Friday newsletters all the time characteristic luxurious journey contests, ideas, or information.
At the moment: The way to ebook & lower your expenses at One&Solely Resorts?
One&Solely ranks amongst my favourite lodge manufacturers on this planet. One&Solely was created in 2002 solely for the luxurious resort market by Solomon Kerzner – a South African accountant and enterprise magnate – and now options among the highest-rated resorts in probably the most idyllic spots on this planet, such because the Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Rwanda and Cape City. Every resort within the One&Solely assortment not solely gives a novel design and ambiance which embraces the native environment, but additionally an unparalleled dedication to the best expertise on each potential stage. Luxurious lodging is complemented by impeccable service, unique wellness sanctuaries, vigorous leisure and a number.
However with the group’s stellar status additionally comes a heavy price ticket. Staying at a One&Solely Resort usually requires deep pockets, with entry room charges effectively above $1000 USD per evening at a number of properties. Sadly, One&Solely at present lacks a formalized factors loyalty program – in all probability as a result of their rich company hold returning anyway. One&Solely additionally doesn’t have an invitation-only program, opposite to a few of its rivals (for instance, Belmond Bellini Membership and 4 Seasons Most popular Program). Nevertheless, there are some ideas & methods that may prevent cash when staying at a One&Solely Resort. On this article:
You’ll be able to share your personal methods within the feedback under.
1. BOOK VIA VIRTUOSO
All One&Solely Resorts are members of Virtuoso. Virtuoso just isn’t your traditional lodge reserving engine web site. It’s the trade’s main, invitation-only community of the world’s finest luxurious journey advisors, spanning over 26 nations and 9,000 journey advisors. So once you ebook a Belmond lodge by way of Virtuoso, more often than not, you may be in contact with a Virtuoso journey agent who will make the reserving for you. There are some Virtuoso journey businesses although that provide an internet reserving instrument, comparable to Traditional Journey, which has a wonderful web site and is my general most popular Virtuoso journey company for reserving a Belmond (or every other luxurious) lodge.
Reserving a One&Solely Resort by way of Virtuoso as a substitute of by way of the official One&Solely web site has the next advantages:
- The only finest purpose to ebook a One&Solely Resort by a Virtuoso journey agent is that it means worth for cash as you’ll get entry to complimentary VIP perks, comparable to room improve, versatile check-in and check-out occasions, day by day breakfast and a resort, spa, or meals credit score (or one thing else). Whereas the precise perks differ from lodge to lodge, they’ll simply be value just a few hundred {dollars} per evening.
- Normally, the Virtuoso charge is an identical to the Finest Obtainable Fee (BAR) discovered on the official One&Solely web site, which is a versatile charge that may be cancelled with out penalty. For that purpose, you’re leaving cash on the desk if you happen to ebook a paid keep at one of the best obtainable charge (BAR) by way of the One&Solely web site and never by way of Virtuoso.
It’s essential to emphasise that early reserving low cost charges, particular promotional packages, company charges, group charges, and different discounted charges don’t qualify for Virtuoso advantages. Subsequently, I all the time suggest to test the bottom charge on the One&Solely web site, after which weigh the professionals and cons earlier than deciding whether or not to ebook by way of Virtuoso (finest obtainable charge with free advantages) or not.
2. BOOK VIA YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY
Whenever you personal an American Categorical bank card, you possibly can ebook virtually any One&Solely Resort by way of Amex Positive Lodges & Resorts. This may give you comparable advantages as these provided by way of a Virtuoso journey agent:
- Room improve upon arrival when obtainable
- Each day (continental) breakfast for 2 individuals
- Assured late 4pm check-out time
- Midday check-in when obtainable
- A spa, meals, and/or beverage credit score (valued at a minimal of US$ 100 USD)
Holders of a Visa Signature bank card can even profit from Virtuoso-like additional perks at One&Solely Resorts once they make the reserving by way of their bank card journey workplace and/or pay with their bank card. Contact your native VISA bank card firm to search out out whether or not they supply this journey service.
Whenever you personal a Citi Status Card (USA residents solely) you can also make use of the fourth evening free profit: once you ebook a 4 evening keep at a Belmond property, you get reimbursed the price of the fourth evening, minus any taxes and repair charges. The fourth evening profit is calculated primarily based on the typical nightly charge of your full keep. Reservations have to be made by Thankyou.com or the Citi Status Concierge and you will need to pay to your keep together with your Citi Status Card, ThankYou factors, or a mix of the 2.
