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FAQs

1) What are the benefits of booking with you?

I’m glad you asked, because there are several. Here’s why you should book your next hotel stay with me, a luxury travel advisor:

✓ Dedicated 1:1 Support. At bare minimum you have me, a passionate and seasoned travel professional, not just looking out for but saving you precious time planning and booking your trip: initial booking logistics to pre-travel insights, recommendations and reservations to in-trip advocating and troubleshooting, if necessary.

✓ Preferred Partners. I can book and VIP your reservation at thousands of hotels nearly anywhere in the world (under the palm and otherwise). My preferred partner inventory is nearly double that of Amex FHR.

✓ Low to No Planning Fees. No planning fees to quote and book your hotel when you already know where and when you want to stay (or, want to compare a few options that you’ve already selected). Low planning fees for customized hotel recommendations.

✓ Perks. I can oftentimes hook up your stay with free VIP partner perks you wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Think: surprise welcome amenities, room upgrades, hotel/resort credits, daily breakfast, early check-in and late check-out, complimentary experiences and more.

✓ VIP Reservation Status. Regardless of perks, I’ll always reach out to your hotel ahead of arrival to VIP your stay. This includes notifying the property of who’s traveling, expected arrival and departure times, if a special occasion is being celebrated, any food allergies or dietary restrictions and special requests such as room preferences. To save you time, I’ll submit on-property dining, spa and/or experience reservations on your behalf prior to arrival, as well as handle any reservation logistics or modifications.

✓ Hotel Guest Hierarchy. When you book through me as a luxury travel advisor, you land at the top of the hotel guest hierarchy: above guests booking direct, through credit card travel portals like Amex FHR and Chase Travel and definitely through OTAs (online travel agencies) like Expedia, Booking and Costco Travel.

This means your reservation is marked VIP before you even check-in, putting you first in line for any applicable perks like that room upgrade or extended check-in/out. Perks aside, you’ll have inherent priority over things like preferred room location, restaurant reservations and special requests. Plus, no-walk protections in the event your hotel is oversold. (Booked through an OTA? Your reservation is the first to get cancelled.)

✓ Small Business. Did I mention you’ll be supporting a small, woman-led business (that’s me) who will receive a commission directly from your hotel at no additional cost to you?

2) Do I need to pay you a fee to book my hotel?

If you already know where and when you want to check-in and simply want to book with me to glow-up (read: add eligible perks to) your stay, there is no booking fee on my end. Rather, I’ll earn a commission paid directly to me from your hotel, at no additional cost to you.

Looking to compare multiple pre-selected hotels over multiple travel dates? A planning fee may apply. Please review my Hotel Bookings service policies.

Not sure where you want to stay? If you’d like to tap into my expertise to recommend the most amazing hotel for your upcoming trip, a planning fee applies. This fee accounts for the time I will spend carefully curating a custom proposal of several luxury hotel options tailored to your individual travel style and preferences.

3) Do you have a booking minimum?

Yes. For Hotel Bookings and Takeovers, my booking minimums are as follows:

• Hotels: $2,000+ spend with a minimum of $500/night
• All-inclusive Resorts: $2,500+ spend with a minimum of $750/night

For tailored Hotel Recommendations, my booking minimums are as follows:

• Hotels: $5,000+ spend with a minimum of $750/night
• All-inclusive Resorts: $5,000+ spend with a minimum of $1000/night

4) Are you able to add perks on all hotels I book with you?

Though many luxury hotels participate in preferred perks programs that I have exclusive access to as a luxury travel advisor, not all do. This means my ability to glow-up your stay is case by case depending on the exact hotel. When you contact me for a Hotel Booking, Takeover or Customized Recommendations, I will always clearly disclose, prior to booking, if and what perks I can add to your reservation and at what rates.

5) I already have an upcoming hotel booked. Can you add perks to my existing reservation?

So glad you asked, because oftentimes – yes. Find out everything you need to know about my ability to takeover and upgrade your existing hotel stay, at absolutely no charge to you, here.

6) Can you book my hotel stay with my points-earning loyalty membership and/or credit card?

Yes, and yes. I can always book your hotel stay with any points-earning hotel loyalty program (think: Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, etc) and/or points-earning credit card. You do not need to sacrifice either of these to book with me as a travel advisor.

7) Can you book my hotel stay when I’m redeeming loyalty points?

While I can help you earn points, I can’t help you burn points. If you’re planning to cover the cost of your hotel stay with loyalty points or free nights vouchers, I unfortunately am unable to help plan, book or level up your stay. For this reason, when possible, I highly recommend putting your points towards airfare and other applicable travel expenses instead. This way you can still take advantage of TA (travel advisor) perks, insight and assistance on the hotel end.

8) Do you have access to package deals?

No. I specialize in luxury hotel-only bookings with perks. Please note I do not offer bundled flight + hotel packages nor any other type of bundled package deals.

9) Do you have access to discounted rates?

Most of the time, I’m able to book and glow-up your hotel stay on the lowest flexible (refundable) rate. While I can sometimes book you on lower non-refundable or promotional rates, it’s important to note that these rate types are typically not combinable with perks. Other times, I may be able to access exclusive discounts, which may or may not be combinable with perks.

What rate I’m able to book you on and possibly glow-up with exclusive perks is always case by case depending on your hotel, travel dates and further variables. For this reason, luxury travel advisors like me should never be utilized as a source for finding cheap deals or discounted rates.

10) How is booking through you better than booking through Amex FHR, Expedia or other online booking platforms that offer perks programs?

It all comes down to the hotel guest hierarchy I mentioned above. Yes – online booking platforms like Amex FHR, Hotels and Expedia offer perks programs. These include some of the same perks offered through travel advisors: room upgrades, free breakfast, resort credits, etc. The critical difference is that just because you have VIP status on Expedia doesn’t mean the hotel thinks you’re VIP. You may indeed be eligible for perks, but you’re still at the bottom of the list to receive them. (Read: last in line for that room upgrade.) Amex FHR ranks above Expedia, but travel advisor guests rank above Amex FHR.

P.S. My host agency is FORA.

What’s more, customer service offered by online booking platforms (including Amex FHR) is lackluster at best. Call centers, hold times and customer service agents who don’t know you or your hotel can make for a frustrating, time-consuming experience. The last thing you need while traveling – or even before you leave. Travel advisors on the other hand know your travel style and preferences, know your hotel (including a direct line to the GM) and are a mere text message away for pre or in-trip troubleshooting.

Plus: my inventory of perk-eligible hotels is nearly double that of Amex FHR’s.