Don’t “book backwards” and save $5,131 at the St. Regis in Rome, $794 at the Westin Palace in Milan, among other deals
Travel sites are awash with “$100 off this” and “$75 off that,” so we love to bring you a report that turns the dial all the way up to “$5,925 off.”
How? Simple. All you have to do is become a member of the American Bar Association (ABA). That’s the legal one, not the Old Fashioned one. You don’t have to be a lawyer or a judge to join, and the annual cost is just $150 (Mr. Upgrade has been a member for years). Membership in this organization, which is generally known for things other than travel discounts, gets you some amazing travel savings.
From one perspective, adding up all the savings is enough to offset the cost of two Business Class flights to Europe down to $810!
Example Magnifico Deal:
Four nights each at The St. Regis Rome and The Westin Palace, Milan
Here’s what we found. In October, a four-night stay at the amazing St. Regis Rome costs $1,889 per night for a total of $7,563. A four-night stay at The Westin Palace, Milan costs $536 per night for a total of $2,147. Add them together for a grand total of $9,710. However, because you’re a savvy travel saver, you’ve already joined the ABA (or definitely might now) and the price with that membership for this eight-night sojourn is just $3,785.
Can you believe that? That’s a $5,925 (61%) savings just for joining a $150 club. You could take those savings and apply them towards your two Business Class tickets departing New York to Rome and returning from Milan for $6,734. Couple those flights with your hotel savings and you just got two Business Class tickets for $810.
St. Regis Rome Example…
…and The Westin Palace, Milan
This double helping of Italian gets our upgrade medallion.
We love the ABA membership at FCF and have reported on it many times in the past (here, here, and here.) It also offers great luxury accommodation discounts in North America at top-end places like the Four Seasons, Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Savoy (Fairmont) St. Regis, and Westin properties, among others.
Another FCF special report details the different ways to think about hotel upgrades, including room upgrades, view upgrades, and more. A $5,925 savings? Well that’s definitely an upgrade.
See below for where you can reap savings in Europe right now, including London and Paris, from 31% to 68% for a four-night stay at a few other hotels using your ABA discount.
Bar Frequenter Scores a Cocktail of Savings on European Hotels
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Bad and Good News About the ABA Strategy
Bad News First: ABA rates are not available on all dates and hotels, and some dates have better deals than others. So we just highlighted the great savings to give you an idea of how good it MIGHT be, while keeping in mind that the ABA strategy doesn’t always work. For reference, I typically use it three to five times a year.
Good News: When it does work, it works really well. With Marriott.com (St. Regis), it only takes about 17 seconds to get a rate. Add another few minutes if you search for a bunch of different dates.
In other words, if you’re familiar with the booking backwards strategy and if you were going to Rome and want a high-end hotel, you would choose the dates of your trip to the Eternal City based on when the ABA rate was available at such a steep discount. If you start with specific dates, your savings may not be as high. So whether it’s the first week or the second week of July (unless you’re going to a fixed event like a wedding), you should choose your travel dates based on when you can net huge savings. Why not?
Watchouts*
*At the Fairmont, Four Seasons, Jumeirah, Mandarin Oriental, Savoy, and Shangri-La hotels, these ABA rates are not available online. You’ll need to call or email the hotel directly to book using the ABA membership discount.
**Rates shown above are in USD, and may vary based on exchange rates.
Save your cash and enjoy more and better travel experiences in the future.