Hi, I’m Katie — founder of La Jolla Mom, a former Four Seasons Hong Kong resident, and a luxury hotel booking specialist based in San Diego. I’ve been helping families, couples, business travelers, and solo travelers secure VIP perks at the world’s best hotels for over a decade.

Through my affiliation with Cadence Travel (a Virtuoso® member agency), I work closely with top hotel brands and trusted onsite partners around the globe to ensure your stay includes upgrades, added value, and thoughtful support.

Here’s what to expect when working with us.

What We Do

We offer access to the world’s best hotels through elite preferred partner programs like:

  • Virtuoso
  • Four Seasons Preferred Partner
  • Hyatt Privé
  • Peninsula PenClub
  • Marriott STARS (The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Bulgari, JW Marriott and more)
  • Hilton for Luxury (Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Conrad)
  • And many, many others

When you book with us, you’ll receive exclusive perks, such as:

  • Daily breakfast for two
  • $100+ hotel or resort credit
  • Room upgrades (based on availability)
  • Early check-in / late check-out
  • Personalized VIP treatment from the hotel team

You’ll usually pay the same rate — or better — than booking directly. There is no extra charge for our services.

Two Ways to Book With Us

1. Self-Service Booking Tools

Many clients find us online and book directly through my Virtuoso.com site or our TravelWits booking tool. If that’s you — welcome! We’re so glad you’re here.

Here’s what happens next:

  • We’ll contact you within 24–48 business hours of receiving your confirmation to confirm your preferences (arrival time, special occasions, room needs).
  • We’ll contact the hotel, which already has your VIP amenities recorded, and pass along your notes.
  • We remain available before, during, and after your stay.

Not sure if we received your booking?
Please feel free to email us. Rest assured, your booking is set once you receive an email confirmation, but we still like to touch base.

Prefer to book and be done? That’s okay too.
Some travelers just want the perks without extra communication — and we totally respect that. If we reach out and don’t hear back, we’ll assume you’re all set unless we’re told otherwise. No pressure, no obligation. We still tell the hotel it’s our booking (and in a lot of places, that carries weight).

Explore our tools:

  • Travelwits: Allows you to add any VIP program we work with. You’ll need to request a password.
  • Virtuoso.com: Allows you to browse the Virtuoso member hotels.

2. Personalized Hotel Matching

If you need advice before booking, we can help match you with the best hotels and perks based on your needs, loyalty preferences, budget, and travel style.

How it works:

  1. Please submit your request through our forms. We have one for San Diego hotels and another for all other luxury hotels.
  2. We’ll research, contact you if we need more information, and then send curated options from our preferred hotel programs.
  3. You pick your favorite, and we book it with all applicable perks.

Sometimes, we’ll recommend a hotel that doesn’t participate in a VIP program if we feel it’s the best fit for you.

Before & After Your Stay

Once your booking is confirmed, you’ll hear from us at a few key points:

  • Pre-stay emails with helpful reminders, check-in details, and tips on how to use your perks.
  • San Diego stays receive an exclusive email series with local restaurant picks, activity ideas, and special discounts — curated just for our hotel clients.
  • A post-stay survey to check in on your experience and follow up if anything needs attention.

We have a full guide for what to do when that we’ll send to you so that you have your FAQs answered.

How We Communicate

To provide the best service and keep everything organized, we handle all communication via email unless it’s an emergency.

  • Email allows us to maintain detailed records of your trip and preferences
  • It ensures every team member stays informed and aligned on your booking
  • It also helps us provide efficient, high-quality service without charging planning fees

That said, we’re quick to reply — especially for clients who are currently traveling — and we monitor our inbox daily, including weekends. We are keenly aware of who is traveling and when.

A Few Important Notes

To help us serve you efficiently (and avoid surprises), please keep the following in mind:

  • Already have a reservation? Let us know upfront — even if it’s with the same hotel. In many cases, we can add our benefits to your existing booking or quickly let you know if we can do better or if you should keep what you have as is.
  • Hotel rates and availability change frequently. Pricing and room inventory usually fluctuate right up until you book. Rates are not guaranteed until your reservation is confirmed.
  • Please include all travelers. Let us know the exact number of adults and children — and their ages. Many hotels have occupancy limits, especially for suites or club-level rooms.
  • Travel insurance is strongly encouraged. While we can’t recommend specific policies due to licensing limitations, we can get your rates from Virtuoso-approved providers. Look for coverage that includes cancellations, delays, illness, and other travel disruptions.

Fees & Policies

  • We don’t charge a booking fee for hotel-only reservations.
  • For multi-city trips or more complex planning, we often collaborate with trusted local partners (sometimes called onsite experts) to help design custom itineraries. Their planning fees are typically built into the final cost of the trip. We don’t charge an additional fee on top of that.

Theme Park Tickets, Too?

We also operate a discount theme park ticket site powered by aRes Travel, where you’ll find deals on Disneyland, Universal Studios, LEGOLAND parks, and more. We even have some exclusive promo codes.

  • You’ll purchase through our site, and aRes Travel facilitates ticket fulfillment. The tickets arrive by email.
  • But if you have questions about the tickets, I’m always happy to share tips or advice.
  • Throughout our content, we are transparent about the best places to buy tickets, and sometimes, we’ll tell you it’s directly through the theme park or elsewhere.

Get Our Discounts and Promo Codes—No one likes to pay more for admission than they have to!

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I still earn hotel loyalty points?
Yes! Most of our bookings are “qualifying stays,” so you’ll earn points and enjoy elite perks — plus the added VIP benefits we provide.

Can I cancel or modify my booking?
Yes — our bookings follow the hotel’s official cancelation and modification policies.
If you’ve booked a refundable rate and are outside the penalty window, we can help cancel or modify your reservation.

Keep in mind that modifications are subject to current availability and pricing at the time the change is made — which may differ from your original rate.

Do you book flights or transfers?
We focus on hotel bookings but can refer trusted partners for air, transportation, and experiences. We can help you arrange airport transfers through the concierge.

Let’s Get Started

Whether you’ve already booked or want help choosing your next hotel, we’re here to ensure your stay is seamless and memorable.

We look forward to working with you!

Katie