Inspirato Pass Program
 

I'm looking for information and reviews for the Inspirato Pass Program. I received an offer for this program and apparently this offer is currently (July 2019) only available to residents of Colorado or northern California.

From my research and looking at their website, the Inspirato Pass Program is quite different than the Inspirato Memberships (Key, Family, Executive). With Pass Program, you pay a monthly fee of $2,500 and all of the properties you book are free (no nightly rate, no taxes, no fees according to their website). The number of nights for a specific vacation home or hotel is fixed, some are 2 nights, some 5, some 7 nights, etc. You get to browse what is available and you can just book it. My first browse through showed some pretty impressive properties, and also some really good hotel suites. But here's the catch... you can only have 1 active reservation at a time. So if you book something 3 months out, you are paying 3 months of dues ($2,500 x 3 = $7,500) during that period where you cannot stay at other Inspirato properties. That may or may not be a good deal depending on the property or the length of time you book ahead. If you wait until the last minute (say you book something every month) then you could really maximize your subscription, but only if there are actual properties available last minute.

So my questions are:
1- is my understanding of this Inspirato Pass program correct?
2- does anyone have experience with it? If so, are the property/hotel options offered good/bad/scarce?
3- if you wait until the last minute (say 3-4 weeks ahead), is there still good availability?
4- is it good value?

Thanks!

Hi there! I've been a member of Inspirato since 2014 (Executive Level), so I'm happy to help answer your questions. Your understanding of the new Pass program is correct. It's very new, so I'm not sure how many people are going to be able to speak to personal experience. I do know that sales of the new Pass program have exceeded Inspirato's expectations within the trial markets. My family frequently books Inspirato trips up to a year out, and we currently have 4 Inspirato trips on the books over the next 12 months. So, for us, this just didn't make sense. We have 4 school-aged kids, and we do a lot of advance planning. And we really like to pick our own specific dates. That said, I could totally see this program working well for people who only tend to book their travel within a few months of the trip...maybe up to 6 months prior. That way you still have plenty of time to book at least 1 or 2 other trips before the 12 month period expires. Availability with Inspirato continues to be very good...more and more properties are being added every month, and we've never had any issues booking a desired location, even close in.

As of today, Inspirato's new Pass program is available nationwide. Look, Book, Stay, Repeat With Inspirato Pass, The World's First Luxury Travel Subscription

It looks as though you've already gotten some great input. Still, I'm going to move this query along to the Luxury Hotel forum where the Inspirato program gets discussed.

Carol/SanDiego1K
Community Director

Some of the experiences are valued well over the annual cost ($2500 * 12mo), and if you try to book them 2-3mo out, this seems well worth it. I'm curious how much the monthly dues will increase annually.

The dues have been increasing by exactly $100 each year. They seem committed to keeping that pace as we move forward.

EDIT: I just realized I'm speaking in terms of the annual dues for members (currently $3,600, expected to be $3,700 next year). Yes, you bring up a good question...I haven't heard what the planned increase for PASS is expected to be.

Inspirato Pass
 

I'm not sure that I would equate TV advertising with lack of exclusivity. Using that analogy, Wheels Up is not exclusive since they advertise like crazy on ESPN during college football season...especially College GameDay. And I'd consider Wheels Up highly exclusive. If Augusta National is the definition of exclusive, then sure, Inspirato isn't exclusive. But Inspirato members typically have a $5M to $10M net worth and the average residence is valued at about $5M. With Pass, we're talking about a minimum of $2,500/month which is more than double the average American's mortgage payment. For members who paid initiation fees and then pay as they go, average nightly rates are in the $1,200 to $1,500 rage with higher numbers during peak travel. And Inspirato's residence portfolio is 100% exclusive; it's only available to members and Passholders. This isn't Airbnb here, but certainly different people can have varied definitions of what they consider exclusive. But I'd consider a club that's targeting the top 2-3% of society pretty exclusive.

Helpful link:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/inspir...-subscription/

And here's a piece from Denver's 5280 Magazine: Denver’s Inspirato Just Launched the ClassPass of Luxury Lodging

I'm the OP. Thanks everyone for the great information.

I'm strongly considering subscribing to the PASS. But one thing that bothers me (regarding hotels, not homes) the most and preventing me from jumping in....

