There’s no single “preferred partner program.” Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor, Four Seasons, and the advisor network Virtuoso each run their own version, under their own name, with their own rules. Many share a similar basic shape, with benefits such as breakfast, a hotel credit and upgrade priority. But not every program includes all of those, and neither the programs nor the hotels within them are interchangeable.
How these programs differ
Each program is tied to a specific hotel group or network, not a universal standard. Some benefits are standard across every participating hotel in a program (Hyatt Privé’s breakfast, Marriott STARS’ $100 credit); others are optional extras only some hotels offer (Marriott Luminous’ credit, for example). Loyalty treatment also varies: most of these programs run on a qualifying hotel rate that keeps points and elite-night credit intact, but the exact rule depends on the hotel group.
And access itself differs: some are brand-run programs an advisor has to be accredited into directly (Hyatt Privé, Marriott STARS/Luminous, Hilton for Luxury, IHG Destined), others reward the advisor’s own account separately from what the guest gets (Accor HERA), and others sit inside a broader network spanning many hotel brands at once (Virtuoso). None of that changes how you book as a traveler; you still work with an advisor and stay as a normal guest either way. What it changes is how much detail can be promised in advance, and how much depends on the specific hotel once you get there.
Main preferred-partner programs compared
A quick overview of the programs covered below. The sections that follow add the detail and the caveats.
Hyatt Privé
Hyatt’s own program for accredited advisors, available at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts. Guaranteed daily breakfast for two and a property credit that varies by hotel; the room upgrade is priority handling within 24 hours, not a guarantee, and some hotels don’t offer it at all. World of Hyatt points and elite-qualifying nights continue on the Privé rate. See What Is Hyatt Privé? for the full breakdown.
Marriott STARS and Luminous
Two separate Marriott programs, not one. STARS covers Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Yacht Collection, and includes a standard, mandatory $100 hotel credit at every participating hotel. Luminous covers W, JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, MGM Collection and other participating Marriott brands, and that same $100 credit is an optional extra only some Luminous hotels offer. Breakfast, Wi-Fi, and upgrade wording are otherwise nearly identical between the two. Both earn Bonvoy points and elite-night credit. See Marriott STARS vs Luminous for the brand lists and full detail.
Hilton for Luxury
Hilton’s preferred-partner program for Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, NoMad, and Signia by Hilton. Hilton’s own program announcement names the benefits directly: best available rates, double Hilton Honors Points, breakfast for up to two, a hotel credit, a next-category upgrade, and early check-in or late check-out, based on availability. That double-points benefit is specific to Hilton for Luxury; it isn’t a general rule for every travel-agent-booked Hilton rate, since Hilton’s own loyalty terms separately exclude travel-agency discount rates from earning.
IHG Destined
IHG’s invitation-only program for accredited luxury advisors, covering IHG’s luxury and lifestyle brands. It replaced IHG’s older Luxury & Lifestyle Collection agency programs in January 2025.
IHG’s Destined support page lists a $100 hotel credit (or local equivalent), daily breakfast for two and a welcome amenity, plus a room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out that are subject to availability. IHG’s own points program names travel agents directly as a qualifying booking channel, so points and qualifying-night credit typically continue on an eligible Destined rate, following the same rule covered in Do Travel Advisor Bookings Earn Points and Elite Nights?
Accor HERA
Worth being precise about, since HERA covers two different things. HERA itself is Accor’s advisor-side rewards workspace: Accor’s own description says advisors earn HERA points “for your personal use,” which is a reward for the advisor’s account, not the guest’s.
Separately, a guest booked through a HERA advisor at a participating Accor Luxury & Lifestyle hotel (Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, and others) typically gets breakfast, a property credit, and upgrade priority, benefits vary by hotel. The guest’s own ALL points and status follow Accor’s general qualifying-rate rule, the same one covered in our points and elite nights guide, and don’t depend on the advisor’s HERA earnings at all.
