Club 1 Hotels changes up membership offerings for 2019

Club 1 Hotels is a membership program which offers wholesale pricing on hotel rooms, car rentals, and cruise bookings. Milelion readers who sign up for a free membership get to access these members-only discounted rates. 

Club 1 has rejigged its offerings for 2019, and now offers a $59 Platinum Membership alongside the Free Membership. Free members continue to get access to discounted hotel rates worldwide, and Platinum members receive additional booking credits of up to US$500 on their first stay plus access to the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) program.

Sign up for a free Club 1 Hotels membership here

Club 1’s BRG program promises to beat competing rates by:

• $10 per night at 3-star hotels, up to $20
• $15 per night at 4-star hotels, up to $45
• $20 per night at 5-star hotels, up to $60

The BRG applies provided you book at least 7 days out. Simply drop an email to memberservices@club1hotels.com  with screenshots and details about the cheaper rate. The response time in my experience has averaged 3-4 hours.

It’s worth noting that the BRG policy has been tightened. First, the maximum savings at 3, 4, and 5-star hotels have been reduced by $20, $5, and $40 respectively. Second, from 1 Jan 2019 the BRG program is only available to Platinum Members. However, if you joined Club 1 with a Free Membership prior to 1 Jan 2019, you’ll still have access to the BRG program for the rest of your membership year.

All in all, I like the fact that you don’t need to have a confirmed reservation with a competing site in order to file a BRG with Club 1, which eliminates the risk of trying to BRG a non-cancellable rate.

Finding cheaper hotels with Club 1

Stays booked through Club 1 count as third party bookings and won’t be eligible for elite status benefits or earning points. That said, if you’re not into hotel loyalty, or if you’re eyeing a property that doesn’t participate in a loyalty program, you can find many good deals in the Club 1 system.

Case in point: I booked my parents a three night stay at the Park Hyatt Saigon for just US$790 all in, versus the US$1,286 I’d have to pay if I went through the official site.

I’ve also found cheaper rates at the luxurious Aman Resorts in Indonesia…

…and the Banyan Tree Bintan…

…stays at The Conrad Maldives become ever so slightly cheaper…

…and there are also deals to be found in city destinations like Sydney.

Conclusion

Bookings made on Club 1 code as foreign currency hotel spending, so you can use:

• DBS Woman’s World Card for 4 mpd on the first S$2K per month
• UOB Visa Signature for 4 mpd on the first S$2K per statement period, min S$1K spend
• SCB Visa Infinite for 3 mpd, provided you spend a minimum of S$2K in a month in total
• DBS Altitude for 3 mpd on the first S$5K per month
• BOC World Elite Mastercard for 3 mpd without cap

Sign up for a free membership and test out the rates for yourself.