Friday, October 17, 2014

How Luxury Hotel Programs Work to Get an Edge on Your Bookings!

With so many travel sites on the internet, and quite a few that focus on upscale travel, it can definitely be a daunting task to drill down to the very best. Connoissuers of  luxury hotels want websites that focus only on a line-up of the finest hotels, offering the best deals, the most perks, and  top-notch customer service, offline. When planning for a trip, whether it’s a vacation or for business, who you book with can make all the difference.

One caveat that is common among luxury travel providers is their "membership" requirement  or point-accrual condition. Some "rewards programs" require members to reach a certain level of "spend" before they get privileges. One very popular credit card offeror  for instance, only provides its Platinum and Centurion members access to its hotel program. So, if you don’t fall into that slot, find someplace else to book from. Other sites will have you in some sort of point scheme that measures your access to benefits based on your points. So while the hotels are certainly alluring, why bother reserving with a site that has conditions based on your status? 

Find a hotel program where no membership is required. No points one has to earn in order to qualify. There are hotel programs that do not even charge a fee to use  and they offer the finest properties, most of which grant guests complimentary perks. The best sites have a full-service travel management company backing it. This support  brings site visitors  things like ‘Preferred Partner’ status with luxury 5 star hotel brands. Such a designation provides any guest who book with the site an edge with complimentary room upgrades, free breakfast daily and more at any one of the properties of that preferred brand.

Based on double occupancy, and at least a 2-night reservation, most of  the properties in a good hotel program offer its reserved guests, perks worth as much as $450 per stay! A VIP welcome is generally standard, and it is likely you will be given the best room available within the room category booked or even  upgraded to a superior category. Full American breakfast daily for two is a given and some additional bucks are usually thrown in for a Spa treatment or towards incidental expenses during the stays. One feature that many guests appreciate is the availability of early check-in and late check-out without charge too.

When looking for the right hotel rewards program,you should find a program that has enough properties in many destinations on every continent. Its range of accommodations should run the gamut from distinct luxury hotels in major cities, to country lodges, boutique hotels, large and small-scale resorts, and spas. The collection should be contain all the prestigious , luxury hotel  brands, famous for their internationally renowned high standards, such as the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton.  Plus, a hotel collection should also feature  an array of independently owned properties such as the Hotel Plaza Athenee in New York, Le Sirenuse on Italy’s glamorous Amalfi Coast, or Claridge’s in London, among many others.

So look around and find the right hotel rewards program because some a definitely are more rewarding than others. Once you choose which program to book from, check out all the wonderful hotel's within a collection and enjoy the stay!

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