Many of the stays are too short. For example, I'm heading to Vancouver in early Sept, and the only inventory I can see are all 2 nights at the Rosewood Georgia (great hotel), but I plan to stay 4 nights. So naturally, I would want to take advantage of my PASS, but that would mean checking out (or extending or changing rooms) after two days. Even if we extend, it's likely that the suite we'd be in has a rack rate of $1.5k per night for two extra nights, so it kind of defeats the purpose of the PASS to have to pay 2 extra nights, because I could probably book a lesser room for 4 nights for less than the cost of the PASS + 2 extra nights in a suite. And I can't think of anything more annoying in breaking up a getaway weekend than having to checkout. And I imagine this will be the case for almost all getaway weekends. You can only partially take advantage of the PASS, and then still have significant out-of-pocket.

I did a similar search for London UK for November (and again Rosewood London showed up, great hotel, stayed there many times) and again it was for 5 nights, instead of the 7 that I'm looking for. Same scenario as above. I'd have to extend a couple nights at ~$2.5k per night.

So I'm thinking two things:
1- When Inspirato negotiates these room rates, the hotels expect that the client will often extend a night or two at full rack rate. It's probably part of the strategy.
2- Inspirato reduces the number of nights available the closer you are to the arrival date... 5 nights if booking 3 months out, 3-4 nights 2 months out, 2 nights 1 month out. This would make sense since they don't want to lose money, they won't leave a 5 night inventory option with just 1 month left, I seriously doubt it. So that means that all "last minute" getaways will typically be 2 or 3 nights max, with no option but to extend.

So bottom line, the true cost comparison for PASS is that you have to factor extended nights, and compare that to booking a "lesser room" without PASS. Granted you may not get the fancy suite, but you are still staying in the same hotel without any of the planning commitments needed with PASS.

Just my thoughts. I would welcome feedback from people actually using PASS.

As an Inspirato member, I can only see this Pass deal working for someone is if they are empty nesters and semi retired with the ability to just pack up and go at anytime. I would just like it if Inspirato would stop raising their nightly rates on their properties so precipitously. The club's value proposition has been declining for years. Most of the time, I can easily find cheaper rates at the same properties just doing 5 minutes of internet searching. That is not even factoring in the yearly dues. They do put on great trips. That is for sure.

In the case of Rosewood Georgia they are 4th night free over most of September with the various perks ontop..... the math for that stay makes little sense under that program. I'd say same would probably be true for Rosewood London.

but alas, this is just one more tool in the tool-box of global travelers.

I'd recommend reaching out to Inspirato and seeing if they can put you in contact with a Passholder who can speak to personal experiences. As an Executive Member & Ambassador, I've fielded countless calls from prospective members wanting to hear about my family's personal experience as opposed to just chatting with an Inspirato sales rep.

Totally agree with you in terms of use case, Valveking. The only other group I'd add (just based off some people I know who signed up for Pass) would be families with flexible work/school schedules; parents who work from home and/or homeschool the kids. But the key theme you hit on is flexibility...that's who Pass is for. We're just not there in our life right now, which is why we're more than happy with our exec membership.

The rates have gone up for sure, although we continue to see amazing values at resort residences (Fairmont Kea Lani and Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman are two examples where we continue to save well over 1k per night), but for us, the "value" is secondary to the quality and certainty. We had some less-than-stellar vacation rental experiences before Inspirato, and we just love every bit of the Inspirato experience. And knowing how great everything will be makes the decision to try a new destination all the easier. With just under 30 trips under our belts, we haven't had one that has been even just ok...they've all been phenomenal. And even the few times we've had issues (A/C went out just as our private chef arrived to get set up for a multi-generational birthday celebration at a residence associated with the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman), Inspirato's on-site team has had those issues resolved extremely quickly. In that case, an engineer was on site with A/C back up an running within an hour.

We also typically do 1 or 2 Jaunt 52 trips per year, and those continue to offer spectacular values.

