How to avoid high-end hotel holiday gouging with fast and easy savings up to 53% off at Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Rosewood and other luxury hotels
Inflation is affecting more than milk and gas. For example, high-end hotel prices have shot up faster than an elevator to the presidential suite. You’ve noticed, I get it. But during the holidays, prices skyrocket even further.
FCF’s High-End Hotel Holiday Hack
Don’t worry, there might be something you can do about it — thanks to a tried-and-true FCF strategy, the American Bar Association (ABA) discount. I think you’re going to be flabbergasted by how much it can save you, particularly during holiday times.
Sometimes, those great deals simply aren’t available. So it’s on a, er, case-by-case basis. But landing just one great deal can cover your ABA membership cost for years. The chart below shows one in particular, a savings at The Ritz Carlton NoMad in New York of over $7,000. Like I said, given holiday price hikes at these high-end hotels, you’ll want to whack yourself with a gavel if you miss out on some of the savings. Also, don’t expect your membership to lower the price at every luxury hotel. We’ve found that this strategy works primarily at higher-end properties.
The chart below shows sample savings for seven-day stays: $3,600 in Los Angeles, $3,700 in Dallas, $5,000 in Boston. If this were on a late-night TV ad, they’d be yelling “crazy prices”!
Sample ABA Holiday Savings: 7 Nights During Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s
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The ABA: The Savvy Way to Legally Save a Stack
You’d expect to find lots of legal types on the ABA membership list. But if you look closely, you’ll see lots of legal types AND canny FCF readers. Because here’s the catch: You don’t have to be a lawyer or judge to join. Just like an open-court hearing, everyone is welcome. Why would you join? Well, lots of great reading about law-related issues for starters, but more presciently, great discounts at good hotels. For just a $150 annual ABA membership fee, you can say “sustained!” on big hotel discounts under the ABA Preferred Rate Hotel Program. I’ve been a member for years without so much as being called up for jury duty.
The ABA program is able to offer hotel discounts because they’ve negotiated special rates with a number of luxury hotels around the world. Lawyers like those kinds of places. Who better than hard-nosed lawyers to negotiate low prices for the rest of us savvy travelers? I can see the hotels saying: “Oh no, here come the lawyers again.” But at high-priced holiday times like these, you’ll be glad to have the legal profession on your side.
Evidence Before the Court
The screenshot below shows prices for the Ritz-Carlton, Boston. Over New Year's, the average price per night is $1,171 or $9,545 for seven nights BEFORE the ABA discount, and just $545 per night or $4,442 for a seven-night stay AFTER the discount is applied.
That’s a savings of $5,103 or 53%. Just think of applying that amount to an upgraded airline ticket.
I love to stay in nice hotels and resorts. I’m obviously not the Lone Ranger on this point, but there’s also nothing quite like being in a gorgeous suite, overlooking a beach, and enjoying the facilities of a top-notch hotel or resort.
Suite Upgrade, for Free
So the idea of a free suite upgrade kind of explains itself. If you don’t have the magic American Bar Association promo code, you’d get a regular “Superior King” for $1,440 at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (see screenshot below). Meanwhile, you can get a “Superior Suite with King” room for $1,200 with the ABA membership. Do the math: That is a cheaper than free upgrade. We’ve called it a free suite upgrade. Sweet, huh?
Holiday price gouging might be a reality this year, but it’s still possible to snag some high-end travel accommodations without feeling humiliated. We can all thank the ABA for keeping their membership open to anyone and everyone savvy enough to know about it. Get out your courtroom wig, FCF reader, and score yourself a sweet discount with your ABA membership.