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In the present day: Methods to guide & get monetary savings at One&Solely Resorts?
One&Solely ranks amongst my favourite lodge manufacturers on the planet. One&Solely was created in 2002 completely 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 the planet, such because the Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Rwanda and Cape City. Every resort within the One&Solely assortment not solely provides a singular design and ambiance which embraces the native environment, but in addition an unparalleled dedication to the best expertise on each doable degree. Luxurious lodging is complemented by impeccable service, unique wellness sanctuaries, full of life leisure and a bunch.
However with the group’s stellar popularity additionally comes a heavy price ticket. Staying at a One&Solely Resort typically requires deep pockets, with entry room charges properly above $1000 USD per evening at a number of properties. Sadly, One&Solely at the moment lacks a formalized factors loyalty program – most likely as a result of their rich friends hold returning anyway. One&Solely additionally doesn’t have an invitation-only program, opposite to a few of its opponents (for instance, Belmond Bellini Membership and 4 Seasons Most popular Program). Nevertheless, there are some suggestions & methods that may prevent cash when staying at a One&Solely Resort. On this article:
You possibly can share your individual methods within the feedback under.
1. BOOK VIA VIRTUOSO
All One&Solely Resorts are members of Virtuoso. Virtuoso shouldn’t be your traditional lodge reserving engine web site. It’s the business’s main, invitation-only community of the world’s finest luxurious journey advisors, spanning over 26 international locations and 9,000 journey advisors. So while you guide 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 supply a web-based reserving software, reminiscent of Traditional Journey, which has a wonderful web site and is my total most popular Virtuoso journey company for reserving a Belmond (or another 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 one finest cause to guide a One&Solely Resort via a Virtuoso journey agent is that it means worth for cash as you’ll get entry to complimentary VIP perks, reminiscent of 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 will simply be price a number of hundred {dollars} per evening.
- Typically, the Virtuoso price is equivalent to the Finest Out there Price (BAR) discovered on the official One&Solely web site, which is a versatile price that may be cancelled with out penalty. For that cause, you’re leaving cash on the desk in case you guide a paid keep at the perfect accessible price (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 advocate to test the bottom price on the One&Solely web site, after which weigh the professionals and cons earlier than deciding whether or not to guide by way of Virtuoso (finest accessible price with free advantages) or not.
2. BOOK VIA YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY
Once you personal an American Specific bank card, you may guide virtually any One&Solely Resort by way of Amex Wonderful Lodges & Resorts. This can give you related advantages as these provided by way of a Virtuoso journey agent:
- Room improve upon arrival when accessible
- Each day (continental) breakfast for 2 folks
- Assured late 4pm check-out time
- Midday check-in when accessible
- A spa, meals, and/or beverage credit score (valued at a minimal of US$ 100 USD)
Holders of a Visa Signature bank card also can profit from Virtuoso-like further 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 seek out out whether or not they supply this journey service.
Once you personal a Citi Status Card (USA residents solely) you can also make use of the fourth evening free profit: while you guide 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 based mostly on the common nightly price of your full keep. Reservations have to be made via Thankyou.com or the Citi Status Concierge and you should pay on your keep along with your Citi Status Card, ThankYou factors, or a mixture 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 direction of free lodge nights by way of Lodges.com’s Rewards program. Once you guide and keep 10 nights at eligible resorts, you’ll get 1 evening free to redeem at one other. Lodges.com works out the common worth of all the ten nights you’ve collected and offers it again to you as a free evening. All you’ll want to do is make a free Rewards account and login into your account earlier than making any bookings.
- You possibly can typically apply 10% low cost coupons. Sadly, virtually the entire world’s main lodge chains are excluded from the record of resorts for which you should utilize a reduction coupon (though I’ve been ready to make use of low cost coupons for reserving Belmond properties up to now)
- Lodges.com additionally has a wonderful Finest Price Assure (BRG) program: in case you discover a cheaper value, Lodges.com will match that price (and refund you the distinction) after you submit an on-line BRG declare. The Lodges.com BRG is obtainable just for precise itinerary matches, together with property, room kind, and dates of journey (as is the case with all different BRG packages). The BRG additionally consists of an equivalent cancellation coverage (which may make it tougher on your BRG declare to be permitted).
These three benefits work very properly when reserving a keep at a One&Solely Resort. As talked about above, One&Solely doesn’t have a loyalty program, so you might as properly guide the room by way of Lodges.com as a substitute of the official Belmond web site in order that you’ll get a few of your a reimbursement ultimately (by investing it in direction of free lodge nights).
It’s essential to note that Expedia is at the moment rolling out a brand new loyalty program – known as One Key – which can change the Lodges.com Rewards program. One Key launched in July 2023 in the USA, with different international locations to comply with later in 2024.
4. BOOK VIA THE ONE&ONLY WEBSITE
Aside from the Finest Out there 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 provides, packages or particular offers. You possibly can 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 bundle offers require a multi-day keep at one property and normally embody a reduction on the room price and some advantages reminiscent of airport transfers and complimentary wellness remedies.
- Multi-hotel bundle offers are provided in locations the place One&Solely manages a number of properties in shut proximity to 1 one other (e.g. ). The bundle offers normally supply a reduced keep while 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 methodology of reserving, and right here’s why:
- One&Solely doesn’t have a income based mostly loyalty program, so you can’t earn credit with the corporate in direction of free lodge nights. The one solution to make your stays at One&Solely depend for some type of loyalty scheme is by making the bookings by way of Lodges.com, the place you may make investments right into a free lodge evening for each ten nights booked (which may be spent at different Belmond resorts).
- Most lodge manufacturers supply a finest price assure: in case you discover a decrease qualifying price on the web, the lodge will match the decrease price, and sometimes throw in an extra low cost. Sadly, One&Solely doesn’t supply a finest price assure.
- By no means guide a versatile ‘finest accessible price’ on the One&Solely web site. As soon as once more, as defined above, you’re leaving cash on the desk in case you guide 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 may’t obtain Virtuoso advantages (reminiscent of breakfast, free improve, and a resort credit score) by reserving straight with the lodge.
IMHO, it’s completely bizarre that One&Solely isn’t rewarding loyal shoppers who guide straight by way of the corporate’s official web site, however which you can rating free stays at One&Solely Resorts by reserving by way of Lodges.com or get very good advantages at One&Solely Resorts (as in case you would have elite standing) by reserving via Virtuoso or your bank card firm.
5. MY REVIEWS & YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF ONE&ONLY RESORTS
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