Want to be able to self-book luxury hotel stays with extra perks through TravelWits, at fordb.travelwits.com? Email [email protected] for the password.
Generally speaking, the best way to book luxury hotels is through a travel advisor who has access to programs offering extra perks at properties. These perks can include things like upgrades, breakfast, a property credit, and more, all with competitive pricing.
Historically there has been no way to self-book a vast majority of these kinds of rates online. That’s no longer the case, so for those who like self-booking (or who just want to be able to look up rates on their own), I’d like to talk a bit about TravelWits. Long story short, this is a fantastic tool that lets you look up these special rates and book yourself, though you do need to request a password (it’s a requirement that many of the individual programs put in place).
In this post:
TravelWits basics, and why you might want to use it
There are all kinds of programs that offer special perks for stays at luxury hotels. These include programs like Virtuoso, which aren’t specific to any brand. But there are also brand specific programs, like Accor Preferred, Belmond Bellini Club, Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Hilton for Luxury, Hyatt Privé, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, Marriott STARS, Oetker Pearl, Rosewood Elite, Shangri-La Luxury Circle, and more.
Historically, there have been limited opportunities to book these rates directly online, but that’s no longer the case. TravelWits is described as an “AI-powered one-stop search and booking tool for travel agencies and advisors,” and it gives travel advisors the ability to allow clients to book stays on their own online.
So when you use TravelWits, you’re still booking directly with a specific travel advisor, but you can book through their portal. For example, Ford’s team at Ford Beckett Travel has a TravelWits page, which can be accessed at fordb.travelwits.com. There you can directly book virtually all of the rates and perks that he and his team ordinarily have access to.
Let me be clear — TravelWits is just the company providing the technology that makes this happen, while booking through the TravelWits link would result in the same kind of rate that you’d get if you booked with an advisor. The intent is that TravelWits isn’t just for clients, but it’s also supposed to simplify the booking for travel advisors, so in many cases travel advisors also reserve bookings for their clients through the website.
Note that unfortunately this page is password protected, as that’s a requirement of many of these programs. So while you might find some people have TravelWits pages that aren’t password protected, that’s because they’re not displaying all the potential programs and rates.
The password also isn’t allowed to be posted publicly, so if you’d like access to this TravelWits booking tool, you can email [email protected] (it doesn’t have to be a long email — just mention you’d like the TravelWits password). Once you have the password, you can even share it with others.
Of course you can use this if you want to make bookings, though you’re also welcome to use this if you’re curious to see how the various rates compare, as this is one of the few ways you can do so.
In the interest of full disclosure, Ford Beckett Travel receives a commission on most rates that you book, just as would be the case if you booked directly through them. Of course your support is appreciated, as it’s a way to support us in a way that’s hopefully mutually beneficial. Of course you should always book in the way that’s best for you, like if you have any credit card perks or benefits that would offer value, as those can’t be stacked here.
How to book luxury hotel stays through TravelWits
Once you have access to the TravelWits page, what’s the booking process like? Well, you can enter where you’d like to stay (you can enter the hotel, check-in date, and check-out date), and then just hit “Search.”
Once you get to the results page, there are all kinds of additional ways that you can filter options. For example, you can search by hotel name, hotel group, the cost, the location, or a bunch of other options.
The beauty of TravelWits is that it shows all kinds of different rates. It shows publicly available rates (refundable and non-refundable), as well as rates that offer extra perks. If a property belongs to a special program offering extra perks, you’ll see the name of that listed, along with all the benefits offered. Always make sure you read the description carefully (including the perks, cancelation policy, etc.) before booking.
Then the booking process is really straightforward, and you can enter your email, name, and even loyalty number. Yes, with hotels belonging to Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, etc., bookings through these special programs are eligible to earn points and elite benefits.
You’ll then receive a confirmation email directly to your inbox. Note that this gives you an option to manage your trip directly, and you can even cancel your booking directly through that link. To do so, click on “View trip” in your confirmation email (which has the subject line “Client copy”), and then on the right side you should see the “Cancel” option.
