Travel Horizons: Virtuoso amenities

Showing posts with label Virtuoso amenities. Show all posts

5.19.2021

JetBlue Mint across the Pond

Exciting news, thanks to my friend Ben at One Mile at a Time... JetBlue has announced its Mint service from JFK to London. One daily flight starts 12AUG to Heathrow, and a second daily flight starts 30AUG to Gatwick.

Here's the outbound schedule to London:

dep JFK at 9:48 p.m., arr. LHR at 10:10 a.m.
dep JFK at 7:48 p.m., arr. LGW at 7:55 a.m.

Here's the return flight back to New York:

dep. LHR at 6:10 pm., arr. JFK 9:35 p.m.
dep. LGW at 12:10 p.m., arr JFK 3:43 p.m.

Round-trip in JetBlue's lie-flat Mint class seat starts at $1,979, per the airline's website. Combined with a comfortable lie-flat seat and JetBlue's great catering, this is quite a value.

When you're ready to plan luxury travel to London, we can accessorize your flights with stays in five star luxury hotels ... with Virtuoso amenities including daily complimentary breakfast for two + a $100 hotel credit towards F&B or spa, all at the same price you'll find on hotel websites.

London has some of the world's best hotels. Have you been thinking about a trip to England in this fall?

2.03.2021

why you should plan that trip to Europe NOW!

itinerary of Tauck's river cruise The Rhine and Moselle

Now is the time to plan your next trip to Europe. Though most of Europe is currently closed to travelers from the USA, just as the US is currently closed to travelers from the EU, that's going to change. Here's why you should make your plans now.

COVID vaccines. I received my first Pfizer shot earlier this week, with an appointment set for my second shot on February 19. Within several months, vaccines should be available to everyone who wants them in the US, the EU, and the UK. Inexpensive, at-home COVID tests are also promised. Once a critical mass of people have been vaccinated, the travel floodgates should open up wide.

Hotel availability. With hotels are showing plenty of availability at reasonable room rates, you should take advantage. Once travel opens up, those rooms will quickly sell ... and as inventory goes down, prices will rise. If you can get a cancellable reservation with just a credit card guarantee, grab it! (You can even do it yourself on the Virtuoso booking engine for reservations with Virtuoso amenities — free breakfasts and $100 hotel credits).

High demand for cruises and tours. I just rebooked the Tauck river cruise I had originally planned to take last April, The Rhine and Moselle. Eight of the nine cruises in 2021 were already sold out, but I was able to secure a cabin on the one available sailing. I'm so excited to be flying to Amsterdam in October and experiencing Tauck's all-inclusive luxury river cruise to Basel.

Award flights. Before COVID struck, it was practically impossible to get "Saver Awards," but it can be done if you act now. I speak from experience. As soon as I booked my Tauck river cruise, I researched flights using miles in United Business Class from AVL-AMS and ZRH-AVL. I just had to make one small change to find Saver Award availability (departing for Amsterdam one day earlier). There were two available Saver Award seats for the flights I wanted, so I grabbed them!

I recommend planning travel to Europe this fall. Now's the time to contact your travel advisor while she or he has lots of time to work with you.

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter.

11.27.2020

complimentary breakfasts at luxury hotels

Breakfast prices can sometimes seem frightening when staying at luxury hotels. Pictured above is a page from the room service menu at one of my very favorite hotels, the Beverly Hills Hotel. Many guests would want to order the American breakfast — for instance, two eggs with sausage, toast and a pastry, a fruit plate, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a Cappuccino. The price is $55 plus $3.75 pp for room service delivery, and 20% service. With sales tax, that's $75 per person. $150 for breakfast for two? That's too much!

