Ritz Paris | spend the night starting March 14, 2016

This is the hotel opening that I'm most excited about. After being closed for several years undergoing a thorough (and much needed renovation), the Ritz Paris is now taking reservations beginning as early as March 14, 2016.

I have enjoyed two stays at the Ritz Paris and appreciate its wonderful location right on the Place Vendome as well as the warmth of its service. If you loved the old Ritz, you'll love the new Ritz, as they've tried to keep the traditional ambiance of this iconic hotel. Even the original furniture has been preserved and completely renovated. The only difference will be the new, larger rooms and completely up-to-date systems — including fibre optic internet.

Don't miss out on the best set of Virtuoso amenities I've ever seen — just book through any Virtuoso travel consultant ... and we have absolutely no booking fees.

• guaranteed room upgrade at the time of booking
• complimentary roundtrip airport transfers
• VIP greet at the airplane door
• complimentary fiber optic internet access
• complimentary daily breakfast for two at L'Espadon

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman 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.

room upgrades | the holy grail of hotel stays

Ocean View Prime Suite at FS Hualalai

I can't show the comic strip, as King Features wanted $60 for a one-time license, but go to the Rhymes with Orange website and click back to the April 15th cartoon. Cinderella is standing in front of "The Enchanted Forest Rental Desk" to rent a pumpkin coach. The rental agent, a flying fairy godmother complete with wand, informs her, There are no more pumpkin coaches on the lot, but for the same price we can upgrade you to a butternut squash.*

Room upgrades are the holy grail of luxury hotel stays. For many hotels and resorts, the only difference between a less inexpensive lead-in room and higher room categories is the view. A great example is the Four Seasons Maui where lead-in Mountainside rooms look away from the ocean with a view of the roof of the parking garage. Higher room categories (Garden, Partial Ocean, Ocean View, and Ocean View Prime) have progressively better views. So a room upgrade is a valuable perk that can save you $100 every night of your stay, depending on time of year.

How can you increase your chances of getting a coveted room upgrade? Find a luxury travel consultant who

(1) is a preferred partner of your favorite hotel families. Brownell Travel has preferred partner relationships with Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, Orient Express, and Rosewood, among other luxury brands. We are among a handful of agencies that are the biggest producers for these brands, and our clients go to the top of the upgrade list.

(2) is a member of Virtuoso, or another consortium with negotiated amenities such as Signature or FHR. These perks include room upgrades on check-in, subject to availability, at over 900 five star hotels and resorts around the world.

(3) has personal relationships with sales managers at the hotels you want to book. If you send a lot of guests to certain hotels, and work with sales managers to VIP your clients, they get to know you and will often try to guarantee an upgrade in advance.

It can help if you are a frequent guest of certain hotels. So when you find a hotel you love, stay with it! Your own relationship, especially when combined with that of your travel consultant, will help you score a room upgrade!

room upgrade (search here on Google)

*Hilary B. Price, "Rhymes with Orange" (April 15, 2012)


copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Ritz Rewards is launched

Ritz-Carlton has published the details of its Ritz Rewards program. Essentially modeled after Marriott Rewards, members receive ten points for every dollar spent at a Ritz-Carlton hotel or any Marriott property. Points can be used toward free nights at Ritz-Carlton properties or other partners such as luxury tour company Abercrombie & Kent or the Nieman Marcus department store. Free nights cost from 30,000 - 70,000 points, depending a hotel's "tier". Here's a sampling:

• Tier One (30K points) includes Atlanta and Dallas
• Tier Two (40K points) includes Amelia Island and Dove Mountain
• Tier Three (50K points) includes Georgetown and San Francisco
• Tier Four (60K points) includes Hotel Arts Barcelona
• Tier Five (70K points) includes Ritz-Carlton Central Park

Guests can also use 5,000 points towards a room upgrade.

Elite Level guests receive worthwhile value-added perks:


It's easy to sign up for Ritz Rewards - or simply convert your Marriott Rewards account and your points to the Ritz Rewards program (which is what I did). You can do it online.

Double up on perks by booking Ritz-Carlton through a Virtuoso and STARS travel consultant; you'll receive a complimentary breakfast for two daily, a complimentary room upgrade if available, late check-out, and other amenities that can include free internet or other valuable extras at any Ritz-Carlton in the world.


Ritz Rewards (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Virtuoso Travel Mart 2009 | Aug. 16-20

Why would thousands of luxury travel consultants travel to Las Vegas in the middle of August? Why take part in a week of meetings, formal and informal, with reps from hundreds of luxury hotels and cruise lines? Why deal with the exhaustion and overload from four consecutive days spent filled with six hours daily of four-minute appointments (a.k.a. speed dates) with supplier representatives?

It's time for Travel Mart, the annual Virtuoso trade show. Virtuoso is the biggest name in the luxury hotel market with over 800 hotels and resorts around the world, each one offering Virtuoso clients the best rates along with complimentary amenities including free daily breakfast for two, room upgrades if available, and valuable extra perks. But Virtuoso is more than just a source of the best luxury values for upscale travelers. It's about connections with top industry reps.

Next week is an exhausting but immensely worthwhile opportunity for Virtuoso travel consultants to network with the world's top luxury travel suppliers. It will help them learn about new products, deepen their knowledge of what's available in the luxury travel universe, and form relationships with the people who can help them deliver for clients by...

• securing room upgrades
• taking care of special needs and requests
• finding space in what may seem like a totally booked hotel

So, if your travel consultant isn't immediately available next week, count yourself lucky. The week that she or he is investing at Travel Mart is all about helping you get the most from your future travels.

Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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the Virtuoso hotels of New York

Virtuoso is a luxury travel consortium offering the best values in luxury travel for upscale travelers. Before booking any of the Virtuoso hotels of New York, consult a Virtuoso travel consultant to ensure that you are receiving the best possible value for your stay.

The Google map below shows the location of the twenty-one Virtuoso hotels in Manhattan. Click on one of the blue "dots" to bring up the exclusive amenities available to Virtuoso guests in 2011.


View Larger Map

Why book through Virtuoso instead of just using the Internet?
3 reasons:

1. Room upgrades. Some of these hotels offer Virtuoso guests an exclusive upgrade at the time of booking. That means, you're guaranteed a room that is larger and/or has a better view. At all of the others, you will be upgraded at the time of check-in if a room in the next category is available.

2. Free breakfasts. Ordering breakfast in a luxury hotel is an expensive proposition, even if all you want is a cup of coffee. Expensive breakfasts are a thing of the past at Virtuoso hotels. You gou get a complimentary breakfast just by booking through a Virtuoso travel consultant.

3. Extra amenities. These differ by property, but you might receive an complimentary High Tea, discounts off spa services, cocktails and appetizers, or food and beverage credits... just a little something extra to let you know you're a special guest.

Competitive rates. You will typically pay the same rate — or better — than other guests staying in the same room. With Virtuoso, you simply get the best value. Click here to request a no-obligation quote.

Virtuoso hotels of New York (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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