Travel + Leisure launches online booking and subscriptions

From private jet clubs to theme park memberships, membership services are increasingly the way to go when it comes to vacations and other leisure travel.

For example, the websites Tripadvisor and Scott’s Cheap Flights – both free to users in their basic versions – have each rolled out premium membership plans this year that give those willing to pay an annual fee additional perks. and access to special rates.

Today, Travel + Leisure Co., which owns around 20 resort, travel club and lifestyle travel brands, is claiming the space with its new online Travel + Leisure Club, linked to editorial content published in its signature magazine. Travel + Leisure.

While all readers will now be able to book trips to the destinations featured in the publication through the new free Travel + Leisure GO platform, club members will enjoy premium benefits such as exclusive itineraries and preferential rates and benefits, according to Travel + Leisure Group President Noah. Brodsky.

“When we acquired the Travel + Leisure brand in January, one of the things we heard time and time again from publishers, subscribers and advertisers was that with all of this amazing content, it’s crazy how ‘there is no’ book now ‘button – so that’s what we’ did ‘, he said, referring to the former Wyndham Destinations acquisition of the brand. , now Travel + Leisure Co., at Meredith Corp. in a $ 100 million deal.

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“And we’ve launched a subscription travel club, which gives you access to incredible content from Travel + Leisure, exclusive itineraries and publisher-inspired trips, plus great prices and preferential benefits.” , added Brodsky.

Subscription services are trending across industries, thanks to the content and value the model delivers to consumers, he said.

“That’s what we’re betting on here: that Travel + Leisure is a brand that may be the most powerful player in the travel subscription arena,” said Brodsky.

Membership costs $ 9.95 per month at a special introductory rate, after a 30-day free trial period. That fee will eventually hit $ 19.95, but at the time of publication there was no time frame for a price hike, according to a spokesperson.

Subscribers get an average of 25% off retail rates at hotels and resorts, as well as member-only rates on car rentals, activities and more, according to the company. The inventory consists of over 600,000 properties, over 345,000 business options and products and services from all of the major car rental companies and dozens of major airlines.

Members also get a subscription to Travel + Leisure magazine and concierge services to get help with everything from home renovations inspired by the publication’s photo sets to securing show tickets and bookings. restaurants. The catering network includes more than 1,500 restaurants in 30 countries and 120 cities, where members can enjoy perks such as free glasses of wine or extra lessons.

Travel + Leisure GO, meanwhile, is “an open online retail travel site that connects inspirational travel stories, destination guides and curated itineraries with planning and booking tools, be it for daily adventures or a unique getaway, ”according to the company.

In recognition of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2021 World’s Best Awards, club members and visitors to Travel + Leisure GO can book organized itineraries with top destinations, hotels and activities from this year’s winners. Customizable travel experiences start at $ 1,650 for a four-day stay with accommodations, activities and ground transportation for two travelers.

For example, an immersive getaway to Charleston, SC – voted No.1 city in the United States this year – includes accommodations at the Boutique Vendue hotel, harbor navigation, and a tour of the lanes and passageways. hidden from the city. A stay at the Viceroy Chicago, named the best city hotel in the continental United States, comes with an “exclusive VIP” tour of the Art Institute of Chicago and a “private early access experience” at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Further afield, Travel + Leisure also offers itineraries to Mexico’s top resort, the Viceroy Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, and Florence, Italy, ranked among the top 10 cities in the world. As the pandemic subsides, more overseas routes will be added, Brodsky said.

“In the coming months, we will be adding more global destinations, but we have added more in the United States because we know consumers feel more comfortable traveling within the country,” said he declared.

“These new organized itineraries are a tangible way to live the ‘World’s Best’ experience, while connecting with the world and nurturing our fundamental human desire to make authentic and exceptional travel experiences accessible to all,” said Jacqui Gifford, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure, in a statement.

Brodsky agreed.

“One of the things Travel + Leisure has done so well for 50 years is to write such incredibly inspiring content, and even going on a family trip can be inspiring,” he said. “With any type of trip and wherever you’re willing to go, there is something amazing to do, and we’ve listed them all in one place – and club members are going to really benefit from the savings. incredible and additional concierge services. “

For now, the club and GO are available online – at clubtravelandleisure.com and go.travelandleisure.com respectively – but mobile apps are in the works, Brodsky said. Club members can also book their itineraries by phone with the concierge.

A link to Travel + Leisure’s “A-List” travel agent advisory board is also planned, Brodsky said, even as the company moves into the travel planning and booking space itself. (The publication is known for compiling an annual list of travel counselors specializing in various destinations and activities around the world.)

“I think that indicates that people take all kinds of trips,” he said, noting that vacation planning covers the whole gamut from simple web searches to find the best prices all the way to the organization. an expensive trip of a lifetime, “wherever you want, need or can afford spectacular advice from one of the world’s best travel counselors.”

“And that’s where the A-list comes in,” Brodsky added, noting that club concierges will offer referrals to specialist agents. “We absolutely see this as a continuum that the Travel + Leisure brand will support.”

What will not get preferred placement is Travel + Leisure Co.’s own portfolio of Wyndham Destinations vacation properties. “Travel + Leisure Group acts completely independently of these and works with editorial content from Travel + Leisure, ”said Brodsky.

Although his team plans itinerary bookings in accordance with the magazine’s editorial calendar, “we have no influence on the choice of places they write about or any of the hotels, cruises or experiences,” noted Brodsky. “There is no crossing on the site.

“We are already the leading player in the sectors of the leisure travel industry in which we were already,” he added. “It’s really about expanding our mission of putting the world on vacation, with different clients in a different segment of leisure travel.”