Originally Posted by
Steve M
Maybe that used to be a good option back when PTS was staffed by actual Amex travel agents. These days, I would be hard pressed to call an Expedia call center person with no personal travel experience or specialized knowledge of the industry a "luxury travel advisor."
And there is the ultimate problem. When FHR becomes just an online booking engine and something you use to redeem your $200 yearly credit. This makes one ponder the value of FHR versus using an independent luxury travel advisor. There is very little upside to booking with FHR compared to Luminous, as noted above. Actually, there might be a downside with service and support. There is also a downside if you do not want to use/pay for the spa, then your credit is worthless. I can speak to personal experiences, and not sure what you would do on a Saturday if you had a complaint about your room at Cosmo and tried to call FHR for support. The only reason (to use FHR) and the only feature (different than other consortia) that FHR provides is a contractual 4 pm check-out. Other than that, I can't understand why people bother with FHR.