Inspirato Pass Review – The Pros & Cons of Inspirato Membership

I joined Inspirato as a “Pass Member” in January 2022. To date, I have been very happy with my decision!

While I won’t really know if this was a good decision or not until I’ve been a member for at least a year, I wanted to provide some perspective on my experience so far.

The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth review of all aspects of the “Inspirato Pass” program and give you my first-hand experience, including what features I like and any areas that I feel could use some improvement.

This includes the most important question, which is… Is Inspirato Worth it?

Inspirato Pass Review: What is Inspirato?

Let’s start with a basic understanding of what Inspirato is. Inspirato (NASDAQ: ISPO) is a luxury vacation company that provides access to a portfolio of five-star vacation properties (homes, condos, and hotels) and experiences, delivered through a monthly subscription model.

The Inspirato portfolio of properties includes luxury vacation homes, accommodations at five-star hotels and resorts, and custom travel experiences.

In addition to providing access to these properties, they offer five-star personalized service, including pre-trip planning, onsite concierge, and daily housekeeping with every trip. All of these are included in the cost of your monthly subscription with no hidden fees!

How Much Does Inspirato Cost?

Inspirato has two subscription membership types: Club and Pass

• Inspirato Pass Memberships have a $2,500 enrollment fee + $2,500 per month
• Inspirato Club Memberships have a $600 enrollment fee + $600 per month

The prices above are for month-to-month plans. If you are interested in prepaying for 6 or 12 months, Inspirato typically will offer additional incentives including waived enrollment fees and other perks.

Memberships can be canceled at any time with 30 days’ written notice.

Inspirato Real Estate and Destinations

The Inspirato portfolio consists of over 450 residences in 95+ destinations which are then classified into “beach”, “mountain”, “lifestyle” or “metropolitan” locations.

The properties include large homes maintained and managed by the Inspirato team as well as luxury hotel rooms and suites contracted with hotel partners.

The largest portion of the portfolio is in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean with a growing presence in Europe.

Options are currently very limited in Asia, Australia, and Africa, so if your goal is to travel extensively in those locations, Inspirato might not be the best option for you.

What you may be surprised to learn is that Inspirato doesn’t actually own any of the properties in its $1.5 billion+ portfolio. Instead, they contract with homeowners via long-term leases and directly manage the properties to ensure quality and consistency across the portfolio.

Inspirato Search Tool

One of the great features of the Inspirato program is the search tool and the fact that you don’t need to be a member to access the tool and see what type of properties are available to you.

When using the search tool, just enter your desired geography and dates. The tool will then deliver a list of locations available at that time. You can then use the filter to refine location types such as beach, mountain, or metropolitan locations.

You can also add another filter if you only want to spend a certain number of Pass Days on a given trip.

If you want to get the best value for your Pass days, be flexible with your search. The more open you are to different locations and dates, the more value you will get from your Pass.

Inspirato Membership Options

Inspirato currently has three membership options:

• Inspirato Club
• Inspirato Select
• Inspirato Pass

Inspirato Club Membership

The Club membership is Inspirato’s base membership.

Inspirato Club members enjoy access to the full Inspirato Collection of exclusive homes, hotels, resorts, and experiences by paying nightly rates when they travel. They also receive first-class, personalized service from a team of hospitality experts – from pre-trip planning to an on-site concierge.

This membership essentially gives you access to the portfolio of properties, as well as the Care Team and Destination Planners.

Inspirato Select Membership

Inspirato Select is the newest evolution of the Inspirato membership offering (introduced in June 2022). Select is a new subscription offering designed for both personal and business use that can be shared with others.

One of the most valuable features of Inspirato Select is that Inspirato Select Trips are 100% transferrable and may be shared with others at no additional cost.

This gives subscribers the flexibility to use their subscription in a wide variety of ways: You can use Select Trips for yourself or gift them to family, friends, or even business colleagues. You can either purchase Select as a stand-alone membership or add it to an existing club or pass membership.

