There’s huge value to be had with booking luxury travel through Virtuoso, which typically requires booking through a qualifying travel advisor. What many people don’t realize is that you can actually make Virtuoso bookings online as well. In this post, I’d like to outline how that works, and talk about the pros and cons, especially…
Continue reading: How To Book Virtuoso Hotels Online, With Extra Perks: A Step-By-Step Guide
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I am doubtful if the Virtuoso portal based on your description is compatible with Californian law: If you book online, you need to be able to cancel online.
Hi Ben, I really appreciate the high ethical standards your blog typically maintains, which is why I was surprised not to see a clear disclaimer that bookings made through the posted links would benefit your husband Ford's copamny.
While I'm sure the recommendation is genuine, transparency about personal relationships and financial incentives is important for maintaining trust with readers. A simple note like "Full disclosure: My husband works for this company and we may benefit from bookings made through this link" would have been appreciated.
I value this blog and its content, which is exactly why I think this kind of disclosure matters.
Any agent who doesn't mind a booking for a night or two? I don't book these a lot but when I contacted Ford he said he is busy and my guess is that he doesn't wanna be bothered by a small amount of booking but I am sure there are some agents who don't mind and happy to do it, especially now it is bookable online. Please leave your link or email in reply. I will reach out
We are a Virtuoso (and all the other preferred partner relationships) without any minimum booking volume. Feel free to reach out to us directly at [email protected] (or if you prefer not to self-serve, regardless of booking volume).
Hello Uli, please be advised that you are not the only reader who has noticed the slipping ethical standards in relation to this website.
Far too many posts, from a variety of contributors are edited out from the comments pages. One will not be surprised to see this very response to your question will suffer the website administrators delete key stroke. Thankfully Mr ‘Screenshot’ can be prevailed upon to verify the editing situation.
Then there are the rude, crude, racist and revolting posts which are allowed uncensored or challenged in any way by the website administrators.
I have been thinking the same. I would like to use a travel agent for Virtuoso or the hotel’s preferred programs if need be but like Ken said and which Lucky does not emphasize in his posts is that Ford and his company employees are too busy to deal with those small bookings. And IIRC it is now at least $1,000 for the booking and before it was $500 and way back when there wasn’t a minimum amount set for the bookings. Soon, it may be $10,000 minimum because as one reader pointed out his $5,000 booking was rejected.
I'm happy to make bookings with no minimums, feel free to reach out anytime at [email protected]
Long time and regular readers of this blog know who Ford is and don’t necessarily need to be reminded of who he is every time.
Ben’s high ethical standards are still high compared to some of the others out there.
The whole point of these hotel programs is to work with a live person to guide you through the property and the options. Virtuoso should not allow online bookings.
Yea I had reached out to Ford a few years ago about a booking. It relatively small because it was in a market in Asia that was not super expensive. He said he couldn't do it because of a minimum.
So instead I reached out to someone else cold, who was LOVELY, happy to accommodate my booking, exchanged emails, and more. Turns out, she is one of the top producing agents for Four Seasons and Rosewood globally.
...and although my initial booking was a drop in the bucket for what she probably usually books, she could not have been kinder or more accommodating with her expertise and time.
I've ended up using her for a lot of business at luxury hotels in the last three years, and always book on her Travelwits site when I know exactly what I want. If something isn't working, or I need something special, I email her and she responds promptly having reached out to the hotel or pulled up what I need with her agent access to the hotel group's reservations.
It meant a lot to me as someone dipping my toe in to the world of using a travel advisor that she even gave me the time of day, not to mention treated me like an actual client she cared about. And still does, even though my hotel spend (while in the tens of thousands per year) is almost definitely nowhere close to what some of her clients probably spend on a few days stay. So, it pays to take small bookings sometimes! Because you never know when the initial small booking is the tip of the spear of a very loyal client!
This is a good overview. I am a Virtuoso affiliated travel advisor. If a client wants a luxury hotel booking, I do not charge anything extra to book. I love extending the extra amenities. I also reach out personally to the hotel staff on behalf of my clients to notify them of any celebrations, special requests etc. I really genuinely want my clients to have that feeling of hospitality, as do most luxury hotel staff.
Please share her name/contact details! I need someone like this for an upcoming 7 week trip......
I was in a different industry and used to tell our sales force that when someone came into our booth at a convention, to treat them like they had a million dollars in their pocket. Like your post, this proved to be very successful. We would get orders from people that were treated poorly at a competitor's booth because of the way they were dressed, or if they were known to be from a different territory than the salesperson was. One of the most successful stories was like this when a person flew all night from South America to get to Las Vegas, and walked in all disheveled from the flight. After being ignored at a different booth, he placed a large order with our sales person, and then became a regular customer. No order should ever be too small. Period
Hi Ken! Where and when is your upcoming travel? I am a Virtuoso affiliated advisor. If you still need assistance feel free to reach out! Email: [email protected]
Virtuoso: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/AprilDAndrea