Luxury travel club Inspirato has recently introduced a member loyalty program simply called Inspirato Rewards. SherpaReport spoke to David Kallery, Inspirato President, about the new program and other recent changes at the club.
Inspirato Rewards
The new loyalty program offers value-added benefits and additional savings on Club bookings within the managed collection and Inspirato only experiences. The program is open to all members who pay dues or a subscription fee.
Inspirato Rewards features three levels, Prima, Mezza, and Avanti, each with increasingly valuable benefits. A member’s reward level is based on their “Total Eligible Spend” with Inspirato. “This spend includes memberships and trips” said David Kallery, with the initial Prima level available to members who spend $20,000. The calculation of the eligible spend includes the total year-to-date spend, plus a credit each year equal to 5% of your total eligible spend from January 1, 2017 through December 31 of the prior calendar year. So prior year spending adds into the loyalty benefits.
The table below summarizes the rewards levels, the spend levels to qualify, and the benefits:
| Prima $20,000 |
Mezza $35,000 |
Avanti $50,000 |
|
| MANAGED COLLECTION CLUB BOOKING DISCOUNTS | |||
| 7+ night bookings | 10% off | 15% off | 20% off |
| 6 or fewer night bookings | 5% off | 10% off | 15% off |
| "Inspirato Only" experience bookings | 5% off | 10% off | |
| Bonus reward booking days | 1 per year | 2 per year | |
| EARLY ACCESS, SHARING, AND COMPLIMENTARY TRAVEL | |||
| New property release early access | 1 day | 2 day | |
| New "Inspirato Only" experiences early access | 3 days | 8 days | |
| Early access to booking year-end festive dates | X | ||
| Complimentary guest passes | 1 per year | 3 per year | 5 per year |
| Complimentary add-on nights | 1 per trip | 2 per trip | 3 per trip |
Inspirato says they will also be adding VIP partner benefits.
So, a member in the Prima level can take 10% off a 7+ night booking at one of the clubs managed collection of vacation homes. This discount goes up to 20% off for the top Avanti level.
A Prima level member also receives one complimentary guest pass per year, to allow a guest to reserve a club trip without paying a membership fee. It’s a nice way to share a membership with friends, relatives or colleagues. Prima members can also add one complimentary night per trip, if the home is available (ie not reserved by other members). The top-level Avanti members receive 3 guest passes per year and up to 3 (available) complimentary days per trip.
“As soon as members reach the levels of spend, then the benefits apply to them,” said David Kallery, adding “so members don’t have to wait for next year to take advantage.” Members can also fast-track their Rewards level by pre-paying membership dues, booking travel or buying future travel credits..“
"This has been received very positively by members,” noted David Kallery, and continued “the biggest benefit is to get really nice savings on their bookings.”
Inspirato for Business
Employees at Inspirato have a very attractive benefit – they get a free trip every year, and after 5 years of employment they receive an additional trip. David Kallery explained that it’s one of the best benefits for staff, and there are pictures of employee trips around the office, which helps to build the company travel culture.
This ethos of making vacations available to employees and seeing the culture it inspired, led the club to launch “Inspirato for Business”. Under the program, Inspirato offers a way for companies to reward, retain, and thank their employees, clients, or partners with luxury travel.
Companies can offer their employees a choice from thousands of trips to premium luxury vacation properties within the Inspirato portfolio. Each incentive trip includes first-class personalized service from start to finish as Inspirato takes care of all the details. For the company the trips are at a flat rate to make budgeting straightforward.
New CEO
In a recent change at the top, Eric Grosse became CEO of Inspirato just a couple of months ago. He has served on the company’s board of directors for two years, so already has good insights, and he brings more than 20 years of experience as a leader in the online travel industry, including as co-founder and President of Hotwire and President of Expedia Worldwide, a subsidiary of Expedia Group Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).
Co-founder and former CEO, Brent Handler, has stepped down from his operating role, while remaining a member of the Board of Directors.
“Inspirato was founded with the ambitious mission of creating lasting memories for discerning travelers by delivering exceptional value, service and certainty,” said Brent Handler. “I’m incredibly proud of all we’ve accomplished and the meaningful impact we’ve made on the lives of our valued members.”
