Better Than Black | Why a Preferred Partner Agent is Better than Your Premium Credit Card
One of the most common questions we are asked is "I get a lot of these benefits through my credit card, is this the same?" And our answer is always the same. While the benefits may sound similar, they are in fact very different. From Priorities on Upgrades to Personalised Recommendations, a preferred partner often adds vastly more value than a credit card company.
Priority on Upgrades
The Mayfair Suite at the Dorchester. Diamond Club Agents such as PureLuxe get a Guaranteed Upgrade at Dorchester Collection Hotels*.
One of the biggest differences between Preferred Partner Bookings and Credit card programs, is the priority allotted to upgrades. Most hotel chains prioritise Partner bookings, since the hotel's proprietary program is more important to them than the credit card. This means if there is one upgrade available, and two bookings, the one made through the preferred partner will always be the first to get upgraded. Some hotels also guarantee partner bookings, and provide upgrades of more than one category if available, while guaranteed upgrades are never offered with credit card bookings.
Differences in Amenities
Room Service!! Get your complimentary breakfast served in your villa at the Four Seasons Seychelles
Hotel amenities also vary slightly between credit card and preferred partner programs. For example certain hotels will serve the complimentary breakfast through in room dining if requested for preferred partner guests, and only serve it in the restaurants for credit card bookings. Similarly, the additional amenities such as food and beverage or spa credits, are either lower in value, or more restricted on usage for credit card bookings.
Personal Networks
Central Park View Rooms from the Mandarin Oriental New York, where the team went above and beyond to guarantee our Member an upgrade to this View.
Over the last 20 years in the industry, PureLuxe has built a vast network of relationships with senior hotel executives and GM's around the world. From making sure our member's get the best rooms, to opening up last minute availability at sold out hotels, and making sure our guests feel like VIP's wherever they may be, our network is our go to resource. Conversely, most credit card companies segregate operations and finance, and hotel contracting is managed by finance teams. Hence the reservations agent's typically based out of call centers have little or no access to networks like ours.
Hotel Recommendations
The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of many we work with in the territory, is usually a first choice for tourists, and due to it's flexible PenTime Check in and Check Out, our first choice for businessmen arriving on early flights.
No two hotels are the same, and no two members are the same. Choosing the right hotel for the right member is a very important part of what we do, and we usually get better at it the more someone uses our services. Our lack of hard sales targets and commission blind structure mean we can be absolutely flexible and fiduciary in our recommendations. Credit cards on the other hand have various priorities, including contracted minimum revenue, additional commissions, and sales targets to manage. This means the hotels they recommend may not always be best suited to someone's needs.
To know more about our benefits in detail click here or ask your travel manager. To know more about membership click here