Here's how to enjoy the same breakfast for free! Don't use the hotel's website, but reserve your stay through a Virtuoso travel advisor. He or she will book the Virtuoso rate (typically the same as the best available "regular" rate on the hotel's website). These are typical Virtuoso amenities at nearly 1500 luxury hotels and resorts around the world:

daily complimentary breakfast for two
an additional $100 hotel credit (usually for food & beverage or Spa services)
one category room upgrade at check-in if available

Virtuoso amenities are available at nearly 1,500 luxury hotels and resorts around the world. And even better than Virtuoso amenities are the preferred partner amenities a well-connected travel advisor can score for you at luxury chains. For instance, at the Beverly Hills Hotel (whose room service menu is pictured), my Diamond Club amenities will get you a confirmed upgrade at booking (up to the Jr. Suite category), a full breakfast in any venue including gratuities, and your $100 credit can come off the room rate room rate, if you wish.

You can check out Virtuoso amenities and book many Virtuoso hotels on virtuoso.com. Your Virtuoso travel advisor will be informed of your booking and will follow up by VIP'ing your stay with their contacts.

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter.

11.06.2020

Mauna Lani reopening tomorrow

Travel to Hawaii is back, and I'm happy to announce that the Mauna Lani will be reopening to guests tomorrow, Saturday, November 7th, after an extensive renovation of the entire property. I've seen photographs, and the new room product is light, bright, and wonderful. The Big Island is an incredible place to golf, explore varied landscapes ranging from volcanoes to rain forests, walk on a sandy beaches, or lounge by a resort pool with a cool drink in your hand.

Mauna Lani is offering an incredible promotion, the Virtuoso Mauna Lani Journey. With a minimum five night stay, the resort is offering guests a $1000 resort credit ($200 per night ... so 7 nights = $1400 credit, etc.). This is on top of the Virtuoso amenities which add these money-saving perks to your stay:

daily breakfast for two ($80 value)
$100 resort credit
one category upgrade if available

What about Covid pre-testing? Mauna Lani is collaborating with Vault Health to provide you with a safe, fast, and easy testing experience in the privacy of your own home.

Team Ourisman is here to help you plan your next trip to Hawaii. Click here to email us!

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter.

9.02.2020

travel souvenirs — part 12

If you've flown KLM business class, you'll recognize this souvenir. Passengers on long haul flights to or from Amsterdam are presented with a choice of blue Delft china houses designed to resemble actual historic buildings in the Netherlands. I've even to the Royal Delft factory and seen the process by which the pottery is painted with the iconic Delft blue and then glazed. Of course, that was 51 years ago in the summer of 1969 — so I'm dating myself.

I've acquired these four Delft houses over the years...

73 — De Posthoorn

83 — Museum Van Loon
33 — De Dubbelde Palmboom
7 — Bols House

KLM has a comfortable business class with lie-flat seats that offer a good night's sleep on your way over the pond. Amsterdam offers convenient connections to destinations all over Europe, avoiding the madness of transfers in Paris or London. Get in touch for specially discounted business class fares when packaged with hotel stays or car rentals... or click here to discover the value-added Virtuoso amenities you can score at Amsterdam's most elegant luxury hotels.

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

1.21.2020

three reasons NOT to book this online rate...

Online bookings can be a big mistake, and this article will highlight one of the pitfalls of using expedia, hotels.com, or other online wholesalers. This information is based on a mock booking at the beautiful Park Hyatt Sydney — a one-night stay on 14FEB for the lead-in room. The screenshot above is from expedia.com, and the rate is displayed in US dollars.

It would be a mistake to book this rate online. Here are three reasons why...

Reason One — expedia's rate is non-refundable

Take a careful look at the small print at the top center of the screenshot, just above "Free WiFi," you'll see the words Non-Refundable. Click on the question mark icon, you'll find this explanation.

Reason Two — expedia's explanation is deceptive

"This specially discounted rate?" Expedia seems to justify the non-refundable rate with the claim that they're somehow saving you money ... but they're NOT.

The Hyatt website shows a rate $983 with tax included. Hotel rates in Australia always include tax, but Expedia is hiding the room tax. You won't know about it unless you click the "price details" link. Or until you book the room and learn that your card has been charged a non-refundable $983. (By the way, the rate on hyatt.com is refundable.)

