For years, the luxury travel and lifestyle industry has operated on a straightforward premise: exclusivity comes at a premium. But a growing number of affluent professionals are discovering that the price tags attached to private jets, five-star suites, and exotic vehicles have less to do with actual cost and more to do with knowing the right people.
The Upgrade Society, a private membership founded by luxury lifestyle strategist Kris Buban, is built entirely on that premise. Through a dedicated concierge team and a network of vetted vendors cultivated over years serving heads of state, professional athletes, and ultra-high-net-worth families, members access the same experiences at 60 to 90 percent below standard pricing.
The numbers tell the story. Members currently book private jets at 93 percent below retail, turning $83,000 flights into $6,000 transactions. Five-star hotel suites listed at $6,000 per night become $590. Luxury resort stays drop by 80 percent. These are not promotional codes or last-minute deals. They are the result of direct relationships with brokers, hotel insiders, and luxury vendors that most consumers never knew existed.
Beyond the Deal Sites
What distinguishes this model from traditional luxury discount platforms is the absence of self-service. Members who want full concierge support get a team that handles sourcing, negotiation, and booking entirely on their behalf. Members who prefer a more hands-on experience gain insider knowledge and vendor access to navigate the luxury world on their own terms.
The membership includes The Upgrade Society Playbook, a comprehensive system valued at $3,500 that maps out the insider mechanics of luxury access. But the real infrastructure is human: a personal concierge desk, weekly deal notifications, and entry into a private community of members with similar spending habits and lifestyle ambitions.
Buban holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with an entrepreneurship focus from Oxford Brookes University and currently operates More4LessMotors LLC, a high-net-worth concierge firm. He maintains a collection of Rolls-Royces and other luxury vehicles and is a member of Whispers, Rolls-Royce’s invitation-only global community. He occupies the same world as his clients while maintaining the vendor relationships that make the discounts possible.
Scaling Exclusivity
The business model presents an interesting tension. How do you scale a service predicated on insider access without diluting the very relationships that make it valuable? The Upgrade Society’s answer involves tiered membership levels, including a forthcoming Sovereign Tier designed for ultra-high-net-worth clients who require even more specialized service.
The plan is to reach 200 or more members within 18 months while simultaneously launching The Upgrade Society Apperitif as a standalone digital product aimed at a broader audience of 5,000 or more customers annually. Concierge services are expanding internationally, and a calendar of exclusive member events at luxury properties worldwide is in development.
Founding membership is priced at $5,000 with an annual renewal of $997, a figure that positions the service well above casual discount hunters but firmly within reach of the target demographic. Affluent professionals and entrepreneurs aged 27 to 55, in the top 25 percent of US household income, who already spend heavily on travel, fashion, and premium experiences.
The ambition is to become what Buban calls “the Soho House of lifestyle optimization,” a private membership where luxury lifestyle access is not just purchased but orchestrated by people who know exactly how the system works.
