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
The big hotel groups each run a program for invited luxury advisors: Marriott STARS, IHG Destined, Hilton for Luxury, Rosewood Elite, Shangri-La's Luxury Circle and others. Booked through a member advisor at the hotel's own rate, they typically add daily breakfast for two, a property credit of about $100, an upgrade when available and early or late check-out, on top of any loyalty status you hold.
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.
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 Doha | Doha, Qatar | 335 | 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 |
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.