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I joined Inspirato as a “Pass Member” in January 2022, and so far 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 to date.
The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth review of all aspects of the program and give you my first hand experience, including what features I like and any areas that I feel could use some improving. This includes the most important question, which is… Is Inspirato Worth it?
What is Inspirato?
Let’s start with a basic understanding of what Inspirato is. Inspirato is a luxury vacation company that provides access to a portfolio of five star vacation properties (homes, condos and hotels), delivered through a monthly subscription model.
The Inspirato portfolio of properties includes luxury vacation homes, accommodations at five-star hotel and resort partners, 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 which are included in the cost of your monthly subscription.
How Much does Inspirato Cost?
Inspirato has two 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 cancelled at any time with 30 days written notice.
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 Pass Membership
In 2019, Inspirato introduced Inspirato Pass, and promote it as the world’s first luxury travel subscription. As an Inspirato Pass member, you pay for a 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. These 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 an 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 are 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 my second. The Sailfish booking was somewhere close to 1,500% Value of my Pass Days, while the Villa Eos booking was only 131%.
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 why to get significant “Outsized Value” for my membership.
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.
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 you 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!
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 serve 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. The are member only vacations that book on a first come, first serve basis and are schedule up to one year out.
Hotels
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, Experiences 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 is the main Ocean cruise partner and for River Cruises they partner with Amadeus and Uniworld.
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), 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” that might get you into an event you may not otherwise be able to get into.
They also may come with perks you might have have 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 anytime 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 in 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 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 you 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 cancelled 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 different.
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 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!
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