Yes, but you cannot make your next reservation until you have checked out of the existing one. And all available reservations are at least 7 days in future. So at best you could perhaps book two 7-day stays per month if everything aligns (availability, your schedule, etc.). Or possibly 3 shorter stays per month, if you have to wait to check out of one before booking the next which will be at least 7 days later. It still can be a good deal if you are flexible and want to travel a lot to high end properties. Even one 7-day stay a month in some of the properties is worth far more than booking the standard nightly rate.

There is even some future availability of 21+ days at some nice properties, but the closer in it gets, the fewer days you can reserve. So, for example, if you want a long stay, you will have to book a couple of months out and essentially use your $2500 fee for a couple of months toward that trip without taking any earlier trips, since you can only hold one reservation at a time at that rate.

But they have some good options to do that. For example, right now you could book 21 days in Lake Tahoe, or Vail, or Florida beginning mid-October, admittedly not high season for any of those locations. And if you grab one of those reservations now, you are giving up anything else in September. So you'll pay Sep-Oct-Nov for one 21-day reservation and then your next availability will be at least 7 days after you check out of your 21-day stay. As you get closer to that date, the available nights will start to drop.

The two Tahoe properties available are 3-bedroom, 1800+ sq. ft. luxury properties with occupancy for 6 or 8, fully-equipped kitchens, fireplace, patio/balcony. The Vail properties are similar at 1700+ sq. ft., 2-bedroom. These examples are privately managed by Inspirato, so not part of a hotel, although they do also offer hotel/suites at traditional properties like the Ritz for shorter durations.

I think the way the pass makes the most (financial) sense is with the Unlimited Sharing add-on. Do I see myself monthly going on several 2-3 night trips booked a week in advance? no. Do I see at least one of my friends/family members per month going away for a trip somewhere who could take advantage of a pass in excess of at 3000? for sure.

Does the sharing add-on still limit to one reservation at a time in total? So you can't actually squeeze more value out of the fee, i.e. a greater number of nights considering the booking restrictions. It only allows you to pace your trips and share them with others, correct?

That's how I'm reading it, yes.

E.g. if I go on a trip and come back, I might not be able to go on another trip 7 days later (work, etc). My family member/friend however might be wanting to go on a trip just then. Much easier to fill trips every 7+ days if you can share since I'm sure SOMEONE you know would always love to go somewhere at any point in time.

I wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone has other experiences that they want to share? Right now they have a promotion where you get one month free when you sign for the six month commitment, but apparently it expires tomorrow. I'm going to Hawaii in about two weeks for a week, but I can't find any rooms that would be available for my entire trip.

I'm an Inspirato member but have not yet joined Pass although I've been monitoring availability closely and can see a pattern.

As you probably already know, the earliest availability will be seven days in the future (no options to book anything within fewer days than that). Also, the closer in, the shorter the stay. So as you have found, if you are traveling in two weeks, the most you will find is a 2-night or 3-night stay during your one-week trip.

If you search by length of stay, the earliest availability for a 7-night stay is a Maui residence checking in on October 26, so if you join at the $2500 level now (one reservation on the books at a time), you would essentially use two months of fees to snag that reservation. OTOH, the value if you joined Inspirato and booked that stay outright is $9,664, so still could be a good value.

For Oahu, the earliest 7-night stay has a check-in date of November 3; Big Island is November 8 for the earliest 7-night stay. Both of those are hotel partners, not residences.

Thanks for your thoughts. I ended up joining because with the promotion, I'm effectively paying $2,143 per month as I get a free month with the 6 month commitment.

Initially I only saw 3 night stays in Oahu, but they ended up adding Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach 10/10-10/14. So I'm going to take an interisland flight to do that. It was $310.25 per night for the same dates + taxes and fees comes out to 1,638.60 for the whole stay if I booked direct. I'm hoping to go beyond breaking even, but I guess we'll have to see what the options are for the next week.

Sounds good - congrats! Please post back here and share your experiences. I would be ready to try Pass, but my husband is not yet convinced we'd get enough value from it. It would be great to hear some real world experience with it.

Same, SusanDK! And then upon further review I think he was right (for us, right now). But looking forward to hearing how others use it!

What about the Silversea & River Cruise benefits? These are "experiences, as well as safaris, they seem like a good deal.

