Article and photos by Dylan Clements‍

We recently booked clients at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai for their babymoon through Four Seasons Preferred Partner.

I wanted to share this stay because it shows what we mean when we say that we advance our Four Seasons Preferred Partner bookings. We do not just make the reservation, send a confirmation and leave the rest to the client.

Before our clients arrive, we contact our dedicated hotel contacts and go through the stay with them.

For this trip, Hualalai knew in advance that our clients were coming for a babymoon. When they arrived, the hotel had put quite a bit together for them.

What Four Seasons Hualalai Did for the Babymoon

Waiting in the room was a Hualalai Baby bodysuit and matching bib.

The hotel had also prepared a separate babymoon amenity with tropical macarons and a jar of Four Seasons Hualalai Belly Butter, along with a card congratulating them on their babymoon.

One of my favorite details was the maternity pillow already on the bed.

It was useful, and my client did not need to arrive and then start asking the hotel if they had one available.

There was also Hualalai's Big Island Bounty amenity with fresh tropical fruit, banana bread and bottled water.

These additional amenities were provided by Four Seasons Hualalai at its discretion. They are not something I would promise another client will receive simply because they are booking a babymoon.

What we do promise is that we will make sure the hotel knows about the trip before the client arrives.

This Is Why We Advance Our Four Seasons Bookings

We advance every Four Seasons Preferred Partner booking we make.

For us, advancing a reservation means contacting our dedicated hotel contacts before arrival and going through the booking with them.

If it is a honeymoon, babymoon, birthday or anniversary, we tell them. If the client has a particular room-location request, we discuss it. If there are children traveling, connecting rooms needed, an early arrival or another request we think the hotel should know about, we pass that information on.

Not every stay needs a long list of requests. The point is that somebody at the hotel has looked at the reservation before our client arrives and has the relevant information.

The Hualalai stay is a good example of why we do it.

The hotel knew my clients were on a babymoon before they checked in. The Hualalai Baby clothing, Belly Butter, macarons and maternity pillow were all waiting for them when they got to the room.

Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits at Hualalai

There is also some confusion online about what happens when you book through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel advisor rather than booking on the Four Seasons website yourself.

At Clements Travel, we use the same Four Seasons booking system.

If an eligible Four Seasons Hualalai room is available directly from Four Seasons at a particular rate, that is the same eligible rate we book. We do not take the Four Seasons rate and add a fee or markup to it.

We make the reservation through the Four Seasons system and add the Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits.

There is also no Clements Travel booking fee.

Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits at Hualalai can include:

• Daily breakfast for two guests per bedroom
• A hotel or resort credit
• Room upgrade, subject to availability
• Early check-in, subject to availability
• Late check-out, subject to availability
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Four Seasons Preferred Partner recognition

The exact benefits can depend on the reservation and room category, so we confirm them when quoting the stay.

In some cases, Four Seasons also has special offers that can be booked with Preferred Partner benefits. We check those when looking at the available options.

Is It More Expensive to Book Four Seasons Through Clements Travel?

No.

For eligible Four Seasons Preferred Partner reservations, Clements Travel books the same Four Seasons rate through the Four Seasons booking system and adds the Preferred Partner benefits.

You still have a Four Seasons reservation.

You still pay the hotel directly.

Clements Travel does not charge you a booking fee.

The difference is that we add the Preferred Partner benefits and then handle the pre-arrival work with our hotel contacts.

What Does It Mean When We Say We “Advance” a Hotel Booking?

Advancing a hotel booking means we contact the property before the client's arrival rather than waiting for the client to check in.

This is separate from simply adding a note to a reservation when it is booked.

We contact our hotel contacts ahead of the stay and make sure they have the relevant details about our client and their trip.

Depending on the reservation, that might include:

• The reason for the trip
• Honeymoons, babymoons, birthdays and anniversaries
• Room-location preferences
• Connecting or nearby room requests
• Bedding requests
• Children traveling
• Expected arrival time
• Early check-in or late check-out requests
• Other requests we have discussed with the client

We do this as part of our service when handling Four Seasons Preferred Partner reservations.

Why Four Seasons Hualalai for a Babymoon?

Hualalai is an easy resort to settle into for several days without having to plan very much away from the hotel.

For a babymoon, one thing I would look at carefully is room location.

Four Seasons Hualalai covers a fairly large area along the coast. If a client is pregnant, I would rather think about how far the room is from the restaurants, pools and other facilities they plan to use than automatically assume a higher room category is the better choice.

That is something we can discuss with the Hualalai team when advancing the reservation.

Does Clements Travel Advance Every Four Seasons Preferred Partner Booking?

Yes.

This is part of how we handle our Four Seasons reservations, rather than an additional paid service.

We book the reservation with the Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits and then, closer to arrival, advance the stay with our hotel contacts.

We cannot guarantee discretionary upgrades, special amenities or a particular room assignment. Those decisions remain with the hotel.

What we can do is make sure the hotel has the information it needs before our client arrives.

Can Clements Travel Book Other Four Seasons Hotels With Preferred Partner Benefits?

Yes. Clements Travel is a Four Seasons Preferred Partner agency and can arrange Preferred Partner reservations across participating Four Seasons hotels and resorts.

The same approach applies beyond Hualalai.

We check the Four Seasons rates and available offers, make the reservation through the Four Seasons system with Preferred Partner benefits, and advance the booking with our hotel contacts before the stay.

Book Four Seasons Hualalai With Preferred Partner Benefits

If you are considering Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, send Clements Travel your dates and the room category you are looking at.

We can check the current Four Seasons rates and offers, explain which room categories I would consider, and book the reservation with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits.

You pay the same eligible Four Seasons rate, there is no Clements Travel booking fee, and you pay Four Seasons directly.

Once your stay gets closer, we will also advance your reservation with our dedicated contacts at Four Seasons Hualalai before you arrive.

That pre-arrival work is part of our service.

Contact Clements Travel to book Four Seasons Hualalai with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits.

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