In-Depth Inspirato Pass Review: The Pros & Cons of Inspirato Membership

I joined Inspirato as a “Pass Member” in January 2022 and have been very happy with the decision. So much so that I renewed my membership for another year!

I get a lot of questions from friends and family about why we joined and if we like the program, so I thought I would write up an “Inspirato Pass Review” article to help answer that question.

This article will provide an in-depth review of the Inspirato Pass program and focus on my experience during our first full year as a Pass member. I’ll cover the most important topics like the cost of the program, the types of properties, the availability of the properties, and how the subscription model works.

I’ll also address some of the less-known aspects of Pass including bonus trips, events, and experiences.

If you make it all the way through this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of how Inspirato Pass works and if you think it would be a good program for you. Enjoy!

Inspirato Pass Review: What is Inspirato?

Let’s start with a basic understanding of what Inspirato is. Inspirato LLC (NASDAQ: ISPO) is a luxury vacation company that provides access to a portfolio of five-star vacation properties (homes, condos, and hotels) and experiences, delivered through a monthly subscription model.

The Inspirato portfolio of properties includes luxury vacation homes, accommodations at five-star hotels and resorts, and custom travel experiences.

In addition to providing access to these properties, Inspirato’s subscription model includes five-star personalized service, including pre-trip planning, onsite concierge, and daily housekeeping with every trip. All of these are included in the cost of your monthly subscription with no hidden fees!

Inspirato Destinations & Real Estate

The Inspirato portfolio consists of over 450 residences in 95+ destinations which are then classified into “beach”, “mountain”, “lifestyle” or “metropolitan” locations.

The properties include luxury vacation homes that are maintained and managed by the Inspirato team as well as hotel rooms, suites, and resort residences contracted with their five-star luxury hotel partners.

The largest portion of the portfolio is in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean with a growing presence in Europe.

Options are currently very limited in Asia, Australia, and Africa, so if your goal is to travel extensively in those locations, Inspirato might not be the best option for you.

What you may be surprised to learn is that Inspirato doesn’t actually own any of the properties in its $1.5 billion+ portfolio. Instead, they contract with homeowners via long-term leases and directly manage the properties to ensure quality and consistency across the portfolio.

Inspirato Hotels & Resorts

In addition to luxury homes, Inspirato offers access to a large list of exclusive 5-star hotels and resorts. These hotels can be booked via your Inspirato Pass membership or through a paid Virtuoso booking.

Inspirato Collection Hotels & Resorts

You will be able to book a hotel stay with your Pass membership if a hotel is part of Inspirato’s Hotel Collection. This is a group of well over 200 luxury hotels that Inspirato has partnered with, giving you access to some of the most exclusive hotels and destinations in the world.

Properties in the “Inspirato Collection Hotels” include amazing properties with five-star brands such as Rosewood, One & Only, Park Hyatt, Ritz Carlton, Montage, Como, and St. Regis, as well as a collection of independent and boutique hotels.

Hotels Outside of the Inspirato Collection

If you’re looking for a luxury hotel that has not partnered with Inspirato, you can book it through Inspirato’s partnership with Virtuoso.

In this situation, Inspirato is essentially your travel agent, helping you book a room that includes bonuses like a room upgrade (if available), breakfast for two, early check-in / late check-out, and possibly some resort and dining credits.

You can use your “Pass Subscription” to book trips at properties in the Inspirato Collection Hotels. If a luxury property is not part of the collection, your Inspirato care team can help you book through Virtuoso, which will be a paid booking, outside of the membership.

Inspirato Pass Property Search Tool

Another great feature of the Inspirato program is the search tool and the fact that you don’t need to be a member to access the tool and see what type of properties are available to you.

When using the search tool, just enter your desired geography and dates. The tool will then deliver a list of locations available at that time. You can then use the filter to refine location types such as beach, mountain, or metropolitan locations.

You can also add another filter if you only want to spend a certain number of Pass Days on a given trip or want a home with a minimum number of rooms.

If you want to get the best value for your Pass days, be flexible with your search. The more open you are to different locations and dates, the more value you will get from your Pass.

Inspirato Membership Options

Here’s a summary of the three membership options available through Inspirato:

1. Inspirato Club Membership

The Club membership is Inspirato’s base membership.

Inspirato Club members enjoy access to the full Inspirato Collection of exclusive homes, hotels, resorts, and experiences by paying nightly rates when they travel. They also receive first-class, personalized service from a team of hospitality experts – from pre-trip planning to an on-site concierge.

This membership essentially gives you access to the portfolio of properties, as well as the Care Team and Destination Planners. It’s generally used by people that want to “test drive” the program.