Reason Three — you're missing out on an even better value

For the same $983 USD, you can book the same room through your Virtuoso travel advisor, make no prepayment, have the freedom to cancel up to 48 hours before arrival, and receive additional Virtuoso amenities that will definitely save you money.

Daily Full Breakfast for two per bedroom, served in The Dining Room
One way airport transfer in BMW 7 Series (includes tolls)
an upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi

Do you enjoy being your own travel agent and booking on the web? At least book through the Virtuoso website to score these amenities! This link will take you to the Park Hyatt Sydney page on Virtuoso.com. Fill in your dates, select a Virtuoso travel advisor, and take advantage of the best luxury value out there!

11.13.2019

$1000 resort credit on the Big Island

Mauna Lani is reopening in January after a thorough $200 million renovation of guest rooms, public areas, and the pool and beach areas. The resort's new owner wanted create a resort that is the equal of anything else on the Big Island, and he has definitely invested massively to bring that about.

Enjoy a $1,000 credit at the reimagined Mauna Lani Resort... so read the email blast I just received. I spoke today with my rep and learned that the deal is even better than that. Guests will receive a $250 daily resort credit when booking a 4+ night stay in an Ocean View room or above. So if you stay a full week, you'll get $1,750 in resort credits good towards lunches, dinners, and tropical drinks at the bar.

Virtuoso amenities combine with this promotion, and the deal is good from January 1 to November 20, 2020. So in addition to the $250 daily credit, guests who book with their Virtuoso travel advisor will also receive:

Daily buffet breakfast for up to two guests per bedroom, in HaLani Restaurant.
$100 USD Resort Credit for Dining, Spa or Golf per stay to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
One Category Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability (upgrade is from room to room or suite to suite; upgrade does not apply to Bungalows).
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi already included in the resort fee

Guest rooms are a spacious 520 square feet, and the newly renovated marble bathrooms are a definite step up, now featuring great step-in showers. Suites are double that size, and the amazing 2BR Bungalows offer 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space with your own private pool.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

1.01.2019

5 reasons to use a travel advisor to book air

Note: I am not an air agent. I specialize in luxury hotel bookings. Want the best luxury hotel in Paris or London given your preferences, I can help with that decision. And I'll get you value-added hotel amenities for no extra cost — like complimentary daily breakfast for two, $100 hotel credits, and sometimes upgrades even at the time of booking. For air bookings, I turn to my colleagues at Brownell Travel's Air Desk or Virtuoso Air.

Here are five reasons to use an experienced air advisor, especially for complicated international itineraries. Inexperienced consumers, armed only with the internet, often make expensive mistakes, all in the attempt to save money.

1. Connections that make sense. Is that connection long enough (or is it too long)? Should you avoid connecting at that particular airport? Is there a non-stop flight you should consider instead? An experienced travel advisor will sweat questions like these so you don’t have to.

While that 50 minute connection at CDG might be legal, your dash through the immigration and the airport will be stressful and tiring ... with a high chance you'll miss your connection.
Will you have to switch terminals? Passengers who switch terminals at LHR have to wait in long queues just to catch the shuttle bus between terminals.
Beware of itineraries that make you change airports. Some options that come up on the British Airways website require taking a 35 mile bus ride from Heathrow to Gatwick (good luck during rush hour!). Always look for an alternative, even if it costs more.

2. Be protected in case you misconnect. I've read many stories about unknowing travelers who've done something like the following: After searching the internet to find the absolute lowest price, they bought one ticket on British Airways to London, then bought a separate ticket on AirFrance to connect to Paris. They are unaware of how much can go wrong. Always book your connecting flights on the same airline (or their partner airline) and ensure they're on the same ticket. It's then the airline's problem if you misconnect. If your connecting flights are ticketed separately, you'll be out of luck:

If you miss your connection, your non-refundable ticket is void, and you’ll have to buy a new ticket at the full, non-discounted, last-minute fare.
Good luck if you intend to check your baggage to the final destination. You'll be in for an unpleasant surprise if the two airlines do not have inter-airline baggage agreements. You'll need to go through immigration, retrieve your checked baggage, check in again at the front of the airport, then re-enter immigration and security all over again. If you miss your connecting flight, you'll have to buy a full-fare ticket.