Inspirato Pass Membership

In 2019, Inspirato introduced Inspirato Pass and promoted it as the world’s first luxury travel subscription. As an Inspirato Pass member, you pay a monthly subscription that gives you access to their complete portfolio of properties for $2,500 per month, including nightly rates, taxes, fees, and housekeeping.

The $2,500 monthly price for Inspirato Pass consists of $2,200 for Pass and preferred pricing of $300 (versus list pricing of $600/month) for all the benefits of an Inspirato Club subscription.

The benefits include flexibility to book outside the Pass Trip List, dedicated service on every trip, member events, Bespoke travel, and more.

Inspirato Pass Days

Every time you book a trip as a Pass Member, you consume a number of “Pass Days”, which will vary by property, season, duration of stay, etc. Pass Days are the currency you have as a member to book an Inspirato property.

A subscription to Pass is $2,500 per month (which includes a Club membership as well). So, the value of a Pass Day is the monthly cost divided by 30, making one Pass Day equal to approximately $83.

Here are examples of my first two bookings as a Pass Member to give you a feel for how Pass Days work:

Booking #1: SailFish – Fort Lauderdale Condo

Sailfish is the name of a 2 Bedroom Condo at The Conrad Ft. Lauderdale, where I booked a 7-night stay.

• January 8: I Joined Inspirato with a 12-month membership
• January 9: I Booked a 7 Night stay at Conrad Ft. Lauderdale in a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Condo for 13 Pass Days. This was a short notice booking that came at an incredible value! 13 Pass days represents about $1,000 in value, but other 2-bedroom condos at The Conrad were going for almost $15,000 for that same 7-night stay. I was off and running with this booking!
• January 15 – 22: Dates of my stay.
• January 23: Thirteen days have passed and My Pass membership is available again to book another vacation!

The way Pass Days work is that the 13-day duration from the date I booked is considered “Pass in Use” and I cannot book another trip until my Pass became available again on January 23.

Booking #2: Villa Eos – Turks and Caicos Home

Villa Eos is a 3,500 sq. foot, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath Ocean front home located in Turks and Caicos, British West Indies. Four of the bedrooms have king beds and one has two twins. It’s perfect for the couples week we had planned with friends.

The five-night booking in October consumed 145 Pass Days (with an estimated value of about $14,000).

• March 13: Booked 5-night stay at Villa Eos in October for 145 Pass Days.
• June 23: My Pass will become available again for another booking.
• October 21: First day of my trip. I don’t have to wait until my stay is complete to book another trip. My vacation is in late October, but I can book one or possibly two more trips between June 23 and when I head out to Turks!

From a value standpoint, I did much better on my first booking than on my second. The Sailfish booking was somewhere close to 1,500% Value of my Pass Days, while the Villa Eos booking was only 131%.

Booking #3: Boathouses at Canoe Place, The Hamptons, NY

Our third booking was in July for an August trip to The Hamptons in a property called the Boathouses at Canoe Place.

The Boathouses at Canoe Place is a collection of 18 Boathouse residences to choose from, with more under construction (available in Summer 2023). The residences are two to three stories and come in both two and three-bedroom configurations. They are all newly constructed, with the highest quality finishes, and are very bright and open.

The three-night booking at “The Mariner” residence in August consumed 45 Pass Days (with an estimated value of about $8,200) at a 250% pass value.

I’ll be very interested to see what the value of my future bookings will be, as one of my biggest goals of using Inspirato was to find a way to get significant “Outsized Value” for my membership.

Bonus Trips

As an active Pass subscriber, you have the ability to purchase a Pass Bonus Trip at any time. Here is how Bonus Trips work:

• Any trip available on the Pass Trip List for check-in within the next 30 days may be booked as a Pass Bonus Trip for $3,000. Any trip available for check-in within the next 31 – 60 days may be booked as a Pass Bonus Trip for $6,000. 
• Cancellations within three business days of booking are 100% refundable. Cancellations more than 14 days prior to check-in are 50% refundable in travel credits. Cancellations 0 to 14 days prior to check-in are non-refundable. 

These work well if your Pass is in use and you would like to take a vacation over the next 30 days. Depending on what is available, you might be able to get great value out of these!

