Quick summary of this post (aside from fun with alliteration): We couldn’t be more thrilled with our experience with Inspirato Pass thus far. It’s exceeded our expectations in every way (and we had/have high expectations!). It’s been a vacation game changer for our family! We have achieved impressive value! Now, read on for an updated value summary and details about our current reservation …
As you may have read here, we had a most wonderful stay at Pelican Hill Resort a few weeks back.
As the days passed on our seven day stay at Pelican Hill, I was anxiously looking forward to booking our next reservation. It’s a funny thing, but with Inspirato Pass there’s this sense of excitement and anticipation as you explore and consider what the options will be for your next booking as the end of the current trip approaches. I love that sense of wonder and adventure that comes along with Inspirato Pass. There’s just something that tugs at the soul of those of us afflicted with chronic wanderlust as we dream about all of the possible destinations yet to be visited with Pass.
We have known for months that we are going to do a family trip to London during my daughters’ Spring Break. The dates have been fixed for months. Flights were booked back in October. I even had a hotel reservation in place prior to joining Inspirato Pass. This trip was one of the main things that got me over the hump in finally closing the deal with Inspirato Pass. I was able to review London inventory prior to signing up and read a ton of reviews about the Taj 51 property. It sounds spectacular and we’re so excited to spend the majority of our trip at this beautiful property. And in reading through online reviews, it sounds as if the service is absolutely top notch!
It’s been a bit since I’ve done a post focused on the nuts and bolts of Pass and making solid reservation selections. I put a high value on maximizing the value of Inspirato Pass for our family. Being fully aware that Taj 51 is a partner hotel and that our travel dates and destination are fixed, I’ve known that we were not going to get as crazy of a deal as I’ve been accustomed to. But, we’re taking the long view here and looking at overall value of Pass. That being said, I’m still quite happy with how things worked out. Here’s where we ended up with London:
- On February 9th (upon checkout from Pelican) I was able to reserve 5 nights in a Falconer Two Bedroom Suite at Taj 51
- This reservation is taking up 69 days of Pass at $82/day for a total of $5,658. (checked out of Pelican Hill on February 9th and will check out of Taj 51 April 18th)
- If we booked that exact same reservation today on Taj 51’s website, our cost would be $6,077 for a Best Available Rate room.
- This represents a 7% discount. This, in itself, is not a crazy deal, but still a better deal that I can get on my own by over $400. That may well cover a couple of our meals at Quilon, the Michelin Star restaurant at Taj 51!
Would I have signed up for Inspirato Pass based strictly on the deal I got for London? Probably not. But let’s revisit the big picture and where we’ll be at overall after our London trip. I will be approximately $9,000 in on our Pass Membership fees with a cumulative value received of $24,130 ($11,753 Deer Valley, $6,300 Pelican Hill Resort, and $6,077 Taj 51 London). That’s a 2.68x multiple return on our vacation investment, or an overall discount of 62.7%! This is incredible value my friends and why we LOVE Pass so much!
We could not be happier with our experience with Inspirato Pass up to this point. I give it a 10 on overall value received, a 10 for resort/home options available to Passholders, and a 10+ on customer care and service. I’ve said that Inspirato Pass can be a game changer for the travel industry…and I continue to believe that. What I am absolutely certain of is that it has been a game changer and a huge blessing for our family already with just these first few trips. We’re looking forward to many, many more wonderful trips to come in the months and years ahead!
If you’re interest in Inspirato Pass and yet to sign up, I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a try and get your first reservation booked!
Happy Travels!
Hi Brian,
First just want to say I love your blog – it is an opportunity to learn more about a product that doesn’t have a ton of customer reviews out there, so thank you!
I do want to point out my own perspective on some of the numbers you share. First, just taking a cursory look at the room you booked at Taj 51 on hotels.com, its available for the same dates for about $4800, or $800 left than the cost using inspirato pass (not even factoring in the hotels.com loyalty program that would be another 10% credit back).
In addition, while I’m sure that the cost through Inspirato sometimes is the best price, unless you were planning on booking those stays already at the going rate, I’m not sure its fair to say that your return on investment is 2.68x
Hope to keep following along with your blog to continue to see your experiences!
Hi Zach! Thanks for reading! You make some great points. The hotel reservation analysis is a bit tricky as it depends when you book, cancellation fees, etc. I try to use the bookings available on the hotel’s website as comparison as they generally have the best rates. I also use the best refundable rates. I know non-refundable pay in advance rates may be lower, but the more comparable rate is the lowest refundable rate.
You’re correct about loyalty points. Inspirato doesn’t include loyalty points so that will be a consideration for some. However, the value that can be achieved far outweighs not getting loyalty points. It’s of course always important to remember that the greatest value by far with Inspirato and Inspirato Pass is the use of their residences/homes that are not available on any other platform. There is incredible value there with amazing properties!
Thanks again for reading and I appreciate your great feedback!