10 Ways To Book Four Seasons Hotels On Points
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Can Four Seasons hotels be booked on points? I’m so sorry to share that they can’t. Four Seasons doesn’t reward guests with loyalty points. Four Seasons is not part of its own or any other loyalty program. It’s not part of Marriott Bonvoy rewards, Hyatt, Hilton, Accor, IHG or any other loyalty program.

Four Seasons does, however, have a hotel membership program that you might not know about. There’s an agent membership program that you can take advantage of that offers free benefits that are arguably more valuable than points. Our luxury travel concierge is an official Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel agent. We are part of the official Four Seasons travel agency membership program. Book a Four Seasons with us, and you will receive all our complementary benefits.

To explain why Four Seasons doesn’t offer points, I share 10 reasons why Four Seasons doesn’t reward guests via a loyalty program below, and why it’s worth booking into a Four Seasons hotel via our luxury travel concierge even though you can’t get membership rewards.

1. Four Seasons Already Has An Unmatched Brand

Hotel chains offer loyalty programs to attract regular guests to properties within their portfolio, both to hotels they have already stayed at and to new hotels under the same brand. Four Seasons is a strong brand. So strong, in fact, that it doesn’t need to offer loyalty points to keep guests loyal. Once you have stayed in a Four Seasons hotel, I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean and will, like my family, Four Seasons keep returning. Four Seasons hotels are just too good not to return to. Four Seasons attracts guests, particularly repeat guests, regardless of whether or not they offer loyalty points.

2. Four Seasons Offers Better Service

Why do people keep returning to Four Seasons hotels even though there is no loyalty program? One of the main reasons is their service. The service across Four Seasons hotels is almost faultless. Speaking both as a guest and an agent, we rarely, if ever, get complaints from Four Seasons guests. Any problems are dealt with quickly and efficiently. The staff genuinely cares that you have a good stay. They care so much that they learn your name. And this is one of the many features that keep customers loyal.

3. Four Seasons Are Consistently Excellent

You can rely on the quality of decor, services, amenities, and overall experience at Four Seasons hotels. You do not have to worry whether a property you are destined to visit is tatty or not well maintained. Your room and all the communal areas at any Four Seasons hotel or resort will be consistently immaculate, so you don’t need to think when you chose to stay at a Four Seasons. You know it won’t let you down and will be an excellent choice. Customers remain loyal as they know they will have an excellent stay with no nasty surprises.

4. Four Seasons Beds

Have you ever arrived at a hotel only to find the bed you are sleeping in is not to your liking, too hard, too soft, the pillows may not be the sort you like and are used to, and god forbid, the linens may not be completely fresh? Well, you don’t have this concern across Four Seasons hotels. Once again, Four Seasons wins as their cleaning protocols mean the room you arrive in will be immaculate, and the mattress will be both expensive and superbly comfortable with a thick and luxurious mattress topper that will suck you in. I have never had a bad night’s sleep at a Four Seasons, and that alone is a brilliant reason to be loyal to the Four Seasons brand, even without the incentive of points or rewards.

5. Four Seasons Stops You Making a Mistake

Some online forums attract luxury travelers who like to complain about Four Seasons hotels. They moan that Four Seasons hotels are not quirky enough and don’t always embrace local cultures as much as other brands.

Yes, other hotel options may be more quaint and charismatic, but you risk rooms that may be badly maintained and rooms that don’t match the pictures you’ve found online. You don’t know what you might get. From my experience, non-Four Seasons hotels have thrown me disappointing experiences, including crayon drawings on the walls, cracked bathtubs, dirty sinks, sticky surfaces, and sometimes downright odd breakfasts and room layouts. You can avoid making a mistake by booking into a Four Seasons.

6. Loyalty Programs Can Attract Guests That Don’t Want To Stay

Many loyalty rewards programs like Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt cater to business travelers who stay at mid-range Marriotts on business and then use the points to buy themselves a “free” vacation stay. Equally, canny credit card point collectors can rack up huge volumes of loyalty points by spending on their credit cards. Consequently, they spend these points on stays at hotels, usually for leisure and sometimes for business.

Although this isn’t a bad thing, it does mean that if you aren’t an avid point collector or a heavy business traveler, you will have to spend your dollars on a stay at a Marriott hotel where others are simply burning their loyalty points. Even top-end Marriotts and Ritz-Carlton hotels will let you spend your Marriott Bonvoy points at their hotels. This means that guests may not want to stay at that hotel and choose that hotel because the stay is free.

At Four Seasons, everyone is a paying customer. Everyone wants to stay at that Four Seasons hotel. There is also no one staying there that doesn’t really want to…

7. Loyalty Point Collecting Can Take The Joy Out Of A Stay

Loyalty programs might even take some of the joy out of some guests’ stays. People can get bogged down in collecting and spending points and can end up at hotels that are not their first choice. Then, when they book their stay on points, guests are often charged extra for breakfast, a decent room, an extra bed, etc. The overall experience can be bittersweet. Yes, your night is free, but being nickel and dimed on the extras and being allocated to a base room can be disappointing.

At Four Seasons hotels, people really, truly want to be there. They are there regardless of whether Four Seasons has a loyalty program or not. They don’t need to worry about earning and burning points and maintaining status during their stay. They live in the moment and enjoy their stay for what it is—a brilliant experience. There is something to be said for such simplicity in travel.

8. Four Seasons Partners With Advisors Rather Than Offering Points

There have been rumors wafting for years about launching a loyalty program, but the truth is that Four Seasons doesn’t have one and doesn’t need one. Rather than offering a few cents or pence back on every dollar or pound spent to eventually generate enough loyalty points for a free night, they instead partner with luxury travel advisors who recommend their hotels and offer their client’s free benefits when they book with the advisor.

These travel advisors, like our own luxury travel concierge, are delighted to share privileges and benefits at all Four Seasons hotels and resorts with clients who make bookings with them.

9. The Official Line

The official line on why Four Seasons doesn’t have a loyalty program can be found below, from a Skift article with Four Seasons’ CEO in 2014:

“Our view of our guests and certainly our feedback from our guests is they’re far less concerned about accumulating points to be redeemed for rewards as they are in a position where they’re recognized, and we understand their preferences and can serve them in that highly personalized way they’ve come to expect.”

10. My Thoughts

Four Seasons doesn’t want or need to cheapen or damage its brand by offering loyalty points. There isn’t another more consistent luxury hotel brand with such a large volume of rooms and properties.

There’s no loyalty program for Porsche cars, and they sell well. The same goes for Prada or Gucci. People buy these products because they want them. People stay in Four Seasons hotels because they want to. And if you want benefits on your next Four Seasons stay, you now know who to book with.

Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing but may be amended at discretion of the vendor. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.