An experienced air agent will protect you from mistakes like this.

3. Flight monitoring. What happens when there's a schedule mishap? if your flight across the Atlantic is delayed, and it appears you'll miss your connecting flight, there's nothing you can do from the middle of the ocean. But an experienced air agent can monitor your flights and solve the problem before you even know something's wrong.

4. Time, money, and comfort. You will pay a service fee when using an air agent, but it can still save you time and money. Here are some possible ways you can benefit:

Hate paying for seat assignments on BA? A savvy air agent can do this with no fee.
Sometimes booking a code-share saves on taxes and fees.
Is there a better itinerary that google flights doesn't know?
Sometimes it pays to put all legs of a multi-segment itinerary on one ticket. Sometimes it pays to split the flights up among several tickets.
Do you want a flight with a true lie-flat business class seat?

An expert air agent can advise about all these issues.

5. Intelligent, coordinated travel planning. Your flights and itinerary should coordinate to provide you the most convenient connections available. An expert travel advisor, working on your behalf throughout the entire planning process, can ensure your trip flows as smoothly as possible.

Note, I'm talking here about expert air agents. Just because someone works at a travel agency doesn’t mean they know what they're doing. I read a post yesterday on fodors.com. This traveler wanted to spend a week in Paris, then visit Spain or Portugal. But, she wrote the forum asking for advice, “our travel agency wants us to return home from Paris.” She apparently wandered into a travel agency and sat down at the desk of someone who didn't know what they were doing.

Here are some questions you should ask when choosing a travel advisor:

Are you a member of the Virtuoso network? Using a Virtuoso travel advisor is the only way you can enjoy exclusive Virtuoso amenities at over 1300 luxury hotels and resorts around the world.
Are you experienced with booking international air or — if not — do you have access to international air experts at your agency?

12.13.2018

when things go bump in the night...

Like the movement of a finely tuned clock, everything about the perfect hotel stay happens behind the scenes. Your booking goes smoothly. Your visit is VIP'ed. Hotel staff discuss your stay during the hotel's daily "morning meeting." Virtuoso amenities are explained at check-in. Hopefully you'll be surprised with an upgrade to a higher room category. Your room is ready when you arrive. Hotel staff greet you by name, and service requests are handled promptly. Your bed is comfortable, the pillow to your liking, and you wake up well rested after a great night's sleep... And, of course, the final bill is correct, with things like breakfasts, internet, and hotel credits properly reflected.

But sometimes there's a wrinkle. To err is human, said Alexander Pope. Everyone — even I — mkae mistkaes. And that's when a great hotel and its team shine. A recent hotel stay enjoyed by one of my clients is testimony to that.

Nothing about this booking was easy (through the fault of no one in particular). Starwood and Marriott, as you may know, have finally completed the massive integration of their reservations systems, and details remain to be perfected. For instance, Starwood's Luxury Privileges amenity program has a new rate code, but it's not yet active in my GDS, making it more time-consuming to book that rate. Marriott's call center had issues making a simple revision to that reservation. At check-out, the guest Folio showed charges for in-room internet, and the F&B credit hadn't been applied to a restaurant bill.

The good news is that the Marriott Luxury team was phenomenal. The national sales team got me to the right individual at the hotel who did a superb job in working through the hassles of booking and revising. The guest was never aware of any of this. He arrived at the hotel, checked in, and enjoyed his visit. And when I noticed a couple of mistakes on the Guest Folio that had been emailed to me, I emailed my colleague at the hotel. The bill was corrected and only then did I forward it to my client.

My client had the perfect stay — with never a hint of any of these issues — because so many people were working SOOOO hard behind the scenes to deliver on a great hotel experience. I want to express special thank you's to Marissa, Ly, and Travis.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

7.08.2018

Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman | exclusive offer

"You are invited to select the client of your choice" for this exclusive offer at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. That was in the first paragraph of a letter I received by snail mail. The offer was described as a one-of-a-kind promotion "only available for you," and that seems to be true. I can find no mention of these amenities anywhere else, either on Virtuoso.com or the STARS website.