If you book, someone from the Ford Beckett Travel team will be in touch within one business day to recap the details of your booking.
Who is best off booking through TravelWits?
TravelWits is only available to travel advisors and their clients, so when you book through TravelWits, you’re still booking through a travel agency. The way I see it, there are a few strategic uses of TravelWits.
For one, it’s useful for just being able to get a sense of luxury hotel rates online (including programs offering extra perks), even if you’re not actually sure you want to book.
Furthermore, many people simply prefer self-booking, and don’t want to wait for back-and-forth emails. TravelWits lets you book your preferred hotel instantly, 24/7. So if you often book through an online travel agency or credit card portal because of the convenience, this is an alternative worth considering. Keep in mind these proprietary programs often have better rates, and let you combine promotions with extra perks.
Furthermore, many travel advisors have a minimum revenue requirement for bookings through an advisor. For Ford Beckett Travel, that’s currently $1,000, but that minimum is waived if self-booking and self-managing the stay through TravelWits, so that’s another way it can be used.
So TravelWits is by no means for everyone, but it’s a nice example of how technology is being used in a win-win way to simplify the luxury hotel booking process, for those who value this kind of convenience. Like I said above, in many ways this basically gives clients access to the same back-end technology that travel advisors may use to book their own clients.
Bottom line
Many travel advisors can offer extra perks for stays at luxury properties. While this generally requires “manually” working with a travel advisor, TravelWits is a great tool that automates this process a bit, and lets consumers see all the rates that their advisors would have access to.
Ford Beckett Travel has just launched this, and you can access the tool at fordb.travelwits.com. However, the page has to stay password protected to remain compliant, so if you’d like the password, just send an email to [email protected].
Hopefully this is useful for some people, and also, your support is very much appreciated! If you have any questions, feel free to post them here, or email [email protected].
Has anyone actually contacted Ford Beckett and booked travel through him? Encourage everyone to post their experiences. As a long-time reader of this blog, I e-mailed him (after a similar post that advertised his services) to request assistance booking a premium hotel stay, and received an extraordinarily rude response several days later essentially telling me that it wasn't worth his while to help me. This was on a >> $5k stay. Anyway, this booking engine...
Has anyone actually contacted Ford Beckett and booked travel through him? Encourage everyone to post their experiences. As a long-time reader of this blog, I e-mailed him (after a similar post that advertised his services) to request assistance booking a premium hotel stay, and received an extraordinarily rude response several days later essentially telling me that it wasn't worth his while to help me. This was on a >> $5k stay. Anyway, this booking engine seems like a good deal for him -- the traveler does all the work, and the "adviser" gets a commission for essentially doing nothing.
Awhile ago, I contacted Ford to get a quote for a Four Seasons property. I didn’t end up booking that particular hotel, but Ford was quick and professional in my communication with him.
Or just become a travel advisor yourself at Fora Travel. It's not brain surgery if you have been in the game for some years.
Go through the testing process, pay the annual fee, and become your own "Ford." Of course, you will need a network of some people you book for as well. Which I have developed. With that I book all the same that Ford does, via Virtuoso, FS, Prive others and get...
Or just become a travel advisor yourself at Fora Travel. It's not brain surgery if you have been in the game for some years.
Go through the testing process, pay the annual fee, and become your own "Ford." Of course, you will need a network of some people you book for as well. Which I have developed. With that I book all the same that Ford does, via Virtuoso, FS, Prive others and get the benefits AS WELL AS commission. Further, I get a much clearer picture of different rates and the best of all...notifcations when the rates go down. Which is an area, given commission drive for planners, that I am sure many advisors turn their head to.
Yes, it's a game changer....
Interestingly there is a large and popular subreddit dedicated to high end travel that has been taken over by travel agents that also use this tool.
@ yoloswag420 -- Reddit has quite some "interesting" luxury travel and travel advisor communities nowadays.
I used a few online travel agencies to book STARS rates. They operate online, but you can’t access them through a regular browser or any non-login software. They use a loophole by running through mini-apps on WeChat, where you then log in. I guess that’s their method of maintaining compliance.
