MikeFromTokyo

Virtuoso rates also aren't supposed to be published online or publicly available per se (although in fact anyone can book through an agent).

Other TAs would not do that as the commission would not work properly for them.

iflyjetz

Threadstarter here. Yes, I booked through Classic Travel. I will use their website in the future to view virtuoso rates, but won't book with them again.

It was my first time booking Virtuoso and it was fast/easy to compare rates then book with them.

You've used them? Why?

Cheetah_SA

Except that now we know that the problem wasn't Classic. It was a Hyatt system error.

I'm not sure that the scaremongering and attempts at discrediting Classic do your cause or that of any of the Virtuoso agents any good. I guess I'll find out whether I should have listened after my couple of stays booked through them next month.

iflyjetz

Please report back; it will be good to have other datapoints.

747wingwalker

I've booked quite a few Park Hyatts via classic travel in the past, all but one of them posted properly with points and eligible stay credits.

The only one that I've had trouble with before was the Park Hyatt Toronto. I emailed the hotel first, and received a response saying I will be notified after they investigate. Didn't receive a reply within a few days, so I called GP myself. Agent said it looked ineligible from their end. I mentioned my previous Park Hyatt Tokyo, also booked through them showing as eligible. She dug some more and finally told me (literally) that the PH Toronto was eligible, and that the info was just "lost in translation."

Didn't have much trouble like the OP did. But I'm hesitant to say that this is a coding error by classic travel. I just wish it would be easier to have every Hyatt agent recognize virtuoso as an eligible rate, to which they can (rightfully) override the system to show as eligible when something goes wrong.

Cheetah_SA

They are Kempinski stays, not Hyatt - so not really relevant to the central issue of this thread. However, if my Virtuoso benefits fail to materialise I will certainly report back as a further word of caution.

pricesquire

Just to be clear - there is nothing inherently wrong with Classic, other than two issues I've encountered more than once:

1. Bad amenities
2. Bad rates (showed Virtuoso rates but they were actually Advanced Purchase rates - not good for earning points)

My issue with Classic is this:

1. Nobody to negotiate on your behalf
2. Nobody to VIP you
3. They don't know client preferences, likes/dislikes, travel style, travel history, etc

Those issues + errors I've encountered is the reason I say stay away.

My biggest issue though is more...philosophical? If you're going through the motions of getting the amenities and booking under a Virtuoso rate, find yourself an advisor and get to know he/she. Let them get to know you.

That doesn't mean your days of researching rates/trips are over. It means you basically have an assistant, advisor, etc. Virtuoso is about more than the amenities it can provide. It's a collaborate travel planning process: knowledge, clout, relationships, wherewithal, etc.

777-9X

I guess why I prefer Classic Travel is the fact that I've read here on FT some agents charge a $50 flat fee (non refundable, at that) for each reservation. I tend to have a lot of one night stays so that adds quite a bit. I haven't been charged any fee from CT.

MikeFromTokyo

Most of the TAs who post on FlyerTalk do not charge any fees AFAIK.

Provided that the booking is straightforward, i.e. you just tell the agent exactly what you want, many of them are happy to have even small bookings. Especially if you give them repeat business.

Aventine

The agents I've used off here charged nothing for my small bookings. The agent above you doesn't charge either.

MD/DC Flyer

The answer why use online Virtuoso booking instead of an agent is simple - it is far easier and far faster.

Not everyone will be of an interest to a live agent - I know I would not. The volume of booking and the places I go will have no interest for an agent. I don't think they would like to waste their time and energy in "getting to know me" for that; and frankly nor would I.

Most of my stays are transactional - I already know where I want to go and when, already made my decisions and comparison and all I want to do now is book. That is what on-line booking is made for. The ability to check prices constantly to check for price drop is also important (and of course something that the "typical" (what ever that means) Virtuoso client is not really attune to do).

Now if it was the trip of a lifetime with multiple complex booking - that would be a different story. But a trip of a lifetime comes only once in one lifetime (or couple of times if you are really lucky).

Virtuoso might decide they do not want clients like me, and that would be OK. I understand I am not the demographics they are after; but as long there is an option for easy online booking with the benefits, I have no problem using it without feeling the need (or benefit) to contact a live agent.

JIMCHI

I'm just like you. I don't want to chit chat with a TA. I want to be able to complete a transaction in less than a minute, any time of day or night, which is why I like Classic Travel's website. I can see the price and amenities and determine if it's a good deal. I don't know what PriceSquire means by "bad amenities" - the amenities to be provided are listed on the CT website. Or "negotiate on my behalf"- the CT Virtuoso rates are already negotiated rates. Or "VIP me" - I have no idea what that would mean- I have no interest in red carpets or having a hotel manager greet me and engage in idle chat. So far as rates sometimes being "advance purchase rates not eligible for points" that's not true. Hyatt Advance Purchase rates are eligible; in addition they have a no cancel policy so that would have to be shown on the CT website when booking space.

I just completed a stay yesterday at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe using CT Virtuoso and got everything promised and my GP points already posted this morning.

incognitoMD

I agree with this and the previous post. Classic Travel provides a simple interface to click and book. No emails or back and forths needed.

Usually, I (and probably quite a few others as well) book one or two night stays at Virtuoso hotels only because of the virtuoso amenities. For this type of transaction, I am not looking to email someone, or have a bunch of special requests on my behalf. I will always have googled a hotel and have the BAR rate in mind when I am ready to book.

Now once in a while, we may have a couple thousand dollar hotel stay/entire trip during a peak travel period that I would like to work out special details, and this is where an agent may come in handy. These trips are few and far between, and when I don't have a trip like this (which is 90% of the time) I don't feel the need to talk to or communicate with someone, and would much prefer not to.

Onto a side note. I do realize that Virtuoso rates are not supposed to be be accessible online. But clearly, Classic Travel have these published rates online. I read somewhere on FT that they individually negotiate with each property to allow them to publish Virtuoso rates online, so they avoid breaking the official Virtuoso terms and conditions. But then, why aren't we seeing other Virtuoso TAs going this direction? Perhaps a Virtuoso affiliated TA can chime in? I am genuinely interested in this.

777-9X

I stand corrected.^^^

FlyingDoctorwu

There are however some agents, many in fact, that prefer some sort of minimum hotel, especially for initial bookings. They also don't seem to be interested in booking certain locales initially ie Vegas. So for the person who just books 1-2 nights someplace CLassic travel might be the best option.

Fdw