As an example, My wife booked a girls’ trip to Kiawah Island in September with 5 of her friends using a bonus trip. The trip was an amazing value and would have cost 5 times as much if she booked at a cash rate.

I am a huge fan of the Bonus Trip feature!

Inspirato Events

Your membership also comes with special events each quarter that you can attend. These include both online and in-person events across the country. The events are often centered around food and wine and are available on a first-come, first-served basis for a small fee.

The nice thing about the events is that you can bring friends that aren’t members with you for a great night out.

The first Inspirato event my wife and I attended was a Private Dinner and Oyster Shucking Class in Detroit.

The event cost was $50 per person and included an overview of the various types of oysters, their flavor profiles, and how to shuck them, with 6 oysters for each person to shuck and eat.

The oyster shucking was followed by a five-course dinner paired with a very nice selection of pre-selected wines. The value of this evening far exceeded the $100 I spent for my wife and I to attend and we had a great time!

Inspirato Customer Service Team

My experience with the customer service teams at Inspirato has been great. This includes everyone from the initial salesperson I bought my subscription through to the Midwest Care team I’m assigned to and work with on a regular basis.

I’m based in Michigan, so I have been assigned to the “Pass Great Lakes Team”. My understanding is that the teams are divided up by region and further segmented by “Pass Members” and “Club Members”.

Each member has a dedicated support team, with their own direct phone line, email address, and after-hours line. The booking tool Inspirato offers is very intuitive, so you can often book trips without contacting your team, but if for some reason you do need them, they are easy to get in touch with for help.

In addition to your dedicated Inspirato Care Team, they also have Destination Planners that help you craft each trip itinerary. These planners are local to the destination and know all the insider tips and top recommendations.

Your Destination Planner will send you a list of recommendations for activities and dining 1-2 months in advance of your trip. Once you decide what you want to do, they’ll make your dinner reservations, arrange your excursions, provide transportation, buy groceries and more.

Jaunt and Jaunt 52

Through the Inspirato Club program, you’ll have access to two programs called Jaunt 52 and Jaunt Now. Jaunt trips are significantly discounted trips that are released to members every Wednesday morning via email.

Jaunt Now offers member-only trips to the portfolio that are available in the next 60 days.

You can’t use your Pass days for Jaunt trips. They are discounted rates to be paid for in cash, available to Inspirato Club members.

Jaunt 52 offers discounts on more than 100 pre-selected trips available each week from the Inspirato Collection. They are member-only vacations that book on a first-come, first-serve basis and are scheduled up to one year out.

Inspirato Hotels & Resorts

Inspirato offers both homes and hotels via the program. When it comes to hotels, there are two ways to book with Inspirato.

One method is to book through the Pass or Club program with an Inspirato partner hotel. Inspirato has partnered with well over 200 hotels to offer you access to some of the most exclusive hotels in the world.

These include amazing properties with five-star brands such as Rosewood, One & Only, Park Hyatt, Ritz Carlton, Montage, Como, and St. Regis as well as a collection of independent and boutique hotels.

If you’re looking for a luxury hotel that has not partnered with Inspirato, you can still book through Inspirato via their partnership with Virtuoso. In this situation, Inspirato is essentially your travel agent, helping you book a room that includes bonuses like a room upgrade (if available), breakfast for 2, early check-in / late check-out, and possibly some resort and dining credits.

You can use your pass days for rooms booked at hotels that partner with Inspirato, but the hotels booked through Virtuoso will have to be paid for outside of the membership.

Other Ways to use Inspirato Pass

In addition to booking homes and hotels, you can also use your pass days for Cruises, Experiences, Events, and Shopping. However, these will not give you the best value for your Pass days.

Cruises

Inspirato has three partners for Ocean and River Cruises. Silversea and Seabourn are the main Ocean cruise partners and Amadeus and Uniworld are the river cruise partners.

The cruise partners are not unique to Inspirato. You could book the same trip direct with them if you would like.