To learn more about the Club program read our Inspirato Club vs. Pass article.

2. Inspirato Select Membership

Inspirato Select is the newest evolution of the Inspirato membership offering (introduced in June 2022). Select is a new subscription offering designed for both personal and business use that can be shared with others.

One of the most valuable features of Inspirato Select is that Inspirato Select Trips are 100% transferrable and may be shared with others at no additional cost.

This gives subscribers the flexibility to use their subscription in a wide variety of ways: You can use Select Trips for yourself or gift them to family, friends, or even business colleagues. You can either purchase Select as a stand-alone membership or add it to an existing club or pass membership.

3. Inspirato Pass Membership

In 2019, Inspirato introduced Inspirato Pass and promoted it as the world’s first luxury travel subscription. As an Inspirato Pass member, you pay a monthly subscription that gives you access to their complete portfolio of properties for $2,550 per month, including nightly rates, taxes, fees, and housekeeping.

The $2,550 monthly price for Inspirato Pass consists of $2,200 for the Pass portion and preferred pricing of $350 (versus list pricing of $650/month) for all the benefits of an Inspirato Club subscription.

The benefits include flexibility to book outside the Pass Trip List, dedicated service on every trip, member events, Bespoke travel, and more.

Inspirato Pass Days

Every time you book a trip as a Pass Member, you consume a number of “Pass Days”, which will vary by property, season, duration of stay, etc. Pass Days are the currency you have as a member to book an Inspirato property.

A subscription to Pass is $2,550 per month. So, the value of a Pass Day is the monthly cost divided by 30, making one Pass Day equal to approximately $85.

How Much Does Inspirato Cost?

The three membership options are priced as follows:

• Inspirato Pass Membership: $2,550 enrollment fee + $2,550 monthly subscription payment
• Inspirato Club Membership: $650 enrollment fee + $650 monthly subscription payment
• Inspirato Select Membership: $2,000 enrollment fee + $24,000 annual fee

The prices for Pass and Club are for month-to-month plans. If you’re interested in prepaying for 6 or 12 months, Inspirato typically will offer additional incentives including waived enrollment fees and other perks.

Memberships can be canceled at any time with 30 days’ written notice (the enrollment fees are non-refundable).

My Bookings as a 1st Year Inspirato Pass Member

Here are the bookings I have made in my first year as a Pass Member to give you a feel for the type of properties available and how your Pass Days will actually work:

1st Pass Booking: SailFish – Fort Lauderdale Condo

Sailfish is the name of a 2 Bedroom Condo at The Conrad Ft. Lauderdale, where I booked a 7-night stay.

• January 8: I Joined Inspirato with a 12-month membership
• January 9: I Booked a 7 Night stay at Conrad Ft. Lauderdale in a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Condo for 13 Pass Days. This was a short notice booking that came at an incredible value! 13 Pass days represents about $1,000 in value, but other 2-bedroom condos at The Conrad were going for almost $15,000 for that same 7-night stay. I was off and running with this booking!
• January 15 – 22: Dates of my stay.
• January 23: Thirteen days have passed and My Pass membership is available again to book another vacation!

The way Pass Days work is that the 13-day duration from the date I booked is considered “Pass in Use” and I cannot book another trip until my Pass became available again on January 23.

2nd Pass Booking: Villa Eos – Turks and Caicos Home

Villa Eos is a 3,500 sq. foot, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath Ocean front home located in Turks and Caicos, British West Indies. Four of the bedrooms have king beds and one has two twins. It’s perfect for the couples week we had planned with friends.

The five-night booking in October consumed 145 Pass Days (with an estimated value of about $14,000).

• March 13: Booked 5-night stay at Villa Eos in October for 145 Pass Days.
• June 23: My Pass will become available again for another booking.
• October 21: First day of my trip. I don’t have to wait until my stay is complete to book another trip. My vacation is in late October, but I can book one or possibly two more trips between June 23 and when I head out to Turks!

From a value standpoint, I did much better on my first booking than on my second. The Sailfish booking was somewhere close to 1,500% Value of my Pass Days, while the Villa Eos booking was only 131%.

3rd Pass Booking: Boathouses at Canoe Place, The Hamptons

Our third booking was in July for an August trip to The Hamptons in a property called the Boathouses at Canoe Place.

The Boathouses at Canoe Place is a collection of 18 Boathouse residences to choose from, with more under construction (available in Summer 2023). The residences are two to three stories and come in both two and three-bedroom configurations. They are all newly constructed, with the highest quality finishes, and are very bright and open.

The three-night booking at “The Mariner” residence in August consumed 45 Pass Days (with an estimated value of about $8,200) at a 250% pass value.

