Just months after officially launching its Premier Collection of hotels available to its highest-tier credit cardholders, Capital One announced will follow that up with a selection of luxury hotels called the Lifestyle Collection for the rest of its cardholders.
As first reported by Bloomberg, the Capital One Lifestyle Collection will include brand names like Virgin, The Standard Design, and The LINE as well as a number of boutique hotels around the world available to Capital One cardholders with the  Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Venture X Business Rewards Credit Card, the  Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and the Capital One Spark Miles for Business cards.
Capital One's Premier Collection is only available to Venture X cardholders. This new Lifestyle Collection brand will open up many of the same benefits to those with lower annual fee Capital One cards, but only when they book through the Capital One Travel Portal.Â
According to Capital One, cardholders will get perks usually reserved for those with hotel status or who hold a premium travel rewards credit card such as earning more points on stays, room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, and a $50 experience credit to use at bars, hotel restaurants, room service, or other activities.
A timeline for the launch of the Lifestyle Collection in Capital One's travel portal wasn't made clear, but the bank told Bloomberg it expects the rollout to begin later this year.
Where are Capital One's Lifestyle Collection Hotels?
The Capital One Lifestyle Collection is a sampling of hotels all over the world, but you aren't likely to see Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton properties included. Instead, it will feature smaller brand names like Virgin Hotels, The Standard Design Hotels, and The LINE along with a hand-picked roster of boutique hotels.
Capital One listed the following “notable” properties in its announcement:
- Viceroy – Washington, D.C.
- Nobu Hotel – Marrakech, Morocco
- The Dwell Hotel – Chattanooga
- La Torre del Canonigo – Ibiza
- Vintry and Mercer – London
- The Ludlow – New York City
- Drift – Palm Springs
- Hotel Greystone – Miami Beach
- COMO Point Yamu – Phuket, Thailand
- Desa Hay – Bali, Indonesia
- The Maven – Denver
- Grand Central Hotel – Barcelona
- Virgin Hotel – New Orleans
- COMO Metropolitan – Bangkok
A full list of the Lifestyle Collection hotels isn't yet available. According to the initial report from Bloomberg, the timeline for rolling out the Lifestyle Collection is “later this year.”
What Benefits Do Cardholders Get at Lifestyle Collection Hotels?
According to Capital One, cardholders who stay at Lifestyle Collection properties booked through the Capital One Travel Portal get some nice benefits, too.
Cardholders can receive the following when they book through the portal:
- 10x miles per dollar for Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders (5x for Venture and Spark Miles cardholders)
- A $50 experience credit to use at restaurants or on activities and amenities at the hotel
- Room upgrades when available
- Early check-in when available
- Late checkout when available
- Free Wi-Fi
These benefits are typically reserved for travelers with hotel status or for those who carry premium credit cards, making this collection a sweet deal for carriers of the low annual fee Capital One Venture Card.
Lifestyle Collection vs. Premier Collection
The Lifestyle Collection was unveiled just months after Capital One launched the Premier Collection for its Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders. So, what's the difference?
In both cases, cardholders must book through the Capital One Portal to receive the benefits, and in many cases, the benefits are similar.
The free upgrades, early check-in, and late checkout when available are all the same, as is the free Wi-Fi.
But the Premier Collection allows free breakfast for two every morning when you book through the portal and the $50 experience credit from the Lifestyle Collection becomes a $100 credit for the Premier Collection.
While significantly more toned down than the Premier Collection perks, the Lifestyle Collection will still give travelers some great perks to enjoy with their low annual fee credit cards.
Thrifty Tip:Â If you want to use Venture Miles to cover some or all of the cost of your stay at one of the Lifestyle Collection properties, you're better off booking through the Capital One Travel Portal and then using miles to remove the charge from your statement after the fact. You'll save Venture Miles in the long run.
Bottom Line
The Capital One Lifestyle Collection is launching later this year and will give nearly all Capital One credit cardholders elite benefits like room upgrades, a $50 experience credit, and free Wi-Fi at a select list of boutique and small chain hotels and resorts the world over.
While the full list of hotels isn't available yet, Capital One said it plans to launch the collection sometime in 2023, giving credit cardholders new lodging options with better perks when they book through the Capital One Travel Portal.
The key factor here is that the cardholder must book through the Capital One portal. For many frequent travelers, that’s not worth the extra benefits. If anything goes wrong you have to consult with the portal personnel to get satisfaction, rather than the hotel itself.