Experiences

Experiences are primarily Tours booked with luxury tour companies like Classic Journeys, andBeyond (Safaris & Luxury Tours in Asia, Africa & South America), and Duvine (Bike Tours). You can also book unique trips like Alaska Fishing tours and Dude Ranch Vacations.

All of these tour groups and adventures look amazing and very well done, I am just not sure that this would be the best use of your Pass Days and membership, as you can book these on your own with the travel companies.

Tickets to Events

Inspirato offers access to a huge variety of sporting events and concerts across the country. Unlike the Cruises and Experiences, these are events that you may not otherwise have access to, so while these tickets might not be a great “value” they might get you into an event you may not otherwise be able to get into.

They also may come with perks you might have had if you just bought a ticket on the open market, such as access to a suite with complimentary food and beverage.

Here are some things to know:

• Tickets are priced in both dollars ($) and Days of Pass, noted as “DOP”. Choose tickets based on your preferred method of payment:
  • If you’re paying with Days of Pass: Your Pass will be in use as you earn your ticket purchase. You are able to cancel these tickets at any time while you’re earning your tickets. Once earned, these tickets are non-refundable.
  • If you’re paying with a credit card: Please let us know within 24 hours if you decline these tickets. Tickets will be charged within 24 hours, distributed four days before the event, and are non-refundable once charged.
• View FAQs for the new Inspirato Tickets program.

Beyond Travel

The “Beyond Travel” items are typically the worst value for your Pass Days. It’s like using Amex Membership Rewards points to buy something on Amazon or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to buy an Apple laptop.

While you “can” use Pass days for these items, I would highly recommend not doing so. Why would you join a luxury travel subscription to buy a coffee maker or cookware? It just doesn’t make sense.

Pros and Cons of Inspirato – Is Inspirato Pass Worth It?

Pros:

• Access to amazing 5-star homes and resorts (with homes that are only available to members)
• Great Service and Pre-trip planning via the Inspirato Care Team and Destination Planners
• Housekeeping is included in the monthly fee
• Opportunity for significant outsized value if you manage the subscription properly
• The monthly subscription model allows you to spread your costs out evenly over the year
• Great value can be found with home rentals (this includes resort residences)
• With homes, you can bring along friends and family at no additional charge
• Pass membership can be canceled with 30 days’ notice

Cons:

• Cancellation policy (with individual stays)
• Short-term booking can be challenging
• Designed for those with flexible travel schedules that are open to a variety of destinations. If you cannot be flexible, this is not a great option for you
• You can’t book another trip while your pass days are in use (unless you use a paid club/jaunt trip or buy a second pass)
• Hotels and Experiences do not offer great value for your Pass days
• The majority of the homes are in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. There are not many options if you want to travel outside this area. Europe is growing but is still fairly limited. There are no homes in South America, Africa, Asia, or Australia.

Inspirato Review: Who is Inspirato Good for?

You could argue that Inspirato is good for anyone who wants to luxury travel experience bundled into a monthly subscription, and that is absolutely true. But I look at it a little differently.

I would rather know what type of traveler can get the most value from an Inspirato subscription. When you look at it this way, it primarily appeals to the traveler that wants 5-star luxury but also has the ability to be very flexible.

The way to get the most out of your subscription is to be very flexible regarding where you go and when you go. The traveler that is tied to their children’s school vacation schedules and has a couple of specific destinations in mind, will not do well with Inspirato.

For example, if you are the type of traveler that wants to go to a warm/beach location in the winter, without specific dates, and are open to any island in the Caribbean as well as Latin American locations (Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.), then this could be for you. My Care team refers to this as “casting a wide net” to get the most options and value from your subscription.

In the fall, my kids will both be in college, I work remotely most of the time, and have the freedom to go just about anywhere. I can even go somewhere without taking a vacation and just work remotely in a sunny warm location to get out of the dreary Michigan winters.

Consequently, I have the potential to be the Inspirato “poster child” member. Time will tell if my wife and I are actually able to pull this off and really maximize our membership, but I am optimistic it will work out and very excited to continue to take advantage of all Inspirato has to offer!

More Inspirato Content

If you liked this, here is some more Inspirato content for you to check out!