FAQ’s
We’ve seen tons of tour companies in Los Angeles that are much cheaper. Why is this tour company more expensive?
With a Glitterati private tour, you’re guaranteed a spotless, discreet luxury vehicle that will accommodate just you and your immediate party. This allows you the flexibility to pick your time frame, your location pickup, and most importantly — the ability to customize your tour depending on your interests. You’ll also have a professional guide that specializes in individually tailored customer service who will go above and beyond to make your tour memorable.
We are in the same price range, or lower, than the handful of private tour companies that operate in Los Angeles. As far as the less-expensive group tours go, there are literally dozens and dozens of these larger bus tour companies in and around the Hollywood and Los Angeles area. While some of the bus/van tours may be better than others, quite often, guests are at the mercy of erratic schedules, and false promises. Plus, one never knows the strangers they’re going to share a vehicle with for 3 hours. Keep in mind, most of the larger buses are also forbidden entry onto many of the residential streets in the Hollywood Hills as well as Beverly Hills, due to their weight and other city restrictions.
Where do we start our city tour?
If you’re staying at a hotel or visiting a venue or restaurant in the Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Downtown L.A., or West Hollywood communities—we come to you! Glitterati Tours has also been granted special permission to conduct tours departing from LAX Los Angeles Airport. This provides the perfect opportunity for visitors to see a bit of Hollywood and Beverly Hills during extended layovers in Los Angeles.
What if we want a tour, but we’re outside of your normal pick up areas?
Glitterati Tours get quite a few requests from guests staying near Disneyland, or coming off a cruise at the ports of San Pedro and Long Beach that want a city tour of Los Angeles. These locations are approximately 1 hour from the heart of L.A. This adds up considerably, considering we would have to bill our hourly rates to/fro and fro/to. It’s much more economical for guests to hire a one-way car service or taxi to the L.A. area to start their tour. Depending on the visitor(s) time in the city, some may even book a one-night hotel stay in the Los Angeles area.
What time do the tours begin?
It’s your tour. We can start the tour when it fits your schedule.
How do we pay for the tour?
Glitterati Tours of Los Angeles accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
What is the cancelation policy?
Guests are required to hold a reservation with a credit card. Typically, our cancelation policy bills 25% of the tour total if the tour is canceled within 48 hours of the scheduled tour departure. We understand that schedules can change due to flight delays, traffic, etc., and we make every attempt to be extremely flexible. Obviously, schedules during peak periods such as spring break, summer months of July and August, and December holidays offer up less wiggle room.
Does the rate include taxes and gratuities?
The rate includes all taxes and surcharges. Gratuities are optional depending on a clients satisfaction with the service provided.
“Tipping” or providing a gratuity is something that is quite uncommon for us. Is there a standard?
A typical gratuity for this type of service usually ranges between 10%-20% of the total bill.
How do I know whether this tour company is the real deal and not a scam?
Our Los Angeles tour company truly has one of the best reputations in the city. We are the go-to tour operator for many of the 5-Star hotels in and around Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. In addition, many international travel agents rely on our services for their VIP’s.
It’s not easy putting one’s trust into a company that could be halfway around the world. Just as one researches airlines, hotels, and restaurants, we suggest doing the same for tour companies when traveling to a new city. Just look us up online. We pride ourselves on our service, integrity, straightforwardness, honesty and passion. It shows with the dozens of articles, reviews and referrals from countless satisfied guests.
We’ve been on tours in other cities and don’t like the mystery of getting an unpleasant or scary guide. Are the guides clean with this company?
Find out for yourself (We post our photos on our website), and the only time we’re scary is during our “Underbelly L.A.” tour of the famous Hollywood scandals.
Can we smoke or drink alcohol in the car?
-Smoking is not allowed in any of our vehicles. However, we can make as many smoking breaks for our guests as needed.
-Drinking alcohol in a hired car requires a partition between the driver and the guests. Because we are a tour company that requires an abundance of interaction, we do not have partitions. We can however, introduce guests to dozens of hotspots along the way to lounge and imbibe, or just grab a quick one.
Does the movie stars and celebrity homes tour include accurate information?
Absolutely. It’s our job! Just like an accountant has to be up on all the yearly changes with the tax codes, Glitterati Tours is constantly researching the movie stars and celebrity homes of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Bel Air, to make sure we are as current as possible. Who’s buyng—who’s selling—how much is the real estate—history of the legendary homes –scandals—filming locations…it’s what we do.
Can you guarantee that I will see a celebrity during my tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills?
We wish we could. It can be very hit and miss. We’ve had guests that have been in the city for 2 weeks, and never had a celebrity sighting. Other guests have walked into a particular venue after getting off their plane, and spotted a dozen A-listers within 10 minutes. Quite often guests do see celebrities during our movie stars homes tour around Beverly Hills. Want to see a celebrity in Los Angeles? During your tour we’ll show you the bars, restaurants, cleaners, shopping areas, salons, hotels, nightclubs, and of course the police stations and courthouses, where one has the greatest opportunity for a celebrity sighting.
I have a specific tour in mind, but can I add or delete certain venues?
We list several different tours on our website. These are listed as fantastic guidelines to view as much as possible on the different routes. More times than not, guests completely give our guides the reins…BUT, again, because this is private, you can fully customize your tour.
Can you provide an interpreter for different languages?
Glitterati Tours has a network of interpreters that we work with for our tours of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. From Russian and Spanish, to Portuguese and Italian –we can usually provide a translator with advance notice. Typically, the price ranges from $70-$100 per hour in addition to the hourly tour rate. Once booked, the translator fee is non-refundable.
Can I bring my dog?
We are all major dog lovers, but out of respect for our future guests and their potential allergies, dogs and other pets are not allowed.
What if I have questions not listed here?
Please feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email. We’re more than happy to assist anyway we can in making sure you’re comfortable with your decision in booking your Glitterati tour of Los Angeles!
