It was Mother’s Day and one week before I was supposed to start a new job. I needed a vacation and a Mother’s Day gift, so I decide to travel someplace and bring my mom along. My plan to travel to Asia was put on the back burner because it was raining everywhere. Bora Bora and Europe were also either cold or experiencing torrential downpours.
Pretty much every beach destination was dark and depressing, except for California and Cancun. The Nizuc Resort & Spa had been on my bucket list for a while. With the the relatively high rates in mind, I checked out Club1 Hotels for a deal and saved almost $1,300 on my 3-night stay.
Why I chose the Nizuc Resort
I chose the Nizuc Resort largely because I wanted a tranquil, secluded place to relax. The Hyatt Ziva Cancun didn’t have any standard award availability and none of the other massive resorts appealed to me.
The Nizuc Resort got on my radar a year ago when I was following Bethenny Frankel on Snapchat. In between listening to her self-absorbed rants about nothing, I was mesmerized by the stunning scenery. At one point, she declared, “This is the best vacation I’ve ever taken…It’s a totally different thing I wasn’t even aware of.”
The Nizuc was modern, gorgeous, tranquil…and not part of any hotel chain. So why did I book this property, especially at such a high rate? The Nizuc had the seclusion and tranquility I was looking for and it was close to the airport. The last thing I wanted was to spend 45 minutes in a shuttle van after 10+ hours of travel.
How I Club1 saved me almost $1,300 at Nizuc
Back in October, I partnered with Club1 Hotels to offer a free 1-year membership. In exchange, Club1 Hotels paid me $4 for each new member sign-up. Before agreeing to promote the site, I tested it and found some amazing hotel deals, like 50% off at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun.
There are many gimmicky travel deal websites out there but I can say for certain Club1 Hotels isn’t one of them. When I decided to book the Nizuc Resort, I was thrilled to find that the $1400 per night Master Suite was going for just $986.53 on Club1 Hotels. I was essentially getting my third night free!
On a 3-night stay, this turned out to be $1,241.18 cheaper than the rate advertised on the Nizuc Resort website.
Furthermore, the Club1 Hotels rate was $407.85 cheaper than the rate on HotelsCombined and Booking.com. These are websites I typically find to be great sources for hotel deals.
Had I opted for a lower room category, I would have saved even more. But if I was going to fly all the way to Cancun, I didn’t want to stay in a standard hotel room I could book in San Francisco. The Master Suite at Nizuc was incredible (review to come) and I probably wouldn’t have been able to book it if wasn’t for Club1 Hotel’s incredibly low rate.
Club1 Hotels’ Advanced Booking Policy
Club1 Hotels had some issues with fraud, so they now require all hotel bookings to be made 3 days in advance. If you have a booking phobia like I do and can’t book your stay until right around the time you’re headed to the airport, you simply have to call or email Club1 customer service to book your hotel.
I tried my luck at Twitter, not expecting a response on a Sunday. Sure enough a member of Club1 Hotels’ Twitter team reached out to me shortly after. Robert was super helpful and quick. He completed my booking and promptly sent me a confirmation email when it was finalized.
When I arrived at the Nizuc Resort, the staff initially had trouble finding my reservation. The confirmation email from Tourico Holidays helped them track it down.
Three years of high school Spanish came in handy when I overheard the front desk agent calling his supervisor to ensure the rate I had booked would be honored. It was so low that even the front desk agent wasn’t sure it was valid!
It all worked out and enjoyed three days of tranquility and the most amazing spa facilities at the Nizuc Resort.
Current Club1 Hotels Membership Fees
Since their promotion last year, Club1 Hotels has changed their membership fees and offerings. Memberships now start at $29 per year (including a $25 booking credit). For $695, Club1 offers the following membership perks:
- $100 booking credit upon joining to be used for your first reservation
- 20,000 Alaska Airlines, Virgin Airlines, United Airlines, JetPrivilege, Philippine Airlines, AirAsia Big, reward-U or Etihad miles
- One year ShopRunner membership
- $30 LuggageFree gift card
- One year Airport Club Membership
- Fully refundable within 30 days from date of purchase and no hotel and/or car booking
- Fully transferable
Club1 Hotels is categorized as a travel merchant by most credit card companies, which means it is eligible for credit card category bonuses and the Sapphire Reserve travel credit. Would I pay $695 for a premium membership? No, but their basic membership is well worth the money considering how much you can save on even a single booking.
I want to point out that Club1 Hotels did not sponsor this post or pay for my stay at the Nizuc Resort. I don’t even think I get the $4 sign-up credit anymore now that the promotion is over, but you’re welcome to try and sign-up for a free membership. The landing page, at least, still appears to be valid.
Have you had a chance to use your Club1 Hotels membership to save on hotel bookings? I’d love your feedback in the comment section.
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