The Complete Guide to Belmond Bellini Club

Having originated in 1976 with the purchase of the famous Cipriani hotel in Venice, Belmond has grown to become a multi-service luxury travel company. Its portfolio boasts a number of state-of-the-art hotels, trains, river cruises, safari lodges, and even restaurants.

In 2019, Belmond joined LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, solidifying their place as leaders in luxury travel. Belmond operates 30+ hotels, six train routes, two river cruises, and three safari lodges with a presence on five continents.

Whether you’re looking to book one of Belmond’s lavish hotels, awe-inspiring river cruises, aspirational safari lodges, or journey across Europe or the Andes in one of Belmond’s world-class trains, the best way to book one of these adventures of a lifetime is through Belmond Bellini Club.

What Is Belmond Bellini Club?

Belmond Bellini Club is Belmond’s preferred partner program. By making a booking through an authorized travel advisor, you can receive extra perks and benefits at one of Belmond’s many hotels, safari lodges, trains, or river cruises.

When you book through Bellini Club and an authorized travel advisor, you won’t pay any more than the best publicly available rate; however, you’ll receive a number of additional benefits.

Book a stay at Cipriani in Venice with Belmond Bellini Club

Belmond Bellini Club is quite unique in that preferred partner programs are usually limited to hotel stays, but Belmond offers bespoke cruise and train experiences as well. 

While most of Belmond’s hotels are concentrated in Europe, you can also find properties and experiences in Asia, Africa, South America, and North America with Belmond Bellini Club.

With a strong presence in Peru, you can ride Andean Explorer across the Andes, or venture into Machu Picchu in style with the Hiram Bingham luxury train.

Belmond’s most iconic train, and perhaps the most iconic train route in the world, is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. 

On the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, you’re invited to go back in time with 1920s-themed restaurant cars as you traverse between some of Europe’s most fascinating cities.

If you’re planning a visit to Iguazu Falls in Brazil, why not stay right next to the waterfalls at Hotel das Cataratas?

Belmond has luxury hotels and experiences in remarkable locations across the world. By making a booking through Bellini Club, you’ll be sure to get the most out of the experience.

What Are the Benefits of Booking Through Belmond Bellini Club?

By booking through Bellini Club, you’ll receive extra perks and benefits at hotels, safari lodges, river cruises, and train journeys at no extra cost.

As you might expect, the benefits are slightly different depending on which type of booking you make.

For hotels and safari lodges, the benefits are as follows:

  • $90 (USD) credit per room per stay or $200 (USD) credit per suite per stay
  • Complimentary upgrade based on availability at time of check-in
  • VIP welcome treats with a local taste
  • À la carte breakfast for two daily
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi access
  • $500 (USD) gift voucher if your holiday totals $5,000 (USD) or more, to be applied to a future Belmond booking of at least $2,500 (USD) within 18 months.

For trains and river cruises, the Bellini Club benefits are as follows:

  • $100 (USD) credit per person per journey or $45 (USD) per person for day trips
  • VIP welcome treats with a local taste
  • Complimentary upgrade based on availability at time of check-in
  • $500 (USD) gift voucher if your holiday totals $5,000 (USD) or more, to be applied to a future Belmond booking of at least $2,500 (USD) within 18 months

While these are the standard benefits for booking through Belmond Bellini Club, the perks can also vary depending on the hotel.

For example, the Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu doesn’t just come with free breakfast for two per stay, but actually comes with all meals included for two people on preferred partner bookings. 

Book a luxurious stay at Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu

Your luxury travel advisor will be able to tell you what the exact benefits are for your desired hotel, train, river cruise, or safari lodge.

How to Maximize Value with Belmond Bellini Club

If you’re planning to book a Belmond hotel or vacation, you’ll want to make sure you’re optimizing your experience in every possible way.

Compare with Virtuoso and Amex FHR

One way to ensure you’re getting the best deal is to compare the Belmond Bellini Club rate with other available programs, such as Virtuoso and American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR).

Similar to Belmond Bellini Club, Virtuoso and Amex FHR offer additional benefits and perks at no extra cost.

Virtuoso hotels must be booked through an authorized travel advisor, whereas you can book Amex FHR rates on your own, but only if you have either the American Express Platinum Card or the American Express Business Platinum Card.

When comparing rates, keep in mind that Belmond will often prioritize you for upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out if you book through their own program.

Benefit

Belmond Bellini Club

Virtuoso

Amex FHR

Complimentary breakfast

Daily à la carte breakfast for two guests

Daily breakfast for two guests

Daily breakfast for two guests

One-category room upgrade

Subject to availability upon check-in

Subject to availability upon check-in

Subject to availability upon check-in

Property credit

$90 (USD) credit for rooms; $200 (USD) credit for suites

$100 (USD), varies by property

$100 (USD), varies by property

Early check-in

Subject to availability

Subject to availability

12pm, subject to availability

Late check-out

Subject to availability

Subject to availability

Guaranteed 4pm

When your Bellini Club booking exceeds $5,000 (USD), you’ll receive a $500 (USD) voucher for future bookings, and if you book a suite at one of Belmond’s hotels, you’ll get a $200 (USD) hotel credit. If you have plans to book hotels and experiences through Belmond, then it’s almost certainly best to book through their own preferred partner program.

For stays of less than $5,000 (USD), Virtuoso and Amex FHR may have some intriguing benefits as well.

For example, 4pm late check-out is a guaranteed Amex FHR benefit, which isn’t guaranteed if you book the same hotel through Belmond Bellini Club or Virtuoso. If late check-out is important to you, then it may make more sense to book through Amex FHR.

With Virtuoso, you can also find different benefits not offered through Belmond Bellini Club or Amex FHR.

For example, the Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu includes all meals for two guests when booked through Bellini Club. That same hotel booked through Virtuoso only offers daily breakfast for two guests; however, you’ll get a complimentary 50-minute massage for two people once during the stay.

In this example, if you know you won’t be hanging around the hotel too much, or you want to try out other restaurants in the area, it can make sense to book through Virtuoso in order to enjoy the complimentary massage after a long day of hiking around Machu Picchu.

Again, it’s always important to compare all of your options, which is something your travel advisor will be able to help you with.

Book Shorter Stays

There isn’t a minimum length of stay requirement for Bellini Club bookings. Since some of the benefits, such as the property credit, only apply once per stay, you stand to gain more relative value from shorter stays rather than longer ones.

Book shorter stays at Belmond hotels to maximize value

Note that if you book multiple consecutive one-night stays, the hotel will recognize that as a single booking and you’ll still only receive the credit once.

Conclusion

Belmond Bellini Club is an excellent program that provides extra value if you book some of the world’s most lavish and luxurious hotels, trains, river cruises, or safari lodges.

By booking through an authorized travel advisor, you’ll enjoy benefits you otherwise wouldn’t receive, at no extra cost to you.

If you have your eyes on an upcoming Belmond vacation, make sure to reach out to a Bellini Club travel advisor for a quote.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have an Account? Click here to Login