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At the moment: Easy methods to e book & get monetary savings at Belmond Lodges?
Belmond ranks amongst my favourite lodge manufacturers on this planet. The corporate manages an ultraluxe assortment of iconic motels, trains and river cruises in 24 nations, bringing collectively among the world’s most sensational journeys and locations. With Belmond, you may keep in timeless motels in Venice, Rio and St. Petersburg, embrace the spirit of journey at Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat, glide alongside the rails via the Swiss Alps, soar throughout the Andes, or discover the mystifying rivers of Myanmar. The Belmond story started in 1976, when the corporate acquired the keys to the legendary Belmond Lodge Cipriani in Venice. A 12 months later, they started amassing the carriages for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Categorical, which launched in 1982 to whisk intrepid vacationers to La Serenissima in type. Since then, Belmond has grown to a rigorously curated assortment of journey adventures, every with a wealthy story to inform.
However with the group’s stellar repute additionally comes a heavy price ticket. Staying at a Belmond property typically requires deep pockets, with entry room charges properly above $1000 USD per evening at a number of properties. Sadly, Belmond at the moment lacks a formalized factors loyalty program – most likely as a result of their rich friends preserve returning anyway – though they handle an invitation-only program referred to as “Belmond Bellini Membership” which gives unique charges and perks to the shoppers of the world’s prime journey brokers (extra on that under). Nevertheless, there are some ideas & tips that may prevent a couple of dollars on prices when staying at one of many model’s properties. I hereby share one of the best methods for reserving a room (and even suite) at a Belmond Lodge .
On this article:
You possibly can share your individual tips within the feedback under.
1. BOOK VIA BELMOND BELLINI CLUB
Belmond has established an invitation-only program – referred to as Belmond Bellini Membership – for prime producing journey brokers, as a way to foster a relationship with these agent and to extend gross sales. The Bellini Membership is known as after the well-known cocktail from Harry’s Bar at Belmond’s Lodge Cipriani. Belmond Bellini Membership gives shoppers of those journey brokers complimentary facilities and VIP standing at Belmond motels, trains and river cruises worldwide. These advantages are a bit much like the perks provided by Virtuoso, though Belmond Bellini Membership covers extra properties than these provided by Virtuoso, and for some properties, the Belmond Billini Membership perks are extra rewarding than the Virtuoso perks.
Whenever you e book a Belmond lodge via a journey agent that’s member of the unique Belmond Bellini Membership, you’ll get the next advantages:
- Complimentary improve upon arrival at time of check-in, primarily based on availability
- Buffet or full breakfast for two, each day
- Totally versatile lodge or resort credit score as much as $200 USD per keep
- $500 USD reward voucher for future journey when buying an expertise of $5,000 USD
- VIP Recognition by property administration and workers
- Particular in-room welcome amenity
- Prime-of-the-waitlist precedence for top demand properties and experiences
- Complimentary Web
Journey brokers which might be members of Belmond Bellini Membership take pleasure in a degree of contact and repair when working with Belmond that’s not accessible to different companies or via reserving direct. As a Bellini member, these journey brokers work with Belmond’s VIP desk for any particular requests, concierge providers, and waitlist clearance. Moreover, they’ve entry to particular promotions and charges not obtainable to most of the people. My most well-liked Belmond Bellini Membership journey company is Traditional Journey, which additionally permits vacationers to e book the Bellini Membership charges on-line.
2. BOOK VIA VIRTUOSO
A number of Belmond properties 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 nations and 9,000 journey advisors. So while you e book a Belmond lodge through Virtuoso, more often than not, you’ll be in contact with a Virtuoso journey agent who will make the reserving for you. There are some Virtuoso journey companies although that supply a web based reserving instrument, equivalent to Traditional Journey, which has a wonderful web site and is my total most well-liked Virtuoso journey company for reserving a Belmond (or some other luxurious) lodge.
Reserving a Belmond lodge through Virtuoso as an alternative of through the Belmond web site has the next advantages:
- The only finest cause to e book a Belmond lodge via a Virtuoso journey agent is that it means worth for cash as you’ll get entry to complimentary VIP perks, equivalent to room improve, versatile check-in and check-out occasions, each 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 a number of hundred {dollars} per evening.
- Normally, the Virtuoso fee is similar to the Finest Out there Fee (BAR) discovered on the official Belmond web site, which is a versatile fee that may be cancelled with out penalty. For that cause, you’re leaving cash on the desk for those who e book a paid keep at one of the best obtainable fee (BAR) through the Belmond web site and never through Virtuoso.
It’s vital 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. Due to this fact, I at all times advocate to examine the bottom fee on the Belmond web site, after which weigh the professionals and cons earlier than deciding whether or not to e book through Virtuoso (finest obtainable fee with free advantages) or not.
