Our family have been Inspirato members for four and a half years now! It’s been nothing short of amazing. We’ve traveled with family and friends to London, Paris, Florence, Rome, Florida Keys, Ft. Lauderdale, Newport Coast, Aspen, Deer Valley, Los Cabos, Punta de Mita, Palmetto Bluff, Laguna Beach, Scottsdale, Sonoma/Healdsburg, New York City, Costa Rica, and Kapalua. We’ve even been fortunate to visit a few of these destinations numerous times with Inspirato. It has been as incredible as it sounds.
Inspirato, as a company, has been on a crazy ride the last few years. Most of the causes and effects of that related to that global pandemic we all lived through. I’m going to skip the fascinating history and get right into whether Inspirato is worth it today, in 2024.
So, the two questions are; (1) Is Inspirato worth it? And (2) does it make sense for you and your family? My answers are as follows; (1) Absolutely yes, and (2) maybe, it depends on your travel habits.
Inspirato has two membership options; Inspirato Club and Inspirato Pass. That’s the reason for having the two answers. Let’s take a look at each membership and my accompanying recommendation.
Inspirato Club
This is the bread and butter of Inspirato. It’s simple to understand. It delivers spectacular value for the price. [Quick note: Inspirato is not cheap. It’s a membership for those with the means to afford it. It’s for those who enjoy the very best luxury vacations the world has to offer]. And let’s remember what the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, likes to say, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” With Inspirato Club, the value you get is phenomenal.
How does Inspirato Club work?
Joining the Club is simple. There are two options; (1) Monthly membership is $650/month plus an enrollment fee of $650. (2) Annual membership is $7,800. The enrollment fee is waived, and they often have additional promotions for the annual membership.
As an Inspirato Club member you have access to all things Inspirato! Primarily, you are able to reserve and enjoy vacations at any of the luxury residences, villas, and hotel suites within Inspirato’s global portfolio. But Inspirato offers so much more than just luxurious accommodations. Members also enjoy pre-trip planning and on-site concierge service.
When our family became members of Inspirato, I really didn’t initially pay much attention to these travel planning services. I thought of our family as low maintenance vacationers, and we were. We just had no idea what we were missing! Now, we find it hard to imagine a vacation without Inspirato concierge and travel planning services. They make your life so easy and eliminate the anxiety and uncertainty that often accompanies us on our travels.
There are several other perks to membership; Jaunt Trips which offer reservations at steeply discounted rates and are published by Inspirato on a weekly basis (we’ve enjoyed a few of these high-value trips), Inspirato Only vacations which include luxury cruises, safaris, sporting events, etc., and other exclusive perks from Avis Rental Cars, Hawaiian Airlines, and more. Further, whether a member of Inspirato Club or Inspirato Pass, Inspirato Rewards, a loyalty program released just last year, can further add value (for more on Inspirato Rewards, keep reading).
These perks are more than just little extras, and not part of the value proposition to skip over. We have become exclusively Avis customers with the status that it affords Inspirato members. We’ve done four Hawaii trips over the last few years, taking advantage of savings and elite status that comes along with Inspirato membership. And the Jaunt trip lists consistently provide incredible value that we’ve taken advantage of numerous times. I love getting my weekly Jaunt emails from Inspirato to see what vacation value treasures are on the list for that week.
I recommend Inspirato Club membership, without reservations, to all families who have the means and enjoy creating incredible memories with those they love most in a context of absolute comfort and luxury.
With its world-class portfolio of properties, and included trip planning and concierge services, Inspirato stands alone in the luxury travel club sector as it relates to the value provided to its members. Year after year, Inspirato has continued to exceed our vacation expectations.
However, [*WARNING*] traveling with Inspirato can lead to difficulty accepting the reality of any non-Inspirato future vacations! Fortunately, with an extensive global portfolio, that is likely not going to be much of a concern for Inspirato members.
So, that’s Inspirato Club. It’s luxurious. It’s flexible. It delivers tremendous value. It is both worth it and a good fit for you and your family.
Inspirato Pass:
As mentioned, Inspirato Pass is the other membership product offered by Inspirato. My family and I have been members since 2019. It’s a bit more complex and caters to those who have more flexibility and can enjoy last-minute vacation opportunities.
I hope you keep on reading to get into the weeds of Inspirato Pass, but my recommendation for new members is that you join Inspirato Club first, fall in love with the product, and then decide over time if Inspirato Pass might be something you want to consider.
What is Inspirato Pass and how does it work?
Here’s a quick summary of what Inspirato Pass is and how it works:
- $2,550 Enrollment Fee (often waived if you prepay 6 or 12 months, which I highly recommend doing!)
- $2,550 Monthly Subscription Fee (Inclusive of nightly rates, taxes, and fees)
- No long-term commitment; cancel at any time.
These graphics from Inspirato’s website may best do the trick of explaining how things work. I do think it’s important to mention that the Inspirato Pass membership is in its most simple version thus far. Still, perhaps not the most intuitive product (does require a bit of diligence to understand and ensure you’re maximizing value), but you can get your arms around how it works pretty quickly.
To add some color to the above:
- Inspirato “Pass Days” are the currency you spend to reserve and enjoy vacations. Every calendar day that you are a member is a Pass Day.
- Every trip on the Pass Trip list “costs” a certain number of Pass Days. You are free to make another reservation once that number of Pass Days is complete.
