DavidO

The following hotels have either opted-out or dropped from Virtuoso's hotel program for 2017:


Africa and Middle East
Palais Namaskar, Marrakech (engaged in extensive renovation)
Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation, Johannesburg
Zulu Camp/Shambala Private Game Reserve, South Africa

Asia & Pacific
Sukhothai Bangkok
Raffles Beijing

U.S. and Canada
The Benjamin, New York

Europe
Mykonos Blu Greotel
Hotel de Toiras & Villa Clarisse, Ile de Ré, France
Thurhers Alpenhof, Austria

Mexico, Central, and South America
Fairmont Mayakoba
Insolito Boutique Hotel, Brazil
San Cristobal Tower, Santiago

United747

Thanks for the list DavidO! I've only stayed at the Benjamin. It wasn't anything special, but definitely one of the least inexpensive virtuoso hotels in NYC.

paterwdb

I'm sorry to hear about The Benjamin as well. It was a reasonable, affordable option in a great location. And it was a great hotel for when traveling with others and needing several rooms.

Granted, service wasn't top notch, but it was still strong with decent sized rooms.

SocialAdept

I remember The Benjamin mostly for its excellent steakhouse which I put on par with Keen's (no I'm not particularly swayed by the "genuine" service at Luger's).

I see the Sukhothai dropping as well. It has generated little too no buzz here for the last years. Haven't been for 5+ years though myself.

Any early word on new additions for 2017?

offerendum

I can't see any property on the list which is really interesting for me.

pricesquire

Benjamin comes as no surprise. I always felt they didn't really "need" Virtuoso; their reputation as a value-driven hotel (with lots of bang for buck, good for families on multiple budgets, etc) precedes itself.

Ditto Sukhothai. Great value hotel but at those rates, do they really need to be paying Virtuoso to sent them business/handle their marketing? Not really. Another property that - despite not being talked about a lot here - has a reputation that has been quite solid for some time.

PS, here are the non-hotel non renewals:

ON-SITES

Dharma Adventures - Lack of production

Dharma Adventures - Bhutan - Lack of production

ICEHOTEL Travel - Lack of production

La Mattina Travel - Lack of production

Travelwise - Lack of production

United Travel Agency - Jordan - Lack of production

Zahara Tours - Lack of production

Wilderness Safaris Zambia - Lack of production

Wilderness Safaris Zimbabwe - Lack of production

TOUR & SPECIALTY

21 Club - Lack of production

Luggage Forward - Lack of production

PS, there are multiple reasons for non-renewals...it's not such a linear process.

Also worth noting is the REASON these hotels have dropped out, which I find quite interesting:

Africa & Middle East

Palais Namaskar - Elected not to renew due to extensive renovation

Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation - Declined to renew

Zulu Camp at Shambala Private Game Reserve - Declined to renew

Asia & Pacific

The Sukhothai Bangkok - Service & quality issues, market need

Raffles Beijing Hotel - Elected not to renew due to renovation

Canada & United States

The Benjamin - Service & quality issues

Europe

Mykonos Blu Grecotel Exclusive Resort - Service & quality issues, market need

Hotel de Toiras & Villa Clarisse - Declined to renew

Thurners Alpenhof - Declined to renew

Mexico, Central & South America

Fairmont Mayakoba - Service & quality issues

Insolito Boutique Hotel & Spa - Service & quality issues

San Cristobal Tower, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santiago - Declined to renew

LOS SAUCES Casa Patagonica - Management change, hotel closed permanently

CanfordCliffs

- Interesting. Our Travel Concierge offers cashback on non-virtuoso hotels including these ones if there are any takers...

MSPeconomist

Is the property in Santiago going to remain a Starwood LC hotel? Or have they decided to go it alone?

DavidO

I have no information about San Cristobal Tower's intentions, but good point... as a Luxury Collection hotel, Luxury Privileges amenities are still available:

• USD 100 Food & Beverage voucher per room per stay (for use in El Cid or El Bohio Restaurants, excludes alcohol and gratuities)
• Daily Buffet Breakfast for two guests
• Complimentary standard in-room internet access
• Upgrade on arrival, early check-in, and late check-out, which are all subject to availability