Visa runs a hotel booking portal known as Visa Luxury Hotel Collection. If you were to book with them through the portal, you’d receive the following benefits :
- Best available rate guarantee
- Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available
- Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, when available
- Complimentary continental breakfast daily
- $25 USD food or beverage credit
- VIP Guest status
- 3PM check-out upon request, when available
These benefits can be especially valuable for those of us who do not have hotel elite status which grants us things like complimentary breakfast. Currently, they’re holding a limited time offer for certain hotels where you’re able to get additional perks on top of what you would be receiving.
Good offers in listed hotels
Using Mandarin Oriental Singapore as an example, if you were to book a minimum 2-night stay within the offer period shown below, you would be receiving an additional USD75 dining credit which can be used in their restaurants, excluding Morton’s and Teppan-Ya. I’m not exactly sure if the period stated below means you have to stay by then, or that you must book by 31 March 2018. There’s not really a mention in the offers T&C.
If you were to book with VLHC, the rate quoted for a Ocean View King Room would be at S$963 after taxes are included.
Currently, Mandarin Oriental has a ‘Luxury Breaks’ rate which confers the following benefits :
You’ll also be charged the same rate of S$963 as per what VLHC is charging you.
Thus, making your booking using the Visa Luxury Hotels Collection website would be the better option in this case.
Great value for infrequent travellers
Looking through the offers available, there are some hotels that are offering a 4th night free (i.e The Langham Sydney) and others are offering extra hotel credits. Thus presenting good value to travelers who don’t mind not earning elite nights with hotel loyalty programs as they aren’t able to maintain elite statuses with the chains.
You can book a hotel through this channel so long as you have a Visa Platinum or higher. That’s really a nothing requirement, as you can get a Visa Signature at the $30K income income (the Citibank Rewards card comes to mind).
In addition – I think it makes bookings like traditional travel agents, so for chain hotels those with status can also enjoy the both worlds (points, stay credit, status recognition etc. in addition to the Visa benefits). At least, that was the case for my previous Conrad bookings via the engine.