Trump hotels dropped as preferred partner by luxury travel agency

The luxury travel agency Virtuoso will no longer list Trump Organization properties on its website, a spokesperson for the company said.

A Virtuoso spokeswoman confirmed in a statement reported by multiple outlets that Trump hotels were no longer a preferred partner of the company, and as of last week the properties were no longer listed on its website.

“As of March 8, 2021, Trump Hotels are no longer part of the Virtuoso network,” Misty Ewing Belles, head of Virtuoso’s public relations department, said in a statement to Zenger News, which first reported the move.

“Virtuoso considers many variables when reviewing both existing and new network participation. Out of respect for all involved parties, and as a general policy, we do not share comments regarding our non-renewal and exit decisions,” she added.

Further information about why the Trump Organization’s relationship with Virtuoso ended was not initially available.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.

A travel industry analyst told The Washington Post that agencies in Virtuoso’s network can still book clients at properties linked to the Trump Organization, but will no longer get any perks that preferred partners receive. 

“It’s a big deal because Virtuoso is very well-respected in the industry,” analyst Henry Harteveldt, of the Atmosphere Research Group, told the newspaper. “It serves a very elite base of customers and its actions are often studied by others. With Virtuoso doing this, some travel agencies that may have been debating whether or not to do it could decide well, if Virtuoso has done this, we too will end our professional relationship with the Trump hotels.”

The Trump Organization faced scrutiny during former President TrumpDonald TrumpGaetz was denied meeting with Trump: CNN Federal Reserve chair: Economy would have been ‘so much worse’ without COVID-19 relief bills Police in California city declare unlawful assembly amid ‘white lives matter’ protest MORE‘s time in the White House over the rates the company charged the federal government for housing staff including Secret Service agents designated to protect the president when Trump would stay at his own properties, which was a frequent occurrence.