How I Got $3,700+ in Value From Booking a Capital One Premier Collection Hotel

During a recent trip to Saint-Barthélemy, I used 1 of my favorite features of my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: the Capital One Premier Collection.

I stayed at the idyllic Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa (spoiler: it was perfect). Here is a breakdown of the $3,700 value I got as I strategically booked this property through the Capital One Premier Collection.

Capital One Premier Collection Hotels & Resorts: Is It Worth It?

Capital One introduced the Premier Collection for hotels and resorts in 2023 as a benefit of the Capital One Venture X card. The program is similar to American Express’ Fine Hotels & Resorts program or The Edit by Chase Travel.

Here are the benefits Capital One Venture X cardholders will receive when booking a participating Premier Collection hotel:

• 10x Capital One miles on Premier Collection hotel bookings
• $100 experience credit (depends on hotel)
• Complimentary breakfast for 2
• Free Wi-Fi
• Room upgrade (when available)
• Early check-in and late checkout (when available)

The issuer also added vacation rentals to the Premier and Lifestyle Collections earlier this year, available through Capital One Travel. (However, it’s worth noting that vacation rentals earn 5x miles instead of 10x miles on hotels.)

Maximizing the Capital One Premier Collection in St. Barths

Now that you’re familiar with the Premier Collection, let’s discuss how I maximized the program during a trip to Saint-Barthélemy.

The island is one of the most luxe destinations in the Caribbean, but unfortunately, there are no properties to book with points and miles. That means you’re left to book boutique hotels, private rentals, or Airbnbs. Whatever option you choose, you can expect to fork over a substantial amount of cash, with even the cheapest rooms at most resorts costing more than $800 nightly.

Luckily, there were several Premier Collection properties on the island to choose from. As this was my first time using the program, I was eager to see the hype and booked a stay with friends at Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa.

Room Upgrade [$3,054]

Perhaps the best benefit of the Premier Collection is the complimentary upgrade you receive at check-in (if available). This is especially true in more luxe, remote destinations like Saint-Barthélemy, where even the standard rooms are high-end.

Knowing that our trip would be a cash stay, I tried to be as economical as possible and booked the most affordable guest room at Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa: Le Barth Jardin (garden-facing view).

Our initial room cost just under $2,000 for 2 nights. We visited Saint-Barthélemy during the low season (peak is around the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays). Had we visited during a peak season, our guest room costs would have been considerably higher. 

Our initial price of around $2,000 was applied to the complimentary room upgrade. To our delight, we were not required to cover a portion of the upgrade, as I’ve experienced at some high-end properties like the Park Hyatt St. Kitts. 

And what an upgrade we received! 

Our 2-floor, 2-bathroom La Suite Plage was absolutely worth booking through the Premier Collection. The 1,500+ square foot suite was stocked with goodies from 2 minibars, a soaking tub, and unobstructed ocean views from both a balcony and patio. The beach was just steps away, and the waves lulled us to sleep each night. 

We paid just $2,000 total for a mega-suite that would normally cost a whopping $2,500 per night — or $5,046 for 2 nights. Subtracting the cash rate we paid for the standard room, I value this upgrade at $3,054 — absolutely enormous savings and easily among the best Premier Collection properties to book for maximum value.

That wasn’t the only benefit we received during our stay, either. We received an early check-in, late checkout, and welcome Champagne upon arrival.

Earn Bonus Miles on Hotels Booked With Capital One Travel [$360]

While Premier Collection bookings aren’t the cheapest, one of the best reasons to book through the program is the whopping 10x Capital One miles on hotel reservations.

My 2-night stay cost $1,988, which earned me nearly 20,000 Capital One miles — a massive haul for a cash booking. According to our points and miles valuations, those miles are worth around $360. 

Had I booked directly with the hotel, I would have earned just 2x miles with my Capital One Venture X card, which would have come out to just under 4,000 miles.

Experience Credit [$100]

When you book a Premier Collection hotel, you’re entitled to a $100 “experience credit” to use during your stay. 

The experience credit was applied to our overall folio, covering a few cocktails at the pool, and it wasn’t something I had to proactively or retroactively ask for. Given how expensive cocktails were at the resort (think $25 per drink), this credit was highly beneficial in shaving down our costs.

Daily Breakfast for 2 [$200]

Meals at any resort in St. Barths are expensive, and Le Barths was no exception, where breakfast costs around $50 per person. Luckily, when you book a Premier Collection reservation, you’re entitled to daily, complimentary breakfast for 2 guests.

Similar to the experience credit, this was a benefit we received without mentioning it. After breakfast each morning, we received a receipt as usual, but with the charge wiped. 

Since we used our breakfast credit for both days of our trip, I’ll value this benefit at $200.

How To Book Capital One Premier Collection Hotels

Now that you’re familiar with the value you can get with a Premier Collection reservation, you’re probably wondering how actually to make a reservation of your own. Luckily, it’s quite simple.

First, you’ll navigate to Capital One’s website or directly through the Premier Collection.

You’ll then enter your preferred destination, travel dates, and number of travelers.

You will then see a selection of Premier Collection hotels. If no eligible properties exist, you won’t see any hotels listed.

Additionally, you can toggle the Premium Stays button in the filter section to only show Premier Collection and Lifestyle Collection hotels.

Then, you’ll select your preferred room type.

Finally, you’ll be taken to the checkout page, where you’ll enter any remaining travel information, apply your $300 annual travel credit (if available), and then pay.

And voilà — you’ve made your first Premier Collection reservation!

Final Thoughts

The Premier Collection is a highly underrated feature of the Capital One Venture X card. When you make a hotel reservation with the Premier Collection, you’ll earn many perks like room upgrades, bonus miles, and much more.

This benefit can be used to book ultra-luxe, high-value hotels and resorts in some of the world’s most exclusive destinations. And, when you use the Premier Collection, you, too, can save thousands of dollars.