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You can book luxury resorts like the Como Castello Del Nero in Tuscany through the Capital One Premier Collection.
Como Hotels
The Capital One Premier Collection is a new luxury hotel booking program that offers elite-like perks at upscale hotels.
It’s accessible through Capital One Travel, but only to the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only and Capital One Venture X Business Card – Product Name Only cardholders.
Always compare prices and benefits through the Premier Collection to booking directly with the hotel; in some cases it may not be worth it.
Read Insider’s guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
Some of the best credit cards come with access to luxury hotel booking programs that offer freebies, discounts, and elite-like benefits at thousands of upscale properties worldwide.
With the launch of the premium Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only and now the Capital One Premier Collection hotel booking program, Capital One is entering the luxury travel market with a big splash. The Premier Collection debuted a few months ago and promised to offer extra amenities and rewards at a curated selection of luxury hotels.
The Premier Collection is poised to compete with some of the better-known booking programs including Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, Chase Luxury Hotel & Resorts Collection, and Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. All of these programs provide premium credit card holders with valuable perks at select hotels. The difference is that Capital One’s Premier Collection appears to have a smaller footprint, focused on mostly boutique hotel chains. While you won’t find a Holiday Inn or Hyatt Place on the list, you will enjoy an enhanced stay at some of the world’s best hotels.
But what exactly is the Capital One Premier Collection and are the added perks worth the possible trade-offs? We’ll cover this and everything you need about the Premier Collection.
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
What Is the Capital One Premier Collection?
The Capital One Premier Collection is a curated list of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide that eligible cardholders can access via the Capital One Travel portal. Each property offers special benefits and includes bonus points and money-saving extras, including daily breakfast for two, experience credits, and room upgrades when available.
In addition to earning bonus points, eligible cardholders can also redeem Capital One miles toward their Premier Collection bookings. That’s a huge plus, considering some of the properties in the collection are quite pricey. For example, Montage Hotels often have room rates of $1,000 per night or higher. Being able to redeem miles for these stays is a great way to save on upscale hotel bookings.
Capital One Premier Collection Hotels
Some Premier Collection hotels are operated by major hotel chains, while others are independent. Regardless of the hotel’s affiliation, booking through the Premier Collection can help you secure added benefits typically reserved for elite members or those willing to pay extra for them.
There are currently seven major hotel chains represented in the collection. They include upscale brands like 1 Hotels, Design Hotels, Leading Hotels of the World, Montage, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and Viceroy Hotels.
Some of these names may be more familiar than others. They include high-end hotels like the Montage Laguna Beach, Viceroy Los Cabos, Hotel Cafe Royal London, and the Wittmore in Barcelona.
Who Can Book the Capital One Premier Collection?
The only Capital One credit cards that have access to the Premier Collection are the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only and Capital One Venture X Business Card – Product Name Only. Both of these are premium cards with high annual fees; for example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only costs Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Annual Fee per year but comes with an annual $300 travel credit you can apply toward Premier Collection bookings. In addition to all the hotel-specific benefits, cardholders who book a Premier Collection stay will earn 10 miles per dollar spent — the highest travel booking payout of any transferable points card.
The Capital One Venture X Business card was previously known as the Capital One Spark Travel Elite, and it’s very similar to the Venture X. It has the same Capital One Venture X Business Card – Annual Fee annual fee, up to $300 travel credit, and 10,000 annual bonus miles.
Both cards are great for travel enthusiasts and those looking to earn generous rewards on their daily spending. While the Premier Collection access is not enough reason to get a Venture X card (the list of participating hotels is limited), it is an excellent addition to the various other benefits these cards offer.
Capital One Premier Collection Benefits
Booking through Premier Collection provides travelers with various perks, including special amenities and bonus miles. The following benefits are available at Premier Collection properties worldwide:
10x miles on hotel bookings$100 experience credit per stayDaily breakfast for twoSpace-available room upgradeEarly check-in and late check-outComplimentary Wi-Fi
The experience credit will vary by property, but you’ll need to charge the qualifying expense to your room to receive it. The hotel will then apply the credit to your folio upon checkout.
