Virtuoso will no longer consider Trump Hotels as a preferred partner for its clients.

Without announcement, the global network of luxury travel advisers has severed ties with the hotels that operate under the Trump brand as partners.

Despite the news only breaking on 23 March in the US, with reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times, Virtuoso said the change was effective 8 March.

With the news originally covered by Zenger News, a wire service, the decision by Virtuoso came two months after the US Capitol riots, a momentous event in modern American history that left five people dead and saw several of Donald Trump’s former business partners and clients cut ties with his company.

Travel Weekly has contacted Virtuoso for comment regarding its reasons for the move. However, a spokesperson from the network had declined to give a reason when asked by The Post and The Times.

Speaking to The Times, Misty Belles, the managing director of global public relations at Virtuoso, said in an emailed statement that “as of March 8, 2021, Trump Hotels are no longer part of the Virtuoso network”.

“We consider many variables when reviewing both existing and new network participation,” Belles told The Times.

“Out of respect for all involved parties, and as a general policy, we do not share comments regarding our nonrenewal and exit decisions.”

As The Post reports, agencies in Virtuoso’s network can still book a client at a Trump-branded hotel through other channels, but they won’t get the privileges that come with being a preferred partner, as Virtuoso no longer has a direct relationship with Trump-brand hotels.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told The Post the move could pave the way for other travel agencies to cut ties with Trump hotels.

Featured image source: iStock/Evgenia Parajanian