A new initiative is underway to elevate the Virtuoso luxury travel experience through the introduction of a dedicated suites program, set to roll out in 2025.
The program is being built on the momentum of the successful villa and suite “Spotlight” campaigns, which have been rotating content to highlight premium accommodations worldwide.
“We’ve been developing new content opportunities through feedback we had from advisors really wanting to focus on top villas and suites,” Virtuoso Senior Vice President Marketing Helen McCabe-Young told LATTE. “We launched a digital experience to really highlight the beautiful villas around the world… and then we did a spotlight for suites because we’re really trying to listen to what people are really wanting to focus on, what their clients are asking for, and then deliver that content to them to use.”
These spotlight features allow for select properties to be showcased prominently for a set period, helping travel advisors easily identify luxury options for their clients.
“We rotate every four months,” Cory Hagopian, newly appointed to the role of Senior Vice President Global Partnerships, explained. “We’ve done two rounds of the villas, one of suites and those will continue.”
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Building on this offering, the upcoming suites program aims to move beyond just “spotlighting” into more structured recognition, by separating high-value suite bookings from standard hotel stays.
“We’re looking at expanding beyond the hotel program to a suites program because of fairness,” Hagopian said. “The average rate of a suite and the investment when booking a suite should have a different value.”
With average suite rates reaching $1,600 to $1,900, the team recognises the premium nature of these bookings which require a different approach. “Our clientele are overall booking higher categories, not entry category,” he noted.
To bring this vision to life, the team is working closely with experienced agencies. “We have some members who have historically had suites programs and we’re working very closely with them helping us build out ours,” he said. “So we’ll spotlight, but then we’ll also have programs that support what we’re spotlighting.”
Looking ahead, the vision expands across all types of travel. “Cruise lines have suites and larger categories… so those types of things will roll into it next as well,” McCabe-Young confirmed.
