You have a premium credit card with travel benefits. American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or another elite card that promises hotel perks, travel credits, and concierge services. So why would you need a travel advisor? Shouldn’t the credit card be enough?
Here’s the truth: while premium credit cards offer valuable benefits, booking through a dedicated travel advisor—especially one affiliated with FORA Travel—delivers exponentially more value, better treatment, and a personalized experience that no call center can match. Let me show you exactly why.
The Perks: Same Benefits, Better Priority
Let’s start with the most common question: “Don’t I get the same hotel perks with my credit card?”
Credit card programs like Amex offer perks such as free breakfast and up to $200 resort credit at participating hotels. However, when you book with FORA, you receive all the same perks—but you’re prioritized for room upgrades above credit card bookings.
Here’s why this matters: Hotels receive bookings from many sources—direct bookings, online travel agencies, credit card programs, and preferred travel advisors. When it comes time to allocate upgrades, hotels prioritize guests based on their booking source and the relationship that source has with the property.
One FORA advisor shared that her clients booked through Amex three times without receiving a single upgrade. Since switching to FORA, those same clients received upgrades on both subsequent stays.
The reason? The travel industry is built on relationships, and FORA has cultivated meaningful partnerships with over 5,500 hotels worldwide through decades of industry connections. When a hotel sees a FORA booking, you’re immediately flagged as a VIP from a valued partner—someone they want to impress and welcome back.
Real Person vs. Call Center Agent
When you use a credit card travel service, you’re calling a call center. Each time you contact them, you’ll likely speak with a different agent who has no relationship with you, your preferences, or your travel history. They’re reading from scripts and working within rigid systems designed for efficiency, not personalization.
With FORA advisors, you work one-on-one with a dedicated person who takes time to understand your travel style, goals, and budget, providing highly personalized recommendations and support throughout your journey—even while you’re traveling.
Your FORA advisor becomes your travel advocate—someone who knows you prefer corner rooms, remembers you’re celebrating an anniversary, understands your dietary restrictions, and recognizes your favorite destinations. This relationship compounds in value with every trip you take together.
Technology That Works for You, Not Against You
Credit card travel services have limited visibility into available options. They work with select partners and often can’t see the full range of rates, promotions, and properties available in the market.
FORA’s technology platform gives advisors instant visibility into every available rate and promotion across 170,000+ hotels and travel partners. This transparency ensures clients receive both expert curation and guaranteed best value.
This means your advisor can:
- Compare rates across all booking channels instantly
- See which properties offer the best value for your specific dates
- Access exclusive promotions not available through credit card programs
- Book boutique properties and independent hotels that aren’t in credit card systems
One FORA advisor recounted planning a bachelor party in Chicago where clients wanted a hotel with a pool, a suite, and a specific neighborhood. After getting nowhere with their credit card’s travel service, the advisor quickly found a property that checked all the boxes.
The Preferred Partner Advantage
FORA is part of every preferred partner program—selective, invitation-only programs developed by hotels to reward agencies that consistently deliver high-quality clientele.
What does this mean for you?
Priority Treatment: From the moment your reservation is made, you’re marked as a VIP in the hotel’s system. This isn’t about loyalty points you’ve accumulated over years—it’s instant recognition from your very first booking.
Enhanced Amenities: Beyond standard perks, preferred partners often receive additional benefits like complimentary room service items, spa discounts, guaranteed late checkout, and special welcome amenities.
Better Communication: Hotels communicate directly with your advisor about your arrival, special requests, and any preferences you’ve noted. This direct line ensures nothing gets lost in translation.
Problem Resolution: If something goes wrong, your advisor has direct relationships with hotel management to resolve issues immediately—not customer service representatives, but the people who can actually fix problems.
Beyond Hotel Partners: FORA Reserve
For smaller, independent hotels that don’t have the budget for brand-level preferred partnerships, FORA created the FORA Reserve program. Properties accepted into FORA Reserve offer exclusive amenities and perks unavailable anywhere else.
This is crucial for travelers who want to stay at boutique properties, independent hotels, and unique accommodations that aren’t part of major chains. Credit card programs rarely have relationships with these properties, but FORA does—giving you VIP treatment at the world’s most distinctive hotels.
Advocacy When Things Go Wrong
Travel disruptions happen. Flights get cancelled. Hotels overbook. Luggage goes missing. Pandemics close borders. When these situations arise, the difference between a credit card concierge and a dedicated travel advisor becomes starkly clear.
FORA advisors have direct relationships and book directly with partner hotels, allowing them to double-check reservations, ensure all requests are handled, and problem-solve if something goes wrong during your trip. Having a FORA advisor is essentially like having a best friend with the hotel’s General Manager on speed dial.