Additionally, though Virtuoso and the Belmond Bellini Membership program appear to be similar (and are sometimes provided by the identical journey brokers), they don’t seem to be:
- Virtuoso charges solely apply to a number of Belmond Lodges, whereas the Belmond Bellini Membership program is relevant in any respect Belmond properties.
- Virtuoso advantages can solely be utilized to Virtuoso charges (which is similar to the Finest Out there Fee, as defined above), whereas the Belmond Bellini Membership program is relevant to all charges discovered on the Belmond web site (together with discounted and/or early chook charges).
- The upgrades for rooms booked via the Belmond Bellini Membership program are prioritized forward of upgrades for lodge stays booked through Virtuoso.
3. BOOK VIA YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY
Whenever you personal an American Categorical bank card, you may e book nearly any Belmond lodge through Amex Fantastic Lodges & Resorts. This can give you comparable advantages as these provided through a Virtuoso journey agent:
- Room improve upon arrival when obtainable
- Day by 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 may profit from Virtuoso-like further perks at most Belmond motels & resorts once they make the reserving through 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 may make use of the fourth evening free profit: while you e book 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 common nightly fee of your full keep. Reservations should be made via Thankyou.com or the Citi Status Concierge and you could pay to your keep together with your Citi Status Card, ThankYou factors, or a mixture of the 2.
4. BOOK VIA HOTELS.COM
Lodges.com – a part of Expedia – is certainly one of my favourite lodge reserving web sites, primarily for 3 causes:
- You acquire credit in the direction of free lodge nights through Lodges.com’s Rewards program. Whenever you e book and keep 10 nights at eligible motels, 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 it’s essential 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, nearly all the world’s main lodge chains are excluded from the record of motels for which you should utilize a reduction coupon (though I’ve been in a position to make use of low cost coupons for reserving Belmond properties up to now)
- Lodges.com additionally has a wonderful Finest Fee Assure (BRG) program: for those who discover a cheaper value, Lodges.com will match that fee (and refund you the distinction) after you submit an on-line BRG declare. The Lodges.com BRG is offered just for precise 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 similar cancellation coverage (which may make it tougher to your BRG declare to be accredited).
These three benefits work very properly when reserving a keep at a Belmond lodge. As talked about above, Belmond doesn’t have a loyalty program, so it’s possible you’ll as properly e book the room through Lodges.com as an alternative of the official Belmond web site in order that you’ll get a few of your a refund ultimately (by investing it in the direction of free lodge nights).
It’s vital to note that Expedia is at the moment rolling out a brand new loyalty program – referred to as One Key – which is able to substitute the Lodges.com Rewards program. One Key launched in July 2023 in the US, with different nations to comply with later in 2024.
5. BOOK VIA THE BELMOND WEBSITE
Aside from the Finest Out there Charges (BAR) – that are at all times finest booked through a Virtuoso journey agent – it is sensible to examine the Belmond web site for the presence of any gives, packages or particular offers. You possibly can examine these offers by clicking on the “supply” tab on the highest of the house web page of every Belmond lodge. 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 fee and some advantages equivalent to airport transfers and complimentary wellness therapies.
- Multi-hotel bundle offers are provided in locations the place Belmond manages a number of properties in shut proximity to 1 one other (e.g. Italy, Peru). The bundle offers normally supply a reduced keep while you go to a number of motels throughout one itinerary along with complimentary transfers between the motels and few different advantages (e.g. spa therapies).
That stated, reserving instantly through the Belmond web site is my least most well-liked technique of reserving, and right here’s why:
- The Belmond Bellini Membership program is relevant to all charges discovered on the Belmond web site (together with single and multi lodge bundle offers).
- Belmond 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 approach to make your stays at Belmond motels depend for some sort of loyalty scheme is by making the bookings through Lodges.com, the place you may make investments right into a free lodge evening for each ten nights booked (which could be spent at different Belmond motels).
- Most lodge manufacturers supply a finest fee assure: for those who discover a decrease qualifying fee on the web, the lodge will match the decrease fee, and sometimes throw in an extra low cost. Sadly, Belmond doesn’t supply a finest fee assure (as they declare that they provide the bottom obtainable charges anyway).
- By no means e book a versatile ‘finest obtainable fee’ on the Belmond web site. As soon as once more, as defined above, you’re leaving cash on the desk for those who e book a paid keep at a Belmond lodge that may be a Virtuoso member through the lodge web site and never through Virtuoso, as a result of you may’t obtain Virtuoso advantages (equivalent to breakfast, free improve, and a resort credit score) by reserving instantly with the lodge.
IMHO, it’s totally bizarre that Belmond isn’t rewarding loyal customers who e book instantly through the corporate’s official web site, however that you may rating free stays at Belmond motels by reserving through Lodges.com or get very good advantages at Belmond properties (as for those who would have elite standing) by reserving via Virtuoso or your bank card firm.
6. MY REVIEWS & YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF BELMOND HOTELS
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