Luxury has been the buzzword for some time now – it seems that every new hotel, resort, even residential development is built for luxury these days. But when it’s used all the time, what does it really mean? Because too many options can create clutter as multiple levels of luxury are introduced to the market, particularly to the vacationing jet set. How can you, as a travel advisor, differentiate between what has become the standard for upscale accommodations and true luxury?
Enter: Luxe by ALG Vacations®, an elite and meticulously curated collection of properties around the world guaranteed to meet the most exacting of global standards for luxury.
With approximately 450 of the world’s best domestic and international hotels and resorts, this intensely curated collection ensures that anything below exemplary has already been filtered out of your selection, saving you precious time. And in its place, Luxe amenities have been added in, making each property even more exclusive and special for the clients you book Luxe with. From room upgrades to resort credits and spa discounts to complimentary bottles of quality wine, the Luxe program isn’t just a way to live the good life – it’s an example of living one’s best life.
Globally Recognized
Five stars isn’t enough to warrant inclusion in the Luxe by ALG Vacations® program. All of the hotels and resorts admitted into Luxe must also boast AAA Five Diamond, Leading Hotels of the World status, and should also be consortia-preferred. This means that an industry-respected third party has already determined and verified that the property meets some of the highest standards in the world.
Decoding AAA Five Diamond
Fewer than half of 1% of applicants receive AAA Five Diamond designation, marking them as crème de la crème lodgings. Moreover, to hold it, this award must be renewed annually.
After they apply, they undergo an in-person inspection by the organization’s evaluators, who arrive unannounced throughout the extensive multi-visit process. These inspectors then request tours of public areas and a cross-section of guestrooms, which will advise their category recommendation, after which a panel of experts will confirm or deny the suggested Diamond rating.
To earn Five Diamond-status, hotels and resorts must be proven to demonstrate “Ultimate luxury, sophistication and comfort with extraordinary physical attributes, meticulous personalized service, extensive amenities, and impeccable standard of excellence,” per the org’s guidelines. This means exhibiting luxurious materials, leading-edge design, grand architectural features, above-par landscaping with multiple integrated upscale accent features, a covered drive with a grand entry, and high-grade flooring with custom inlays or textured enhancements at immediate impression. The latter should also extend up the walls, from design and material to artwork and accent pieces.
Furnishings must also be crafted with upscale materials and have touches of custom workmanship, and outstanding, often custom lighting should be integrated into decorative enhancement. This extends to the rooms, where bedding should be soft and silky, pillows are upgraded, seating is for at least three (including a large desk or work table), and showers have multiple custom water features. A separate WC is also a necessity for Five Diamonds.
As for amenities, there needs to be multiple restaurants, and at least one should be a fine dining venue. A fitness center should also be present, and it should be worthy of any high-end health club with a full array of equipment well spread out and proportionate to room count and dressing area, which might also apply to the pool, where additional poolside features and amenities ought to be available.
Select Four Diamond hotels are considered for inclusion into Luxe if they have two or more other industry luxury designations, such as mention on the Conde Nast Gold List, awarded as Travel & Leisure World’s Best, in Forbes, and the like.
Leading Hotels of the World Criteria
Like AAA, evaluation to make it into the Leading Hotels of the World collection is ongoing. However, unlike AAA, this designation is reserved strictly for independent luxury properties with truly unique features. For instance, former castles, mountain hideaways, private islands, and safari glamps number among their collection. And along those lines, they must provide “uncommon experiences.” Specific criteria is not made public.
But not every property is welcome to apply for consideration. Hotels who want to join this elite group must be referred by a current member hotel and only 5% of those who are permitted to apply to become a Leading Hotel of the World are approved each year. However, all travelers are welcome to join its Leaders Club, membership for which is complimentary.
Non-AAA Criteria
For destinations that do not utilize the AAA rating system, we started with hotels that have achieved a five-star rating with ALGV’s own set of criteria. However, they must be included in two or more of the abovementioned industry-recognized luxury designations in addition, which means they are triple-vetted to meet Luxe standards.
Globally Available
Although ALG Vacations® brands have been leaders in all-inclusive sun-and-sand beach vacations specializing in opportunities in the Caribbean and Mexico, what many advisors may not know is that it’s never been our only offering. Blue Sky Tours, for instance, is dedicated to the South Pacific and Hawaii; Travel Impressions has been selling Europe for the majority of its 50 years in business, and even carried high-end escorted tours to Asia, Africa, and South America.
So don’t think the Luxe by ALG Vacations® program is limited to North and Central America. The collection is comprised of 450+ properties worldwide, and encompasses destinations such as Thailand, Egypt, Croatia, China, and more, and hotel brands that include the Four Season, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Waldorf Astoria, and others of similar caliber.
