My clients have a private booking portal with around 9,000 hotels in it, and more added all the time. Same rates you would find anywhere else, upgrades and credits on the properties that offer them, and no waiting on me to send you options.
What it actually is
It looks like any hotel search you have used before. You put in a city and your dates, you see real rates and real availability, and you book with your own card.
A city, your dates, and the results underneath. That is the whole interface.
The difference is what is in it. Two groups, roughly. Every hotel my partnerships reach, meaning every property where a stay comes with extras, and then the couple of thousand most booked hotels across the network, which are in there because people keep going back to them.
So not every room in the portal carries perks. But every room that could carry perks is in there, and the ones that do say so on the listing before you book.
What it costs
Nothing, and the rooms are not priced higher than booking the hotel direct. Hotels pay advisors a commission out of their own margin, which is why the extras do not show up on your bill.
There is no minimum, no membership, and no obligation to use it. Book everything through it or never open it and just call me instead. Both are fine.
What comes with a stay
On the properties that carry extras, and you will see which do before you book, the package usually looks something like this.
- A better room than you paid for Upgrades at check in when the hotel has space, which they usually do outside of peak weeks.
- Breakfast for two, daily Not a voucher for a pastry. Full breakfast, every morning of your stay.
- A credit to spend on property Typically a hundred dollars or so, good at the spa, the restaurant, or wherever you would rather put it.
- Early arrival and a slow departure Subject to availability, but flagged in advance rather than asked for at the desk.
- Someone on your side at the hotel The room is wrong, the reservation has gone missing, the rate at the desk is not the rate you booked. You email me and I sort it out with the hotel, whether or not I was the one who clicked book.
Getting in
If we have booked a trip together already, you are in. Go to the portal and sign in with the email address or phone number you use with me. It sends you a code to enter and that is it, no password to set up or remember. Nothing for me to switch on.
If we have not worked together yet, it takes one short step first.
Fill out the intake form
It asks who is traveling, how to reach you, and a little about how you like to travel. Takes about two minutes.
I turn on your access
Usually the same day. I will email you once it is live. You then sign in with the same email or phone number you gave on the form, and the portal sends a code to confirm it is you.
Search and book whenever
Late at night, from the airport, three months before you travel or three days. It does not route through my inbox, so nothing waits on my schedule.
I see the booking and take it from there
Your reservation lands with me, I confirm any perks the property offers are attached to it, and I introduce you to the hotel ahead of arrival. That last part is quietly the most useful thing an advisor does.
When to use it, and when to just text me
- A weekend somewhere you already know
- One hotel, straightforward dates
- A work trip where you just need a decent room
- A last minute yes to something
- Rebooking a place you loved
- Honeymoons and milestone trips
- Anything with more than two stops
- Safari, expedition travel, remote lodges
- Groups, buyouts, and room blocks
- Trips where flights, transfers, and guides all have to line up
- Anywhere you have never been and want it to go right
The portal is very good at booking a hotel. It cannot tell you that the rooms facing the garden are quieter, or that the lodge you are looking at is a rough four hour drive from the airstrip. That part is still me.
Questions People Ask
Is this cheaper than booking myself?
Usually the same, occasionally better. The value is not the rate, it is what comes with the room. A hundred dollar credit and daily breakfast on a three night stay is real money that does not show up in a price comparison.
Can I book flights in here too?
No, hotels only for now. Flights go through me separately, including award bookings if you are sitting on points and want help using them well.
What if I need to change or cancel?
Email me and I will handle it. You do not pay me to make a change, though you are still bound by the hotel's own cancellation terms, which are shown before you book.
Do I have to pay a planning fee to use it?
No. The portal is free to my clients. Planning fees apply to full trip design, meaning the multi component itineraries where I am building the whole thing. Booking a hotel through the portal is not that.
Why is it behind a login at all?
Because the rates and perks in it are not public. It is not a storefront, it is a client benefit, and it stays that way.
Can I share it with a friend?
Send them this page rather than your login. They will land on the same form you would have filled out, and if they travel the way you do, I would like to meet them.
Come Have a Look
Already a client? You can sign in right now. New here? Two minutes and you are in. Questions first? Write to hello@journeyswithjb.com.
Open the Portal