I have been my own travel planner for the vast majority of our worldwide travels. I am curious about what this community of luxury travelers believe are appropriate expectations about the services of travel agents who serve the luxury market.

A bit about my travels:

Air: When it comes to booking air, no one can really know my algorithm to select amongst various flight options, as there are way too many variables, so I do it myself.

Sea: A few years ago, based upon a FTer recommendation, I started to use a specific agent to to book high-end cruises. We usually get about 9% off the price of these cruises. I am appreciative about the service received and have no desire to change agencies.

Hotels: I've mostly used FHR, and primarily for the 4 PM checkout, which is important because it seems like many of the flights I take tend to be nighttime flights. I find FHR easy to understand and work with. I immediately get a confirmation, and can put that part of my trip in my calendar and go about my business. Additionally, using American Express avoids any DCC problems, which I have had at a high-end hotel after checkout when using a Chase card.

The alternative is to use a high-end agent who professes access to unique services and experiences, some of which may be of interest. I'm wondering whether this community is filled with people like myself, who do their own bookings, or do you employ the services of specialty agents? If you do, what are your expectations of an agent: Should they email or call you back within a particular time frame? How long should it take to get a confirmation of a booking? Should there be a backup agent to contact in case of an emergency? Do you want to go with a large firm or small firm? What services should they perform?

In sum, I am looking for considerations that are important to this community in choosing an agent and ultimately being satisfied with the services received. Succinctly, what are your expectations?

Many thanks!

I book the vast majority of my own hotels as well as everything else. For me, planning a trip is half the fun, so attempting to find someone else to do it for me makes no sense. I do use some of the major "luxury" sites when they offer me more value than booking directly, but I almost always use an online booking function for this. I like to have direct and immediate control over my bookings. FWIW I almost never use sites like Expedia or booking.com.

FHR is a strong program and works well if you are comfortable booking your own stays. It covers roughly 3,000 properties, while many advisors have access to 6,000 plus hotels through various preferred partner programs.

Where I see the difference is less about the published perks and more about advocacy and positioning. Take FSPP as an example. Those bookings are prioritized internally. On paper the amenities may look similar, but how a reservation is flagged behind the scenes can matter, especially during peak periods. FSPP guests can also have breakfast via in room dining, which some travelers appreciate.

Beyond perks, a great advisor knows a destination almost instinctively. They can plan multi-city trips so everything flows, pick the right neighbourhoods, time visits to attractions perfectly, and spot hidden gems worth doing. They handle logistics like transfers, connections, and local quirks, drawing on experience, client feedback, and relationships, not just a website.

Some advisors charge significant planning fees, sometimes US$1,000 or more for a weeklong trip if it is complex. Others focus mainly on hotel bookings and partner benefits without charging planning fees at all. It really depends on how involved you want someone to be.

I usually book hotels with a Virtuoso, etc. TA who has online booking. That way we get the usual perks - free breakfast, $100 or so credit, upgrade subject to availability, etc. If there's a problem, the TA can usually help. My sense is we have better luck with early check-in and upgrades than if we booked direct or through FHR, but it's hard to know for sure. My sense is also that the hotel specific programs, such as FSPP or Hyatt Prive, gets you a higher priority than alternatives (as would a TA who does a lot of business with the hotel), but it's unlikely much will help with a subject to availability benefit if the hotel is full.

If 4pm check-out is essential, FHR may be the best course, although a TA may be able to get you this benefit. We usually leave by normal check-out time or leave luggage with the hotel (typically we take mid-day flights Europe to US), so guaranteed late check-out isn't an issue for us.

For me, the *guaranteed* 4 pm checkout is a big deal, so I tend to use FHR for independent hotels and book even luxury Marriott/Hyatt family properties directly.

I've been approached by travel agents after posting about my travels on various sites (mainly by agents booking with Virtuoso). We'd be open to using a travel agent if the price and other benefits made sense. Unfortunately, in the case of Virtuoso as an example, the offerings in our primarily international travel destination (Taipei) are less numerous than FHR, and doesn't include one of the properties we split time between (when I last checked last year, Virtuoso also had only two properties in Taipei, though now there are 4). And then Virtuoso doesn't guarantee 4PM late checkout as a right, though to be fair apparently some properties will provide Virtuoso bookings with a guarantee of 4PM checkout at the time of booking (I've heard of mixed results on this), which is a pretty big downside for our travels. And this is before getting into the travel credit with the Amex Platinum Card.

Our secondary travel destination is Japan. But we have other credit cards that make booking via benefits associated with those cards more of a no brainer than booking with Virtuoso. Specifically, we have numerous Hilton Aspire Cards. We plan to stay two nights at the Conrad Osaka. Total per night (after taxes and fees) on Virtuoso for the nights we're looking is $978. With the FNC, the comparison is paying $550 for the card annual fee (which can effectively be significantly less if you got a bonus and/or are able to make use of the card's credits), which is a big discount.

Still, for those who services like Virtuoso work for, I say great. Competition in this regard is a good thing.

What "luxury sites" are using?

I see you are a TA, and I'd like to ask you a question for public consumption. I know you don't want to be perceived as soliciting business here, so I assume that if you choose to answer the question, you are not doing so to toot your own horn. Here goes: What should a client expect of a high-end travel advisor? What should they not expect?

Many thanks.

If that�s ok, I�ll give it a go. And if this is unintentionally comes across as inappropriate for this forum, please let me know.

I�ll answer this in good faith and not as any kind of pitch.

