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How to save big on luxury hotels + free membership to Club 1 Hotels private global travel club worth $99

If you read a lot of the miles and points blogs, you may already be aware of Club 1 Hotels as they are well known in frequent flyer circles. Both Paul and I have been a member for some time, so it was about time we talked about how Club 1 Hotels can help you save money on luxury travel. They feature many of my favourite luxury hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental and Langham hotels. In addition, they have many other areas of travel with discounts such as flights and cruises. 

So who are Club 1 Hotels?

Peninsula Hong Kong

Club 1 Hotels is a US-based private global travel club that provides wholesale rates at over 1 million hotels, 14 cruise lines, 12 car rental partners, 200+ airlines, and more. Unlike websites such as Last Minute Secret Hotels that do not disclose the exact hotel until you have already paid for the hotel, Club 1 Hotels Members shop by city, airport, brand and/or hotel name to get exactly what they want.

How do they get such big savings? It’s because of the companies that Club 1 Hotels partner with, they pre-purchase over $1 billion in room nights annually at global hotels and resorts. Even better – many of these rates are refundable and they actually guarantee you will save money! See below for how the guarantee works.

 

How much can I save?

Viceroy Bali

I am heading to Vegas next year so I thought I would have a look at a couple of hotels I am considering for my stay. Club 1 Hotels offer up to 60% off hotels, so let’s see what this means in reality. The first hotel is my perennial favourite, the Four Seasons Las Vegas. 

NOTE: Taxes, charges and resort fees are not included in the initial price on EITHER Club 1 Hotels or the comparison site. This is normal when booking US hotels. If we look at the average price comparison via TripAdvisor:

 

Then if we compare that to the offers on Club 1:

If we take Club 1 Hotels this works out around £219 per night when you convert the price from dollars. If I look at the cheapest company on TripAdvisor, NUSTAY (who I have never heard of),  the cheapest room available is £273 which is a saving of £54 a night. Over my 2 night stay, I would be saving nearly £108 for no effort at all.

If you went with a better know company such as Booking.com that offer refundable rates, then the difference is much bigger at £302 vs £219 per night. 

 

I also looked at the Bellagio. On TripAdvisor the cheapest option again is NUSTAY at £329:

 

 

When we look at Club 1 Hotels there is a substantial saving at £258 per night after converting into pounds. Even if there wasn’t the price guarantee would still mean you would save money. 

 

Obviously, it will depend on the individual hotels and what offers are on, so it is always worth comparing with other sites before you book. With the price guarantee, they will not only match the price but actually beat it by a set amount depending on the class of hotel. For example,  5-star hotel would get you $20  per night off the best price you found. See more details below. 

 

What do I get with my free membership?

Champagne Suite The Lotte New York

We are offering a special free membership for TLFL readers which usually costs $99. Unlike so many of these types of offers, there is no catch. You don’t need a credit card to sign up as there is no annoying auto-renew!

Here is what you get for free:

  • 1-Year Club 1 Hotels Membership with Guaranteed Savings* up to 60% Off at over 1 Million hotels & resorts worldwide including discounts on flights, car rentals, cruise lines, golf tee-times and more.
  • No Blackout Dates
  • Guaranteed  Savingsembers receive Guaranteed Savings on every hotel booking made 5-days prior to arrival. If you find a better rate for the same hotel, room and rate type (refundable or non-refundable), we want to beat that rate by:$10 per night guaranteed savings at 3-star hotels up to $20
    $15 per night guaranteed savings at 4-star hotels up to $45
    $20 per night guaranteed savings at 5-star hotels up to $60 up to $100 on reservations $900 or more
    *No credit card required to join
    *1-year membership does not auto-renew or auto-bill

    *Please note: all hotel rates are shown in USD and charged in USD with taxes and recovery fees added to the hotel rate at checkout

 

 

Marquis Los Cabos

 

There is also a higher level of membership, the ClubONE rewards package which offers: 

  • 1-Year Club 1 Hotels Membership with savings up to 60% Off at over 1 Million hotels & resorts worldwide including discounts on flights, car rentals, cruise lines, golf tee-times and more. Plus, Earn 5% Back in Points towards future bookings.
  • No Blackout Dates
  • Largest selection of room types
  • Personalized concierge services
  • ClubONE Rewards*

Earn 5 points for every $1USD spent on hotel, car rental, cruise, and activity bookings! (That’s 5% back on every reservation). Redeem rewards on future bookings. 1,000 points = $10

*Points do not expire. Points cannot be used with discounted e-gift cards or any other promotions. Cannot be applied or earned retroactively. Cannot be redeemed for cash.

