sicily
Belmond Bellini Club Program
The amazing Belmond Company operates one-of-a-kind properties including 34 luxury properties, 6 luxury tourist trains (including The Royal Scotsman and The Orient Express), and 3 luxury safari lodges in 19 countries around the world.
They have yet another exclusive invitation-only Bellini Club that I am a proud member of, enabling me to offer some incredible benefits if you book them through me as follows:
- Upgrade at check-in, subject to availability
- Daily full breakfast for 2
- Credit of up to $200 per room per stay, dependent on the property
- Complimentary wi-fi
- $500 gift voucher when $5000+ is spent that’s able to be applied to a future Belmond experience of $2500 or more
- VIP recognition by property management and their staff
- Welcome amenity
Photo: Mahali Mzuri, Nairobi, Kenya
Virtuoso Preferred Program
Last, but most definitely not least, is the Virtuoso Preferred program of hotels, cruises, tours, and other partners. I’ve spoken about this program in a previous blog but it’s well worth repeating. Many of the properties mentioned above in these other various programs are also Virtuoso preferred. Where this does occur, you can rest assured that I will choose whichever program is the most beneficial for my clients when I book them.
Virtuoso has 1400 hotels as part of their program and the following are the amenities that are primarily available at these properties:
- Upgrade upon arrival depending upon availability
- Full breakfast for 2 daily
- $100 resort or spa credit per stay
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary wi-fi
- Some availability of specific on-site experience, depending on property
All in all, if you’re booking any luxury property anywhere in the world, it may be well worth your while to work with me to book it. I’m thrilled to be able to help get my clients something extra special and/or improved pricing any time! There’s definitely an opportunity with this for you, depending on the property! Just shoot me an email at patti@millsroyluxurytravel.com.