When it's actually worth it to splurge on hotel rooms

Exclusivity, experiences, and increasing demand are re-defining the cost of luxury hotels, but is the money ever well spent?

Hotel Du Cap at Eden Roc, Slim Aarons

One of the questions I get asked the most is when it’s worth it to splurge on a luxury hotel room. As a travel designer, I often have clients come to me asking about the newest “it property” they’ve seen all over social media—Palm Heights, Estelle Manor, one of the new Aman properties.

And I get it. It’s really hard as a normal traveler to discern which of these destinations are actually worth going to, versus which of these hotels are not worth your hard earned money, especially when you’ve learned about them through social media and influencers, and especially when you’re not loaded and you have to think about and budget for over-the-top experiences.

Emily Sundberg

said it best the other day in one of her newsletters:

Here’s my thing: too often, the people suggesting hotels to me (writers, influencers, magazines) are given comped or heavily discounted stays at the place they’re suggesting. So they’re not making an accurate value assessment of the hotel. I think planning a trip based on photos of someone else’s trip sets you up for so many points of error (and a hotel is only part of this story).

Ultra-expensive hotels are definitely becoming more common these days—it’s not out of the ordinary for me to see room rates over $3000/night, which is to me, concerning and sickening. And I think it’s especially concerning and sickening that these places are constantly being advertised and promoted on IG and TikTok by influencers, because it’s actually changing how we perceive travel.

Let me make myself clear: As someone who works in the travel industry, I really, really love luxury hotels. But only those that feel special and over-the-top in a way that justifies the high price I’m paying to sleep in a space that isn’t my own.

I’ve had some hotel stays where I haven’t had to sign a bill the entire time—everything was automatically charged to my room because everyone there knew my name. I’ve had hotels contact me in advance to make sure they had the correct size slippers and bath robe ready upon arrival. I’ve had a hotel curate music playlists perfectly for me, queued up on the room speaker, ready to go, based on what they thought I’d like, and it was eerily accurate.

But I can assure you that most people aren’t traveling like this, and I can assure you that some of these hotels charging $3k/night aren’t even surprising and delighting their guests. Some properties are gaudy and ostentatious in all of the wrong ways, completely devoid of soul and generating a spark.

Most of us aren’t earning $500k a year. To me and to most, travel is extremely personal, so I can understand why we are all feeling overwhelmed by choice and the glamour of it all on social media, and then underwhelmed when we are at the same place one of our favorite influencers traveled to, only to find it falling flat against our expectations.

Here’s how I filter out all of the bullshit and decide on when my clients should splurge versus when it’s better for them to save their time and money.

---

When to splurge on hotels

For special occasions, such as honeymoons and anniversaries.

If you’re celebrating something very special, such as a honeymoon or ten year anniversary, then splurging on a hotel experience is worth it, especially when it’s a once-in-a-lifetime destination, such as a safari in Botswana.

If you’re going somewhere where the hotel is the main event.

For example—Palm Heights in the Cayman Islands. Palm Heights is the pinnacle of a well-thought out hotel experience. The price is justified because the hotel has soul and a point of view, and no detail is spared. Palm Heights is its own world, and you can stay for a week and never have a single urge to leave the property. Not only is the food the best hotel food I’ve ever had, but everything is so highly curated that you don’t have to lift a finger, and every single one of your needs will be anticipated well-ahead of time. You’ll receive a complimentary massage at check-in. There are plenty of activities you can opt in to, but nothing feels forced. When you open the minibar, you’ll find all of your favorite snacks there. Their spa is a destination on its own. They just get it.

the perfection of Palm Heights

If it’s a wellness focused trip or retreat.

If the whole point of your trip is to rest, recharge, and be taken care of, spending more on a serene hotel dedicated to wellness is a no-brainer. You want to eliminate as much friction as possible to be able to fully unwind. You don’t want to stay at an “average” place and have to cobble together hikes, healthy meals, and spa treatments on your own.

If it unlocks perks or privileges.

