Benefits of Virtuoso Travel

Yesterday I touched on the benefits you as a client would receive by working with a Virtuoso Travel Advisor like me. Here’s an explanation of what this means: Around the country select travel agencies are chosen to be part of Virtuoso®, an invite-only, luxury travel consortium. Virtuoso negotiates with the best hotels, resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, and other suppliers on behalf of their agent members. The resulting “preferred supplier”  relationships benefit our clients in the form of free upgrades, extra amenities, VIP treatment, and special promotions not available to the general public. Travel consortia can deliver huge volume, thanks to a large number of members. That provides an incentive for suppliers to offer preferred benefits that are exclusive to Virtuoso agencies. All of this is free to our clients, too. It’s a win-win for everyone!

I know many of you may book direct or with an online consumer website when planning a simple hotel getaway. In the future, check with me first if you want to stay at a 5-star hotel or resort. In many cases these are Virtuoso properties. By booking with me you’ll get a much better experience for the same price as if you booked on your own.

Here some of the freebies that guests receive when staying at a Virtuoso property:     

• Room upgrade on arrival (based on availability)   

• Daily breakfast for two     

• $100 food & beverage or spa credit     

• Early check-in/late check-out (based on availability)    

• Complimentary WiFi     

• Welcome amenities                   

There are more than 1,300 Virtuoso properties around the world but some famous brand names include Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, EDITION, Raffles, Belmond, Park Hyatt, One&Only, Aman, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood, Fairmont, Waldorf Astoria, Andaz, Sofitel, Miraval, Montage, Shangri-La, and Conrad, plus literally hundreds of boutique properties.

Of course, the benefits of working with a Virtuoso agent aren’t limited to hotels. We have vetted on-site suppliers located in virtually every corner of the globe. These are companies that work in the actual locations so know the destinations better than anyone. Virtuoso also has preferred relationships with tour companies, cruise lines, and other service providers to ensure you have the best experience possible when traveling. 

For cruising, ask me about special sailings on luxury and premium cruise lines called Virtuoso Voyages®. Our guests can receive added bonuses like on-board credits, invitations to exclusive cocktail parties, behind-the-scenes tours, specialty dining options, a car & driver in port, and even a private shore excursion open only to Virtuoso guests. More on this later!

Usually every August more than 6,000 travel advisors and suppliers from across the globe meet at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the annual Virtuoso Travel Week conference. Obviously, it couldn’t happen this year so they moved to a virtual platform. Honestly, I was surprised at how well it turned out. With all those people I expected some glitches but they really pulled it off. The theme this year was “The Power of Connections” and they definitely delivered. Even in a virtual format, I really felt connected with the nearly 100 representatives and suppliers I “met” with in my one-on-one meetings. I learned so much from these people and will, in turn, use the information to help my clients plan their travel, once we can all do so safely again.

Whether you’re planning, going, or just dreaming (for now), we Virtuoso travel advisors will be there for you every step of the way – ready to answer your questions, offer peace of mind, and make travel dreams come true.