- Let’s say today is January 1, for Instance. If today I book a trip to Pelican Hill Resort at one of Inspirato’s fabulous villas and it shows that the trip costs 46 Pass Days, I will be able to make my next reservation in 46 days, or on February 15. Obviously, the fewer number of Pass Days required for a trip means the ability to more quickly book subsequent trips. The more Pass Days required for a trip, the more valuable that trip is.
- Sometimes your Pass will become available again prior to taking your trip, sometimes your Pass will become available again the day you check out from your trip, and lastly, sometimes your Pass will still not be available for a certain number of days once you return from a trip.
The benefits of being Inspirato Pass Members
There are several benefits of paying the higher monthly membership fee to be an Inspirato Pass member. As follows:
- Inspirato Club membership is included as a part of your Inspirato Pass membership, which means you get to enjoy ALL the benefits that are included with Inspirato Club. No additional payment is required.
- Additional Value: The Inspirato Pass Trip list always includes vacations that are up to 50-75% off regular Inspirato Club pricing. A flexible travel schedule is generally required to take advantage of these offers. In our case, we’ve enjoyed numerous vacations that were discounted in excess of 50%.
- No Taxes, No fees: This is my personal favorite benefit of Inspirato Pass. On a couple of occasions, I have checked out of an Inspirato residence with $0.00 on my folio! Of course, any charges you make to your room are not included, but no taxes or fees is amazing! You know that feeling when you check out of a 5-star hotel and are shocked by the taxes and the ever-increasing number of pricey fees? You don’t ever have to experience that again with Inspirato Pass.
- Treasure Hunting: Are you one of those people that loves the hunt of a great value? If so, Inspirato Pass can be tons of fun. I love scouring the Inspirato Pass list on a regular basis to see what deals are out there to be had. If you enjoy this type of diligent treasure hunting, you will both have fun and be rewarded with fabulous luxury vacation deals.
Is Inspirato Pass a good fit for you and your family?
My answer here is a big…maybe. It continues to be a wonderful fit for our family. But, what about for you and your family? If you answer yes to some or any of the below questions, I suggest you take a good, hard look at becoming an Inspirato Pass member.
- Are you retired or semi-retired and travel on a regular basis?
- An empty-nester? (we recently joined this demographic with mixed feelings but are loving the vacation and travel freedom!)
- Do you already spend close to or in excess of $30,000 annually on room/residence nights?
- Are 3 and 4-night getaways a vacation sweet spot for you?
- Do you enjoy spending time searching for great value?
- Do you prioritize value and flexibility over long-term planning and certainty?
- Are frequent, luxury vacations that include incredible concierge services something you get excited about?
Our family can answer yes to a host of these questions, so Inspirato Pass has been and continues to be a great fit for us. Please feel free to shoot me any questions you might have about Inspirato Pass. I’m happy to help you navigate if Pass might be a good fit for you.
Inspirato Rewards
I mentioned I’d follow up on this and add some color. Inspirato Rewards is a benefit for both Inspirato Club and Inspirato Pass members. It is a spend-based reward program that includes a host of benefits based on total dollar spend. Again, Inspirato’s graphic here probably does the best job of explaining its reward program.
I’m going to point out two particular benefits that make this rewards program unique and something for members to get excited about; Booking Discounts and Complimentary Add-on Nights. With Booking Discounts, once you hit an award level, you will enjoy 5-20% off on every single booking. Every Inspirato residence is a 5-star luxury experience, so 5-20% involves considerable savings. And of course, the more you spend, the more you save!
Complimentary Add-on Nights can provide even more value than the Booking Discount. If a member has a reservation booked, and within five days of check-in or check-out the property has vacancy for a night(s), Inspirato Rewards Complimentary Add-on NIghts lets you add up to three days to your stay.
Let’s say you book a 3-night stay at a residence with a nightly rate of $2,000 for one week. And let’s imagine that there are three nights available to add on prior to your stay, and let’s further imagine that you are a mid-tier Mezza Rewards member. Your $6,000 stay would be discounted by 10% and you would pick up 3 complimentary nights. You would end up paying $5,400 for a 6-night stay valued at $12,000, less than half the normal price! This example may or may not by typical, but it serves as a great example of what Inspirato Rewards extends to its members.
So, is Inspirato worth it? Summary Thoughts/Bottom Line
Inspirato Club membership offers tremendous value to those who enjoy luxurious vacation experiences with 5-star trip planning and concierge services. Become a member of Inspirato, and I’m certain the member experience will exceed your expectations. And the best part is, if I happen to be wrong, there is no long-term commitment and your worst-case scenario is that you enjoy some fabulous vacations, creating memories with those you love most.
Inspirato Pass may or may not be the best fit for you. As I mentioned, your best decision may be to join Inspirato Club, get your feet wet, and then decide if you want to jump in and become an Inspirato Pass member. I’m sure your Inspirato contact will do a great job working with you to figure out what best suits your needs.
In the meantime, travel well and enjoy as many vacations as you can with those you love most! As for me and our family, we’re heading back to a Pelican Hill Resort villa next month and then off to Los Cabos a month or so after that. From there, we’ll see what’s next! My wife and daughters are both advocating for Telluride in the next few months and some of our close friends are pushing for another couple’s trip to Healdsburg. Such tough choices. Life sure is good as an Inspirato member!
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