Tripmasters Luxury Curation Process

Your accommodation may be the single most important factor during your vacation planning process. As mentioned above, everyone has different ideas of luxury, so we have curated a selection of properties in each city that reflects the best of what’s available to suit different tastes and needs. We’ve considered several different metrics to handpick our properties, including: property types (such as traditional hotels and resorts, apartments and other vacation rentals, historic properties, boutique hotels, and more), star ratings, and, perhaps most importantly, our client feedback, to select the best quality available properties in each city we sell.**

If you are familiar with our booking process, you know that during the booking process we will suggest a property that matches your needs in terms of bedding configurations for the number of travelers you have indicated will be included in your plans. That property may not always suit your personal taste, privacy needs, or any other factors you deem important; therefore, we encourage you to browse all available carefully curated properties and choose the one that will work best for your plans. Tripmasters’ expert agents offer the following suggestions to help you streamline the process and have the best experience possible:

Location: Where do you want to be? As simple as it seems, this can make or break a vacation. We typically urge clients to stay in central neighborhoods as they are most commonly closest to popular attractions, restaurants, transit, and shopping. However, we understand some people prefer to be removed from these areas for various reasons as well. When selecting your accommodation, make sure you are happy with the neighborhood!
Amenities: Would you prefer a hotel with a pool, a gym, or a spa? Are you traveling with family and would like an apartment with a kitchen where you can cook together or put your young children to bed early? These are important questions to ask before narrowing your hotel or rental search. Amenities may dictate the type of accommodation that will work best for you, so don’t overlook what’s most important because of other factors such as decor or brand loyalty.
Room Type(s): Even luxury hotel brands have “Standard” rooms, which are still outfitted quite comfortably. Tripmasters understands that some clients prefer Deluxe or Superior room categories, different view options (such as city skyline, water view, etc …), Suites, and other upgraded options. So, when browsing additional available hotels, if these factors are important to you, we urge you to pay attention not only to the hotel’s location and amenities but also to the room type you ultimately choose.
Refundable vs. Non-refundable Room Rates: Hotels often offer non-refundable rates for a lower price, which certainly sounds appealing to many travelers, but the reality is that this can bite you in the end. If you need to cancel or even modify your plans, a non-refundable rate is completely inflexible. That means even if you only need to move your travel dates, you will often forfeit the money already spent on that room. We strongly suggest selecting refundable rates whenever they are offered.

**Please Note: Every effort is made to secure the highest quality accommodations in each city we sell, but due to the nature of some historic, colonial, and rural areas, there are limited options and, in some cases, building restrictions. In these places, we concentrate on client feedback and satisfaction over star ratings or property types.

Transportation can be another sticking point when it comes to defining luxury. While Tripmasters would love nothing more than to put every client in business class on every flight or train or in a privately chauffeured vehicle while traveling from city to city, that is simply not reality. In many cases, short flights and train rides between cities on the same continent only offer one class of service. That does not mean those services are uncomfortable by any means, and we will always make sure your experience is enjoyable. Whenever possible we will always choose the best class of service for you, but if you are dissatisfied with the selection we invite you to browse available options for potential upgrades.

Air: Many short flights between cities within the same country or at least on the same continent only offer one class of service. Sometimes, depending on the airline or the alliance to which they belong, there may be an option to upgrade. If so, we will do our best to secure an upgrade. It is important to note that on intercity flights such as these, airlines treat them as domestic flights which means there is rarely any baggage allowance or seat selection included in the base fare. Tripmasters will work with you and the airlines’ schedules to make those selections at the earliest time to obtain the best selections!
Trains and Ferries: Local short-distance trains (sometimes called intercity or commuter trains) only offer standard class options. These are still pleasant options, as they typically cater to local daily commuters who demand convenience and comfort from their everyday ride! It is usually the case that longer journey trains offer the greatest variance in classes, and on those trains, we will reserve the best class available. Depending on the train company the class of service name changes; you may see the names comfort, premium, business, or first-class used interchangeably. Depending on the train company, different amenities may be available, including snack or meal service, beverage service, porterage, etc … The full details will be available upon confirmation. But, rest assured, Tripmasters’ dedicated agents will make sure you are comfortable! Ferries can be quite a different story. By nature, ferries are meant to be utilitarian. In recent years many companies have made a concerted effort to upgrade their fleets with modern comforts such as new seats, wifi, USB ports, and snack bars, but these amenities are available to all patrons. It is rare to find a ferry with an exclusive premium lounge or business class service. Longer ferry routes may have premium-class cabins available, and, if they do, Tripmasters will make sure we offer you those options.
Rental Cars: Tripmasters partners with different rental car companies, and their availability can be volatile. In many foreign countries, larger cars or SUVs are harder to reserve as the roads are not equipped to handle them, so we will begin by suggesting a comfortable and nicely equipped mid-size sedan for self-drive (road trip) vacations. Upgrades may be available by browsing through all available options, or you may wish to look for something else entirely … Say, something smaller and sportier? We always encourage our clients to view all their options first and make an informed decision! We are always here to help you during the booking process, either by phone or via live chat.
Private Transfers: Tripmasters is proud to offer an ever-expanding network of private door-to-door transfers with local drivers. These transfers are a favorite option among clients because they can save time (there is no need to rush to the airport to clear security and then sit by a gate for hours or even wait at a crowded train station), offer clients pick-up and drop-off directly at their hotels (in most cases, as long as the hotel is not in a pedestrian-only street), and clients can add optional charming stops along the route to enrich the travel experience (or even just to stretch their legs or grab lunch or a coffee)! Ask us for more information if you are interested in a specific route and do not see it available.

Arrival and Departure Transfers: There is no better feeling when you step off your plane than knowing you do not need to fight for a taxi, figure out a bus or train route, or wait around for an Uber to get to your hotel, and when you are ready to head home it is equally reassuring to know your ride to the airport is already taken care of. That’s why Tripmasters offers reliable and excellently-rated private arrival and departure transfers. Our partners in each destination take care of our clients and communicate clearly to ensure your arrivals and departures are seamless and stress-free.

Activities and experiences can enhance any vacation. Whether you are visiting a city for the first time or are returning for a second, third, or even fourth time, visiting the popular attractions, joining in its customs, sampling its cuisine, and learning its history feels fresh and exciting each time. Tripmasters offers an array of activities and experiences in most cities, and we encourage you to add these to your itinerary to enrich your vacation. In some cases, we have included iconic experiences in our packages already, but we always leave you the option to swap these out or add even more! We have thoughtfully curated a broad choice of activities with our partners by selecting those that offer private, small-group, and skip-the-line options so that you get more personalized attention from guides and spend less time waiting in line at museums and attractions. We are happy to help with any recommendations because our expert agents have visited many of these places, and they are always happy to share their experiences abroad!

It should go without saying that we insure everything else in our lives, from our health to our cars to our homes and pets, so why not our vacations? Tripmasters offers high-quality insurance plans through Redpoint Travel with Cancel Anytime protection. We strongly encourage all of our clients to purchase travel insurance, regardless of the cost of their vacation. Insurance adds a mere fraction to the total cost of your vacation, and it can reimburse you up to 100% of your total trip cost should you need to cancel! It’s a no-brainer, at least to us. If you need more information, don’t hesitate to call us or use our chat feature to ask us any applicable questions. We are here to help.