One of the best upgrades some of these travel agents can get for their client is a bump to club or lounge floors, especially in foreign hotels, which means free breakfast, free drinks, free appetizers and desserts, all day long, plus private concierge services and a private sanctuary.

FORBES: Why You Need A Travel Agent, Part 2

But they also have exclusive in-house amenities, such as a private lobby desk and concierge staff, with escorted in-room iPad registration, one of the best upgrades you can get in a city where main lobby registration, even at top hotels, often resembles the economy class check-in line at JFK. The 24-hour room service features the first-ever in-room dining menu designed by the man himself, culinary legend Nobu Matsuhisa.

FORBES: Nobu Hotel Las Vegas: Famed Chef & Robert DeNiro Cook Up Luxury Lodging

Club guests have a private check-in desk, access to the Virginia Room for concierge service and dining, and a private terrace and garden.

BBC: Openings: Quito, West Virginia, Agra, Oman