A higher price tag can get you special privileges. For example, when I went to Iguazu Falls in Brazil last year, I opted to stay at the Belmond. It’s inside the national park, meaning that all of the Belmond guests get access to Iguazu Falls before and after the park opens. This was absolutely magical and life changing. Walking around such a sacred place without throngs of tourists everywhere was 100% worth the money. We’d wake up early and take a sunrise walk near the falls with the howler monkeys. As soon as the park opened for the day, hundreds of tour buses would come through, and that’s when we retreated to the pool, which is sheltered from the crowds. When the park closed, we got to enjoy the sunset behind the falls, and then we got to see all of the brilliant stars, with barely a person in sight.

Sunsets, stars, and not a tourist to be found

If you’re traveling with family and need the extra space.

If you’re traveling with your gaggle of kids and you’re set on staying at a luxury hotel over an Airbnb, it’s probably worth it to splurge on a bigger room or villa with more space for everyone. I have a kid, and let me tell you, it’s really nice to have a setup where my husband and I can close our bedroom door and our son has his own space to do whatever he pleases, especially since he’s an early riser. Sharing a room with two queen beds hardly feels like a vacation; it feels like punishment. I’d be more likely to book a gorgeous villa at the Rosewood Mayakoba than to book several connecting rooms at an expensive resort elsewhere…

Hot tip: during the summer, the Rosewood Mayakoba villas start at $2500/night and sleep six or more people. That’s less than $500/person/night, which isn’t that bad, considering that they have a kid’s club and it’s one of the best properties I’ve ever been to, service-wise.

---

When to save on hotels

If you can use your credit card points.

If I am traveling for something that’s not a milestone, the first thing I do is see what hotel I can get using my credit card points. For my upcoming trip to London, I’m staying at the Andaz because I got an incredible points deal. I won’t end up spending a penny on hotels for the week I’m there. I’ve had luck getting rooms at the Park Hyatt in Paris for 30-40k points a night, which is a stellar deal considering it typically costs over $1500/night.

When you’re traveling to a place where you won’t be in the room much.

If you’ll be out exploring all day anyway, then what’s the point of splurging and spending $1000/night on a room? You won’t even be around to enjoy it. I cannot fathom why anyone would come to NYC and spend $3k/night to stay at the Aman… even if you’re loaded, it just seems so so foolish to me. For my upcoming trip to Slovenia, I’m staying at random bed and breakfasts here and there—I’ll be out of my room all day hiking and exploring, so it’s all I need.

If you’re just passing through.

One night stopovers or hectic travel days don’t require anything that’s more than clean, comfortable, and convenient.

If you’re traveling with a big group.

Don’t make each person spend $1000/night just to enjoy your company. A nice rental will do just fine. You should be prioritizing shared space and shared experiences over luxury details here. You don’t need expensive hotels for a bachelorette party or a larger family reunion, unless you’re comfortable footing the entire bill.

If the goal is to prioritize experiences over lodging.

Most of us would rather take that $3,000 and spend it on a hot air balloon ride, a cooking class, and skydiving. I like to think of travel in terms of “memory dividends”—the idea that certain experiences continue to pay off in the form of cherished memories. For me, spending $3,000 a night on a hotel wouldn’t yield the same long-term satisfaction as it would for someone else. I’d rather invest in opportunities to giggle with friends, try new things, and make some mistakes along the way.

---

…and always, always do your research, especially if your first time hearing about a property is from an influencer or social media. Read reviews from paying guests, look at what people are saying on Reddit, or better yet, reach out to a trusted travel designer to ask their take (hi 👋). The best luxury hotels spark word-of-mouth obsessions from everyone, not just influencers with brand deals. You wouldn’t believe the good, the bad, and the ugly I’ve heard about most of these places. Not all that glitters is gold.

xx,

Bella

---

Thanks for being a subscriber of MindHoliday! Here are other ways you can show your support:

❤️ tapping the heart below (it helps my content get discovered!)

💌 forwarding this to a friend

🤗 supporting my writing by becoming a paid subscriber for $7 a month, or $60 a year