So here's the deal...

1. Book at the Virtuoso rate — get the Virtuoso amenities

Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Daily Buffet breakfast, for up to two in room guests
$100 USD Equivalent Resort or Hotel credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi

2. $400 additional resort credit for every three nights booked

3. Club Access complimentary for up to 4 guests

4. one complimentary tasting meal at Blue by Eric Ripert

Fine print: the promo is available for stays through August 25, 2018. Offer is based on availability at the time of booking and is applicable only to direct bookings. Not combinable with promotions, third party or group bookings. Should be reserved directly with the Travel Industry Sales Manager, though she can apply it to a Sabre booking.

Seems like a fabulous deal to me. To plan a summer vacation to Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach, drop us an email or send a travel request to Team Ourisman.

7.02.2018

Dorado Beach | reopening October 1st

Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve, closed for repairs due to the two hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico last year, has announced its reopening. The resort took the opportunity to make their world-class luxury beach resort even more beautiful.

Every room and suite is beachfront, and the results of the renovation look stunning — clean, light, and tasteful rooms look out to the sea. West Beach rooms step directly onto the beach. Ocean waves on the East Beach side crash directly onto the beach rocks on the shoreline ... providing soothing sounds all night long, especially if you like to sleep with the sliding doors open.

One of my favorite beach resorts in the world, Dorado Beach offers valuable Virtuoso amenities including complimentary daily breakfast for two, a resort credit, and more. In celebration of their reopening, benefit from an exclusive Rediscover Dorado promotion — just $499 per night during the month of October, 2018. Or book a guest room for three nights just before Festive Season, December 16 through December 22 and receive a $1000 one-time resort credit. Click here to request more information.

3.31.2018

New Zealand | don't know where to begin?

Sally Forth comic strip, March 31, 2018

Sally Forth is one of a handful of comic strips that I read regularly. In today's episode, Sally asks her family, "What is the one thing you'd like us to do together as a family?" After a moment's pause, Hillary answers, "New Zealand." Ted is immediately turned on by the idea of visiting the beautiful place where the three Hobbit movies (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies) were filmed. Sally responds with two practical concerns, the cost of air and where to begin.

"I don't know where to begin" is not infrequently the first hurdle encountered when contemplating our bucket list. Start with Google? 46 million websites come up when searching New Zealand, 3.6 million responses for New Zealand travel, 2.68 million options for New Zealand tours, and 1.79 million answers for New Zealand tourism.

How can anyone evaluate so many options? My answer to the Forth family ... find a travel advisor with experience planning travel to New Zealand, who has relationships with multiple destination management companies there. Instead of starting with millions of choices, I'll begin planning your trip with a half dozen vendors curated in terms of their expertise and reliability. Once I know your budget and the kinds of experiences you want to have, I'll know exactly where to begin.

A knowledgable travel advisor will save you time and money. New Zealand has some of the most gorgeous lodges in the world, and you can benefit from Virtuoso amenities that will provide added value during your stay. Even if your budget is more modest, our on-the-ground partners will know the best moderately priced options for your stay — as well as providing assistance if needed with looking for "bulk" air.

New Zealand is one of the two most gorgeous places I've ever been, Norway being the other. To whet your appetite, here are some articles I wrote about my April/May 2009 trip with Swain Destinations.

Kauri Cliffs | New Zealand golf and beach luxury
what to do in Queenstown, New Zealand
Napier, New Zealand | the Art Deco city
morning mist at Huka Lodge
black sand beach near Auckland
New Zealand | incredible scenic beauty
Virginia Fischer | New Zealand luxury lodges
more New Zealand Luxury Lodges

1.10.2018

the best hotel room I never had

I had a conversation yesterday with a client who is near retirement; he's about 4 years younger than I. We were reminiscing about some of the travel experiences we'd enjoyed in our youth. He remembered using a one-month European rail pass to criss-cross Europe, using overnight trains instead of hotel rooms. That reminded me of a non-hotel stay of my own.

