Home / Hotel programs / Booking through an advisor
What you get, what it costs you, and when to book direct
Booking a luxury hotel through an advisor.
What it costs you
The same rate as booking direct.
When I book your hotel, you pay the hotel's own best available rate, the same rate you would see booking direct. The benefits are the difference, not the price, and hotel-only bookings carry no planning fee. Most luxury hotel groups reserve their best guest benefits for bookings made through approved advisors, and the reservation is still made with the hotel, through the program's preferred channel. Exactly what applies to your stay is confirmed in writing in your proposal before you book.
Daily breakfast
All fifteen programs I book list daily breakfast. At some it is for two, and at Four Seasons and Shangri-La it can be taken in your room at no extra charge.
A property credit
Most programs list a credit of $100 or more, varying by hotel. Anantara gives a signature experience instead, and the Four Seasons Preferred Partner page lists no credit.
Upgrade priority
Usually one category at check-in, subject to availability. A few programs confirm the upgrade at booking instead; the table below says which.
Early in, late out
Early check-in and late check-out priority, subject to availability, at the programs that list it. Several program pages list no such benefit.
Program by program
What each program adds.
Where a hotel group runs its own program, I book through it, because it typically ranks higher for upgrades than Virtuoso. Virtuoso covers luxury hotels without one. Each program name opens its own page, with the detail and the fine print, and the side-by-side comparison sets all fifteen against the same five questions.
| Program | What booking through it adds |
|---|---|
| Accor Preferred | Daily breakfast, a $100+ hotel credit (a few properties restrict it to spa or dining), and a one-category upgrade at check-in with the highest priority of any channel. |
| Anantara Journeys | Daily breakfast, a signature experience distinctive to the property instead of a flat credit, and a one-category upgrade at check-in. |
| Belmond Bellini Club | Daily full breakfast for two, a credit of $100 per room or junior suite rising to $220 per suite, a one-category upgrade at check-in, and top early and late priority. |
| Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Daily breakfast, which can be taken as in-room dining, top upgrade priority (select properties confirm upgrades at booking), and the highest early check-in and late check-out priority available. |
| Hilton For Luxury | Daily breakfast, a $100+ hotel credit (some properties substitute a local experience, transfer, or set meal of equal value), a one-category upgrade at check-in, and early check-in and late check-out. |
| Hyatt Privé | Daily breakfast and, where available, up to $100 in property credit and a one-category upgrade confirmed within 24 hours of booking. |
| IHG Destined | Daily breakfast, a $100+ hotel credit (a few restrict it to spa or dining), and a one-category upgrade at check-in. |
| Jumeirah Passport to Luxury | Daily breakfast, a $100+ hotel credit (occasionally spa or dining only), and a one-category upgrade at check-in. |
| Mandarin Oriental Fan Club | Daily breakfast for two, a $100 dining or spa credit, upgrade priority at check-in (select properties confirm it at booking), and flexible check-in and check-out. |
| Marriott STARS & Luminous | Daily breakfast, a property credit of at least $100 at every STARS property (it varies by hotel at Luminous properties), and a one-category upgrade at check-in. |
| Peninsula PenClub | Daily breakfast, at least $100 to spend on property, a one-category upgrade confirmed at booking (occasionally limited to certain room categories), and Peninsula Time (check-in from 6am, check-out until 10pm), which booking direct leaves to occupancy and PenClub confirms with 24 hours' notice (blackout dates can apply at peak periods). |
| Rosewood Elite | Daily breakfast, a $100+ credit scaling up to $1,000 on multi-bedroom villas and residences, an upgrade confirmed at booking in Asia and Europe (priority at check-in elsewhere), and early check-in and late check-out priority. |
| Shangri-La Luxury Circle | Daily breakfast, which can be taken as room service, a $100+ credit at most properties ($50 at some mainland China hotels), a one-category upgrade applied at booking (occasionally limited to certain room categories), and early check-in and late check-out priority. |
| SLH WithIN | Daily breakfast, at least $100 on property (a few restrict it to spa or dining), a one-category upgrade at check-in with the highest priority of any booking channel, and early check-in and late check-out priority. |
| Virtuoso | Daily breakfast for two, a $100 property, spa, or dining credit (or equivalent amenity) per stay, a one-category upgrade at check-in, and early check-in and late check-out priority. |
Points and status
Your hotel points and elite status.
