Most people think hotel perks only come two ways, and both cost money. You pay an expensive travel agent to book for you, or you pay hundreds a year for a premium credit card — the American Express Platinum, the Chase Sapphire Reserve — and use its hotel program to get upgrades, breakfast, and VIP treatment.
Here is the hack most people don’t know: booking through Hilltop Travel Co. gets you the same perks, without paying for the agent or the card.
Hilltop Travel Co., a travel concierge founded by Lillian Hocevar, offers a complimentary Hotel Booking Benefit. Book a preferred partner hotel through Hilltop’s booking link, and you are in line for the same perks those expensive routes are known for: a room upgrade where offered, daily breakfast where offered, WiFi where offered, and other VIP amenities arranged through the hotel’s preferred partner program. The benefit itself carries no extra charge. You still book and pay for your hotel stay in the usual way — you just don’t pay extra for the benefit, an agent’s fee, or a premium card’s annual fee to access partner-style perks.
How does that compare, side by side? An expensive travel agent can arrange partner amenities, but you pay for the service. A premium card’s hotel program can arrange similar amenities, but you pay the card’s annual fee whether you travel or not, and the perks only apply at that program’s hotels. Hilltop’s benefit applies at its preferred partner hotels, with no extra charge for the benefit itself, and no membership to maintain. That is the core of the hack: the perks are not locked behind a fee.
Agent-Level Hotel Perks — Free
Room upgrade where offered • Breakfast • WiFi • VIP amenities — at no extra charge for the benefit itself. Compare prices and you can sometimes save money, too.
There is a second part, and it’s worth checking every time: price. Bookings through Hilltop’s link can be cheaper than on other sites — but “can be” is the honest word, because hotel prices move by date, room, and channel. Compare the same hotel, same room, and same dates on the site you would normally use, then check Hilltop’s booking link. If Hilltop’s price is lower, you have saved money and picked up the perks. If it’s the same, you have still picked up the perks at no extra charge for the benefit. If it’s higher, you know before you book. The hack is not assuming one channel is always cheapest — it’s comparing, and getting perks either way.
How to use it: pick a preferred partner hotel that fits your trip, check what applies to your room and dates — upgrade where offered, breakfast where offered, WiFi where offered, and whether your reservation qualifies for additional complimentary services such as arranging airport transfers and additional concierge support — compare the price, then book through Hilltop’s booking link so the benefit can be arranged.
The limits are plain, and they apply to agents and card programs too: perks vary by hotel, room category, and dates, and an upgrade is never guaranteed. Hilltop is not affiliated with American Express or Chase, and this is not their hotel program — it’s Hilltop’s own preferred partner benefit, offering the same types of perks. If a specific perk matters, confirm it for your reservation before you book.
Verdict: if you were going to book a preferred partner hotel anyway, there is little downside to using a complimentary benefit that gives you the same perks people pay an agent or a premium card to get, at no extra charge for the benefit itself — and with a price comparison that can sometimes save you money as well.