Four Seasons Preferred Partner
An invitation-only program across all Four Seasons hotels and resorts, usually at the same rate as booking direct. Consistently reported benefits include daily breakfast for two, a one-category room upgrade, a property credit that varies by hotel, and early check-in or late check-out, subject to availability. Four Seasons doesn’t run a points loyalty program comparable to Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, or Accor, so the points/elite-night question that applies to the others doesn’t really apply here; the value is in the added benefits themselves.
Virtuoso
Different in kind from the rest of this list. Virtuoso is a travel advisor network spanning many hotel brands, not a single hotel group’s own program, so it doesn’t set one fixed benefit package or one loyalty rule. An eligible Virtuoso hotel booking typically uses that specific hotel’s own qualifying rate structure, so both the benefits and the loyalty treatment follow whichever hotel group is actually hosting the stay. Two Virtuoso bookings at different hotels can look quite different from each other.
Other preferred-partner programs
CheckMyHotelRate also supports advisor access to a number of smaller, hotel-group-specific programs: Preferred Platinum, Relais & Châteaux, Shangri-La Luxury Circle, Kempinski Club 1897, Rosewood Elite, Belmond Bellini Club, Rocco Forte Knights, Jumeirah Passport to Luxury, Peninsula PenClub, Oetker Pearl Partner, Dorchester Diamond Club, COUTURE by Langham, Design Hotels Collective, Maybourne Illustrated, MeliaPro Bravos, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, withIN by SLH, and a general Preferred Partner designation used by some independent hotels.
Many of these programs are built around some combination of breakfast, a credit or amenity, and upgrade priority, but we haven’t verified each one closely enough to compare them in detail here.
Which program should you use?
You don’t really pick one of these in isolation. The specific hotel determines which programs or networks are actually available, a traveler or advisor can’t apply STARS to a hotel that isn’t a participating STARS property, and even within one program, participation isn’t automatic for every hotel that carries the brand: hotels generally have to apply and meet the program’s own criteria. A participating Ritz-Carlton may have STARS access; a participating Accor luxury hotel may have HERA access; some properties also participate in a broader network like Virtuoso alongside their own brand-run program, so more than one eligible advisor route can exist for the same hotel.
Where that’s the case, the useful comparison is between whichever eligible options actually apply to that property and date, not a single fixed answer: what does each one participate in, what benefits does it actually offer, what does the credit cover, what’s the cancellation policy, and does the rate keep your points and status intact. Those answers matter more than which program name is attached to the booking.
Are preferred-partner rates cheaper?
Not automatically. Most of these are benefit-added rates layered onto a hotel’s standard flexible rate rather than built-in discounts, so the price can land the same, lower, or higher than another rate at the same hotel depending on what you’re comparing it to. See Are Preferred Partner Rates Cheaper? for the full picture.
FAQ
Which preferred-partner program is best?
There isn’t one best program. The specific hotel determines which programs or networks are available, and a program can’t be applied to a hotel that doesn’t participate. The useful comparison is between the options that actually apply to your property and dates.
Are the benefits the same in every program?
No. Many share a similar shape, such as breakfast, a hotel credit and upgrade priority, but not every program includes all of them. For example, Marriott STARS includes a standard $100 credit, while Luminous offers it only as an optional extra at some hotels.
Do these programs keep my hotel points and elite nights?
Usually on an eligible rate, but it depends on the hotel group and the specific rate. Hilton for Luxury’s double points, for example, are specific to that program and aren’t a rule for every travel-agent-booked Hilton rate.
Can I use one of these programs myself?
Generally not directly. Most are brand-run or network programs that an advisor is accredited or invited into, so access comes through an eligible advisor rather than a public rate code. You still stay as a normal guest.
Does every hotel in a brand take part?
No. Brand-level eligibility doesn’t guarantee that a specific hotel participates. Hotels generally have to apply and meet the program’s own criteria, so it’s worth checking the property.