Thanks all for the advice. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but will report back if I end up in the scenario I described.

The real question (obviously not for the flyertalk audience) is what will the secretaries end up booking me in, since this is one rare trip that I am unable to book directly myself. I can of course give them significant hints on what flights I would like, but in reality all bets are off until the tickets are in hand.