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What makes for a good deal at a pricey property? I'm not talking about the lowest price necessarily. I'm talking about the best value, room, and benefits for your dollar.
Those with elite frequent-guest status with a particular hotel company are often better off booking through the hotel's website rather than through an online travel agency (e.g., Orbitz). But what if you're not elite? And what if you don't have a rewards card, like the American Express Platinum Card, which confers pseudo-elite status at certain top hotels and resorts (for $450/year)? What's the best way to score the perks of elite status—from free upgrades to free breakfasts?
When you're headed to a five-star resort for vacation, the answer is: through the right human-being travel agent. The value of top-tier traditional travel agents always seems to be left out of the online conversation (although it's discussed at plenty of cocktail parties). The right travel agent can get you a free upgrade (depending on seasonal availability), free breakfasts and possibly other meals too, maybe a resort credit, maybe a free transfer or two, early check-in/late check-out, and other benefits. Go to any five-star resort, and the people with the free upgrades and breakfasts and credits are the people who booked through a travel agent who (1) sits on the hotel company's travel agent advisory board, (2) works for an agency whose head sits on the advisory board, or (3) belongs to a consortium (e.g., Virtuoso) that has negotiated these benefits with the specific hotel. Many of Conde Nast Traveler's well-connected travel specialists fall into one or more of these categories, of course.
Contributed by Wendy Perrin
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