There’s no need to explain why you’re here. We all just wanna live a bit- and luxury hotels are a fun way to do it. Like most of the best things in life, sadly luxury hotels are not free – so we put a few free “membership” booking sites to the test, in search of savings on the good (hotel) life. That’s right, in exchange for an email address, these places can save you hundreds, maybe more…
Tablet may just be the coolest, most “legit” luxury hotel site out there. Every hotel on the site has been anonymously vetted by a team of experts, and any property that gets enough bad ratings is removed from the site. Basic membership is free, and will score insider access to the lowest rates at many of the greatest boutique hotels around the world, while “plus” membership, which goes for $99 a year lands members upgrades, VIP perks, access to traveler, foodie events.
Link: Tablet Hotels
Ooh la la! Voyage Prive is an incredible lifestyle site, generally geared towards the European market. But that doesn’t matter – the hotels and deals are everywhere. They offer up to 70% off flash sales on absolutely stunning properties, not to mention the occasional business class flash sale as well. What’s not to like. And yep, like all the others on here – it’s free.
Link: Voyage Prive
When you build a community of people seeking only the best luxury hotels, you get a little bit of bargaining power. Secret Escapes negotiates preferred rates and benefits at many of the top hotels, exclusively for members of their (free) site. Basically, you’re handing over an email address and getting a great place to check out before buying a room on another site. The site really can represent savings over 25% versus other online travel agencies.
Link: Secret Escapes
One persons pass, another’s VIP pass to heavenly hotels. Luxury Link offers regular paid hotel deals, but perhaps their most interesting quality is the private auctions they run. This is a wonderful opportunity to get a ball park figure in mind (of what booking sites are charging) to see if you can hedge your costs via the auctions. Membership is free, of course.
Link: Luxury Link
We’re not saying everything on here is a steal- but occasionally there are 40% off sales in some ridiculous rooms. Suites can be brilliant for things like club lounge access, and accommodating additional guests- not to mention spicing up a trip. It’s free to join, and definitely worth paying attention to your inbox.
Link: Suiteness.
Thanks for putting this list together. I would like to add Luxury Travel Diary (www.luxurytraveldiary.com). It is a bidding site but it can get you great deals on small luxury hotels. I once scored a deal at a boutique hotel in Tuscany which saved me about 75% of the normal cost.
Cheers and happy travels,
Tina
http://www.todo-lifestyle.de