For me, working with a high-end travel advisor should feel like having a smart, experienced thinking partner in your corner. Yes, we can book hotels. That�s the easy bit. The real value is in judgement, curation and accountability.

You�re getting someone who genuinely cares about how the trip turns out, not just whether the booking is made. That shows up in the questions we ask, in the way we challenge or refine an idea, and in the small details that often make a disproportionate difference once you�re on the ground.

You�re also getting industry context. Not just one person�s opinions, but the collective knowledge of a wider advisor community and the relationships that sit behind it.

There�s also the leverage piece. When you book through an advisor who works with preferred partner programmes and established networks, and that belongs to an influential enough agency, you�re not just another anonymous booking in a system. Hotels understand the relationship, and that can influence how requests are handled and how issues are escalated. It�s not magic, but it�s real.

And then there�s the human side. Someone who will speak to the property before you arrive, flag special requests properly, sense-check logistics, and step in if something needs sorting during or after the stay.

For clients who are time-poor or overwhelmed, a good advisor can take on a lot of the heavy lifting and shape a whole trip from scratch. For others who mainly want hotel bookings but value perks, insight and a second brain, that works too. Different clients need different levels of involvement.

Ultimately, I think the best advisors add clarity, save time, and improve the odds that a good trip becomes a great one.

That said, using an advisor is not for everyone.

I started off 10 plus years ago by using a long time agent/poster on FT. That turned out to be a disaster and I believe I'm still banned as a customer.

I then used Whatahotel.com (Lorraine Travel) because I could book online and get immediate results. This agency still exists and I have had the same agent over the years and we have had no issues and I still use this site/agent occasionally.

A few years ago I stated using the Virtuoso site directly for online bookings and use the same agent behind the scene (you must have a agent associated with your booking). I still use this site and agent and have been generally happy, but I lose the ability to make my own changes or to cancel the reservation which I personally find annoying (also true at Whatahotel.com). Last year I was on The Canadian (train) from Toronto to Vancouver and it was so late there was a strong chance I no longer needed my hotel booking on arrival in Vancouver. Being forced to have the reservation cancelled by the agent presented a logistical problem I would not have had if I booked it directly with Rosewood.

Recently I have been using Private Upgrades based in Switzerland. They do allow online cancelations. So far no issues, but only made 2 bookings so far.

Obviously I'm only using luxury travel agents to get a good deal. I enjoy planning a trip as much as taking a trip, so this is all I need. But I have a friend who uses Audley Travel based in the UK and he has them book private transfers, tour guides, etc. They create the entire trip for him. He loves it ... so I understand there is a market for this level of service.

What ae you looking for 747FC?

Companies like Audley Travel are excellent for complex trips to complex countries or multiple complex countries. For instance, if I were touring the Five Stans, taking trains and flights within India or China, touring three countries in South America, or visiting Madagascar and so on I'd get a specialist company to package it all up for me. That also applies I think to multiple safari lodges. And they will have reps/guides/vehicles in all the countries as was the case recently on our trip through Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, a trip incidentally which started on a ship in Lisbon. I think most TAs working in the luxury market have no idea beyond a few countries where luxury hotels exist. And if I wanted to book a Rosewood or a Four Seasons or an Aman in Europe, America or Asia then I'd do it myself because I can't quite see the point of an agent in that context either. Booking, changing and cancelling flights and hotels is so easy these days.

I do the planning myself; hardly anyone else can do it for me. Since my preferences are very individual, it would be doomed to failure. Once, someone tried to put together a trip for me with activities � what a mess. Sure, an art historian could help, but I don't need anything like that.

When it comes to flights, I don't need anyone either, as it's easy to find them yourself. Since I only fly first class on longer routes anyway, the options are usually very limited.

I don't go on sea voyages, so that's out of the question.

When it comes to hotels, Virtuoso is my preference. I expect my agent to book the hotel. It's also nice when the agent can �get something out of� upgrades. Lately, however, I have been booking hotels that are not part of Virtuoso more and more often, or the Virtuoso rates were unattractive compared to other rates. I also like to use Harper, as their auctions are often simply unbeatable in terms of price. It just has to be the right fit.

We've been watching art history videos from https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ and are inspired to visit some places mentioned, e.g., last week we saw two hours on Mantua and now intend to visit. We search for special exhibitions of interest. The recent Fra Angelico exhibition in Florence was great. We're really looking forward to Raphael at the Met starting later this month.

True first class seems increasingly rare these days. What do you do if it's unavailable for somewhere you want to go? Modern business class isn't bad. You might like https://www.reddit.com/r/FATTravel/c...h_allegris_vs/

Better don�t ask So far I always found other destinations. But if things continue as they are I guess I have no other option than flying Business. Nevertheless at the moment I�m not that keen of long haul flights, especially as routes seem to get more and more difficult.

I don’t use agents, occasionally let CENT book something for me for FHR benefits, but even that dwindled down to almost nothing because they’re useless & annoying. I have a handful of hotels I’ve been visiting for decades and I deal with management/reservations directly. I occasionally check out the agents here and elsewhere and it’s always curious to see their IG. If I ever entertained the idea of getting one of those, I’d stay away from the ones doing reviews while holding that hideous tiny mic and doing a review with a background consisting with mostly stolen images from all over social media, and mispronouncing 1/2 of the stuff they’re advertising :-).

Many thanks for your reply.

What am I looking for? The combined wisdom of similarly-situated travelers. Thank you (and others) for the details you have provided---very helpful!