  • 30 Day No-Risk Trial Period. Receive a full refund in 30 days if no bookings are made 

1-year membership does not auto-renew or auto-bill
Please note: all hotel rates are shown in USD and charged in USD with taxes and recovery fees added to the hotel rate at checkout

You can join with a free membership or membership at the special TLFL page here. 

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21 comments

  1. Just taken a look for a New York Hotel at the end of the month that I have pre-booked and is almost £80 per night cheaper! Question – do I still get my hotel loyalty benefits or do I have to trade these off for the saving? Thanks

    1. No sadly this is counted as a third party booking so you can’t get the loyalty benefits.

  2. Disappointed in TLFL promoting this as the taxes and recovery fees are not included in the price until checkout! And these can be substantial and non negotiable!!
    Therefore prices given via Club 1 Hotels website is not the TRUE COST of a stay!
    Please explain these EXTRAS to TLFL readers.

    1. It is the same with every US hotel when you book them on a hotel booking site.

  3. Taxes and fees not included so your comparisons are not like for like. VERY misleading article!!

    1. They are not included in the other sites we compared against either.

  4. To be fair, Duncan and Alex, I thought that too at first – but taxes aren’t included on the TripAdvisor sites either. I went through NuStays (as hadn’t used the site before) and that too is adding £69.60 to the price for two nights in taxes and fees,

    Have a bit more faith in the TLFL team – they have flagged some great deals for me in the past and it doesn’t sound like there is any harm in signing up as the 1 year membership as it does not auto-renew or auto-bill.

    Out of all the UK websites, TLFL has been the most consistent in presenting genuine deals over affiliate promotions – I’m not sure the knee-jerk criticism is warranted.

  5. To be fair, Duncan and Alex, I thought that too at first – but taxes aren’t included on the TripAdvisor sites either. I went through NuStays (as hadn’t used the site before) and that too is adding £69.60 to the price for two nights in taxes and fees,

    Have a bit more faith in the TLFL team – they have flagged some great deals for me in the past and it doesn’t sound like there is any harm in signing up as the 1 year membership as it does not auto-renew or auto-bill.

    Out of all the UK websites, TLFL has been the most consistent in presenting genuine deals over affiliate promotions – I’m not sure the knee-jerk criticism is warranted.

    1. Thanks for the support Tom. I don’t know why people assume that bloggers are just out to scam them for affiliate money! We get nothing from a large percentage of what we talk about! We also have a strict rule we only promote things that we have either used ourselves, been recommended or have done the research that it is OK. We are constantly approached to write about products but turn 99% down.

      1. Was there an earlier version of the article that I didn’t see? You mention the tax issue several times.

        1. Yes. I have added one line but it was clear previously as it says taxes are not included.

  6. Taxes are never included in USA hotels. So not misleading.

    The biggest drawback to these prices and indeed in using any third party is the loss of benefits. Hotels are also less likely to upgrade you as they are paying commision to the third party.

    I would only use on an independant hotel – never a chain.

    1. Yes that’s exactly why I was specifically talking about hotel chains where the loyalty benefits are minimal such as Four Seasons, Peninsula etc. That is what I would use it for.

    2. It is worth it for the more upmarket chains that don’t really do loyalty benefits like Four Seasons too.

    3. That’s not entirely true as sites like hotels.com usually DO include the taxes, although not necessarily the resort ‘tax’. Either way, you need to be sure you are comparing like for like before committing to pay.

  7. Thanks for the article Michele!

    How do the flight discounts work? Are you locked into booking a flight + hotel package or could you book flights separately?

    1. You can book them as flight only. I did not focus on this area much as the flights that I looked at are priced in US$. Obviously with the terrible exchange rate currently it is unlikely to be cheaper except for fares within or from the US.

  8. Sorry, offerings not impressive for Thailand. The first price offered for a resort hotel was the same as Expedia once you deducted the usual 10% cashback that can be achieved on cash back websites, however, Club1Hotels then added on the tax and service, which is included on Expedia, and therefore increased the total price by $120USD. Ultra premium hotels in Bangkok were much the same story for my dates of travel, Club1hotels with todays exchange rate gave a 2 night stay at The Peninsula for £412, while lastminute.com gave £414, however you can usually get cashback on lastminute.com up to 10%. I will check out this website until the free trial expires, but on my first browse it has been not been very successful. Thanks for the opportunity to try it out though

    1. Dont forget the price match guarantee! It will vary according to the destination but joining for free there is nothing to lose. Certainly looking at my US trip it is definitely cheaper on many hotels even taking TCB into account.

  9. Just booked Four Seasons in New York for a really great through Club1. The advice on this site is always spot on.

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