How a travel advisor unlocked elite hotel perks

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As a self-proclaimed travel connoisseur with decades of experience leveraging points and miles to save money and elevate my experience, I default to DIY when planning trips. But in the early stages of planning potential options for a 20-year wedding anniversary trip, I stumbled upon one of the greatest travel hacks I’d overlooked to date: travel advisors.

I discovered that many travel advisors do not charge for their services, especially if it’s a simple trip where you handle the extras like rental cars or transfers. They earn commission for each booking, but amazingly, the rates they’re able to secure are — at worst — the same exact rate you’d see if booking direct. Plus, most travel advisors offer a standard suite of benefits when you book through them: a resort credit (often $100 to $200 per stay), free breakfast for two adults, room upgrades when available, and early check-in and late checkout where available.

As I moved along in my planning, I settled on a luxury resort within the Marriott portfolio. Unfortunately, I've never been a “Marriott guy.” I’ve spent the bulk of my hotel nights at properties within the IHG and Hilton portfolios. Thus, I have no elite status at Marriott and have not picked up a co-branded credit card. That’s where the travel advisor comes in.

By booking the anniversary stay through the travel advisor, I was able to secure the list of perks I shared above on my stay, even without Marriott elite status. I see this as a major shortcut to enjoying perks that are typically reserved for a hotel’s elite members, without actually having that status up front.

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The real cherry on top was that I’ll still earn Marriott points for the stay, getting me closer to a free night on a future trip.

If you’re interested in using my same travel advisor, reach out to Lindsay Bowling at Fora Travel and tell her Darren at Points Path sent you.

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