One of the very best travel experiences of my life, I spent the night sleeping in a field under just a blanket. It was August, 1969, and we had driven into Zermatt after dark (don't think you can drive into Zermatt now). With no intention of getting a hotel room, we settled into a field just outside the village. It was a dark night, and I really had no idea where I was.

When the sun rose the next morning, I awakened. The first sight I beheld that day was the Matterhorn in a cloudless sky. Awakening to this stunning view in Switzerland was truly one of the best travel experiences of my life. But nowadays, I'd opt for one of the luxury hotels in Zermatt for its creature comforts and Virtuoso amenities.

For those who are interested, the picture above was taken with a Minolta SRT-101 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. Though a bit faded with age, it helps me remember that brilliant, sunny morning in Zermatt ... almost half a century ago — ouch!

12.13.2017

Tahiti non-stops from San Francisco

Flying to Tahiti will get a lot easier beginning next October 30. United Airlines has announced nonstop Dreamliner flights from San Francisco to Papeete. Flying three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday), United plans serve this route from October 30, 2018 through March 28, 2019.

Why I'm excited by this news:

You can avoid LAX, a monstrously inconvenient place to connect. Domestic flights arrive at one of eight terminals, and you have to schlep yourself and your baggage to the international terminal, check in again with Air Tahiti Nui (which means leaving airside), and go through security again (plan for a long wait in line). If you plan to check bags, you'll have to see if your domestic airline has an interline agreement with Air Tahiti Nui.

Flying through SFO will be a dream by comparison. Being a United hub, you'll have easy connections from all over the US with your bags seamlessly checked all the way through to PPT. Passengers can walk between United's domestic and international gates without having to go through security again. And SFO offers a choice of lounge experiences — the American Express Centurion Lounge or United's Polaris Lounge.

The timing of the flights is bit disappointing. The outbound flight departs SFO at 2:45 p.m., arriving PPT at 9:25 p.m. Because this is too late for connecting Air Tahiti flights onto Bora Bora or Moorea, you'll have to overnight in Papeete; I recommend the InterContinental Tahiti. The return, departing PPT at 11:45 p.m. and arriving SFO 10:50 a.m. the next morning, is fine.

However, the "season" for which United is flying the route makes no sense — from October 30 until March 28. This is "summer" in French Polynesia, the rainiest and most humid time of the year. The best months to visit Tahiti begin in April when you'll enjoy the driest weather and most comfortable temperatures. Oops! Guess someone at United failed to check the "high season" for Bora Bora and Moorea.

I've been twice ... so please contact us to plan your dream trip to Bora Bora and ask about the value-added Virtuoso and Four Seasons Preferred Partner amenities. We can save you hundreds of dollars on your trip of a lifetime.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

7.10.2017

when things go wrong with a reservation...

WorldMark Bend's page on Expedia

Wholesalers do have their place in the travel world. Working through websites such as expedia, booking.com, and hotels.com can be very convenient for consumers. But do you really want to entrust your vacation to an impersonal website for whom customer service means you get to wait on hold until someone in a 800 call center somewhere in the world deigns to pick up your call?

Here's what can happen when disaster strikes. Read this story about Holly Parsons who made her reservation at WorldMark Bend four months before her intended stay, yet was walked due to overbooking by the hotel. Expedia's response? They informed that her reservation was cancelled ... and then refused to refund her money.

Expedia was hiding behind legalese. They argued that they owed no refund to their customer because their T&C's state there will be no refunds in the event of an overbooking "caused by external factors beyond the direct control of Expedia."

Hogwash. Expedia should be ashamed of itself, as if a supercomputer operated by a complex algorithm were able to feel shame. Expedia accepted their client's money in exchange for a specific product. When they were unable to provide that product through no fault of the client, they should have (a) advocated with the hotel on her behalf — e.g., you will not walk our client if you want us to sell our hotel, (b) proactively offered alternatives, and/or (c) promptly refunded any monies they were holding on behalf of their client. (By the way, Holly could have called her credit card company and disputed the charge.)

