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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Capital One Premier Collection: Get free breakfast, experience credits and room upgrades on hotel bookings
Ryan is a former TPG credit cards writer who has been around points and miles for several years and has published content at Miles to Memories, AwardWallet and The Points Guy. His wife joins him on many of his trips, and they enjoy snowboarding, diving, and seeing animals in the wild. When not traveling, Ryan is probably answering questions from his family about how he travels so much and whether this points & miles stuff is illegal.
Emily Thompson specializes in beginner content as a credit cards editor. She taps into her prior experience as a high school English teacher to help others demystify credit scores and unlock experiences that credit card rewards can make possible.
also contributed to this story
January 18, 2023 • 11 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
The Premier Collection is a curated set of boutique and luxury hotels bookable through a specific travel portal, offering elevated benefits for select premium cardholders.
Key perks include daily breakfast for two, complimentary Wi-Fi, an on-property experience credit, and potential room upgrades, early check-in or late checkout, subject to availability.
Cash prices for these bookings are often higher than booking directly with hotels, but the added benefits may offset the cost depending on your travel needs.
You can pay with cash or redeem miles for these reservations, though redeeming miles may not provide maximum value per TPG's valuations as of June 2024.
What to consider
Not all major hotel brands are included, and the collection is limited to select boutique and premium properties.
Elite status recognition and loyalty points from hotel programs are not guaranteed, as these bookings are considered third-party.
Free night promotions typically require direct booking with the hotel and are not available through this portal.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of when the Premier Collection's benefits outweigh the higher prices and how to maximize value based on your travel priorities.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Capital One offers two boutique hotel programs: the Lifestyle Collection and the Premier Collection. The Premier Collection is Capital One's luxury hotel program, competitive with Chase's Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection and the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program.
Access is limited to those with premium credit cards from Capital One — only the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (a personal credit card) and Capital One Venture X Business (a business credit card, formerly known as the Spark Travel Elite card) are able to book through the Premier Collection.
Premier Collection bookings include automatic benefits like free Wi-Fi during your stay, daily breakfast for two people and bonus miles on paid reservations — or the option to redeem your Capital One miles to pay for the reservation. Other benefits like room upgrades and early check-in may be offered depending on availability.
With all of these benefits available, are there any drawbacks to booking through the Premier Collection? Does the portal work as expected?
Today, we'll walk you through booking with the Capital One Premier Collection and whether booking your next hotel stay here makes sense.
What is the Capital One Premier Collection?
The Capital One Premier Collection is a set of boutique and premium hotels that you can book through the Capital One Travel portal.
Since this is a curated collection of hotels, not all hotels are available for Premier Collection bookings. However, hotels from the following brands are among those you can find in the Premier Collection:
1 Hotels.
The Leading Hotels of the World.
Montage Hotels & Resorts
Six Senses.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Viceroy.
There also are many independent hotels that you can book through the Premier Collection. All hotels participating in the Premier Collection should be "one-of-a-kind luxury hotels and resorts, each packed with personality and hand-picked for exceptional quality," according to a spokesperson for Capital One. Noticeably absent in the collection are global hotel brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Wyndham.
COURTESY OF CAPITAL ONE
Main benefits and perks with Premier Collection
It's worth pointing out that none of the hotels participating in the Premier Collection are exclusive to this booking portal. Alternatively, you could call or use the website for any of these hotels to book directly. You might also find these hotels on sites like Hotels.com. Prices could be higher or lower, depending on who you book through.
The main advantage to making a reservation with the Premier Collection is the suite of benefits added to your booking. Cardholders who make Premier Collection hotel reservations will enjoy the following guaranteed perks added to each room for the duration of their stay:
An on-property "experience credit" of up to $100.
Daily breakfast for two people.
Complimentary Wi-Fi.
Elevated earning rate of 10 miles per dollar.
In addition, you may receive these additional benefits, if available during your stay:
Room upgrade at check-in.
Early check-in.
Late checkout.
While many of these benefits are straightforward, it's worth highlighting the experience credit. When visiting a foreign country, the benefit will be made available in the local currency. Also, each property will determine this credit independently. Thus, it could be valid only for food and beverage purchases at some hotels while other properties may allow you to use this credit for massages at the spa or greens fees at the golf course.
La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa. COURTESY OF CAPITAL ONE
To use the on-property credit, eligible purchases must be charged to your room. Then, the credit will be applied at checkout when settling your bill. To determine what a hotel's experience credit is in advance, you'll need to contact the hotel directly. Details on the credit and its uses aren't available on the Premier Collection website prior to booking.
