Book Hotels Online with Virtuoso

Becoming a VIP Virtuoso Traveler Just Got Even Easier! 

Psssttt . . . this is for you my dear DIY’ers

Book your own hotel stay through Virtuoso and enjoy all of the same VIP perks as an Amanda Watkins Travel client. Just sign in and identify Amanda Watkins as your advisor. Once you book, we get an automatic alert, and we follow-up with your hotel as part of our usual VIP hotel booking process to make sure your stay is as enjoyable as possible! 

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As my clients know, by simply booking a hotel or resort through Amanda Watkins Travel, you automatically become a VIP guest. In addition, you are also often treated to special perks and amenities such as free breakfast, spa credits and/or complimentary upgrades.

While I love booking hotels for my clients, I know how appealing it is to spend an evening sitting on the sofa, with your computer in your lap, a glass of wine by your side, perusing hotels and resorts (perhaps with This Is Us on in the background).

So listen up all of you travelers who love researching hotels on your own! Through the new Virtuoso online booking tool, you have the ability to research and compare hotels and then, with the click of a few buttons, book your own hotel stay. BUT WAIT FOR IT ... you still get VIP status and all of the fabulous amenities as if I booked the hotel on your behalf. 

Below are a few examples of the amenities you can enjoy by using the Virtuoso hotel booking tool:  

• Daily breakfast for two
• Resort credit
• Complimentary spa service
• Upgrade upon arrival
• Early check in/late check out
• Free Wifi

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How to get started with Virtuoso Online Booking

Step 1: Create an account and sign in

Access your personalized Virtuoso booking site here. In the top right-hand corner, either create an account (quick and easy) or sign in. A pop-up will appear, where you’ll choose me as your advisor.

Step 2: Book online

If you know what hotel you are interested in, click on Hotels at the top of the webpage and enter your dates and preferences. If you’re wanting to explore more options, click on Destinations and select your country of choice.

After you confirm your hotel booking, I’ll be notified (I’ll probably also be sitting on my sofa with a glass of wine perusing hotels). I will follow up with the hotel, per my usual VIP process. And just like that, your hotel experience will be enriched and enhanced by booking your Virtuoso stay through Amanda Watkins Travel.

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Longer Travel Experiences

The self-booking travel system is a handy tool for short hotel stays. For longer trips with multiple destinations, reach out to me directly so that I can help you with all the little details that make a HUGE difference in your travel experience.

I hope you enjoy the new online booking tool and I look forward to seeing your Virtuoso reservation in my inbox. 

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Ready to book your getaway?

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Take 'em to Tahiti

Happy Small Business Saturday!

Today is Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to helping small businesses around the country. Even before starting Amanda Watkins Travel, it has been my preference to shop small businesses whenever possible. You simply cannot match the service provided when you are dealing with a person who is invested in your experience and truly cares about making sure you leave and remain a satisfied customer. Also, running a small business is hard, folks.

In honor of Small Business Day, I want to highlight some of my best “small business moments”. These moments that have been so fulfilling to me and are moments you simply won’t get by pressing click on your computer. So here goes:

I had such fun helping a dear client find the perfect rental homes in Watercolor, Florida . She had been “tasked” with making the travel plans for multiple families. This responsibility was causing her such anxiety and the look on her face was pure emotional relief when she passed along to me the responsibility of planning their trip. By allowing me to to be the point person for all of the families going on this trip, my dear client was able to RELAX and GET EXCITED about her vacation. 

Some of my most satisfying moments have been when I have been able to provide an option that hasn’t been considered or known by my client. One of my favorite clients wanted a tour of Herculaneum and Mount Vesuvius. She was very excited when I offered the option of adding in a three course lunch at a winery at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. 

I had a hard to crack client who just couldn’t believe that there was any benefit to booking with me, as opposed to booking online with the hotel or a travel site. And, sure, the rate I gave her in this instance was the same as she would have received booking online. But after I was able to add free breakfast for their family of four each day ($150 per day value), they received a complimentary room upgrade, and a birthday cake for their daughter was waiting in their hotel room ... I was told I have a client for life. 

The sweetest couple on earth decided that it was the right time in their life to take a cruise. But they were overwhelmed and confused by their options. After spending time talking with them both, I booked them on a cruise perfectly tailored to them. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED getting the giddy email from them telling me what a fabulous time they were having and that they had already booked their next cruise … before they had even disembarked!

Making the impossible happen is the very BEST! A fun and fabulous client is going to have her dream 40th birthday because I was able to pull together 12 tickets to Hamilton on fairly short notice. 

Watercolor Florida

Because I am a small business, I can provide these unique and personal services while greatly reducing the stress upon you – the traveler.  And I love doing it!

Thank you for supporting my small business and all of other amazing small businesses out there. 

Why my Virtuoso affiliation is "kind of a big deal".

Virtuoso, Virtuoso, Virtuoso (best said it in the manner of the Brady Brunch refrain “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha”). If you are not familiar with Virtuoso, you are probably wondering why I keep mentioning it…over and over and over and over. Well, Virtuoso is only an exclusive network of the best travel professionals from around the world. Virtuoso represents the best of the best in travel, with a portfolio of nearly 2,000 preferred partners - top hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and more.  

It is a total humble brag to say that, through my affiliation with Brownell Travel, I am a Virtuoso advisor. “That all sounds lovely, Amanda. But what does it mean for me, the client?” you ask. Great question. By using a Virtuoso advisor, you instantly become a VIP and are treated to a superior travel experience. Let's say you are staying at the Solage Calistoga in Napa Valley - and you totally should. Because of my relationship with Virtuoso, you can receive: a $100 resort credit which you can use at their award winning spa or Michelin-star restaurant; a Mudslide spa treatment; a bottle of house Napa Cabernet wine; and a departure gift. Not too shabby, eh?

Virtuoso advisors are able to provide you with everything from enhanced hotel stays, with valuable added services, access to highly sought after special events, "after hours" viewings at private museums, to a tour tailored to fit your personal desires. This means that YOU can have a personally customized and totally unique travel experience. 

You can find my Virtuoso Profile here. Contact Amanda Watkins Travel to start planning your exclusive “Virtuoso” travel arrangements today.