The daily breakfast can be especially valuable in high-priced destinations like the Maldives, where the remote setting often translates to breakfast charges of $50 or more per person. Having breakfast included in the cost of your stay, along with $100 toward some of the most expensive spa treatments in the world, is an excellent value in exchange for booking a stay through Capital One’s Premier Collection.
How the Capital One Premier Collection Compares to Booking Direct
While added perks and bonus points are great, you don’t want to pay extra for these privileges. Before booking a Premier Collection hotel, you’ll want to compare the rates against those on the hotel website. Sometimes hotels offer package deals that provide extra perks like the $100 experience credit and complimentary breakfast, just like the Premier Collection. When evaluating the rates, factor in things like elite night credits and loyalty points.
While you will earn 10 miles per dollar spent through the Premier Collection, you may be giving up elite night credits and bonus points offered on direct bookings with the hotel loyalty program. If you’re close to achieving your status goals, it might make more sense to get through the threshold with a direct hotel booking. But if you’re not particularly loyal to one brand, the Capital One Premier Collection can provide exceptional value.
To get a general sense of how Premier Collection rates stack up against direct bookings, we’ve conducted a test search for three hotels: The Keemala Phuket, Montage Laguna Beach, and Refinery Hotel New York. Here’s how their rates compared against Capital One for a three-night spring booking on the same dates:
Montage Laguna Beach
The Montage Laguna Beach is one of the premier hotels in Southern California. The resort is located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and offers a picturesque setting and world-class amenities. As you can imagine, that comes with a steep price tag. Searching the Premier Collection for rates on our sample dates, the lowest rate was $3,757.16 for the King Ocean Horizon room (including all taxes and resort fees):
Capital One
The lowest rate on the Montage website was $3,260 for an advanced purchase rate. That’s $497.16 less than the Premier Collection rate but excludes the $100 stay credit, daily breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, and a potential room upgrade.
Montage Laguna Beach
The Montage currently offers a “Montage Twenty” rate that includes a daily $100 experience credit on standard rooms and a space-available room upgrade. That rate comes to $3,798, which is higher than the Premier Collection and doesn’t include daily breakfast for two.
While the Premier Collection offers better rates than the Montage’s Best Available, it’s not competitive against the Montage’s Advanced Purchase rate.
If you were to book directly and pay with your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only, you’d earn just 2 miles per dollar (as opposed to 10x) and would not be able to redeem the card’s $300 annual travel credit. That said, paying $500 more for breakfast over three nights may not be worthwhile, even considering the high cost of breakfast at a resort of this caliber.
Six Senses Yao Noi
The Six Senses Yao Noi is located in Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, offering the perfect island escape in a luxurious setting. The resort has multiple villas, all of them outfitted with private pools. When booked through the Capital One Premier Collection, a three-night stay in an Ocean Pool Villa on our sample dates costs $3,313.13, including taxes and fees. The Ocean Pool Villa offers 1,658 square feet of space, ocean views, indoor and outdoor showers, and a private terrace with sun loungers next to an infinity pool.
Capital One
The Premier Collection rate is significantly higher than the hotel’s Early Booking and Best Flexible rates. These rates are $2,797.37 and $3,108.19, respectively. Both rates include daily breakfast for two, a welcome amenity and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Six Senses
Through the Premier Collection, you would pay $204.94 to $515.76 more for this stay. In exchange, you would receive a $100 resort credit, a possible room upgrade, early check-in, late checkout, and 8 more miles per dollar than if you booked your stay directly with Six Senses and used your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only. But does it make sense to book the Premier Collection rate anyway? Possibly.
Let’s say you booked the $3,313.13 Premier Collection rate. You’d earn 33,131 venture miles, worth (at least) $331. You’d also knock $300 off your booking by redeeming your annual $300 travel credit (assuming you haven’t used it yet). Your total out-of-pocket cost would be $2,982.13. Factor in the $100 resort credit and you’re down to $2,882.13 ($84 away from the Early Booking rate). Using your $300 travel credit and booking through the Premier Collection could make sense.
