Marriott has eliminated its "Make A Green Choice" program, and the logic is kind of... illogical? Historically several hotel groups have offered loyalty program members some incentive to not select daily housekeeping. Obviously there are costs associated…
Lately we’ve seen a lot of travel brands get creative when it comes to generating revenue. With so many businesses having liquidity issues, we’re seeing companies offer a deal if you pay now for travel later. We've seen many hotel brands sell gift cards…
Different hotel loyalty programs have different policies regarding how many points, elite qualifying stays, and elite qualifying nights you can earn if booking multiple rooms. In other words, if you often travel with family and book two rooms, can you…
Hawaii has historically been one of the most popular destinations for people looking to redeem points, and there's another addition coming to Hyatt's portfolio there (though this will only be useful for most when Hawaii reopens to tourists without a…
Early last week, Marriott became the first major global hotel group to announce plans to require guests to wear face coverings inside its hotels in the United States. Several weeks prior to that most global hotel chains introduced such policies for employees,…
UrCove is Hyatt's newest hotel brand, and the first property of the group will be opening in Shanghai this fall. In early 2019 I wrote about how Hyatt is forming a new strategic joint venture with Homeinns Hotel Group in China. The intent of this new…
Park Hyatt will be losing its only resort in Europe... Majorca Daily Bulletin is reporting that the Park Hyatt Mallorca will no longer be branded as a Hyatt. The 142-room hotel first opened in 2016, and was an exciting addition for Hyatt, as all other…
Hilton has issued a statement clarifying that its properties can't be used as detention centers for detaining individuals, after it was determined that this was happening consistently at a few properties near the US border with Mexico. A few days ago…
Shangri-La has just rolled out its first-ever promotion on purchased points (at least as far as I know), and this is interesting on a couple of levels. Between July 15 and July 31, 2020, Shangri-La Golden Circle is offering a 50% bonus on purchased points.…
While we're writing more about travel lately, we're not necessarily suggesting people do travel (though if you do, please be considerate and smart). But we also recognize that many folks need a break, whether that's because they have been homeschooling…
We spent the third and fourth nights of our trip in Moab, Utah. We decided to spend more time here because we knew there was a lot to do in the area, and we were very happy with our decision in the end. Moab has virtually every limited service hotel…
Some changes were made to the World of Hyatt program earlier this year. One of the most exciting improvements was that Hyatt adjusted the value proposition of Dining & Spa awards. This went from something that I would have never considered, to something…
We spent the second night of our road trip in Page, Arizona, primarily so we could visit Horseshoe Bend. As we quickly learned, the real treat was just being able to drive around this part of the country, as the scenery is breathtaking. Page has virtually…
We spent the first night of our road trip in Springdale, Utah, so that we could visit Zion National Park. Springdale has a variety of limited service hotel options, though nothing terribly exciting beyond that. My loyalty belongs to Hyatt, Marriott,…
If one good thing comes out of 2020, it's that the St. Regis Cairo has finally opened... seemingly out of nowhere? If you're wondering why I have such an interest in this hotel, let me explain... St. Regis is one of my favorite hotel brands, and Cairo…
A few days ago I posted about an incident that occurred at a Hampton Inn in North Carolina, where a black family had the cops called on them for using the pool. Well, a lawsuit has just been filed over a black family having the cops called on them at…
Shangri-La Golden Circle is definitely more of a niche program, though it potentially offers quite a bit of value. A promotion has just been published for anyone planning an upcoming stay. Shangri-La has launched a promotion offering double Golden Circle…
Coronavirus or not, you'd hope that any hotel room you're paying to stay in is cleaned properly. That's more important now than ever before, given the current pandemic. We've even seen hotels roll out enhanced cleaning protocols, intended to put guests…
Hampton Inn is apologizing after a family staying at a hotel had the cops called on them for using the pool. The incident occurred over the weekend at the Hampton Inn in Williamston, North Carolina, and the employee involved in this is "no longer employed…
It's always exciting when there are new luxury points hotels in the pipeline. In this post I wanted to briefly cover one that should be opening in early 2021. I had mentioned this in passing earlier this year in a post about Hyatt opening 200 new hotels…
While we're writing more about travel this week, we're not necessarily suggesting people do travel (though if you do, please be considerate and smart). But we also recognize that many folks need a break, whether that's because they have been homeschooling…
Hotels are doing what they can to fill rooms as travel slowly starts to recover. In addition to Hyatt's excellent promotion for stays this summer, the company is also rolling out lower rates that include free breakfast. Hyatt is offering free breakfast…
It goes without saying that hotel protocols have changed as a result of coronavirus. One of the things I was curious to observe during my trip was how hotels have adjusted their breakfast offerings, especially at limited service hotels that have free…
We wanted to stay in the thick of the medina on this trip, but that does come with some safety considerations. We also liked the idea of staying in a small independent riad. I'd had numerous people tell me that in Marrakech, your riad host is essentially…