Try getting that level of advocacy from a call center agent who’s never spoken with you before and has no relationship with the property.
The Best Use of Your Credit Card Points
Here’s something credit card companies don’t want you to know: using points for hotel bookings often delivers poor value compared to other redemption options.
FORA’s recommendation? Transfer your credit card points to airline partners and use them for premium cabin flights, while booking your hotels through a FORA advisor to maximize perks and value.
Most credit cards offer better points-to-value ratios when transferring to airline partners or using points for statement credits, retail purchases, or gift cards. Meanwhile, booking hotels through your advisor costs the same (or less) while delivering substantially more benefits.
Personalization at Every Stage
Credit card travel services are transactional. You tell them what you want, they book it, transaction complete.
FORA advisors are master curators who save you time and energy by filtering through generic top-10 lists to curate trips specifically tailored to you. They consider:
- Your travel style and preferences
- Your budget and where to splurge vs. save
- Special occasions and celebrations
- Dietary restrictions and accessibility needs
- Past trips you’ve loved and why
- Your bucket list destinations and dream experiences
This isn’t just about booking a hotel—it’s about crafting journeys that align perfectly with who you are and what brings you joy.
Time: Your Most Valuable Asset
Planning travel is time-consuming. Researching destinations, comparing hotels, reading reviews, checking rates across multiple sites, coordinating logistics—it adds up to hours of work.
Your credit card concierge can book what you tell them to book, but they won’t do the research, planning, and curation that leads to extraordinary trips.
Your FORA advisor handles all of this—saving you dozens of hours while ensuring you don’t miss hidden gems, make rookie mistakes, or overlook better options you didn’t know existed.
Supporting Real Entrepreneurs
When you book with a FORA advisor, you’re directly supporting an entrepreneur who has turned their knowledge and passion for travel into a career.
Unlike call center agents working shifts, your advisor has a genuine stake in your satisfaction and success. Your trips aren’t just bookings—they’re the foundation of their business, their reputation, and often their passion project.
This personal investment translates into better service, more thoughtful recommendations, and genuine care about your experience.
Real Example: The Value Comparison
Let’s look at a real scenario: You’re booking a luxury resort in Mexico for a week.
Booking Through Credit Card Concierge:
- 7 nights at $600/night = $4,200
- Perks: Free breakfast at select properties, $100 hotel credit
- Upgrade: Not prioritized, unlikely to receive
- Points: Earn 5x points on travel (assuming Amex Platinum)
- Support: Call center available during business hours
Booking Through FORA Advisor:
- 7 nights at $600/night = $4,200 (same rate)
- Perks: Daily breakfast for two ($50-70/day value), $100-200 resort credit, early check-in, late checkout
- Upgrade: Prioritized, strong likelihood of receiving
- Points: Can still earn points by paying with your credit card
- Support: Dedicated advisor available before, during, and after trip
- Bonus: Pre-arrival coordination, restaurant reservations, activity recommendations, problem-solving
Added Value from FORA: $500-$1,000+ in perks, plus intangible value of personalized service, advocacy, and peace of mind.
Same price. Dramatically different experience.
The Best of Both Worlds
Here’s the smart strategy: Keep your premium credit card for its valuable benefits—lounge access, travel insurance, rental car coverage, and earning points on everyday spending.
But when it’s time to book travel? Work with your FORA advisor to secure better rates, guaranteed perks, room upgrades, and personalized service that credit card programs simply cannot match.
You can still pay with your credit card and earn points—you just book through someone who has your best interests at heart and the relationships to make magic happen.
Why Work with Chasing Camels Through FORA?
As your dedicated FORA travel advisor, I bring:
- Access to partnerships with more than 8,200 hotels and travel providers worldwide, including Virtuoso, Four Seasons, Rosewood, and Belmond
- Personal relationships with hotel management at properties I recommend
- Years of travel experience and destination knowledge
- Technology that ensures you see all available options and get the best value
- Dedicated support throughout your journey
- No additional cost for most hotel bookings (I earn commission from properties)
- Transparent planning fees for complex itineraries, always disclosed upfront
My goal isn’t just to book your trip—it’s to create travel experiences that exceed your expectations and keep you coming back for more adventures.
Stop Settling for Less
Your credit card is a great tool for earning rewards and accessing benefits. But when it comes to planning and booking meaningful travel experiences, nothing replaces the expertise, relationships, and advocacy of a dedicated travel advisor.
Discover the FORA Difference & Start Planning Your Next Journey →
Experience what it’s like to have someone in your corner who knows you, knows the world, and has the connections to open doors you didn’t even know existed. Your next extraordinary journey begins with a conversation.
Connect with Heidi at Chasing Camels today—where your travel dreams become reality, and every booking comes with VIP treatment, not just points.