I contacted Virtuoso for help planning my upcoming honeymoon to Australia. Sounded like it would be a good fit; Cassandra Bookholder, was an Aussie native and I was super excited to plan this with her help and expertise. Except she ghosted me. Never heard another word. We didn’t have any personal conflicts or disagreements on anything so it came as a surprise to me. I concluded that she was just incredibly unprofessional and dare I say lazy?. Go somewhere that employs people that care to respond.
BL
Bob L.
Suzy Xiu is a poor excuse for a Virtuoso agent.
Having used a Virtuoso agent in 2001 for an Alaskan adventure, I was extremely pleased with the attention to detail, perks and overall guidance along the planning stages. Fast forward to 2020; I hired Suzy Xiu, a Virtuoso agent to plan my Italian honeymoon. Although she was excellent in providing vendors for excursions, and hotel/resort accommodations, when Covid hit she distanced herself and did nothing to assist in us getting our $50k in deposits back. Many vendors stated a 30% nonrefundable deposit. Luckily American Express got me every dime back. Then we regrouped and I booked a Regent cruise from Barcelona to Istanbul. I even turned over the cruise credit to Suzy as I understand travel has been hard and I wanted to help her out financially. Suzy recommended that at the end of our cruise we should fly to Bodrum Turkey and stay at the Bodrum Mandarin Oriental due to their stay two and get the third night free program. So we booked for a total of nine nights. Now remember that this is our honeymoon trip. I specifically stated that we wanted a sea view room. She elected to book us into a garden view room and assured us that since she was a Virtuoso agent, the Mandarin Oriental would certainly upgrade our room to a sea view. Three days before our departure, Suzy informs me that the resort is fully booked and we are stuck with a garden view room. So I ask Suzy, exactly what benefits have I received from you and Virtuoso for this trip that you have undoubtedly done very little other than charge me a $200 "fee" to have the "benefit" of working with you and Virtuoso. I received a $300 shipboard credit and I now find that other cruise passengers are receiving up to $5k in rebates from their travel agent. Suzy's response was that she is sorry that I don't see her value and therefore she will no longer be assisting us. I was shocked that an agent that is supposed to be working to ensure a honeymoon is perfect, is so inept at customer service. I contacted Regent to inquire about removing Suzy from getting credit for our cruise but alas, it was too late. I assume a $50k cruise has a nice commission. I sure wish she would have earned it. But the pen is mightier than the sword, and I have gone on every travel blog to spread the word of her poor attitude and unacceptable service. A shame she chose to act like such a petulant child. She could have represented us for our 3-week Dubai to Singapore cruise in November.
KE
Kent E.
The Virtuoso Life Team's Dream Trips
The Virtuoso Life Team's Dream Trips - maybe for you all as part time agents - but for the guy spending 100k it’s a full on lazy rip off - stay away from the Polynesia team - email me for names
VM
Veronica M.
Out of respect for all parties…
Out of respect for all parties involved, I can’t go into details about my experience, but it was awful. I would never Booking.com with virtuoso again.
AM
Alison M.
Love Virtuoso for Solo Travel
I found Virtuoso when I waited until the last minute to book a trip to London for some theater tickets we had bought to see Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet.
We were leaving in less than a month and had two weeks to spend with no plans at all. I searched for a travel agency and found Virtuoso which basically caters to clients looking for 5-star service, private tours, and fancy hotels.
So I was synced with an agent who specialized in London and Paris and she planned everything out for us to include trips to Bath, Stonehenge, Paris and private drivers and tours.
We had a great time.
I have since found an agent who I book ALL of my travel through now when I booked a later solo trip to Bali for two weeks. She has since booked trips to Japan, Hawaii, all over California, and a three-week European Christmas market vacation through Germany, Budapest, Prague, Amsterdam, and Vienna.
I'm a fan - this is a good company with agents who can really elevate your travel. It's more pricey - but absolutely worth it to have someone who will be there 24/7 if you have an issue to rebook your flights, find you another hotel, or change your plans around if something needs to change last minute.
These are experts on locations who make suggestions for things to see and do you may not know about. Usually the itinerary will include an app with suggestions and information about what to see, where to go, where to stay and what to eat while in each city.
I love it! I'm a fan for life. My agent is awesome and she is able to get me deals and perks I wouldn't get without her, like free breakfasts and spa credits at fancy hotels.