4th Pass Booking: Acqualina Resort – Miami, FL

My 4th booking with my Pass membership was for a 5-night stay at Acqualina Resort & Spa, which is considered one of the most luxurious 5-Star hotels in Miami.

This 5-night booking consumed 80 Pass Days (vs. $7,100 to book with the hotel), which is a little over 105% Pass value. Hotel and Resort rooms typically offer the lowest value for your Pass days, so was not expecting outsized value for this trip.

5th Pass Booking: Coronet Cottage – Palmetto Bluff, SC

My 5th and final booking under my first year of Pass was at Coronet Cottage, which is located in the resort community of Palmetto Bluff.

This 5-night booking consumed 70 Pass Days, which is a little over 160% Pass value. We will be staying in March, which is a little out of season for this area, so we got this one for a lower amount of Pass days.

Inspirato Bonus Trips

As an active Pass subscriber, you have the ability to purchase a Pass Bonus Trip at any time. Here is how Bonus Trips work:

• Any trip that is available on the Pass Trip List for check-in within the next 30 days may be booked as a Pass Bonus Trip for $3,000. Any trip that is available for check-in within the next 31 – 60 days may be booked as a Pass Bonus Trip for $6,000. 
• Cancellations within three business days of booking are 100% refundable. Cancellations more than 14 days prior to check-in are 50% refundable in travel credits. Cancellations 0 to 14 days prior to check-in are non-refundable. 

These work well if your Pass is in use and you would like to take a vacation over the next 30 days. Depending on what is available, you might be able to get great value out of these!

Bonus Trip Booking #1: Kiawah Island Girls Trip

As an example, My wife booked a 4-night girls’ trip to Kiawah Island in September with five of her friends using a bonus trip. Our Pass was “in use” and unavailable during this time, so a Bonus Trip was a perfect fit for this stay!

The 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath home (Terrapin) was an amazing value and would have cost 4-5 times as much if she booked at a cash rate.

I am a huge fan of the Bonus Trip feature!

Cruises, Experiences & Sporting Events

In addition to booking homes and hotels, you can also use your pass days for Cruises, Experiences, Events, and Shopping. However, these will not give you the best value for your Pass days.

Experiences

Experiences are primarily Tours booked with luxury tour companies like Classic Journeys, andBeyond (Safaris & Luxury Tours in Asia, Africa & South America), and Duvine (Bike Tours). You can also book unique trips like Alaska Fishing tours and Dude Ranch Vacations.

All of these tour groups and adventures look amazing and very well done, I am just not sure that this would be the best use of your Pass Days and membership, as you can book these on your own with the travel companies.

Cruises

Inspirato has three partners for Ocean and River Cruises. Silversea and Seabourn are the main Ocean cruise partners and Amadeus and Uniworld are the river cruise partners.

The cruise partners are not unique to Inspirato. You could book the same trip direct with them if you would like.

Tickets to Events

Inspirato offers access to a huge variety of sporting events and concerts across the country. Unlike the Cruises and Experiences, these are events that you may not otherwise have access to, so while these tickets might not be a great “value” they might get you into an event you may not otherwise be able to get into.

They also may come with perks you might have had if you just bought a ticket on the open market, such as access to a suite with complimentary food and beverage.

Here are some things to know:

• Tickets are priced in both dollars ($) and Days of Pass, noted as “DOP”. Choose tickets based on your preferred method of payment:
  • If you’re paying with Days of Pass: Your Pass will be in use as you earn your ticket purchase. You are able to cancel these tickets at any time while you’re earning your tickets. Once earned, these tickets are non-refundable.
  • If you’re paying with a credit card: Please let us know within 24 hours if you decline these tickets. Tickets will be charged within 24 hours, distributed four days before the event, and are non-refundable once charged.
• View FAQs for the new Inspirato Tickets program.

Beyond Travel

The “Beyond Travel” items are typically the worst value for your Pass Days. It’s like using Amex Membership Rewards points to buy something on Amazon or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to buy an Apple laptop.

While you “can” use Pass days for these items, I would highly recommend not doing so. Why would you join a luxury travel subscription to buy a coffee maker or cookware? It just doesn’t make sense.

Other Benefits of Inspirato Pass Membership

Member Events

Your membership also comes with special events each quarter that you can attend. These include both online and in-person events across the country. The events are often centered around food and wine and are available on a first-come, first-served basis for a small fee.

The nice thing about the events is that you can bring friends that aren’t members with you for a great night out.

The first Inspirato event my wife and I attended was a Private Dinner and Oyster Shucking Class in Detroit.

The event cost was $50 per person and included an overview of the various types of oysters, their flavor profiles, and how to shuck them, with 6 oysters for each person to shuck and eat.

