Luxury Escapes

Luxury Escapes, exclusive online travel deals

Luxury Escapes is a digital travel agency founded in Melbourne (Australia) in 2013 by entrepreneur Adam Schwab, who continues as CEO. The company presents itself as one of the world's fastest-growing travel operators and claims to have more than 9 million global members. Its proposition focuses on selling packages and bookings at prices negotiated directly with suppliers, which the company describes as exclusive and unavailable through other channels.

Products and services

Luxury Escapes' catalogue spans several travel categories:

• Hotels and resorts, with offers that include breakfast, dining credits, cocktails, room upgrades and other extras.
• Whole houses and villas for group or family stays.
• Guided group tours.
• Cruises with thousands of itineraries worldwide.
• Car hire.
• Flights.
• Local experiences at the destination.

The company also groups a selection of hotels and experiences under the Ultra Lux label, aimed at high-end accommodation, tours and cruises.

Pricing model and benefits for travellers

Luxury Escapes states that it negotiates directly with its partners to secure discounts of up to 70% and offers a best-price guarantee: if the customer finds a lower rate, the company matches the price. Bookings include flexible cancellation and date-change policies. The company also sells extras bundled into packages, such as breakfasts, meals, unlimited drinks, transfers and massages, depending on the destination.

Loyalty programme and memberships

Users can earn and redeem Société Points with every booking. There is a VIP travel club, LuxPlus+, which gives access to hidden hotel offers not published in the general catalogue. The company states that it has 14 million members and is backed by more than 4,500 and 13,000 reviews on different platforms, with ratings of 4.8 out of 5 and 4.7 out of 5 respectively.

Customer service and international presence

Luxury Escapes maintains a customer service team available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by phone and online chat. The company has offices in Melbourne, Chadstone, Sydney, Bondi and Singapore. Its catalogue covers destinations in 69 countries, with a particular presence in Australia, the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand and Mexico, among others.

Examples from the catalogue

Among the offers displayed on the website at the time of the analysis are stays in Hawaii (Wayfinder Waikiki, OUTRIGGER Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk), the Maldives (Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Pullman Maldives Maamutaa, RAH GILI MALDIVES, OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort), Bali (Grand Hyatt Bali), New York (Dream Downtown, by Hyatt), San Francisco (Stanford Court Hotel), Palm Springs (Thompson Palm Springs, by Hyatt) and Antigua (Hammock Cove Antigua). Packages include nights of accommodation, meals, drinks, transfers and activities depending on the destination, with prices in the published examples starting at US$299 for two nights and reaching US$5,899 for five nights in a villa.