A personal travel advisor gives you many advantages over an impersonal computerized algorithm, otherwise known as an online travel agency (OTA). We know you. We've booked your past trips, we know with whom you're traveling, we learned your preferences, and we can give personal advice based on our own knowledge of your destination.

Things are less likely to go wrong. Hotels sometimes do overbook and have to walk guests; it's an unfortunate fact of life. Question: whose guests will be walked? Answer: the ones who booked through a wholesaler (to whom the hotel is paying a 20+% commission). Many of our preferred partner hotel relationships include a guarantee that the hotel will never walk one of our clients.

And if things should go wrong, I will be on the phone on your behalf, most likely with a sales manager whom I personally know. Your personal travel advisor provides you with this quality of service, all for the same price and often with Virtuoso amenities.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

5.31.2017

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills | opens tomorrow

A brand new hotel, opening tomorrow, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills will prove to be a very successful hotel venture. Located right next door to its sister property, the Beverly Hilton, I had a site inspection of the hotel last week. I was extremely impressed by what I saw.

The front doors lead into an impressive lobby, perhaps three stories high. Typical of Waldorf Astoria design, the lobby had a huge hanging chandelier illuminating the room. You can catch a glimpse of the art deco touches in the interior design.

Guest rooms are very large, starting at 630 square feet, and are decorated with a soft palette of light blues and creme. The bathrooms had all the features you'd expect of a new build. Of special note are the hotel's rooftop which boasts a 360º panoramic view of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. The guests-only swimming pool is located on the roof, and the bar is destined to become a very popular place for nightlife.

Virtuoso amenities are especially generous, an upgrade at booking (room to room and suite to suite), American breakfast daily either through in-room dining or in the restaurant, complimentary WiFi, guaranteed 12 noon check-in and 4 p.m. check-out, and complimentary airport transfers (one-way for rooms, round-trip for suites).

The June Opening Offer starts at $595 per night, including Virtuoso amenities.

3.03.2017

view from room 610 | Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

It will be hard to say goodbye to this tomorrow morning. It's the sight from the balcony of our room at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an incredible view of the best beach on the Big Island. If you want a beach vacation at a resort with a long, wide beach covered with soft sand, you'll be very happy at the Mauna Kea.

Originally built in 1965, the Mauna Kea has won acclaim from the American Institute of Architects as one of the 150 best works of architecture in the United States. The hotel has recently undergone a thorough $150 million renovation, reopening at the end of 2008. The results are very pleasant.

Lead-in Beachfront rooms are on floors 1-4 of the Beachfront Wing, each looking directly across the lawn to the beach, with ground floor rooms being especially coveted as you can walk straight from the door of your room to the beach.

Main building rooms come with both Golf and Ocean views ... and in standard (600 sq ft) and Deluxe (900 sq ft) configurations. Needless to say, this Ocean Vista Deluxe room offers everything you could look for in a luxury room product ... and Suites offer even more. By booking through your Virtuoso travel advisor, you receive additional valuable amenities during your stay:

Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Buffet breakfast daily for up to two in-room guests
$100 USD Resort or Hotel credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate or any third party vendor charges, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

But it's all about this fabulous beach!

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

12.21.2016

last minute luxury Christmas vacation

Have you waited too long to book a luxury Christmas vacation at the beach? Possibly not! All of the following hotels show current availability for a 7 night stay, Dec. 25 - Jan. 1. If you can find the air, the rooms are currently available in my system for each of the following, and as an added value-added bonus, we can provide Virtuoso or Preferred Partner amenities that include free daily breakfasts, hotel credits, and more.

