Questions
How working together goes, what it costs, and the fine print.
Working together
What does it cost to work with you?
Booking a hotel is complimentary. If you'd like me to choose the stay, it's $350. A custom journey starts at $750, quoted as one flat fee after we talk. Some things carry no fee at all: private aviation, yacht charters and tickets to the big moments.
How do you get paid?
Hotels and partners pay me a commission when you book through me. Your rate is the same as booking direct, almost without exception, and if booking direct ever suits you better, I'll say so. Planning fees pay for my time designing a trip and are separate from commission.
Where do you plan trips?
Anywhere in the world, and for clients wherever they live: I work with travelers in the US, Europe and Australia. Where I haven't been myself, I work with colleagues and partners on the ground who know it well. Fees are in US dollars, and calls are arranged around your time zone.
Have you been to the places you recommend?
I'll always tell you which. I've either stayed there, walked it and eaten there, or I'm recommending it on the word of someone whose taste I trust. I never blur the three.
Is it all farm stays and gardens?
No. Some trips are a walled garden and a kitchen that cooks from it; others are a terrace on the sea and dinner that runs late. What they share is a long history, people who look after the place, and food from nearby.
What is Fora, and what does it mean for me?
Fora is a travel agency with a network of independent advisors, and Ortus Loci is one of them. For you, it means access. Fora belongs to the preferred partner programs of hotel groups and collections including Four Seasons, Rosewood, Belmond, Oetker Collection, Aman, Auberge, Mandarin Oriental, Rocco Forte, Dorchester Collection, The Peninsula and Relais & Châteaux, along with its own partnerships with luxury hotels and resorts around the world. Fora is also a member agency of Virtuoso, so at participating Virtuoso hotels a stay booked through me can include Virtuoso's amenities as well. A stay booked through me often comes with privileges, such as breakfast, a hotel credit, and an upgrade or early check-in when available, usually at the same rate as booking direct. The hotel knows you're coming through a partner it values, and it hears from me before you arrive. Behind every trip is Fora's support team and a community of advisors comparing notes on places they've seen firsthand. How I plan, and what I recommend, is my own.
Booking
I found a lower rate online. Should I take it?
Sometimes. Usually it's non-refundable, hard to change, and the hotel can't see who you are. I'll show you the full picture so you can choose on value rather than price alone. Wherever I can, I book directly with the hotel, so the privileges and the relationship come with you.
I've already made a reservation. Is it too late?
Often it isn't. Send a general inquiry with your confirmation attached and I'll ask the hotel whether the booking can move to me. That isn't possible for stays booked with points, through a card's travel portal, through sites such as Expedia or Tablet, or at Marriott hotels. It works best at four- and five-star hotels.
Can I use my points?
Use them for flights, where they usually go furthest. I don't book with points, so keep the hotel with me and you'll have my privileges there.
My credit card already gets me hotel privileges.
Those are the same for every cardholder. Through me, the hotel hears from a person before you arrive: who you are, what you like, what you're celebrating. And there's someone to call if anything needs fixing.
Will I still earn my hotel loyalty points?
Yes. I add your loyalty number to each reservation, so you keep earning points and nights toward your status.
Do you arrange flights?
On custom journeys: international flights and private aviation. Otherwise, private aviation on request, and commercial flights case by case.
Planning
When should I get in touch?
As early as you can. The most special hotels book up far ahead, so even if your trip is a year or more away, let's talk now and plan the timing so you get the hotel you've been dreaming of. For a hotel booking alone, any time is fine, last minute included. I'll do everything I can to get you what you want.
Why do you ask about budget? I'm not sure what mine is.
A rough idea is all I need: roughly what you'd like to spend on your hotel each night. That lets me look in the right places, and keeps me from showing you rooms you'd never book or leaving out ones you'd love. Whatever the number, there's always somewhere wonderful.
What will you want to know about me?
Dates, budget and who's coming, to begin with. Then the things that really shape a trip: how you like to spend a morning, what you'd rather leave out, a trip you still think about.
Can you accommodate accessibility needs, allergies or medical conditions?
Yes, as long as I know about them early. I'll brief every hotel and partner and choose places that can genuinely accommodate you. I can't guarantee how a third party will deliver, which is why I ask about everything up front.
And if something goes wrong while I'm away?
On a custom journey, you'll reach me, or a colleague of mine on the ground. Either way, it's someone who already knows your trip.
How quickly will I hear back?
Within one business day. When you're traveling on a custom journey, you'll have a direct way to reach me or my colleague on the ground.
The fine print
Is an upgrade guaranteed?
Upgrades, early check-in and other privileges depend on availability on the day. I ask for them every time, but I can't promise them, and neither can the hotel.
What if I book something myself after your proposal?
Recommendations from Choosing the Stay and custom journeys are made on the understanding that the bookings come through me. That's what lets me look after you once you're there. Booking elsewhere doesn't change your planning fee.
Are planning fees refundable?
No. The fee pays for time and work, so it isn't refundable once paid, even if your plans change or the trip doesn't go ahead.
What happens if I need to cancel or change my trip?
Each hotel, airline and partner sets its own cancellation terms. I'll always show you those terms before you book, and I'll help you through any change, but I can't override a supplier's policy. This is one more reason for travel insurance.
Should I buy travel insurance?
I recommend it for every trip. Many credit cards include some travel coverage, but it rarely covers everything. Medical care abroad, evacuation, and cancelling for reasons the card doesn't accept are common gaps. I can point you to a provider; which policy you choose is up to you.
Who do I pay?
Either you'll receive a bookable quote, where you add your card yourself and the hotel is booked in one step, or I'll send a link to Fora's secure payment vault, where your card is stored safely and used only for the payments you've approved. Planning fees are invoiced through Fora. You never pay me personally, and I'll never ask for card details by email or text.
Do you handle passports, visas and entry requirements?
I'll flag what you'll need, such as the UK's electronic travel authorization, but making sure every traveler's passport, visas and entry documents are in order is your responsibility. Check passports early. Many countries require six months' validity.
Will you share my trip online?
Never without asking. I don't name clients, and I don't post anyone's trip, photos or hotel without permission.
Do you take every trip?
No. I plan a limited number of custom journeys each year, and some trips aren't the right fit, such as five cities in nine days. If I'm not the right advisor for your trip, I'll tell you, and suggest a version I'd do well.
Ortus Loci · independent travel advisor of Fora Travel