The oyster shucking was followed by a five-course dinner paired with a very nice selection of pre-selected wines. The value of this evening far exceeded the $100 I spent for my wife and me to attend and we had a great time!

Jaunt and Jaunt 52

Through the Inspirato Club program, you’ll have access to two programs called Jaunt 52 and Jaunt Now. Jaunt trips are significantly discounted trips that are released to members every Wednesday morning via email.

Jaunt Now offers member-only trips to the portfolio that are available in the next 60 days.

You can’t use your Pass days for Jaunt trips. They are discounted rates to be paid for in cash or credit, available to Inspirato Club members.

Jaunt 52 offers discounts on more than 100 pre-selected trips available each week from the Inspirato Collection. They are member-only vacations that book on a first-come, first-served basis and are scheduled up to one year out.

Customer Service, Planning & Concierge Team

My experience with the customer service teams at Inspirato has been great. This includes everyone from the initial salesperson I bought my subscription through to the Midwest Care team I’m assigned to and work with on a regular basis.

I’m based in Michigan, so I have been assigned to the “Pass Great Lakes Team”. My understanding is that the teams are divided up by region and further segmented by “Pass Members” and “Club Members”.

Each member has a dedicated support team, with their own direct phone line, email address, and after-hours line. The booking tool Inspirato offers is very intuitive, so you can often book trips without contacting your team, but if for some reason you do need them, they are easy to get in touch with for help.

In addition to your dedicated Inspirato Care Team, they also have Destination Planners that help you craft each trip itinerary. These planners are local to the destination and know all the insider tips and top recommendations.

Your Destination Planner will send you a list of recommendations for activities and dining 1-2 months in advance of your trip. Once you decide what you want to do, they’ll make your dinner reservations, arrange your excursions, provide transportation, buy groceries, and more.

The Pros & Cons of Inspirato Pass

Here is my view on the pros and cons of the Inspirato Pass program:

Pros:

• Access to amazing five-star homes and resorts (with homes that are only available to members)
• Great service and pre-trip planning assistance via the Inspirato Care Team and local Destination Planners
• Housekeeping is included in the monthly subscription fee, at no additional charge
• Opportunity for significant outsized value if you manage the subscription properly
• The monthly subscription model allows you to spread your costs out evenly over the year
• Great value can be found with luxury home rentals (this includes resort residences)
• With homes, you can bring along friends and family members at no additional charge
• Pass membership can be canceled at any time, with 30 days’ notice

Cons:

• Cancellation policy (with individual stays not with the membership itself)
• Short-term booking can be challenging
• Designed for those with flexible travel schedules that are open to a variety of destinations. If you cannot be flexible, this is not a great option for you
• You can’t book another trip while your pass days are in use (unless you book a paid club/jaunt trip or buy a bonus trip or second pass)
• Luxury hotels and experiences do not offer great value for your Pass days
• Pets are not allowed at Inspirato homes.
• The majority of the homes are in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. There are not many options if you want to travel outside this area. Europe is growing but is still fairly limited. There are no homes in South America, Africa, Asia, or Australia.

Conclusion: Is Inspirato Pass Worth it?

You could argue that Inspirato is good for anyone who wants to luxury travel experience bundled into a monthly subscription, and that is absolutely true. But I look at it a little differently.

I would rather know what type of traveler can get the most value from an Inspirato subscription. When you look at it this way, it primarily appeals to the traveler that wants 5-star luxury vacations but also has the ability to be very flexible.

The way to get the most value out of your Inspirato subscription is to have flexibility regarding where you go and when you go.

For example, if you are the type of traveler that wants to go to a warm/beach location in the winter, with flexibility on the dates, and are open to any island in the Caribbean as well as Latin American locations (Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.), then this could be an amazing program for you. My Care team refers to this as “casting a wide net” to get the most options and value from your subscription.

However, a traveler that is tied to their children’s school vacation schedules and only has a couple of specific destinations in mind, will not be able to get “outsized value” from an Inspirato membership, although they will still be able to have access to amazing properties at a good value.

In the fall, my kids will both be in college, I work remotely most of the time, and have the freedom to go just about anywhere. I can even go somewhere without taking a vacation and just work remotely in a sunny warm location to get out of the dreary Michigan winters.

Consequently, I have the potential to be the Inspirato “poster child” member. Time will tell if my wife and I are actually able to pull this off and really maximize our membership, but I am optimistic it will work out and very excited to continue to take advantage of all Inspirato has to offer!

Inspirato Member Referral

If you would like to join Inspirato and gain access to their amazing luxury vacation homes via a monthly subscription model, please use my referral link below to connect with an Inspirato representative who will hook you up with the latest promotion!

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