Four Seasons Palm Beach (Florida)
Eau Palm Beach (Florida)
Dorado Beach Ritz Carlton (Puerto Rico)
Ritz Carlton San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Condado Vanderbilt Hotel (San Juan)
Fairmont Kea Lani (Maui)
Banyan Tree Mayakoba (Mexico
Grand Velas Riviera Maya (Mexico)
Capella Ixtapa (Mexico)

Be aware that you'll be within the cancel deadline. While our typical Festive booking fee is $350, if you book one of these nine hotels for these dates by 5 p.m. EST on Friday, we will discount that fee to $150. The value of your free daily breakfast for two is worth far more than the fee, and the additional resort credit will add even more to your savings. Just complete our Travel Request Form to get things started!

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

10.24.2016

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay | superlatives

I can't say enough good things about our three night stay at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. We've had three glorious days on the coast. The weather has been beautiful. The area offers a lot of reasons to visit. The hotel is one of the finest Ritz Carlton resorts I've ever visited. I absolutely love the views from my room — a Firepit room facing the 18th green of the Ocean Course ... admitting floor-to-ceiling views of the sky, sea, fairway, and mountains.

I took this picture Sunday morning from the Club Lounge on the 5th floor of the hotel looking north. You can see the pounding surf, the soft light of the dawn (about 7 a.m.), and the 18th hole of the Old Course. Sitting by the window, it was fun watching golfers playing this challenging hole and follow their shots from tee to fairway (or rough) to green (or sand trap). Although one golfer shot a par, there were many more bogies or worse.

Just 23 miles south of San Francisco, consider Ritz Carlton for a weekend getaway (or midweek, if you're retired!). Our clients receive the following Virtuoso amenities:

Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
$100 USD Equivalent Spa Services credit, to be utilized during stay (valid for treatments and/or spa retail products, not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

10.02.2016

a fabulous lunch at Chateau Eza

Eze is a charming hillside village perched high above the Mediterranean Sea with a direct view of Cap Ferrat (whose Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, has been our home these past four evenings). It is incredibly cute with shops stressing higher end jewelry and art over the usual tourist schlock. Definitely worth the drive up the winding roads, and parking is easy enough in October (though I can't imagine how the summer crowds could ever be accommodated). Top sights in Eze are the ruins of the chateau at the very top of the village (with commanding panoramic view) as well as the village's church.

But the gourmet dining opportunities set Eze apart from your usual small French village.

La Chèvre d'Or is a very famous restaurant which has been awarded two Michelin stars. One of four dining establishments at this five-star Virtuoso hotel, you can enjoy everything from pizza to the highest echelon of French cuisine. If you want to dine here, I encourage you to make your reservations online. If you want to stay in one of their 40 rooms and suites (scattered throughout the village), book through your Virtuoso travel advisor. I urge you to use your travel advisor not only for the complimentary Virtuoso amenities which include continental breakfast daily and (new for 2017 bookings) a two-hour wine discovery tour that includes tastings of six wines... but also for assistance in securing the best room for your needs and budget. Every room is unique, and we work with the hotel to get you the best combination of view, size, and room features that work with your budget.

Chateau Eza is the smaller five-star Virtuoso hotel in Eze which has also won Michelin recognition. A smaller hotel with just 14 rooms and suites, all of which are in much closer proximity to the hotel's reception and lobby. We enjoyed an incroyable lunch as guests of the hotel which started with a glass of the most fabulous rosé (pictured above). We could have had the rest of the bottle, had we wanted, but I was driving; note what I wrote earlier about the winding roads! The food was simply amazing. We did not order an appetizer, only ordered a main course ... so good and so much food we could not finish it. My sea bass was perfectly prepared — moist and full of flavor — and spectacularly presented, and Claire's magret du canard was likewise flavorful and presented with an assortment of fruits and vegetables that we will want to try to reproduce back at home (including pureed quince that was a revelation). When you book Chateau Eza through your Virtuoso travel advisor, you receive complimentary breakfasts and one complimentary menu du Chateau for two guests.

I recommend staying in Eze for two nights. This will allow you to spend one entire day in this hillside village. You'll have a chance to explore the village before the tourists come and after they leave, to pamper yourself in the spa, or relax by (or in) a pool with the most incredible view anywhere on earth.

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

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