Most of the chain programs book rates that qualify as direct, so your points and status still count. Where a brand has no points program, there is nothing to give up. I add your membership number and confirm how it applies before you book.
Your points stack
Accor Preferred, Anantara Journeys (GHA Discovery), Hyatt Privé, IHG Destined, Jumeirah Passport to Luxury, Marriott STARS & Luminous, and Shangri-La Luxury Circle. Hyatt Privé stays generally earn elite night credit on eligible rates.
Double Hilton points
Hilton For Luxury stays earn double Honors base points, and your Hilton Honors elite benefits can still apply alongside the program's.
No points to give up
Fans of M.O. does not incorporate points, and The Peninsula and Rosewood publish no points program for guests, so booking those through an advisor costs you nothing in points.
The rest, confirmed
Belmond Bellini Club, Four Seasons Preferred Partner, SLH WithIN, and Virtuoso list no points benefit of their own, so I confirm how any hotel membership you hold applies. Bellini Club spend thresholds unlock vouchers toward future Belmond experiences.
The channel matters. Marriott Bonvoy gives online travel channel, wholesale and package rates no points or elite night credit, and online travel agency, wholesale and group rates do not count toward Shangri-La Circle. I book with the hotel, at its own rate, through the program.
When to book direct
When booking direct is fine.
An advisor booking adds the most at a hotel with a program, on a rate the program covers. These are the cases where it adds little or nothing, and I tell you so.
Not in any program
Participation is set hotel by hotel, and some lists are curated. If your hotel is in none of these programs, Virtuoso included, there are no program benefits to add.
A lower prepaid rate
Most advisor programs drop their benefits on lower prepaid rates. Rosewood Elite keeps them on advance-purchase and special-offer rates.
Short Conrad stays
A few Conrad properties ask a two-night minimum for Hilton For Luxury benefits, so a shorter stay there may not carry them. I flag it when it applies.
How it works
How booking with me works.
Send the hotel or the destination and your dates through Start Here, and I reply personally within one business day. I match the stay to the right program and confirm the property participates, then book with the hotel through the program's preferred channel, with the benefits that apply confirmed in writing before you commit.
Hotel-only bookings carry no planning fee. You pay the hotel's own rate, with eligible program benefits layered in. Benefits are provided by each program, vary by property and rate, and availability-based items are never guaranteed.
Start HereQuestions
Booking through an advisor, answered.
Do I pay more booking through a travel advisor?
No. You pay the hotel's own best available rate, the same rate you would see booking direct. The benefits are the difference, not the price, and hotel-only bookings carry no planning fee.
Do I still earn hotel points and elite credit?
For most of the chain programs, yes. With Accor Preferred, Anantara Journeys, Hyatt Privé, IHG Destined, Jumeirah Passport to Luxury, Marriott STARS & Luminous and Shangri-La Luxury Circle, your points and status stack with the program's benefits, and Hyatt Privé stays generally earn elite night credit on eligible rates. Hilton For Luxury stays earn double Honors base points. Fans of M.O. does not incorporate points, and The Peninsula and Rosewood publish no points program for guests, so booking those through an advisor costs you nothing in points. Belmond Bellini Club, Four Seasons Preferred Partner, SLH WithIN and Virtuoso list no points benefit of their own. I add your membership number and confirm how it applies before you book.
What does booking a hotel through an advisor add?
Depending on the program, daily breakfast, a property credit, upgrade priority, and early check-in or late check-out. All fifteen programs I book list daily breakfast, most list a credit of $100 or more, and a few confirm the upgrade at booking rather than at check-in. Upgrades and flexible timing are subject to availability, benefits vary by property and rate, and exactly what applies is confirmed in writing before you book.
When is it fine to book a hotel direct?
When the hotel is in none of these programs, Virtuoso included, so there are no program benefits to add. When you want a lower prepaid rate, because most advisor programs drop their benefits on those; Rosewood Elite keeps them. And at the few Conrad properties that ask a two-night minimum for Hilton For Luxury benefits, if your stay is shorter.
Is the reservation still made with the hotel?
Yes. I book with the hotel through the program's preferred channel, at the hotel's own rate, so you keep your loyalty points and status eligibility where the program allows it.
How do I book a hotel through The Plane Prince Travel?
Send the hotel or the destination and your dates through Start Here. I match the stay to the right program and confirm the property participates, then book with the hotel through the program's preferred channel, with the benefits that apply confirmed in writing before you commit.