I only find available cruises that are at least one month later and experiences are for Summer 2020. So the entry level pass at $2500 is definitely not a choice if you really want to book experience/cruise, because you will end up making reservations for trips that are going to happen couple months later and at the same time, pay the pass fee for couple months in a roll without any other reservations. In your case, the highest level pass might work.

Anyways, I am still considering to join or not.

There was a promo for one free month...and I think I still may be able to grab it. I am wondering if I pay with Citi prestige card, could it be categorized as travel operator / agency? To the ones who already joined Inspirato and paid monthly with credit card, how is it categorized?

I haven't ever tried a Citi card, but it hasn't coded as travel in the past. They give a 3% discount if you use ACH so I have been doing that lately.

Any new feedback on this program? Would anybody benefit from providing me a referral?

Gooseman13 and other that are interested in the Inspirato Pass Program. I analyzed this travel offering for months before deciding to join and I can certainly give you the Pros & Cons that are tailored to your unique situation (single, married, family, retired, geographic residence, disposable budget, etc). It is a fantastic program, but it will take you 10+ hours to understand all of the nuances if you try and figure it out for yourself. Message me here and I can give you some more details.

The program does have a Referral Program, so if you joined I would be provided with travel credits, but I will provide you with unbiased information nonetheless. I'm interested in just meeting mroe people that are interested in traveling (especially if they join Inspirato) and I am not in this for the referral fee. My link for more information directly from Inspirato is (if Flyertalk allows it to be posted):
http://inspirato.com/invite/etracy

Again, you can always send me a Direct Message through FlyerTalk.
-Eric

I got pass to make a bunch of close in ski trip reservations in and around Vail and I've ended up using a lot of hotel points because my dates were not available. The booking team that I work with is very friendly and proactively checks on me while I'm on my trips. I have seen some outsized value, but not to the level I was hoping. The entire houses in Vail need to be booked several months in advanced effectively making the trips cost thousands of dollars. I also wasn't able to find anything in Miami for Art Basel, but if you're flexible and not looking to go places at a peak time, this could be a good program for you. I'm also happy to provide a referral and or more specific feedback.

I am PASS member
 

I signed up in December after pondering for several months. I can put you in touch with a knowledgeable member of the sales team I trust (she wasn’t the first one I spoke with) and I will get a bonus for the reference. (Yay and thanks!) Contact their main number 888-625-7525 and ask for Alyssa, tell her Lara gave you her name. I’d also be happy to talk to you in detail about my experiences thus far. Here is a short recap...

Benefits for me:
1. a set lodging budget/fee
2. confidence I’ll be in an amazing property (often that I couldn’t justify without PASS
3. usually perks/upgrades when in hotels and I enjoy locations of their residences.

Concerns to ponder:
1. if you aren’t flexible and need to schedule months out you may not see a return on investment
2. the 7 day out booking window combined with only having a specified number of reservations open at a time = being able to travel 10-15 days a month most likely with PASS 1. If you book homes that are 8K a week that’s a steal, but if you book a king room at MGM not so much.
3. Incidentals (parking/meals) at 5 star properties add up, given you’d be paying those if you booked online...but still something to remember.
4. length of trips in single location.
5. availability as there seems to have been a major influx of members in December and inventory is not what it was previously.

In my first month, I estimate I enjoyed lodging over triple my pass cost based on rates online. My ROI is huge and I’ve stayed at places beyond my normal travel budget. I have concerns going forward, but trusting the pros will win out 😊. Again I’m happy to answer any questions!

Any updated reviews or experiences to share from any who joined? I see that the fee increases from $2500 to $2750 per month from March 1st. When I scroll through the availability, it appears as though there are a lot of options which to choose - is this the case in reality? It seems they have added quite a few hotel partners.

Is the "all-in" pricing working out in reality (no hidden fees, taxes, resort fees, etc.)?

What are the cancellation policies? The standard Inspirato cancellation policies are quite strict but I thought that the Pass policy was a bit more flexible.

One question, we often travel with another couple. Do bookings at houses or 2 bedroom places with a occupancy of 4 allow you to have 2 others for free? Or are there supplementary costs? LinLant says " You can invite others to join you besides your significant other at an extra $500 fee per month.", so wondering how having people stay in a house or suite with you and your spouse works.

ETA: Signed up to be able to just see what the deal is, so think I have answered my own questions.