3. BOOK VIA HOTELS.COM
Lodges.com – a part of Expedia – is one in all my favourite lodge reserving web sites, primarily for 3 causes:
- You accumulate credit in the direction of free lodge nights by way of Lodges.com’s Rewards program. Whenever you ebook and keep 10 nights at eligible resorts, you’ll get 1 evening free to redeem at one other. Lodges.com works out the typical worth of all the ten nights you’ve collected and provides it again to you as a free evening. All you have to do is make a free Rewards account and login into your account earlier than making any bookings.
- You’ll be able to usually apply 10% low cost coupons. Sadly, virtually the entire world’s main lodge chains are excluded from the checklist of resorts for which you need to use a reduction coupon (though I’ve been in a position to make use of low cost coupons for reserving Belmond properties prior to now)
- Lodges.com additionally has a wonderful Finest Fee Assure (BRG) program: if you happen to discover a cheaper value, Lodges.com will match that charge (and refund you the distinction) after you submit an on-line BRG declare. The Lodges.com BRG is accessible just for actual itinerary matches, together with property, room sort, and dates of journey (as is the case with all different BRG applications). The BRG additionally contains an an identical cancellation coverage (which may make it more durable to your BRG declare to be authorised).
These three benefits work very effectively when reserving a keep at a One&Solely Resort. As talked about above, One&Solely doesn’t have a loyalty program, so chances are you’ll as effectively ebook the room by way of Lodges.com as a substitute of the official Belmond web site in order that you’re going to get a few of your a reimbursement ultimately (by investing it in the direction of free lodge nights).
It’s essential to note that Expedia is at present rolling out a brand new loyalty program – referred to as One Key – which can exchange the Lodges.com Rewards program. One Key launched in July 2023 in the US, with different nations to comply with later in 2024.
4. BOOK VIA THE ONE&ONLY WEBSITE
Apart from the Finest Obtainable Charges (BAR) – that are all the time finest booked by way of a Virtuoso journey agent – it is smart to test the One&Solely web site for the presence of any gives, packages or particular offers. You’ll be able to test these offers by clicking on the “supply” tab on the highest of the house web page of every One&Solely Resort. A number of kinds of offers are provided:
- Single lodge package deal offers require a multi-day keep at one property and often embrace a reduction on the room charge and some advantages comparable to airport transfers and complimentary wellness remedies.
- Multi-hotel package deal offers are provided in locations the place One&Solely manages a number of properties in shut proximity to at least one one other (e.g. ). The package deal offers often supply a reduced keep once you go to a number of resorts throughout one itinerary along with complimentary transfers between the resorts and few different advantages (e.g. spa remedies).
That mentioned, reserving straight by way of the One&Solely web site is my least most popular technique of reserving, and right here’s why:
- One&Solely doesn’t have a income primarily based loyalty program, so you can’t earn credit with the corporate in the direction of free lodge nights. The one method to make your stays at One&Solely depend for some sort of loyalty scheme is by making the bookings by way of Lodges.com, the place you possibly can make investments right into a free lodge evening for each ten nights booked (which could be spent at different Belmond resorts).
- Most lodge manufacturers supply a finest charge assure: if you happen to discover a decrease qualifying charge on the web, the lodge will match the decrease charge, and infrequently throw in a further low cost. Sadly, One&Solely doesn’t supply a finest charge assure.
- By no means ebook a versatile ‘finest obtainable charge’ on the One&Solely web site. As soon as once more, as defined above, you’re leaving cash on the desk if you happen to ebook a paid keep at a One&Solely Resort by way of the lodge web site and never by way of Virtuoso, as a result of you possibly can’t obtain Virtuoso advantages (comparable to breakfast, free improve, and a resort credit score) by reserving straight with the lodge.
IMHO, it’s totally bizarre that One&Solely isn’t rewarding loyal customers who ebook straight by way of the corporate’s official web site, however which you could rating free stays at One&Solely Resorts by reserving by way of Lodges.com or get very good advantages at One&Solely Resorts (as if you happen to would have elite standing) by reserving by Virtuoso or your bank card firm.
5. MY REVIEWS & YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF ONE&ONLY RESORTS
*** Observe me on Instagram, Youtube, X (Twitter) or Fb for a day by day second of journey inspiration ***