Email doesn’t work
FYI
@ John -- Thanks for the heads up. Which one isn't working for you? Because Ford hasn't noticed any issues, but I could be missing something.
How does it show up on credit card if booking through the portal? For example will booking Park Hyatt still code as a Hyatt charge (to get the 4x points) or will it be "travelwits" charge
@ Lisfranc -- Across the board you're going to be billed directly by the hotel. TravelWits is simply a technology platform, so if you're booking something like Hyatt Prive through the tool, it's the same as if you booked directly on Hyatt's website in terms of points and elite nights, credit card rewards, etc.
how is it different from classictravel.com?
TravelWits and ClassicTravel.com are completely separate entities. Different ownership, different teams, different technology, different business models. There is ZERO (I said, ZERO) overlap.
TravelWits is an AI-native travel platform that builds and optimizes itineraries in real time. ClassicTravel.com is a longstanding traditional luxury agency operating within the Virtuoso network, relying primarily on human advisors and supplier relationships.
Equating the two isn’t just inaccurate; it’s a massive error that only an inconsequential fool with undescended little...
TravelWits and ClassicTravel.com are completely separate entities. Different ownership, different teams, different technology, different business models. There is ZERO (I said, ZERO) overlap.
TravelWits is an AI-native travel platform that builds and optimizes itineraries in real time. ClassicTravel.com is a longstanding traditional luxury agency operating within the Virtuoso network, relying primarily on human advisors and supplier relationships.
Equating the two isn’t just inaccurate; it’s a massive error that only an inconsequential fool with undescended little grapes for brains would make. The distinction is obvious to anyone who has spent even ten seconds looking at either site.
No irreverent fanfare needed - the facts alone are more than enough to make the confusion look ridiculous.
@ mk -- Yeah, Classic Travel has done quite the job innovating in that space, getting these travel advisor rates online before others (and the back-end tech isn't easy).
In some ways TravelWits is a different version of that with the ability to easily (kind of) "white label," making it easier for other travel agencies to allow online bookings. But beyond that, I think the depth of rates is greater with TravelWits, because you get virtually all available rates there.
What is Ford Beckett Travel?
I have used it once and found it to be very good. No hesitation on my end using it again!
Proliferation of tools like this is going to cause all the benefits of these luxury hotel special rates to start going away.
@ JustinB -- I can't speak as to how things will evolve over time, though a couple of points.
First of all, keep in mind that TravelWits is operating with the permission of all partners offering special perks, so this isn't some rogue program.
Second of all, the reason hotel groups offer these kinds of programs is because they want you to book either direct or through a travel advisor, and not through...
@ JustinB -- I can't speak as to how things will evolve over time, though a couple of points.
First of all, keep in mind that TravelWits is operating with the permission of all partners offering special perks, so this isn't some rogue program.
Second of all, the reason hotel groups offer these kinds of programs is because they want you to book either direct or through a travel advisor, and not through online travel agencies. Online travel agencies typically get much higher commissions, and the hotels also have less control over their clients. Hotels aren't concerned about offering free breakfast or a property credit through a travel advisor, as it's preferable to the alternative.
That makes sense, but I still think individual hotels are going to start playing more and more games about honoring these benefits as more and more people book these rates, just as they do with more and more elites. Hilton already isn’t consistent with which properties are available with varying lengths of stay required depending on who knows what. Stars vs Luminous and even then it’s inconsistent whether you get the $100 credit. Hyatt is...
That makes sense, but I still think individual hotels are going to start playing more and more games about honoring these benefits as more and more people book these rates, just as they do with more and more elites. Hilton already isn’t consistent with which properties are available with varying lengths of stay required depending on who knows what. Stars vs Luminous and even then it’s inconsistent whether you get the $100 credit. Hyatt is pretty consistent but even there I’ve had a few stays in the last year where the prive rate wasn’t available (Andaz and PH so shouldn’t be any min length of stay)
Like all things in this world, the more people that use it, the more games are played to counter the increased use, and the more the benefits are reduced.