It may come as a surprise, but how you book your hotel can make a huge difference in your travel experience. While Amex FHR (American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts) guarantees similar perks, having a dedicated luxury travel advisor offers so much more than that. More precisely, we often have access to exclusive rates and are enrolled in preferred partner programs. This gives travel advisors an edge over booking online from a hotel’s website or using Amex FHR.

If you are looking for luxurious experiences in some of the world’s most sophisticated and fascinating hotels, consider booking your stay through Unfolded Travels. Why? We can offer you many VIP benefits at no extra cost to you — and we have personal relationships with hotel’s management teams.

That said, if you are still deciding about your options, we have included several reasons why booking with a travel advisor might be the best thing you can do for your travels.

Who Provides The Greatest Benefits When It Comes to Booking a Luxury Hotel?

If you make a reservation through third-party online travel agents like Booking.com, Booking.com, or Expedia, you might get the lowest rates, but it comes with strict cancellation policies and zero perks. These rooms are typically the least desirable in the hotel, perhaps near an elevator, on a low floor, or without views.

Booking directly with the hotel or with American Express FHR puts you in the middle tier. In fact, an Amex booking looks no different to the hotel than any other room booked via a credit card. Perks apply that are sometimes similar to those that a travel advisor can provide, but these reservations don’t receive the top priority.

As a luxury travel agency in the Virtuoso network, our hotel reservations put you in the top tier status. This means our hotel reservations get first priority to complimentary room upgrades and VIP status. This could mean extra gifts upon arrival, special attention from the general manager, and/or thoughtful touches throughout your stay.

Since both Amex FHR and luxury travel advisors are two of the most popular ways to book luxury hotels, it is understandable to want to know the most advantageous route. Ultimately though, working with a luxury travel agency, especially one that is part of the Virtuoso network and has preferred memberships with the world’s top hoteliers, gives you the greatest overall experience. Why? You will always receive a more personalized stay.

Why Is A Travel Advisor A Better Option Than Amex FHR?

You might wonder why you should choose a luxury travel advisor over Amex FHR, especially when the benefits seem alike. Here are a few reasons that will help you understand the differences between booking your stay with a luxury travel advisor and booking with American Express FHR.

Extra Personalization

You will benefit from the personalized assistance of a dedicated luxury travel advisor who will provide expert support in selecting the right room category for you, dealing with a call center representative. Their main goal is to sell you on a hotel, but perhaps not the right hotel for you.

Moreover, as luxury travel advisors we proactively manage all of your preferences and share them with your hotel. We send them a pre-arrival VIP letter, ensuring meticulous attention to every detail, from your preferred champagne to special amenities for children. This is how we can help surprise & delight you during your stay!

Priority Hotel Bookings

When you are booked through a preferred partnership program (Rosewood Elite, Four Seasons, Belmond Bellini, etc) your reservation is prioritized for VIP treatment. This means you can look forward to room upgrades, personalized service, and guaranteed accommodation even during over-bookings. Hotel rooms booked by large travel sites are the most likely to be cancelled if a hotel oversells itself, whereas our reservations are the least likely.

At some properties, luxury travel advisor’s hotel bookings provide access to exclusive VIP concierges that can assist you with all of your needs while traveling.

Special VIP Perks & Amenities

When you book hotels through Amex, they treat your booking the same as any other credit card booking. But when you book through a hotel’s preferred partners (that’s us!), you’re more likely to get upgraded to a higher room category.

This could mean big savings, sometimes thousands of dollars depending on the hotel! We’ve upgraded clients from mid-level room categories to a honeymoon suite thanks to our personal relationships with the hotels. Our lucky couple saved over $5,000 in this case!

Also, you can typically count on getting a full breakfast, not just a continental one, when working with a luxury travel advisor as opposed to Amex FHR. If you really need that 4PM late check-out, just let us know! We will make any such requests and hotels will do everything possible to accomodate.

At Unfolded Travels, we are all about providing you a one-of-a-kind and elevated experience. We do not just meet your needs – we predict them and do our best to exceed them. Plus, we have the expertise to give you personalized hotel suggestions that fit your individual travel style and desired budget.

How To Work With Unfolded Travels

Unfolded Travels is the answer if you want the most elevated travel experience. Ready for your next adventure? Visit our Book a Hotel page if you wish to book a Virtuoso hotel and want to take advantage of our perks.

Not sure of where you wish to go? Shoot us a short message and we can help find the ideal hotel match for your own needs! We will provide 2-3 hotel selections and you can choose the one that speaks to you most. Once we book your stay, you unlock all the amenities & perks!

Don’t just take our word on it… As our recent client, Jenna, said:

“I don’t know what I would have done without you. I didn’t think we could afford a 5-star hotel for our honeymoon, but you saved us money on the hotel rate and also booked us at a hotel that we originally thought was out-of-budget. Thank you for making our honeymoon everything we imagined and more!”