Every travel business has VIPs, and most just haven't told them yet. A real VIP program makes your best clients feel chosen, and it takes the risk out of your launches, because a trip that sells to your inner circle before the public sees it was never in danger.
“Get so deep in clients that they start to feel like they can't do anything without you.”
Three ways to define a VIP
- Intent: the people who join a trip waitlist early. Someone who signs up early is telling you they want to buy.
- History: your top spenders or most frequent travelers. The data already knows who they are.
- Membership: a paid annual tier. Charging for VIP status sounds bold until you see who happily pays it. Your best clients want a formal relationship with you.
How it works
Building your VIP tier
- 1
Define your VIPs
waitlist, top spenders, paid tier
- 2
Stack low-cost benefits
early booking, direct access
- 3
Tell them they're in
- 4
Launches sell before they start
How I do it
Three ways to define a VIP
- 1
Intent
Everyone who joins a trip waitlist early
- 2
History
Top spenders or most frequent travelers
- 3
Membership
A paid annual tier, around $500 a year
Pick one, or run all three. A waitlist is not a list, it is a buyer-intent detector.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
The benefits stack that costs almost nothing
The good news is that most VIP benefits worth having are things your commission already pays for. An early booking window before public launch. A private group chat and direct call access. Waived transfer or planning fees. Complimentary hotel-booking service, "free" to them, commissioned to you. A beautiful annual gift. To your client it feels like a lot. To you it costs very little next to what a loyal repeat client is worth.
The deeper strategy
What I'm after is depth, and the fee follows. I want to be so much a part of how my clients travel that planning without me doesn't even occur to them. A VIP program just gives that relationship a structure and a front door. Build the tier, tell your best people they're in it, and watch your launches start selling out before they start.
A note before you try this
Before you announce anything, check what each benefit really costs you. A waived fee is only easy if your commission covers it. Pick one way to define your VIPs first, like your early waitlist, and start there.
Build your inner circle
Your best clients already want to be chosen. Inside Travel AI University, we set up your VIP tier and the launch that goes to them first.
Common Questions
What should a travel VIP program include?
An early booking window before public launch, a private group chat, direct call access, waived transfer or planning fees, complimentary hotel booking service, and an annual gift. Most of these cost little because commission already covers them.
Can travel advisors charge for VIP membership?
Yes. Claire's structure includes a paid annual tier, and paid VIPs are typically a business's most loyal repeat clients.
How much should a travel VIP membership cost?
Around $500 a year works for an annual tier, because most of the benefits are things your commission already covers. The fee is a commitment device more than a revenue line.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
Claire B. Soares is the founder of Travel AI University, a 6x Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist, and a Certified AI Consultant with a B.S. in Computer Science. A top 10% enterprise sales executive, she sold $3.4B+ in enterprise software to Google, Microsoft, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD, then built $16M+ in leisure travel sales.
About Claire
