Marriott STARS, IHG Destined, Hilton for Luxury: what do hotel brand advisor programs add?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Counts drawn live from the Virtuoso-sourced atlas
Hotels with advisor perks, brand by brand: Four Seasons (Preferred Partner), Marriott's Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis (STARS), IHG's InterContinental and Six Senses (Destined), Hilton's Waldorf Astoria and Conrad (Hilton for Luxury), Hyatt (Privé), Rosewood (Elite), Shangri-La (The Luxury Circle), Peninsula (Pen Club), Mandarin Oriental (Fan Club) and Jumeirah (Passport to Luxury). Booked through a member advisor at the hotel's own rate, each typically adds breakfast for two, a $100 credit, an upgrade when available and early or late check-out.
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You'll hear back within 24 hours.Which hotel brands give perks through an advisor? Nearly every luxury group does, each through its own invitation-only program: Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Marriott STARS, IHG Destined, Hilton for Luxury, Hyatt Privé, Rosewood Elite, Shangri-La The Luxury Circle, The Peninsula Pen Club, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club and Jumeirah Passport to Luxury. The list below gives each brand's benefits; independent hotels such as Aman, Belmond and Cheval Blanc give theirs through Virtuoso.
Hotel groups keep a short list of travel advisors whose clients they most want, and give those clients a standard set of benefits. The names differ but the shape is similar: daily breakfast for two, a property credit (commonly $100), an upgrade on arrival when available, early check-in and late check-out when available, and a welcome amenity. The rate is the hotel's own flexible rate, so the benefits cost nothing extra.
These brand programs sit alongside Virtuoso rather than replacing it. At a Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis, Marriott STARS is often the stronger stack; at an InterContinental or Six Senses, IHG Destined. An advisor who holds several can book each hotel through whichever serves you best. In our atlas, 58 properties are filed under Marriott STARS, 66 under IHG Destined, 39 under Hilton for Luxury, 24 under Rosewood Elite and 21 under Shangri-La's Luxury Circle.
Hotel brands with advisor perks, brand by brand
Benefits are as filed for 2026 in the supplier feed behind our atlas, checked 2026-10-01. Hotels vary the details, and each property's own page lists what is on file for it.
- Four Seasons — Preferred Partner: breakfast for two, $100 credit per stay ($200 in suites), upgrade, early and late check-out.
- Marriott (Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, EDITION, The Luxury Collection) — STARS: breakfast for two, $100 credit, upgrade, early and late check-out.
- IHG (InterContinental, Six Senses, Regent, Kimpton) — Destined: breakfast, a property credit and upgrade priority, varying by hotel.
- Hilton (Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR) — Hilton for Luxury: breakfast for two, $100 credit, upgrade, early and late check-out; some resorts add spa access.
- Hyatt (Park Hyatt, Alila, Andaz and others) — Privé: breakfast, a property credit and upgrade priority, varying by hotel.
- Rosewood — Rosewood Elite: breakfast for two, $100 food and beverage credit, upgrade, early and late check-out.
- Shangri-La — The Luxury Circle: breakfast for two and an upgrade; at many hotels an automatic move to Horizon Club access, with a $100 credit in club rooms and suites.
- The Peninsula — Pen Club: full breakfast for two, $100 credit, upgrade, early and late check-out.
- Mandarin Oriental — Fan Club: breakfast for two, $100 credit, upgrade; some suites add airport transfers.
- Jumeirah — Passport to Luxury: breakfast for two, $100 credit, upgrade; suites at some hotels add a massage.
- Independent hotels and smaller brands (Aman, Belmond, Cheval Blanc, Capella, Oetker and most Relais & Châteaux) — usually through Virtuoso, with a similar list.
The programs, and the hotels they cover
| Program | Group | Typical brands | In our atlas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott STARS | Marriott | Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, EDITION, The Luxury Collection | 58 |
| IHG Destined | IHG | InterContinental, Six Senses, Regent, Kimpton | 66 |
| Hilton for Luxury | Hilton | Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR | 39 |
| Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Four Seasons | Four Seasons | 52 |
| Rosewood Elite | Rosewood | Rosewood | 24 |
| Shangri-La The Luxury Circle | Shangri-La | Shangri-La | 21 |
| The Peninsula Pen Club | Peninsula | The Peninsula | 12 |
How they stack with your loyalty status
Brand advisor programs and loyalty status usually work together, not against each other. A booking through a member advisor at a qualifying rate still earns points and elite-night credit, and your status benefits still apply. Where the two overlap, as with breakfast, you get one breakfast, not two, but the property credit and the advisor's relationship with the hotel are added on top.
The part that does not show in any table is who is looking after the reservation. A program booking is flagged to the hotel before you arrive, and the advisor has a named contact to call when something needs fixing. That is worth more on a complicated stay than any single benefit.
The Marriott STARS properties, from the supplier feed
Every property in the atlas filed under Marriott STARS, largest first. Each links to its own page, where the benefits currently on file for it are listed in full.
| Property | Where | Rooms | Benefits listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ritz-Carlton, Naples | Naples, United States | 474 | 4 |
| The Times Square EDITION | New York City, United States | 452 | 4 |
| The Ritz-Carlton Chicago | Chicago, United States | 434 | 4 |
| The St. Regis Macao | Macau, Macau (SAR) | 400 | 4 |
| The St. Regis Singapore | Singapore, Singapore | 299 | 4 |
| The Miami Beach EDITION | Miami Beach, United States | 294 | 4 |
| The New York EDITION | New York City, United States | 271 | 4 |
| The St. Regis San Francisco | San Francisco, United States | 260 | 4 |
| The St. Regis Toronto | Toronto, Canada | 256 | 4 |
| The Reykjavik EDITION | Reykjavík, Iceland | 253 | 5 |
| The St. Regis Aruba Resort | Palm Beach, Aruba | 252 | 4 |
| The St. Regis New York | New York City, United States | 238 | 5 |
| The St. Regis Bangkok | Bangkok, Thailand | 228 | 4 |
| The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort | Bal Harbour, United States | 216 | 4 |
| The Singapore EDITION | Singapore, Singapore | 204 | 4 |
Showing 15 of 58 matching properties in the atlas.
Frequently asked
Can I book these benefits myself?
No. They are only available through an advisor who is a member of the program, and membership is by invitation from the hotel group. The rate is the same one you would see on the hotel's website.
Do they apply to prepaid or discounted rates?
Usually not. The benefits are attached to the flexible rate, and sometimes to published promotions. A deeply discounted prepaid rate may cost less but carries no benefits, and an advisor can price both so you can compare.
Is Virtuoso better than a brand program?
Neither is better in general; it depends on the hotel. At some the brand program offers more, at others Virtuoso does, and a hotel only applies one set per stay. The right choice is whichever gives more at the particular property.