CAPITALONE.COM
As these credits can vary from hotel to hotel, it's worth considering how you value this benefit. Evaluate whether the perk is saving you money — by providing a free dinner, for example — or just offering a nice experience that you wouldn't choose if you had to pay for it yourself. Then, decide whether your valuation of the perk changes your desire to book that property through the Premier Collection.
To book a hotel with the Premier Collection, you must book through Capital One Travel.
While numerous credit cards provide access to Capital One Travel, only two cards provide access to the Premier Collection. Those are the Venture X and Venture X Business.
Once logged in, you can either click on the "Premium Stays" tab on the top right, or "Hotels" to see both Premier Collection and non-Premier Collection accommodation options. (We'll go with the latter.)
CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL
Search for your intended destination as you normally would.
CAPITALONE.COM
If you've chosen the "Hotels" tab, you can then filter for hotels that are part of the Premier Collection.
CAPITALONE.COM
From here, you'll now see 10 hotels, meaning the vast majority of hotels in Capital One Travel are not part of the Premier Collection.
CAPITALONE.COM
You can scroll through the list to see highlights of the hotels, such as available amenities and pricing.
CAPITALONE.COM
Clicking on a hotel provides details about its offerings and location.
CAPITALONE.COM
If you click on the "Choose Room" button, you can browse room types and associated pricing.
CAPITALONE.COM
When making a paid reservation with either of these cards, you will earn 10 Capital One miles per dollar. TPG values these miles at 1.85 cents apiece, meaning you would earn a healthy 18.5% return on spending.
Capital One will provide the option to include your rewards/loyalty account number when making a hotel reservation, but the decision to recognize your status or award points for your stay will be made by the hotel itself, according to the same spokesperson for Capital One. Thus, if your hotel status and its perks are important to you, consider whether you want to book through a portal where your status benefits and stay credits are not guaranteed.
Can I pay for Premier Collection bookings with my Capital One miles?
When making a Premier Collection booking, you can pay with your Venture X card or Venture X Business card — earning 10 miles per dollar spent on the reservation. However, you also can redeem your Capital One miles to cover the cost of your reservation.
Using your miles here will provide a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile. TPG values Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece, so this is not the best use of your miles. You may be better served using your miles elsewhere. If you're sitting on a mountain of Capital One miles or can't afford to pay the cash cost of Premier Collection hotels, then using your miles to save money could make sense for you.
Can I get a free night added onto Premier Collection bookings?
Several hotel programs offer benefits like a "free fourth night" or "free fifth night". To receive this benefit, you need to book directly with the hotel and redeem points from that hotel's rewards program.
The Ned Nomad New York. ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Additionally, we have seen promotions like "pay for three nights, get a fourth night free". However, all of these promotions and benefits for free nights added to your reservation require booking directly with the hotel. As Premier Collection reservations are considered third-party bookings, you won't be eligible for these additional, free nights. Be sure you consider the possible savings before deciding how to book your next hotel stay.
Is the Premier Collection worth it?
We checked a handful of hotels in London and New York City. On average, booking with the Premier Collection costs 13% more than booking the same room directly with the hotel. Compared to booking with Hotels.com, we found booking with the Premier Collection was up to 3% cheaper in some cases but up to 9% more expensive in others.
To put this into perspective, remember that you will not get the extra benefits offered by the Premier Collection when booking directly with the hotel or with sites like Hotels.com. The question is whether you think the extra benefits are worth the extra cost.
When to book with the Premier Collection
We see three times when it's advantageous to book with the Premier Collection, despite the higher cost:
When you have sufficient miles and don't want to pay cash.
When the benefits are worth more than the extra cost of booking with the Premier Collection instead of booking directly with the hotel. For example, consider locations where your daily breakfast will be expensive if not offered for free with your hotel room.
When you want to use your annual $300 credit for bookings in the Capital One Travel portal.
Bookings for the Capital One Premier Collection are live. Those with the Venture X or Venture X Business cards can access these bookings for benefits on their upcoming hotel reservations.
While there are extra benefits with these bookings, there can also be higher costs. Cash prices are consistently lower when booking directly with the hotels, instead of through the Premier Collection.
However, there are times where you may decide it's worth it, given the ability to redeem your miles for these bookings or to get a suite of benefits that will reduce your out-of-pocket costs across the entirety of your vacation. In short: make sure you do the math.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