But what’s the tradeoff? Six Senses is part of the IHG Rewards program. If you were to book the $2,797.37 Early Booking Rate through the hotel, you’d earn just 5,595 miles with your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only. Alternatively, you could use the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card – Product Name Only to earn 10x points, totaling 27,973 points. Insider values IHG points at an average of 0.65 cents each, making these worth about $182. You’d also earn 27,973 points through the IHG program (not factoring elite bonus). Plus, you’d earn elite night credits towards status with IHG.
With the lower rate, elevated IHG earnings, and progress towards elite status, booking directly with the hotel makes more sense than opting for the Premier Collection. But the Premier Collection could offer value if you’re trying to unload the annual Venture X $300 travel credit and don’t care about earning IHG points.
Ned NoMad NYC
The Ned NoMad is a boutique hotel in New York City that’s best known for its members-only club. The hotel offers 167 rooms and an excellent location in the city’s NoMad neighborhood. Using our test dates, we found a Cosy room for $1,898.81, including all taxes and fees.
Capital One
The cheapest rate on the hotel website is the “Stay a Little Longer” rate, which offers 20% off when you book three nights. The total with taxes and fees for a Cosy room is $1,547.73. This rate is lower than the Premier Collection but doesn’t offer complimentary breakfast, the $100 experience credit, or other benefits.
Ned NomAd Hotel
If you want to include some of those perks, you can book a Best Flexible Bed & Breakfast rate for $2,075.61. This rate includes a $70 daily breakfast credit. You would pay $176.80 more than the Premier Collection rate and miss out on the $100 experience credit and 20,756 miles (worth $207.58).
Ned NoMad Hotel
The hotel also offers a “Nedcation rate” that includes daily breakfast for two (up to $70), a $100 hotel credit, two house cocktails at little ned, and a Cowshed amenity gift. This is pretty close to what the Premier Collection offers. However, you’ll be paying a premium of $2,144.43 over three nights.
In the case of boutique properties like The Ned, it makes much more sense to book your stay through the Premier Collection, especially if the rate is lower than what the hotel website is offering. You won’t miss out on any loyalty program rewards, you’ll pay less, get access to valuable extras at no cost, and earn elevated miles through the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only.
Is the Capital Premier Collection Worth It?
Booking hotels through the Capital One Premier Collection can definitely be worth it. However, it would be best if you always compared its rates against the hotel website to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. While the Premier Collection offers valuable perks like free breakfast and a $100 experience credit, you don’t want to pay a higher rate for these extras.
Some of the hotels in the Premier Collection are part of major loyalty programs, which won’t let you earn points, elite night credits, or extend elite benefits on third-party bookings. You’ll want to evaluate whether the perks and miles you gain from Capital One are worth the trade-in. Here’s a list of pros and cons to be aware of if you’re considering booking a hotel stay through the Capital One Premier Collection.
Pros
Receive valuable perks, including complimentary breakfast, $100 experience credit, early check-in/late checkout, room upgrades (based on availability), and complimentary Wi-Fi10 miles per dollar spent on bookingsAbility to redeem the Venture X card’s annual $300 travel credit
Cons
Rates might be higher than the hotel website.Bookings may not earn rewards, elite night credits, or qualify for elite benefits through the hotel’s loyalty programMost properties are high-end, with steep nightly rates that could be booked with points through a hotel loyalty program instead
What to Know About the Capital One Premier Collection
The Capital One Premier Collection can provide excellent value at boutique hotels, where most people don’t have elite status to secure perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades. Moreover, booking through this portal earns you 10x points on your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only, which can add up substantially, and you can redeem your annual $300 travel credit.
However, the Premier Collection doesn’t always offer the best rates. You might find packages on the hotel website that include similar extras at a lower cost. Booking directly through the hotel might also be a better option if the property participates in a major hotel loyalty program. You can use and earn rewards and receive added perks for being an elite member. Bottom line: You can get value from the Capital One Premier Collection, but you need to compare the rates against direct bookings to ensure that’s the case.